water.

Perhaps Mahiru had done that intentionally because she’d thought

it’d be easier on Amane’s stomach. She’d likely added the plums because of
their reputation as being good for fighting colds.
The dish wasn’t steaming, but it gave off a faint warmth. Amane
guessed that Mahiru hadn’t brought it straight from the stove but had
instead made sure to let it to cool down first.
Ignoring Amane as he stared at the porridge, Mahiru ladled some into a
smaller bowl with a clearly practiced hand. She had broken the pickled fruit
up a bit for him and had apparently even neatly removed the pits. The red of
the plums and the white of the rice mixed easily.
“Here you go. It shouldn’t be too hot.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Mahiru gave Amane a puzzled look as he received the bowl, but then he
merely stared at the porridge while his spoon hovered over it.
“…What is it; you want me to feed you? Sorry, but that’s not on the
menu,” Mahiru asserted.
“Nobody asked for that, okay? It’s just… So I guess you can cook, too,
huh?” Amane asked.
“I live alone, so of course I can.” The girl’s words stung, a heavy
reminder of Amane’s own domestic failures. “But before you learn to cook,
you should learn to clean up your room, Fujimiya.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Mahiru had quickly and thoroughly put him in his place. Amane
grumbled quietly and scooped up some of the porridge, stuffing the spoon
into his mouth in a bid to end the conversation.
The flavor of the lightly salted rice spread across his tongue as he ate the
porridge. The mellow sourness of the pickled plums pulled it all together. It
was truly a dish with a perfect balance of flavors.
Amane didn’t like pickled plums that were too salty, but these had a
milder taste and a bit of sweetness. They were actually a favorite of his.
Often, he liked to top green tea rice with pickled plums.
“It’s good.”
“Thanks for saying so. Though, really, once you’ve tasted one rice
porridge, I think you’ve probably tasted them all.” Mahiru’s answer
appeared indifferent, save for the very slightest beginnings of a smile.
Without meaning to, Amane found himself staring at the beautiful girl’s
relieved expression. Something about it seemed quite different from the
more outgoing smile he occasionally caught her wearing at school.
“…Fujimiya?” Mahiru asked.
“Sorry, it’s nothing,” he answered.
Amane thought it a shame that such a beautiful smile had been so
fleeting, though he kept the musing to himself. Instead, he shoveled
spoonful after spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

“…Anyhow, you rest today. And make sure to replenish your fluids. If you
need to wipe away sweat, use this. I’ve put water into your washbowl, so
make sure to wet it and wring it out before wiping, okay?”
After Amane had eaten, Mahiru diligently prepared an unopened sports
drink, readied the bowl of water, and laid out a towel and spare cooling
sheets. All had been carefully placed on the side table in Amane’s bedroom.
There was no way Mahiru was going to stay over at the home of a boy
she barely knew. Amane wouldn’t have stood for it if she’d tried. Thus,
Mahiru had prepared everything Amane could’ve needed while he rested,
and he was grateful for her diligence, though he stared at her the whole time
she got everything ready.
This is an awful lot just to repay a favor. Once this is over, I guess we
won’t have much reason to interact. It’s a one-off thing, a freak occurrence;
that’s all.
Well, since we won’t be talking ever again, I guess it’s all right to ask
about that thing I want to know.
Whether from the medicine or his nap, Amane’s head felt clearer, though
he was still exhausted.
“Hey, there’s something I’ve been wondering…,” he started.
“What is it?” Mahiru turned to look at him from where she was setting
up all the essentials he’d need.
“Why were you sitting out in the rain? Did you have a fight with your
boyfriend or something?” The strange behavior that’d kicked off this whole
chain of events had been on Amane’s mind since he’d first noticed it.
Mahiru had been rocking back and forth on a swing in the pouring rain.
What could she have been doing there?
It was precisely because Amane had been curious about Mahiru’s slight
resemblance to a lost child that he’d offered her his umbrella in the first
place. He’d never discovered why she’d been out there in the storm to begin
with, however.
Amane had thought Mahiru had been waiting for someone, so he’d
guessed that there was a boy she was dating, even wondering if perhaps she
and her boyfriend had gotten into an argument. In response to Amane’s
question, Mahiru looked at him as if she was fed up.
“Sorry, but I don’t have a boyfriend, and I have no plans to get one,” she
replied.
“Huh? Why?” Amane asked almost unconsciously.
“Let me ask you, why did you assume I was dating someone?”
“With how popular you are, I thought you’d have at least one or two
boyfriends.”
Something about this back-and-forth made Mahiru seem much more like
a normal girl to Amane. She was kind but strong-willed. To other people,
though, he was sure she seemed quite different. Mahiru was a beautiful girl
who was tidy, sweet, quiet, and humble. Her pretty face, so lovely that she
was often called an angel, turned heads wherever she went, and her body
was petite but possessed abundant curves. The briefest sight of her instilled
a strange, momentary feeling of wanting to protect her. That quality,
combined with her excellent sense of style, made her an object of desire for
many a schoolboy.
On top of all that, her grades kept her at the top of her class, and she was
an all-around excellent athlete. What’s more, Amane had just learned
firsthand that she was good at cooking, too. That certainly wouldn’t hurt her
popularity.
Just one glance was enough to know there must have been plenty of
guys who were after her, and Amane knew for a fact that quite a few of his
own classmates had romantic feelings for Mahiru. She could’ve had her
pick of the litter, and it hadn’t occurred to him that she might not be seeing
anyone.
That was what Amane had meant when he’d said that thing about one or
two boyfriends, but the moment she’d heard those words, Mahiru’s
expression had stiffened, if only for a moment.
“I don’t have a boyfriend, and what’s more, I’m not the kind of girl who
would keep the company of several boys at once. It’s absolutely out of the
question.”
Mahiru’s eyes were so cold, they sent a shiver down Amane’s spine. He
realized immediately that he’d stepped on some kind of social land mine.
It might have been because of his sickness, but he felt a chill pass over
him, and the room seemed drafty all of a sudden.
“Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I apologize,” Amane said.
“…No, I’m sorry for getting fired up.”
Mahiru bowing her head seemed to disperse the cold, tense atmosphere
of the room. More than being “fired up,” Mahiru’s icy reply to Amane’s
question had been like a blizzard, though he knew better than to point that
out.
“Anyway, that’s not what was going on at all. I was just trying to cool
my head a bit… And I really am sorry that you caught a cold because you
were worried about me,” Mahiru explained.
“It’s fine. I mean, it was my decision, after all. I feel kind of guilty about
all this, actually. I only gave you the umbrella as a spur-of-the-moment kind
of thing. I’ll try not to bother you once this is all over.”
Amane was sure that Mahiru was only there to help out of some sense of
obligation, but when she heard what he had to say, she blinked a few times
and gave him a curious look. It must have intrigued her to hear that he
wouldn’t be troubling her again.
“We don’t really have any reason to interact, so it’s not like it’ll be a big
deal. I mean, even if you’re the most beautiful girl in our grade, and a
genius, and everyone calls you an angel, I wasn’t trying to hook up with
you; I swear. You don’t think that this was some kind of scheme or
something, do you?” Amane inquired.
Mahiru looked away a little awkwardly. A bitter smile spread across her
lips, as if she’d been waiting for Amane to say those exact words. Finally,
he realized that she wasn’t just acting cagey. Mahiru had probably wound
up in that sort of situation a few times before. A guy trying to get in with a
beautiful girl by making her feel indebted was, unfortunately, not unheard
of.
It explained why Mahiru had been so wary of Amane that day in the
rain. She hadn’t been upset at him; she’d just been trying to protect herself.
“It must be so irritating. Being bothered by guys you don’t even like,”
Amane said.
 “Well, that’s true, but…” Mahiru’s voice trailed off.
“Called it,” quipped Amane, a little surprised to hear her admit it.
So the quiet, charming, model student, the one everybody makes a big
fuss over, the one everybody calls an angel, does have things she doesn’t
like. Why, she even gets annoyed from time to time, just like the rest of us
mortals. The thought gave Amane the sudden impression that he was seeing
the real Mahiru for the first time.
Unfortunately, the way she glared back at Amane seemed to suggest that
she was really regretting having ever met him. It looked like she resented
him for making her reveal how she really felt.
Further proof that the angelic honor student has real emotions hidden
deep down, Amane thought.
“I don’t really see the problem with that,” admitted Amane. “Actually,
I’m relieved. It’s nice to hear that the angel finds that stuff just as annoying
as normal humans.”
“…Please stop calling me that.” Mahiru obviously hated the title others
had given her. With disapproval in her eyes, she continued to gaze at
Amane.
Even her displeasure seemed interesting to Amane, who smiled again
and said, “Not to worry, I won’t bother you again without a good reason.”
Mahiru’s eyes opened wide as if his declaration had caught her by
surprise. With the faintest whisper of a smile crossing her lips, she bowed
sharply and left.

Amane lay in bed, staring vacantly up at the ceiling while thinking about
Mahiru.
Even though the medicine had taken effect, he was, unsurprisingly, still
feeling sluggish. If he relaxed, sleep would surely claim him in no time at
all. He closed his eyes and reflected on the events of the day.
No one would ever believe him if he told them that he’d been nursed
back to health by an angel with a surprisingly sharp tongue. The day’s
events were a secret shared only by Amane and Mahiru.
It feels kinda weird to call it a secret. It’s more like it’d be a real pain to
explain the whole story. It’s just easier not to tell anybody, that’s all, Amane
reasoned.
 As he slowly lost consciousness, Amane told himself that, when
tomorrow came, he and Mahiru would be nothing more than mere
acquaintances again.
As Amane had anticipated, he and Mahiru had returned to being nothing
more than two people who attended the same school.
He’d been feeling much better the following day and had happened to
run into Mahiru when he went out to shop at the convenience store, but they
hadn’t said very much to each other. Amane did catch that Mahiru looked a
little relieved to see him well on his way to recovery.
Nothing changed back at school on the following Monday, either. The
two were back to being strangers. The only tiny difference was that now,
whenever they encountered each other on the way to school, she would
greet him with a quick bow. That was all.
“Oh, Amane, you feeling better?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
It seemed that Itsuki had also been worried about Amane. He’d been in
rather bad shape last Friday, after all. Amane’s condition had been the first
thing Itsuki asked about when they saw each other outside the school
building. Itsuki had even sent Amane a text over the weekend: “You’re not
dead, right?”
Amane had sent back a message that he was fine, but it seemed Itsuki
had only been half-convinced, because he let out a deep sigh of relief when
he saw in person how much better his friend was feeling.
“Yeah, well, when I saw you in such bad shape, even I started to worry,
man! It’s all good if you’re better now. You oughtta take better care of
yourself. Start by cleaning your room or somethin’.”
“You sound like somebody else I know,” Amane quipped.
 “Huh?”
“Nothing. Something happened this weekend that kind of opened my
eyes. I’ll clean my place up in a few days.”
Itsuki didn’t let up. “Nah, man, you gotta sort yourself out now!”
Amane turned away in a huff. It would probably take more than half a
day to clean that mess up.
Looking exasperated, Itsuki backed off a bit, saying, “I mean, you can
live however you want, ya know. But just clear a path you can actually walk
through for the next time I come over.”
“…I’ll deal with it.”
Wearing a sour face the whole time, Amane changed into his indoor
shoes and headed for his classroom. An extremely boisterous room caught
his attention as he walked down a hall, however, and he couldn’t help but
peek in.
Glancing in through a hallway window, Amane saw Mahiru, as beautiful
as she’d ever been, surrounded by her classmates.
Whenever someone spoke to her, she would turn to them with a quiet
smile. Everything about her persona seemed totally different from the
Mahiru he’d seen the other day. Amane suddenly broke out in a smile.
Noticing his friend’s gaze, Itsuki’s eyes followed the same path. He saw
Mahiru and immediately understood.
“Shiina, huh? As popular as always. No surprise, given how pretty she
is.”
“Well, you know what they say. She’s an angel. What about you, Itsuki?
Think she’s cute?” Amane asked.
“Yeah, I guess so. But I’ve got Chi, so only in a sorta aesthetic-
appreciation-type way,” Itsuki replied.
“Quit going on about your girlfriend already.”
Itsuki had a girlfriend named Chi, although that was a nickname. Her
full name was Chitose Shirakawa.
They were an extremely close couple, madly in love with each other—it
gave Amane heartburn whenever he saw them together.
Although Amane was quick to dismiss the girlfriend talk, Itsuki didn’t
seem particularly offended. Amane often said things like that, so Itsuki just
laughed. “You’re heartless. So lemme ask you: Do you think she’s cute,
Amane?”