At Amane's school, the cultural festival wasn't open to the public and only relatives and acquaintances were allowed to participate. Moreover, applications would be required to be handed in beforehand in preparation. It worked by handing out tickets to students that they'd then use to apply and enter the festival.
Needless to say, there was a maximum number of guests a student could invite. This was a measure taken in recent years due to the rising danger during past festivals and cases of customers resorting to violence at the school in previous years. Even during a cultural festival, the safety of the students took priority, so it had been decided after careful consideration from the faculty.
"I don't have anyone to invite, do I?"
Mahiru murmured as she gazed at the application forms handed out after lunch.
It was evident that she was pretending nothing was amiss.
Mahiru was called an angel and everyone loved her, but she tended not to make any close friends. It was the same back in middle school, and there was no one who she could call a very close friend. If you didn't invite a friend, you would invite your parents, but this didn't apply to Mahiru. Under no circumstances did she want to invite her parents, and concluded that she didn't have anyone to invite.
"I don't have anyone outside of school that I'd call a friend, so this doesn't affect me. There are people I'm close to on campus, so there's no need to worry."
"Well, same here… Actually, if I don't invite them, Mom and Dad will get all annoyed…"
"Shihoko-san and Shuuto-san will be participating too?"
"I didn't tell her last year, and she had a whole lot to say about it to me afterward."
Shihoko was sulking when she found out, and it was a terrible ordeal. She'd sent him dissatisfied messages for a while, and it got to the point where even Shuuto called and told him, "Shihoko-san is really sad."
For Amane, he found it hard to call her over from afar and felt that it was fine just for the cultural festival. Knowing his mom's personality, Amane could tell that she would fawn over him even in front of everyone, and he didn't want to let his classmates know that he was still very familiar with his parents even as a high school student. On top of that, he didn't want anyone else to see his parents flirting with each other.
As Amane expected, Shihoko remembered. She sent him a message saying, "It's almost time for the cultural festival, isn't it?" Amane knew she was hinting at him to get them tickets. After what happened the year before, Amane didn't have the option of not inviting her. Even so, he was apprehensive.
"I'll need to remind them not to flirt in front of everyone." "Ah, Ahaha."
Mahiru knew full well that Shihoko and Shuuto were natural flirts and flashed a wry smile.
"Well, I guess that's why I'll only invite those two. They're quite far away, but there's no one closer for me to invite anyway."
"I see…"
Mahiru, who had learned about his past turmoil and saw him part ways with his former friend, didn't want to go any further.
Amane, however, was much more worried about Mahiru. She has far more problems with her parents than he did. From what Amane learned, he didn't have any concerns with Asahi's personality itself. However, he had no intention of meeting Mahiru. Much was the same from her mother, either side not wanting to have contact with her. Even Amane, who had only heard them converse once, could feel it—Mahiru could never invite either of them to the festival. Despite that, he didn't know about Mahiru's life before high school, so he didn't think he could say anything.
"By the way, you said you wouldn't invite anyone, Mahiru. What about the housemaid?"
Mahiru had been neglected by her parents, but he remembered that there was a woman who gave her love and educated her as a parent would. Mahiru's housework and cooking skills were taught to her by that housemaid, and Mahiru had a gentle look on her face when she talked about her. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was a surrogate parent to Mahiru in a way.
Mahiru's eyes widened at Amane's words.
"You remembered Koyuki-san, didn't you? I think I only mentioned her briefly."
"That's because it's you, Mahiru. Aren't you going to invite her?" "…I can't."
He thought it was a good suggestion, but Mahiru's face twisted a little solemnly. Amane realized he had made a slip of the tongue.
"…Sorry."
Amane looked down, thinking that he said something he shouldn't have. He inferred that something must have happened to Koyuki. Mahiru, who seemed to have realized what he was imagining, waved her hand frantically to clear away his assumptions.
"No, that's not it! Koyuki-san quit being a housekeeper a little after I started middle school, but… umm, all the work affected her back."
"…Ahh."
"It may have been her job, but I made her manage the big house by herself, and I felt bad for forcing her to do it."
As soon as he heard she'd done her back in, he thought it would be impossible. Once your hips are damaged, it's easy to revert back even once you recover. It would be similar to living with a bomb attached to your hips. You can't do any heavy labor, and you can't be reckless with your work.
Amane understood why Mahiru was hesitating. Having her attend after such a long trip wouldn't be easy on her with her condition.
"Right now, she's living with her daughter and husband. Even if they would come, I'm still worried about her health. There aren't many casual rest areas for the guests, so I'd feel bad for inviting her. This is far away from her house, after all."
"I see. That's too bad." "Yes."
Mahiru adored her old housemaid. Amane could tell that much from her expression. He wanted to meet and thank the woman who helped Mahiru survive and grow as a person. Since she was poorly, however, there was nothing they could do about it.
"It's a little shameful of me, too. I can't give my greetings to Koyuki-san, even though she helped you out so much. When we get the chance, I should go say hello."
"Eh? Ah, a greeting?"
"Yeah. She's like your parent, isn't she, Mahiru?"
It was likely that Koyuki had a huge impact on Mahiru's current personality. She was the one who taught Mahiru, and with a more parental attitude than her real parents. Even Amane was indebted to Koyuki. Without her presence, it's possible Mahiru wouldn't have grown up in the way she did, and wouldn't have gotten involved with Amane at all.
"…You're… right."
"Then I'll need to say hello."
Amane had declared to Mahiru's biological father that he was going to make his daughter his own, and was accepted. Even so, he felt it wasn't enough. He wanted to tell the person who he considered Mahiru's foster parent, too.
Just from what Mahiru told him, he knew that Koyuki went above and beyond in taking care of her, exceeding the realm of her duty. It seemed rude to Amane for him to take Mahiru without asking her, especially since he was indebted to her. Just as before, he wanted to see the person responsible for raising her, and wanted to declare his intentions to her clearly, and honestly.
"Well, let's think about that a little later when we've settled down. It'd be rude to visit so suddenly, so I'd like to make an appointment when the right time comes.
You seem to have her contact information, so maybe a letter or a phone call… Wait, Mahiru?"
Mahiru was practically synonymous with Koyuki's own daughter, and Amane was basically kidnapping her. He was trying to think of the best way to introduce himself formally, but the Mahiru in question looked around awkwardly.
"N-No, it's nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing to me." "It's nothing."
Mahiru pressed her face into her favorite cushion, blocking her vision. With Mahiru not wanting to elaborate, Amane let her do as she pleased and gave her a smile, thinking he had no choice.