Chapter 137: The Chat after Getting Home (1/2)

A few hours after Mahiru and Shuuto left home, they returned right when Shihoko was about to prepare dinner.

Amane would be teased endlessly if he remained with Shihoko, so he went to his room, unpacked his luggage, and did some textbook questions to kill the time. It was then that Mahiru, who had just returned, looked for him.

Most of the furniture was moved into Amane’s room, and there was nothing much left in her room. Shihoko would occasionally clean up the room to make it presentable at least. Amane naturally welcomed Mahiru in, but she looked a little restless.

In any case, Mahiru looked rather jittery, probably because they were alone, they were in his room, or that she had just went out with Shuuto. He put a cushion on the floor, and had her sit on it.

“Welcome back Mahiru. You’re not tired?”

Amane went to the kitchen to get two servings of barley tea, and put them on a folded table while asking her. She blinked away a few times, and looked relieved.

“Yes. I have been sitting here and during the trip. I just wanted to move a little.”

“I see…anyway, I guess since you’re panicking so much, you heard something from my dad, right?”

Mahiru averted her eyes. Bullseye, it seemed. Amane sighed.

He did not think she was in the wrong, but he really wanted to talk about this with Shuuto. The latter would just avoid the issue or tease Amane back instead, so Amane could not say anything either.

“Goodness, what did dad…say anyway?”

“Nothing really interesting. He merely asked me how are you now, and how adorable you were when you were young.”

“…What did you hear?”

Amane had no memory of his childhood, and did not know if there was anything embarrassing about them.

Since Shuuto went out of his way to tell Mahiru however, Amane would assume that it was something embarrassing. It might be an adorable joke to the parents, but not to Amane, who would think of it as his childhood failures.

Tell me the specifics, Amane narrowed his eyes at Mahiru, and she brazenly averted her eyes.

“E-erm…I guess so?”

“Why aren’t you looking at me?”

“At least I know now that you are adorable, Amane-kun.”

He sighed once he heard this answer that was not an answer.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Naughty kids who don’t answer should be punished.”

He pulled Mahiru from next to him, and had her sit between his legs. He embraced her by the back, and tickled her tummy.

Mahiru seemed shocked by this, and fidgeted as she looked up at Amane.

“E-erm, Amane-kun?”

“I remember you’re ticklish, Mahiru.”

“…Pl-please wait. We can negotiate.”