章 86: Getting Drenched Was Worth It
"Amane, where are you going?"
Mahiru noticed that Amane was preparing to go out when he stepped
into his shoes in the entryway, and she called to him.
She must have been asking because it was fairly late—already past three
o'clock in the afternoon.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm stopping by the neighborhood grocery store. Mom
asked me to do a little shopping."
This hadn't been Amane's idea.
He'd gotten a message on his phone a moment earlier. Both of his
parents were going to be late getting home that evening, so they wouldn't
have time to go shopping. They had asked Amane to pick up what they
needed instead.
He wasn't doing anything, so he didn't particularly mind, but he wished
they had said something in the morning.
"I see," said Mahiru, sounding satisfied with Amane's explanation. Then
she knelt down next to him as he sat tying the laces on his sneakers.
His hair must have been a mess. He could feel Mahiru diligently
combing through it with her fingers, tidying it up for him. He could also see
her at work in the mirror on the wall of the entryway.
"If you're going shopping, do you want me to come with you?"
"Nah, I won't have much to carry, and I'm going to hurry a bit since it
looks stormy out. It's no big deal; I'll be fine on my own."
Weather-wise, it seemed likely to rain on them if they took their time.
Plus, Amane didn't want to drag Mahiru around on errands when it was so
hot, no matter how well the clouds tempered the sun's rays.
He had turned her down with the idea that it would be faster to go alone,
since he would return as soon as he finished the shopping.
But when Mahiru answered, she seemed discouraged. "…All right
then."
Amane looked up at her in a panic. "Ah, wait, it's not like I don't want
you to come or anything!"
"I—I know that. I just kind of wanted to go out together; that's all."
"…We'll go on a date some other time, okay?"
If it was an outing she was after, there would definitely be another
opportunity. Plus, girls always seemed to require elaborate preparations to
leave the house, so Amane didn't think she'd be ready right that second.
When he gently extended a hand and ruffled her hair, Mahiru opened her
eyes a little wider, then put on a fleeting smile and nodded.
"Well then, I'll be waiting for you here," she said.
"Okay."
Amane gave her a small nod, too, then picked up his bag and went out
the door.
In the end, it's a good thing I didn't take Mahiru with me, Amane thought
keenly.
"…Ugh, sure enough, I got caught in the rain."
He'd thought the clouds had looked menacing, but they were even
darker and heavier on his way home. Just as he'd expected, raindrops began
falling one after the other out of the sky, soaking his clothes.
Annoyed by the damp fabric sticking to his body, Amane pinched it
between his fingers and gently forced some air in between.
Fortunately, everything he had purchased was wrapped in plastic, so it
was no problem if it got wet. Amane was the only casualty. By the time he
arrived home, he was soaked to the skin.
His bangs clung to his forehead, threatening to obscure his field of
vision. After pushing them gently out of the way, he stepped into the
entryway, water drip-dropping off his clothes onto the floor. With regret, he
realized he should have wrung them out before going inside, but it was too
late now.
"Welcome home, Amane. It really poured, didn't it?"
Just as he let out a sigh, he heard the sound of slippers slapping, and
Mahiru trotted over to the front door. When she looked at Amane, her eyes
went wide.
Mahiru was not expecting him to be so thoroughly soaked. She was
holding a small towel, but now it seemed rather useless, considering how
drenched he was.
Amane hadn't expected the rain to be so intense, either.
"I'm back. I figured it would just be a passing shower, but it was heavier
than I expected."
"If only the weather could have held out until you got home… You'd
better warm up in the bath. I've already got it ready."
"Mm, thanks."
He felt a surge of heat in his chest when Mahiru casually took the
supermarket bags from his hands, trading them for the little towel with a
smile.
He wasn't sure whether he was feeling comforted or blessed. Having
such a normal exchange made her seem like part of his family. It gave him a
ticklish feeling.
"…This is kind of nice."
"Huh?"
"It's kind of nice to have you get the bath ready and come out to greet
me like this."
Amane's parents both worked, so he had rarely seen them in a similar
situation. But scenes like this came up often in comics and TV shows, and
he had always secretly been jealous of the characters.
Even though it wasn't quite the real thing, this taste of domestic
tranquility sent a wonderfully ticklish warmth like spring sunshine through
Amane's chest.
He felt indescribable happiness, especially because this scene was
playing out with the person he wanted to cherish for the rest of his life.
He smiled slightly at Mahiru. Her cheeks were flushed a faint red, and
she was already shrinking back and curling up on herself.
"Well then, I'll go take a bath. Thanks," he said, then slipped past her.
He might have been acting a little out of character, but he couldn't help
the smile spreading across his face.
When Amane got out of the bath, Mahiru was sitting quietly on the living
room sofa waiting for him. She had a hair dryer at the ready.
There was a dryer by the sink in the bathroom, but she seemed to have
anticipated that Amane would fail to use it and had prepared accordingly.
He felt both embarrassed that she had seen right through him and
gratified that she understood him so well.
Shaking off his embarrassment in the pleasant chill of the airconditioned room, he softly approached Mahiru.
"Feeling the AC right out of the bath is great," he said.
"It's nice and cool, but you might catch a cold if you chill yourself too
much… Go on, sit there."
"You really don't have to."
"If your hair stays wet, not only can you get chilled and catch a cold, but
it's bad for your hair, too."
She told him to quit complaining and sit down, so he obediently took a
seat by Mahiru's side. Then she stood up and went around the sofa to plug
in the dryer.
She stood behind him getting the water out of his hair with a towel,
which also felt sort of ticklish. Not physically so much as emotionally.
"I don't suppose you'll ever get over these sloppy habits of yours, will
you, Amane? Sometimes you even come out of the bath with no shirt on."
"Only when it's hot… I'm always fully dressed in winter."
"Because it's cold; I know. But even when it's hot, you can catch a chill
if you don't wear a shirt after a hot bath, which can lead to a cold. I won't
allow it, not so long as my eyes are black, as they say."
Amane stopped himself from pointing out that Mahiru's eyes were in
fact caramel-colored—and that her words implied she intended to stay by
his side forever. He just answered obediently that he would be careful and
went along with what she wanted.
No matter what she compelled him to agree to, it was pleasant having
her look after him.
He felt a little guilty, but having Mahiru dry him off like this felt great.
Once she had carefully absorbed most of the water with the towel, she
used the hair dryer that she had wisely prepared to blow hot air on Amane's
hair.
Mahiru obviously took great care of her own hair on a daily basis, and
the practiced movements of her hands felt wonderful.
Amane generally didn't like having his hair touched, so this was the first
time he had ever thought it felt nice to get his hair blow-dried.
He already liked it when Mahiru touched his hair, so perhaps it was
simply a matter of who was doing the touching.
"It's not fair that your hair is this silky even though you don't seem to do
anything to take care of it, Amane."
He heard her quietly muttering, almost inaudible under the noise of the
hair dryer.
"Oh really? Well, I may not be as meticulous about my grooming as you
are, Mahiru, but I'd say I do an ordinary amount."
"You must have good-quality hair to begin with. Your mom and dad
both have lovely hair, after all."
"They both pay more attention to their appearance than I do, though. So
do you, Mahiru, and for your troubles, you have amazingly smooth and
glossy hair."
Mahiru's hair was as shiny as silk, and it felt wonderful to run his
fingers through it. Amane could tell how much time and effort she spent
caring for it.
He knew this because he played with Mahiru's hair often. It was
straight, soft, and fine, and extremely pleasant to the touch. He knew it was
easy for fine hair to tangle, but since she groomed it and looked after it, it
was never knotted or twisted. It simply drew a lovely straight line down her
back. He thought she must be the envy of anyone with unruly hair.
Her straight locks, with their perfect sheen and no split ends, her
crowning angel's halo, was so beautiful that anyone would have been
jealous. Amane was particularly impressed that she was able to maintain
her hair's luster despite its length.
"It's long, though, so it does take a lot of time to look after," she said.
"Well, I guess that only makes sense."
"Of course, I can do or think about other things while I'm tending to it,
but it's true that it's a lot of trouble. I've even thought about cutting it off…
Amane, which do you prefer, long or short hair?"
"I don't think I really have a preference… Either one would look cute. I
like to see you dressed up and enjoying yourself, so I'm happy for you to
have it whatever length you like."
Girls didn't always tailor their appearances to appeal to boys, after all.
There were plenty of girls who kept their hair long just because they liked it
that way.
If Mahiru changed her hairstyle because of some comment from Amane,
he would be pleased that she was trying to match his preferences, but he'd
also feel bad. It wouldn't make him happy if a stray remark of his caused
Mahiru to give up on a style that she had worked so hard to maintain.
He didn't want his words to keep her from doing what she wanted.
"…You think?" she said.
"What about you, Mahiru? Any thoughts about what kind of hairstyle I
should have?"
"I would like anything you chose."
"Thought so. I feel the same way."
"…Okay."
Amane didn't turn around, but from Mahiru's voice, he could tell she
was smiling bashfully behind him.
It seemed like his answer had been the correct one.
Mahiru was happily working away, until suddenly, the fingers that had
been combing through his hair stopped moving.
"…I'd like you with any hairstyle, but—"
"Hmm?"
"When you push your wet hair back with your fingers, it's very…"
"Very…?"
"…Sexy. I mean… It looks cool, I think."
She wasn't telling him what she wanted so much as simply letting her
feelings show. But Amane's lips curled into a little smile at Mahiru's
admission.
"Should I do it now?" he suggested jokingly.
"N-no, don't! I'll die!" He could tell she was shaking her head
vigorously due to the vibrations traveling through her hand.
He was certain that Mahiru must be blushing.
When he tried to turn to see her expression, she used her hand to stop
him. It was clear she didn't want to be seen.
…Mahiru's pretty sensitive, huh?
In particular, she was extremely weak to any behavior that reminded her
that he was a member of the opposite sex. Amane didn't really go out of his
way to point it out or anything, but like the inexperienced girl she was,
Mahiru shrank with embarrassment at the slightest hint.
"…I don't think I've really got much sex appeal, though," Amane said.
"Want me to bring you a mirror?" Mahiru replied.
"I just saw myself in the mirror over the sink."
"You must be blind, then."
"Are you sure you're not just seeing me through rose-colored glasses
because you like me?"
"I—I won't say that there's absolutely none of that going on, but,
Amane…" The hot air from the dryer stopped. "Listen, when you get out of
the bath like this, you let down your defenses, and it just kind of seeps out.
You've really got to be more careful," she muttered quietly.
Amane inconspicuously put on a wry smile. Perhaps saying Love is
blind was going too far, but he had a feeling that he looked particularly
good to her precisely because she loved him. But the very fact that Mahiru
thought of him that way made him happy.
She would turn as red as a lobster if he teased her too much, so he gave
up on questioning her further and settled for shrugging. "Well, I'm not one
to talk. If you came and gave me a sultry look after getting out of the bath, I
think my knees would go weak."
"I'm pretty sure you've seen me after my bath every day we've been
here."
"I've been trying my best not to look directly at you, though."
Since they were staying together in his parents' house, they had been
taking their baths one after the other, and they had seen each other
afterward wearing their nightclothes.
However, Amane was afraid that if he looked directly at her, he might
react in a way the pure and innocent Mahiru wouldn't approve of, so he had
been endeavoring not to linger too long in those situations.
Whether he wanted them to or not, though, his desires sometimes reared
their ugly heads. Thanks to his efforts to keep them under wraps, Mahiru
didn't seem to have noticed, but sometimes he couldn't help himself when
she got too assertive.
"I see," Mahiru said. "You've given me some good information."
"Hey, wait a second, why does it sound like you're cooking up a
scheme?"
"…Because it's not fair for me to be the only one going around with my
heart pounding."
Mahiru didn't seem to realize that the results of getting his heart
pounding might not be so good for her heart, either.
That naïveté of Mahiru's was both charming and dangerous. She was too
trusting of Amane's courteous and rational nature.
"…You can go ahead and do whatever you want, but I might shut myself
away in my room."
"That's not fair." She pouted.
"It's perfectly fair," he replied.
"It is not… I want to be able to push your buttons, Amane."
"No way. You already do enough, without even meaning to. If you're
aware of the effect you're having, please be good and try to hold back."
He turned around and cautioned her, but Mahiru didn't seem to accept
what he was saying.
He didn't think she'd actually do anything crazy, but she was letting
down her guard because they were boyfriend and girlfriend, and that meant
Amane had to be careful. It was important for him not to leave any
openings that she could exploit.
He turned his gaze directly on Mahiru, who was looking at him
somewhat scornfully.
Her glossy caramel eyes met his, and they quickly began to waver, as if
they would soon overflow with tears.
Her white porcelain cheeks flushed red, but he paid it no mind and kept
staring at her.
Eventually Mahiru was the one who averted her eyes, apparently unable
to stand it any longer.
"…Y-you know I can't handle it when you stare at me, Amane."
"Yeah, I know… So are you gonna be good?"
With those last words, he brought his face close to hers and whispered
softly, almost sighing. At that, Mahiru let out an utterly adorable shriek and
took one step backward.
The hair dryer nearly fell out of her hand, so he casually took it from
her. Mahiru looked at him with quivering lips and an expression that said
she couldn't believe what he'd done.
Considering her intentions, he probably should have scowled, but that
wouldn't have had any impact, so he had stared at her instead.
"…Y-you think that if you use that voice, I'm going to listen to what you
say, don't you?" she said.
"I do, and I know you understand that I'm being serious when I speak to
you like this. Right?"
"Uh. Th-that's true, but—"
"Anyway, don't try anything funny."
He stared at Mahiru, unwilling to budge. He was being serious, not
trying to tease or upset her.
Mahiru seemed to understand that Amane wasn't going to permit any
misbehavior, and so she answered, "…All right."
But then, just as Amane was starting to feel relieved, like he could relax
his self-control a little, Mahiru came out and said something disquieting.
"I've got to find your weak spots, too, Amane."
Since Mahiru had said it out loud, there was no way Amane could
pretend he hadn't heard her comment.
"…Next time I have to warn you, I'm gonna whisper it right in your
ear," he said.
"F-fine, I'll be careful, I'll be careful!"
Mahiru held her hands over both ears and readied herself to run away.
"Geez." Amane sighed. He'd done something out of character yet again,
and he bit his lip hard to try to overcome the following wave of
embarrassment.
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