Chapter 56: 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…"
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"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.
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"…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.
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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."
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"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."
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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.
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"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
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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."
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"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
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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?"
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"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.
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"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.
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"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."
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"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."
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"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.
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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
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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."
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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.
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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
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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.
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"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."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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