The Angel's Request

After listening to what Itsuki had to say, they were still singing and chatting lightly with everyone, but it was already time for them to finish up.

After this, the rest of the class would apparently go to the family restaurant where the afterparty was held and eat dinner together, but this was where Amane and Mahiru would part ways with them. Everyone was reluctant to leave them behind and Amane felt a little guilty, but Mahiru didn't want to attend any of it, so they made their way home.

Amane was physically a little tired from all the events going on in quick succession, from customer service at the cultural festival to cleaning up afterward and then the afterparty, but the fact that it wasn't tiring enough to be called exhaustion was probably thanks to his training. He was still able to get home with light strides.

"Ah, I'm tired."

"Fufu, good work today."

He ate a dinner they had quickly prepared and took a breather. Mahiru's smile seemed to have subsided a little since they were both serving customers. It wasn't like she was lacking in energy, but rather that Mahiru was suppressing the liveliness of her expressions.

Amane was also bothered by the hint of awkwardness lingering in the air between them.

"…Did something happen?" He asked. "Huh?"

"No, it's just that you're acting a little different from usual. I was worried that something bad or troublesome happened at the cultural festival."

"N-No, there weren't that many problems." "You're not gonna come out with it, are you?" "Well, it happened on the first day…" "…Sorry for reminding you."

"Ah, th-that's not what I meant! …It's more like I have something on my mind right now."

He could tell from her demeanor that Mahiru wasn't feeling anything negative like aversion or rejection, so he was puzzled at what was bothering her. Even as close as Amane and Mahiru were, they wouldn't be able to get through to each other without words, which was why the two of them had decided to listen to each other.

Mahiru understood this arrangement, but her lips squirmed as if she was having a hard time saying it.

From her attitude, Amane wondered if he was the cause of her dissatisfaction.

However, it wasn't something he should blame himself for. Just what is going on here? He thought and looked straight into her slightly wavering caramel-colored eyes, and Mahiru opened her lips slightly in resignation.

"…Didn't I say that I have something to tell you after the cultural festival?" "Hm? Yeah, you did say that."

"About that… How… should I say this? Amane-kun, um, this isn't the right way to put it, but you're only thinking about me, right?"

"Yeah," Amane replied immediately. "You don't even look at other girls."

"Why are you saying something so obvious…?"

No matter how one looked at it, turning his attention to other women when he already had a lover was bound to cause a lot of problems.

"I'm really happy about that, and I think it's a virtue for you, Amane-kun. You only look at me… so you probably don't pay attention to what other girls think about you."

"I'm more worried about whether it's okay for me to stand beside you." "…With your personality, Amane-kun, you won't notice when someone favors or likes you."

Amane was surprised. Blinking, his eyelids flickered at the words he hadn't expected her to say and Mahiru had a faint but bitter smile on her face.

"At karaoke earlier, when I happened to go to the bathroom, I heard a classmate saying that they were okay being with you, Amane-kun. It was the same during the cultural festival. Amane-kun, you were very cool and many customers said you were charming."

"I didn't really notice that. Was it that bad?"

"Yes… I am happy that everyone understands your charm. But at the same time, I want to be the only one who knows. The only one. Even if I understand that you will only ever look my way."

At the end of the day, Mahiru felt the same feelings as Amane held for her—though the nuance was a little different, she must have been jealous all the same.

"Now that the cultural festival is over, let me tell you. The truth is… I didn't like seeing you smiling at the customers so handsomely. You belong only to me, Amane-kun. You're mine."

Mahiru tried her best to say everything through her slightly hesitant tone and snuggled up to his arm as if to assert that Amane was her partner alone. It was a crystal clear display of her jealousy and desire to monopolize him. Amane was aware that he shouldn't laugh, yet he couldn't hold back the smile naturally creeping up his face.

She really loves me…

He realized once again that Mahiru was showering him with her pure love and affection, and felt bashful at the fact he had exactly the same feelings for her. Mahiru clung to Amane, refusing to back down.

"Don't worry." Amane said, patting her head in efforts to relieve her worries. "From now on, you'll get to know a lot of things about me that everyone else doesn't. Let's see… For starters, Mahiru, did you know that I'm more jealous than you think?"

It may not be apparent to Mahiru, but Amane was quite jealous himself. Amane was aware that it would be unsightly to show his jealousy so openly and it was common knowledge that Mahiru was popular, that wasn't something that would change. Knowing this, Amane tolerated it. Just like Mahiru, Amane also fully understood that she wouldn't look at anyone else. Be that as it may, Amane was still distressed by it and he wanted Mahiru to stay within his reach forever.

"You've been in front of everyone for the past two days. Now, I'm not going to let you go." Amane declared.

"…Yes."

"I'm only looking at you, Mahiru… so keep me all to yourself from now on.

I'll keep you all to myself too."

Mahiru was only snuggled up to his arm, but Amane, wanting to make up for the time he'd lost during the festival, guided Mahiru into his arms and enveloped her delicate limbs. After a moment of stiffness, Mahiru leaned against his body and entrusted herself to him.