Chapter 201

Once the finals were over, Amane’s attention turned to Mahiru’s birthday. He had managed to keep up with the preparations while juggling his part-time job and studying, and he had been able to complete his exams feeling like he had gotten everything ready. He was actually optimistic about pulling it off. Incidentally, the rest of the class was in an abysmal state. Anyone could tell that this round of exams had been hellish. Chitose was truly disheartened, enough to upset Mahiru, but Amane just hoped the results of the exams wouldn’t throw everyone into a panic. The weekend after their brutal exams was Mahiru’s birthday. The day before the weekend—in other words, the day before the big day—Amane was busier than ever. There was one thing he had to tell Mahiru to avoid any possibility of hurting her. Amane sat up and turned to face her as she sat beside him. Recently, Mahiru had been spending the quiet hours after dinner doing schoolwork, and Amane saw that she was, indeed, engrossed in her studies, in what had almost become a daily routine. Mahiru finished grading her own work and appeared to be considering her next mock test. She seemed totally unaware that the following day was her birthday and was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. “Mahiru?” he asked politely. “Yes?” When he called her name, she closed her test packet without any hesitation and looked up at him. Maybe she could sense that Amane was in a different mood than usual, because she also straightened up and faced him. But she didn’t seem to have guessed what he was going to say to her, so her whole body was giving off a curious, questioning aura. “Tomorrow, could I ask that you not come over to my apartment until I call you?” “Why…? Oh, I see. Got it.” Although she might not have been aware, she appeared to immediately understand from the way Amane was acting and quickly agreed. Her expression said something like Now that you mention it, I suppose that is happening. That didn’t mean she wasn’t looking forward to it—just that she hadn’t been thinking about her approaching birthday. It was a matter of Mahiru’s attention, so Amane couldn’t do anything about it, and he didn’t want to call attention to the issue, either. It seemed like he would be able to secure the time for the following day’s activities without any misunderstandings, which was a relief. Mahiru still looked as though this was all somebody else’s business as Amane gazed right into her eyes. “It’ll throw a wrench in our plans if you come over before everything’s ready. If you could wait until everything’s perfectly arranged, that would be great. I hope you understand.” “Heh-heh, I understand completely. Here you are, asking me right to my face.” “I told you from the beginning that I was preparing something. At this point, it’s not a surprise or anything, so I’m just asking you straight up. Give me some time, please.” Naturally, Amane had all sorts of things to do on the day of the celebration that would render him beyond busy, and if Mahiru came over, there would be no way he could prepare everything without her seeing. Besides, it was a given that he wanted to pay attention to Mahiru on her birthday. He was going to celebrate her after getting everything perfectly ready, and he wanted to make sure he put Mahiru first. This was his chance to give Mahiru her first birthday surprise and lift her spirits, so he wanted to be entirely devoted to Mahiru once everything was in place. Her eyes went wide—she must have seen how Amane was practically bursting with enthusiasm. She gently exhaled a puff of air and put on an amused smile. “So tomorrow, I just have to spend the day excitedly waiting for your call, right?” “I don’t know whether I’ll live up to your expectations, but I do intend to celebrate you in my own way.” “Honestly, just being celebrated by you at all is more than enough to satisfy me.” “I know that already, but…” When it came to Mahiru’s feelings toward him, Amane understood better than anyone. He knew she was happy just having him by her side. While that was important, her birthday was only once a year, which meant Amane truly, deeply wanted to give her a day that would elate her. “Still, I want you to be delighted, so let me give it my all.” “…I’m expecting great things, okay?” “I’ll do my best.” Having Mahiru believe in him with all her heart naturally made Amane ecstatic, but aside from that happiness, anxiety over whether he would be able to meet her expectations slowly began to creep up on him. “I can see your confidence waning. That’s just like you, Amane.” “Having no confidence is my default.” “And here I thought the current Amane left that behind. Haven’t you learned to believe in yourself?” “I can never be too careful when it comes to doing things for you, Mahiru.” For the past month, he had been focused on the preparations for Mahiru’s birthday, but he didn’t know whether she would be happy with what he had done. He wanted to communicate that his desire to make her happy and his desire to reveal the product of his hard work were honest and unwavering. He didn’t want his lack of confidence to undercut her expectations. Not to mention, he had thrown caution to the wind when planning one particular thing, which was only intensifying his worry. “…I’m going to try my best to make you happy, so—” “So?” “Could I charge myself up one time?” He was extremely enthusiastic, but he would only be able to see Mahiru after everything was in place. He would need lots of energy at the start and would only be able to replenish it after the day was over, so when he asked for her permission to cling to her and charge up, Mahiru blinked adorably and smiled, amused. “You don’t have to get my permission; you can do what you like.” “Well, it’s just, this time, I’m really thinking of getting my fill.” “How prudent… All right, charge away, please. But in exchange…” “In exchange?” “Can I get my turn tomorrow?” Mahiru slowly reached around the back of Amane’s head and pulled him close, and of course he let her. Amane did as Mahiru was inviting him to and buried his face in her collar. Tomorrow, I’ll start first thing by finishing everything in the kitchen, then I’ll get the room ready, and email again to confirm the schedule for the day. The success of the day depended on Amane’s efforts and Mahiru’s reactions. Vowing in his heart that he would do his very best to get everything ready tomorrow, Amane rubbed his cheek against Mahiru, who smelled sweet, and closed his eyes to store just a little bit of energy. It was one of the top three busiest days Amane had ever experienced. Standing in the kitchen first thing in the morning, he brandished all the skills he had cultivated so far. Then in the afternoon, he called in reinforcements to decorate the room and held a briefing session ahead of time about the biggest surprise. Whenever he got a chance to breathe, he contacted Mahiru so that she wouldn’t get lonely as he continued his preparations. He was juggling all sorts of different things at once, and he started to feel a little deflated. But compared to all the things Mahiru usually did, this was nothing, so he kept up the hard work, while silently marveling at Mahiru, who seemed to be able to get anything done by multitasking. Amane spent the whole day rushing around, until the sun had set. When his preparations were finally complete, and he was satisfied with the state of things, he looked at the clock and saw it was nearly their usual dinnertime. The sky outside was already well past a deep crimson color and was now a dark purple that bled into an indigo blue. Amane had thought about what he would do if he didn’t finish in time, but he was deeply relieved he had finished getting everything ready, even if it was down to the wire. He rang the chime by the door to call Mahiru, who had been waiting next door for him to summon her. It did not take long for Mahiru to open the door after he paged her, so it was probably safe to assume she was fully prepared, too, in her own way. When Amane glanced into her apartment through the gap of the door, he could see she had decorated the top of her shoe cupboard with a vase and flowers, and he felt one of his worries shift into relief. “I-I’ve been waiting for you,” she said awkwardly. In spite of himself, Amane smiled at the way Mahiru fumbled over her words as she rushed out the door. She seemed to notice him grinning at her, and she flushed slightly as her eyes wandered around uncomfortably. “…P-pretend you didn’t see that, please.” “Why?” “W-well, I mean, um, it’s embarrassing, isn’t it? That I’ve been looking forward to this so much?” “You have high expectations, right? Nothing could make me happier.” If he’d been conceited about this party, it would have been a shock and a source of embarrassment for both of them, but Mahiru had just been happily waiting in eager anticipation, which was extremely satisfying. Although he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to meet his girlfriend’s expectations, after she had waited eagerly at home for him to call, full of so much excitement, Amane was confident he hadn’t cut any corners. All that was left to do was reveal the results of his hard work to Mahiru. Mahiru also seemed to have worked hard to prepare herself, and when he arrived at her apartment, she was wearing an adorable, stylish outfit. He took her hand and asked, “Are you ready?” Mahiru’s ticklish smile reached her eyes as she quietly answered, “Yes.” The only thing she had with her was a little pochette, and when he took her hand and they went back to his apartment, she must have realized that all the lights were out except for the one over the entryway. Mahiru blinked once, dramatically. “…Huh? It’s pitch-black.” “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if you could see, would it? Although there were doors dividing the hallway from the living and dining room, the panes were fitted with glass, so it was possible to see inside from the entryway. Amane had worked so hard to plan and execute everything while keeping it all hidden from Mahiru, and there was no way he was going to cut corners on the final touches. To provide her with a real surprise, he needed a dramatic reveal. “And so I think it would be best if we obscure your vision completely, Mahiru. You might be scared of the dark, but I’m right here. Relax and lean on me, won’t you?” “Heh-heh, if that’s what I need to do. I trust you completely, Amane.” Her ready agreement was proof of that trust. Without any hesitation, Mahiru closed her eyes. She didn’t even wait for Amane to cover her eyes with his hand. Amane grumbled to himself that she was a bit too trusting and ought to be a little more wary. Then he put his arms around Mahiru’s back and behind her knees and lifted her. She was as light as ever, and he thought he really ought to try to get her to eat a little more as he used his unoccupied hand to open the living room door and turn on the lights. Mahiru kept her eyes closed, and she didn’t seem like she was going to open them until Amane told her it was okay. Relieved by her obedience, he headed toward the sofa, which he had prepared as her birthday seat, and ever so courteously lowered her body onto the cushions, taking care not to injure her. Mahiru seemed to be able to tell where she was just from the distance they had walked and the feeling of where she was sitting, because she straightened up in a familiar way. “Ah, don’t open your eyes yet. I want you to sit still. Wait just a little longer. Can you promise me that?” “Heh-heh, don’t treat me like a child, please. I understand you want your big reveal to be spectacular. I can wait and look forward to it for a little bit longer.” “Sorry, sorry. I’m glad I have such an understanding girlfriend.” He did wonder how she was so accommodating and knew exactly what he wanted her to do, but it was also just like Mahiru to be so sensible and clever. Amane stood up, smiling wryly, and in one last bit of preparation, he glanced at the paper bag containing Mahiru’s present that he had placed beside the sofa, making sure he hadn’t missed anything. When he was certain everything was in order, Amane gently said, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Right on cue, Mahiru slowly and deliberately opened her eyes. It seemed like her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, because she squinted at the sudden brightness and took her time opening them. Amane wondered what she thought as she gazed upon the scenery for the first time. “…This—” Her quiet voice trembled slightly. Amane didn’t need to ask what she was referring to; he could tell from the direction of her gaze and the sparkle in her eyes. “I got help with the decorations from Itsuki and Chitose, as well as Kadowaki and Kido. I mean, you said you were fine with them knowing about your birthday, right? I couldn’t have decorated this nicely all by myself, so I asked them for a little help. They all have much better sense than I do when it comes to decor. I was super grateful. What do you think—isn’t it cute?” “It’s so cute… This is incredible.” “I asked them to go all out and make it fitting for a birthday, and this is what they did.” The few friends Mahiru trusted had helped transform Amane’s living room over the course of the day, adorning it in birthday finery. The theme: birthdays they treasured from childhood. The walls were lively, covered in countless bunches of balloons and paper flowers in matching colors. On top of that, there were string lights stuck to the wall, shaped to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY in big letters. It was all staged to look very bright and beautiful. There were glass crystal ornaments hanging from the ceiling, reflecting the light as they swung in the breeze from the heating unit, gently brightening the room with their twinkling. On the sofa where Mahiru was sitting, the stuffed animals she liked so much were adorably decked out in ribbons. They’d been positioned there, waiting for the star of the day to arrive. Although Amane had worried that decorating the room so much would make it gaudy and incoherent, they had unified the decorations under one pale, warm color scheme, so it wasn’t garish. Thanks to the placement of the decorations and the choice of colors, the design created a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Even Amane, who was usually quite composed, had let out a little noise of astonishment when he had seen the room only half-decorated earlier, so he knew it must have been quite a surprise for Mahiru. Her eyes were open wide, sparkling brilliantly as they reflected the room. Watching her, Amane found his cheeks softening with the joy of having elicited the reaction he had hoped for. However, he still had a lot more prepared for the day, and he didn’t want her to think this was the end of it. “And here is your birthday bouquet. I asked Itsuki to do the arrangement.” Mahiru seemed mesmerized as she looked around the room and saw that it had been completely transformed to suit her tastes. She looked even more bewildered when Amane snuck up and suddenly presented her with the flowers. He had been aiming to make Mahiru’s birthday as happy as possible, so naturally, he had gotten her a bouquet packed with her favorite flowers and colors. Although he had known to some extent which ones she liked, Chitose and Ayaka helped pick out the ones that matched her tastes. Thanks to their assistance, he had been able to prepare a birthday bouquet that was just about perfect for her, so he was truly grateful to them. “…Don’t tell me—Chitose and Ayaka?”