Amane had started working part-time, but that didn’t mean he spent every one of his days off with Mahiru. Mahiru had her own life. Sometimes, she wanted to be alone or spend time with other people. Recently, Mahiru had been up to something she was hiding from Amane, so there was also that to account for, and after school, on the days he was off work, Amane did things like relax at home until dinner or go out with Itsuki and the others. “Are you sure it’s okay for you to be hanging out with us, mister newlywed? Won’t your bride get sulky?” At Itsuki’s invitation, they had taken Yuuta along as well, and the three boys had gone to sample the new products at a coffee chain, but they’d gotten takeout and had just started drinking the coffee in a park near the station when Itsuki brought that up. Incidentally, he had half-jokingly suggested they go to Amane’s café, and Amane had firmly vetoed that idea. “Who are you calling a newlywed? Anyway, this is my personal time, so there’s no issue with me hanging out, right? It would be one thing if I were out with other girls, but with friends of the same sex, it’s just a simple hangout.” “Aw, I’m nothing but a simple hangout to you…?!” “What are you saying? You’re the one who invited me… And anyway, we’ve never had the relationship for the fooling around you’re implying, and we never will.” Itsuki wriggled his body around as he spoke in a way that deliberately sounded like someone who had been cheated on. When Amane looked at him with unamused eyes, Itsuki immediately returned to normal and, for some reason, started nodding with a knowing look. “There’s simply no way I could wedge my way in when you two are so madly in love, I guess.” “You’ve got Chitose anyway, and I don’t need you.” “Meanie!” “Well, that’s because you meddle whenever you’re around, Itsuki,” Yuuta said coldly. “Aren’t you being too harsh, too, Yuuta?” Yuuta nonchalantly dismissed Itsuki’s words with feigned ignorance as he drank his frozen coffee, which had been newly offered for sale as a limited-time item. It was a little more than a week into November, and the weather made it feel wintry. Amane was impressed Yuuta could drink something so cold outside when the season had already gotten colder. He sipped the hot matcha latte he had ordered. Itsuki seemed to have guessed he had no one on his side. After putting on an act for a long ten seconds, during which he pretended to weep bitterly with even more forced gestures than before, he took a hearty swig of his limited-edition sweet potato latte as if nothing had even happened. “Well, let’s drop it. I’m glad you’re hanging out with us, but aren’t you tired?” “If I’m tired from doing this much, then I’d think someone like you would be completely exhausted all the time, Kadowaki.” “Hmm, club activities are now really strict about making us take enough breaks, and it’s not like I have the emotional stress of dealing with customers. Plus, I run track because I like it. Don’t you feel any stress from your job, Fujimiya?” “Not particularly, no. It’s not like I have any special liking for customer service, but most of our customers are older folks, and they’re pretty calm. Plus, the senior workers there are all nice and thorough about teaching me things, so sometimes I get stressed about keeping up, but not about the environment.” Not even a month had passed since Amane had started his job, but from the bottom of his heart, he was glad he had gotten an introduction from Ayaka. Experience in customer service work would probably be valuable in the future, and he was grateful his coworkers all had good personalities. Since he thought, if he was being honest, that whether a job went well was half determined by one’s coworkers, he was humbly glad he’d gotten an introduction to a workplace with such reasonable people. Vowing to do something later to thank Ayaka, he swirled his paper cup around in a circle and shrugged. “I think it’s a great workplace, better than I deserve.” “Glad to hear it. I know sometimes the work environment can make things even harder than the work itself, and I hate places that treat you like you’re disposable.” “I would quit immediately if I was working in a place like that, as you can imagine. Since it’s only a part-time job, I’ve got the privilege of being choosy. My mind and body are more important than any job, and a workplace like that is probably something Mahiru would hate, too.” “She sure does love you, huh?” “…I don’t think that has anything to do with what we’re talking about, though.” Though Amane responded to Yuuta’s comment with an incredulous look, Yuuta just put on a cheerful smile, and Amane turned away, uneasy. “On that subject, you’re working at a café, right?” “Yeah, though, if I had to say, it’s aimed toward rich people. All our food and drinks are really good, and they seem to be priced accordingly.” People were quite particular about the origins, roasting conditions, blends, and other features of their coffee, and the coffee at his café perfectly embodied that fixation. Of course, coffee was not their only point of pride. There weren’t many other items on the menu, but they were all of the highest quality. Their customers seemed to regard the café as a real hidden gem. Amane sometimes wondered what kind of person Fumika was. There were sides to her even her niece Ayaka hadn’t really seen, and the more he heard, the less he understood her. “By the way, does anyone ever try to hit on you, Amane? I’ve heard it happens a lot.” “What kind of image of cafés do you have in your head…? I’ve never been hit on. I get complimented by quiet older ladies who say I’m cute, but that’s probably because they find my clumsiness endearing or look at me like they’re looking at their grandsons.” There were quite a lot of older ladies and gentlemen who were lukewarm toward the inexperienced new employee or who watched over him with a gentle smile. Though he had yet to make any major blunders, he had made quite a few minor mistakes, but all his customers had let them go amicably. From Amane’s perspective, he felt so grateful and indebted that he almost felt guilty. And so, there were many elderly patrons with money to spare, and at the moment, very few young people were coming into the café, so there hadn’t been many instances of someone getting hit on. To begin with, there were staff members who were much more good-natured and good-looking than Amane, so even if someone was looking for a person to hit on, they were likely to go for them instead. The best Amane got was women the age of his grandmother telling him casually that they’d like to introduce him to their granddaughters. Of course, he had a girlfriend, so he always politely declined. “You know, Fujimiya, you seem like you’d be popular with the older ladies. You’ve got a gentle demeanor to begin with, and you’re always polite as well.” “It’s not like I’m allowed to be sloppy when I’m serving customers, can I…? Well, I think it might just be that someone quiet and plain like me is easier to speak to for our clientele. They talk to me all the time.” “Doesn’t that mean you’re popular?” “As a conversation partner, sure. And that’s got nothing to do with whether they’re a man or a woman or how old they are. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, so there’s a lot of opportunities for the staff to chat with the customers when we’re not busy.” The café didn’t have the same kind of vibe as the coffee chains that popped up everywhere. It was a calm space with a peaceful atmosphere. They had lots of regulars, who were all calm, well-established people, and because of that, the café had developed a relaxed ambience, and it was a place where one could enjoy a conversation. “It’s fun to imagine Amane being so popular with those well-to-do ladies, huh?” “Listen, you…it’s not like that, okay? Even thinking that is rude to those ladies. Quit it with your weird fantasies.” “I can actually picture it pretty easily, which is a little scary.” “Not you, too, Kadowaki…” Amane gave Yuuta an exasperated look when he started to join in. Still, Yuuta was making a more serious face than he’d expected, so he asserted decisively, “There’s none of that.” In the first place, he had a girlfriend he loved and had promised his future to, so there was no way another girl would sway him. He was sure they weren’t even looking at him. And those other girls probably didn’t want Amane getting the wrong idea about their intentions. Honestly… Amane sighed, and Itsuki just shrugged, then glanced at his wristwatch. “Mm, well, I guess it’s about time,” he said. “Time for what?” “To consider how long we get to borrow you for?” “Oh, come on…” Certainly, Amane belonged to Mahiru, but Mahiru wasn’t the type to monopolize him, and he figured she probably wouldn’t get jealous of his friends of the same sex, so he was stunned. But Kadowaki also agreed. “Ah, yeah, you’re right. It may not even be five o’clock yet, but the sun is going down earlier, and it’s getting colder, so should we call it soon? Either way, I’m sure you’ve got lots to do once you get home.” “Sure, I guess…” “Well then, let’s call it a day. It’s cold.” Itsuki, who had quickly decided they should break it up, turned toward the entrance to the park like he wanted to leave but then seemed to rethink that and turned around to face Amane. “Hey, Amane?” “What is it?” “When I see you tomorrow, there’s gonna be all kinds of things I wanna ask you about,” he said with a satisfied grin, “so be ready!” Amane was taken aback. He didn’t understand what Itsuki was talking about. Yuuta also looked at him with a strained smile. “That goes for me, too. See you tomorrow, yeah?” Then he took off as well. Feeling vaguely like he had been abandoned, Amane mulled over what had just happened. He had some complicated feelings as he headed for home. Once he got home, Mahiru greeted him like she always did. What was different from usual was the smile Mahiru had on her face when she came to greet him. There was a bright, twinkling sparkle in her eyes, and her smile was soft and gentle. Her faintly flushed cheeks indicated her good humor. “Welcome home, Amane.” “I’m back. You’re in a good mood, huh?” He was glad Mahiru was in good spirits, but he had no idea why. Mahiru usually came out to greet him with a smile when he got home, but she didn’t usually seem as cheerful as she did that day. Since he didn’t know the reason, all he could do was wonder. But whether or not Mahiru noticed Amane’s bewilderment, her smile intensified. “…From how you’re acting, I guess you didn’t sense anything all day long, huh?” “Sense what?” “I really have to wonder about you, if you didn’t remember what day today is, but…today is your birthday, Amane!” In response to her slightly exasperated voice, Amane let an involuntary “Ah!” slip out. “Oh, Amane! …Happy birthday.” “…I completely forgot. Since it’s my own birthday, it doesn’t matter to me.” It was strange to think Amane had only realized it after Mahiru had said something, but it had totally slipped his mind. He had completely forgotten. The previous year, Mahiru hadn’t heard about his birthday, and for the past few weeks, his new part-time job had been taking up all his spare brain power. Plus, his attention had been divided among so many things, from his daily weight lifting and jogging to homework and studying for school. His birthday had been the last thing on his mind. And anyway, Amane never considered birthdays to be much of a milestone and had always figured it was okay not to bother celebrating his own. That was probably also another reason he’d forgotten. While living at home, his parents had always celebrated his birthday, but since he’d started to live on his own, he hadn’t even given birthdays any thought, and that’s how he had come to this point. “It does so matter! To me! I’m grateful for the day you were born. If you didn’t exist, I would never have been able to trust or love other people.” Smiling wryly about the fact that Amane had completely forgotten, Mahiru gently took him by the hand. “It’s thanks to you, Amane, that I was able to learn love is something that really exists. And happiness, which I can now feel from the bottom of my heart. I’m extremely grateful you came into this world, Amane.” When she looked at him, Mahiru’s eyes were filled with an incredibly warm, soft light, different from when he had first met her. The hand she had intertwined with his was warm. As if Mahiru’s passion for Amane was emanating from her hands, she was transmitting a gentle but pleasant warmth to him. “Thank you very much for being born and for meeting me.” He could tell his cheeks were growing warm as she expressed her feelings of true happiness. He was surprised at how much her gratitude and appreciation warmed his heart. It wasn’t unpleasant, this gentle floating feeling that was different still from getting carried away by the heat of passion. It was a feeling he’d known for the first time after meeting Mahiru. Amane knew he was lucky someone thought so much of him. “…That’s my line. Thank you for always thinking about me and appreciating me.” He didn’t know how he should communicate this passion and deep emotion to her, so he voiced his gratitude in a slightly clumsy way, and Mahiru smiled. “It’s not much, but I prepared a little treat for you today, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, before dinner…there are a couple things I need to apologize for.” “Hmm?” Things you need to apologize for? Amane cocked his head, and Mahiru cast her eyes downward, looking a little uneasy. “Well, I believe you noticed I was doing something in secret. I’m sorry for making you worry.” Apparently, the suspicious way Mahiru had been acting up until then had been for the sake of this day. “Ah, so that’s… Well, I understand now that I see what’s going on. I didn’t think you were doing anything terrible to me, so I was worried maybe I had done something, but—” “I don’t think you would ever do anything bad to me, though. It’s just that I’m not very good at keeping secrets, so I made you worry, that’s all… I’m sorry for hiding something from you, Amane.” Since it was an adorable secret, and since she had been doing something for him, there was no way he would hold it against her. “I’m really not that worried about it… What’s the other thing?” “It’s…because I was secretly preparing something for your birthday. It seems everyone decided not to say anything today to keep it a surprise. Really, everyone should have celebrated with you at school today. But my thing got in the way of all the good wishes you should have received today…” “Ah, so that’s why…?” He assumed Itsuki, Chitose, and others also knew it was his birthday. Since they were all very considerate people, they were the type to celebrate a friend’s birthday, so the fact that they hadn’t said anything had made it easy for Amane to forget it was even his birthday. But they hadn’t said anything precisely because Mahiru had had a plan. In fact, the guys had probably invited him to hang out that day after school to delay him. Though he grumbled quietly, “I can’t believe those guys,” he wasn’t actually that surprised. As he worried over what was to be done with Mahiru, who was looking so apologetic, he gently patted her head while she was still looking down. “Hmm, honestly speaking, I’m not very particular about celebrating on the exact day, the place, or whether anyone says happy birthday to me. I mean, the birthday boy himself was so busy he forgot all about it, so it wasn’t like we had to celebrate today, right? And it seems like everybody was thinking about me in their own way.” “But—” “I’m just guessing, but I imagine those guys were thinking what would make me happiest was whatever surprise you had thought up for me, and that’s why they conspired together to keep it hidden.” By supporting Mahiru, they had celebrated Amane in their own way. Amane didn’t especially care that he hadn’t gotten any words of congratulations for his birthday. He was fairly confident his friends appreciated him. “I can tell I’m blessed with thoughtful friends, so that’s enough to make me feel plenty loved. It’s not like they have to congratulate me directly or it doesn’t count or anything. I don’t measure our friendship by whether or not they said something to me.” He didn’t remember becoming the kind of person who judged his relationships by words and gifts, and his friendships weren’t built on such flimsy foundations. Just his friends’ sentiments were enough. And yet Mahiru seemed faintly disheartened. With a strained smile, Amane gently stroked her head and peered softly into her face. “Besides, you know, it sounds like I’m going to get mobbed tomorrow… For today, you can have me all to yourself. They’re going to ask me tomorrow, so make it something I can brag about, okay?” “…Okay.” He said that last thing with a laugh, making a joke, and Mahiru also smiled, seemingly in spite of herself, burying her head in Amane’s chest. “…This is really extravagant!” Looking at the items that were laid out on the table, Amane couldn’t hide his feelings. The many dishes there for his birthday meal were clearly a collection of Amane’s favorite foods. Ordinarily, Mahiru considered the nutritional balance when planning their meals, but today was different. Amane especially loved eggs, and she had obviously tried to appeal to his tastes because there were several egg dishes on offer. No matter how much he liked them or how nutritious they were, it wasn’t good to eat too much of the same thing, so he tried to limit the number of eggs he ate in a single day, but the restrictions had apparently been lifted just for today. One thing that stood out on the dining table was a dish Mahiru rarely made since it took a lot of time and effort and couldn’t be eaten until the day after. It was the hard-baked type of omurice with beef stew on top. Besides that, there was savory egg custard, potato salad with plenty of boiled egg in it, eggs simmered in tofu pouches, and more. The volume of food was normal for a high school boy’s dinner, but there were many different kinds of dishes. The fact that there were basically no vegetables was less because Amane hated vegetables and more because he liked eggs too much. “I put together a lot of little dishes of your favorite foods, Amane, without taking into account the types of cooking or the nutritional balance. It’s okay if you don’t have a balanced diet for one day.” In an elegant, playful voice, Mahiru said they could just eat some extra vegetables the next day. Perhaps because she could sense Amane’s happiness, her cheeks were faintly flushed with joy. “By the way, I’ll make you your rolled omelets tomorrow morning, okay? As you can see, there was already a lot of food, and I think those taste better in the morning anyway. I’ll prepare the miso-pickled grilled salmon that you like with them. Are you happy with tofu and daikon pieces in your miso soup?” “A feast first thing in the morning… This spread is incredible, too, but…” “Heh-heh. For now, please eat up before it gets cold. Today, I made the beef stew with very tender meat.” “Whoo-hoo! Omurice with beef stew poured over it is the right way to do it.” It was his personal favorite, but they almost never had it because of the work it required. Amane wanted to shout for joy but kept that urge firmly in check and pressed his hands together in appreciation. He didn’t forget to give thanks for the food, and as soon as he was finished, he brought a spoonful of the beef stew omurice to his mouth, and a smile naturally spread across his face. The beef was soft enough that he could easily cut through it with his spoon, and even after it was in his mouth, it didn’t have a dry texture. It was incredibly delicious. He could tell immediately when he started chewing that she had used good meat. Nodding to himself as he keenly enjoyed the combination of the properly seasoned stew and the omurice, Amane reached for the other dishes, trying not to grab too quickly or be rude. Mahiru watched him with a smile as she ate her own food gracefully. “…Something wrong?” “No. You always eat your food like it’s delicious, Amane. As the cook, I feel appreciated.” “That’s because it is delicious. It’s no exaggeration to say your cooking is the best.” “I’m glad you think my cooking is the best, Amane. Though I won’t start slacking off just because you said so.” Smiling wryly at Mahiru, who was being stubbornly stoic, Amane eagerly shoveled food into his mouth. All the plates were cleared in no time. There had been quite a lot of variety, but there hadn’t been too much food, so Amane, whose appetite was bigger now that he was working, had been able to devour everything. Mahiru flashed a satisfied smile at Amane, who had eaten every last bite, then slowly stood up from her chair and set the dishes in the sink. He thought about helping, but the moment he started to stand, she told him in a kind but firm voice, “The birthday boy gets to relax,” so Amane dejectedly took his seat. Once all the dishes lined up on the table had disappeared, Mahiru turned back to Amane again and put on another smile. “There’s dessert, too, after dinner. I really hope you like it.” “…Would that be the dessert you were secretly practicing making?” Now that they had made it this far, he finally knew what Mahiru had been hiding. Occasionally, after Amane came home from work, a sweet smell had come wafting over. She must have been making a cake for Amane. “Yes. As you can imagine, I didn’t want to show it to you until I was happy with it, so…after many rounds of practice, I made one with a flavor I think you will like.” He also worked out that’s why she had been worried about gaining weight. She had probably been tasting her many experiments. It depended on exactly what they were, but sweets were, of course, high in calories, so if she had been trying them all, she may well have gotten concerned. Also, Mahiru hated wasting food, so she wouldn’t have let anything go to waste. “I would have been happy with anything you made, Mahiru… Sorry, that was rude. I love that you put in so much effort, but I hope you didn’t overdo it.” “I didn’t… Though I did do some extra exercises afterward.” “And I’m sure that’s why your figure didn’t change. It’s just like you, Mahiru, to take care of yourself like that.” “Well, I don’t seem to have gotten any wider, so I think I’m safe. All right, I’ll bring it out now, okay?” Mahiru said. She brought over a plate from the refrigerator with what appeared to be a handmade chocolate cake sitting on it. She placed it on the table with a small, slight noise. It was already cut into easy-to-eat slices, and Mahiru quietly distributed them onto smaller plates. Looking more closely at the cake, it seemed to be something like a gâteau au chocolat. It might have been closer to a chocolate ganache. From what he could see, he got the impression the texture was smooth and heavy. Mahiru had garnished it after baking it with fresh cream and mint sprigs, but still, the impression it gave was truly simple. “I made gâteau au chocolat. You don’t like sweet things much, and I thought maybe you would prefer something easy to eat that paired well with something to drink. I chose milk, thinking about the strong flavor of the cake, so if you would have them together, I would be happy.” “The best way to eat something is to follow the chef’s recommendation. Thank you for making this—I’ll dig right in.” He could say that with confidence. He was sure it would be a good pairing since Mahiru had meticulously made everything. Without concern, Amane cut into his gâteau au chocolat with his fork while Mahiru watched. Just as his eyes had told him, the texture was extremely smooth and dense, so it felt stiff as he pushed his fork down. Even so, he was able to cut it easily. Amane cut off a bite-size piece and slowly brought it to his mouth. The first thing that happened was that a rich chocolate flavor spread through his mouth. It seemed less like a gâteau au chocolat and closer to a chocolate ganache. It was smooth and almost sticky. It was still different from chocolate ganache and had a silky smoothness that melted away and dissolved in his mouth. The exquisite flavor complemented the firmness of the texture. It wasn’t overly sweet, but he could taste the richness of the chocolate. It was obvious she had adjusted the recipe to highlight the quality of the chocolate. “…This is crazy good!” He didn’t need to exaggerate as he let his true feelings spill out, and Mahiru let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “As long as it suits your tastes, I’m glad. I was aiming for just the right flavor and texture.” “It’s super good. It’s amazing you can make something like this.” “Heh-heh, it’s a real blessing to get a reaction like that. It was worth all the effort.” Mahiru smiled with a laugh like the ringing of a bell. As she watched Amane eating his gâteau au chocolat with gusto, her smile became a little impish. “By the way, can you tell what the secret ingredient is?” she asked. Amane closed his eyes and focused on the taste buds on his tongue. Sure enough, behind the deep sweetness of the cake, there was something aromatic and bitter, different from the chocolate, that lingered on the back of his tongue. It was the aroma of something Amane had recently gotten used to smelling at work. “Mm…it’s coffee, but…hmm? This…is from my café?” The subtle flavor and aroma resembled the coffee they served at his workplace. He had been half guessing, but Mahiru said, “That’s right!” and clapped her hands with a grin. “I’m surprised you could tell!” “Oh no, it was just a lucky guess. But you’ve been sneaking around with Kido, so I thought that might be it.” “You were really paying attention… Ah, I still haven’t been by the café to see how you’re doing, okay? As you guessed, I had Miss Kido help me. She bought the coffee beans for me from the café where you’re working. I even got the owner to make a blend that would bring out the richness and depth of the chocolate, so I really can’t thank her enough.” “So you even got Miss Itomaki in on it…? I thought she’d been smiling a lot whenever I saw her recently…” He would never have imagined even the café owner, Fumika, had been involved. He was a little worried about his next shift. He imagined it would be tough to deal with her. But the coffee from her café certainly was delicious. He’d heard that, as he might have expected, coffee was especially good when freshly ground. Amane had even considered buying a coffee mill so he could grind it and savor it at home, but he’d never thought about enjoying the coffee in this form. “Heh-heh. All I did was reach out to Miss Kido, but before I knew it, word had spread… She was happy to help. I’m just glad you didn’t notice, Amane.” “You’re really something…” He felt self-conscious in front of Mahiru, who evidently spared no effort for his sake. Amane didn’t want her to sense he was feeling embarrassed. But when he cut into his gâteau au chocolat again, Mahiru gently stopped his hand and deftly took Amane’s fork from him. When he looked up, he made eye contact with Mahiru, who was wearing a coquettish grin. “Since this is a special occasion, I think I should feed you myself.” “Ah, n-no, that’s—” “You don’t have to hold back.” She must have known Amane would be hesitant because she flashed him a smile to drive that hesitation away and gently put the gâteau au chocolat against his lips. Amane groaned but obediently ate the cake.
Chapter 166
25 min read