Interrogation Over Lunch

"Amane, what do you want to do for lunch?"

When morning classes were over, Mahiru approached Amane's seat carrying a bag with two lunch boxes in it.

He had been planning to eat lunch with the usual group but now found himself hesitating somewhat, worried it might cause them trouble.

Incidentally, Makoto and Kazuya had been eating with them lately, but the two of them had already firmly refused to join them that day, on the grounds that they didn't want to put themselves in the line of fire. Sadly, it was undeniable that Amane and Mahiru had been making things even worse during the breaks between classes.

"Hmm, well, if Itsuki and the others don't mind, I'd like to eat together, but—" Amane hesitated.

"Did you think we were actually going to abandon you?"

Itsuki, Chitose, and Yuuta joined Amane and Mahiru. They already had their wallets out.

Itsuki grinned bitterly. "Don't be a stranger, man. We'll eat together like we always do."

"Itsuki…"

"After all, you two are liable to get into trouble without a chaperone, so you could almost say it's my responsibility to be there."

"…I've got mixed feelings about that," Amane grumbled. But he understood what Itsuki was getting at as he remembered how careless he and Mahiru had been earlier in the day. It obviously wasn't intentional, but he wouldn't deny that either Mahiru or he could slip up again.

Itsuki's concern wasn't entirely misplaced. "Well, in any case, we're doing the usual," he said.

"I actually want to see Mahiru be more aggressive, so I don't mind," Chitose said. "As far as I'm concerned, you two can go for it."

Yuuta chimed in. "I think it would be…awkward for the rest of us, if you were to make a big show of your intimacy…you know?"

"You too, Kadowaki…?"

"It would be embarrassing for those of us who'd have to watch,"

Yuuta continued. "At the same time, you two seem happy, and that's the most important thing," he said with a smile.

Amane was left speechless by Yuuta's heartfelt endorsement.

"Though some of us would appreciate it if you showed at least a little restraint," Yuuta added.

Amane had gotten that sense after seeing Makoto's and Kazuya's reactions, so he nodded seriously.

"…So the cafeteria's okay, yeah? I mean, I don't have a lunch box, so I'm going there anyway."

"Sounds good," Amane agreed.

"All right, let's get going. I wonder what the special is today?" "I think it's fried chicken."

"Oh, sweet! The fried chicken they serve here is so light and crispy; it's so good."

Itsuki walked off, waving his wallet and grinning broadly. Amane felt grateful and followed him.

"…Here, Amane, take your lunch box."

Once the five of them had taken their seats in the cafeteria and gotten their food, Mahiru pulled a lunch box out of her bag and offered it to Amane.

His was one size larger than Mahiru's, which she pulled out next, and his held quite a bit more food. It was enough to satisfy the appetite of a high school boy rather than a girl who usually didn't eat very much.

"Mm, thanks."

"Aw, Mahiru made you lunch, how nice!" "I'm not giving you any."

"Stingy!" Chitose puffed out her cheeks in feigned anger.

"Why don't you swap a little with me?" Mahiru offered, and immediately, the balloon of Chitose's cheeks deflated.

It was a childish performance, but it matched perfectly with Chitose's carefree attitude, and Itsuki also smiled as he looked on.

Amane lifted the lid of his lunch box as he listened to the girls.

The inside was packed with the remainders of the previous day's chicken-and-tomato stew, spinach and corn sauteed in butter and soy sauce, steamed broccoli and mini tomatoes, wieners cut neatly into the shape of little octopuses, and Amane's favorite dish, rolled omelets.

Knowing Amane's appetite, Mahiru had been sure to include plenty of the main dish. He basically ate anything, and liked vegetables, too, but he had a bigger appetite when there was meat involved. On top of that, she had added rolled omelets, his favorite food, so Amane was excited.

"I put a lot of your favorite dish in yours, Amane, is that all right?"

"That omelet is the only thing that's gonna get me through the afternoon."

"You're exaggerating." "No, I mean it."

Amane loved egg dishes and found an omelet even more satisfying than meat. So an extra-large portion of it was exactly what he wanted.

"Thanks for the meal," Amane said, showing his appreciation for Mahiru and the food, and immediately extending his chopsticks toward the omelet.

When he put it in his mouth, it felt soft, and when he bit down, the harmony between the rich taste of the dashi and the slight sweetness of the sugar spread gently through his mouth, and his lips curled into a smile.

It was so delicious that it would have been a waste to swallow right away, so he chewed slowly and savored the taste.

People did say it was important to chew your food well, and he also really felt like he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.

The egg was as delicious as always, and as Amane ate without attempting to hide the look of rapture on his face, Yuuta watched him and let out an astonished squawk.

"…You make it look really delicious, Fujimiya." "It really is."

"I can tell. If you can make Amane look that happy when he's eating, you must be really blessed, Shiina."

With a smile, Mahiru had been watching Amane. When Yuuta turned to her, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled. "Yes, indeed, I'm very grateful that he always tells me how tasty my cooking is. It's worth the effort—really it is."

"I'm glad that you made it for me, and trust me, it's delicious."

"I've got a good grasp on your tastes now, Amane, and I want to concentrate on cooking stuff you like."

"You're doing fine as it is, I'd say."

"Since I'm going to the trouble, I want to match your tastes perfectly."

"I like everything you make. As long as you cook it, anything is delicious."

Amane hoped to be with Mahiru for a long time, so he didn't want her to cook just to suit his preferences but also to make things she enjoyed eating.

Rather than matching every meal to his tastes, he wanted to compare and adjust dishes until they found something that was just right for the two of them together—and also try foods Mahiru liked as well.

As Amane tossed a wiener carved with a smiley face into his mouth, he nodded seriously; Mahiru made an anxious face and hunched over.

When he saw that her cheeks had taken on a slight tinge of red, he looked up at the other people around the table and saw Itsuki looking astonished.

"You're not even gonna give me a chance to keep you from flirting, eh?"

"…We're not flirting," Amane replied. "Says you… Tch."

"Wait, so you're saying that this is only the lead-in?" Chitose asked. "This doesn't even count as flirting yet?"

"You guys…," Amane groaned.

"Well, I guess compared to your exchange in the classroom earlier, this isn't as bad," Itsuki said. "I can't blame you for staking your claim, either. If nothing else, you definitely let everyone know that there isn't the tiniest gap where they can butt in between you two."

At those words, Amane shifted his gaze from his friends to the cafeteria seats surrounding them. He noticed that many of the boys, both their peers and some upperclassmen, were looking his way.

They were practically glaring at him with undisguised contempt, although whenever Mahiru glanced in their direction, they were quick to avert their eyes.

Amane wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed that everyone had overheard their conversation or grateful that they had managed to rein it in.

Yuuta frowned. "And here I was certain that they were doing it on purpose…," he grumbled. "…But seriously, it's great that you're so close. Just remember that it's easy for others to peer into your little world, so maybe be a little more discreet," he cautioned. "Though it does seem to have been effective…" Yuuta sounded slightly exasperated as he added that last part.

Amane could only grimace in response. "…Wh-what's with the crowd, guys?"

Upon returning to the classroom after lunch, Amane found himself swarmed by the other boys in his class.

Mahiru was not in her seat—she'd apparently gone to buy drinks with Chitose. Itsuki and Yuuta saw that Amane was being surrounded and told him to resign himself to an interrogation before promptly turning their attention to preparing for the next class.

Amane cursed them for being so insensitive, but he knew that if he was going to continue dating Mahiru, he'd have to learn to deal with this sort of thing himself. So he let out a quiet sigh and allowed the boys in his class to encircle him.

Surprisingly, they didn't seem to be mad at Amane in particular. It was more like they simply needed to vent their frustrations at him.

"Incredible, the theft of the century! You've stolen our angel!"

"…You're overstating it, plus Mahiru never belonged to any of you in the first place."

"I'm so jealous; you get to eat the angel's handmade lunches!" "…Well, we are dating, so you can't really complain about that."

"I can't believe you got someone so out of your league, just like that."

"…It wasn't exactly easy, you know."

Complaints were flying at him from every direction, but all of them were just sulky and benign. He could hear some small tinges of jealousy, but they weren't shouting their objections to the relationship itself, so Itsuki, who kept sneaking glances over to watch, flashed an infuriating smile and looked away again. Clearly, he did not intend to offer any help for the time being.

"So how did you and Shiina get to know each other in the first place? You mentioned you've been hanging out since last year, but what did you guys even have in common?"

"Ah, well, how do I explain…? I just happened to lend her an umbrella when she was caught in the rain. A lot has happened since then, but that was the reason we started spending time together."

"That's all?!"

"Th-that's all? I mean, well, after that we got to know each other, and Mahiru couldn't stand that I was such a slob, so she started taking care of me."

"You sure are a lucky guy!" "Well, I won't deny that."

Quite the series of coincidences had brought them together.

If Mahiru hadn't gotten a phone call from her mother that day, or if Amane hadn't noticed his surroundings, or if he had taken a hot shower after lending her his umbrella like he should have, or if he'd displayed any kind of ulterior motives, Amane's and Mahiru's fates would never have become linked. If just one of those elements had turned out differently, their present relationship probably never would have come to be.

And so he had no doubt that the fact they formed a connection was nothing short of a small miracle.

Amane shrugged and chuckled while frowning anxiously, and the classmate in front of him sighed quietly.

"…I don't mean to put you down, but I don't understand why the angel fell for you, Fujimiya. If it was a matter of looks or brains, surely there would be other choices. Now we know how you met, but what caused her to start liking you?"

"I honestly have no idea why she likes me—or even when she started…"

Amane knew she cared about him, but he did not specifically understand when Mahiru had started having feelings for him. He didn't know how to respond to their questions as Mahiru was probably the only one who knew the answers.

Amane could only smile ambiguously, and a few of his classmates— the ones who had started speaking to him since he'd helped them during Mahiru's study session the week prior—laughed a little.

"Well, I wonder if it isn't this? Fujimiya is a calm guy, he really pays attention to the people around him, and he's always looking out for everyone. Maybe that's why?"

"Shiina doesn't seem like she would go for the boisterous type, so maybe you're right. She would probably prefer someone who makes her feel at ease when they spend time together over someone who's more energetic, right? And Fujimiya can be blunt, but he wouldn't make fun of his partner or do hurtful stuff on purpose. He's probably nice to be around."

"Actually, now that I think about it, Fujimiya has always been concerned about Shiina, hasn't he? That was true at the study session, and during cooking class, and at Sports Day, too. He's always been watching out for her, like a gentleman."

"That is a very Fujimiya-like way of taking care of Shiina."

Two of Amane's classmates talked about him like he wasn't even there.

Amane could feel himself getting flustered, and he glared at them. "Seriously… Imano, Yamazaki, gimme a break."

But his classmates showed no signs of flinching back from Amane's piercing gaze.

"He's probably trying to hide his embarrassment." "So he's not being up-front with us, I see."

"You guys…"

Just as Amane was thinking that he might have preferred it if they had been making fun of him rather than singing his praises, he heard a familiar voice, laughing from outside the circle.

"Ah-ha-ha! Well, Amane's a hard nut to crack, but he is nice, and pretty gentle, which couldn't have hurt with Mahiru."

"That's right… What are you doing here, Shirakawa?!"

Chitose, who hadn't been in the classroom until now, had suddenly poked her head in.

"Huh? Lunch break is almost over, and I got a tip that while we were gone, you guys ganged up on Amane, so we came back to check it out. By the way, Mahiru herself is here, too, guys." "S-sorry."

Mahiru, the focus of the conversation, apologized as she returned.

The students still had afternoon classes to get through, so of course Mahiru would return to the classroom, and she would notice them talking about her when she did. That should have been obvious, but it didn't seem to have occurred to anyone.

When Amane glanced over in Itsuki's direction, Itsuki waved his smartphone. Apparently he had been the one to call the girls back. Amane didn't know whether he should be grateful or angry that Itsuki hadn't jumped into the conversation himself.

Mahiru saw that Amane was surrounded, and she put on an anxious smile as she walked over to him. Mahiru, who had spent the day completely attached to his side, ignored the eyes fixed on her.

"Sounds like you haven't been straightforward with them," she told Amane. "…It's hard to put an answer into words, if you ask me why I started liking Amane. But he accepts me for everything that I am, and he respects and cherishes me, so I guess that's it." Her voice was calm, with an affectionate tone.

"As I've said before, Amane may seem cold at first glance, but on the inside, he's gentle, kind, and chivalrous. He's supported me through tough times and doesn't give easy, superficial encouragement. He sees me for who I am and has shown me who he is through his actions. He's also accepted all of my flaws. On top of that, he has encouraged me and helped me until I could stand on my own. It would be stranger if I hadn't fallen for someone like that… It was enough to convince me that he's the only one for me."

Amane felt his face burning up as he realized Mahiru was saying that she had been attracted to him since that time over spring break, when he had seen her with her mother.

He had been meaning to ask her when exactly she had first started liking him, and what she liked about him, but he had never expected to hear the answer this way, in public, lovingly detailed and delivered with a joyful yet bashful look on her face.

Amane was filled with the urge to bolt from the room.

"Amane is the person who accepts me, cares for me, respects me, and looks out for me," Mahiru continued. "He's shy and a little blunt but always kind. The more I get to know him, the more I like him."

"M-Mahiru, please stop there."

"Of course, it would be a lie to say he doesn't have any bad points," she added. "He's pretty hopeless when it comes to taking care of himself, and he suffers from a dire lack of confidence… But recently he's been working hard and getting better, which is just great, in my opinion, and it's really cute that he thinks so highly of me and gets a little intimidated— Mmph!"

"…Please, have mercy!"

Amane was sure he would die of shame if she told them anything more, so in the middle of Mahiru's sentence, he interrupted her by clamping one hand over her mouth. But it was already too late, and the embarrassment was agonizing.

But Amane was not the only one with a red face.

The other students surrounding them, who had all listened to

Mahiru's rambling about her sweetheart, were also slightly flushed. Everyone was looking around as if they couldn't stand to be there any longer.

"Why would you say stuff like that?"

"I thought I should use the opportunity to explain how much I like you," Mahiru answered, "and to call attention to your good points, to keep you and the other boys from fighting."

"Well, I don't think it was such a good idea… Plus, a lot of the stuff you said was really embarrassing!"

"What part?" "…The last bit."

"Well, it's the truth. Of course, those things about you are great, too. I find your flaws just as charming."

"Stop it. Even if that's true, I seriously won't last if you do that again."

Amane bit his lip. It was a complicated feeling, listening to his girlfriend list his shortcomings in front of everybody.

From beside him came a reserved little giggle.

"You don't get to laugh; you're just as new at this as I am," Amane grumbled in a voice only Mahiru could hear, and then he turned away. When he did, Mahiru punched his arm very gently, so she seemed to have some self-awareness.

As Amane was trying to regain his composure after her adorable attack, a soft clapping echoed through the classroom. Chitose was standing there staring at them, hands held together.

"Okay, okay, flirting time is over! The damage is done… Unless there's a challenger among you gentlemen who thinks he can force his way between these two deeply infatuated lovers?"

"Impossible."

"I don't think any of us could win." "You mean we'd get our asses kicked."

The other boys shook their heads despondently at Chitose's challenge.

Amane, too, hung his head, defeated.

He'd never expected Mahiru to say so much—and in front of everyone, as well. His heart could barely take it. When he looked over at her, wishing he could just disappear from the shame, he saw Mahiru was wearing a smile that was full of confidence and joy.

"Oh, Shiina…" One of the girls in their class, who had been watching the whole scene unfurl from the background, stepped forward to address Mahiru. "How do I put this…? When you're with someone you really care about, you're just like any other ordinary girl, huh?"

Mahiru's eyes widened at first, then she gave a smile that was innocent and impish.

"I mean, I am just a normal girl," she asserted without hesitation, before looking coyly over at Amane again. He wondered whether this might actually make her more popular…then ruffled her hair to hide his embarrassment.

The rest of the day felt extremely long, probably because people kept staring at them.

Although they had deliberately made a display of themselves, it was nevertheless mentally exhausting to be the focus of so much attention, some of which was certainly unfriendly.

By the time the day's lessons finally ended, Amane felt drained.

"Mahiru, let's go home," he called to her. She was also getting ready to head out.

Amane and Mahiru were, as always, part of the "go-home club." Apparently, Mahiru didn't participate in clubs because she worried there would be problems if she joined. She thought her presence might be too much of a distraction.

She'd made that choice precisely because she was aware of her effect on people, but Amane was a little sad that she felt compelled to hold back for such a reason.

Mahiru herself didn't seem bothered by it. She had even pointed out that not being in a club had allowed her to meet Amane in the first place, which had only embarrassed him more.

Mahiru finished gathering up her things and gave Amane a soft smile. "Okay, sorry for making you wait."

Amane felt his expression relax as well. Before, they had always had to go home separately, but now he was happy they could walk back side by side.

"We're headed out; is that okay?"

As he picked up Mahiru's bag from where she'd set it on his desk, Amane spoke to Itsuki, who was beside him. Yuuta had club activities to attend, so he had already disappeared from the classroom.

"Mm, well, I would feel bad for butting in on the newlyweds, so you two go on and flirt as much as you like on your way back home," Itsuki answered.

"We are not newlyweds, dumbass."

"Yeah, I know, you're more like an old married couple." "That's not what I mean."

Amane glared at his friend for talking nonsense, but Itsuki didn't seem to pay him any mind. Instead, he cheerfully answered Amane's sharp look with his usual flippant grin.

"No matter how you slice it, that's just how you seem. Don't you think so, too, Chi?"

"Totally!" Chitose agreed.

"You're so nosy! Or is that the duty of the cringe couple?"

"Oh, big words! We're the original, so I'm crowning you two 'cringe couple the second.'"

"Unbelievable…"

"Now, now, Amane, calm down."

Amane wanted to flick Itsuki right in the forehead, but Mahiru stepped in to mediate, so he gave up on the idea.

"And you, Mr. Akazawa, please don't tease Amane so much." "Mahiru…"

"Amane can't be honest about his feelings, so when you tease him, he gets sulky. So please, go easy on him, okay?"

"Mahiru, not you, too?" "I'm only kidding…"

Amane had conflicting feelings about Mahiru joining in on everyone's teasing. But seeing her at school with a genuine, happy smile, he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it.

She had always worn the beautiful, angelic, fake smile that everyone admired, with her true one hidden behind it. There was no way Amane was going to condemn the comfortable, lively demeanor that she had now.

That said, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he got her back for the teasing, so he intended to make her pay once they arrived home.

"Come on, Amane, let's head back." Mahiru seemed to have sensed something and hurriedly urged him to leave, so Amane smiled and took her hand.

"Okay."

"One reason I'm glad we made our relationship public is that we can go shopping together now," Mahiru said softly as they were picking out ingredients for that evening's meal in the supermarket.

The supermarket wasn't really a place where high school couples went together, and they hadn't planned for it to be a date, but they needed to prepare for dinner, so the two of them stopped by.

"Yeah, I guess we couldn't really go together before, huh?"

"Right. But from now on, we can go shopping and do other things together openly."

"Yeah, we can. And if you like, we can even talk about the menu." "Yes."

Generally, they decided on the menu ahead of time, but going forward, if there was something Amane suddenly wanted to eat, he could point it out in the store.

Originally, they had planned to make a Japanese-style meal that night, but Amane had seen the lunch of the day at the school cafeteria and told Mahiru that he wanted to have fried chicken instead. So she was going to grant his wish.

She placed a carefully selected package of chicken thighs into the basket that Amane was holding and said, "We've had meat for the last few meals, so a seafood dish would be nice for tomorrow, don't you think?" Mahiru was already planning the next night's dinner as well. "What do you think, Amane?"

"Well, anything is fine… But that's not super helpful, yeah? Let's see, I think I'd like to eat some mackerel."

"It's in season now, so that should be perfect. All right, I'll make roasted spicy mackerel. You don't like too much vinegar, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Amane smiled and remarked on how well she knew him, and Mahiru responded bashfully, "Well, I have been making you dinner for more than half a year."

Amane had indeed been eating with Mahiru for more than six months, and she'd had plenty of time to get to know his preferences. The better part of the year had gone by since they had started spending time together, and Amane felt moved reminiscing about it.

"…It's amazing to think that we've been hanging out for half a year," he said.

"It certainly seemed like a long time from my perspective, you know? Since you were so obtuse and pretended not to see the truth, even after you noticed how I felt," Mahiru answered.

"Uh… I said I was sorry."

"Heh-heh, I didn't mean to pick on you… Now that I know how you really feel, it's all right."

Amane felt a little uncomfortable as Mahiru gave him an impish smile. But he knew that it was his own fault for failing to make a move in the first place. There was nothing to do but admit his shortcomings.

"Well, from now on, I'll make sure to express my love more openly." "Thank you very much. I'll do the same."

"…Although if you do it too much, things will get difficult for me, so please do it in moderation."

"What do you mean by difficult?"

"…Please don't bring out my inner animal."

If Mahiru continued to spoil Amane, his brain might cease to function, so he didn't want her to take it too far.

Mahiru seemed to take his meaning. He could practically see the blood rushing to her face as she answered him in a docile voice, "I-I'll be careful…"

Amane nodded, feeling his own face turning red. "Yeah."