An Interrogation

"Now then, I would like to ask you a bit about what happened the day before yesterday."

It was two days after Amane's outing with Mahiru. The day he had plans to go sing karaoke with Itsuki and Yuuta.

As soon as they had assembled and entered their reserved room, Yuuta immediately turned to him with a smile.

Amane had prepared himself for an interrogation, but even so, he felt really awkward being asked about this again.

Itsuki seemed to have heard about the incident from Yuuta and was wearing an expression that said Uh-oh, you got caught! He wasn't even trying to hide his amusement.

After bringing the cup of melon soda he had gotten from the self- service drink bar to his lips and wetting his throat, Amane reluctantly began to explain.

"…It's nothing that serious. Itsuki and Chitose knew about it already. Mahiru and I live next door to each other. That was honestly a total coincidence. And well, a bunch of things happened, and we got closer, I guess."

Thanks to Chitose, there was no use in trying to conceal the fact that they were already on a first-name basis, so as he explained the situation, he used Mahiru's name like he always did at home. "You got to know each other, and then you went out together?"

"Yeah."

They were obviously more than simple acquaintances. In the best- case scenario, they looked like friends, in the worst, lovers. But as far as Amane was concerned, for the sake of Mahiru's honor, he had to flatly deny everything.

"It's definitely not the kind of relationship you're imagining, Kadowaki," he reasserted.

"And I have a feeling it's not quite what you're describing, Fujimiya." "Come on—"

"Their situation goes way beyond friends, I'd say," Itsuki interjected. "Considering Shiina comes over to make dinner for him every day."

Amane's cheek twitched as he glared at his friend. "Itsuki!"

"The truth was gonna come out sooner or later, so it's better to just hurry up and spill it all now."

When he put it that way, Itsuki was probably right, but by suddenly providing the detail that Amane was eating Mahiru's home cooking every day, he all but guaranteed a misunderstanding.

"…So she's like your girlfriend?"

"Not even a little," Amane insisted. "We both live alone, so it's more convenient to split the food costs and make enough for two; that's all."

"Yeah, that's definitely all it is…," Itsuki said without a trace of sincerity.

Yuuta looked unimpressed. "That's not very convincing, Fujimiya…" "Not you too, Kadowaki…"

He and Mahiru definitely were not in love with each other, but he was having a hard time explaining that, and the way Yuuta was staring at him was making him nervous. Not that he'd been all that composed to begin with.

"Normally, a girl won't hang around a guy she doesn't approve of, and she definitely wouldn't follow him into his apartment. Unless she's the one chasing after him anyway."

Yuuta's addendum at the end sounded like it came from a place of experience, which reminded Amane how wary Yuuta was of girls and their intentions. But he was right, more or less, Amane realized.

Girls, and Mahiru in particular, were usually very careful and typically didn't approach guys without reason. Amane recognized that the fact that Mahiru associated with him at all was close to miraculous.

But he knew this was a special case.

Amane just couldn't imagine she would ever like him as a guy, or anything like that. Sometimes he even thought that the reason

Mahiru was so comfortable around him was because she didn't even consider him a man.

"…Fujimiya, you're so hard on yourself," Yuuta said. "And you can be really stubborn."

"What he said," Itsuki agreed.

Itsuki and Yuuta were both looking at Amane with exasperated looks, so it was really uncomfortable.

"So when it comes down to it, do you like Shiina?"

Yuuta chose to thrust this outrageous question at him at the exact moment Amane took a drink of his melon soda to mask his discomfort, and he very nearly spit it back out. "…Why would you ask that, all of sudden?" he sputtered.

"Well, you're being pretty cagey, but I saw how you acted when you were out with Mahiru, so I'm sure you must care about her, even if only a little. Plus, I could tell by the way you looked at her—and by your whole demeanor, really—that you like her."

Amane nodded meekly. "…Is there something wrong with that?"

Man, Yuuta sure as hell pays close attention…

For some reason, Yuuta smiled wryly at him. "No, it's not bad or anything, but…mmm, it probably won't be easy, I'd imagine."

"I have no delusions about dating Mahiru."

"Yes, yes, I can see there are still some things you don't understand. Itsuki's here to give you some encouragement, too."

"You could say that," Itsuki muttered. "What I really want is to give him a strong kick in the ass."

Yuuta nodded. "I know just how you feel."

"Don't tell me that's where you two agree…," Amane groaned.

So now Yuuta's ready to kick me in the butt, too?

"Look, man, the thing is: It's really frustrating to watch," Itsuki said. "We want you to push the issue a little."

"Give it a rest already!"

"Hold on; just listen for a sec, all right?" Itsuki continued. "Shiina lets her guard down around you. If you put a little pressure on, she'll give in for sure."

"Okay, listen, I admit, Mahiru probably likes me, but…she doesn't like me that way; you know what I mean?"

Itsuki made it all sound so easy, but Amane knew better.

To begin with, he was incredibly self-conscious about the very fact of his deep affection for Mahiru. He did have to admit that she seemed to care about him more than any other guy, but he didn't think her feelings were romantic. Instead, he figured it was something akin to the way you might feel about a close and trusted confidant.

"How can you say that, when you've seen the way she looks at you?" "What would she find attractive about me?"

When Amane offered that rebuttal, Itsuki smacked him on the back as hard as he could.

"…Oww!"

"I feel bad for hitting you, but come on, are you kidding me? You seriously have way too little confidence! You lose your nerve or run away at the most crucial moment."

"…Yeah well, so what? That's just how I am. I can't help it."

"We've got to break the habit, then. You're way too down on yourself."

"Mahiru tells me that a lot."

"…So it's bothering Shiina as well?" Yuuta asked.

"It's bothering all of us who have to watch him!" Itsuki clamored. "This guy is so stubborn about things like that."

"Shut up, will you!"

Amane really hated it when people ganged up on him.

This was just the way he was, and even if he did try to change, it certainly wouldn't be that easy. Traumatic memories didn't just go away because he wanted them to. Not enough time had passed yet for him to try to forget and move on.

Amane was well aware of how pathetic and worthless he was, but there was nothing he could do.

"I mean, I can't force your hand if you tell me you've had enough," Itsuki said. "But if you like Shiina, and you want to go out with her, you need to try harder."

"…And you think I can do that?" "If you weren't such a wuss…" "Oh, shut up."

"Come on, that's enough," Yuuta chided. "But I do have to say I agree with Itsuki. You should have a little more faith in yourself,

Fujimiya. Really, you'd get a lot of attention at school if you dressed up like you did the other day. Maybe you should give it some practice."

"Practice?"

"Well, you didn't have any trouble getting dressed up for Shiina, and you didn't freak out when I saw you like that, either. So maybe practice your new look on people you know, so you can get used to it. A good way to enjoy this precious break, don't you think?"

"…Meaning what?"

"Let's see; I've got some hair wax in here somewhere…"

Swiftly, Yuuta pulled some men's grooming wax out of his bag. When their eyes met, Yuuta was grinning boldly. Typical of the class prince, it was a lovely smile, but it sent a chill down Amane's spine. "So how about it?" he asked.

"…I'll pass."

"Come on now, don't be shy."

"Hey, uh, aren't we at a karaoke parlor? Shouldn't we be doing karaoke or something?"

"Oh, you're right!" Yuuta replied. "Okay, I'm gonna sing, so I'll entrust Amane to your capable care, Itsuki my friend."

"Just leave it to me."

"You've gotta be joking…," Amane muttered. All he got in return was an enthusiastic grin.

"I mean, usually this isn't the kind of thing I'd do by force, but…in your case, Amane, it's time you got used to being the center of a little bit of attention, so I've got to take drastic measures!"

"Hey, you can't… Waah!"

Itsuki grinned and brandished the comb and hair wax, and though Amane tried to back away, there wasn't enough space for a proper retreat in the small karaoke room.

Amane was forced to endure Yuuta's joyful singing while Itsuki meddled with his hair.

"…Welcome ho…me…?"

When Amane made it back to his apartment, Mahiru came out to greet him with a question in her voice.

She was making stewed hamburger steaks for dinner and had let herself into Amane's apartment early to make the sauce.

She had sent him a message saying that dinner was nearly done, so he knew that she would be at his place, but when he saw Mahiru's face again, he felt a rush of relief.

"I'm back…"

"Why do you look so worn out…?" "…Itsuki had his way with me."

Itsuki had never seen Amane's "mystery man" look, so he had styled Amane's hair in a way he thought looked cool, which of course didn't really fit what Amane was used to.

To make matters worse, after they were done with karaoke, the other boys had dragged him to a store that carried the type of clothes that Amane wasn't likely to have and then embarked on a hunt for something that would suit him.

He hadn't particularly hated the experience or anything, but he was completely exhausted, having been treated like a dress-up doll by his two friends.

"Uh-huh, you had a tough time, didn't you?" "…They played with me like a toy…"

"You must be tired."

Maybe because she could tell he wasn't actually upset, Mahiru let a quiet chuckle slip out as she commended him for his patience.

Feeling slightly embarrassed at being so transparent, Amane tossed the bag containing the new clothes he had purchased into his room and went to the sink to wash his hands.

Mahiru returned to the kitchen to serve dinner, so when Amane entered the living room after properly washing his hands and rinsing his mouth, she had already set the dishes of stewed hamburger steaks down on the dining table.

Amane felt bad for not helping, so as he always did, he headed for the kitchen to dish up the cooked rice.

Amane had always thought rice paired nicely with hamburger steak, and the indescribable sweet aroma of freshly cooked rice made him smile.

"Man, I'm really tired… But actually, it made me appreciate Itsuki and Yuuta again. They're amazing."

"What do you mean?"

Once they had set out the salad and potage soup and taken their seats across the table, Mahiru tilted her head at Amane's curious grumblings.

"Well, we got hassled constantly while we were walking around. It made me realize that guys who have always been popular are a different breed of human. They're used to that treatment, and the way they go through life is just different."

When the boys had gone on their shopping tour after karaoke, for some reason, various girls who seemed to be about college age had come up to talk to them several times.

Well, Itsuki and Yuuta were both handsome guys, although in

different ways, so it seemed only natural for them to catch girls' eyes. They had experienced the so-called reverse pickup.

They had declined every proposal, though. Itsuki had his true love, Chitose, and the class prince apparently hated pushy girls. He wore a sweet smile but was always on guard, and before long, their would- be dates got the message that he was turning them down. Even when he was rejecting them, Yuuta was affable and considerate, so he wouldn't hurt their feelings. And it seemed to work well for him. Amane had struggled to deal with a similar situation earlier, and he was impressed by his friend's well-practiced tact.

"…Did the girls talk to you, too, Amane?"

"They did, but only because I happened to be with the guys."

If he had to guess, the girls were really only interested in his two friends and saw Amane merely as a nice bonus. After all, as he well knew, he was very bad at talking to strangers. Once in a while, somebody would talk to him when he went out somewhere, but this time there had been two exceptionally handsome guys next to him, so no one was going to give him a second look.

Amane shrugged and grinned wryly, but for some reason, Mahiru was sticking her lip out in a little pout.

"What is it?" he asked. "You want to tell me I'm being too hard on myself?"

"Well, there's also that… But that's not it." "What is it, then?"

"…If you don't know, then don't worry about it," Mahiru said unhelpfully, before pressing her hands together in thanks. "Let's eat."

Amane was perplexed, but he mimicked her and pressed his hands together, giving thanks for the food and for Mahiru.

It was the day after the three boys had gone to karaoke. As usual, Mahiru had come over to Amane's apartment.

Recently, she had been spending a lot of time there when she wasn't at school. In fact, since the start of Golden Week, she had been at his place almost every day. Even if she wasn't there during the day, she would always come over to make dinner in the evening. Amane was of course quite happy to have the object of his affections close by, so he let Mahiru do whatever she liked.

Today, she was next to him playing on her phone. Fiddling with her phone was a completely normal thing to do, of course, but she was staring at the screen with a bit more enthusiasm than usual.

And while it would have been an invasion of her privacy to peek at the screen, and Amane had no intention of doing so, he couldn't help but say something, since it was so unusual for Mahiru to be absorbed in her phone like that, when she usually only used it to contact someone or look something up.

"What have you been looking at all this time?" Amane ventured, figuring that just asking wouldn't be rude.

For some reason, Mahiru jumped at his question. Then she turned to look in Amane's direction with a nervous frown. Amane was puzzled. He wasn't sure what might make her act that way.

Then Mahiru turned away from him. She only did that when she was feeling guilty about something.

"…You're hiding something," Amane insisted.

"H-hiding…? Well, promise you won't get mad?"

"Are you doing something that would make me mad?"

Amane had been told that his resting facial expression looked a bit sullen, but he very rarely got angry, and he had never before gotten truly upset with Mahiru. He didn't think she'd give him a reason to lose his temper—at worst, he could imagine getting a little annoyed.

"…Depending on how you're feeling, you might get upset." "Hmm. Well, why don't you tell me, and we'll see?"

"…Well, your mother has been…sending me old photos of you." "Oh, I'm sure she had plenty to share…"

He had a lot of questions for his mother about why she thought it was okay to send Mahiru photos of him out of the blue like that.

"W-well, there's a reason, you see. Your mother and I were talking, and we just happened to get on the subject of Children's Day, and… and I said 'I bet Amane was really cute when he was little…' So you see…"

"Wait, let me take a look at them. She didn't send you anything really outrageous, right?"

When it came to old photos, there were sure to be some Amane had forgotten about. But he could definitely remember a few that captured embarrassing moments he would rather nobody see. His mother really ought to have let him inspect the pictures before sending any to Mahiru.

Mahiru refused to answer his question. She wouldn't even look him in the eye. From her reaction, Amane could guess that the photos were something he wouldn't like. He glowered at her but wasn't about to try to rip the smartphone out of her hands, so he decided to press her until she capitulated and confessed.

"Mahiru…would you rather cooperate and show me the photos, or am I gonna have to bug you till you do?"

With a serious look on his face, Amane sat up on one knee and put a hand on the back of the sofa behind Mahiru's head. He leaned in close to her, leaving her with little room to escape.

Mahiru's face would go pale when she saw he had cornered her…or so he thought, but instead she flushed red and squeezed her favorite cushion to her chest. She looked even more nervous than before but still wasn't talking.

Is it that bad…?

Amane had a sinking feeling. He continued staring intently into Mahiru's eyes, but he didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. Far from it, she tried to push the cushion into his face.

Amane grabbed the cushion and tossed it aside. He didn't understand why she was making such a big fuss. Mahiru must not have been holding the cushion too tightly, because he was easily able to pull it out of her hand and send it rolling across the floor.

Mahiru still hadn't budged from her spot on the sofa.

"Come on; it's time to fess up," Amane whispered as he closed in to pinch her cheek.

Without warning, Mahiru flopped down on the sofa. It happened so quickly that Amane couldn't react, and on her way down, Mahiru collided with the arm he'd been using to support himself, so he also lost his balance and tumbled down onto the sofa. Fortunately, he managed to catch himself before he crushed Mahiru, but he ended up much closer to her than he expected.

Both of them froze at this sudden proximity.

Their bodies weren't too close, but their faces were so close that their breath intertwined, and if he leaned in just a little, their noses would bump. Amane was close enough to see that the long eyelashes that rimmed Mahiru's wide, caramel-colored eyes were quivering slightly. At this distance, Mahiru's characteristic sweet scent filled his nostrils, and he didn't know what he should do. Both of them were frozen stiff, but Mahiru was the first to move.

Her light-pink lips trembled, and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her face was flushed, and she was taking shallow, timid breaths. She appeared nervous, as if she was preparing for some kind of impact, but her lips looked soft and sweet. She seemed simultaneously innocent and alluring. Mahiru practically embodied such contradictions. Amane couldn't look away.

The sight of her aroused both his desire to protect her and the urge to make her his, and in spite of his better judgment, Amane reached out his hand—

—and pinched Mahiru on the cheek. "Wha—?"

"…That's a funny face," he muttered with a wry chuckle.

Mahiru's eyes flew open, and her expression changed in an instant. Instead of the bashfulness from before, now it was more like equal parts shame and anger. She glared at him through tear-filled eyes. "Is that what you're going to say after pinning a girl down and touching her face?"

Amane smiled again. "Okay, okay, that was my bad. I wasn't expecting a struggle."

"Oh, well excuse me for putting up a fight!" she replied. "It only happened because you pushed me down!"

"That was because you were hiding the photos my mom sent you behind my back."

"Ack! …Ughhh."

When it became clear that Mahiru wasn't going to say anything else, Amane moved off of her, still smiling. He slipped a hand between the sofa and Mahiru's back and helped her sit up. Mahiru moved her lips like she was mumbling something to herself and made an odd expression.

"So…," Amane said. "Are you going to let me examine my own photographs?"

"…Knock yourself out," she said with resignation. She still sounded annoyed, and her face was as red as ever, but she showed Amane the image list from the chat between his mother and her.

If he was to point out how badly she was blushing, she would probably rush right out of his apartment, so Amane resisted the urge to say anything else as he looked away so Mahiru couldn't see his face.

…That was a surprise.

Amane was trying to stay calm, but even now his heart was pounding out a rhythm with explosive force.

He wasn't sure what he might have done to Mahiru if he hadn't stopped himself and pinched her instead. She had certainly shown no signs of stopping him.

Man, I was almost a real jerk just then…

Shame weighed heavy in his gut. Yes, it had been an accident, and maybe they were both at least a little bit to blame. But that certainly didn't make it okay to touch Mahiru so intimately, in a manner usually reserved for lovers. That would not have been acceptable.

If he had gone ahead and kissed her, he was sure Mahiru would have burst into tears or something along those lines. It wouldn't have been right to do something like that. He wasn't her boyfriend or anything. And if he had done it anyway, she would have definitely cut him out of her life for good.

Amane didn't want to be the kind of selfish person who only thought about what he wanted.

"…Amane, you said you wanted to check the photos, but are you even going to look at them?" Mahiru asked. She sounded even more sullen than before, and when Amane looked in her direction, he saw that the redness in her face had finally started to abate somewhat, and she had her cheeks puffed out a bit.

"Sorry, I was busy thinking." "Dummy."

Mahiru didn't often insult him, and she had used a word that was kind of cute, but Amane could tell from her tone that she was running out of patience, so he quickly looked down at the smartphone.

In the photo roll were pictures of Amane from preschool and

elementary school. At a glance, he didn't see anything especially painful, so that was a relief, but there were images of him beaming with an innocent smile he couldn't even imagine emulating now, so he still felt awfully embarrassed.

Amane's face was turning red for a different reason at this moment, and to distract himself from the shame welling up inside, he glanced over at Mahiru. She was no longer wearing a sullen expression— instead, she was staring dreamily out into space with her hand over her mouth, looking dazed.

Sensing that he wasn't supposed to see her like that, Amane quickly lowered his eyes back to the phone. His heart was pounding again, and he tried to focus his eyes and his mind on anything else.