Chapter 91: Angel and the rumors (1/2)

Golden Week ended, and it was time for school again. The moment Amane entered the classroom, he heard a ruckus, and was increasingly perturbed.

It was common to see a commotion in the classroom right after a holiday, when people would talk about the souvenirs they bought. The commotion on this day however was different from usual.

Instead of a discussion of what happened during the vacation, it appeared they were discussing rumors.

Amane put his bag on his seat, and pricked his ears―It appeared they were talking about Mahiru.

“I heard Shiina-san went out on a date with a really handsome guy.”

“Maybe it’s the guy rumored at the start of the year?”

“She said she’s not dating, but…”

Amane’s face twitched the moment he heard the word ‘date’.

Though he had somewhat expected that he would be spotted, he never thought this topic would be a hot one through the entire classroom.

The girls chatted rumors as they looked towards Mahiru.

It appeared Mahiru had not noticed it, or perhaps she did, but ignored them. She was preparing for the first eriod.

Her dignified, innocent look remained one of much attention, but the stares towards her on this day were filled with much curiosity.

“H-hey, Shiina-san.”

One of those girls seemed to have resolved herself as she spoke to Mahiru.

“Erm, Shiina-san, a few days ago, I saw you with a man at the shopping mall.”

“Yes, that did happen.”

“Are you dating you?”

She’s a warrior to dare ask Mahiru head on, Amane thought as he watched. He was worried, and Mahiru merely blinked away.

It appeared Mahiru would respond in her usual angelic mode.

Yes. She probably would deny it with an angelic smile, if it was the usual her.

“I guess it was a date, if we consider the definition of one.”

One had to wonder what Mahiru was thinking when she actually admitted it.

The definition of a date was basically an appointment between male and female. She was right in this sense…but there was no way the girls would actually follow that strict definition.

KYAAAAAAA, hysterical shrieks followed.

No matter the occasion, females always loved to gossip passionately about others. Usually, Amane could watch them from afar and just dismiss it as them being able to talk, but he could not do so this time as he was the party implicated.

“Shiina-san, you’re dating that man? It’s the first time I heard of it!”

“We aren’t dating, but he is the person most important to me!”

As shrieks and squeals escalated, Amane’s gut started to wince.

Mahiru was not lying at all. Amane knew she really treasured him. However, she was not stating the exact facts, but rather, the situation that could be understood in many ways.

The moment Mahiru did so, there would be rumors that she liked that man. Mahiru merely smiled as she saw these excited girls however.

She glanced aside at Amane, showing a non-angelic smile. Amane clutched his forehead, looking happy, embarrassed, while suffering from gut pain.

It appeared Itsuki too was eavesdropping, for he smirked as he slapped Amane’s shoulder. Amane felt fatigue looming onto him in a single instance.

“To be honest, I don’t think that could be denied.”

The duo dropped by at a fast food restaurant after school, and Itsuki mentioned this after seemingly thought of something.

Despite having lunch, Amane was hungry after their afternoon gym class. They were chatting while eating fries. itsuki showed a wry smile as he seemingly recalled the commotion in the morning.

And due to the chaotic day, Amane never got to eat with Mahiru. The latter was questioned by everyone all day, and Amane really could not sit with her.

“Couldn’t be denied?”

Itsuki probably meant that they could not deny it like before, but Amane did not know why.

“I say, Yuuta already can tell you two are close on first glance. You two definitely held hands when walking, right?”

“Ugh.”

“She couldn’t deny it when people saw that. That’s why she could only say that.”

Now that he mentioned it, Amane could not refute it at all.

It was true that objectively speaking, their little trip days ago might appear like an intimate date. From time to time, they did hold hands, lean on each other , and smiled at each other. Clearly they were a couple to those not in the know.

Thus, Mahiru’s response was to be expected…it seemed.

“And that’s also for show.”

“For show?”

“She’s trying to shoo the boys, and show that she has no intention of fighting against the other girls, you know? Yuuta’s the same. Once he got popular, there’s some who got jealous. I guess that applies for that Angel too. If she hints that she has someone she likes and ignores everyone else, nobody will think she’s interested in Yuuta, even if she does interact with someone like him.”

“…I see.”

Amane was not one of the popular ones, and did not give such a vibe. No matter how popular he might be, a small minority could not accept it. It was impossible to please everyone.”

Amane had never seen anyone criticize Mahiru to her face, but surely there were some who were displeased with her.

Once anyone was popular, those of the same gender would have bias against that person. It appeared to be a common trend between both male and female.

“But I guess she has another goal. Just think of it.”