On very rare occasions, Amane would be more eager to be pampered than one might expect from his usual demeanor. Amane would act spoiled when he reached the edge of his exhaustion, as his consciousness began to succumb to the sea of drowsiness, and for Mahiru, these moments of fawning were something of a bonus time for her.
"Amane-kun, are you going to sleep?" "...Nnn—"
Amane slurred a non-responsive reply and shook his head languidly as he snuggled into hugging Mahiru as they sat on the couch.
The sight of Amane dozing off with his face half-buried in her chest reminded her of a child resting in his mother's arms, and a gentle smile crept onto Mahiru's face, even as a ticklish sensation pricked at the edges of her through their contact, bothering her both physically, and mentally.
...Not only must he be exhausted mentally, but he's been doing a lot of physical work today, too.
Beyond taking care of the school festival preparations, Amane had also practiced serving customers, contacted his parents to discuss the festival, done his share of the household chores, and continued with his workout regimen on top of that. Furthermore, once he had completed the needlessly simultaneous and numerous list of assignments he'd been given, he devoured a hearty meal, and took a bath. Amane appeared to be at the peak of his sleepiness.
Mahiru thought for a moment about how she had opened her arms wide, inviting him in. "Come here," she had said, swept along by the situation, which was quite rare for her.
Smiling at the utterly spoiled Amane, Mahiru placed one hand on his back and patted his head with the other. She caught a glimpse of the blissful expression he showed in response, as he thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable feeling.
"…Amane-kun, you must be tired. Are you going to sleep now?" "Just a little longer."
"Yes, yes. You can rest just a little longer, okay? Though, I'm not strong enough to carry you if you completely fall asleep, Amane-kun."
Mahiru was delighted that he was fawning over her, but she couldn't allow him to sleep on the sofa, so she wanted Amane to at least keep enough energy to get himself to his bed. No matter how slender Amane was, it'd be nearly impossible for Mahiru to carry a man who was over one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, and an unconscious one, at that.
Seeing him act so spoiled made him look just like a child.
Amane, replying once more in a muffled, dazed voice, had a truly satisfied expression on his face as he started to rub his cheek against Mahiru. She was sure that Amane would apologize the next morning once he came to his senses. If he still remembered, that is.
How nice it would be if he always let his desire to be spoiled show like this.
That aside, Mahiru didn't particularly mind pampering him, but Amane was often embarrassed by the strangest things, so it was rare for him to seek being spoiled intentionally.
"Mahiru."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Let's sleep… together."
Mahiru's body stiffened up for a moment at Amane's delicate, yet
sweet-sounding words. She was well aware that Amane had no ulterior motives, and besides, it was true that Mahiru had already slept with him back at his parents' house once before. Mahiru, too, wished to be able to stay with Amane overnight someday. However, she was simply taken aback to be asked such a thing so directly and suddenly.
While Mahiru was at a complete loss, unsure of how to reply, Amane must've finally passed his limit, because he started to doze off. Amane was now leaning over her, but Mahiru felt a shock that was far greater than Amane's weight, and pursed her lips.
"…That's something you should only say when you're fully awake. Otherwise, I will be troubled."
Mahiru never thought that she would be so flustered by his almost unconscious words, especially since she wasn't even sure whether he would remember them once he woke up.
"Geez," Mahiru let out a slight sigh, and after deciding to let him sleep for a little longer before waking him up, caressed his back lovingly.
Incidentally, Mahiru couldn't help but sigh heavily the next morning, when Amane had remembered being pampered, but couldn't recall what he had told her.