Mahiru fell silent for a moment, looking down. "I'm sorry."
"Why apologize? Is it because you think you made me worry?" Akifumi sighed. "In that case, don't do things that make me worry!"
Mahiru gave a bitter smile. "Hey, Mugi-kun, do you think I'm a very despicable woman?"
Because she wanted to be alone, she had used that excuse to make Mashiro give up.
Now, she was foolishly hoping to ease her pain with someone else's words.
"No."
"Really?" Mahiru's eyes were still confused.
"Even though Mahiru is 17, you're still far from being a woman, right?"
Mahiru gave Mugiho a helpless glance, the sadness in her heart nearly breaking through.
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Looks like your mood is getting better." Akifumi said seriously, "Everyone has their own selfish side. It's only natural to consider yourself."
"Just like the characters in 'Anohana,' each one of them had their own selfish reasons for what they did."
"If you think you're despicable for something like this, then I actually wish everyone in this world could be this despicable."
"That's not how you comfort people." Mahiru wiped away the tears in her eyes, and compared to her earlier sorrow, she seemed a little better now.
"Well, as long as it works, right?"
Akifumi didn't mind Mahiru's complaints and continued, "Besides, I'd rather go on a two-person date with you, Mahiru"
Mahiru's face turned red, and she shot Akifumi a glare.
"You just want me to go with you to buy presents, don't you? Stop pretending it's a date!"
"Eh, you figured it out?"
If only she could deny it right now.
Mahiru felt a sense of disappointment in her heart but kept a smile on her face.
"We were just talking about Christmas during class. With your personality, Mugiho-kun, how could you not have prepared a gift?"
"Then, when the time comes, I'll have to leave it to you~"
"Get out of here, I need to start making dinner."
"Okay, okay."
The weekend arrived, and they were at the shopping mall.
"Do you think this is too childish for Hiratsuka-sensei?" Akifumi waved his hand.
"It might be small for kids, but for sensei, it's just right!"
With that, without hesitation, Akifumi went straight to the counter and bought a nearly life-sized plush toy of a beast that eats iron.
After paying, Mahiru, who had been standing nearby, spoke up, a little annoyed.
"Mugiho-kun, you're so decisive that it makes me feel like I'm not even needed here."
"I told you, the real reason I brought you along was so I could go on a date with you~"
"You're joking again." Mahiru muttered, her cheeks burning, her heart racing wildly.
That was the sound of her heart fluttering.
"Wait."
Akifumi looked puzzled as Mahiru jogged over to speak with a store clerk.
After a brief conversation, she quickly made her payment and returned to Akifumi's side.
With a glance at him, Mahiru said, "Well, this is such a rare opportunity, I also want to get some gifts for everyone!"
Akifumi nodded with a smile, and then they continued shopping.
Two hours later,
"Are you sure you don't need me to help carry some of these?"
Looking at the mountain of gifts that almost burying Akifumi,
Mahiru who is holding only a few bags, looked concerned.
"Is this all? Who do you think I am?"
"Don't push yourself, okay?"
"Don't worry."
Seeing this, Mahiru reluctantly nodded.
Just then, Mahiru's phone suddenly rang.
Upon seeing the caller ID, Mahiru's face showed a mixture of surprise, joy, and nervousness.
"Mugiho-kun..."
Seeing Mahiru not knowing how to speak, Akifumi waved his hand. "Go ahead."
"I'll be right here waiting for you."
"Thanks." Mahiru smiled gratefully and quickly ran off to answer the call.
"Is it from her family?"
It was the only thing that could make Mahiru show such a complex expression.
Standing in place, ten minutes passed quickly.
'That's took longer than i expected.' Just as this thought crossed his mind, Mahiru hung up the phone and walked back to him.
Her expression was visibly sad.
"Didn't go well?"
Mahiru gave a bitter smile. "Mugiho-kun, do you know?"
"Well, just like you said a couple of days ago, I know almost everything you do every day. It's not hard to guess, is it?"
"Mugiho-kun, you really are smart." Mahiru shook her head. "Do you remember when we first met?"
"How could I forget?" Akifumi laughed. "That day, the rain was really heavy, Mahiru looked like a silly kid, sitting at the park all alone."
"Silly kid... I was really are an idiot, am I?" Mahiru sighed, a confused look in her eyes.
"Actually, that day, I had an argument with my family, so I ran out, I just sat there at the park, sulking."
"Do you regret it?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Originally sad, Mahiru suddenly flashed a bright smile. "If I hadn't run out, I wouldn't have met you, Mugiho-kun."
"So no matter how many times it happens, I'll still sit in the rain waiting for you to come and save me again."
'What if something happened, and I wasn't able to come?' Though he wanted to say that, looking into Mahiru's eyes, the words got stuck in his throat.
"Hey, Mugiho-kun."
"Yeah?"
"Am I not alone anymore?"
"What do you think?"
"True." Mahiru smiled, then closed her eyes and said softly, "Mugiho-kun, do you know? I don't even know when it happened, but I realized I've fallen completely for you!"
[135] Cosplaying [R-18] [400 PS]
Mahiru's unexpected confession left Akifumi momentarily frozen in place.
With a relieved smile, Mahiru opened her eyes.
"It seems like you already knew, Mugiho-kun."
She pouted playfully. "Making a girl confess first... you're really are a bad person!"
Of course, he had known.
That's exactly why he didn't know how to respond.
Akifumi let out a wry smile, searching for the right words.
Mahiru's expression remained light hearted. "So, do you still think I'm not a cunning woman?"
She sighed, glancing away. "Eriri trusted me as her friend, yet I went behind her back and confessed first."
Akifumi frowned. "If you ask me, that's more on her than you. She had every chance but kept messing it up."
No matter what others did, at least ninety percent of the responsibility lay with her.
Mahiru chuckled with a touch of melancholy. "You're not wrong."
Then, with a serious look, she whispered, "If I had been the first to meet you, I wouldn't have given anyone else a chance."
A shadow crossed her face.
"But... the first person to meet you was Eriri. I'm the one who came later."
Akifumi gazed at her, puzzled.
Mahiru smiled softly. "That's why, as someone who came later, I don't have the right to say these things."
She took a deep breath. "Mugiho-kun, did you know? I... I was an unwanted child."
"My parents only got married because of family interests. There was never any love between them. Even my birth was an accident."
She laughed bitterly. "My father had a mistress, and my mother had a lover of her own."
"I worked so hard growing up, thinking that if I became excellent enough, maybe they would notice me."
"Maybe... just maybe... they would mend their relationship because of me."
Her smile was filled with an aching sadness.
"But in the end, I was too naive."
"No matter how hard I triedwhether it was getting top grades or being the perfect child in everyone's eyesnothing I did ever made them look at me."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"That rainy day... I had to go see my father about transferring schools."
"It was the rare chance I had to meet him. I thought maybe, just maybe, if I tried a little harder, he'd say something kind to me."
"But all he cared about was his other familyhis mistress and the child they had together."
"I should have known better. But I was still furious. I ran out into the rain, hoping... hoping that maybe he would come after me."
"But in the end, the only one who came looking for me... was you, Mugiho-kun."
Tears welled in her eyes, yet her smile shone brighter than ever.
"But you know what? I'm so glad I met you!"
"Before I met you, I kept thinking I was just an unwanted, unnecessary existence."
"But with you, I realizedI do belong somewhere. I am wanted."
"And realizing that... made me so, so happy!!"
"Then, I met Eriri, a wonderful friend. I discovered manga, light novels, and animethings I had never paid attention to before but found so fun!"
"And when Mashiro moved in, your house became even livelier. It made me not want to leave."
"Each and every time... I never wanted to leave!"
She puffed up her cheeks slightly.
"Even though it annoys me a little when you look at other girls, expecting such an amazing guy like you to belong only to me is just unrealistic, huh?"
She chuckled. "I had a bit of a greedy thought like that, but only for a moment."
"So, my confession it's not because I expect anything in return. I just wanted you to know my feelings."
"That's all. Please believe me, Mugiho-kun!"
Her unwavering gaze made Akifumi sigh. "Honestly, how could I not believe you?"
"To be honest, when you started talking, I was worried. I was afraid you still saw yourself as someone unwanted, as someone without value. But I guess I was overthinking it."
Mahiru playfully rolled her eyes. "Do I seem that stubborn to you?"
Akifumi chuckled. "With your personality, I wouldn't put it past you to get stuck in that kind of mindset."
He smiled wryly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have done so many reckless things."
"To think that parents as horrible as yours managed to have a daughter as angelic as you..."
"Maybe they ignored you not because they didn't care, but because they felt unworthy of you?"
Mahiru giggled. "I'm nowhere near as great as you make me out to be. I'm not an angel or anything like that."
"I'm just a girl who happens to look a little better than average, but compared to people with loving families, I'm nothing special."
Akifumi smirked. "You do realize that just being pretty is enough to make a lot of girls jealous of you, right?"
Mahiru blushed slightly but held his gaze.
"Mugiho-kun, do you think I'm pretty?"
Akifumi shrugged. "Unless someone's blind, I don't think anyone could deny that."
Mahiru's expression softened. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. As long as you like me, that's all that matters."
Her words were so earnest that Akifumi couldn't help but tease her.
"You really are sneaky, Mahiru."
"Eh?"
"You always say things that make me want to tease you."
Mahiru looked away, her cheeks turning even redder.
"But you said you just wanted me to know your feelings. Do you really think a guy can just stay indifferent after hearing something like that?"
"Mahiru..."
"N-No! Stop!" She cut him off before he could say anything else.
"You're incredibly important to me, Mugiho-kun, but Eriri is also my dear friend!"
Her voice trembled, and tears threatened to spill again.
"Asking you to choose that's something I just can't do.."
"I absolutely, absolutely can't.."
Akifumi gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You don't have to."
"Eh?"
"I don't have to choose."
Before she could react, Akifumi pulled her into his arms, tossing aside the gift he had bought.
"Ah!"
The sudden embrace made Mahiru's mind go blank.
Even through the thick layers of their winter coats, their heartbeats pounded against each other.
The world around them faded as passersby cast them warm, envious glances.
"I'm greedy, you know."
"I won't let go of either you or Eriri."
Even though she knew she shouldn't, Mahiru's heart pounded at the sound of his deep, sincere voicewords meant just for her.
She whispered, almost like a complaint, "How... could you say something like that?"
Akifumi smiled. "Just like you can't lie to yourself, neither can I."
He had already accepted his fate as the villain in this story, and at this moment, he had no hesitation whatsoever.
"I can't choose between Mahiru and Eriri. I just can't."
"Then, you have to confront your own feelings"
"So, Mahiru... what do you think?" Akifumi loosened his embrace slightly, holding Mahiru by the shoulders and looking straight into her eyes.
Mahiru averted her gaze. "What if... I say no?"
Akifumi's lips curled into a smile.
"Why are you smiling, Mugiho-kun?" Mahiru asked, puzzled.
"Because that's the most natural answer."
"Then you..." Mahiru looked even more confused.
Akifumi spoke with conviction, "Because from the very start, I wasn't asking for your permission. No matter what you saywhether you scold me or even hate meI have no intention of giving up!"
Faced with his burning gaze, Mahiru couldn't help but look away. She whispered, "I just realized... compared to me, you're much more cunning, Mugiho-kun."
"There's no way I could hate you now.." she added.
After all, you're the one who made me understandthere's someone in this world who truly needs me.
Sometimes, reason alone isn't enough to dictate our actions.
At that moment, emotions took over, and what happened next was the most natural expression of intimacy.
A while later.
Mahiru lowered her head, her face flushed with a deep red.
Guilt welled up inside her for betraying Eriri, yet, at the same time, she couldn't deny the thrill of it.
"Mahiru."
"Mm?"
"Mashiro still have a lot of snacks at home, right?"
"Yeah, plenty. Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"Even if we go to the someplace tonight and don't come home, Mashiro should be fine alone, right?"
"Eh?!"
Mahiru let out a small yelp, her already flushed cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red. Her head felt light, dizzy from his words.
"Do you not want to?"
'Do I not want to?' Mahiru took a moment to truly examine the emotions swirling within her.
Instead of resistance or fear, she felt something elseanticipation.
"Mashiro being alone at home... that's not okay, right?"
"A fledgling has to leave the nest eventually. We need to trust in Mashiro's growth!"
"..." Mahiru bit her lip gently, her watery eyes flickering as if they could shatter at any moment.
Finally, she gave a small nod.
........
Akifumi Mugiho and Shiina Mahiru stood awkwardly in front of the love hotel, its neon lights casting a soft glow on their faces. This was their first time stepping into such a place together.
Mahiru fiddled with the strap of her bag, her cheeks flushed, while Akifumi scratched the back of his neck, trying to appear nonchalant.
