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.”

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you fessed up.”

Amane slid his fingers by her flank beneath the clothes, and she clearly shuddered.

He felt the slender body that was devoid of excess fat as he gently stroked her silky wait. Already she was panting a little.

As Mahiru’s reaction was too good, he started tickling her with his fingers, slowly agitating her skin.

Mahiru fidgeted while in his clutches, and he had so many bad thoughts as a result, but he could not stop at this point.

“Fuu, w-ait..fufuf, Amane-k..”

“But seriously, aren’t you too ticklish Mahiru?”

Amane went easy on Mahiru, but it appeared she was very sensitive as she cupped her knees, shivering as she panted slightly.

He was shocked by how adorable she was, and how how stubborn.

He made ensure not to touch the places that would be dangerous for his sanity as he slowly tickled her. Mahiru then appeared to have enough as she suddenly turned towards Amane.

Her face was a little red, and her eyes were damp because of the itch. He felt his heart jolt in more ways than one when she glared bak.

“A-Amane-kun no, baka. You are cruel.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you revealed it earlier.”

“I-it is nothing in particular. He mentioned how you bawled in your younger days when you crashed the bicycle into an electric pole, how you clung onto Shihoko-san and said ‘I love you mama’, and that you said that you wanted to become as suave as Shuuto-san and spiked your hair with wax.”

“What horrible things he said!”

Shuuto mentioned all the awkward things Amane himself had forgotten, and once this little bit was revealed, he covered his face.

Amane already had a feeling that Shuuto would talk about his childhood, but he never expected such embarrassing moments. He wanted to ask Shuuto what the latter wanted.

His parents might have found them to be topics worth chatting happily, but to him, it was a black history.

“I do find it adorable though.”

“You’re not praising me. Forget about what he said.”

“..I will not forget about these, since you tickled me.”

Amane felt that Mahiru would remember these incidents even if he did not tickle her. She sounded pouty however, and Amane reflected on his own excessive actions. He gently wrapped his arms around her back.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry.”

“..The next time you tickle me, I shall whisper to you what Shuuto-san told me.”

“Stop with the mental attacks..I get it, I get it. Sorry.”

Amane embraced Mahiru and coaxed her, while she obediently remained in his clutches, burying her face into his shoulder.