______________________________________________________________________________________________________
After dinner and a bit more chatting, Mahiru Shiina finally mentioned she had to go.
There was no helping it—Asada Shino 's place was seriously small.
There was only one bed, and they clearly weren't at the "sharing the covers" level yet.
So, Mahiru had to go home and sleep.
Shino looked a little reluctant but didn't ask her to stay. Instead, she walked Andrew and Mahiru to the door and watched them leave.
"Ah! Wait—I almost forgot!"
Andrew suddenly remembered something, reached into his bag, and pulled out a pair of men's shoes, placing them right outside Shino's door.
Shino looked at him, completely confused. "Uh… Andrew? What are you doing?"
Andrew smiled and explained, "You live alone, right? That's kind of dangerous. If someone with bad intentions tries to break in, you might not even have time to call for help."
"So, putting a pair of men's shoes outside the door can make shady people hesitate a bit. It'll scare off the more cowardly ones, at least."
Now Shino understood and quickly thanked him.
"Oh—I get it. Thanks, Andrew."
He just waved casually and left with Mahiru.
Shino wanted to ask how much the shoes cost, but since he'd already gone, she felt too awkward to chase after him and ask.
Then again, after thinking it over, she figured she should just accept his kindness.
He'd already helped her so much. Worst case, she'd find a way to pay him back later.
Back in her room, Shino lay on her little bed, hand over her heart, a smile creeping across her face.
"Ever since those three—Endo and the others—blackmailed me, and I met Andrew, life's been getting better."
Being protected like this… felt so comforting.
She thought back to how she'd been isolated by classmates, judged by teachers, even treated like a "killer." The tears threatened to come just remembering it all.
She sighed, thinking about how Andrew and Mahiru were already calling each other by name.
Her eyes wandered to the door. That pair of shoes should still be there.
"Andrew… if you're that nice to me, I might not be able to let go…"
She might even betray her friendship with Mahiru.
But then again, Mahiru never actually said she was dating Andrew, so… maybe it wouldn't count as betrayal?
…
Let's leave Shino and her spiraling thoughts for now—and check back in with Andrew.
As soon as they stepped out of Shino's place, Mahiru gave him a look full of petty jealousy.
"How thoughtful of you. Funny how I've never seen a pair of shoes at my door."
Andrew couldn't help but laugh.
He grabbed her soft little hand and said seriously, "That's because I live right next door to you. If any 'bad guy' broke in, well, I guess that bad guy would be me, huh?"
Mahiru rolled her eyes. Hard.
"You've got some nerve saying that!"
Last time, he'd used the excuse of returning a lunchbox to barge into her room, and then… well, things got a little out of hand…
Blushing, Mahiru looked away from him and subconsciously sped up her pace.
Andrew didn't say anything, just matched her steps.
Holding her soft, delicate hand, watching her elegant profile—it made him feel genuinely happy.
Honestly, she only got jealous because she cared. As a girl, seeing her guy be that considerate toward another girl was bound to sting a little.
But deep down, Mahiru really appreciated how thoughtful he was.
After all, the shoes were for Shino's safety.
As for herself—well, she lived right next door to him. What danger could there be?
And if there was any danger… it would probably be him trying to pull something flirty again.
Wait—that's not really "danger," is it?
And she totally wasn't looking forward to it or anything!
At most… she didn't hate the idea. If he really wanted to… well, she'd at least say no once or twice.
A girl's gotta have some dignity, right?
…
At the door to her apartment, Mahiru looked down at her hand, still held in his.
"Andrew… can you let go now?"
He smiled and gently let go of her soft hand.
Honestly, her hand felt so warm and comfy—he kinda didn't want to let go.
Blushing, Mahiru lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
She wanted to say she wouldn't go to his room tonight, but didn't want him to get the wrong idea, so she struggled with the words.
Andrew, though, opened his arms and pulled her close, resting a warm hand gently on her head.
"If you've got something to say, just say it, Mahiru. With the way things are between us now, no need to be so formal."
Mahiru's breath caught.
Breathing in his masculine scent, flashes of last night ran through her mind, and her face turned crimson in seconds.
"U-um… Andrew, I'm going back to my room. I mean—I need to tidy up my place tonight, so I won't be coming over."
She finally blurted it out, sneaking a glance at him, worried he'd be upset.
But Andrew just leaned down, kissed her gently, then let her go, his face soft and doting.
"Got it. Then get a good rest tonight. But if there's anything that needs muscle, you better call me, I'll be there in a flash."
"…Thanks, Andrew. Goodni—mmph!"
She didn't even finish her "goodnight" before Andrew leaned in and kissed her again.
As they parted, he tapped her soft lips with his finger and smirked.
"That's how you properly say goodnight. And it only works with me, got it?"
"You're the worst! Always trying to take advantage of me! Hmph—I'm going back inside and ignoring you! Jerk~!"
Mahiru punched him lightly in embarrassment, then clutched her lips and ran into her room like lightning.
Andrew touched his lips and grinned, completely satisfied.
Mahiru's lips were seriously perfect.
Actually, he was already planning to "handle" Miss Yukinoshita Haruno tomorrow, so he wouldn't have time to please little angel Mahiru.
So if she wanted something, maybe he should sneak into her room at night instead.
There's just something exciting about that kind of thing.
Plus, he loved the way Mahiru looked when she got all shy and sweet.
The way she looked panicked but didn't resist when he pulled her into his arms—that was enough to melt his heart.
She was just too cute.
Back in her own room, Mahiru flopped onto her bed, hugging her pillow tight.
Her cheeks were still burning. Probably red all the way to her ears.
"Ugh! Why's he so damn good at this?!"
The way he kissed her—it was so smooth, so natural.
Her heart was racing like crazy, like a deer trying to break out of her chest. She almost melted into his arms again and wanted to cling to him.
Andrew… that infuriating guy.
"..."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________