章 71: Good Traits That Nobody Else Knows About
This person is at a disadvantage because the good parts of him don't really
show through on the surface. This was a thought that Mahiru had about
Amane.
He had always had a sharp tongue, and that alone gave people the
impression that he was difficult to approach.
He wasn't foulmouthed in the sense that he said crude things or spat
abuse at people, but he did have a habit of being curt. Though anyone
listening carefully would quickly realize he never said anything out of line.
His looks weren't necessarily bad. If anything, he was rather handsome,
but he had long bangs and a tendency to look down; plus, he often had a
somewhat mean look in his eye that probably made it hard for people to get
close to him.
Even Mahiru would never have known his true nature without
circumstances giving her a push.
It's a waste in so many ways.
He's such a nice, considerate boy when you take a good look at what's
inside, but no one sees that.
With that thought, she looked over at Amane, who was quietly
completing his schoolwork beside her.
Amane wore an unfriendly expression on his face, but he was just calm
and composed, moving his mechanical pencil across the page wordlessly,
not appearing to notice Mahiru's gaze. He seemed to be really
concentrating. He didn't even glance at the coffee he had poured himself.
Mahiru picked up her mug, trying to make as little noise as possible, and
quietly sipped her coffee, which had gone cold.
Amane must have more or less figured out Mahiru's preferences, for
underneath the bitterness of the coffee was the taste of just enough sugar to
impart a faint sweetness, as well as creamer that made the drink mellower.
Amane had apparently listened to her grumble that she couldn't stand
intense, acidic coffee and had started keeping a different brand in his
apartment.
She had initially shot him a look that said This is your house, so you
should get the coffee you like, but with a look of feigned ignorance, he had
smiled and said, "This coffee is better, isn't it?" so she couldn't say
anything more on the matter.
Mahiru got a little worked up when she thought about how he was often
doing considerate things like that. She was about to take another sip of
coffee when Amane looked up.
"…Don't tell me it's bad?"
"No, not at all. I was just taking my time and appreciating how tasty it
is."
"Ah, okay, I'm glad you like it. Maybe I've gotten a little better at
making it?"
She saw the area around his eyes soften in relief, and Mahiru naturally
smiled as well.
"Well, that's because the last time you made it, you put in too much
coffee grounds and then added so much hot water into the filter that it
overflowed. I remember wondering why you poured it so vigorously."
"Oh, that was because my hand slipped. I haven't done that again since
then."
"Heh-heh. Failure is a stepping stone to success, so if you were able to
learn from your mistakes, then that spilled coffee paid off."
"…Don't tease me too much."
"I'm not teasing!" she insisted with a smile.
"That face says otherwise," he grumbled quietly, but he didn't complain
further, so he must have understood that Mahiru wasn't truly laughing at
him.
Amane pouted a little, which made him look a bit childish. Cute, even.
Mahiru mused that he would probably be more approachable if he made
such expressions more often, but somehow, she also didn't want him to
show that face to anyone else, and she didn't suggest it to Amane, either.
"…Are you taking a break, Mahiru?"
"Yes. I finished the assignment already, so I thought I would rest a short
while."
"Mm, in that case, I think I'll take a quick break, too. I'm tired of
working on this."
Amane threw his arms up and took a big stretch before gently rolling his
shoulders. Then he stood up and headed for the kitchen.
"I think I'm going to have a snack. Do you want anything in particular?"
He looked back at her after taking a peek in the snacks box, and Mahiru
answered, "I'll leave it up to you."
Basically, almost all the food in Amane's apartment was now stuff that
either of them could eat.
Of course, he had his name written on things that he wanted for himself,
but aside from those, it was all shared. Mahiru had heard that resentment
over food could be terrible, but neither of them was that attached to specific
things, so daily life had been peaceful.
They had set up a communal box for storing snacks, but since both of
them added things they were proud to have found or that they
recommended and wanted the other to eat, it was so full it actually never
ran out.
Amane added things that he guessed Mahiru had never eaten, as well as
any new products that went on sale, regardless of whether they were sweet
or salty, while Mahiru mostly contributed sweets. This was just a matter of
preference, and there were times when Mahiru also ate the salty snacks.
But lately, Amane had been casually buying baked treats that he thought
Mahiru would like, so it had become necessary to diligently check the bestbefore dates. As expected, purchases from a patisserie spoiled faster than
commercial products with lots of additives.
Amane had apparently gained a sense for that sort of thing since he
started living with Mahiru. He took the baked sweets that he had placed
near the front of the box and set them on a plate to bring over.
"I just grabbed the first ones, is that all right?"
"Thanks for bringing them over. I've got more time to spare, so I should
have gotten up to go get them."
"Don't worry about it; I was closer to the kitchen. Plus, it was my idea."
Amane returned to his seat with a little smile, so Mahiru stopped getting
up and sat back down, taking up Amane on his offer. She picked up a
cookie package and opened it.
Mahiru didn't eat all that much, but she enjoyed tasty treats. She was
grateful that Amane considered her preferences when he bought the baked
sweets.
She took small bites of her cookie, being careful not to drop any crumbs,
and savored the rich flavor of butter that filled her mouth and the sweet
aroma that reached her nose.
And yet it wasn't greasy at all. Instead, it was light on the tongue, and
though she was very curious how much of this and that went into the recipe,
there was no way she would be able to tell, so she settled for devouring it
with relish.
Amane's judgment and sense of taste sure are reliable, she thought
without a hint of sarcasm as she munched on her cookie. For some reason,
Amane looked very amused as he watched her eat.
She knew he wasn't making fun of her, but for some reason, the soft
look in his eyes really bothered her.
"…What is it?" she asked, after swallowing every last bite.
Amane seemed hesitant, "Well, how should I put this…?"
"Was I doing something funny?"
"N-no, that's not it, but well…you're just cute, like a little animal."
"…Is that a compliment?"
"It was supposed to be."
She knew it was just his reaction to seeing how she ate, but Mahiru
couldn't help but turn away, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and
happiness.
…Sometimes, he's really bad for my heart.
Amane was fundamentally the kind of person who always told the truth.
On occasion, there were things that he wanted to hide or tried to explain
away, but he never told lies that would hurt someone.
He was quite an honest person, even though he didn't seem like it at
first, which made Mahiru all the more embarrassed by his comment. Her
eyes darted around the room.
Even though she was used to receiving compliments, this was what
happened to her whenever she got one from Amane.
Amane himself, possibly thanks to the way his father raised him, was
the type of person who always knew exactly what to say to make people
happy, so in a sense, he was trouble.
He paid attention to the smallest things, which was hard on her heart in
all sorts of little ways.
Recently, he had casually come out to meet her when he knew she
would be getting home late.
Even though it must have been a lot of trouble to change his hair so he
wouldn't be recognized, he didn't mind taking the time to get ready.
Whenever they walked together, he matched Mahiru's pace and
thoughtfully positioned himself between her and the road. If she had bags,
he smoothly took them from her, and if she was feeling unwell, he never
failed to notice immediately and always looked after her without a second
thought.
Amane was more sensitive to changes in her appearance than she
expected, and he often complimented her new hairstyle or clothing.
To add to that, once Mahiru started spending a lot of time at his place, he
moved the things she used often into lower spots where her arms could
reach. He had also acquired a small step stool, in case she needed to reach
anything higher up.
She felt grateful whenever Amane tried to address hardships that she had
hardly even realized were there. But Amane never said a thing about it and
acted as if it was all completely natural. Chances were good that he would
be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Although she had initially thought that he was a helpless, foulmouthed,
sloppy, undisciplined person, once that slovenliness and curtness
disappeared, he turned out to have quite an admirable personality, and she
didn't even have to look that hard to find it.
Yes, Amane is a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good—
Her train of thought made it that far before she cut herself off and shook
her head, flustered.
"Is something wrong?" Amane asked with concern, seeming surprised
by her sudden movement.
Hoping to conceal the turmoil of her inner thoughts, Mahiru smiled a
little. "…Amane, I wonder why you're not more popular with girls?"
"Why does it feel like you're suddenly picking a fight with me…?"
This time, Mahiru was the one who had said something foolish. Without
him knowing what she had been thinking, it had probably sounded as if she
was making fun of him.
"Sorry, that's not what I was trying to say. I was just thinking that it's
strange how there aren't more people who want to be friends with you,
since you have such a nice personality."
"Even when you put it that way, I feel like I just had my unpopularity
thrust into the spotlight. That said, I've never had much to do with other
girls anyway, so I think I've got bigger problems than being unpopular…"
The only girl Amane regularly interacted with at school was Chitose.
The other people at school thought he was rather gloomy and not very cool.
It was clear that his good qualities were not at all apparent.
"Maybe it's because I never really wanted to be popular in the first
place."
"Is that how it is?"
"I don't know about other guys, but that's especially true for me since
I'm not looking for a girlfriend… As long as I eventually meet somebody I
want to spend my life with, I think it's fine that I'm not particularly popular
right now." He seemed to have trouble getting the words out and mumbled
them quietly, unable to hide his embarrassment.
Mahiru felt a gradual heat rising deep in her chest, and her mouth
softened into a smile.
"…Amane, you—"
"What? You want to call me a dreamer?"
"No, I think it's wonderful. You're a very devoted person."
"…Feels like I'm being teased again."
"Now, why would you think that? Geez…"
Mahiru really didn't know why Amane had interpreted her words that
way. She poked him in the side, and Amane frowned awkwardly before
turning away.
She thought she saw his mouth move slightly, but as for the words that
might have slipped out, she couldn't get him to tell her what they were, no
matter how many times she asked.
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