Lately, Amane had grown used to returning home from work after the sun had set, and often lightly jogged back along the streets at nighttime as part of his daily exercise.
Given the likelihood of being stopped for being out so late in a school uniform, he naturally made it a point to change into his tracksuit after his shift, and he securely wore a reflective sash around himself, too. The getup wouldn't earn him any awards at a fashion show, but it was a necessary measure to ensure safety; it couldn't be helped, really.
After returning via train to the station closest to his apartment, he would briskly head toward his complex while keeping his eyes peeled for oncoming cars and pedestrians. By the time he arrived, there were only about three more hours left in the day.
Usually, this time would have been spent for him to spend quality time together with Mahiru. As a former member of the go-home club, Amane's now packed schedule brought a strange feeling along with it, but it wasn't necessarily a bad feeling.
Up until now, he had been too lax. Before meeting Mahiru, Amane had been lazing around at home indulging in activities befitting of the go-home club, and after getting closer to her, he'd spent a lot of time studying and relaxing together with her, and his schedule wasn't too packed.
While setting and abiding by a strict schedule did feel a little restricting, he found it to be fulfilling as well.
"I'm home," he called out, mentally and physically drained.
Although he had somewhat gotten used to his new lifestyle, he still experienced a faint lethargic feeling as he opened the door to his home. The lights were turned on, but there was no sign of anyone being there.
He'd initially thought that Mahiru would be waiting for him with dinner prepared, but when he took off his shoes and looked toward the living room, she was nowhere to be found.
Peeking over into the kitchen, Amane picked up on a rather pleasant smell wafting from it, and also noticed that a pot had been left on the stove, still covered with a lid. Whatever food was inside it seemed to have already been prepared, indicating that Mahiru had prepared dinner and then left his apartment. While he believed it was a good thing for her to value her personal time, he couldn't help but find it unusual.
Amane had sent her a message before he left work that he was on his way home, but just as he considered sending another one, he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. The sound was a little frantic, as if she'd been in a hurry.
"Oh, A-Amane-kun, you're home early today…"
"Someone else is on cleanup today, apparently. Plus I ran a little faster on the way back," he explained, listing the reasons he'd arrived earlier than usual. "…Sorry, though. Looks like you were busy with something, Mahiru. Perhaps I should've relaxed my pace."
"No, not at all! I wanted to see your face as soon as possible, Amane-kun!" Panicked, Mahiru shook her head from side to side ever so slightly. Her hair fluttered about as she did so, and Amane replied, "Glad to hear you say that," with a faint smile as he watched her.
What Mahiru had said was utterly cute, and Amane couldn't help but break out into a smile, but she didn't seem to be too bothered by it. Instead, she looked down somewhat uncomfortably and muttered something under her breath.
"Mahiru?"
"Oh, I was just lost in thought, please don't mind it," she responded. "I shall prepare our dinner now that you're back, Amane-kun. I'll heat it up while you take a bath—the tub already has plenty of hot water for you."
"Thanks as always." Amane was a little puzzled at how awkwardly she was acting compared to usual, but just as he was about to slip past her, "…Hm?" he noticed a sweet scent coming from her.
Mahiru had always smelled rather sweet, but the quality of the sweet aroma permeating the air was somewhat different from that. It wasn't from her shampoo, nor was it her natural scent, but rather a kind of sugary smell that clung to her from her surroundings.
To put a finger on it, it smelled just like baked sweets. "Wh–What's the matter?" she asked.
"…Well, uh… I was just thinking that you smell a little different today.
Like sweets, or something baked."
"Eh? …That's because I, erm… had some snacks… at home."
"Oh? You eat less than I do, Mahiru; wouldn't you lose your appetite if you ate something before dinner?" he asked, a little bewildered.
Usually, Mahiru refrained from eating between meals so that she could maintain her figure, so this was rather odd for her.
Besides, although Mahiru wasn't exactly a light eater, she did tend to eat less. It'd prove challenging for her to have snacks while still eating her usual portion of dinner.
"I–I will be able to clean my plate, so it should be okay. Anyway, please go take a bath now, Amane-kun. You must be hungry after work, right?"
"I'm running on empty right now, to be honest."
"If that's the case, I say you take a refreshing bath before treating yourself to a delicious meal," Mahiru suggested. "How does that sound?" She pushed Amane by the back as if trying to cover something up, and while he did think something was off, he went to his room to grab a change of clothes as if swept along by her suggestion.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
It appeared that Mahiru was keeping a secret from Amane.
Every time Amane came back from his part-time job, this suspicion of his grew stronger. Not even a suspicion, really—it was more of a certainty at this point. She looked to be keeping something under wraps, for whatever reason.
That only applied when Amane was out of the house, and not even a shred of that secrecy was shown on days Amane wasn't working. As such, there must've been something she didn't want him to see.
…I wonder what she's hiding…
Fundamentally, Mahiru was a terrible liar—she was awful at keeping things to herself as her attitude was often a dead giveaway. This time, however, she was trying her best to evade his suspicions and deceive him, pretending as if nothing was going on.
Whatever it was, she really didn't want Amane to find out about it.
That being said, even if Amane asked Mahiru directly, she would undoubtedly dodge the question, and it wasn't like he wanted to force an answer out of her purely out of curiosity. Mahiru had her own thoughts and, for all he knew, it could be an issue that was hard to bring up between a boy and a girl.
Considering all of that, persistently trying to find out could be considered rude, so Amane, although somewhat suspicious, opted against asking her directly.
Also, both Chitose and Ayaka had insisted they didn't know a thing when he asked. However, judging from their reactions, they seemed to be aware of the content of the secret. Thus, they too were accomplices involved with this secret.
Amane couldn't hide his sense of unease at being left out, but he refrained from saying anything, out of consideration that there might be matters that could only be shared with people of the same sex.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
"…You know, Mahiru seems to be hiding something from me."
Amane couldn't help but share his anxiety with his co-worker, Souji, while they were commuting to their part-time job. He could tell that Mahiru was planning on keeping up her secret today as well; it was clear from her demeanor. This made his heart swirl with unease.
Souji and Amane happened to be on the same shift and were heading to work together, and Amane had brought the topic up the moment they sat down on the train, which had taken Souji aback. But seeing Amane's expression, Souji figured that it wouldn't be a lighthearted topic, so he straightened his posture as he sat next to him.
"Did you two have an argument, or something along those lines?" Souji asked.
"No, not even briefly. It's just that Mahiru seems to be hiding something...
And by the looks of things, it's not like I did anything wrong, either."
For good measure, Amane asked her whether he'd done anything wrong without realizing it, but Mahiru only tilted her head in confusion at his question, so that didn't appear to be the case. Because of that, the mystery only deepened. Riddles upon riddles were piling up, causing Amane mental strain.
"Hmm. If a girlfriend's trying to keep something under wraps, it's typically them cheating, but I can't imagine Shiina-san ever doing that. I don't know her that well, but given her character and your close relationship, we can write that possibility off."
"That's what I think, too," Amane promptly responded, "There's no way Mahiru would do something so dishonest. She despises even the concept of cheating and infidelity more than anyone else."
What Souji had said as a brief example was something Mahiru would never do.
With her complex upbringing and environment, Mahiru detested disloyalty.
She saw her mother having an affair with another man, even openly spending time with him outside. Putting aside the fact that the woman had been subjected to a loveless marriage from the very start, Mahiru had vowed to never walk down the same path as her mother, and hated the very idea of it.
There was no way Mahiru would betray him in such a way, and it was equally unlikely that Chitose or Ayaka would've cooperated with her if that was actually the case. They were both sensible and devoted girls, and likely found infidelity distasteful in much the same way.
However, Amane couldn't think of anything else one would keep hidden. Mahiru wasn't good at keeping secrets, and usually, she didn't even try to.
She tended to feel a strong sense of guilt whenever she plotted something behind closed doors, and was quick to confess to what she'd done when probed a little. But this time, it seemed like she wanted to keep whatever it was hidden and had gone to great efforts not to say anything. What's more, she was the type of person who disliked lying and deceiving others, which made Amane all the more suspicious.
"Because of that, if Mahiru's trying to keep something a secret, it probably isn't anything worth being suspicious about. Whatever it is that she's trying to hide, I don't think it'll be something terrible. Either it's something she's embarrassed to talk about, or it's something related to me. If she broke something, she'd come clean right away and apologize, so it mustn't be anything harmful."
Amane had known Mahiru for about a year now, and they had been dating for about five months, give or take. He had a good grasp of her personality and habits after spending so much time together with her.
Given that Mahiru had her own thoughts on the matter, and the fact that she was desperately trying to hide it, Amane could tell that it ought to be something rather significant. However, that didn't mean it was malicious. "So, what are you gonna do about it?"
"Not planning on doing anything, really."
"Huh?" replied Souji instinctively, surprised by Amane's casual assertion.
Amane let out a quiet sigh, blending it in with the low rumble of the train as it traveled along its tracks.
"It's something that Mahiru wants to keep hidden, so it wouldn't be a good idea for me to pry. Even I have a secret or two I don't want to share with her as well, so if she doesn't want me to touch the subject, I won't. Simple as."
Amane was hiding the reason he was working from Mahiru, so he had no right to interfere in her business, either. Sure, they may hide a few things from each other, but even if they did, it wouldn't be a problem as long as they could maintain a healthy relationship.
"And you're fine with that, huh," remarked Souji.
"I trust that Mahiru would never hurt me intentionally, after all. Rather than meddling in everything, it's better to be considerate of the things you want to keep hidden from one another. It's precisely because I trust her that I ought to respect her privacy, and I'd even say that's the secret to a harmonious relationship."
That was something Amane had learned from watching his parents, and nothing was more convincing after seeing their strong, affectionate relationship. As their son, Amane thought that they always had a good relationship and understood each other well, all while not necessarily being involved in everything the other did.
Contrary to what people who knew his parents may think, they didn't always stick together. While this surprised others, they very much valued their alone time and often pursued their own hobbies in separate places. Even when they were together in the same place, they were often doing different things, yet the atmosphere was warm and soft, comfortable enough for their son, Amane, to appreciate it.
Having observed his parents act that way, Amane learned to respect both his own time and that of his partner.
"Just curious, but, what if it was something she felt guilty about?"
"If so, then it means that I wasn't someone worth consulting; and if Mahiru actually did leave me, it'd be because I was unattractive and pathetic. In short, the fault would lie in me."
Mahiru was, undoubtedly, a very loving, devoted, and sincere girl. If such a girl were to leave Amane without talking anything through, then the problem would likely be more on Amane's end.
Knowing Mahiru, she would express her feelings sincerely before putting an end to the relationship. And since that wasn't happening, it meant that she was hiding a personal secret that didn't conflict with common sense or her morals. So, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Amane didn't feel inclined to probe any further.
Putting that aside, however, it was only natural that he'd grow curious about it.
"Well, this is Mahiru we're talking about, so I'm sure it'll turn out just fine, but it's tough not to get curious," Amane admitted. "Knowing that she's hiding something makes it harder for me to relax, to be perfectly honest with you."
"…Fujimiya," Souji responded after a brief moment of thought. "You're pretty… level-headed once you've made up your mind about something, aren't you?"
"You think so?"
Amane was only content with waiting due to the deep trust that he had for Mahiru.
Being impatient wouldn't get him anywhere. It would be better for him to sit back and wait calmly until Mahiru wanted to reveal it herself, whenever that would be.
Since he was sure that nothing terrible would come of it, Amane decided against questioning her. After all, Mahiru was the one involved.
…I just hope she'll forgive me for feeling a little antsy about it, as pathetic as that might sound…
"Back when I'd pass by you in the corridor, you were always looking down at the floor, not having much in the way of confidence…," Souji began, noting the stark contrast between Amane now and several months ago. "But now, you're the boyfriend of such a splendid Angel."
"That's exactly how it was, after all—I didn't have much confidence in myself back then. It's all thanks to Mahiru's support and my friends who gave me a kick and slap on the back that I'm now able to stand tall and proud like this. That's how it feels, anyway."
Sure, Amane had been kicked and slapped on the back by his friends before in the physical sense, but in the metaphorical sense, it was thanks to them that he was now standing next to Mahiru, and that she was able to support him like she was.
Because she supported him both emotionally and with practical matters such as meals and lifestyle habits, Amane didn't find his hard work to be burdensome—in fact, he found it enjoyable.
"Truly, I can't thank her enough," Amane concluded, and Souji nodded along thoughtfully.
"…So Shiina-san's like, the backbone of your success, huh… Or actually, it's more like the more you cherish her, Fujimiya, the more she lets you shine."
"Whether I'm 'shining' or not aside, I just can't afford to be timid when standing next to her," Amane laid out his thoughts. "I gotta be proud of myself, and I want to be a man worthy of respect… Plus, Mahiru's the reason why I started to think this way in the first place. She's the one truly supporting me."
"…I reckon your values must be part of what makes people want to support you, though?"
"I'm flattered you think that, but I still think it's thanks to Mahiru that I was able to build up my confidence again. Because of that, I want to put in the effort to be worthy of her… No, that's not it. I want to put in the effort because it's Mahiru."
After that, Amane murmured, "That said, isn't Mahiru just so amazing?" to which Souji somewhat joked, "You know, I do wonder why I'm here just to listen to you brag about her," which left Amane feeling both apologetic and somewhat embarrassed until they finally arrived at the station.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
Amane worked around three to four times each week, changing depending on the shifts he was assigned, but the number never strayed from that range.
Despite the weekend being the best time to earn money, he always left one of the days free, preferring to spend the extra time either with Mahiru or for himself. As a student, he couldn't very well neglect his studies, and the owner, Fumika, was very understanding. She was also very supportive, especially regarding his true goal for getting a job.
Today was a day off, and ever since the morning, Amane had spent his time relaxing. And by relaxing, that also included his workout, a light jog that he had done in the morning, and the assignments that he'd completed relatively quickly, so it was better to say that he finally got the chance to relax.
Not only am I living much healthier than before, but I'm so much more organized, too, Amane thought to himself, letting out a bitter smile.
He had diligently finished everything he needed to do in the morning, but there was one thing still clouding his mind.
Exactly. Mahiru's secret.
Looks like she's been acting all sneaky again today, too…
Mahiru, who had come over to Amane's house shortly after lunchtime, was acting slightly awkward yet again. Although she had somewhat calmed down now, past around two o'clock, she seemed to be on edge whenever Amane shot a glance at her, making it clear as day that she was hiding something.
He didn't point out his realization, however, so Mahiru gradually regained her composure as time went by. She looked calm and composed as she sat next to Amane on the sofa, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Preoccupied by her thoughts, one could say.
With it being his precious day off and all, Amane at least wanted to enjoy some time together with Mahiru, but… he didn't find it appropriate to impose on her while she was so deep in thought. At the very least, he wanted to hug her in order to replenish the Mahiruium that he now often lacked due to his part-time job.
"Mahiru."
"Yes?"
"…May I hug you?" While relieved by her response, Amane asked hesitantly; Mahiru's caramel-colored eyes blinked at his question and then she nodded, smiling gently.
Softly, she spread her arms out wide, so Amane accepted her kindness and gently wrapped his own arms around her body.
Today, Mahiru smelled like chocolate.
…Gotta say, not a day passes now when Mahiru doesn't smell sweet.
Despite how much Mahiru loved sweets, she didn't eat them often—this was because she was so meticulous about maintaining her figure that she was hardly inclined to cave in and treat herself.
And yet, she often gave off a sugary scent as of late.
As the one by her side, Amane wasn't as big a fan of sweets as she was, but the sweet fragrance was an exception. He rather enjoyed it, actually, so he wasn't opposed to the gentle aroma of sweets that wafted over each time he touched or was near her.
…What a nice smell.
Politely and gently, Amane began to embrace her delicate body, but the moment he lightly touched her waist to pull her closer—"No!"—Mahiru's body jolted.
Perhaps that was too sudden for her…?
Amane's mind began to cool rapidly after hearing her seemingly instinctive refusal.
Just because she was always by Amane's side and often snuggled with him didn't mean he had the right to touch her hips at his own convenience. Sure, she was his girlfriend, but he couldn't just touch her however he pleased. There were bound to be times when she wasn't in the mood for it, or simply didn't want to be touched in such a way.
Amane let go of her body with an awkward look, and Mahiru, appearing not to understand what was going on, looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"…My bad," Amane apologized. "I got carried away."
"Huh? I–I wasn't against it! That's not it at all! I didn't mean to give you the wrong idea, Amane-kun! It's not that I dislike being held by you, you know!?" Panicked, Mahiru hurriedly corrected his misunderstanding while making some exaggerated gestures, appearing to have picked up on the fact that Amane felt rejected.
"But, you didn't like it…"
"R-Rather than not liking it… erm, I'm just a little self-conscious. …About my belly, that is."
"Your belly?"
"…I–I may have gained weight, so holding my waist is a little…," she said, putting a hand to her belly. Given that Mahiru had unparalleled self-control and always seemed to maintain an ideal figure, Amane could only tilt his head. And from looking at her, from touching her, Mahiru possibly gaining weight was something that hadn't even crossed his mind at all.
Even just then, she was just as slender as she already had been, to the point that it made Amane a little anxious, in fact. He figured that she'd be better off putting more weight on for her health's sake, considering how skinny she was.
"Where? You look as slim as ever to me," Amane noted. "And besides, you don't even eat enough to gain weight, do you?"
Amane knew that at home, Mahiru tended to do some light stretching and exercises, and that she also went for a jog whenever she had the time. Plus, she would play fitness-related games on his console once in a while.
Although she was also a member of the go-home club, Mahiru never missed a chance to exercise, instead prioritizing her beauty. Amane found it hard to believe that she, the very epitome of self-discipline, could ever gain weight.
Yes, he found it hard to believe; but for whatever reason, Mahiru still refused to meet Amane's gaze. "…So, did you?"
"I–I haven't. For one, I haven't been slacking on exercising at all, and have actually been doing it more frequently. I have also been maintaining a balanced diet with three meals per day. …I have been, but… erm, outside of those meals, I…"
"You ate between meals?"
"I wouldn't exactly say that…," she trailed off before coming to a realization. "…Actually, yes. I have been eating between meals—that's why."
"That's pretty rare for you." Amane was surprised that Mahiru, who took great care in maintaining her figure, had eaten enough to make herself worried. While together, Amane hadn't noticed her eating any more than she usually did, so that meant she must've been eating in her apartment. Perhaps she'd stumbled upon something truly delicious.
"Well, there's a reason why autumn's the season of good appetite, or so they say. Not to mention the food's just plain delicious, too. Autumn's when all the tasty ingredients start popping up again, unlike summer, so it can't be helped if you eat a little more than usual."
"…Me being indecisive and particular doesn't help much either…," Mahiru blurted out.
"Huh?"
"Please don't mind it," she said, brushing her own comment aside. "… Anyway, if you touch my belly right now, I'm afraid the fat might…"
"I don't think you've got any excess fat or anything, though, Mahiru… You've got such a slim body with no flabs to speak of. Plus, even if you did gain a little weight, it'd still be within a perfectly acceptable range." To Amane, expectations from society about how thin women should be were simply excessive. "With how slender and toned you are, it wouldn't hurt to gain a little more weight, you know?" From his point of view, Mahiru would be thin enough even by those harsh standards of the public.
It wouldn't be a problem if Mahiru gained some weight; Amane wasn't attracted to her because she was slender, because she was cute, or because she was beautiful—he liked Mahiru herself. Her physique had nothing to do with it, and as long as she had a healthy body, Amane wasn't concerned about her numbers on a scale.
Therefore, looking thoughtfully into Mahiru's eyes, he said, "Honestly, you don't need to worry about it." Shortly after that, she peeped up at him, groaning, "Uuuu," ever so softly.
While it may have been a dire problem for Mahiru herself, Amane believed that a slight bump to her body fat was nothing to fret over. If anything, Mahiru occupying more space in the world would be something worth being delighted about.
To add to that, there was no noticeable difference in her weight when touching her, so being denied the opportunity to touch was the real life-or-death matter.
"…I just want to be healed for a bit…," he confessed. "Can't I?"
"I–It's not that you can't, but…" While Mahiru tried to stand her ground, she relented. "I guess you can…"
Chuckling at Mahiru's sudden change of heart, Amane pulled her closer. To be precise, he lifted her up as though embracing her body. As he held the now frozen-stiff Mahiru in his arms, Amane sat back down on the sofa, positioning her right between his legs—he was now hugging her just like one would a stuffed animal.
When it came to hugging on the sofa, this was the most comfortable position. Still, whether it was due to embarrassment or something else, Mahiru seemed to look slightly uncomfortable. However, since she settled down meekly, entrusting herself to Amane, she probably wasn't against the turn of events.
He wrapped his arms firmly around the front of her body, and brushed against her abdominal area, which she was so evidently conscious about. She felt so slim and delicate that Amane couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to convince herself that she'd gained weight.
"…Like I thought, you really haven't gained anything at all."
"I am putting the effort in, after all. But even so, it still worried me a little." "Even though you're this thin… Well, not like I'm gonna tell you what you can and can't think if you're that concerned about it, but just don't push yourself too hard." he suggested, "I'll love you however you are, Mahiru."
"…Yes."
So long as it was within a healthy range, Amane would support Mahiru if she desired to lose weight, but it wasn't like he explicitly wished her to do so.
While he adamantly denied the misconception that she'd gained weight, by no means would he ever deny her feelings or the effort that she exerted to lose said weight.
Whatever it is that she does, I just hope she doesn't push herself too hard…
Gently yet firmly, Amane then embraced her tender body, relishing her usual softness.
How does she manage to be so slender yet so soft?
Amane marveled at the intriguing mystery of a girl's body before burying his face in her shoulder. Then, a sugary aroma, which had mixed in with the smell of fabric softener and Mahiru's natural milk-like scent, slid into his nostrils.
So today's smell is some sort of chocolate, huh?
Picking up on that, Amane slid his lips right onto the base of her neck and pressed them against it lightly. While he hadn't at all thought about doing anything in particular, touching Mahiru's skin gave Amane a rush of happiness, and he even found her white, porcelain-like skin to be very appetizing. This was best described as an innate instinct of his as a man—and there was nothing that he could do about it.
Bringing his lips closer, Amane planted a tender kiss across her silky skin and nuzzled his cheek against hers, making Mahiru leak out a ticklish voice.
"…Amane-kun, you get all spoiled when you get tired like this, don't you?" she remarked.
"I could say the same about you, Mahiru… But yeah, I guess I do end up longing for human affection."
That exact line applied to Mahiru in very much the same way. When the both of them were tired, they would often cling to each other tightly in order to comfort one another. They would savor the warmth and the familiar scent of each other's bodies, which gave them a sense of happiness and comfort.
Although Mahiru was typically the one fawning over him, Amane had recently been finding himself getting more and more fatigued, and in turn, had started to become more comfortable with showing her his vulnerable side. And as it appeared, Mahiru loved it when Amane depended on her openly like this, which only encouraged him to be pampered by her more often.
"You can do as you please, but please try not to leave any marks. They can be seen," Mahiru continued. "…Chitose-san spotted the mark from when I last slept over, you know? And then she teased me."
"That's my bad…, I should've made it a little harder to find, in hindsight," so Amane said, aware that at the time, he'd been caught up in the heat of the moment. His rational mind was only running on half-cylinders, which left his reason partly broken. Needless to say, he hadn't crossed that one line he shouldn't have crossed, he had allowed his desire to dye her white skin a shade of red to take over.
Regrettably, he had ended up leaving a mark by doing so, which was a lesson he was reflecting on.
A wave of embarrassment washed over him as he remembered the events of that night, and this caused Amane to hold her even tighter than before. In response, Mahiru slapped his thighs a few times forcefully from within his embrace.
"That's not even the main issue here, though!? Is that not proof that you're getting a little too used to this, Amane-kun!?"
"I–I wouldn't say I'm used to it or anything, but… it's just that, uh, marking you as mine is… something that makes me feel happy, you see. As a man."
There was no way he'd get used to it just from seeing her bare skin once. Embarrassment crept onto his face at the mere memory of it, and even now, his desire to do it again seemed to be poised and ready to strike him at any moment. He was simply restraining it with his rationality.
However, one couldn't just avoid having such desires. If he was given the same opportunity yet again, Amane's lips would undoubtedly trace their path over Mahiru's fair skin in much the same way. Holding a far-from-content Mahiru in his arms, he muttered, "No way I'd get used to it. We're talking about my girlfriend's bare skin here," and entwined his hand with the one she'd been hitting his thigh with. In an instant, Mahiru quietened down.
If her bright red ears were any indication, she was nothing short of embarrassed.
"...Next time, please, leave it somewhere it cannot be seen," she then requested.
"I see that you're assuming we'll have a next time," Amane teased in response.
"Th–That's because, well… I enjoy everything that you do to me, Amane- kun, and it… feels good when you touch me; I really like it," she confessed hesitantly with a sigh, her voice hushed and her body fidgeting. Her words made Amane adore her even more, and he entwined his fingers with the hand he was holding.
Amane understood that Mahiru would likely accept anything that he'd do, and her little confession of enjoying his touch flared up his desires once again. He managed to quell them, however, as he settled for expressing his affection for her with a kiss on the neck. As sensitive as ever, Mahiru trembled from within his arms, but she let Amane do as he pleased.
"…At any rate, you mustn't leave any marks," she reminded. "If you do, then it would be for your birt—"
"My what now?"
"…Nothing at all. Please do not worry about it." "You really got me dying to know, though." "It's nothing, really!"
Amane tilted his head at Mahiru, who had stopped herself mid-sentence before promptly raising her voice to try and cover it up. She leaned against him with all her might shortly after, which Amane gladly accepted with a smile, thinking about how adorable she was.