Getting Drenched Was Worth It

"Amane, where are you going?"

Mahiru noticed that Amane was preparing to go out when he stepped

into his shoes in the entryway, and she called to him.

She must have been asking because it was fairly late—already past three

o'clock in the afternoon.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm stopping by the neighborhood grocery store. Mom

asked me to do a little shopping."

This hadn't been Amane's idea.

He'd gotten a message on his phone a moment earlier. Both of his

parents were going to be late getting home that evening, so they wouldn't

have time to go shopping. They had asked Amane to pick up what they

needed instead.

He wasn't doing anything, so he didn't particularly mind, but he wished

they had said something in the morning.

"I see," said Mahiru, sounding satisfied with Amane's explanation. Then

she knelt down next to him as he sat tying the laces on his sneakers.

His hair must have been a mess. He could feel Mahiru diligently

combing through it with her fingers, tidying it up for him. He could also see

her at work in the mirror on the wall of the entryway.

"If you're going shopping, do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I won't have much to carry, and I'm going to hurry a bit since it

looks stormy out. It's no big deal; I'll be fine on my own."

Weather-wise, it seemed likely to rain on them if they took their time.

Plus, Amane didn't want to drag Mahiru around on errands when it was so

hot, no matter how well the clouds tempered the sun's rays.

He had turned her down with the idea that it would be faster to go alone,

since he would return as soon as he finished the shopping.

But when Mahiru answered, she seemed discouraged. "…All right

then."

Amane looked up at her in a panic. "Ah, wait, it's not like I don't want

you to come or anything!"

"I—I know that. I just kind of wanted to go out together; that's all."

"…We'll go on a date some other time, okay?"

If it was an outing she was after, there would definitely be another

opportunity. Plus, girls always seemed to require elaborate preparations to

leave the house, so Amane didn't think she'd be ready right that second.

When he gently extended a hand and ruffled her hair, Mahiru opened her

eyes a little wider, then put on a fleeting smile and nodded.

"Well then, I'll be waiting for you here," she said.

"Okay."

Amane gave her a small nod, too, then picked up his bag and went out

the door.

In the end, it's a good thing I didn't take Mahiru with me, Amane thought

keenly.

"…Ugh, sure enough, I got caught in the rain."

He'd thought the clouds had looked menacing, but they were even

darker and heavier on his way home. Just as he'd expected, raindrops began

falling one after the other out of the sky, soaking his clothes.

Annoyed by the damp fabric sticking to his body, Amane pinched it

between his fingers and gently forced some air in between.

Fortunately, everything he had purchased was wrapped in plastic, so it

was no problem if it got wet. Amane was the only casualty. By the time he

arrived home, he was soaked to the skin.

His bangs clung to his forehead, threatening to obscure his field of

vision. After pushing them gently out of the way, he stepped into the

entryway, water drip-dropping off his clothes onto the floor. With regret, he

realized he should have wrung them out before going inside, but it was too

late now.

"Welcome home, Amane. It really poured, didn't it?"

Just as he let out a sigh, he heard the sound of slippers slapping, and

Mahiru trotted over to the front door. When she looked at Amane, her eyes

went wide.

Mahiru was not expecting him to be so thoroughly soaked. She was

holding a small towel, but now it seemed rather useless, considering how

drenched he was.

Amane hadn't expected the rain to be so intense, either.

"I'm back. I figured it would just be a passing shower, but it was heavier

than I expected."

"If only the weather could have held out until you got home… You'd

better warm up in the bath. I've already got it ready."

"Mm, thanks."

He felt a surge of heat in his chest when Mahiru casually took the

supermarket bags from his hands, trading them for the little towel with a

smile.

He wasn't sure whether he was feeling comforted or blessed. Having

such a normal exchange made her seem like part of his family. It gave him a

ticklish feeling.

"…This is kind of nice."

"Huh?"

"It's kind of nice to have you get the bath ready and come out to greet

me like this."

Amane's parents both worked, so he had rarely seen them in a similar

situation. But scenes like this came up often in comics and TV shows, and

he had always secretly been jealous of the characters.

Even though it wasn't quite the real thing, this taste of domestic

tranquility sent a wonderfully ticklish warmth like spring sunshine through

Amane's chest.

He felt indescribable happiness, especially because this scene was

playing out with the person he wanted to cherish for the rest of his life.

He smiled slightly at Mahiru. Her cheeks were flushed a faint red, and

she was already shrinking back and curling up on herself.

"Well then, I'll go take a bath. Thanks," he said, then slipped past her.

He might have been acting a little out of character, but he couldn't help

the smile spreading across his face.

When Amane got out of the bath, Mahiru was sitting quietly on the living

room sofa waiting for him. She had a hair dryer at the ready.

There was a dryer by the sink in the bathroom, but she seemed to have

anticipated that Amane would fail to use it and had prepared accordingly.

He felt both embarrassed that she had seen right through him and

gratified that she understood him so well.

Shaking off his embarrassment in the pleasant chill of the airconditioned room, he softly approached Mahiru.

"Feeling the AC right out of the bath is great," he said.

"It's nice and cool, but you might catch a cold if you chill yourself too

much… Go on, sit there."

"You really don't have to."

"If your hair stays wet, not only can you get chilled and catch a cold, but

it's bad for your hair, too."

She told him to quit complaining and sit down, so he obediently took a

seat by Mahiru's side. Then she stood up and went around the sofa to plug

in the dryer.

She stood behind him getting the water out of his hair with a towel,

which also felt sort of ticklish. Not physically so much as emotionally.

"I don't suppose you'll ever get over these sloppy habits of yours, will

you, Amane? Sometimes you even come out of the bath with no shirt on."

"Only when it's hot… I'm always fully dressed in winter."

"Because it's cold; I know. But even when it's hot, you can catch a chill

if you don't wear a shirt after a hot bath, which can lead to a cold. I won't

allow it, not so long as my eyes are black, as they say."

Amane stopped himself from pointing out that Mahiru's eyes were in

fact caramel-colored—and that her words implied she intended to stay by

his side forever. He just answered obediently that he would be careful and

went along with what she wanted.

No matter what she compelled him to agree to, it was pleasant having

her look after him.

He felt a little guilty, but having Mahiru dry him off like this felt great.

Once she had carefully absorbed most of the water with the towel, she

used the hair dryer that she had wisely prepared to blow hot air on Amane's

hair.

Mahiru obviously took great care of her own hair on a daily basis, and

the practiced movements of her hands felt wonderful.

Amane generally didn't like having his hair touched, so this was the first

time he had ever thought it felt nice to get his hair blow-dried.

He already liked it when Mahiru touched his hair, so perhaps it was

simply a matter of who was doing the touching.

"It's not fair that your hair is this silky even though you don't seem to do

anything to take care of it, Amane."

He heard her quietly muttering, almost inaudible under the noise of the

hair dryer.

"Oh really? Well, I may not be as meticulous about my grooming as you

are, Mahiru, but I'd say I do an ordinary amount."

"You must have good-quality hair to begin with. Your mom and dad

both have lovely hair, after all."

"They both pay more attention to their appearance than I do, though. So

do you, Mahiru, and for your troubles, you have amazingly smooth and

glossy hair."

Mahiru's hair was as shiny as silk, and it felt wonderful to run his

fingers through it. Amane could tell how much time and effort she spent

caring for it.

He knew this because he played with Mahiru's hair often. It was

straight, soft, and fine, and extremely pleasant to the touch. He knew it was

easy for fine hair to tangle, but since she groomed it and looked after it, it

was never knotted or twisted. It simply drew a lovely straight line down her

back. He thought she must be the envy of anyone with unruly hair.

Her straight locks, with their perfect sheen and no split ends, her

crowning angel's halo, was so beautiful that anyone would have been

jealous. Amane was particularly impressed that she was able to maintain

her hair's luster despite its length.

"It's long, though, so it does take a lot of time to look after," she said.

"Well, I guess that only makes sense."

"Of course, I can do or think about other things while I'm tending to it,

but it's true that it's a lot of trouble. I've even thought about cutting it off…

Amane, which do you prefer, long or short hair?"

"I don't think I really have a preference… Either one would look cute. I

like to see you dressed up and enjoying yourself, so I'm happy for you to

have it whatever length you like."

Girls didn't always tailor their appearances to appeal to boys, after all.

There were plenty of girls who kept their hair long just because they liked it

that way.

If Mahiru changed her hairstyle because of some comment from Amane,

he would be pleased that she was trying to match his preferences, but he'd

also feel bad. It wouldn't make him happy if a stray remark of his caused

Mahiru to give up on a style that she had worked so hard to maintain.

He didn't want his words to keep her from doing what she wanted.

"…You think?" she said.

"What about you, Mahiru? Any thoughts about what kind of hairstyle I

should have?"

"I would like anything you chose."

"Thought so. I feel the same way."

"…Okay."

Amane didn't turn around, but from Mahiru's voice, he could tell she

was smiling bashfully behind him.

It seemed like his answer had been the correct one.

Mahiru was happily working away, until suddenly, the fingers that had

been combing through his hair stopped moving.

"…I'd like you with any hairstyle, but—"

"Hmm?"

"When you push your wet hair back with your fingers, it's very…"

"Very…?"

"…Sexy. I mean… It looks cool, I think."

She wasn't telling him what she wanted so much as simply letting her

feelings show. But Amane's lips curled into a little smile at Mahiru's

admission.

"Should I do it now?" he suggested jokingly.

"N-no, don't! I'll die!" He could tell she was shaking her head

vigorously due to the vibrations traveling through her hand.

He was certain that Mahiru must be blushing.

When he tried to turn to see her expression, she used her hand to stop

him. It was clear she didn't want to be seen.

…Mahiru's pretty sensitive, huh?

In particular, she was extremely weak to any behavior that reminded her

that he was a member of the opposite sex. Amane didn't really go out of his

way to point it out or anything, but like the inexperienced girl she was,

Mahiru shrank with embarrassment at the slightest hint.

"…I don't think I've really got much sex appeal, though," Amane said.

"Want me to bring you a mirror?" Mahiru replied.

"I just saw myself in the mirror over the sink."

"You must be blind, then."

"Are you sure you're not just seeing me through rose-colored glasses

because you like me?"

"I—I won't say that there's absolutely none of that going on, but,

Amane…" The hot air from the dryer stopped. "Listen, when you get out of

the bath like this, you let down your defenses, and it just kind of seeps out.

You've really got to be more careful," she muttered quietly.

Amane inconspicuously put on a wry smile. Perhaps saying Love is

blind was going too far, but he had a feeling that he looked particularly

good to her precisely because she loved him. But the very fact that Mahiru

thought of him that way made him happy.

She would turn as red as a lobster if he teased her too much, so he gave

up on questioning her further and settled for shrugging. "Well, I'm not one

to talk. If you came and gave me a sultry look after getting out of the bath, I

think my knees would go weak."

"I'm pretty sure you've seen me after my bath every day we've been

here."

"I've been trying my best not to look directly at you, though."

Since they were staying together in his parents' house, they had been

taking their baths one after the other, and they had seen each other

afterward wearing their nightclothes.

However, Amane was afraid that if he looked directly at her, he might

react in a way the pure and innocent Mahiru wouldn't approve of, so he had

been endeavoring not to linger too long in those situations.

Whether he wanted them to or not, though, his desires sometimes reared

their ugly heads. Thanks to his efforts to keep them under wraps, Mahiru

didn't seem to have noticed, but sometimes he couldn't help himself when

she got too assertive.

"I see," Mahiru said. "You've given me some good information."

"Hey, wait a second, why does it sound like you're cooking up a

scheme?"

"…Because it's not fair for me to be the only one going around with my

heart pounding."

Mahiru didn't seem to realize that the results of getting his heart

pounding might not be so good for her heart, either.

That naïveté of Mahiru's was both charming and dangerous. She was too

trusting of Amane's courteous and rational nature.

"…You can go ahead and do whatever you want, but I might shut myself

away in my room."

"That's not fair." She pouted.

"It's perfectly fair," he replied.

"It is not… I want to be able to push your buttons, Amane."

"No way. You already do enough, without even meaning to. If you're

aware of the effect you're having, please be good and try to hold back."

He turned around and cautioned her, but Mahiru didn't seem to accept

what he was saying.

He didn't think she'd actually do anything crazy, but she was letting

down her guard because they were boyfriend and girlfriend, and that meant

Amane had to be careful. It was important for him not to leave any

openings that she could exploit.

He turned his gaze directly on Mahiru, who was looking at him

somewhat scornfully.

Her glossy caramel eyes met his, and they quickly began to waver, as if

they would soon overflow with tears.

Her white porcelain cheeks flushed red, but he paid it no mind and kept

staring at her.

Eventually Mahiru was the one who averted her eyes, apparently unable

to stand it any longer.

"…Y-you know I can't handle it when you stare at me, Amane."

"Yeah, I know… So are you gonna be good?"

With those last words, he brought his face close to hers and whispered

softly, almost sighing. At that, Mahiru let out an utterly adorable shriek and

took one step backward.

The hair dryer nearly fell out of her hand, so he casually took it from

her. Mahiru looked at him with quivering lips and an expression that said

she couldn't believe what he'd done.

Considering her intentions, he probably should have scowled, but that

wouldn't have had any impact, so he had stared at her instead.

"…Y-you think that if you use that voice, I'm going to listen to what you

say, don't you?" she said.

"I do, and I know you understand that I'm being serious when I speak to

you like this. Right?"

"Uh. Th-that's true, but—"

"Anyway, don't try anything funny."

He stared at Mahiru, unwilling to budge. He was being serious, not

trying to tease or upset her.

Mahiru seemed to understand that Amane wasn't going to permit any

misbehavior, and so she answered, "…All right."

But then, just as Amane was starting to feel relieved, like he could relax

his self-control a little, Mahiru came out and said something disquieting.

"I've got to find your weak spots, too, Amane."

Since Mahiru had said it out loud, there was no way Amane could

pretend he hadn't heard her comment.

"…Next time I have to warn you, I'm gonna whisper it right in your

ear," he said.

"F-fine, I'll be careful, I'll be careful!"

Mahiru held her hands over both ears and readied herself to run away.

"Geez." Amane sighed. He'd done something out of character yet again,

and he bit his lip hard to try to overcome the following wave of

embarrassment.