"I'm really sorry about that."
It was evening, after Itsuki and Chitose left, and Amane apologized to a clearly weary Mahiru.
The latter was immediately harassed by people she did not know, and her secret was revealed. It was likely she too felt perturbed and weary.
Amane had a feeling this was a deja vu from the last time Shihoko visited.
"No, it was because I was careless."
"She's noisy, isn't she?"
"...A real lively person."
"You can just say she's really noisy."
"She is just a little energetic, but an interesting one, I think."
"What do you mean, a little.............well, I guess it's fine if you don't mind."
Amane felt that Chitose was a loudmouth, but the courteous Mahiru was merely being demure about it, it seemed.
Luckily, it appeared she did not dislike Chitose, but he did not know whether it would be a good thing to be friends.
They had different personalities...and it might be interesting for them to be friends, probably.
Of course, if she said anything that left Mahiru troubled, he intended to remind her, but he decided to just watch for the time being.
"I do not have such people around me, so i am a little happy."
"Well, it's rare to see someone like Chitose...smack her on the head if she gets too aggressive, you know?"
"Vi-violence is not good. I will try to coax her with words."
Both of them felt Chitose would go crazy at times, and there were times she would be passionate about strange things, so such a reminder was necessary.
"I never thought about roasting a turkey entirely."
"Well that is because you cannot cook well, Amane-kun. Tomorrow's lunch will be omelette rice with beef stew."
"Sounds delicious for some reason..."
He knew before eating that it was going to be delicious, so he was already looking forward to the next lunch before he had this dinner.
"I prefer the eggs a little more cooked."
"A coincidence. I do prefer this traditional style instead. I shall bring the pot here."
Mahiru teetered out of Amane's apartment and returned to her own, and as he stared blankly at her back, he recalled the commotion that had occurred in the day.
It was really unexpected that they were found out.
Amane himself was being doubted by the couple, and expected them to be increasingly suspicious of him, ...but he never expected that Mahiru would show her face at this moment.
Results-wise, they explained themselves, they got people who understood them...but he was feeling a little conflicted.
......If only the secret only to them could last a little longer.
What am I thinking?
At the very least, he did not need to play hide and seek with those two, and it would be easier on his life, yet he felt a little gloomy. He too felt perturbed, not knowing what it was.
It was not a bad result, but he just felt something was amiss.
"Is something the matter?"
"...It's nothing."
Mahiru returned with the pot in her hands, tilting her head in confusion as she stared at Amane, but after all, he could not express this ambiguous feeling to her outright.
As he struggled to maintain the same facade, Mahiru tilted her head in confusion the entire time, not understanding why.
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