Chapter 10 - Mother Invades
Asking Mahiru to pick up her portion of the fruit as soon as the package arrived turned out to be a big mistake. When Amane heard the sound of the intercom and the high-pitched, mischievous voice that called “Aaa-maaa-neee!” through it, he understood that he was in trouble.
Amane had been very grateful for Mahiru’s proposal to make lunch for him on Saturday. It had seemed a veritable blessing from heaven at the time. Truly, the carbonara she’d whipped up had been delicious. The thick-bodied sauce and the kick of black pepper were a perfect match, and it’d been tremendously tasty.
Mahiru hadn’t done anything wrong. Those at fault were Amane himself for failing to recognize in advance what his mother had meant by telling him to be home on Saturday for the delivery and that irksome, surprise-loving woman herself.
“…Um, Fujimiya? Is that the delivery…?” Mahiru asked.
“Nope. That would be my mother. She’s probably using her duplicate key to get through the front door and is heading up right now,” Amane explained. Thinking back on it, it had been his own mistake to take what his mother had said at face value. One way or another, she always created situations that allowed her to come by and check in on him. Amane’s mother could never resist employing a little misdirection.
“…Uh, your mother?”
“She probably came to see whether I’m getting along okay…and she didn’t tell me she was coming. Probably because she knew I would clean up in advance.”
“Uh-huh…”
“I know it’s all a bit hard to swallow, but that doesn’t matter right now.”
Right now, the problem was what to do with Mahiru. If Amane’s mother had still been in the lobby downstairs, he could have sent Mahiru home, but that was out of the question now that she was approaching his door. At the same time, his mother was sure to get the wrong idea if he invited her into his apartment and she came across Mahiru. There was no doubting that Mahiru would hate that as much as Amane would.
The longer Amane puzzled over what to do, the closer his mother was getting to just barging right in.
I can’t believe this is happening… Amane did have an idea, but he didn’t like it.
“…I’m sorry, Shiina, but could you please hide in my bedroom?”
“Huh, wh-what?”
“Take your stuff with you, and once I find some way to get my mom outside, you can go back home. I’m really sorry, but please?”
With no other viable option, Amane took the helm and steered Mahiru into concealing herself. Thankfully, they’d already finished cleaning up after lunch, so that wouldn’t be a giveaway. If he hid her shoes in the shoe closet, they wouldn’t be discovered, and Mahiru could just bring her personal effects into Amane’s room.
The plan was to let Amane’s mom to make a quick inspection of the apartment while Mahiru was hiding. Amane would mention to his mother that he really wanted to eat her home cooking, something that’d probably keep her too busy to push her way into his room.
Whatever it took, Amane had to keep his mother from breaching the bedroom.
He would purposely request that his mother cook something that used an ingredient he didn’t have in his refrigerator. If the two of them went out shopping together, that would provide Mahiru with a window to escape.
Amane hurriedly explained to Mahiru that such a scheme was the only option as he handed her his extra key and asked her to cooperate with the greatest sincerity he could muster.
“O-okay,” she said, nodding in bewilderment.
In truth, the storage room was also an option, but Amane didn’t want a girl to wait in there. It had no heating, which meant it was quite cold this time of year. Amane’s bedroom had a proper heater, as well as soft cushions. It wouldn’t do to have Mahiru sitting on a bare floor while she shivered from the cold.
“…All right, I’m counting on you. I have to deal with my mom, so…”
Even before meeting his mother, Amane looked dejected. He headed for the entrance while Mahiru quietly slipped into the bedroom. After making sure that the angel was hidden, Amane reluctantly opened the front door.
“My goodness Amane, that took you long enough. I’m glad to see you’re looking well. I was starting to wonder if you were asleep.”
There was Amane’s mother, standing just outside his apartment. He hadn’t seen her since summer break.
Although she was a parent, it would have been difficult to tell from her looks alone. It wasn’t just that her face looked young, she never acted her age, either. She wore the same sort of happy expression she often had back when Amane was still living at home.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m perfectly fine, so how about heading home?”
“How can you say that to your own mother? It took me several hours to get here, you know? Don’t I even get a thank-you?”
“Thank you very much for traveling a great distance, now please go home.”
“Come now, don’t say such things. It’s not very endearing. You should act more like Shuuto, your father!”
“Men don’t need to be endearing, do we?” While Amane had spat his words acidly, his mother, Shihoko, didn’t seem bothered at all, instead breaking into a fit of laughter.
“You’ve really hit your rebellious phase!” she said. “I hope you’re not planning on having me stand outside all day. I’m coming in, okay?”
“Wait, nobody said you could—”
“Have you forgotten that your father and I pay the rent on this place?”
There was nothing Amane could do to argue or refuse his mother once she’d played that card. Reluctantly, he allowed her to enter.
To keep her from going into the bedroom, Amane casually guided his mother to walk past the bedroom door and into the living room.
“By the way, you really should tell me beforehand when you plan on visiting,” said Amane.
“Now, I wouldn’t be able to get a proper picture of my son’s living situation if I didn’t show up unannounced, would I?” Shihoko replied.
“Ugh… Look, there’s no problem, okay? I’m keeping the place clean.”
“You certainly are; I’m surprised. You never kept your room clean at home, but you’re doing better than I’d expected. I’m surprised.” Shihoko nodded seriously, looking genuinely astonished as she surveyed the living room.
The unspoken truth was that his place was only clean because Mahiru had helped Amane tidy up. Her advice and constant scolding was a big part of how his place had managed to stay clean, too. Really, Mahiru deserved most of the credit, but there was no way Amane was going to tell his mother that now.
“Your skin looks good, too; you must be eating well,” Shihoko observed.
“…Yeah,” Amane admitted, unable to meet his mother’s eyes. Even his improved health was something he owed to the angel.
“You’re even cooking properly, huh. Oh, but it looks like you’re cooking for two?”
Shihoko’s manicured finger was pointing at his dish rack. Two people had eaten lunch, so naturally there were two sets of dishes. Carelessly, Amane had forgotten to put them away. He should’ve remembered how perceptive his mother could be.
“Yeah, I had a friend over.” Amane’s answer was not quite a lie. He’d spoken as indifferently as he was able, doing his best to stop himself from shaking. It was fair to say that he and Mahiru had built up to something resembling a friendship, so it wasn’t exactly untrue. There was the small matter of hiding that the friend in question was a girl.
“Hmm,” Shihoko replied with a tone that suggested she didn’t really accept that explanation at face value. She scanned the living room again.
“I suppose you get a passing mark. You’re doing so well, I can hardly believe you’re a boy living on his own,” Amane’s mother finally conceded.
Somehow, Amane had been able to deceive her, though only just barely. Strangely, he felt a chill run down his spine, and he was sweating bullets. On the other hand, maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised to have passed his mother’s inspection. Mahiru really had turned some things around for him, after all.
“See, there was nothing for you to worry about, Mom.”
“I suppose not; though I can hardly believe it. You could barely do anything for yourself at home. You’ve certainly grown up.”
“…I’m basically an adult,” Amane replied, though inwardly, he scoffed at himself for having the audacity to say such a thing.
“Good job,” Shihoko praised, smiling.
It made Amane a little uncomfortable to hear that, since of course he hadn’t done any of it on his own. There was no way he could risk telling his mother the truth, however, so he would have to leave things as they were and try to get her out of there.
She’s pretty much finished her evaluation, right? I wonder if I can get her to leave without saying anything about wanting to eat her cooking or whatever, Amane thought.
“That just leaves the bedroom check, I suppose,” Shihoko mused nonchalantly.
Amane’s eyes went wide at the drop of that bomb. Mahiru was still in there. If his mother found a girl hiding in the bedroom, a far greater disaster would ensue than if Amane had just revealed Mahiru from the get-go.
“Hey, don’t joke around. Even if you’re my mom, I don’t want you digging around in my bedroom.”
“Oh? Something in there you’re feeling embarrassed about?” Shihoko prodded.
“There’s probably one or two embarrassing things in any high school guy’s room, if you think about it.”
“So you admit it?”
“Yeah, I admit it. Please don’t go in there.”
Even though it was shameful, there’d been no other choice. Amane had been forced to go along with his mother’s assumption to keep her from entering the bedroom. If she discovered Mahiru in Amane’s room, she would most assuredly get the wrong idea. For both his own sake and Mahiru’s, Amane needed to avoid that at all costs.
When Amane’s mother saw him blocking the door to his room, desperately trying to keep her from getting through, she could tell right away that he was hiding something. Closing in on her son, Shihoko said, “I suppose you are grown up, if you’re hiding those sorts of things from your parents.”
If it came down to it, Amane was prepared to keep his mom out by force if necessary, though he admittedly didn’t like that idea. He stood ready to stop her, but then…
Thump. There came a noise from inside the bedroom.
“Amane…”
“Yes.”
“What are you hiding?”
“…It has nothing to do with you, Mom.”
“So you say.” A wide grin spread across Shihoko’s face.
It was the kind of coercive smile that could not be denied. Amane became extremely uncomfortable every time she looked at him like this. It had a way of sapping his willpower to oppose her.
Amane groaned, and Shihoko saw an opening. She put her hand on the doorknob to his room, and by the time Amane noticed, it was far too late. Shihoko slipped past Amane, intent on discovering the source of the noise on the other side of the door.
What met her eyes beyond that barrier that Amane had failed to protect was the figure of a beautiful girl. She was leaning her back against the side of the bed while hugging a cushion to her chest. The girl’s eyes were closed, and her breaths were a gentle rhythm. Mahiru had dozed off by the time Shihoko discovered her.
A warm room with a heater running and a full stomach after lunch were the perfect conditions for an afternoon nap. Amane couldn’t help but wonder whether Mahiru often slept in boys’ rooms, but all this really confirmed was that she found Amane to be harmless enough to doze off in his bedroom.
He couldn’t exactly blame her for it. Sitting motionless so as not to make any noise had probably gotten real boring real fast.
The main problem was, obviously, Shihoko, who had arrived at just the wrong moment to witness a situation she was sure to misunderstand.
Had he been the third party, Amane would have gotten the wrong idea, too. He would have assumed they were so intimate that Mahiru had no problem drifting off for a nap in his room.
Grimacing all the while, Amane glanced over at his mother and saw that her eyes were sparkling. He could only imagine the commotion she was about to raise.
“Oh my, Amane, you’ve got such an adorable girlfriend!” Shihoko shrieked in her youthful voice. “This isn’t the kind of girl you can just hide away in a corner, you know!”
Amane felt a headache coming on.
She had immediately jumped to possibly the worst conclusion available, and to make matters worse, she was clearly very excited about the idea that her son was dating such a lovely girl. There was no doubt that even Amane’s mother was smitten with Mahiru’s beauty.
Mahiru looked so vulnerable when she was asleep. The practiced air of elegant refinement that she always wore like a mask had melted away, revealing the full captivating nature of her looks. Her cute face had never looked more peaceful—or more pretty.
Amane had grown somewhat accustomed to Mahiru’s appearance, but seeing her like this, he was once again struck by her incredible charm. Her cherubic face held such an innocent serenity. Once again, he felt the urge to reach out and touch her. Her sleeping figure, hugging Amane’s cushion tight, awakened many desires in him that were best kept private.
This truly captivating girl was Amane’s girlfriend, or so his mother thought. It was no wonder she was excited.
“I suppose the reason you didn’t want your mother looking in this room is because your girlfriend is here? Look at you, growing up right before my eyes.”
“That’s not it! You’ve got it all wrong! She’s not my girlfriend or anything!”
“Come now, you don’t have to make excuses! Your mother has no intention of opposing your relationship, Amane.”
“No, I’m telling you, that’s not the issue here! We’re not in a romantic relationship! You’ve got it totally wrong!”
“Well, whether I’m right or wrong, she’s in your bedroom right now, isn’t she?”
“That’s because you showed up all of the sudden! We were just hanging out in the living room, but I knew you would misunderstand!”
“You see, the problem with that excuse is that you would never let a girl you don’t like into your apartment. And I really don’t think a girl would just waltz right on into the apartment of someone she didn’t like, would she?”
Amane struggled to find a way to argue the issue. His mother was right; Amane was awfully territorial about his living spaces and wasn’t inclined to let just anyone into his domain.
The first time Mahiru had come in, she’d practically forced her way, but ever since then, he’d welcomed her over, even when she wasn’t coming to cook for him.
I guess that means I really do like her.
As far as Amane was concerned, he was sure he liked Mahiru for her personality, not her appearance. He enjoyed that seemingly contradictory part to her. There was a biting and honest side of her that she didn’t show at school, and yet she found it hard to be open about her feelings. He liked her curt and annoyingly helpful attitude and the reserved way she conducted herself. When she was taken by surprise, she would get flustered, and the mask would drop momentarily, which was another thing he enjoyed. Most of all, Amane especially liked that rare angelic smile that he’d only seen cross her face a few times. He supposed that each of those attributes were all precious parts of Mahiru’s appeal.
If he had to say whether that was a feeling of romantic love, Amane would have insisted that it was something else, but he couldn’t deny that Mahiru was a wonderful girl for many reasons.
“I care about her as a friend. Not every relationship between members of the opposite sex has to be romantic, you know. And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t feel that way, either.” Amane was not the kind of mama’s boy who would obediently play along with whatever Shihoko said. Plus, Mahiru would certainly object to the suggestion that she had feelings for him.
“Now, you don’t know that, Amane! Aren’t you being rather presumptuous, thinking you know exactly what her heart wants?”
“What can I say to get you to understand that our relationship is not like that, Mom…? Shiina, please, help me out here…”
No matter how he tried to explain, Amane’s mother had already made up her mind. Amane pressed a finger to his forehead, stumped on what to do. With all possible urgency, he wished Mahiru would just wake up.
“Nn…”
Either Amane’s unspoken prayer had been heard or all the ruckus had, because Mahiru’s eyelids fluttered open, and she made a sweet noise as she raised her face. Her flaxen hair slipped over her shoulders. The girl’s shining eyes, the color of caramel, were blurry with sleep, and she looked so vulnerable that it felt somehow wrong to look directly at her.
Maybe she wasn’t quite fully awake yet as she looked up at Amane vacantly, her eyes still relaxed and drowsy. Amane pointedly stared in another direction.
“Shiina, I don’t mind that you fell asleep, but there’s been a misunderstanding, so please help me clear things up.”
“Misunderstanding…?”
“Hey, hey, Miss Girlfriend, what’s your name?”
Mahiru was still clearly confused over what had happened, but Shihoko didn’t hesitate to approach her, beaming with an amiable, carefree smile and an overly familiar demeanor.
Mahiru was visibly flustered, still trying to get her bearings.
“Huh, uh, um…”
“It’s important to tell each other our names when we first meet, you know!”
“Ah, I-I’m Mahiru Shiina…”
“Oh, Mahiru, what a cute name that is! I am Shihoko; please don’t be shy and call me by my first name, okay?”
Mahiru had reflexively given her name when pressed for it. She looked up at Amane, her eyes begging him for rescue. Unfortunately, Amane was helpless. He had been hoping Mahiru would save him somehow. Regretfully, he shook his head. He knew that once his mother got started, there was really no stopping her. She was set on learning more about Mahiru, and nothing would dissuade her now. It was unlikely she’d ever realize just how uncomfortable she was making the poor girl.
“A-all right, um…Mrs., that is, uh, Shihoko…”
“See? That sounds more like my daughter-in-law.”
“Fujimiya!”
“That could be referring to either of us, you know? Right, Amane?
“Mom, you’re bothering Shiina.”
“Amane, you mustn’t be so formal with your sweet new girlfriend; call her by her first name!”
Shihoko didn’t seem inclined to listen to anything anyone said. Amane scowled at her, but she didn’t show any sign of letting up. Her smile was wide and utterly shameless.
“Uh, um, Shihoko?”
“Yes, dear?”
“He and I—”
“Why, I don’t know who you mean. He who?”
“…A-Amane and I; we aren’t dating.”
Even though she was obviously flustered by his mother’s verbal assault, Mahiru tried her best to set the record straight. Unfortunately, she’d looked right at Amane and had even been forced to call him by his first name, which was apparently exactly what Shihoko had been after. The older woman’s smile grew even wider.
“Well, I suppose it takes time for things like this to blossom. Something to look forward to,” Shihoko said, quite presumptuously.
“Eh, ah, um, that’s not…,” Mahiru said, trying to object.
“Oh no, I must have intruded just when things were getting good!”
“U-um, I want you to let me explain properly! I don’t have that kind of relationship with…Amane. We were just having lunch together because Amane can’t cook!”
“What a wonderful bride you’ll make, sweetie. My Amane set out to live on his own even though he’s incapable of doing any kind of housework, you see. So I really do appreciate you supporting him.”
“No, uh—”
Mahiru had put up a heroic effort, but she may as well have been banging her head against a wall at this point. The moment she’d mentioned visiting Amane’s place, cooking there, and sitting at the same table as him, the sparkle in Shihoko’s eyes had changed. The pushy mother somehow looked even more unhinged than usual to Amane.
Once Shihoko got like this, he knew there was nothing he could do to stop her. The only person who ever stood a chance was his father, Shuuto.
“Shiina, just give up. My mother won’t listen to anyone when she gets like this.”
“You can’t be serious…” Mahiru sounded extremely dismayed.
Amane realized that they weren’t getting anywhere. Trying to explain the situation wasn’t working, and he clearly couldn’t stop his mother’s wild speculations.
“At any rate, my Amane did quite well to snag such a beauty. I’m surprised.”
With Amane exhausted from arguing, and Mahiru having no clear idea what to do, both simply went quiet.
It was possible Amane’s mother took their sudden silence as a sign of agreement, though Shihoko had doubtlessly already assumed that their embarrassment was proof enough of her suspicions. She was looking at Mahiru with no attempt to hide the wild curiosity in her eyes.
“What do you think, Mahiru? Can my Amane really make it, living on his own?”
“Uh… That’s… Well…,” Mahiru stammered. “…Enough to stay alive…”
“You should’ve just said I’ll be fine!” Amane interjected.
“I remember the place being pretty bad,” Mahiru reminded him.
“Don’t bring that up. I’m keeping it clean now, aren’t I?”
“And I’ve been helping you with the cleaning this whole time, haven’t I?”
“That’s true, and I’m grateful for it,” Amane admitted. “All of it, truly—the food, the cleaning, and everything else.” Mahiru was inarguably the reason that he’d been able to live so comfortably, and he would bow down in thanks to her without any hesitation. He knew that she wouldn’t have done so much if she’d hated it, but he always strove to make his appreciate known.
As should’ve been expected by now, Amane’s mother interpreted the exchange in a different light.
“Well now, Amane, so it wasn’t just today’s lunch! Mahiru’s been doing everything for you this whole time, you useless child. The way you speak to each other—it’s like you’re already living together!”
“No! How did you even reach that conclusion?! We only live next to each other!” Amane fired back.
“Aha, so it was fate! Isn’t that wonderful, Amane. You got me such a beautiful daughter-in-law.”
“I’m not denying that she’s beautiful and talented, but I’m totally against calling it fate or destiny or whatever!”
“Doesn’t it sound more romantic that way?”
“That’s not what I’m bothered by! I’m telling you we don’t have a romantic relationship at all!”
“How persistent.” Clearly, Shihoko was choosing to believe that Amane was still too embarrassed to admit the truth.
Amane’s face contorted into a progressively deeper grimace, and he heaved his heaviest sigh of the last few months. He couldn’t recall how many times he’d suffered at the hands of his mother’s wild imagination. Shihoko was really the kind of woman who just did whatever she wanted.
As for Mahiru, the one who’d been caught unawares by the full weight of Shihoko’s overwhelming enthusiasm, she could do little else than look helplessly back and forth between Amane and his mother, utterly bewildered.
“Mahiru, this is probably a parent’s love talking, but my Amane isn’t very good with words, and he isn’t very up-front about his feelings, but he is faithful and gentlemanly. I’d say he’s a pretty good catch. Plus, he doesn’t have any experience with girls, so you’ll be able to get him to do whatever you want.”
“What on earth are you saying, Mom? Seriously, cut it out.”
That last bit especially is none of her business, Amane thought angrily.
“I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? If not, then why haven’t you had any other girlfriends? You resemble your father, so I don’t think it’s your looks. Maybe it’s because you’re a little immature?”
“It’s n-none of your business.”
“You really should try harder to act cool in front of Mahiru, you know.”
“I will not, and she’s not interested, either,” Amane protested.
“Oh, come now! Sweetie, you can train him to suit your own preferences, you know. Amane cleans up pretty good if you dress him up.”
Shihoko, grinning madly, struck poor Mahiru again, who could do nothing but offer a vague sort of smile in return. Not even an angel could retaliate in a battle like this. Amane’s mother was truly something else.
“Mom, you’re bothering her. Please go home.”
“What a big man you’ve become, telling your mother to go home.”
“I’m serious, please. It’s really obvious that you’re making her uncomfortable.”
“Oh? Is that true, Mahiru?”
“Don’t ask her; she’ll definitely just say what you want to hear. Just this once, please head back. You can come back some other time.”
“Well, if you’re going that far, I suppose I get the message. I did barge in while you were alone with your girlfriend, after all. It’s only natural you’d be upset to lose your alone time.”
“Fine, you can explain it however you like. Just hurry up and go!”
Amane was beyond tired of arguing with his mother, and this whole situation had to be taking a toll on Mahiru as well. He looked over and saw that she also looked exhausted.
Vowing internally to shower her with appreciation later, Amane shooed his mother away and got a look of sour disapproval in return. Even so, Shihoko didn’t make an effort to stay, so at least she kind of cared, though it was obvious her view of reality was still quite different.
“Ah, Mahiru, let’s exchange contact information, shall we? I want a full report later on how Amane’s doing, among other things.”
“Uh, o-okay…?”
In a last-ditch effort, Shihoko tried to sink her hooks in again. Caught in the woman’s powerful momentum, Mahiru wound up exchanging contact information with her. Now Amane’s mother would be able to reach her directly. The thought made Amane want to press a hand to his forehead.
Beaming wide, Shihoko gripped Mahiru’s hand and reminded the girl to look after her son. Amane resolved to send his father a message later, asking him to rein Shihoko in.
“I’m exhausted…”
“Sorry; she’s like a hurricane.”
Shihoko hadn’t stayed all that long, but she’d left the two completely ragged.
After flumping down on the couch, Amane put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. Mahiru gingerly took a seat, too, but her usually perfect posture was bent and haggard. Amane had thought that the angel could handle anyone, but even she had no energy left after the encounter with his mother. He was unsure if he should try to apologize.
“I really didn’t want to let her go home still believing the wrong thing,” Amane admitted.
“Well, there’s no real harm done…,” Mahiru said.
“No, I think there is… If she was acting like that, it probably means that she’s taken a liking to you… One way or another, she’s gonna be an issue…”
It was truly unfortunate that this was going to put a burden on Mahiru. Shihoko’s love for all things adorable, coupled with her mistaking Mahiru for her son’s girlfriend, almost certainly meant that Amane’s mother would be finding new ways to poke her nose where it didn’t belong in the days to come. Trouble was on the horizon.
“Shihoko really cares about you a lot, doesn’t she?”
“That’s a nice way to put it, but sometimes she really just refuses to listen…”
More than just an overly affectionate parent, Shihoko doted and fawned on Amane even though he hated it. He knew he shouldn’t complain too much, since it was probably at least partly his own fault because he was such hopeless slob. It wasn’t as though he was ungrateful for all his mother had provided, but she could be a real pain in the butt, and he wished she’d give him more space.
“…How nice,” Mahiru mumbled quietly.
Amane looked up at her. “What is?”
“Your mother is quite a character but also very kind.”
“That means she’s loud and loves to meddle.”
“…Even so, I think it’s nice.”
Mahiru’s words weren’t an empty compliment; she really did seem envious as she mumbled and averted her eyes.
A gloomy expression was plain on the girl’s face. So much so that Amane thought she might break down into tears at the drop of a hat. Anyone could have sensed how fragile she was right now. It was clearly more than simple exhaustion.
Mahiru must have noticed Amane looking at her, because she suddenly looked up and forced her lips into a small smile. Then, just as quickly, she regained her usual composure and leaned back against the sofa, something she rarely did.
“Mahiru, huh?”
“…What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Nothing… I was just thinking that it’s been a while since anyone called me by my first name. Most people only address me by my family name.”
It was pretty surprising to know that someone who seemed as popular as Mahiru didn’t actually have any friends close enough to call her by her first name. Everyone at school saw her as a flawless angel. Even Mahiru’s acquaintances probably maintained some degree of formality with her, and nobody had the courage to really get to know her. A lot of students only ever addressed her by a nickname that Mahiru herself didn’t even like.
“Well, I guess if you don’t have any close friends, that would leave only your parents, right?” Amane asked.
“My parents would never talk to me that way. Absolutely not.” Mahiru’s reply was cold.
Looking her over, Amane saw that Mahiru’s face was an expressionless mask. She resembled a beautiful doll, completely devoid of feeling. That, too, only lasted a second, however, and Mahiru’s visage changed again when she noticed that Amane was looking at her. Her eyebrows lowered, as if she was troubled by something.
“…Anyway, it doesn’t happen often,” she muttered, before letting out a sigh.
Amane had been wondering for a while if Mahiru had a bad relationship with her parents. It had been easy enough to imagine that she had problems at home from her frosty demeanor whenever he touched on the subject. Plus, she never went out to eat with her parents and hated her own birthdays, but Amane never would’ve thought Mahiru’s parents were so distant as to not even call the girl by her first name.
Thinking back to how Mahiru had quietly said she enjoyed Shihoko’s personality, Amane wondered how the angel must have felt in that moment.
“Mahiru.” Rather suddenly, Amane blurted out the word. He’d never called his neighbor by her first name before. The girl in question blinked her caramel eyes. She looked stunned, and Amane could tell that he’d caught her off guard. The momentary surprise had revealed a youthfulness about Mahiru that she normally kept hidden.
“It’s your name. Someone ought to call you by it,” Amane reasoned.
“…I suppose you’re right,” Mahiru answered bluntly. A few moments later, a tiny smile appeared. Amane’s chest felt fluttery when he spotted it.
“…Amane.”
When he heard her small voice pronounce his own first name, the flutter turned to a storm. Maybe it was because, until just a moment ago, his mom was the one calling him by his first name, but when Mahiru called him by his first name face-to-face, he felt the uneasy, impatient stirring in his chest churn and roar.
“Please don’t call me that outside, okay?” Mahiru reminded.
“…I already wasn’t planning to. That goes for you, too. Don’t slip up outside the apartment.”
“Understood. It’s our secret, right?”
Amane couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Mahiru, as she was still grinning a little. Looking away, he responded in agreement and shifted in his seat, turning away to escape the angel’s smile.
Though Shihoko’s Saturday invasion had been a nightmare, nothing much had changed aside from how Amane and Mahiru referred to each other.
They hadn’t suddenly become any closer. Addressing each other a little more directly wasn’t a big deal. At most, perhaps Mahiru’s demeanor had softened a little, but that was it.
“…Um, Amane?”
Mahiru had come over earlier than usual for dinner on Sunday, perhaps feeling a little uneasy, because she looked troubled.
Amane was glad to let her in, but he was confused by her peculiar attitude. He’d thought that maybe using their first names didn’t sit right with her after all, but when the time had come, she’d said his name without hesitation, so there must have been something else bothering her.
For the time being, they sat on the sofa together, and as he waited to see what Mahiru would do, she pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket.
As Amane continued to wonder what was up, Mahiru opened the neatly folded handkerchief to reveal a tarnished silver key. It must have been the one he’d given her the day before.
“I’m returning your spare key. In the end, I never got the chance to use it, and then I forgot to give it back. I’m very sorry about that.”
“I see.”
Apparently, Mahiru hadn’t been able to rest until she’d returned the key. Satisfied that he understood the cause for her strange behavior, Amane stared at the bit of metal resting on the handkerchief.
Now that he thought about it, Mahiru came over to fix dinner in his apartment almost every night. Usually, he met her at the door, but sometimes it took him a while. There’d even been times where Mahiru had been forced to wait because he wasn’t home. It must have been inconvenient for her to have to wait outside for him, especially during these colder months. Somewhere, Amane had heard that chilly weather was a girl’s worst enemy, and now that he thought about it, he wouldn’t have been too happy waiting in the cold, either, had the situation been reversed.
Since Mahiru was basically coming over every day, he wondered if it wouldn’t be easier for her to have a key to get in.
“That’s fine; I think you should keep it,” he said.
“Huh?”
“You can give it back to me whenever we stop spending time together.”
It seemed perfectly reasonable to Amane. Now that Mahiru had the key, she might as well keep it—but she didn’t seem convinced.
“B-but…”
“I mean, going to the door every time you come over is a hassle.”
“Ah, so that’s what this is about.”
“I doubt you’re going to misuse it or anything.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Amane had been sharing meals with Mahiru for more than a month now, and he figured that he knew her pretty well. She was sensible, considerate, and kind. He was certain that she would never hand the key over to anyone else or do anything while Amane wasn’t around. If there was anyone he could trust, it was Mahiru.
“Besides, you must think it’s a pain to have to ring the buzzer and wait out there all the time,” Amane said.
“Even if it is, I feel like you’re being a bit careless.”
“But I’m giving it to you because I trust you.”
At that, Mahiru’s eyes went wide, and she floundered for words. Confusion, along with something else that Amane didn’t really understand, passed over the girl’s delicate features.
The truth of it was that Amane had only wanted her to have the key to save himself some trouble, but if she really hated the idea, he was prepared to back down.
As for Mahiru, she looked intently back and forth between Amane and the key for a few moments, then finally let out a gentle sigh.
“…Understood. I’ll hold on to it.”
“Mm.”
“You know, I’m never sure if something is a big deal to you, or if you even care at all, Amane,” Mahiru jabbed with a slightly prickly tone. She sounded fed up, and Amane couldn’t do anything but smile wryly.
“Suits me well, don’t you think?”
“You shouldn’t say things like that about yourself,” Mahiru admonished.
Amane’s smile grew wider. Mahiru seemed to be growing more comfortable with this kind of silly back-and-forth. They were now on a first-name basis, of course. It would’ve been strange if they hadn’t built up some kind of rapport. While Mahiru’s eyes were still full of exasperation, as if to say that Amane was really a hopeless case, her gaze wasn’t cold. In fact, there was a noticeable bit of warmth to it. She understood that Amane was just joking around.
“All right then, I won’t hesitate to use this. I might even do something to your apartment without telling you.”
“Like what?”
“…Like…a surprise cleaning!”
“I would be grateful for that.”
“…Or how about if your fridge was suddenly packed full of food?”
“It’d make breakfast easier, and we’d have more options for dinner, too.”
Mahiru’s idea of a prank clearly needed some work. Amane would’ve been glad to suffer under any one of her suggestions. That she couldn’t come up with a real threat even when she truly tried only reminded Amane of Mahiru’s gentle nature. It was quite charming and brought a smile to his lips.
“Are you sure you’re not making fun of me?” Mahiru looked like she ready to pout, which would’ve been cute in its own right, but Amane didn’t want to upset Mahiru any further.
Suppressing the grin that threatened to break out, Amane said, “Course not.”
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