"Good enough, I guess."
Slicking back my hair, I thought it looked good enough. It was better than what Amane did before. Before, I felt doom and despair, but now, with some basic touch-ups, I had some happiness around me.
I grabbed my bag and started walking out. The door opened and closed with a noticeable click, the lock even louder.
"Ah."
"Oh. Sorry."
"No worries."
A beauty with long blonde-flaxen hair appeared before me. She was wearing the same uniform as me—neatly taken care of—and carrying herself with even more grace.
Mahiru Shiina.
I couldn't help but admire her beauty—her caramel eyes and perfectly shaped face. Her head looked very appealing. I just wanted to pat it…
'She's more beautiful in person.'
"Done staring?" There was a certain edge to her voice, and I couldn't blame her.
"I won't apologize for this one. You're objectively beautiful, so it's hard not to."
In these situations, I wasn't really in the wrong. Sure, I did stare a bit too long, but it wasn't like my gaze was filled with lust. My conscience was clear of any type of guilt.
"Fair. You go to Sobu High?" She clearly already knew the answer, seeing my uniform, but she was being overly polite and maintaining a certain distance—true to her angel persona.
"You know, you can relax. I can tell the act you're putting on. Also, I'd feel bad making my neighbor uncomfortable."
With a smile, I hoped to lower her guard a bit. My words were true, I didn't want her to even stress at home.
Her mouth opened slightly, barely enough to even notice it. One sigh later, her shoulders lowered slightly.
"In honor of your honesty, I'll take you up on your offer."
"Then, please stop being so formal…" It made me feel awkward.
"I'll try."
"Good enough." I shrugged and headed toward the elevator for our complex. Mahiru followed closely behind without saying a word.
Ding~
"By the way, the name's Fujimiya Amane."
"Shiina Mahiru."
Then silence.
Despite the awkwardness, I smiled. Being next to such a beautiful woman—especially one that I thought would always be a fantasy—felt quite good. Glancing to my right, where the beautiful "angel" stood gracefully…
"What?"
"Just thinking how many confessions you'll have to deal with."
"Ugh. Please don't mention that."
Her eyebrows twitched, making me chuckle.
"Annoying."
"Are you pouting?"
"What of it?"
"It's just…" I paused, not sure if I should try my luck. However, I really couldn't deny the truth. "You look insanely cute."
Her face tinged pink. "Please shut it."
'So cute!'
The day was really shaping up to be amazing!
────────────────────────────♦️────────────────────────────
"Hey, look at her!"
"She's beautiful!"
"But who's the guy next to her?"
The not-so-whispers greeted us—Mahiru and I—the moment we stepped near campus. She tried to hide it, but even if she was used to such attention, it still made her uncomfortable.
"Stay behind me if you want."
She didn't say anything, and I didn't need her to. I just felt like trying to help her a bit. It wasn't like hiding her would do much, but perhaps it would lessen some of the pressure.
We traveled through the crowd with me at her front. Funnily enough, I got to see my first glance at the "mash-up" the system mentioned.
A boy with dead fish eyes and similar eye and hair color to mine. It was Hikigaya Hachiman—someone I could recognize at a glance.
'Wasn't he supposed to get hit by a car?' I looked at him with a raised brow. His eyes followed the attention making its way toward me. He clicked his tongue and whispered something, which made my lips twitch.
'He definitely just complained about normies, didn't he?'
"Fujimiya-san."
"Yeah?" A slight tug from my back made me turn around.
"Thank you."
"Neighbors should help each other."
"Pfft. I guess so."
"What's so funny?" I chuckled at our weird atmosphere. It felt nice—almost natural—despite how she should be acting. How she was described in the novel was different from the her now.
[Humans tend to be more than just words.]
'Thanks for answering the obvious.'
[Just saying.]
'Technically, you're just text since I hear no voice.'
[Tomato, tomato.]
'Bahahaha~'
I knew what the system meant, but seeing the same word twice made me laugh. It failed massively to get its point across.
Mahiru and I entered after a considerable distance. I didn't really know where to go, but with careful eyes, I tracked the direction of most students. They were walking to the right, where a big board was set up.
'I guess there.'
We went to where everyone was huddled up; the board contained everyone's class placements. Mahiru struggled to see, so I looked for the both of us.
"Hey, Shiina-san, we got the same class!"
I looked down to tell her, and for a second, I saw her smile. It was different from the strained one she had while we walked. I only got to see that one for a brief instance before shielding her, but it was enough to distinguish the difference.
"Wanna head that way now?"
"What else would we do?"
"Touché."