Girlfriend

When Mamoru was done packing, Mahiru stood up from the bed, ready to leave the hotel. It had been almost two hours since she and Kousei had parted ways, the afternoon sun now flickering through the clouds. Her family would probably start heading back home soon, leaving Mahiru with little time to spare.

“This is a goodbye, then?” she hesitantly asked with her bags in hand. She cast her eyes downcast, sadness being written all across her face.

She had known Mamoru her entire life, and he was a person who reminded her deeply of her grandfather. Although she knew she needed to say goodbye to him, it still made her heart ache.

“You’re about to fulfill your dream, Madam Mahiru. This is no time to express sorrow. Mister Satou will take good care of you from now on. I must admit, you two already seem a lot closer than I had anticipated.”

The memory of her quiet intimacy with Kousei under the umbrella surged in her mind. It had been a spontaneous moment which she would normally deem embarrassing, but even now, she couldn’t help but cherish it. Being beside Kousei had made her feel so safe, her heart still fluttering in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

“You’re right, I think he’s great,” Mahiru said with a calm smile. “Will you be okay, Mamoru? What will you do when my father finds out?”

Mamoru opened the door and took a step outside. Without facing her, he replied.

“Madam Mahiru, my only purpose was to serve you and your grandfather. I have done everything I needed to do. What happens to me now is not important.”

“Mamoru…” Mahiru couldn’t believe his kindness. She knew that none of this would have been possible without him. Feeling truly blessed to have him by her side, she bowed down deeply, even though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you, Mamoru. Thank you for everything.”

Mamoru stood still for a few seconds, clenching his fists.

I’m sorry, Madam Mahiru…

“Let’s go. We need to make sure I arrive at the mansion before your father.”

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Geez, what’s up with that girl? I swear I’ll go crazy with her.

On his way home, Kousei couldn’t help thinking about the sweet sensation of Mahiru’s lips on his cheek. Even now, he could still smell the flowery scent of her perfume.

He didn’t understand why she’d suddenly become so bold. But he couldn’t really say he disliked that side of hers. After all, he was walking down the walkway with the widest grin printed on his face.

By the time Kousei neared home, he’d already come up with a plan his parents might or might not believe. He would simply tell them that Mahiru was a girl from school who was currently going through some problems with her own parents. Considering the situation with her father, this wasn’t even much of a lie. Kousei knew his family was kind enough to let her stay over for a while. At worst, she would just need to help out at the pastry shop in exchange.

Of course, he would not say anything regarding their…unique relationship, much less about her real reason for staying at their house. He didn’t like the thought of lying to his family, but it seemed to be the only option to keep Mahiru safe for the time being.

Kousei quickly checked the time before entering the pastry shop. It was shortly after noon, which meant Mahiru was supposed to arrive in less than two hours, giving him enough time to explain the situation to everyone.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home!” he called out, but no response came.

Did they go out? Weird, the door wasn’t locked.

Kousei inspected both the entrance area and the kitchen, but found nobody around. Instead, his gaze landed on several packages of flour scattered across the kitchen tray, far from the cabinet they were usually stored. One of the packages was open, with small flour stains dotted around it. Kousei guessed his father had placed them here to start baking desserts, only to be interrupted and forced to leave in a hurry.

Sighing, he couldn’t help but think how much the scene felt like something out of a horror game – any moment, the lights might even start flickering.

Just then, he sensed something touching him from behind.

“Eeeeeeek!”

“Sir, this is the kitchen police. May I see your papers please?” a familiar voice spoke, trying to sound way more threatening than she actually was.

“Yuuna, I swear, what’s wrong with you sometimes?”

Turning around, he found his sister in front of him with a wooden spoon in hand. For some reason, flour clung to the skin just above her lips.

“What…is that?” he asked, pointing to her face.

But she didn’t reply. Kousei didn’t understand what was going on in her mind, but she looked at him like she’d seen a ghost.

“Yuuna?”

It wasn’t until he called her name again that her open mouth turned into a playful smirk.

“Oh, this?” she said, tapping the imaginary moustache on her upper lip. “This is my special police woman moustache, granting me +10 assertiveness.”

“I would prefer if it gave you some intelligence to get you out of the single digits.” Kousei found his comeback quite clever and let out a dry laughter. “By the way, where are Mom and Dad? I need to talk to them.”

Yuuna raised her eyebrows, then once again smirked irritably.

“They just left to get some ingredients. They said they might take a while and that I should watch over the shop. Care to help me?”

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Almost two hours had passed and Kousei was starting to grow nervous. Mahiru would probably be here in a few minutes before he could even get the chance to talk to his parents.

Yuuna was handling the shop as she was generally better at interacting with customers, while Kousei was responsible for the preparations in the kitchen. But as soon as he heard two elderly voices shouting “We’re back,” he dashed to the entrance in a flash.

“Mom, Dad! I have to tell you something important. You see, there’s this girl at school who I get along with very well, but she’s currently facing some problems at home, so she has no place to stay and she asked me if she could live with us for–”

Kousei was running his mouth, fully aware that his parents would struggle to keep up. But there was just no time left to explain this in a calm manner.

“Wait, calm down, Kousei. I can’t understand you like this. Also, what’s that on your chee–”

Just as his father started to object, they heard a knock on the door.

It was Mahiru.

“Ex-excuse me, may I come in?” She peeked shyly around the door and spoke softly.

“Yes? Do you want to buy something?” Kousei’s father answered in a wary tone.

With two suitcases behind her, Mahiru entered the shop and stood next to Kousei. Just how much stuff was she bringing along to live here?

“Uhm, I’m Mahiru… Mahiru Yoshida. I hope Kousei has already told you the details of my situation.”

Mahiru clung to Kousei’s arm, nervously scanning the room. This was like a completely different person from the one who so boldly kissed him two hours ago.

When she glanced at him, Kousei could feel her blinks questioning him. In the midst of the confusion in the room, Mahiru leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “You idiot. My kiss mark is still on your cheek.”

Kousei froze, touching his cheek reflexively. He suddenly realised why everyone had been looking at him in shock since he’d arrived at the shop.

He wasn’t sure whether he was imagining it, but he could hear Yuuna’s mocking laughter ringing in his head.

Guess there goes my plan of hiding our relationship, he thought. Sighing, he grabbed Mahiru’s hand and pulled her closer to him.

“Mom, Dad, I was about to tell you about her. This is Mahiru, my girlfriend.”