The Angel's New Clothes

Exams were over, and it was the middle of May.

The sun's gentle rays grew brighter as it created a springlike atmosphere. It was that time of the year when it was starting to get uncomfortable to wear long sleeves.

May was supposed to be the time for a seasonal change of clothing, but the work of pulling out his short-sleeved shirts and summer slacks was awfully troublesome, and Amane had been putting it off.

Though the air conditioners in school were set to the perfect temperature, as soon as he took a single step outside the classroom, or set off to and from school, he felt hot. Eventually, Amane came to the decision that it was time to get his summer clothes out.

"It's getting to be the season when we'll want short sleeves, huh?" Mahiru asked. She'd nodded in understanding as she watched him pull his summer clothes out of a garment case that he stored in the back of his closet and threw them into the washing machine to wear for tomorrow.

Incidentally, Mahiru was also still dressing in long sleeves and tights, in a way that avoided exposing any unnecessary skin.

She had switched to wearing a sweater vest under her blazer, but looking at her all covered up, Amane worried that she might be hot.

"The weather is changing, and I've been feeling a little sweaty. I'm thinking it's about time for me to phase out my long sleeves, too. Today was really warm, wasn't it?"

"You never let your clothes get sloppy, eh, Mahiru? You button everything up properly, and don't roll your sleeves up, and you usually have tights on…"

"People always stare at me when I let any skin show, and it really bothers me. I feel compelled to dress that way… It's like a form of self-defense."

Mahiru was beautiful and had a very keen sense of style, so she was often troubled by people's gawking.

No matter what, she attracted attention, and that often included inappropriate stares. Amane wasn't unsympathetic to the fact that men were naturally inclined to look at beautiful women, but he could tell that Mahiru hated to be ogled.

"I'm never sure how to dress for summer," she said. "Last year, I wore some really thin black stockings, but they were still pretty warm."

"Seems like they would be. Girls have to wear more pieces of clothing than guys do, which seems like it would be hot…"

"Well, I can put up with a little warmth if I'm doing it to protect myself, but…the issue of overheating is a real problem."

Mahiru sighed and said she hated summer for that reason. Amane didn't know how he should answer and ended up staying silent.

Mahiru didn't seem to mind, and let her gaze wander over to the washing machine.

"So you'll start wearing your summer clothes tomorrow?" she asked. "Well, I was thinking it's about time to change. It's already this sweltering…"

"I see. I've also been considering it, but before I can go to school, I feel like I've got to try everything on at least once to check the fit. I think my size hasn't changed, but just in case…"

Mahiru seemed very concerned about maintaining her figure, and it didn't seem like she would have let herself get out of shape.

Amane admired her strong willpower and discipline. He knew that he could never be as strict with himself as Mahiru was with herself, but he wished that he too had an ideal body that he could maintain.

First, he would have to start by getting his ideal body, though.

"I'd better try mine on, too, or it could be bad. I've gotten a little taller since starting school, so if they don't fit, I'll have to buy new ones at the school store."

Amane had purchased his summer uniform before starting high school, so now that he was in his second year, he was worried it might be a little short on him. It had been fine during the summer of his first year, and he hadn't had any problems with his winter uniform, but his clothes might have become a little bit too tight for him, even though he'd initially bought them a bit larger.

He had grown more than five centimeters since starting high school, and there was a good chance his summer clothes were too small.

Thinking he would try them on after the laundry was finished, Amane gazed over at the washing machine, which was making a dull mechanical noise.

Mahiru looked up at him.

"…You're pretty tall, aren't you, Amane?" "Well, I guess I'm a little taller than average."

Amane was about one head taller than Mahiru, who was still staring up at him.

Mahiru had a petite build, but that didn't mean she was particularly small; in fact, she was average. Amane's eyeline was just a little higher than it had been when he had first met her, which made him realize again that he had been growing.

Usually, he stood at a bit of a distance when talking to Mahiru, so as not to overtax her neck, but recently, she had been standing much closer to him, enough to touch, and he'd started to worry about her neck getting cramps.

Mahiru didn't seem to care about such things at the moment. She was scrutinizing Amane and frowning slightly.

"…I do worry about you, though. You don't weigh very much, for how tall you are."

"That's why I'm exercising and training to put on more muscle," he replied. "More importantly, why do you know how much I weigh, anyway?"

"Because I saw you weigh yourself on the scale by the sink when you woke up late one weekend. I was the one who pushed you over to the sink, when you were half asleep."

There was nothing Amane could say to that, so he stayed quiet, but Mahiru looked at him with exasperation in her eyes.

"It looks like you're working hard, and I see you putting in the effort, but you've got to eat a little more after you exercise, Amane. You're thin, and it makes me worry. After all, food is what builds the body, right? If you tell me ahead of time when you're going to exercise, I can adjust the menu."

"I'm really making a lot of work for you, but…I'm grateful for the offer. And since we're still on the topic, you're kind of thin yourself. Sometimes I worry you might break, so you should eat more, too, please."

Of course, Amane was grateful; he never had to worry about meals thanks to Mahiru. She was even gracious enough to prepare extra food to help with his weight training.

But he thought that Mahiru herself ought to eat more, too. He could tell she was delicate even through her clothes, and occasionally when he touched her, she was so thin that he was anxious he might break her. From what he had seen, she had never been one to eat that much, which probably made it easier for her to manage her figure, but it concerned him that she was so petite.

"You're super thin," he said, and grabbed her narrow waist, realizing just how lean her body really was.

A high-pitched shriek came from Mahiru's mouth, and the sound interrupted any further thoughts.

"…Ah, s-sorry," he fumbled.

"N-no, it's fine, it's okay," Mahiru said. "Just, if you touch a girl's belly too much…there are girls who develop complexes about that stuff, okay?"

"I'm really sorry for touching you like that. It's sexual harassment to touch a girl's body without asking, isn't it? I'm very, very sorry."

"Okay, you don't have to go that far…"

Although they were good friends, they were still the opposite sex, so naturally, Amane was very careful about how he touched Mahiru.

But he had just touched her stomach—not her head, or her hand, or her shoulder, but her stomach, a very personal location. He had gotten worked up about how thin she was, but that was no excuse, and he immediately regretted touching her belly without her permission.

"I don't really mind it that much, so calm down, Amane. And anyway, I don't suppose you do things like that with anyone other than me?"

"I don't have this kind of back-and-forth with anyone other than you," he answered. "Also, I hardly ever interact with any other girls. It's not like I would randomly touch a girl I don't know that well."

The only other girl he might possibly touch would be Chitose. She was slim, a bit like Mahiru, but it was more of a lean athleticism, different from Mahiru's petite delicacy. Though he would never even really touch Chitose like that in the first place, aside from occasionally, playfully bopping her on the head.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Mahiru nodded. She seemed satisfied with Amane's answer. Then, maybe as payback, she leaned forward and pressed her palm against Amane's stomach, touching him through his shirt.

He wasn't going to scold her, considering he had just done the same to her, but it tickled, and he felt embarrassed about his body.

Compared to how he had been before Mahiru had improved his diet, he was healthier now, but his body was still a far cry from his ideal muscular figure.

It had been quite a shock to hear that she was worried about him being too thin, so he knew he needed to eat and exercise more to build muscle onto his frame.

"…Do you think I'd be better if I were a little stronger, Mahiru?"

"Strong is nice, but I think that at the end of the day, the most attractive type of body, for either sex, is a healthy body. Also, this is my personal opinion as a girl, and I would absolutely never want to force it on anyone else, but…when a girl is standing next to a really skinny guy, there's a possibility that she will feel awkward, so maybe a medium build is better than being all skin and bones."

"I see…"

"B-but you're not necessarily…I wouldn't go so far as to say you're too thin, okay, Amane? But it would be healthier for you to eat a little more. You're not the type to overeat, despite being a high school boy. Speaking of which, Amane, um, when it comes to girls…do you like slim ones best?"

"It's rude to comment on girls' physiques," Amane answered immediately. It was something he thought every guy was supposed to know.

Both his parents always told him, "If you say something, and it goes over poorly, prepare to see blood," so Amane always avoided commenting on anybody's figure.

"Ah…" Mahiru sounded like she understood his flat assertion, and her gaze drifted off into the distance. He figured that girls must have the same understanding.

"Well, I guess it's better to be on the slim side," Amane said. "But if you're too thin, it's worrisome, because it can be bad for your health and might mean you're not getting enough nutrients. It gives peace of mind to see that someone has the proper amount of muscle and fat on them."

"…That sounds more like something a parent would say than something you'd hear from a young man, don't you think?"

"You're one to talk." "Fair enough, but…"

If anything, Mahiru was the one who had a motherly attitude sometimes. So Amane didn't think she had any right to accuse him of having a "parental" gaze or whatever.

"Even if I'm not worried about you, I don't think there's any need for you to be on a diet, Mahiru."

"Really?"

"Where could you possibly lose it from? You've got your ideal body, and now you're trying to maintain it, right? It's not my place to say anything, but I think the best body for you is one you feel confident about. And personally, I would worry if you got too thin, so I'd like you to stay just as you are."

He would definitely be concerned if Mahiru, who was already quite thin, lost any more weight. He wanted her to know that her figure was fine just as it was. If she wanted to get any skinnier, he would have to stop her.

"I understand that it's difficult to maintain a certain figure, but I think it's more important to be healthy."

"…Sure."

Almost in rhythm with Mahiru's nodding head, the washing machine continued tumbling his laundry around with a loud rattle.

"Good morning."

The following morning, when Amane woke up, Mahiru was there in his apartment.

He turned around and looked behind him at the clock in his bedroom. It was time to get up and ready for the day, not time to leave his apartment yet.

Mahiru had visited his apartment a handful of times in the morning before, but it was something that generally didn't happen, so Amane's sleepy mind was confused.

"…Morning?"

Mahiru had a spare key, and he had told her she could come in as she pleased, but he hadn't expected to encounter her so early in the day.

When, in his bewilderment, he returned her greeting with a questioning tone, Mahiru put on a gentle smile.

"I know it might be rude for me to come over like this in the morning, but…I was hoping I could get you to check something for me before I left home."

"Check something?"

At that point, he took a second look at Mahiru and realized that he could see a bit more skin than usual.

"I changed my clothes. Does anything look off?" "Ah, summer clothes…uhh, no, well—"

"Yes?"

"…I'm not sure having your legs bare…is a good idea."

Summer clothes meant short sleeves, but that wasn't what Amane was talking about. When he looked down, he could see her pure, pale thighs peeking out from under her skirt.

School uniforms featured longer skirts than most street clothes, and Mahiru usually wore tights as well, so he hadn't gotten a good look at her bare legs before. In keeping with school rules, Mahiru's new skirt was plenty long enough to keep everything covered, but even so, her bare legs were now exposed to the air.

Amane was understandably flustered, and his eyes darted around nervously.

"Well, I was thinking that not many girls wear tights at school right now," Mahiru said.

"That's true, b-but I don't think it's right for y-you. It's no good." "Is that because you can't handle seeing my bare legs?"

"Th-that's not it!" he protested. "It's more like, if you show them off, the other boys will probably make a fuss and stare, so it's a bad idea, I think."

The day before, they'd had a whole conversation about Mahiru's black stockings. Amane had never thought she would appear without them.

The pale expanse of her legs was too dazzling. He couldn't look right at them.

"You sure you're not going to stare, too, Amane?" "Everything has a limit, you know!"

"But it's a fact that you saw my legs when I twisted my ankle, remember?"

"That was an emergency, and anyway, I was a perfect gentleman! I even covered your lap with my blazer, didn't I?!"

Sure, he might have caught a peek at her legs when he'd knelt down beside her, but he'd been careful to drape his blazer over her so that he couldn't see anything untoward. He'd devoted all of his attention to treating her ankle so that he wouldn't look anywhere inappropriate. Hence, he had honestly never ogled Mahiru's legs. Even Amane knew better than that.

"Well, are you having any imprudent thoughts right now?" "…No."

"The way you hesitated is a bit worrying." "No!"

"Don't get all worked up. Sorry for teasing you too much. I've known from the start that you weren't looking at me like that. You just don't know where you should be directing your attention."

"If you knew that, then you shouldn't have felt the need to question me…"

"No, it was necessary for my own satisfaction. Making your heart pound is the most important part, you see."

"So you did this just to give me a heart attack?"

Clearly, Mahiru had wanted to start the day with a bit of fun. Amane looked at her grudgingly as he realized that he'd fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. Mahiru, the prankster, just stared back at him, grinning in her elegant way.

"Relax," she said. "I brought stockings with me, and I was planning to put them on."

"Unbelievable…" Amane groaned, knowing she was trying to get a rise out of him. Then he decided to get a little bit of revenge and stared back into Mahiru's caramel-colored eyes that were twinkling happily.

"…So you don't mind me looking at you?" "Huh?"

Mahiru stared at him in surprise.

Without breaking eye contact, Amane continued, "You went out of your way to come show me your bare legs. That must mean you want me to look at them, right?"

"…That's, um, I don't really mind…if you see them—" "You don't think it's a big deal…"

Mahiru seemed very confused. "That's not—it's not necessarily the case, though…"

Amane sighed softly. "Well then, don't show me. You should only do things like that for people you want to look at you."

He wished she would put herself in his shoes and imagine what it was like for a guy to see a new side of a girl he loved. But of course, he couldn't say anything like that. It was only the start of the day, and already he was feeling exhausted.

Timidly, Mahiru tugged at the sleeve of Amane's pajamas. "…Wh- what if I said I came to show you because I wanted to?"

Her quiet voice trembled bashfully as she looked up at him with watery eyes. This time, Amane completely froze up.

"Because I wanted to see your reaction… But all you said was that it's no good," Mahiru mumbled, looking a little dejected.

Amane shook his head frantically. "Th-that's because it's not. Look, how do I say this? It's troublesome, like…I don't know where I'm supposed to be looking…"

"So you think bare legs don't suit me?"

Amane reluctantly looked down at Mahiru's outfit. She was dressed in a crisp, ironed short-sleeved blouse and skirt. The outfit exuded her usual tidy elegance, while also giving off a fresher image, and the buttons and ribbon on her shirt, done properly all the way up to her neck, were a reminder of her serious nature.

Amane might have preferred it if it were a little harder to see all the angles and curves of her figure, but these were her summer clothes, so there was nothing to be done about it.

He looked her over once, trying as best he could not to let his eyes linger on her perfect, slender legs, then slowly opened his mouth to speak, a little fraught.

"…You look very cute, and those clothes suit you, so please, go put on your stockings immediately."

"Okay."

Mahiru must have been satisfied by these brief, carefully chosen words of praise because she gave Amane a gentle, broad smile and nodded.

Momentarily struck speechless by that smile, Amane turned away before Mahiru could notice, looking toward the bathroom sink.

"Don't come playing tricks on me like this again. I'm going to wash my face and change, so while I do that, please sort your clothes out and get ready to leave," he said, speaking somewhat more quickly than usual, and hurried into the bathroom.

Mahiru giggled softly behind his back.

Amane finished getting dressed for the day, and when he headed into the living room, Mahiru was sitting quietly on the sofa waiting for him. She was fully covered, in black stockings and a sweater vest. Amane wondered if what he'd seen earlier had even been real.

He couldn't help but feel exhausted by the whole affair.

"…You know, if you'd shown me this look from the start, I would have been able to offer you an honest opinion, without worrying about how my heart is going to hold up."

"How nice for you; you got a special treat."

Mahiru grinned shamelessly, which made him a little angry. He walked up to her and pinched her cheek, but she still kept smiling happily.

"…Well then, I'm going to leave for school ahead of you," Mahiru said, standing up from her seat after watching Amane devour the breakfast she'd prepared.

To get him back in a good mood, she had made a rolled omelet.

Amane was fully aware of her ploy, but couldn't help feeling better anyway and went with her to the door to see her off.

They walked the same route to the same school, so it seemed a little ridiculous to leave separately. Even so, there was no way they could arrive at school together, thus the only other option was to stagger when they left.

"See you at school," Amane said. He was planning to wait long enough to avoid suspicion, as always, but he noticed that Mahiru was wearing a somewhat dissatisfied expression. He tilted his head questioningly. "What is it?"

"…Just wondering if there will ever come a day when we can walk together."

"The stares alone would kill me."

Recently, Amane had been seen interacting with Mahiru more and more often, and their classmates seemed to have gotten used to it, to a certain degree. However, Amane still received many jealous looks, and when it came to the students in other classrooms, they often glared at him.

Amane was already fed up with being on the receiving end of their overly aggressive stares, and if he and Mahiru started going to and from school together, the negative attention was sure to increase to a level he had never yet experienced.

"I suppose that's to be expected," Mahiru sighed. "…Though we're just reaping what we've sown, at this point. It's all so exhaustingly inconvenient."

"I imagine that having everyone at school make a big deal of you just walking with a guy would be pretty unbearable for you, too, no?"

"Actually, I don't really care if anyone makes a big deal out of it, but I know it would cause trouble for you. If it didn't bother you, I'd be more than happy to go together." "…You're sure about that?"

"If our timing matches up, that is. It's a pain to go out of our way to stagger the times we leave, and it's inefficient on days like this.

Besides, isn't it more fun to walk to school with someone you like?" "That's true, but—"

"Isn't it? I guess reality doesn't always go the way we want it to."

After a big, exhausted yawn, Mahiru shook her head once and then transformed before his eyes, putting on her usual elegant, angelic smile.

"All right, I'm off. I wanted to show you my new summer look first thing in the morning, so I'm glad I was able to come do that," Mahiru said casually. She batted her eyes at Amane, who was still frozen in place by her provocative statement.

"See you later," she said as she opened the front door. "Make sure not to be late, okay, Amane?"

Mahiru slipped bashfully past the doorway and set off for school. Amane leaned his head against the wall of the hallway for a little while, then decided he should go wash his face again. He was seriously worried about what was to come.

Amane left his apartment late enough to give Mahiru a solid head start. When he finally arrived at school, he was not surprised to see people gathered around her, checking out her new outfit.

The temperature had been steadily rising, and it was definitely time for new clothes to match the season. Plenty of students had already changed into short sleeves.

Even though Mahiru was wearing lighter summer clothing, she looked very prim and proper in it. Though because of her gorgeous appearance, her change of outfit still attracted more attention than usual.

On top of all that, Chitose had gotten to her seat and declared, "That hairstyle looks like it's sooo warm!" and tied Mahiru's hair up in a ponytail for her. The unusual hairstyle was drawing even more stares—with her hair up, the nape of Mahiru's neck was visible.

Amane didn't like that much. Mahiru was obviously free to style her hair any way she wished, but he couldn't help but feel upset that other people were staring at the girl he loved.

…How can I think that way? She doesn't belong to me.

Amane glanced over at Mahiru again, practically seething with unwarranted jealousy. He was starting to hate himself for it.

Itsuki peered at Amane with that strangely perceptive look of his. "Oh, are we feeling a little out of sorts?" he asked slyly.

Amane brushed him off with feigned ignorance. "…Must be your imagination."

Then for some reason, Itsuki looked over at Mahiru and nodded like he understood everything.

When he looked back at Amane, he was smiling, or rather grinning. Amane could feel himself getting even more flustered.