The Angel Wakes Up

He could hear the chirping of birds coming from somewhere.

Amane's thoughts gradually came into focus as his mind slowly left the

comfortable languidness and warmth of slumber. Somehow, he managed to

open his heavy eyelids and resisted the temptation to go back to sleep.

As he became more aware of the world, still blurry, Amane realized that

the morning sun was streaming in through the open curtains, and there was

a source of warmth beside him that wasn't usually there.

He felt its heat slowly seeping into him, perhaps because the timer on

the air conditioner had run out. But the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

Without pausing to worry about the fatigue that still permeated his body,

he embraced that bundle of warmth and was met with a gentle, sweet aroma

and a hoarse little groan that sounded just as sweet.

"Nnh."

When he finally took a good look, Amane's view was filled with an

enchanting river of gold, something he wasn't accustomed to seeing upon

waking.

Amane swallowed the exclamation rising in his throat at the sight of

Mahiru sleeping peacefully in his arms and sighed deeply instead. He was

relieved he had managed to keep quiet.

…That's right, yesterday I fell asleep with Mahiru.

He remembered what had happened, so he didn't leap up in shock, but

the memory didn't ease the burden that this placed upon his waking heart.

He felt the heavy thump, thump of the pounding inside his chest, but

when he looked at Mahiru's peaceful, sleeping face, little by little, his

heartbeat regained its normal calm rhythm.

Inhaling deeply to compose himself, he gazed again at Mahiru.

She was breathing regularly in her sleep with her head resting on

Amane's upper arm. Mahiru looked so lovely that he was completely

mesmerized by the sight of her.

She must have felt utterly safe because her cheeks had relaxed into a

happy expression, giving the impression that she wore a gentle smile even

in her sleep.

…She looks so unguarded and adorable.

It would be no exaggeration to say she had the face of a sleeping angel.

She seemed so beautiful and pure, just like her nickname.

If he said that to her face, she would likely get embarrassed and sulk for

a while, but as long as he kept the thought to himself, he could mull it over

as much as he liked.

Though, if I whispered it now, she probably wouldn't notice.

As he gazed at her, transfixed by how cute she was, he tenderly stroked

Mahiru's head with his free hand.

As he combed his fingers gently through her immaculate, silky hair—

her angel's halo—he carefully shifted to change his position ever so

slightly, doing his best not to lift his numb arm that she was using in place

of a pillow. His new position afforded him a better view of Mahiru's

sleeping face.

The tingling in his arm was a small price to pay.

Smiling softly at Mahiru, who still showed no signs of waking, he

stroked her cushiony-looking cheek with his fingertip. As he watched her

tirelessly, the sound of knocking came from his door.

"Amane, you awake?"

It was his father, speaking casually to him from the other side of the

door.

I wonder what he wants.

Amane's father had probably come to wake him up, but if Amane

replied now, he might rouse Mahiru.

It would be a pity to disturb her when she was sleeping so peacefully,

and personally, Amane wanted to watch her like this for a little longer.

However, if he didn't answer, his father might come in, so he wasn't

sure what to do. But before he could come up with a plan, the door opened.

He saw his father's familiar figure, and Amane's face stiffened in a

grimace.

When his father looked toward the bed, however, his eyes went wide

and he put on a little smile, saying, "Oh!"

Amane instantly sensed that his father was going to tell his mother,

Shihoko, about this and that he would undoubtedly be teased for it later. His

face twitched as he resigned himself to the humiliation. He then held up his

index finger in front of his mouth.

He didn't make a shushing sound, but he hoped that his father would

understand what he meant.

His father, who was always quick to catch on, nodded in response to

Amane's gesture. He took one last amused look at his son, then waved and

quietly left the room.

Amane listened to the sound of the door fittings sliding gently together

and his father's restrained, receding footsteps. After they had faded, Amane

let out a silent sigh.

I hope he doesn't get the wrong idea…

The sight of a couple sleeping in bed together was sure to invite

misunderstandings.

Although they were dating, and it was true they had spent the night in

his room together like this, they had an extremely wholesome relationship

and had only ever kissed and held hands. But Amane's parents had no way

of knowing how far they had taken things.

Actually, since there were no signs that anything had happened, his

father probably wasn't all that suspicious. Even so, it was embarrassing to

be caught like this.

As Amane prepared himself to be questioned later, he stroked Mahiru's

hair, and the delicate girl in his arms stirred slightly.

It was probably rare for Mahiru, who kept a very regular schedule, to

sleep in so late.

"…Nnh."

She made a little sound in her throat and buried her face back into

Amane's chest as if seeking warmth. As much as he loved her, he knew that

if he obeyed his urges and held her close, she would wake completely, so he

held back and only stroked her head.

He was sure that the air conditioner had already turned off, but Mahiru

did not pull away from him; instead, she nuzzled her cheek into his chest.

He wondered if she got cold easily. When he touched her toes with his own,

he could tell that she ran cooler than him, so he figured his guess was

probably right.

In that case, the AC last night must have been a little chilly.

Feeling guilty, he wrapped his legs around Mahiru's to warm her up and

gently put his free arm around her back to better share his body heat.

As they basked in each other's warmth, a happy feeling filled him.

When he cradled her soft body and touched her gently, however, she stirred

more than before and slowly turned her head to look in his direction.

Her caramel-colored eyes were still unfocused as they took in Amane's

face. They looked so rich and dewy that he could almost hear the drip of

crystal-clear water.

Her expression was somewhat slack, and she looked incredibly childish.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

When he smiled at the drowsy-looking Mahiru and stroked her head

again, she closed her eyes softly and let herself fall back into his arms.

She's still half asleep, he realized. But she was also half awake, and

when he ran his finger affectionately down Mahiru's cheek, she let out a

highly adorable groan.

…Mahiru's kind of needy when she's getting up, huh?

She was so charming that Amane couldn't help but gaze at her and touch

her affectionately. As expected, however, after about five minutes of that,

she became fully aware of the world, and her eyes snapped open.

Once he was certain she was really awake, Amane said good morning

and planted a deliberate kiss on Mahiru's cheek.

When he did, he got to enjoy seeing Mahiru grow suddenly stiff.

"…Ah, Amane…? Wh-why—?"

"You don't remember? After we spent such a hot night together?"

He could tell she hadn't completely grasped the situation yet, so he

playfully worded his question in a misleading way.

Incidentally, he wasn't lying. While it hadn't been a night of passion, it

had been quite warm, temperature-wise. He decided to keep the fact that the

AC had been cooling them off to himself for the moment.

When she heard that they had spent the night together, Mahiru looked at

Amane and squeaked out "H-huh?" then checked her appearance.

Her clothes might have been a little bit disheveled, but he was sure there

were absolutely no signs they had done anything indecent. It would be a

real problem if there were, since nothing had actually happened.

"Just joking… We didn't do anything."

"R-right…"

"Well, I did kiss you on the cheek and stuff. Just now."

He laughed and said that surely a good morning kiss was permissible,

and Mahiru flushed bright red. She mumbled quietly, "This is too much

excitement first thing in the morning." So he kept his laughter hushed.

"…It looked like you felt totally safe while you were lying there. How'd

you sleep?" Amane asked as he helped Mahiru sit up. She seemed to be

completely awake at last.

Wrapped in his embrace, Mahiru cast her eyes downward in apparent

embarrassment. "…I, um, felt really calm in your arms."

"Your heart doesn't race?"

"I-it does, but…but I'm calm."

She mumbled that it was racing now and wrapped her arms around

Amane's back. Amane chuckled and peered into her face.

"If it calms you down, we could sleep together every night."

"Th-that's, um—"

"Still joking."

He'd made the suggestion knowing that Mahiru would get flustered, so

he didn't particularly mind when she didn't take him up on it.

For Amane's part, he was afraid that if they somehow ended up sleeping

together every night, it would drive him crazy. For the moment, he was

doing a fairly good job of holding back when his heart began to pound, but

if they started sleeping beside each other regularly, he was afraid that

sooner or later he would be unable to resist making a move.

Having persuaded himself that since he couldn't trust his reason to save

him, he had to dismiss the suggestion as a joke, Amane noticed that Mahiru

was hanging her head.

Wondering if he had teased her too much, he patted her back lightly to

comfort her. She lifted her face to look up at him, and he saw that her

cheeks were flushed a rosy pink.

"…M-maybe, every once in a while…," she muttered in a quiet,

squeaky voice.

Amane's mind went blank for a second.

Every once in a while.

In other words, she didn't mind the idea of staying over. She liked

sleeping by his side.

"Are you saying that seriously?" he asked.

"If we're d-dating, then spending the night…should be okay, shouldn't

it?"

"…S-sure, I guess so."

When she put it like that, he couldn't argue.

After all, it was normal for high school couples to spend the night

together. In fact, Amane and Mahiru were probably moving at an

exceptionally slow pace.

Itsuki often stayed over at Chitose's place, and the two of them were

fine with doing things still a long way off for Amane and Mahiru.

The problem was that if Mahiru said she was staying over, Amane knew

that he would expect those sorts of things, even if only just a little. It was in

his nature as a man; and as her boyfriend, he couldn't help but have certain

expectations.

Mahiru seemed to guess what Amane was thinking. She panicked, her

face somehow turning even more red, and she looked at Amane through

slightly teary eyes.

"That's— I didn't— I'm not hoping for that sort of thing, or anything…

I'd just be happy to spend more time with you, Amane…"

"…Uh-huh."

"…Is that…bad?"

"Of course not. I'm glad to hear it."

Mahiru looked up at him uneasily. As Amane firmly reassured her, a

little of his true feelings came through.

Mahiru was trembling with embarrassment. Feeling guilty, Amane

swallowed the urges rising in him and stroked her head.

"…W-well, another time, yeah?"

"Y-yes."

"Come on, we ought to hurry up and get dressed. You're going to

change, right?"

"R-right, yes."

He decided to table their discussion for the time being. If they gave it

any further thought, it was likely to derail the whole day.

As Amane took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure, he

pulled away from Mahiru, who, perhaps out of bashfulness, sprang out of

bed, then turned to look back at him.

As he was wondering what might be the matter, all of a sudden, the

distance between them closed.

He smelled her light, sweet fragrance and felt something soft against his

lips.

Both sensations vanished as fast as they came, and in their place, gently

fluttering flaxen hair tickled his cheek.

"You teased me a lot earlier, Amane, so I'm just paying you back."

She announced this with a bright-red face, as if braving her

embarrassment, then flipped her hair and quickly left the room.

Amane watched her go, then went to lie right back down on the bed.

I need to calm down before I can get back up.

Marveling at Mahiru's unexpected boldness, Amane continued staring at

the ceiling until the heat left his body.

"Oh, Amane. Good morning."

His parents were already sitting in the dining room, waiting for him.

He could hear the sounds of cooking in the kitchen and caught a glimpse

of familiar flaxen hair, so he knew Mahiru was making his omelet as

promised.

"…Morning."

"Here, sit, sit," his mother said. "Mahiru is making breakfast for you

right now."

"Great."

It had taken a while for Amane to return to earth, so he had arrived

downstairs quite late. During that time, Mahiru must have come down

ahead of him and started preparations.

She had promised earlier to make an omelet for him, so the timing had

worked out perfectly. Going forward, however, he hoped she would tone

down the flirting first thing in the morning.

"You two get on so well," his mother remarked.

"…I think that's pretty normal, if two people are dating."

"Well, that's certainly true, but you're well past just boyfriend and

girlfriend, aren't you?" his father remarked. "You're more like newlyweds."

As Amane's father looked at his son and made this casual remark, there

came a clattering sound from the kitchen, like someone dropping a plate

into the sink.

Amane was relieved not to hear it break. He surmised that Mahiru had

had a little accident out of shock.

"Oh no, Mahiru dear, are you all right?" his mother asked.

"Y-yes, and the plate isn't broken. I'm sorry I dropped it…"

"That's fine! Could have happened to anyone."

Amane was pretty sure it had been completely avoidable, but he didn't

say a thing, and he chose to ignore his mother's gaze as she grinned at him.

He had learned over the past sixteen years that if he entertained her for

even a moment, she would never let up.

His mother seemed disappointed that Amane didn't play along, but she

obeyed when his father gently told her not to tease him, which gave Amane

some peace of mind.

A little while later, breakfast was set out on the table. Once Mahiru

finished Amane's omelet and took her seat, the four of them began to eat.

"So I take it that something happened yesterday while we were out?"

But no sooner had Amane taken a big bite of rice than his mother sent a

pointed question flying right at him, and he froze.

He had been sure he would be asked about spending the night with

Mahiru, but his mother, sensing that there had been a precipitating event,

had asked about that instead. That took him by surprise.

His mouth was full, so Amane had a moment as he chewed and

swallowed before he had to answer.

"…What makes you think that?" he asked.

"Because you seemed different when we got back," his mother replied.

"It would be stranger if nothing had happened at all."

"Of course we can tell when something's different about our own son,"

his father added. "Don't underestimate your parents, now."

Amane thought he had been acting normally, but apparently his mother

and father had seen right through him.

They were looking at him anxiously, but as far as Amane was

concerned, the matter was over. He had already gotten past it, so there was

no reason for them to worry.

"It's nothing, really. When we went for a walk, we ran into Toujou, and

he had some things to say, that's all."

"Ah, so that's what it was… The way you're acting, it seems like you're

already over it."

"I guess I am. Or rather, I've overcome it. I don't think he's going to

bother me anymore."

When Amane thought back to that time in his life, his chest no longer

hurt. Though he had run into the very person who might be called the

ringleader, he had remained calm.

As he thought about it again, he was keenly reminded that his calm

reaction had been thanks to Mahiru, who had been sitting by his side.

"You've grown, haven't you? That's great."

His father seemed relieved.

Amane had caused his parents a great deal of worry at the time, and they

were still anxious, even now. He had more or less regained his footing in

high school, but it seemed their worry had never disappeared.

His father might be reassured, but his mother looked exasperated when

she heard Toujou's name.

"I haven't had a chance to see the Toujous lately, but their son doesn't

seem to have changed one bit," she said. "His parents are such nice people,

too. I wonder if he's still in his rebellious phase."

Because of her job and personality, Amane's mother had a ridiculously

large circle of acquaintances. He didn't know and probably couldn't even

imagine how well-connected she was.

Of course, she was friends with people in town and had some connection

to Toujou's parents as well.

Amane had also met Toujou's parents before, and he remembered them

as extremely nice, straightforward people. They had even apologized to him

for their son's actions, and he didn't hold anything against them.

"Who knows?" said Amane. "We don't have any real relationship, and I

don't really care either way. I don't expect I'll see him very often anymore."

"The way you're able to make a clean break like that is one of your

strong points, Amane," his father remarked. "…If seeing him had been

stressful for you, I would have regretted asking you to come home."

Amane had promised to visit every six months, but it seemed his parents

had been anxious about it and had hesitated to ask him to return.

"I'm the one who decided to come back… Besides, it turned out to be a

good thing, seeing him. I was able to put it all behind me."

Amane was glad he had run into Toujou when he did.

He didn't think it was wrong to run away from things that were

unbearably painful, if that was what it took to spare him.

And yet for Amane as he was now, confronting Toujou the day before

had been the right thing to do.

Rather than continually running away from his past and letting the

discomfort linger deep in his heart, it was better to overcome it head-on and

turn it into a source of strength. And precisely because he had weathered

such adversity, he'd attained a sound, sturdy core.

Thanks to Toujou and the other boys he hadn't seen for some time,

Amane had been able to meet Mahiru. For that, he was actually eternally

grateful to them. It would probably make them uncomfortable to hear it, but

he was surprisingly thankful for their presence in his life.

When she saw that Amane was in no distress, his mother put on a tender

smile. "All children really do grow up eventually, I suppose," she said.

"Back then, you seemed so broken, and we were so worried. But…it seems

like there's no need for that anymore."

"Love makes a person stronger, after all," his father added.

"Don't use such corny lines, Dad…"

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"…I guess so."

Amane had been able to make a strong recovery thanks to Mahiru, and

now that he could stand on his own two feet, they could each support the

other.

He was embarrassed to call this the power of love or anything like that,

and he hadn't been able to say it out loud, but it was true that their

relationship was the motivating force driving Amane.

"Ha-ha, I'm so glad you finally found a good partner. Like your mom is

to me."

"…Y-yeah."

Mahiru, who had been listening silently to their conversation, had curled

up in obvious embarrassment. Now Amane's parents turned their smiling

gazes on her.

"You make sure to lean on Amane, too, Mahiru sweetheart," his mother

said. "I worry about you, always looking after him."

"N-no, I… I'm always depending on Amane. He supports me all the

time."

Amane felt like that was his line, but Mahiru was looking at him

bashfully as if she truly felt that way.

"That's great… And, Amane, don't you take Mahiru's dedication for

granted. Look out for each other, you hear?"

"Of course! We're always together, so obviously we're there for each

other."

That wasn't something he needed to be told. That's exactly what he

intended to do.

He didn't want to become the sort of person who did nothing but rely on

their partner, never thinking about the burdens they placed on them.

Mahiru certainly spoiled Amane, but he didn't want to end up totally

rotten.

Just as Mahiru had supported him this time, if she ever went through

anything difficult, he would prop her up and hold her hand as they moved

forward together.

That's what it meant to walk through life as a couple—a conviction that

had been deeply etched into his heart as he'd watched his parents. Amane

wished to be like them.

He felt certain that having found such a partner was the greatest

happiness.

He wasn't going to walk by Mahiru's side with superficial resolve.

When he looked over at her with that in mind, he saw that she was

trembling, her face somehow even redder.

She appeared about to cry, but it would be more accurate to say that she

looked ready to explode from embarrassment.

The moment she met Amane's gaze, she cast her eyes downward again.

It was clear that she could barely stand the awkwardness.

Even so, there was no way he could let her go, and when he tried

squeezing her hand under the table—after her whole body jumped from the

shock of it—she squeezed his hand back.

"Oh my goodness, you're so cute! If I didn't have to go to work now, I

would just smother you with love." His mother grinned at Mahiru.

Amane believed her. If she didn't have work, she probably would have

spent the whole day doting on Mahiru.

"Hurry up and go to work already," said Amane.

"And you'll be here canoodling while we're gone, huh?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

It seemed like his parents were going to make fun of him no matter what

he said, so he boldly affirmed his mother's suspicions. The hand holding his

trembled but didn't loosen its grip.

He wasn't sure, but he thought Mahiru must be happy.

Before, Amane would have totally denied everything, so his mother was

surprised. She smiled happily.

"You're awfully defiant," she remarked.

"And you're awfully annoying," he replied.

"This is great. Spring has finally come for our Amane."

"I dunno; they seem pretty hot and heavy. Maybe it's already summer,"

his father added.

"Says two people who might as well be living in the tropics."

"As our child, you're definitely at risk of joining the club."

His mother actually seemed to be enjoying herself. She smiled at them

as if giving her blessing. Amane shot her a sour look, but Mahiru didn't

seem that put out, so he gave up and just looked away.

Amane's parents left to go to work, and the two teenagers ended up sitting

side by side on Amane's bed.

It might have been because of where they were sitting, but even though

there was as much distance between them as usual, Mahiru looked

somewhat stiff, and it was obvious that she was extremely aware of

Amane's presence.

She kept glancing over at him, and whenever their eyes met, she would

blush slightly, making Amane feel a little embarrassed as well.

After a few minutes of repeatedly meeting his gaze and looking away,

she asked timidly, "S-so canoodling?"

Apparently the word had been weighing on her mind, and after she said

it out loud, her red cheeks grew even redder.

"Hmm? Oh, I said that to my parents so they wouldn't pry any more

than necessary. I would have gotten teased if I'd denied it."

"Th-that seems likely, but…does that mean we're not really going to

fool around…?"

"Well, I mean, I'd like to, personally."

What he'd said to his parents had mostly been for show, but as for

Amane's feelings on the matter, he was eager to "canoodle" as much as

Mahiru would permit.

Still, that sounded a little greedy even to him, and he almost laughed at

himself for saying it.

But Mahiru consented, her voice weak, "…O-okay."

Though she nodded in agreement, she was squirming and shrinking,

looking downright sheepish. Amane forced a smile, aware that her mind

was running on overdrive.

"But if you don't want to, it's fine."

"That's not it. I'm not opposed to the idea. As long as it's with you, um,

I'm open to any kind of…c-canoodling."

"Oh?"

"B-but um…specifically, what do we do to f-fool around?"

Silence fell over them in the wake of Mahiru's question.

Though he recalled having a similar conversation in the past, Amane

was not sure what kind of answer he should give this time, and he fumbled

for a moment.

"…Kissing and stuff."

"And stuff?"

"…You know, like…kissing?"

"So just kissing, then?"

"W-well, I'm not really sure how to answer that. There's, like, hugging

and holding hands…which we always do, so—"

The two of them had been so close that they'd been flirting

unconsciously since before they'd even started dating. But when it came to

consciously fooling around, neither of them knew specifically what they

should do.

Cuddling probably counted, and kissing did for sure, but Amane wasn't

certain whether that was enough.

Fooling around more than that wasn't really something to do in one's

parents' house, and Amane wanted to treasure Mahiru, so he had no

intention of ruining everything over some momentary urges.

"What should we do in addition to the usual?" Mahiru wondered.

"…For now, we could cuddle?" he suggested.

This was nothing novel, and it was mild at best, but even so, his heart

was pounding. His proposal earned a quiet "…Okay" in response.

Mahiru started to lean against him, hesitantly bringing her body closer to

his, so Amane extended his hands to catch her…then smoothly slid his arms

under her knees and around her back, picking her up. He was amused by

her sweet high-pitched shriek as he moved her so she was sitting between

his crossed legs on top of the bed.

"I prefer it like this."

"…S-sure."

"You don't like it?" he asked Mahiru, who was drawing her already

dainty body in to be even smaller.

Mahiru shook her head slowly.

"Th-that's not it. I just…um, when we're like this, it's as if I'm being

wrapped up by you, Amane…," she said sweetly.

"Do you want me to literally wrap you up?"

Amane folded his arms around Mahiru and hugged her tight. As soon as

he did, her face went bright red, and she turned to look at him, faint tears in

her eyes.

He wasn't in any position to talk, but he found it adorable how Mahiru

got embarrassed so easily and blushed at the slightest things.

They had been dating for about two months, but they still weren't used

to such close contact, and her inexperience was showing.

But the same was true for Amane. He didn't let it show on his face, but

his heart was throbbing violently and wouldn't stop.

If Mahiru had put her ear to his body at that moment and listened, the

pounding in his chest would have been obvious.

He was pretending to be totally calm, so it would be awkward if she

found out how nervous he really was. Praying that she couldn't hear his

heart beating, he pressed his lips against the back of Mahiru's head.

The feeling of his touch shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was

enough to make Mahiru jolt and tremble. He could tell she was very

nervous.

"…I'm just hugging you, you know."

"I—I know… My heart is pounding, but I'm happy… I like it when you

squeeze me tight."

"You do? Then I'll do it as much as you like," he whispered close to her

ear as he embraced her slim body. She shook conspicuously.

He laughed a little at how sensitive her ears were, then gently blew

across one. Mahiru shook again and whirled around. Her eyes were blurry

with tears, and he got the feeling that he had gone a little too far.

"…Amane!"

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Y-you know I'm ticklish… That was mean." She pouted. "If you don't

stop, I'll tell you something I heard about your past the other day."

"Uh-oh, I wouldn't like that."

He felt he might faint in agony if she whispered such things into his ear,

so he took care not to tease Mahiru too much as he continued.

He didn't know how much he should touch her, or in what way, so he

played it safe, stroking and squeezing her hands, and planting kisses on the

back of her head, but as he had expected, that felt a little insufficient.

Though part of him was satisfied, another part of him seemed to

disagree, protesting that it wasn't enough. He was able to keep it under

control for the moment, but he didn't know when that part of him might act

out, so he remained a little on edge.

He wanted to touch Mahiru more, to savor her softness.

But despite his wishes, his sense of decency would not allow him to go

any further, so in the end, he limited himself to gentle touches.

But even that seemed to embarrass Mahiru, who couldn't keep her ears

from flushing red.

She's really cute…

Even though Mahiru had initiated plenty of contact in the past, lately she

was the one acting bashful. Before, Amane had been the nervous one, but

now he could feel her embarrassment, as if their positions had reversed.

Amane squeezed her hand lightly, trying to suppress his desires, and

Mahiru squeezed his back.

"…Amane, your hands are so big."

"Hmm? Well, I guess they might be a little large for my height."

Amane was tall, and on the whole, all the parts of his body were scaled

to match. His feet were relatively large, and so were his hands. His palms

were one or two sizes larger than Mahiru's, so when they held hands, the

smallness of her frame was apparent.

"I like your hands… And I like it when you touch me."

"I'll touch you more if you say things like that."

Amane's sense of reason threatened to abandon its post at Mahiru's bold

words. He wished she would be more prudent, but as if oblivious to his

inner turmoil, she muttered quietly, "I wouldn't really mind…"

It was extremely difficult for him when she let down her guard like that.

Mahiru was adorable, and when she said those things—words that could

make a man lose all control—Amane sighed softly and put his hand on her

stomach.

Paying no attention to the way she twisted up as she was being tickled,

he slowly traced a path with his fingertip, moving upward from just below

her belly button.

He moved his finger at a tantalizing pace, stopping just before the curve

of her body changed.

"If I take what you said at face value, it means I can keep going up, you

know?"

His fingers weren't mountain climbing yet, but they could easily

continue upward and summit those peaks.

In fact, Amane's hands were, as Mahiru had pointed out, rather large and

could probably fully envelop those peaks and valleys.

When he made a point of asking if it was all right for him to continue,

Mahiru flushed in his arms with such intensity it seemed like she might

explode.

She turned her head to look at him with lobster-red cheeks, but Amane

didn't mind, and he smiled at her. He didn't stop at just a smile, either, and

planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Fooling around includes stuff like this, too."

"…Uh, ah, Amane…"

"Before, I said I didn't really know what fooling around meant. But that

was because I didn't include touching you like this…"

Naturally, he hadn't been sure that this kind of touching was all right for

a new couple that had only been dating for about two months, so he had

been holding back. His intention was to respect Mahiru's wishes.

But since Mahiru had said such provocative things without thinking, he

had to speak up and warn her.

"Like I said before, you've got to be careful. I'm a man, after all. I'll

really touch you."

"Hmm… B-but your face is red, too, Amane. Can you really do it?"

"That's beside the point."

He was perfectly aware what his own face must look like. And that what

he was saying was embarrassing. But it didn't seem like she would get the

point if he didn't put it into words, so he had no other choice.

Once Amane had spoken, Mahiru was quiet for a moment, then slowly

slipped out of his grasp.

He took her movement as a rejection, but as a bitter smile was rising to

his face, Mahiru turned her whole body around and threw her arms around

him.

She squeezed him tight, making him intensely aware of her soft skin and

sweet scent.

"…Amane, if you really want to touch me…I'll feel embarrassed, but

I'll let you," Mahiru mumbled quietly, her voice fragile as she looked up at

him.

Amane froze. That was all he could do.

His mind went blank with panic at her expression as she spoke those

courageous and lovely words to him.

Mahiru was looking at Amane with trust, though it was mixed with

shame and anxiety and just a touch of hope. She seemed ready to accept

anything, so long as Amane was the one doing it.

Her expression and demeanor were telling him how much she liked him.

If he were to push her down right then and there, she would be

embarrassed, but she would likely still welcome the gesture. The look on

her face, her attitude, and her voice were all declaring just how much she

trusted and loved him.

She leaned her weight against him as if she was entrusting everything to

him. A beat later, Amane's mind started moving again, and his body

followed.

The very first thing he did was kiss Mahiru.

She made a little noise in her throat, which sounded unbelievably close.

As he enjoyed the sensation of her lips, softer and dewier than his own,

he embraced her delicate body closely and felt it press against his.

Without using his full palm, he simply traced the softness of her curves a

little, then gently removed his hand.

After watching Mahiru silently open and close her mouth, her cheeks

flushed red, he buried his face in the nape of her neck.

"…The rest can come later."

He added that he didn't think he could stop himself otherwise, and so he

started planting kisses on Mahiru's pale neck.

He knew he couldn't leave marks behind, so he limited himself to

simple kisses and resolved not to surface until he could stifle the desperate

desires bubbling up inside himself.

"Oh my, Mahiru dear, your face is bright red, what's the matter?"

"N-nothing at all…"

Although they had different occupations and workplaces, Amane's

parents returned home from their jobs at the same time, and they both

seemed puzzled when they looked at Mahiru.

She was sitting on the living room couch, blushing. This was probably

because Amane had been kissing her and squeezing her hand at random

times all day.

He certainly hadn't attacked her, but perhaps the attention had been a

little too much for Mahiru. She seemed embarrassed but happy, however, so

Amane preferred to believe that she was pleased about it.

"Amane, don't tell me—," his mother started.

"I swear, I didn't lay a hand on her."

All they had done was a little hugging and light touching. Mahiru was

just inexperienced, so she'd felt slightly overwhelmed.

Amane was the same, but he had been faster to recover, and by now he'd

regained his composure.

"Not a hand, huh? So just canoodling, then?"

"We kept it wholesome. That's not a problem, is it?"

"You're acting awfully defiant."

"Stop nagging."

"You're always so stingy, Amane. I want to spend some quality time

with Mahiru, too."

"Mahiru's mine, so no."

"Well, well."

If he handed Mahiru over to his mother for one moment, she'd hog her

for as long as possible, and Amane would definitely regret it. And though

Mahiru would enjoy it in her own way, she would likely get worn out, too.

He couldn't let his mother monopolize his girlfriend like that.

Mahiru seemed to ruminate a little on the word mine and then blushed

again. Her reaction caused Amane's mother to grin even harder as she

gazed at her son's girlfriend, whose normally pale cheeks were completely

flushed. Amane ignored his mother's meaningful smile.

His father, who had been listening in, also broke into a smile.

"Well then, how about we do something together as a family?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Didn't Miss Shiina say she wanted to go on an outing all together?"

Mahiru had indeed expressed her wishes for a family outing to Amane's

parents, but she must not have expected them to bring it up right then. Her

caramel-colored eyes blinked rapidly.

"Amane and Miss Shiina will still be here next weekend, so why don't

we do just that?"

"Great idea! They came all the way here, and she wants to! …You're not

opposed, right, dear?"

"N-not at all!" Mahiru replied.

"Then, it's decided! Hee-hee, where should we go?"

Mahiru shrank back in awe at Amane's mother, who was harmoniously

discussing with his father where they should go, her voice full of

excitement.

Amane was afraid that even if Mahiru herself had asked for this, she

might be feeling bad about potentially inconveniencing his parents.

…Both Mom and Dad like Mahiru, of course. That's why they're

suggesting an outing…

Even if Amane had been the one to suggest it, he didn't think his parents

would have agreed to spend time with someone they didn't personally like.

Just the fact that they were letting her stay over meant they were

genuinely fond of her. And they had even brought up going out themselves,

so there was no need to worry.

"Prepare yourself," he warned Mahiru. "They're going to drag you all

over the place."

"No, I'm really happy and grateful. I don't really have experience with

family outings like this…"

Perhaps recalling her childhood, Mahiru put on a strained smile and cast

her eyes downward. He could detect a hint of loneliness in the gesture.

Still wearing her same cheerful smile, Amane's mother took a seat

beside Mahiru on the sofa, across from Amane.

Without pausing, she embraced Mahiru and patted her head.

"Mahiru, sweetie, you're already part of our family, so you can lean on

us as much as you like, okay?" she said.

"In fact, I think they like you even more than their own son," Amane

remarked.

"Oh no, are you jealous?" asked his mother.

"No way. I don't mind, since Mahiru's happy."

Mahiru's feelings from a moment earlier seemed to have faded, and now

she just looked embarrassed as Amane's mother squeezed her tightly.

That reaction was proof that she was happy, even if she wasn't being upfront about it.

Mahiru was pleased, and as someone who hoped to convince her to take

the Fujimiya name someday, Amane welcomed the fact that his parents had

taken a liking to her.

He did have mixed feelings about how touchy-feely his mother could be,

though.

"My little boy is all grown up," she said.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, not at all! I'm just glad I raised a man who cares about the

happiness of the person he loves."

"Why are you proud of something so natural…?"

"Hee-hee, men like that are actually quite rare, you know! But it's just

what I expect of our child."

"Yeah, yeah."

Surely there was no one on earth who didn't want the people they cared

about to be happy. A carefree smile suited Mahiru best.

If she wished it, he wanted to be the one who did the work to make her

happy.

Gazing at Mahiru, who was shrinking with embarrassment at his

mother's affection, Amane's mouth quietly relaxed into a smile.