Spending the End of the Year with the Angel

Once Christmas had passed, the whole world could feel the end of the year approaching.

The day after spending Christmas with Mahiru, Amane went out to do a bit of shopping on his own. By the time he was finished, his surroundings had undergone a dramatic shift, and Amane admired the new scenery on his way home.

The lights strung up around the city remained, but the ornamented trees and Christmas decorations had already been replaced with more traditional Japanese adornments. The shops had also updated their merchandise, selling New Year's decorations and foods. If there were any Christmas things still in stock, at best they had been reduced in price and were displayed under INVENTORY CLEAR-OUT SALE labels.

Amane nestled his face deeper into the billowy folds of his scarf as he pondered the sudden changeover. Mahiru had given him the monochrome houndstooth-patterned scarf as a Christmas present. It was both practical and tasteful; it looked stylish and felt very nice to the touch, and most importantly, it kept the chilly winter winds at bay.

Amane had never really worn a scarf before, so he was feeling grateful for this one as he checked over the contents of the shopping bags hanging from his arms.

Though the two of them were supposed to share this responsibility— in order to reduce the burden on Mahiru, who did all the cooking— Amane usually went out to buy the ingredients, armed with a shopping list.

It was a cold day, and Amane's bags were stuffed with vegetables and mushrooms and meat—Mahiru must have been planning to make a hot pot. The plentiful vegetables were her way of wordlessly insisting that Amane eat a more balanced, nutritious diet.

He laughed quietly to himself, amused that Mahiru was somehow still looking out for him even when she wasn't actually present.

He checked again to be sure that he'd gotten everything, then quickly returned home, shivering against the relentless cold.

"Welcome back."

It was already evening when Amane entered his apartment, and Mahiru was there to greet him.

It was kind of a strange feeling, being welcomed into his own apartment, but recently he had gotten used to it.

"Mm, I'm back… I bought some thinly sliced mochi; I hope that's okay?"

"You want to cook it in the hot pot, right?"

"Yeah. I also got some ramen to finish off the meal." "…There's no way I can eat that much, you know." "Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste."

Amane had never been the type to eat huge meals before, but now, thanks to Mahiru's cooking, he had started enjoying more sizable dinners. In fact, he found his new portion sizes a bit concerning and had resolved to start weight training.

Mahiru seemed to be watching her diet as well. She rarely prepared any fattening foods. On the other hand, she also seemed to think that Amane could stand to put on a bit of weight, since he was so slim. Amane hoped he would add muscle and not fat.

"Well, if you're going to finish it, then that's fine. Here, give me the bags. I'll put the things in the fridge. You go wash your hands."

"I know, I know."

Amane handed the full shopping bags to Mahiru and obediently headed for the sink.

"Come to think of it, what are you doing for New Year's, Mahiru?"

After finishing every last bite of the day's delicious meal, as always, Amane suddenly asked Mahiru the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"New Year's… Well, there's no point in going home, so I'll be here."

He realized his blunder when he heard her indifferent tone, but Mahiru didn't actually seem all that bothered.

Her relationship with her parents wasn't good, so she always had a cold attitude whenever the conversation turned to her family.

But if that's the case, won't Mahiru be spending the holiday alone?

Amane had his standing promise to show his face at home once every six months, so he had been planning to visit during the long break—that was before he had met Mahiru.

"You're going back home, right, Amane?"

"That's right; I'm pretty much under orders to show up."

He glanced over at her and saw that the expression in her eyes was somewhat chillier than usual. She seemed to have resolved herself to spending the holiday alone, what with Amane going away and all.

"…Man, when I get home, I'm gonna get absolutely grilled about you."

"How terrible…"

"I can probably get by with just giving my dad the basics, but my mom is going to want to hear a whole lot more."

"That's awfully strange, since I talk to her all the time." "You really got familiar with my mom in no time…"

For some reason, Mahiru had made fast friends with Amane's mother and, without him noticing, had been sending her photos and private stories…which frankly killed him a little inside. But Mahiru obviously enjoyed it, so Amane didn't see any harm in it. He only hoped she wasn't telling his mother anything more than she absolutely needed to know.

Recalling the distant, lonely expression that crossed Mahiru's face from time to time, Amane decided that he didn't want to leave her here alone.

"Well, I did just see Mom a little while ago… I would miss seeing Dad, but I wonder if it would be all right if I didn't go home for the New Year… Besides, I'm supposed to go back during spring vacation anyway."

Amane was thinking that if he stayed here for the holiday, they could continue having dinner together like always…that is, if it wasn't too much of an imposition on Mahiru.

"…Oh?"

"Mm. Plus, I want to eat your New Year's noodles."

"What a glutton you are."

"It's all because of your cooking." "…Even when it's ready-made?" "That's right."

Even if she only boiled the prepackaged soba noodles, Amane was sure he would still enjoy them. Because the important thing about their shared meals was the time they spent together.

"…You're an awfully strange person," Mahiru remarked. "Oh, hush."

He saw her smile slightly. "…Thank you."

"What for?"

"For whatever."

Mahiru didn't say anything further, but her expression brightened somewhat, and she squeezed her favorite cushion.

And then December 31 arrived. New Year's Eve was bringing the year to a close. For many, it was a busy day, spent cleaning and preparing for the year to come, but—

"Um, hey, Mahiru?" "What is it?"

"…Are you sure you don't want me to help with anything?"

From his position sitting comfortably on the living room couch,

Amane was gazing at Mahiru's back as she was standing apron-clad in his kitchen. She had been in there since that morning, making osechi, the traditional fare for the New Year holiday.

Since they had decided to ring in the New Year together, naturally they needed enough to feed two.

Amane had assumed they would be purchasing it premade, but apparently Mahiru intended to make it all by hand. That would have been quite a task even for a skilled homemaker, so it was surprising for even this brilliant high school girl to tackle it all alone.

Amane was seriously impressed, but Mahiru had said, "Well, there's no way we can get osechi from a store now. You have to order it well in advance."

Admittedly, she was absolutely right, but even so, Amane admired Mahiru for deciding to make everything herself.

Of course, she took shortcuts where she could. For instance, boiling their own black soybeans would be very time-consuming and keep one burner occupied for far too long, so they had bought some prepared soybeans instead.

"Amane, you seem uncomfortable whenever I say you don't have to do anything, but do you have any idea how you might go about helping me?"

"Honestly, no clue."

"I thought so. It's easier if you just stay out of the way."

Amane couldn't really argue with Mahiru's harsh assessment, so he tried to sit quietly on the sofa, but he found it impossible to settle down and do nothing.

It wasn't that Amane hadn't done anything at all—he'd finished cleaning his apartment the day before, and earlier he'd gone on a big shopping run, picking up ingredients for the osechi dishes along with enough food so that they wouldn't have to go out for a while. He had taken care of the more physical tasks, but at the moment, Mahiru was busy, and he wasn't doing much.

"You must be tired from moving all the furniture and appliances

yesterday to clean, so please, just take it easy," Mahiru said without turning around, though Amane thought he heard a note of concern in her voice.

It appeared that Mahiru had already finished her own New Year's cleaning. Apparently, it hadn't taken much work at all since she always kept her place so tidy.

So that's the difference between someone who makes a habit of keeping things clean and someone who doesn't, Amane mused.

Guess I should've realized that earlier…

"Well, even so, I feel bad about it."

"I really like cooking, so it's no trouble." "Still…"

"It's fine; I'm having fun."

Amane was at a loss for how to react to Mahiru, who brushed him off, fully absorbed in her work.

"Mahiru, I went ahead and bought lunch."

It would have been unfair to expect Mahiru to prepare lunch when she had her hands full with the osechi, so Amane had gone to the convenience store. He'd figured there would be no problem with a simple meal of sandwiches, since Mahiru didn't eat that much anyway.

Mahiru had already taken off her apron. She must have been planning to take a break, so the timing seemed just about perfect.

"Thanks for going to the trouble," Mahiru said as she stepped into the living room. Her break would double as lunchtime. "I'm really sorry for not getting around to making lunch."

"Come on, I'm definitely the one who should be apologizing, with you making all that osechi. Here, let's eat. How's a sandwich and café au lait sound?"

"That's fine, thank you," Mahiru said as she accepted the food, then took a seat beside him on the couch.

"So about how much have you gotten done so far?" Amane asked.

"Well, I'm using a lot of premade ingredients, and I'm trying not to limit the number of dishes, so…I'd say I'm nearly finished. After this, there are a lot of things that need to rest or chill in the fridge. You seem to like sweet rolled omelets, Amane, so I made those by hand." "How did you know?"

"You like all the other egg dishes I make. I didn't think that rolled omelets would be the exception."

He surmised that she had cooked them specially in the oven. He had heard it humming earlier and wondered what she was making.

"You like the ones that are slightly sweet, right?" "You know me too well."

"It's not surprising that I would learn your tastes after several months," Mahiru said as she bit into her ham and lettuce sandwich. It made him very happy to hear that.

As Amane started eating the rice ball he had bought for himself, he looked over into the kitchen. His eyes landed on the smallish multitiered food boxes that Mahiru had brought over with her.

She must be planning to pack the food into those boxes.

He hadn't expected her to go so far as to bring out the special boxes for all the food—after all, she lived alone, just like him—so he had been a little shocked to see the fancy-looking containers all painted with lacquer and decorated with gold leaf.

"Seriously, I can't thank you enough. How do I put this…? This past year, I've gotten to enjoy food in a way I never could have imagined when I first started living alone."

"And here I thought you were doing just fine on your own."

"Rude. You know better than anyone how I was surviving off convenience store meals."

"It certainly wasn't healthy. That's for sure." Mahiru let out an exasperated sigh, but she also wore a knowing smile, which caught

Amane by surprise. "Well, now that I'm here," she added, "I won't let you fall back into your old unhealthy habits, all right?"

"Who are you, my mom?"

"It's your own fault for living like that. Next year you're really going to learn how to eat properly. Do I make myself clear?" Mahiru's eyes shone with sudden enthusiasm.

Amane realized that she had just announced her intention to spend the coming year with him as well. The thought made him feel terribly self-conscious, and he found himself looking away.

However, Mahiru must have interpreted that gesture as a reluctance to give up his slothful ways because she promptly scowled at Amane, who found himself struggling to awkwardly explain himself.

Mahiru finished making and packing up all the osechi dishes by around sunset and then set about preparing the New Year's noodles, which just entailed boiling the noodles and readying the toppings, since they had bought precut raw noodles.

She had some kamaboko fish cake left over from the osechi, so that was a perfect addition. All there was left to do was parboil the spinach and slice the green onion.

The most labor-intensive part was the shrimp tempura, but Mahiru seemed to be having no trouble as she fried them all up.

"I also had some kabocha left over, so I'm going to fry that while I'm at it."

"Man…these are gonna be some serious New Year's noodles."

"Sometimes it's fun to make stuff like this," Mahiru said as she finished serving up the noodles. They looked far more splendid than anything most people would normally eat at home.

She had made two large pieces of shrimp tempura per bowl, and the bonus kabocha tempura was crisped to perfection. There was plenty of spinach and green onion, and the kamaboko fish cake was cut into a decorative fan shape.

Amane noticed that Mahiru liked to keep her tempura crispy, as both of their portions had been placed on separate plates rather than directly in the bowl with the noodles. He was grateful for this small, thoughtful act.

"Wow!"

"Please, eat up."

Perhaps concerned that the noodles wouldn't be enough to satisfy Amane's appetite, Mahiru had also served all the leftover bits from the osechi dishes on a small plate.

Amane watched Mahiru take her seat, then they both pressed their hands together to give thanks for the food before digging into their noodles.

Even though Mahiru had said that the soba had come premade, she must have picked out high-quality noodles. Amane could smell the rich fragrance of buckwheat with every bite. The broth wasn't too thick or too thin, and it was seasoned so well he sighed with delight.

It warmed him from the depths of his belly. The perfect dish for a cold day.

"Ah…now this is what the end of the year should feel like…"

He took a sip of broth and sighed…mumbling quietly to himself.

He was certainly enjoying the chance to sit back and watch TV while eating his noodles, awaiting the arrival of the New Year.

It was also his family's custom every year to eat New Year's noodles and spend New Year's Eve watching the year-end musical specials on television, so Amane was glad that he could keep the tradition going.

But tonight he was not sitting with his family—instead, there was a beautiful girl beside him.

"When you eat New Year's noodles, it hits you all at once that the year's really ending, doesn't it?" Mahiru asked.

"I know what you mean…," Amane replied. "So much happened this year."

Of course, he was mostly talking about his burgeoning relationship with Mahiru.

When he'd first started living alone, he couldn't possibly have imagined such a beautiful girl fixing him such delicious meals.

"Oh, because this was the year you started living alone, right, Amane? That must have been difficult."

"You, on the other hand, never seem to have any trouble, do you?"

"Well, that's because I can more or less do everything for myself. It's a disaster for someone like you, trying to live on your own even though you don't know how to do anything." "Uh…that's true, but…"

"You really are the definition of hopeless, aren't you?"

The expression on Mahiru's face was gentle as she scolded him, more charming than exasperated. She didn't seem burdened by taking care of Amane. She just looked…content.

"…I owe you for everything you've done this year."

He repeated the words of thanks that he had said to her on Christmas, and Mahiru smiled slightly.

"And don't you ever forget it."

Her quick and unconditional agreement prickled slightly in his chest, but his saving grace was that Mahiru clearly didn't mean anything.

"…I hope you'll help me out next year, too."

"I know I'll need to. If I wasn't around, you'd barrel headlong into an unhealthy and slovenly lifestyle again in no time."

"I can't deny that."

"…If you're aware of it, then you ought to do better…" "I'll aspire to do so in the coming year."

Even if he did put his mind to it, Amane had a feeling that Mahiru's constant caretaking would quickly erode any desire to fend for himself. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

He'd do his best to keep his place tidy, but there was no doubt that he would still be depending on her for meals. He had become entirely domesticated, and the fact that he was painfully aware of this development didn't make it any less true. Plus, Mahiru always laughed at him whenever he said he was going to try to improve himself.

Amane made a sour face, but Mahiru just smiled slightly, as if she was savoring the moment.

"The New Year's almost upon us." "Looks like it."

They had finished eating their New Year's noodles and sat on the sofa watching the annual end-of-the-year musical showcase on television. Before either of them realized it, the new day—and the New Year—was just moments away.

Time had passed much faster than Amane had expected while he was occupied watching Mahiru quietly enjoy the show. Apparently, she wasn't very familiar with current pop music, possibly because she didn't watch much TV in general.

The screen switched over to a scene of a temple bell—a clear sign the year was about to end. The great bell began ringing. Seated next to him, Mahiru quietly listened to the chimes, eyes lowered.

As the bell rang the one hundred and seventh time—

The instant that the new day began, Mahiru turned to him, sat up properly, and bowed. "Happy New Year," she said.

Caught up in the moment, Amane also straightened up and gave her the same formal New Year's greeting. "Happy New Year… It feels kind of strange, huh? Spending it together."

"Heh-heh, I suppose it does," Mahiru replied. "I hope you'll look after me this year as well."

"Of course… Though, it feels like I should really be the one asking you that, eh?"

"I can't argue with that."

Mahiru let out a giggle, and Amane shot her a slightly awkward grin. Then the smartphone he had on his lap began to vibrate. His messaging app had several notifications—New Year's greetings had come in from Itsuki and Chitose.

Mahiru's phone also vibrated. She had only just met his friends and hadn't exchanged contact info with Chitose yet, so she must have been getting messages from a friend Amane didn't know.

In recent years, the convenience of sending New Year's greetings via phone message had become really popular.

"I'm just going to reply to this." "Same."

Amane figured that Mahiru had probably received a lot of messages. Yet somehow he also had the feeling that she wasn't in the habit of giving boys her contact information.

Amane watched Mahiru's practiced fingers flit deftly across her phone as she typed out her responses. "It's times like these that you finally seem like a regular high school girl," he remarked before checking his own phone.

The messages from Itsuki and Chitose were the bog-standard 'Happy New Year' followed by needless prying. "Did you spend the New Year holiday getting friendly with Lady Shiina?" As usual, Itsuki was disconcertingly perceptive.

Amane sent a reply denying it.

Immediately, he got a mocking response from Itsuki, accusing him of lying. For a while, the two friends carried on a lively text conversation. Itsuki would make certain allegations that Amane would deny every time, and then…he felt a weight flop down against his upper arm.

A sweet fragrance wafted over him.

The sudden contact startled him. He glanced timidly to the side, not believing it could be true…only to confirm that Mahiru was indeed leaning against him, fast asleep.

—Wait, wait, wait!

Amane didn't say anything out loud, but he was already beginning to panic on the inside.

Mahiru had dozed off at his place before, but who could have ever imagined that she would do so here and now, right beside him, pressed up against his shoulder?

It was obvious what had happened.

They had stayed up quite late, past twelve thirty AM. Mahiru, who observed a strict routine, probably wasn't used to being awake at this hour. Moreover, she had spent most of the day bustling about making the osechi dishes and must have been exhausted, even if she didn't show it on the surface. She simply hadn't had the strength to fight off the sandman any longer.

Amane completely understood—but to fall asleep now of all times!

Dozing against Amane's shoulder, Mahiru wore a truly peaceful expression, completely oblivious to his confusion and consternation.

Her long eyelashes and cute nose and pink lips all had a soft vulnerability to them that Amane hadn't noticed before.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her sleeping face, but he had never observed her from such close range, and the sight froze him in place.

"Mahiru…," he said hesitantly. "Mahiru, wake up." There was no response.

Mahiru must have been incredibly tired. It seemed that her fatigue had dragged her down into the deepest oceans of slumber. He called out to her and nudged her with his shoulder, but the girl showed no sign of waking.

Even when he tapped her shoulder and gently shook her body, Mahiru didn't stir.

His attempts to rouse her caused her to start pitching forward after slipping off his arm. In a panic, Amane caught her and pulled her back toward him…which was fine, but now he found himself embracing her. His alarm only grew.

…Wow, she smells amazing…

After dinner, Mahiru had briefly gone back to her place to freshen up, and the floral fragrance of her shampoo that mingled with her natural scent was making Amane tremendously uncomfortable. And he couldn't help but notice how soft she was, pressed up against him.

Amane was not handling this well.

He had tried to wake her, but she had fallen too deeply asleep, and he was reluctant to try to rouse her more forcefully.

What should I do?

The New Year had barely started, and Amane was already facing an unbelievable dilemma.

He looked down at the girl sleeping in his arms with grim determination. She was still out cold. She must really trust me to drift off like that without a care, Amane realized. It was enough to make him want to bang his head against the wall in frustration and embarrassment as his sense of reason began to fail him.

No matter how he tried, his attention kept straying back to the distinct feeling of her slender body pressed against his. It was firm, but with a feminine softness to it, and had a particularly intoxicating voluptuousness where their chests met…

—What the heck should I do?

Not only was Amane utterly unprepared for his present situation, the unimaginable softness brushing against him was quickly wearing away at any remaining composure he thought he possessed.

This was the first time he had ever realized how soft and supple and nice-smelling girls could be…and even thinking about how he felt was enough to send his mind spinning into chaos. It was like one big feedback loop.

Even so, he still felt compelled to do something. He had a feeling that there was not going to be an easy way out of this one, so Amane tried to clear his mind and steel his resolve.

At the moment, there were three ways he could think of to approach this.

Wake Mahiru Carry Mahiru Let Mahiru sleep in his own bed—and spend the night on the couch himself.

The first option gave him pause. He didn't like the idea of jostling Mahiru awake when she was obviously so very tired. What's more, he was the one responsible for wearing her out, so if it was possible, he wanted to let her rest.

At first glance, option two initially seemed like it would be the least awkward, but he was really uncomfortable with the idea of searching through Mahiru's pockets for the key to her apartment and entering a girl's home without permission. He also suspected that Mahiru would not be too pleased to discover that he'd decided that on his own.

Option three, letting her stay over, was seemed like a safer choice that would be easy to pull off, but…he was not at all emotionally prepared to have a beautiful girl sleeping in his bed. It didn't matter how they normally got along. Amane felt like the innocent charm of her sleeping face was driving him mad.

The thought of such a stunning beauty asleep on his pillow was almost unbearable for this growing boy. Some of the images that crossed his mind were guilt-inducing.

Still, there was no denying it was the most promising option and the most considerate compromise that Amane could think of.

He steadied himself for the task, then gently wrapped his hands around Mahiru's back and under her knees and slowly lifted her.

She was sleeping soundly and was as light as a feather. Of course he would never say so out loud, but Mahiru felt almost ephemeral in his arms.

He had learned firsthand that she probably wouldn't wake up too easily, but just in case, Amane tried to keep her as steady as possible while he gingerly carried her to his room. It took both hands to cradle her, so opening the door proved quite the challenge, but eventually Amane successfully laid Mahiru on his bed.

Her delicate body sunk into the mattress.

Once Amane had covered her with a blanket and comforter, she was all set up for the night. He didn't see any indication she was going to wake up, and all he could hear was her regular, rhythmic breathing. Her face was beautiful as always, but seeing it so cherubic in sleep was making Amane's heart jump in his chest.

He courteously tucked her in, then crouched down beside the bed.

…It's too much.

Having a girl sleeping in his bed, remembering the soft feeling of her body against his, seeing her adorable and defenseless sleeping face, then realizing just how much she must trust him to fall asleep in his apartment—that and a million other things were running through his mind.

Of course, he was grateful she believed in him, but at the same time, he couldn't help but think that she only saw him as a safe and hopeless nuisance, a harmless little boy.

Amane glanced over at her and noted the tranquil expression on her sleeping face. She was utterly oblivious to his inner turmoil.

She has no idea how I feel.

And she's let down her guard too much.

…I could climb into that bed right now if I wanted to…

The thought lasted only a moment before he pushed it out of his mind. Of course it would be wrong, on so many levels. And he knew that the moment Mahiru woke up and discovered them sleeping together, she would never talk to him ever again. He shuddered at the thought of her soft eyes turning cold and scornful.

That is definitely a bad idea.

But maybe, instead of that, if…just a little...would be okay, wouldn't it?

He extended a hand toward Mahiru's head.

Smooth, sleek, glossy—those were the words that came to mind as he slid his fingers over her long, soft, vibrant hair without hitting a single snag.

She must work hard to keep it like this, huh…?

Feeling both admiration and a shudder of fear at the enormous efforts demanded by femininity, Amane let his fingertips glide slowly across Mahiru's cheek. Her porcelain skin was surprisingly cool, at least compared to Amane's fingers. When the brief caress was over, Amane looked down and saw that a slight smile had graced Mahiru's tranquil face.

"Good night."

I'm sure she'll be surprised when she wakes up in the morning tomorrow…or actually today, I guess. Considering what he had just gone through, he figured that she could live with a little surprise.

I really am hopeless…

Amane flashed a troubled smile, then gently reached out to stroke Mahiru's soft cheek one more time.