Capítulo 95: Overwhelmed by the Angel’s Acting Skills
The tests were over before they knew it.
Amane and Mahiru were prepared, so they cleared the exams with plenty of
time and energy to spare. Chitose, on the other hand, looked like a corpse by
the time she was finished.
The moment her last test ended, she shouted, "I'm free!" And threw both
hands up in the air, crying with joy. "Ugh, I'm exhausted! I made it through
okay, thanks to you two!"
"You better wait until the results come back to see if you actually made it or
not."
"Don't be such a downer, Amane. I'm filled with the feeling of freedom right
now! Mahiru, Mahiru, let's go get tea to celebrate!"
"That's fine with me. Um, Amane—"
"It's all right. I'm going to hang out with Itsuki. You two have fun. If you're
going to be late, send me a message and I'll come get you."
Chitose, who looked dead tired from nonstop cramming, had finally regained
her cheerful expression. Even Amane wasn't thoughtless enough to rain on
their parade. He and Mahiru were going out now, but they respected each
other's time, and Amane wasn't one to interfere when she wanted to spend
time with friends. More than anything, he wanted her to enjoy herself.
Mahiru seemed relieved by how readily Amane agreed. She smiled shyly and
said, "All right, then. I'll take you up on that."
Amane watched Mahiru leave as Chitose immediately dragged her out of the
classroom by the hand with a big grin on her face.
Itsuki smiled and slapped Amane on the back. "When did you decide that you
were going to hang out with me?"
"Just now," he replied.
They hadn't actually made any plans, but Amane wanted his girlfriend to
enjoy herself without hesitation. Itsuki clearly understood because he had
played along perfectly.
"Gotcha. Well, anyway, even if I go home, there won't be anyone there, so it's
all good with me."
"Oh, and also, you owe me a hamburger, so…"
"For what?"
"Karaoke cat ears."
"Caught me, huh? Miss Shiina must have owned up to it."
Itsuki grinned, not looking the least bit guilty, and Amane slapped him on the
back—a little forcefully. "I don't really care, but I wish you'd said something
first," he scolded his friend.
He was more surprised than mad. It made him curious when Itsuki had
managed to leak the photo to Mahiru. Amane always doted on Mahiru, so as
long as it made her happy, he didn't really mind if she collected those kind of
photos.
"Sure, I'll make sure to let you know. On that note, I wonder what I should
send her next?"
"You're not sorry at all."
Itsuki smirked. He apparently still had plenty of photos of Amane in a folder
on his phone. Amane frowned, but decided to let him off with just a light glare.
While Mahiru and Chitose were having their tea at a café, Amane and Itsuki
went to a hamburger shop together.
This place was often filled with high schoolers sitting and chatting. Amane and
Itsuki could see plenty of other students in uniform from their school and from
other schools as well.
After they ordered, picked up their food, and made it to their seats, Amane
casually looked around and shrugged.
"Lots of people today."
"There sure are. Seems like we weren't the only ones who had exams today.
That's what a buddy from another school told me yesterday."
"That explains it. Everyone looks so relieved."
"Amane, people like you who're relaxed from the start are definitely in the
minority… Well, let's leave the exam talk aside and eat before it gets cold."
Itsuki was looking at him with slight exasperation, but he quickly moved on
and picked up one of the french fries he had ordered.
Amane followed suit. He unwrapped the burger Itsuki had treated him to and
sank his teeth into it. It had a familiar flavor, but compared to Mahiru's cooking,
it was somewhat lacking. Of course, for junk food this was fine, but it drove
home that Mahiru's cooking really was the best.
"…Amane, considering that you're the one who asked to come here, it looks a
lot like you're missing Miss Shiina's cooking."
"No way, that's…well, it's true, but I still think this is pretty good. I just know
there's better now. I'm still enjoying this."
"Yeah, yeah. Just get married already."
"When the time comes. We're only sixteen, so we're still too young."
"I wasn't expecting a serious answer! But yeah, that seems about right. I get
the same vibe from Miss Shiina, too."
"Shut up. Is that so bad?"
"No, it's honestly kind of a relief. It gives me some encouragement, being
around people who are dating and already thinking about marriage."
Itsuki also seemed to be keeping the possibility of a marriage with Chitose in
mind, so he and Amane had that in common.
The main difference was whether their parents approved of those plans.
Itsuki was still hoping to someday get his father's approval and marry Chitose
without a big argument.
"…By the way, how are things going these days at home?"
"No changes there, man. For now, I'm working hard to pull in the grades, so
my folks won't complain while I keep pressing the issue. That's all I can really
do, so there's not much to tell. What about you? How are things progressing?
You went home together, right?"
With a big grin on his face, Itsuki gently kicked Amane with the tip of his shoe,
so Amane kicked him right back and sipped his orange juice.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What things?"
"What were you doing over the summer, man…? You spent twenty-four hours
a day with your girlfriend. It would be pretty pathetic not to do anything at all."
"We're going at our own pace, you know that."
"So you're saying you kissed, but nothing more yet. There are just no words to
describe the purity of this relationship."
His mild tone sounded more amused than exasperated, which kind of ticked
off Amane, so he kicked him again for good measure.
"…I've invited her to come over and spend the night. We're not ready for that
yet, though."
"I can't believe she hasn't even slept over yet. You took her home to meet
your parents, but she still hasn't spent the night. It's honestly incredible."
"Shut up… I don't really… I didn't invite her over because I wanted to make a
move or anything… I guess I just want to sleep in the same room."
He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in doing more, but what he
wanted most was wrapping themselves up in the same blanket and peacefully
drifting off.
Mahiru seemed to like sleeping by his side, so there was also that. It seemed
sleeping together in the same bed would make her happy.
"I wonder what that says about you as a boyfriend, though. It's a little
unexpected, but it sounds like Miss Shiina wants to stay over, doesn't she?"
"She's not that assertive about it, but yeah. As you might expect, she's
probably got some hang-ups about the idea."
"But it's not like you can even make a move. You give up at the first sign of
trouble. It's basically guaranteed that you'd freak out the moment you spotted
even a hint of rejection."
"Shut up."
Amane didn't enjoy having his timid personality pointed out to him. Of
course, he was fully aware that, viewed from an outside perspective, he was a
late bloomer and unassertive, so he couldn't deny it.
"…Well, even if you're not going to push for it, I think that might be okay, too.
After all, Miss Shiina is probably trying her best with the advice she gets from
Chi."
"Hey man, do something about your girlfriend already. I'm almost dead
certain she's teaching Mahiru totally unnecessary stuff."
"Sounds like she's just telling her what she needs to know. You guys are both
late bloomers and you're not getting anywhere on your own, that's for sure.
Chi's probably giving her some ideas right this second," Itsuki said with a laugh.
Amane frowned and silently hoped that Chitose wasn't planting anything
weird in Mahiru's head.
Mahiru got home in the evening without messaging him, so he hadn't gone
out to meet her.
He didn't think anything in particular about it. But he couldn't help but
comment on the fact that she was acting strange once she got home.
"What sort of ideas did she give you?" he asked her directly. He was certain
that Chitose had told her something.
Sitting beside him on the sofa, Mahiru turned her face away stiffly, like a
machine that desperately needed oil.
Bull's-eye. He wasn't about to let her slip away, so he slid over close to her
and leaned in.
Mahiru tried with all her might to escape. "It's nothing," she insisted.
"It doesn't seem like nothing. Look me in the face and tell me again. You can
do that much, can't you?"
He pleaded with Mahiru in a gentle voice, but she didn't look at him.
She had her back turned to him, so he wrapped his arm around her stomach
and brought his lips to her ear.
"Mahiru…"
With a long sigh, he gently whispered her name and her whole body
trembled.
He knew that Mahiru couldn't handle it when he whispered into her ear, so
he was doing this on purpose. It was super effective. When he hugged her
tightly, wrapping her in his arms and whispering her name again, her body
suddenly relaxed, like she was melting from the inside out.
Mahiru leaned back, propping herself against Amane's chest. When he looked
down at her face from above, he saw that her cheeks were completely flushed,
and that her tear-filled caramel eyes were looking back at him.
"…That's not fair."
"What is?"
"You can't do that. You know that my ears are my weakness."
"But I don't think your ears are your only weakness, are they?"
He also knew that she couldn't stand to be tickled, but if he went that far, he
expected that it would actually make her mad, so he decided better of it.
This time, he would only use his voice, and nothing else, to break Mahiru's
silence and find out what he wanted to know.
He smiled a little teasingly, and Mahiru squeezed her lips tightly shut.
It looked like she wanted to avoid telling him at all costs, and she was doing
her best to turn her face away while still leaning on Amane. If she was truly
uncomfortable, she would have run away, so he assumed that meant she didn't
exactly want to leave, but she didn't want to tell him, either.
"Come on, if you don't hurry up and tell me, I'll have to pry it out of you."
"…P-pry?"
For some reason, when he said this, Mahiru, whose face was flushed bright
red, looked him in the eyes and then suddenly gained an interest in the floor.
She seemed even more embarrassed than before.
He had been joking about tickling her a little bit, but she seemed to have
taken it as a threat of sexual harassment.
Mahiru was trembling terribly. Thinking that it wasn't a good idea to tease her
too much, he put the palm of his hand on her back and propped her back up.
That's when Mahiru turned around to look at him.
The look in her eyes was vaguely gloomy and feverish. Amane felt like
groaning for a moment, and he roughly stroked her head.
"I'm just kidding, I'm not going to force it out of you."
"…A joke."
"I wouldn't do anything you're uncomfortable with. If you don't want to tell
me, you don't have to, but don't take anything Chitose says too seriously."
At any rate, Chitose had probably been telling Mahiru to become more
assertive, but if she became too assertive, Amane was pretty sure he'd
absolutely lose it, so he hoped she wouldn't take it too far.
Leaving aside Amane's emotional and physical issues for the moment, they
were going to be together for a long time, so he genuinely didn't think there
was any need to rush things. He said as much, but Mahiru frowned slightly.
"…What I can tell you is…I've been getting her advice on how to interact with
the opposite sex."
"Oh, like what?"
"I—I can't get into details, but…but Chitose's been dating a lot longer than
me, so I've been getting her to teach me useful things."
"…I don't think you really need her unsolicited advice."
"I'm the one who will decide whether I need it or not."
He couldn't argue with that, but even so, rather than having Chitose plant
strange ideas in Mahiru's head that made her feel awkward and oddly
aggressive, Amane would have preferred they take their time and move
forward little by little.
Amane shrugged awkwardly, and Mahiru hung her head a little bit.
"…Getting the person you like to like you even more, and thinking about
different ways to deepen that relationship…isn't that important?"
Mahiru's dejected tone made him realize that he had made a mistake in the
way he'd phrased things. She wanted to become closer with Amane, and that
was the reason she had been asking Chitose for advice. Despite that, Amane
had been quick to dismiss it. That must have made her sad.
He hadn't intended to hurt Mahiru or make her sad, but it was a fact that
Amane's words had wounded her.
He started reaching out his hand in apology, but then something hit his body.
The sudden impact made him lose his balance, and he fell over on the sofa.
For some reason, Mahiru leaned over him like she was about to get on top. That
was when he realized she was already completely lying on top of him.
She was at an extremely risky angle, so he whipped his head up, trying to find
somewhere safe to look and ended up meeting her gaze. Mahiru's eyes,
peeking out from behind her hanging bangs, had a somewhat impish look in
them.
"…Something you picked up from Chitose?"
"Apparently, I'm not pushy enough."
"So you physically pushed me down, huh? Was that earlier stuff all an act,
young lady?"
"No, I really did get sad."
She dropped those words with a hint of a bitter smile, and Amane's heart
swelled. Without thinking, he put his arms around Mahiru's back.
With her face buried for the moment in the area near Amane's collarbone,
Mahiru made a little muffled sound of protest, but he paid it no mind and
hugged his sweet, lovable girlfriend tight.
He felt a growing excitement, since it was impossible to ignore just how soft
Mahiru was, and the faint aroma of her shampoo made his heart flutter, but
those feelings were overridden by stronger emotions. He treasured her so, so
much and felt incredibly lucky to have her.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I was just…you know, worried that learning
things from Chitose would be too intense."
"I—I don't think we've gotten to that stuff; not yet."
"The way you said that worries me a little, but okay… You're free to get
suggestions from Chitose if you want to, Mahiru. But for me, I don't think it's as
much fun if Chitose gives you all kinds of advice."
"Not as much fun?"
"These are my personal feelings, but…well, I was hoping we could learn things
little by little—together. If you're only looking at what's ahead and not
appreciating what we're doing right now, that kind of feels wrong somehow."
With a bitter smile, he added, "You can call me a chicken. You wouldn't be
wrong." He sighed softly.
Amane could see that Chitose's advice was prompting Mahiru to action, and
he knew that Mahiru was doing what she was doing because she loved him
from the bottom of her heart. That made him extremely happy.
Even so, he didn't want them to rush into things.
"Sorry for saying something so pathetic. I guess I'm a coward, that's all."
"…No, I can really tell that you love me and that you're being careful… But,
um, how do I put this… I also…I don't necessarily want to rush either, but you…
um, I wondered if maybe you didn't like that?"
"Didn't like it?"
"…You know, me making you w-wait, and stuff."
He could clearly tell what Mahiru was trying to say while squirming with
embarrassment as she clung tightly to him. It made him smile even more
bitterly than usual.
But it wasn't directed at Mahiru. No, it was meant for his own impatient self.
Considering his position from an outside perspective, Amane figured that
having such a strong reaction to such a minimal thing was evidence of his youth
and inexperience, and he tried to calm down a little.
And he figured it probably wasn't the best idea to make Mahiru even more
conscious about how close they were at the moment.
"I don't hate it at all. I mean, I am a guy, so I've got all kinds of thoughts in my
head, but I don't want to rush you or anything. Besides, it's at least a little scary
for you, right?"
"…Yes."
"Then it's fine. We can go at our own pace."
He ruffled her hair, and Mahiru smiled in apparent relief before nuzzling her
cheek against Amane's chest.
Honestly, he had a lot of feelings about their current situation, especially the
way her body was pressed on top of him. But for Amane, his love for Mahiru
always came out on top, so he just gently stroked his girlfriend's back.
"Anyway, do you think I could get you to move soon?"
"Am I heavy?"
"You're not heavy, but…please understand."
He lightly patted her back, implying that he wanted her to consider what he
was going through, but Mahiru showed no signs of moving. On the contrary, she
pressed against him even harder and looked up at him.
When she noticed him grimacing and pressing his lips together, Mahiru cast
her eyes downward bashfully, but she didn't seem ready to pull away.
"Could I stay here like this for just a little while longer?"
"…Suit yourself."
He could have forced her to get off, but Mahiru was pressed against him
because she wanted to be, so he intended to respect her wishes.
Amane resigned himself to his fate, swallowed his joy and embarrassment,
and let out a little sigh. He put his hand on Mahiru's head. She seemed very
satisfied snuggling against him, and with careful movements, he combed his
fingers through her soft hair.
Status de energia semanal
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Poder