章 99: Who Does That Smile Work On?
Under Itsuki's direction, preparations for the culture festival proceeded
swiftly. Part of that was because it was everyone's second culture festival, and
they were steady hands at this. However, the boys and girls in the class also
clearly had ulterior motives, which played a large part in their eagerness.
They were doing everything they could to get ready, on top of their daily
classwork, so things were quite busy. However, in an unusual turn for Amane,
he found himself enjoying the work so much that he didn't find it tiresome.
"Hey, there's a mistake on these flyers! We haven't put them up yet, so go fix
them. We definitely can't use them if the school's address is wrong!"
"Do you know what happened to the tablecloths? I heard that someone went
and bought some, but I can't find them anywhere!"
"With our pricing, even if we don't sell much, we can expect to bring in about
this much, so…"
As they listened to the hustle and bustle of their classmates going about their
duties, Amane and the other students who were going to serve the customers
were being coached by the team leader in charge of customer service.
"Fujimiya, uh…smile."
"…Smile."
"That's a grimace!"
Ayaka Kido, the girl in their class who worked part-time at a café and was in
charge of procuring the costumes, was also coaching their servers. Her smile
was starting to slip as she critiqued Amane's stiff, unconvincing attempt at a
grin.
He had spoken with her several times before the summer break, but he
hadn't really interacted with her since then. Now that they were stuck together,
he wasn't entirely sure how to act around her. Undaunted even by the
unsociable Amane, Kido was doing her best to teach him the fundamentals of
customer service, but it was all very strange to him and he just wasn't getting it.
Amane wasn't incapable of smiling, but according to Kido, he definitely looked
awkward.
"Hmm. A normal smile would do just fine, you know. The more you think
about it, the weirder it gets. You look so stiff. Relax more, relax."
"You say that, but, like, it just happens whenever I think about serving
customers."
"Imagine your customers are sweet potatoes. That should help."
"Potatoes?"
"Eggs might work better for Amane," Mahiru added with a giggle. She was
receiving the same orientation.
After taking care of him for nearly a year, Mahiru knew that Amane loved
eggs. But it wasn't like he randomly smiled at raw eggs, so ultimately, her
suggestion wasn't the most helpful.
That's not really the problem, Amane thought.
But Mahiru seemed to be enjoying herself, so he didn't offer any kind of
retort and just scratched his cheek.
"Well, lots of people would say that being natural is better than forcing it,"
Itsuki suggested. "So just do whatever'll help you relax, Amane."
"Exactly who would say that my natural attitude is any better?"
"The girls in our class? At least that seemed to be the consensus when I
peeked in on them while they were with Miss Shiina."
"I guess I just don't like being looked at."
"You're not showing off for anyone?"
"As if."
Amane glared at Itsuki. He was sure that Itsuki was riling him up on purpose.
But all he got in response was an exasperated, "This guy's really dense…"
For the time being, he responded simply. "Shut up."
Mahiru was smiling quietly, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her eyes
kept running over Amane and she blushed even more than before. She seemed
like she might be feeling a bit self-conscious.
Starting with Ayaka, all the other girls nodded in agreement.
"You're at your most charming when you're spending time with Miss Shiina,
Fujimiya," Ayaka said.
"What about me is charming…?"
"It's like…some sort of aura you give off."
"Aura…"
"You catch me by surprise sometimes, you know?"
He didn't understand what Ayaka meant, but Mahiru seemed to have some
idea. She was trying to hide her embarrassment. But he could see that in her
eyes, mixed in with that embarrassment, there was a hint of anxiety.
Ayaka seemed to notice as well, because she broke into a big smile and waved
both hands in a gesture of denial.
"It's okay, it's okay. I've got a boyfriend. I'm not interested in stealing
someone else's."
"I—I wasn't worried about that…"
"You don't have to hide it! I know what it feels like when someone starts
paying attention to your boyfriend. But I'm only interested in guys with big
muscles. Fujimiya's too skinny, so he's definitely not my type!"
"I feel like she just called me a bean sprout."
Amane had thought he had been putting on a decent amount of muscle. It
was fairly disappointing to hear that he was still too skinny. Itsuki had even
complimented him, telling him that he had gotten stronger, but apparently
Itsuki's standards were fairly low.
"A-Amane isn't a bean sprout," Mahiru interjected. "Sure, he has a light
complexion, but…well…w-when he takes off his shirt, he's actually…pretty
muscular."
"Oh, he looks good with his shirt off?"
"You're gonna give people the wrong idea! Don't say weird things like that,
Mahiru."
"…But you're quite well-built."
"Never mind that. You're going to be the one who feels embarrassed about
this later, Mahiru."
He wanted her to realize that she was admitting, in her own words, that she'd
had the opportunity to see and touch his bare skin.
The reality was that they had been wearing bathing suits, so it wasn't like he
had anything to feel guilty about. But to anyone listening, it wouldn't have been
difficult to interpret her words to mean that they had already been intimate
together. However, Mahiru had also let word get out that Amane was a total
gentleman, so it also seemed like people might assume that they hadn't done
anything.
Amane was relieved when Mahiru declined to say anything further on the
subject. Just as he'd expected, the other students around them were giving the
couple tepid looks. Without thinking about it, he clicked his tongue. Mostly at
Itsuki.
"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because your grinning is pissing me off."
"Whoa, don't make this about me," Itsuki insisted. "Come on, no more love
talk. Time to practice," he said, urging Amane to set his personal matters aside,
Amane clicked his tongue at Itsuki again before turning back to Ayaka with
discontent still written all over his face. Ayaka just laughed.
"Well, I can see that you two are passionate, and that's enough for me. As
long as you welcome the customers with a half-decent smile, Fujimiya, it'll be
fine. The way you naturally carry yourself is already nice, so if you can greet
people in the way I taught you, I don't think we'll have any problems."
"I've never thought that I carry myself well."
Amane didn't think that he was clumsy, but he didn't think that he was
especially graceful either, so he was puzzled to hear her say that.
But Mahiru smiled knowingly. "I think it's probably because you watched your
parents growing up," she said. "The two of them are so graceful."
"I don't know if I agree, especially when it comes to my mom, but yeah, I
guess she's not clumsy."
"Does that mean that you're close with Fujimiya's family, too, Miss Shiina?"
"K-Kido…"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Amane turned a sour look on the giggling Ayaka, but that just made her laugh
even harder. She and Mahiru together were both looking at him in amusement.
With two weeks until the school festival, the class got word that the costumes
they had requested had arrived.
"Okay, these are the outfits that came in! I'll hand them out, so just wait a
second, okay! I'll let you know when it's time to try them on, so wait for that
too, please."
With a smile, Ayaka handed each of them a costume. When she came to
Amane's desk, she handed his outfit over with a big grin. "Right, here you go.
Oh, Fujimiya, later on, you can go to the classroom we've reserved as a dressing
room by yourself, okay?"
"Why by myself?"
"Mmm. Special case."
"What does that mean?"
"A little request, from Miss Shiina. One that I'm inclined to grant. She said she
wanted to show it to you first, so…"
Ayaka mentioned in passing that he didn't need to worry because of course
she had already gotten permission from all the other girls, and while Amane felt
a little guilty about it, he was delighted that Mahiru had gone so far as to make
the request.
Feeling grateful, especially to Ayaka, who had willingly accepted that request,
as well as to the other girls in their class, Amane smiled and said, "Thank you."
And so, at the allotted time, Amane waited outside the door of the classroom
where he had been told that Mahiru was getting changed.
It went without saying, but the curtains had been pulled closed. Originally,
they had planned for the boys and girls to get changed in their respective locker
rooms and then practice waiting tables in costume. Instead, they borrowed a
classroom because walking through the school in maid outfits with long swishy
skirts would cause a stir, and with the hallways overflowing with props and
paint, there was a distinct possibility of tearing the costumes or getting them
dirty.
What is this—I'm nervous?
When Amane thought about the fact that there was a girl changing clothes
just on the other side of the door, he felt kind of awkward and nervous. She was
his girlfriend, and he had seen her undressed before—nearly in her underwear
—but putting that aside, he still couldn't calm down.
As he was leaning his back against the door, waiting in silence, he heard a
somewhat stiff voice say from within the classroom, "You can come in now."
Mahiru being Mahiru, she was probably just as nervous. He smiled a little and
followed her prompting to enter the classroom.
He closed the door behind him, and looked at Mahiru, who was standing a
short distance from the door.
Mahiru was wearing a waitress uniform with long sleeves and a long skirt that
went down to her ankles.
It was a classic type of maid outfit with some modern updates. The outfit was
a set, consisting of a long, navy blue dress, with long sleeves that puffed up at
the upper arm and almost looked like they were inflated with air, as well as an
apron to go on top.
Kido had said that when they wore uniforms with miniskirts at her job, they
put on petticoat to make them puff out. But the dress Mahiru was wearing had
a long skirt, so it was designed to be narrow and form a smooth silhouette.
Frills went all around the apron, but the outfit exposed almost no skin,
producing a tidy, clean impression. Under the hem of the long skirt, he could
see Mahiru's ankles, covered by black tights.
The black tights actually belonged to Mahiru. She wore them year-round, so
that she wouldn't carelessly show any skin at school, and she was wearing them
now, too.
"How does it look?"
Mahiru gently tilted her head, and her side bangs that she had left untied
swayed gently.
Since her role was to serve customers and carry food, her long, flaxen hair
had been gathered into a bun on the back of her head and secured under a
chignon cap so that it wouldn't get in the way.
"…It looks even better on you than I imagined."
"Does it? I'm glad. It's my first time wearing a costume like this, so…"
He offered her his honest praise and got a bashful smile in return.
It was certainly true that the outfit looked good on Mahiru, because she was
so beautiful. But more than anything, Amane was surprised by how well the
costume fit Mahiru's personality.
By nature, Mahiru had a helpful disposition, so that probably made the outfit
suit her even better.
Looking at her smiling softly, Amane couldn't help but feel like he didn't want
to let her serve anyone else.
"Amane?"
"Huh? …Ah, sorry. It looks so great on you, I don't want to show anyone else
and lose it."
"Heh-heh, lose what?"
"My…enthusiasm?"
"Well, I promise I'll play with your hair later, so please bear with it. After all, I
also don't love the idea of letting other people see you in your butler's outfit…"
"Mine won't be anything special, so it's okay."
"It's not okay at all!"
Mahiru had gotten worked up for some reason, so Amane apologized meekly,
"Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry." Mahiru also seemed to think she had been a tad forceful.
"…Amane, ever since you had your makeover, you've gotten more
approachable and, um, I've even heard other girls saying how good you look."
"Well, as the person in question, I don't remember hearing a thing."
"It's not the sort of thing you would say to the person you're talking about.
They only talk about it with other girls…and I'm here, so they're not going to
openly approach you, you know?"
It sent a little chill down his spine when he wondered what the girls were
saying about him in private. But from what Mahiru said, it sounded like opinions
of him were largely favorable. However, he doubted anyone was actually into
him. At best, he had been getting lukewarm looks.
And it was hard to imagine that any girl would approach him, since he was
already dating someone. Actually, he firmly refused to believe it was possible.
From Amane's point of view, there wasn't a single girl in school who felt that
way, so Mahiru's words didn't really ring true to him.
The fact that Amane only half believed what Mahiru said must have shown on
his face.
Mahiru stuck out her lip in an adorable pout.
"Listen, when it's just the girls, we talk really openly. Like, how is this boy in
his relationship with girls, how's his personality, how's his experience. Honestly,
we talk about things that we would never let boys hear us say."
"Just what has my girlfriend gotten dragged into?"
"That's what girl talk is like. Almost nothing is off-limits, and everyone says
exactly what's on their minds… And in those honest conversations, I've heard
them say that you're a cool guy, and I guess I can't help but get anxious. It sets
me on edge."
Mahiru squirmed like she was finding this all very difficult to say. She was a
perfectly charming maid, and Amane felt a surge of something like guilt, with
just a touch of sadistic satisfaction.
"By the way, what kind of things are they saying?"
"Um, that you seem nice, and gentlemanly…and that it seems like, if you like a
girl, she's the only one you look at, and how great that is and stuff."
"Well, they're probably right. I only have eyes for you, Mahiru."
It seemed only natural to Amane that he would only be interested in his
partner. It would just be rude to go chasing after another girl when he was in a
relationship already.
He wasn't dating Mahiru with such shallow commitment. Amane had often
been told that members of the Fujimiya family were deeply affectionate and
devoted, and Amane truly had no intention of looking at anyone besides
Mahiru.
"I mean, you're the same way, right Mahiru? You're not out there checking
out other guys?"
"I would never!"
"Then you don't have to worry… You're the only one for me, Mahiru, the only
one I'm looking at. But still, I hate the idea of anyone looking at you funny, so I
guess I didn't want to let anyone see you looking like that."
At that point, Amane went back to the original topic. In response, Mahiru
frowned just a little, then pushed her forehead against his upper arm several
times in a kind of head-butt.
"…We'll both have to hang in there, then."
"Yeah."
"That said, I wanted to keep you all to myself. That's what I was saying."
"Me too."
Amane gently patted Mahiru's back as she ground her forehead into his arm,
and she raised her head and stared directly at him.
"…I want to see your butler's uniform soon, too, Amane."
"The boys are borrowing the room next. We'll make our debut soon, so be
patient."
Amane was getting to see Mahiru first as a special favor from Itsuki and
Chitose, and Ayaka as well, but rightfully, they were meant to debut their
costumes all at once.
Before long, it would be time for the boys to put on their borrowed clothes as
well.
"…It's not going to be anything special, you know?"
"Don't say that. I'm looking forward to it."
She turned a smile on him that showed it was not flattery, that she really felt
that way. Feeling unspeakably uneasy, all Amane could do was scratch his cheek
and answer, "Wait for me, but don't expect too much."
"How was Miss Shiina?"
"How was she…? It looked good on her."
It was time for the male waiters to change clothes, but the other boys seemed
more interested in hearing from Amane, who had been the first to see Mahiru
in her maid costume.
All Amane could think to say was that the costume looked good on her. His
classmates were obviously disappointed by his simple reaction, and looked at
him with exasperated faces.
"Come on, there's got to be more. Give us your reaction."
"I don't know what else to say… It's not like there was any chance it wasn't
going to look good."
"Well, I guess that's true. It is Miss Shiina, after all."
"I want her to serve me."
"I want her to call me Master with a smile on her face…"
"She's obviously not going to be waiting on your tables or serving you guys."
"That's just selfish…so selfish…you could at least let us dream."
"I'm doing you a favor by crushing your dreams that will never come true."
"Savage!"
Amane talked freely with his cackling classmates while they were preparing,
cracking lighthearted jokes (though some of them did truly seem upset). He
occasionally got a slap on the back along with confessions of jealousy as they
went back and forth.
Fundamentally, Amane's circle of friends was quite small, and he wasn't
especially motivated to form new connections. But all of his classmates were
good-natured kids, and he didn't mind making friends with them while working
on a project together.
As he went along with the banter, deliberately shooting back curt responses
to the boys' jokes, he pulled on the clothes that had been laid out for him.
The outfits for the boys were simple: a set of slacks and a navy blue jacket
that was so dark it almost looked black, plus a gray waistcoat. The suits were
cut in a slim fit that matched each person's physique, which instantly created a
sense of elegance. With the addition of white gloves, everyone really looked the
part. It was an incredible transformation.
Of course, since the costumes were all borrowed from the same place, the
boys' uniforms had matched the girls' maid outfits well, and when they lined up
together, they were sure to look like the real deal.
When he'd first seen the outfits, Amane had thought they looked stiff and
hard to move in, but now that he was actually wearing one, the fabric had more
give to it than he had expected.
"Whoa, Itsuki looks like a total playboy butler. The cheeky kind you see in
manga all the time."
"Huh, why are you talking about me?"
It sounded like Itsuki had also finished getting changed, and the other boys
were teasing him.
When Amane glanced over, he saw that the other boys' assessment was true,
and that to put it nicely, Itsuki made a very cheerful-looking butler. To put it not
so nicely, he gave off a vaguely insincere air.
"Mm, you look kinda tacky."
"You too, Amane? No fair! All while you…damn, you're sporting some serious
style to show off to Miss Shiina."
"Of course. Why even mention it?"
Since Amane was going to show his outfit to Mahiru, he was styling himself
perfectly. He had even slicked part of his hair back to make himself look sharper
than usual.
He wasn't planning to go for the fully swept-back look he often saw in
advertisements, but even Amane could pull off this basic look.
"He's serious…this guy's serious…"
"Amane, you were so unenthusiastic about this before, but you're really
getting into it."
"For some reason, my girlfriend is expecting something from me, so I've gotta
take it seriously," Amane answered.
"There he goes…talking about his girlfriend again…"
"I mean, if you guys had girlfriends expecting something from you, you'd try
hard too, I bet."
"Knock it off, Fujimiya. You're making us single guys depressed."
"Ah…sorry…"
"Don't apologize, you'll just make us more miserable…"
Amane decided, just this once, to obediently accept the casual ribbing from
his classmates. He shrugged at Itsuki, who was still smiling, but also looking a
little down at being called tacky.
"Well, seeing Itsuki should make Chitose happy."
"You got that right. But you can bet she'll laugh at me and just say 'Itsuki the
playboy!'"
"Definitely."
Amane chuckled quietly. It seemed like the sort of thing Chitose would say,
without even trying to tease him.
Itsuki jabbed him in the ribs, so in response, Amane slapped Itsuki on the back
to cheer him up. "Anyway, Kadowaki's gonna get all the attention, don't you
think?"
"Nah, the girls told me there was demand for 'princely types, and funny types,
and cool types, and baby faces, too.'"
"Kokonoe's got to be the baby face, too bad. And the funny type, that's
definitely you."
Among the boys who had been recruited to be waiters because they were
good-looking, Makoto had the smallest build, and arguably a very unique look.
Girls regularly called him cute, and he never seemed too happy about it, but
this time he seemed even more irate than usual.
Amane looked Makoto up and down as he dressed himself impeccably,
wearing a scowl of discontent. For better or worse, he was dainty and had a
boyish face, so it seemed like he would fulfill a particular demand.
Kazuya, Makoto's good friend, was going to be working behind the scenes.
The reason was that Kazuya was fairly careless, and his build was sturdier than
the other boys, so he had been deemed more suited for manual labor than
serving customers.
"…Kazuya, you traitor…damn you…"
Everyone heard the curses streaming from Makoto's adorable face, but
pretended like they didn't.
"Oh wow, Itsuki, you look great! Like a real playboy!"
In the classroom, it was time for all the servers to get together and reveal
their costumes. As expected, Chitose called Itsuki a playboy with a grin on her
face.
Itsuki knew that he could come off as a flirt, and he didn't deny it, but he did
get a somewhat distant look in his eyes. "That bad, huh…?"
Given the way his friend usually talked and acted, Amane didn't argue, either.
Chitose was also going to be one of the waitstaff, so she was dressed in a
maid outfit as well.
There must have been two different patterns because the outfit she had on
wasn't cut to the same modest design as Mahiru's. Instead, it was a cute and
heavily decorated number with a skirt that ended several centimeters above
the knee.
There were frills poking out below the hem, and Chitose's long, slender legs
were covered by white knee socks. The combination of the short skirt and the
frilly apron really made her look like the embodiment of the modern idea of a
maid.
"Anyway, how is it? Does it look good on me?"
"Of course it does. You look good in anything, Chi."
"Says the one who was rolling on the floor laughing before, when I borrowed
Mahiru's clothes and put them on to show you."
"Aw, but that was 'cause of the size thing."
"Itsuki…"
"Sorry."
Even the (so-called) playboy Itsuki became meek when his girlfriend chided
him. It was Itsuki's own fault for provoking her, so Amane didn't get involved.
Also, because he could see that if he intervened, the repercussions would spill
over to him.
Amane could see that aside from Chitose, all the other girls who would be
serving customers were wearing their maid outfits, too, and even though it was
his own class's exhibition, he marveled that they had managed to put together
something so impressive. A café where customers were greeted by such striking
staff was sure to get people talking.
Ayaka, who had orchestrated the costume reveal, was wearing the same type
of maid costume as Mahiru. She walked over to Amane, grinning.
"Ah, Fujimiya, you're dressed up perfectly, too, huh? That's the spirit!"
"Mahiru's expecting something from me, so…"
"Heh-heh, what a good boyfriend you are. Look, Miss Shiina, it's your
boyfriend as a butler!"
Ayaka beckoned Mahiru over with a cheery smile, but for some reason, she
didn't come any closer. Amane wondered whether she didn't like his outfit, but
her face was red, and she was squirming, so that didn't seem to be the
problem.
When she saw how Mahiru was acting, Ayaka gave Amane with a broad grin.
"She was fidgeting with anticipation the whole time, and I think she probably
got more than she was picturing."
Then she turned back to Mahiru. "Come on Miss Shiina, it's a wasted
opportunity if you don't see your boy close-up, ya know? Besides, you're
working your shift as a pair, so you'd better get used to it now!"
Through the scheming of their classmates that had been spearheaded by
Itsuki, Amane and Mahiru would be working at the same time. This was partly
out of concern to protect her from any sort of sexual harassment, but also out
of consideration, so that after the shift change, the two of them could walk
around together.
Ayaka pushed Mahiru on the back, and Mahiru approached him hesitantly.
"It doesn't suit me?" Amane asked.
"Wh-who said that?! You look really wonderful, like it's not even you…"
"That different, huh? What are you seeing?"
"…You look, well, sexier than usual."
"But I'm actually wearing more clothes than normal. My outfits are more
casual at home, right?"
"Sometimes dressing up is better!"
Amane was perplexed when Mahiru insisted very strongly on this point. But
for some reason, the other girls were also giving him knowing nods, so it didn't
seem like he could really argue with what she had said.
Mahiru was still looking up at him with flushed cheeks, fidgeting. She was
liable to drive the other boys crazy with her cuteness, so he knew he had to
stop her before too long.
"…Mahiru, please don't look at anyone else like that. You'll kill them."
"Same to you, Amane."
"Yeah, yeah."
"S-so careless…"
She seemed dissatisfied. But when it came to their looks, Mahiru and Amane
were on completely different levels, so it was virtually impossible that he would
captivate boys and girls alike like she would.
So he brushed her comment off, signaling that it was something they didn't
need to worry about. But Mahiru still didn't seem convinced and shook Amane
a little by the upper arm.
"Welcome!"
"Whoa…"
As soon as the costume unveiling was done, it was time to practice waiting on
customers. But they didn't get much practicing done.
Their eyes were blinded by a dazzling light. The boys were knocked out thanks
to Mahiru's professional smile.
Their classmates who volunteered to play the customers all went to bits when
they saw her smile. An angel's smile was a great and terrible thing.
Even the boy who'd braved the first attack was succumbing with a smile as he
was shown to his table. Amane could feel his cheek begin twitching, all the
while thinking that they would be in trouble if he couldn't get her to tone it
down a bit.
"The angel is too powerful…tell Miss Shiina to stop, Amane."
"That smile isn't even at full power yet."
"What?! She's got more…?!
"This is no time to be amused. It's no laughing matter, at all."
As he watched from the sidelines, Amane thought that Mahiru's smile still
looked very artificial.
It was what he would consider a polite, professional smile. An elegant smile,
just for the purpose of serving customers. He had a feeling that if Mahiru put
more heart into her smile, the boys would be completely helpless.
Even some of the girls were gazing at Mahiru in fascination, so the power of
the Angel Smile was obvious.
"…We're not getting much practice in, huh?"
Ayaka, who had been watching this all go down, was of course grimacing.
Amane was used to spending time with Mahiru, and maybe that's why he had
underestimated her destructive power. But by her very nature, Mahiru had an
incredible beauty and presence that just enthralled people. He should have
expected something like this would happen.
"I don't think she'll have any trouble actually serving customers, but…it will be
a problem if she makes all the customers dizzy, won't it?"
"Sorry."
"No, none of this is your fault, or hers…," Ayaka said, with a distant look in her
eyes.
Amane felt really terrible for Ayaka, but even he was helpless to stop it.
"…I guess we'd probably better stock a lot of cold drinks."
"Yeah…let's serve them ice-cold."
Mahiru's effect seemed to be blanketing the classroom in a terrible heat, so
the two of them decided in the course of their conversation that they would
also get someone to monitor the air conditioning.
"But still, if we don't make her go easy, that's gonna be an issue."
"You're right, there'll be casualties."
"I mean, there might be casualties anyway, but…this isn't very enjoyable for
me at all."
He let his true thoughts show, and Ayaka turned a puzzled look toward him.
"Even if it is for work, my girlfriend is showing all these boys her beautiful
smile and I don't love watching it," Amane explained. "You might say I'm being
petty, but that's how it is."
He accepted the situation, in theory.
Mahiru was just fulfilling her assigned duties, and the smile Mahiru was
wearing was the one she showed to most people, the smile she wore for the
outside world. It was not the cherubic, innocent expression that was only for
Amane, nor was it her subtly sensual impish smile.
Even so, he felt some discomfort deep in his chest, which he knew was the
feeling of jealousy.
Amane shrugged, thinking self-deprecatingly to himself how pathetic that
was, and Ayaka looked at him with fresh eyes, not hiding anything.
"So that's how it is? You're completely infatuated with Miss Shiina, eh,
Fujimiya?"
"…Would you mind not being quite so direct about it?"
"Eh-heh-heh. I can tell just by looking at her that Miss Shiina is head over
heels for you, and here you are, just as madly in love …I always pegged you for
the type who didn't get too attached, Fujimiya, but I guess things are different
when it comes to Miss Shiina."
"Please try to put yourself in my shoes. Think about how I feel hearing that
from someone else."
"Come on, I can tell just by looking at you that she's super important to you,
and that you must really love her. Fujimiya, you usually have a blank look on
your face, and you seem a little scary, but when you're with Miss Shiina, your
face relaxes and you put on a dopey, happy smile, so it's super clear that she
must be special."
Ayaka said this earnestly, without a teasing tone in her voice, so he couldn't
just brush it aside. Amane's eyes darted around the room, and Ayaka looked at
him with a smile of genuine enjoyment.
"Well, that being the case, I can see that you're burning with jealousy, and I
can tell that you're a guy and that you must love Miss Shiina, which is
heartwarming, I guess, or a nice thing to see, anyway… I'm not crushing on you,
though, so don't worry about that, okay?"
"Why would you even say that, then?"
"Oh, because I'm getting that look from Miss Shiina. She's looking this way,"
Ayaka said in a carefree voice, making him realize that Mahiru was looking at
him.
The look he was getting from her wasn't necessarily one of suspicion, she just
looked slightly disapproving. He wasn't being suspected of cheating or anything.
Just as Amane was harboring complicated feelings about Mahiru smiling for
the crowd, Mahiru must have been a tiny bit unamused seeing Amane getting
along well with another girl.
On the other hand, Mahiru seemed to like Ayaka as a person, so the look in
her eyes seemed complicated.
Itsuki had apparently been listening to their conversation. "You get plenty of
loving yourself, Amane," he teased.
Ayaka also flattered Amane with a happy smile. "So Fujimiya's well-loved, too,
huh?"
Amane frowned for a moment, but looked at Mahiru with a gentle smile of his
own.
And so, once the girls' customer service practice was more or less finished, it
was the boys' turn.
"I want to try being Kadowaki's customer."
"Ah, no fair, me too!"
"Hang on, you can't just decide for yourself! If you can say that, then the
same goes for me!"
"Since when can we nominate ourselves?"
The girls were scrambling to be Yuuta's practice partner. Amane was watching
them with a distant look in his eyes, marveling at how incredible girls could be.
The fact that Yuuta was single at the moment must have been one reason for
their frantic yells.
Amane, who interacted with Yuuta as a friend, knew that Yuuta was a good,
honest young man, and that he was attractive both as a friend and as a boy. But
even so, seeing how popular he was, Amane was simultaneously impressed and
felt a little bit of pity. As he watched from the sidelines, he wondered whether
Yuuta had ever had a moment when he could feel at ease.
Yuuta himself was smiling, even though he had a troubled, exhausted look in
his eyes.
"Amazing, huh?"
Ayaka was looking on in a carefree manner, staying out of the fray. She made
it sound like it was really not her problem and that she was simply an observer
in all this. Rather than being amused by it, like Amane, she was gazing at Yuuta
with eyes full of pity.
"Kido…you said you had a boyfriend, didn't you?"
Amane recalled her telling him the last time they'd spoken that she had a
boyfriend, so that she wouldn't give Mahiru the wrong idea. He understood
why she didn't show any interest in Yuuta.
"Yep, I do. He's in another class, though. We were childhood friends. He's got
great muscles."
"That's quite an introduction."
"Well, he is my ideal after all. I think he's wonderful, so I've got to compliment
him… Ah, of course his muscles aren't the only thing I like about him, you
know? He's kind of awkward, but he's a sweet and gentle person."
With a grin, she promised to introduce them if she and Amane ever saw him
while they were together, and Amane agreed.
For the time being, the image he had formed of Ayaka's boyfriend was
someone hyper macho, but Ayaka was completely unaware of that. With a
smile on her face, she set out to calm the small riot that was breaking out over
who would be Yuuta's customer, and forcefully clapped her hands together to
get everyone's attention.
"Okay ladies, you can take turns being Kadowaki's practice partner. I'll make
you a roster, so talk among yourselves and decide on an order. After all, we're
gonna practice a bunch of times, so he can make the rounds. That's fair, right?
While we're at it, Akazawa, try to take this seriously, okay? This is your
opportunity to show off how manly you are."
"Nah, this isn't the kind of job where manliness makes a difference. Yuuta
makes it work, though."
"You can't leave everything up to Kadowaki! And don't you just sit back and
enjoy the show, Chitose!"
"Huh, but—"
"No buts! For now, stand off to the side with the girls who want to be practice
customers while they decide what order to go in, then come report to me. Look,
the other boys are available, so everyone get to practicing!"
Amane smiled wryly at Ayaka, who was much more dependable at times like
these than Itsuki, who was the one actually supposed to be directing things.
Mahiru approached Amane slowly and stood quietly beside him.
"I'll be your first customer, okay, Amane?"
"I figured as much. But I have to ask, why is everyone making requests?"
"Maybe because all of you turned out so handsomely?"
"Well, I gotta admit, Kadowaki and the others do make fine-looking butlers.
He's ideal for the role."
Yuuta, who was smiling like he was at a loss for what to do as he was being
swarmed by girls with twinkling eyes, certainly wore his butler's uniform well.
He was a beautiful young man, classically handsome, but gentle and kind,
with a cheerful and lively presence; princely, though Yuuta himself plainly
disliked that reputation. These kinds of clothes suited him extremely well.
Although it really seemed like there weren't many things that wouldn't have
suited him.
It wasn't Yuuta's intention at all, but he looked so cool that it was bound to
have that effect on the girls. Watching it all go down, Amane felt a little
embarrassed about how they would compare when they stood next to each
other.
"It certainly does suit Mister Kadowaki well, but…if we're talking about tastes,
mine don't run that way."
"If we're talking about tastes, I'll be in trouble if yours don't run my way…
You're sure you're happy with me?"
"Of course."
Embarrassment welled up inside him when she answered so decisively, but
Mahiru continued with a natural expression, "You're my number one, Amane."
He wasn't about to argue.
…I guess there's my proof that I'm loved.
He was embarrassed, but on the other hand happy, so it was probably
inevitable that his lips curled up just a little.
When he covered his mouth with his gloved hand to hide his embarrassment,
Mahiru put on a graceful smile that seemed to say she had seen through
everything he was thinking.
After that, once the dispute over the slots as Yuuta's practice partner had
been settled, Amane and the other boys practiced waiting on customers. It
went without saying that Mahiru was Amane's practice partner.
"Welcome. Allow me to show you to your seat."
He tried his best to give Mahiru a natural-looking smile as she entered the
classroom in her role as a customer, but for some reason, she froze.
Rather than the smile that he always showed Mahiru at home, he was using a
smile for customers she had never seen before, but for some reason it sent
Mahiru's gaze darting around frantically.
"Miss, is anything the matter?"
"N-no, nothing at all."
She shook her head vigorously, so her long hair swung back and forth like a
whip. Since they were stubbornly maintaining an appropriate distance between
staff member and customer, her hair didn't hit him, but if they had been
standing at their usual distance, it probably would have.
Feeling relieved that he had the composure to even think about such a thing,
Amane guided Mahiru to her table. Since they would be counting the number of
patrons at the reception desk by the door, they would be certain that no
customer entered the café without a seat available.
"Please take a seat here, and I'll be right with you."
Amane pulled out her chair and smiled at her, and Mahiru sat down,
trembling as she did so.
It was probably out of shyness and nervousness, but Amane, who was giving
his girlfriend the customer service smile that Ayaka had trained him to use, was
the one who was really embarrassed. He didn't know why Mahiru might be
feeling embarrassed, but if he had to say, he was even more embarrassed.
For the time being, they were trying to practice, so he purposely ignored
Mahiru's reactions as he told her the recommended menu items, wrote down
her order, and headed over to the classroom kitchenette, which they had
partitioned off behind a curtain.
"…How do I put it? That was like an ambush."
"I don't understand what you mean."
Even after taking her order, Amane continued to practice his customer
service, looking after her until she left the café when he was finally finished.
He finished his practice with Mahiru as his partner, and when he went over to
Ayaka, who was directing things, she nodded at him seriously. Mahiru,
incidentally, had never managed to regain her calm, from beginning to end, so
he was worried that he had made some sort of careless blunder.
"Ah, there was no problem with your service or the way you carried yourself."
"But did you see what happened with Mahiru?"
"Wasn't that because you were so cool, Fujimiya? You really looked the part.
Hey, do you wanna work part-time at my café? The manager would love you!"
"I'll think about it if I'm ever personally in need of money."
When he implied that he wasn't planning on taking her up on the job at the
moment, Ayaka gave him a disappointed smile, then glanced over at Mahiru,
who was being fanned with a file folder by Chitose.
"Looks like the culture festival is gonna be rough on Miss Shiina, too, huh?"
"Yeah, there will be lots of customers who come to see Mahiru."
"That's not what I mean, I'm talking about this."
"Just tell me what you mean."
"What I mean is, she'll probably be feeling uneasy because her own boyfriend
is attracting so much attention. I bet you'd be real popular if you smiled like
that all the time."
Ayaka poked his cheek with the clicker end of her pen. He casually knocked it
away with a finger.
"In my opinion, I don't think I'm cut out to be popular or whatever."
"Fujimiya, listen, did you know this? It's a fact that humans first judge each
other based on outward appearances. But your outward appearance doesn't
just mean the features of your face. Cleanliness is a part of it, along with
presence and how you carry yourself. Even facial expression is surprisingly
important. It may be rude to say something like this, but if we were going just
by faces, then there are definitely people who are more attractive than you,
Fujimiya. But I don't think that that's the only thing that determines how likable
you are."
"Well, I get what you're trying to say, and I think I agree."
When Amane had first gotten involved with Mahiru, he hadn't particularly
had much liking for her. He had been aware that she was a beautiful girl, but he
hadn't felt any affection toward her. Though a big part of that had also been
that he'd had no particular interest in the opposite sex.
"In that case, you've got to agree that you could be popular, too. You look
great when you smile," Ayaka said.
"No, it would be too conceited of me to agree to that."
"Ah-ha-ha! But it's true. You really do look better when you smile, you know.
Though of course you're no match for my boyfriend!"
"Please, spare a thought for my feelings as you casually go on and on about
your boyfriend," groaned Amane.
"Your complaining just makes me want to see him that much more."
"Hmm… Well, I guess that makes sense."
Ayaka was frank, cheerful, sociable, a good manager, and she understood
Amane well after interacting with him for just a short while. He was curious to
know about the boyfriend who had managed to charm a girl like her so
completely. All he knew about the guy was that he was a good person and that
he had a nice body.
"Well, you'll get there eventually. For now, you pass your customer service
test. Full marks."
As proof that he had passed, Ayaka pulled a hanamaru flower sticker out of
her apron and handed it to Amane.
Itsuki, who was watching from the side, had a sticker stuck on his forehead
that said FAIL. It hadn't been stuck on him, though. He had gotten it from Ayaka
and stuck it on himself.
The reason for Itsuki's failure had been because he had been acting foolish.
He had received a cautionary warning not to smile so indecently.
"For now, I've got to watch the other folks handle their customers, so would
you go over with Miss Shiina, Fujimiya?"
"…I'll do that."
"And speak to her with passionate words of love…"
"I will not do that."
He made his displeasure apparent with a look that asked Who would do
something like that in public, and Ayaka brushed it off with her usual cheerful
smile.
That took the wind out of his sails; so, feeling indescribably uneasy, Amane
scratched at his cheek as he walked toward where Mahiru was.
"Mahiru?"
"Uh, ah, Amane…"
"Ah, it's the cause of Mahiru's head rush."
The head rush that Chitose mentioned must have been referring to the fact
that Mahiru's cheeks were hot and flushed. Her normally pale cheeks had been
rather colorful during his table service, too.
A maid with red cheeks and watery eyes was leaning back in her chair and
looking up at him, which was incredibly bad for his heart.
"You know, Amane, you've got the 'Mahiru Killer' special trait, so you have to
be careful!"
"What kind of special trait is that…?"
"A special attack ability that you only use on Mahiru?"
"…But I think that I'm not Amane's only target right now," Mahiru whispered.
Smiling wryly, Amane sat down next to her, and Mahiru practically swooned.
"Was I really that cool?"
"…Yes."
"Then I'm thankful to be your boyfriend… Now, you've just got to understand
that I only have eyes for you, Mahiru."
"I—I know that, but…I guess I still have complicated feelings.
Mahiru was squirming and making herself smaller, as if she couldn't stand to
be there. In an effort to soothe her, Amane stroked her head, and her face
turned even redder.
"…I don't know if that was a special attack just for Mahiru, or if it was
devastating in a wide area," Chitose speculated, "but by making Mahiru
embarrassed, you got like a multiplier effect, which is sure to wreak
devastation."
"Did you say something?"
"Nope, not a thing."
Chitose had come out and said something strange, but when Amane shot her
a pointed look, she averted her eyes, feigning innocence.
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