The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (WN) (Volume 5+)

143 - The Restless Night and Warmth

That night, Amane laid on the bed, closed his eyes, and waited for sleep to come. However, he just could not sleep, and laid there.

Usually, he could fall asleep easily, but he just could not on it was this particular day. He was strangely excited, and restless.

He wondered why it was, and felt it was probably due to his encounter with Tojo.

Though Tojo was a former friend, and one of the reasons why Amane suffered, Amane felt that the goosebumps and shivers associated with them were long gone.

He felt relieved after their encounter, and somewhat emotional.

He realized how much support he received from Mahiru after they met, how much he grew, and also, an unspeakable sense of achievement.

However, he probably would be unable to sleep if this kept up. He got up, intending to breathe in some fresh air outside to clear his mood. He put on his slippers, and went to the veranda.

He opened the window, and was met with damp air, causing him some discomfort as he was already in the air conditioned room. The summer temperatures remained high even at night. It had been the case over the past few nights, and it was no wonder that he felt hot.

The air was fresh though. There were no lights from the nearby residential areas, and he could see pretty stars. These were sufficient in killing time, alleviating his boredom before he slept.

He leaned on the railing, enjoying the quiet space and the radiant starlights. Suddenly, he heard a rubbing sound at the window.

It did not come from his room, but from the other room connected to the veranda. He turned around to see Mahiru dressed in a one piece nightgown, poking her upper body out as she looked back at him.

"...You still awake, Mahiru?"

Amane never expected her to be still awake.

It was the middle of the night, and Mahiru had a regular pattern in her lifestyle. As she mentioned before, she would sleep before midnight, so he never expected her to be awake, let alone arrive at the veranda.

"I feel a little sleepless...are you unable to sleep too, Amane-kun?"

"Well yeah...lots of things happened after all."

"...Yes."

*Lots of things happened, *Mahiru went to the veranda, her eyes lowered as a result of those words. "Ah, no, that's not what I mean." Amane noted wryly.

"Look, I'm not thinking about those things, you know? I guess I'm reflecting more on how much I've grown."

Mahiru's momentary concern was excessive.

Amane had no further thoughts about Tojo. He merely felt his own changes, and would never imagine the latter's face again. He was no longer threatened.

Mahiru seemed relieved when Amane said with a chuckle, and she too gave a little smile.

"Fufu...you have become stronger and matured, Amane-kun. You probably grew a lot since middle school."

"Yeah. About 20cm or so."

"You really grew."

"Of course."

AMane had changed, not simply in terms of height, but more importantly, his heart changed over the past year, and the manner he viewed things too changed.

Looking back at the past, he felt he was a really unlikable, nonchalant, and arrogant boy. After all, because of them, he could not deny the part when he was not cute, not sociable.