章 87: An Ideal Look
"Mahiru dear, what about something like this?"
"Ah… It's great! This lace trim is a nice touch, isn't it?"
From one corner of the shop, Amane leisurely watched the two girls—or
rather, one woman and one girl—as they shared a pleasant conversation.
Beside him, his father was watching them with the same relaxed gaze.
"Looks like they're both enjoying themselves," his father said.
"Sure does," Amane replied. "…I wonder why women get so excited
about clothes?"
On Mahiru's request, the four of them had all gone to the shopping mall
together. But as soon as the two ladies began hemming and hawing and
holding up clothes to themselves in a boutique, Amane had gotten bored.
It was no real hardship for him to go along on shopping trips or help
pick out clothes, but once the chatting and giggling started, the mood
became a little too feminine for him to participate, so he kept his distance.
When it came to clothes, Amane never spent much time making
decisions. So as he watched Mahiru and his mother having a pleasant chat
while trying to choose the best outfit, he fell into a strange mood.
Amane's father was standing with him, watching the two excited ladies.
Usually, he would have joined in with them, but it seemed he was hanging
back to keep Amane company.
"Maybe it's because, no matter how much time passes, girls still want to
be the most beautiful versions of themselves. Also, they seem to simply
enjoy getting dressed up."
"Well, it's fun to watch anyway."
"You mean to see them dressed up?"
"That too, but I meant watching them have so much fun choosing."
A lot of guys seemed to find it annoying when they had to accompany
girls on shopping trips. But Amane had been forced to go along with his
mother on plenty of such outings, so he was used to it. Plus, he wasn't an
impatient person and could always find a way to entertain himself.
Besides, when it came to Mahiru, Amane was perfectly satisfied just to
see her smiling happily. That was all it took for him to be satisfied.
"Oh, so you've finally started appreciating it, huh, Amane? That's
good."
"I don't know about appreciating it or whatever, but I think anyone
would have fun watching the person they love enjoying themselves."
"I think that's a great feeling to have. Even being bored doesn't mean
you're a bad guy, but if your irritation shows on your face, it ruins the
atmosphere. On the other hand, if you're able to find the fun in it, you don't
need to worry about all that, and you can have a good time together, right?"
"…Yeah, I'm glad I don't have any issues with that."
Amane was the kind of person who preferred to take it easy until pressed
by some necessity—and who could pass the time doing nothing at all. So he
was content to take it easy and observe the two women like this. His nature
allowed him to find happiness in such moments, which was a rare quality.
"…Watching Mahiru getting along with Mom so well, like they're really
mother and daughter, makes me glad we came."
Being left to himself felt just a little bit lonely, but even more than that,
he was relieved.
Even if it wasn't exactly the real thing, Mahiru must have wished for
this sort of family scene without ever expecting it to happen. And now it
was finally happening. It filled Amane with an irrepressible happiness.
Mahiru was smiling without a care, not as some perfect angel, but as an
ordinary girl her age. It was such a calm and happy scene that Amane's
heart felt full just watching from the sidelines.
"So any plans to actually make them mother and daughter?" his father
asked.
"Is that something I have to tell you right now, Dad?"
"Oops, sorry, that was rude of me. I'm not the one who should be
asking." His father put on an easy smile and didn't question Amane any
further.
Having a father who was so quick to understand these things could be
complicated in its own way, but for the moment, Amane was happy to be
worried about something so trivial.
It was much better than being interrogated by his mother anyway. So as
long as his father wasn't going to press the issue further, Amane was
content.
"Shuuto, Amane, what are you doing all the way over there? Come
here."
Apparently his mother had noticed the two of them calmly standing by,
and she beckoned them over.
Mahiru was looking their way, too.
She was holding two articles of clothing.
Since they had been summoned, father and son walked over together.
With a cheery grin, Amane's mother stood behind Mahiru, hands on her
shoulders, and gently pushed the girl forward so she stood before Amane.
"Amane, between these two tops, which do you think suits Mahiru
better?"
She seemed to want him to choose a piece of clothing.
Amane glanced at what she was holding and saw one fancy, feminine
blouse trimmed with lace at the sleeves and hem and one pastel-blue blouse
that was more subdued but had a cheerful look.
He honestly thought that either one of them would suit her. And since
Mahiru would be the one buying it, he figured it was probably best not to
give too much direction.
"I think whichever one Mahiru likes best will be just fine."
"…W-well, I'd like to hear your opinion, too, Amane. I want to know
what kinds of things you like…"
Mahiru cast her eyes down bashfully for a moment, then looked back up
at him in timid expectation. Amane gulped.
Simply knowing that she cared about what he thought had his heart
pounding violently.
It was true that he liked Mahiru just as she was, but he was overjoyed at
the idea that she would dress herself in clothes he liked, just for him.
Fully aware that his cheeks were turning red, Amane looked back and
forth between the blouses and Mahiru's face, then pointed to the one
trimmed in lace.
"This one."
Mahiru smiled and held the shirt that Amane had chosen a little closer,
then went to go return the other one.
"…She's really adorable, isn't she?" Amane's mother remarked.
"Don't I know it," he replied.
"It seems like she's starting to come out of her shell."
"Oh, be quiet."
When he heard the amusement in his mother's voice, Amane sulkily
turned away.
After Mahiru bought her clothes and they left the shop, Amane and his
family wandered aimlessly around the mall.
Just walking through the complex, supposedly the largest in the whole
prefecture, was surprisingly enjoyable. However, they attracted a lot of
looks, which sparked complicated feelings in Amane.
His parents were objectively good-looking, as was Mahiru, and a group
of attractive people was certain to draw attention.
Mahiru was no stranger to such attention, so she didn't seem to mind it
at all. She was snuggled up against Amane's arm.
However, though she was used to turning heads, it seemed she felt
embarrassed walking along with her arm wrapped around Amane's because
her cheeks were faintly flushed.
For his part, it was almost impossible to keep calm with Mahiru's
softness pressed against him. But he was sure that his mother would tease
him if he showed any signs of distress, so he awkwardly maintained his best
poker face.
Amane gripped the bag containing the clothes Mahiru had purchased
and tried to turn his mind away from the feeling. But when he did that,
Mahiru clung even tighter, as if questioning why he wasn't looking at her,
which made ignoring the sensation extremely difficult.
"Mahiru, um, so—"
"Yes?"
"…Ah, well, um."
"What is it?"
"…Come to think of it, you haven't worn the outfit that you bought over
Golden Week, have you?"
He was conflicted over whether to point out that her chest was touching
him, but every so often, Mahiru would impishly press against him on
purpose, so after puzzling over what he should do, he decided to bring up a
completely different subject.
Mahiru's outfit that day was a tidy little dress with a breezy, elegant
design, not the off-the-shoulder one she had previously purchased.
She'd said she was going to wear the latter for him, but in the end, he
had never seen it, so he wondered what had happened.
Mahiru blinked her eyes at the mention of Golden Week, then looked a
little sheepish.
"…I decided I wanted to wear it when the two of us go on a date."
"…O-oh, you did?"
"You'll take me out, won't you?" Mahiru was irresistibly adorable as
she softly nestled up to him, their arms intertwined.
Amane gently squeezed her hand. "…Sure, all right. Why don't we go
somewhere together? This is a family outing, after all. That's different from
a date."
"…R-right."
"Where do you want to go?"
"As long as I'm with you, Amane, anywhere is fine."
"When you say something like that, it makes me not want to go out at
all. I'd be happy to have you dress up, but I don't want to show you to other
people."
"…It sounds like you want to have a date at home. Well, that's fine with
me. It looks like we won't have good weather for the next few days
anyway."
Now that she mentioned it, Amane remembered seeing on the weekend
forecast that things weren't looking promising. A typhoon was gradually
approaching.
It wasn't going to hit them directly, but they would see the effects, and it
was likely to rain.
Amane had figured that the typhoon might blow past while he was
visiting, but since it was his long-awaited homecoming, he had hoped they
would have good weather anyway.
Considering the situation, they might not be able to go anywhere. But
Mahiru seemed to place more importance on spending time with him and
didn't seem too hung up on actually going out.
Amane made up his mind to check the weather when they got home, and
he squeezed Mahiru's hand again.
"I guess I'm also happy with whatever, so long as I'm with you, Mahiru.
How about we check the weather later and pick a day?"
"Okay."
"…I thought you two were just back there flirting, but you were making
plans for a date, weren't you?" his mother interjected in a mischievous
voice.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Amane said, calmly shutting her down, "but
we were already set on it."
Walking in front of them, Amane's parents shared a little smile.
But rather than teasing, they seemed to be pleased. They turned around
without questioning the teenagers further, and Amane snorted quietly and
tugged on Mahiru's hand.
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