Chapter 194

Amane couldn’t hide his disappointment that a possible option had come up only to be so quickly dismissed. Chitose sighed. “It might backfire anyway, since she’s so beautiful even without makeup.” She continued, “Honestly, I think Mahiru would be happy with anything you gave her, Amane. Am I wrong?” “I’m confident she would treasure anything I gave her… That’s not really the point, though. She might be happy getting a gift from me, but it needs to be something she’d like even if it wasn’t from me. I want to give her something that will delight her. That’ll make her twice as happy, right?” Amane knew how much she loved him, so he could honestly say, without a trace of conceit, that Mahiru would treasure and be happy with just about anything he gave her. Yet that would make the gift’s primary value the fact that it was from Amane, which was a little different from her cherishing it because it was something she herself wanted. Amane knew Mahiru would appreciate any gift at all, but he wanted to give her something that she truly desired. “…His love for her is deeper than the ocean, huh?” “Like, Challenger Deep levels?” “That’s in the ocean, isn’t it? Anyway, don’t make fun of him.” “Oh, I guess it is. So sorry.” The two of them would take any opening to tease him, it seemed. He gave them both a reproachful look, then sighed deeply as he abandoned the possibility that he would be able to think of a good present on his own. “…Anyway, I’m counting on your advice. Like I said before, Mahiru doesn’t really want anything. She doesn’t ever mention that stuff, even to me.” “Yeah, I’ve never seen Mahiru going, ‘I want this’ or ‘I want that.’ She never says more than, like, ‘Oh, this is nice.’ Even then, it sounds less like she really wants the thing and more like it just left a good impression.” “Sounds about right. And if that’s all she says even when she’s out with another girl like you, Chitose, then it’s hopeless for me…and it’s not like I can probe her every thought just because I’m her boyfriend. Besides, Mahiru is…well, if she really wants to buy something…I mean, if there’s something she needs to buy, she immediately buys it herself.” Generally, Mahiru didn’t have many materialistic desires, and she was a frugal person, but at the same time, once she concluded that she needed something, she was decisive enough to purchase it more or less right away. While Mahiru’s keen perception allowed her to determine what she really needed, it also caused her boyfriend to struggle with presents. “Ah… Yeah, Mahiru doesn’t make unnecessary purchases, but when the right time to buy comes, she pounces right away.” “Miss Shiina seems to be pretty strict with herself about things like that, huh? Hmm, something that will make her happy… What about some kind of matching set?” “Oh, that might be a good idea. She shouldn’t feel anxious if it’s stuff you use around the house.” “…Well, someone already manipulated her into getting us matching pajamas, and we went to buy matching dishes and cutlery. Mahiru doesn’t really seem to like having a bunch of stuff dangling off a key ring, and I gave her some accessories for White Day, so…I guess what we really need is more storage space.” “Oh crap, I forgot you’re living together.” “We are not.” “Still?” “…No comment.” “Aww.” “Shut up.” “I didn’t say anything!” “Your face says it all. I don’t want to hear about it from you again.” “You’re the one making a point of it, Amane.” “And whose fault is that?” “Now, now…don’t go losing your temper.” For certain, the couple were the ones getting a rise out of Amane, but if the exchange went on any longer, things would get out of hand, and time would be wasted, so Amane swallowed his complaints and went back to ignoring Chitose, who was calmly plundering Itsuki’s cold french fries. “So no ideas as of now?” “If I could come up with ideas that easily, I wouldn’t be worrying. At times like these, Mahiru’s decisiveness and lack of interest in material things make things more difficult.” “A present, huh…? Your main goal is to give Miss Shiina something that will make her happy, right?” “Yeah.” “Does it have to be a physical object?” “…No, not necessarily.” At first, Amane wanted to give her something that would last a long time, which is why he came to his friends for advice. But the gift didn’t necessarily have to be something physical. “Well then, maybe an activity or a trip would work. If physical items aren’t so important, you can give her a memorable experience instead.” “…That could work.” His main objective was to give Mahiru a happy birthday, but maybe he had been too focused on the idea of a present as opposed to granting her wishes. The best course of action would likely be to decide after learning more about Mahiru’s feelings. If he were to give her a present, he wouldn’t want it to be something self-indulgent. “Which means I need to do some research on my darling Mahiru.” “Yes, please.” “Heh-heh, leave it to me, Amane! You sit right back and relax. You’re in good hands!” “Now, that worries me.” “Meanie!” “Sorry. Thank you.” “No problem.” Chitose looked smug. It must have pleased her that Amane had specifically asked for her help. “Hoh-hoh-hoh, you should turn to me more often!” she crowed. She was getting carried away already, but Amane let it go. When it came to dealing with those comments, Amane knew ignoring them would work best. As expected, Chitose stuck her lips out in a pout. More pressing was Itsuki, who spoke with a grin. “You can turn to me for help, too, you know.” He whispered the words more wistfully than usual, which caught Amane’s attention. “I have been turning to you, though.” “Ah, what he means is the job thing’s kinda been bothering him.” “Huh? ‘Job thing’—?” “I am still surprised about that, yeah.” It seemed Itsuki’s pensive expression was rooted in his dismay at Amane going to Ayaka instead of him to talk about work. Stabbed in the back by his closest ally, Itsuki shouted at Chitose shrilly, “How could you of all people turn on me, Chi?!” An opportunity to tease seemed to present itself to Chitose, and she turned to Itsuki with the same cheeky grin she usually directed toward Amane. “C’mon now, how can you say that? I’m the one who consoled you when you were sulking about it!” “Listen, Chi—” “This time, he came and talked to you before anyone else, just like you wanted, so cheer up.” “Hold on, who said I was in a bad mood?!” “Okay, well, are you in a good mood now?” “I’m being ribbed by both of you, so my mood is terrible!” he said and turned away sharply. Itsuki’s embarrassment seemed to be growing by the moment. Both Amane and Chitose saw that his ears were faintly red. They smiled, and Amane poked his friend’s forehead gently, while Chitose prodded his shoulder. “Do you understand how I feel now?” “Sniff… I’ll be a little bit more thoughtful from now on.” “Not just ‘a little.’ A lot, dummy!” “I hate it when you get mad.” “Same goes for you, Chitose.” “You big meanie, sniff. Itsukiii, Amane’s picking on meee!” “And you betrayed me today, so I don’t care.” “Huh?!” With the roles of betrayed and betrayer now flipped, Chitose stubbornly grabbed Itsuki’s shoulders, shaking him back and forth. Amane couldn’t resist laughing out loud.