Chapter 57 – Closing Ceremony and Itsuki’s Request

It is unexpectedly pointless, Amane stifled a yawn as he saw the principal standing on the podium afar, giving his speech with a grim look.

It was the closing ceremony, but Amane had no special feelings about this day. At this point, he was listening to the principal’s speech, and truth be told, he was so bored, he wanted to sleep.

The surrounding students seemed to have felt the same, and only a few students were actually listening attentive. Most were just ignoring it, or staring at the podium sleepily.

However, he could not look completely bored, so he maintained a serious look on his face. He really hoped for it to end quickly though, and the speech just went fell on deaf ears to him.

He might be a little moved if this was his graduation ceremony, but he could not muster the emotions given that it was just the closing ceremony.

It was bad to say so bluntly, but he felt it was pointless. He acted like a model student as he waited for the boring time to pass.

“…Ahh my shoulders hurt.”

“The principal spoke too long.”

Such was the chatter once the closing ceremony ended.

However, there was some life back in their voices, probably because they just needed to wait for their homeroom periods to end, and they would have approximately two weeks of free time.

From his seat, Amane saw his classmates show smiles as they were finally going to be released from their boring lessons, and he sighed.

His spring break would start the next day, so how would be spend it?

He had met his parents once, and he felt he did not need to go back, considering the transport costs. However, he really had nothing to do. Even if he took the time to study for his second year, he had lots of time left.

He did not look for a temporary part-time job, since there were insufficient days for him to do so. Itsuki and Chitose were the only friends he could hang out with.

“Say say, Amane-kun.”

Speak of the devil, Itsuki spoke behind him.

He turned back to find a hearty smile…but the smile was so suspicious to Amane, he had a bad feeling about it. Whenever Itsuki showed such a smile, he would ask Amane to do something, or involve the latter in something calamitous.

“What?”

“You free starting tomorrow?”

“Sorta, I guess.”

“Yep yep, just as I thought. That’s good that’s good.”

“…What?”

With a beaming smile, Itsuki patted the bag hanging beneath, to the side of his seat.

He probably brought back lots of stuff from the locker and beneath his table, yet the bag was completely packed. He had no need to attend lessons, and logically, he had nothing else to bring back, some pencil case, files, wallets, and nothing much else. It was unnatural to have his bag this packed.

“…Those are?”

“Clothes.”

“Why bring them?”

“Let me stay over~”

He seemed to have said it with a heart shape at the end, basically begging demurely. Obviously, Amane ended up frowning at that.

“Say, you know what ho-ren-so means?”

“I know I know, it means visit, overnight, make noise, right?”

“That’s just causing trouble for the neighbors, you idiot bastard. You want to cause noise for them?”

“Just joking. Though really I want to stay over.”

Usually, Itsuki would inform Amane of anything he would do beforehand.

Thus, it appeared he encountered a situation that required him to hole out outside, but Amane could not figure out what it was.

“I had an argument against my dad this morning.”

He easily admitted to the situation, as though that would answer Amane’s doubt.

“…About Chitose?”

“Nn. Once my dad gets mad, he’s not going to listen for days. I can’t just stay at Chitose’s place. Even though her parents are willing to take me in, well,”

“And it’s fine staying at my place?”

“Feels like you’ll take me in.”

Perhaps his thought process was, since he had stayed over a few times even when Amane’s house was so messy, it should be fine.

Amane himself was not unwilling to take Itsuki in.

However, the problem was whether Mahiru, who would be making dinner, would dislike this.

If Mahiru was to go into Angel mode at her usual respite, it might be too overbearing for her.

After all, she only showed her true personality to Amane, and would keep it hidden from Itsuki.

Another problem was that recently, Mahiru had been acting strangely adorable recently, sometimes bashful, and he had to wonder if she was being aware of him as someone of the other gender. Amane was fearful that if Itsuki saw this, the latter would have some baseless misunderstanding again.

“…I’ll call her in a bit.”

He had to ask Mahiru for her opinion, so he sent her a message. She would send a shopping list before she returned home, so she would see this message.

Amane messaged in a fluid manner, and Itsuki looked a little dumbfounded as he sighed.

“What, are you living together now?”

“Do you want me to make you sleep on the floor without heating and futon?”

“Should I thank you for your kind grace in taking me in, or bemoan that you’re so ruthless to let me freeze to death?”

“I want to bemoan that delusion of yours.”

What’s this guy saying now? He shot Itsuki such a look, and the latter shrugged.

Feeling that he should be the one shrugging instead, he did not want Mahiru to be troubled just because of some strange misunderstanding.

Itsuki himself was one to read the mood, and probably would not tease Mahiru, but he sensed that the latter would tease him when she was not around, and that depressed him.

He sighed at Itsuki’s grin. At this moment, it seemed Mahiru was using her smartphone as she replied, I shall cook as normal if you buy three people’s worth of food“.

“She said okay.”

“Great, I get to eat her cooking.”

“That isn’t your aim, right?”

“Just a little one. I want to taste that cooking you keep praising, Amane.”

“…Don’t cause her trouble.”

“I’ll cause you trouble, but not her.”

“And don’t cause me trouble.”

Amane rewarded the leering Itsuki with a flicker on his forehead, “Oww!!” The latter yelled as he grinned away, and Amane let out a pretentious, deep sigh.