30. Epilogue

A few days have passed since I got engaged to Amane-kun.
　
　I've always received various things from Amane-kun.
　And this time, I even received the love of a happy family.
　Now it's my turn to give it back to Amane.
　No problem, I've prepared everything. Now all I have to do is act.
　
"Mahiru? Are you ready?"
"Yes, I'll be there now."
　
　Amane is calling me when he's ready to go to school. We've been going to school together every day recently.
　The two of us decided to stop worrying about what others think.
　The harassment is still ongoing, but it will end today.
　
"Oh, Shiina-san, good morning."
"good morning"
"Fu, good morning to you too, Fujimiya-kun."
"Ah, good morning."
　
　As the two of us walked to school together like this, people often started calling out to each other.
　The people who had always greeted them had finally come to the realization that Mahiru and Amane were a couple, and started calling out to them as they had done before.
　
　--But.
　
"...Hey, why are you in a bit of a bad mood?"
"It's not like that at all."
"No, mon, te."
　
　--Lately, it feels like more and more girls have been approaching Mahiru to casually ask Amane out.
　Being with Mahiru starts to highlight good aspects of Amane that hadn't been obvious before, and he is secretly becoming more popular.
　
"You only returned the greeting because you were greeted, right?"
"I understand that, but..."
　
　Amane is the kind of person who probably never imagined that he would be so popular with girls.
　
"I only see broad daylight, you know that, right?"
　
　He strokes the ring finger on our joined left hands.
　I can't wear the ring to school, so I've kept it at home for now, but just that action conveyed what I wanted to say.
　
"...Today will be the closing ceremony and will be over soon, so please give me lots of love when you get back."
"Yes, yes."
　
　It had become a daily routine for me to post while having these exchanges.
　The two of them were unaware that the other students coming to school were looking at them with fond eyes.
　
"Oh, Mahirun, good morning."
"Good morning, Chitose-san."
"Good morning to you too, Amane."
"Who's next? Good morning."
"Even though you say that, you still greet me back properly, I like that about you."
"Hmm..."
"Hey, if you say that, Mahiru will get jealous."
"I-I'm not jealous or anything."
"Mahirun is so cute!"
"Kyaa!"
　
　Mahiru somehow manages to catch Chitose as she clings to him.
　Chitose's excessive physical affection makes me feel a little embarrassed, but I don't mind.
　
"Mahirun, are you ready?"
"...Yes, it's fine."
　
　I whispered to Chitose so Amane couldn't hear.
　I didn't want Amane to know what happened next.
　
"Hey Chitose, leave it at that. By the way, what about Itsuki?"
"Eh? Ah, I think Iku is taking the day off today because he has a cold."
"It's the last day of school and yet that guy..."
　
　Amane, who is a kind person after all, is worried about Itsuki when he hears that she has a cold.
　I guess he's thinking of going to visit her after the closing ceremony is over.
　Unfortunately, there is no need for that.
　
"Well, see you later, Mahirun. Come on, Amane will come too!"
　
　Since Mahiru is in a different class, she returns to her own classroom.
　Pushing Amane's back, Chitose gave him a nod and gave him an eye contact, then Mahiru went into her own classroom.
　
　--???perspective--
　
　I enter Fujimiya Amane's classroom.
　There's a school assembly going on right now, so there's no one else around.
　Perhaps because it was the last day of school, he let his guard down and left his belongings on the desk.
　He's been on high alert recently and hasn't been able to do anything too flashy, but if we miss today it will be spring break before then, so I have to give him one last punishment.
　Over the past few days, I've been unable to contain my irritation, especially seeing him holding hands with his "Angel" in public.
　Rather than soiling my luggage, I'll just throw it all in the incinerator.
　Thinking that, I picked up my bag, but it felt awfully light, probably because it was empty.
　Even though there are no classes, there should still be a fair amount of things like wallets and handouts handed out by homeroom.
　
"Wh, what is this..."
　
　Feeling curious, I opened the bag and found only a piece of paper with the word "Loser" written on it.
　
"Sorry, that's a bag I got from an acquaintance that he no longer needed. This is Amane's."
"Wha-who!?"
　
　I turned around and saw a male student standing there.
　I believe it was Akazawa Itsuki, a friend of Fujimiya Amane.
　Why am I here when there shouldn't be anyone there at the school assembly?
　
"I had investigated the case, but it's still a surprise. I thought for sure the culprit was a boy who was jealous of Amane. No wonder no matter how much we investigate, we won't find the culprit."
"Wh-what are you talking about? I was just trying to return something I borrowed from a friend in this class... I think I ended up at the wrong desk."
"Oh, that's fine. Right, Shiina-san?"
"Eh?! T-Angel?"
　
　--Mahiru's point of view--
　
　Mahiru, who had been hiding and watching the whole thing, appears in response to Itsuki's voice.　
"You're the one who was harassing Amane-kun."　
　He feels sad because he had previously had the opportunity to speak to the girl, even just to say hello, but when he thinks about what she did to Amane, he cannot possibly forgive her.

"N-no, that's not it. This is wrong..."
"There's no need to cover it up. I asked Akazawa-san and Chitose-san about the time of the incident, and after questioning the classes that were available during that time and the people who had skipped classes, I found out that you had been sneaking out during class many times during that time. It seems that you got flustered and your preparations became sloppy."
　
　If Mahiru took action, the word would spread quickly, so it was Chitose and Itsuki who actually investigated.
　I can't thank them enough for their generous help for Amane.
　
"That was just a coincidence! Please believe me, I would never lie to an angel..."
"So, can I borrow your phone? If you open the school group message on your phone, you should see the history of what you wrote. If you don't, admit that you were wrong and apologize."
"…………Eh?"
　
　The malicious rumors and slander against Amane that had been posted repeatedly in the group messages were updated frequently.
　Even if the sender is anonymous, it is easy to tell at a glance if the account belongs to the person who posted the message.
　
"That's..."
"Of course, we won't force you to do anything as it would be an invasion of privacy. However, if you cannot prove your innocence, we will request that the school take strict disciplinary action against you as a perpetrator of malicious harassment."
"Th-That's not possible..."
　
　Considering all the damage that has been done so far, the punishment will be quite severe.
　At best, he will be suspended, and at worst, expelled.
　
"Now, please choose one. If you quietly admit it and apologize, there is room for leniency."
"Uh, uh... I... waaaahhh!"
"Ah, wait a moment."
　
　Unable to bear the pressure of approaching midday, he tries to run away from the classroom as fast as he can.
　Itsuki immediately tries to chase after him, but he's too far away from the door and will be able to get away if he keeps going.
　
"--Ahh!?"
"O-Ouch... Ouch."
　
　As he opened the door and tried to run out, he bumped into someone standing in front of it and fell on his butt.
　
"What on earth is this situation?"
"Ah, Amane-kun!? Why are you here..."
"Mahiru was nowhere to be found at the school assembly. Then Kadowaki said, 'Go to class, Fujimiya has a duty to see everything through.' So, what is the situation here?"
“Even though Yuta helped me, I told him to keep it a secret… Well, to put it simply, it’s like a scene in a detective novel where the culprit is cornered, I guess?”
"I see, I understand that completely. Well, I don't understand it at all."
　
　Since there was nothing I could do about it now, I explained the situation to Amane.
　
"I see... so, what are you planning to do with this guy, Mahiru?"
"Of course, I will explain everything to the doctors and have them take appropriate measures."
"...Could you please wait a moment?"
"Amane-kun?"
　
　Amane crouched down in front of the female student, who was terrified and sat on her butt with her escape route blocked, so that she was eye level with him.
　
"Hey, why are you so hostile towards me?"
"Hey, should we just ask the person who's been harassing us directly? That's what I mean."
"Well, I'm curious. I know it might be a case of a man being jealous of your relationship with Mahiru, but I have no idea why a girl would harass me."
　
　Hearing this, the female student's expression changed from frightened to angry and she began yelling.
　
"You... you are trying to defile the angel! Angels are always beautiful, kind, and perfect, but you deceived them and tried to defile them with your lewd desires, so I decided to save them..."
　
　It's stupid. That's what I honestly thought.
　It's foolish to arbitrarily impose your ideal image of an ``angel'' on others, and then be nasty when they differ from that ideal.
　Moreover, it doesn't make sense that this is directed at Amane and not Mahiru herself.
　Perhaps those bad rumors were just the truth that she was spreading.
　She had always intended to act with good intentions in order to protect the ``Angel.''
　
"Angels were my ideal. Unlike me, who is dark, ugly and stupid, they are always smiling, beautiful and can do anything... That's why I wanted them to stay that way forever..."
"I see... now I understand why you hate me."
　
　Amane nodded calmly without getting angry.
　
"You loved Mahiru too, didn't you? So I understand why you would try to chase away such an evil insect when it got close."
"Wh, what are you doing acting like it's none of your business..."
"Even I, if a strange person tried to approach me in the middle of the day, would do everything in my power to keep them away. So I understand how you feel."
"Ah, Amane-kun..."
"Even boasting to someone who hates you, Amane's pretty bad..."
"Anyway, if you care about Mahiru, I want you to think about her own happiness too. Not the happiness of some 'Angel', but the happiness of the real 'Shiina Mahiru'."
"……picture?"
"No matter what happens in the future, I will definitely make Mahiru happy. So, I want you to watch over me."
　
　Amane is seriously trying to persuade her.
　They probably thought that simply imposing sanctions on malicious intent would not solve the problem.
　
(Really, Amane-kun is such a person...)
　
　The anger I had towards her disappeared.
　If Amane, who was the victim, is willing to forgive, then Mahiru has no intention of saying anything more.
　
"...Even if you say such convenient things, men only see women by their faces anyway. Angel... If Shiina-san was as ugly as me, you wouldn't even look at her..."
　
　I see, she probably had a strong aversion to men because they had made fun of her appearance.
　
"I did get excited by Mahiru's cuteness, but it wasn't our appearances that attracted us to each other. Besides, I finally realized that as long as you have confidence in yourself, it doesn't matter what you look like. Even I could change, so I'm sure you can too."
"...It's not that easy to change... People who are blessed with good looks like you probably wouldn't understand."
"Hmm... Ah, that's right, Mahiru."
　
　Amane called out to Mahiru, and it was immediately clear what he wanted to do.
　Mahiru took out her makeup tools from her pouch.
　
"There's no other way... Just stay still."
"W-wait a second, what are you planning to do?!"
"Not bad."
　
　He holds her down as she resists, and applies light makeup and fixes her hair.
　
　--20 minutes later--
　
"Yes, that's enough."
　
　Look at her face in the hand mirror.
　
"No way...is this me?"
　
　When I say makeup, I only bring simple makeup that doesn't violate any school rules, but if used correctly, it can actually change your appearance surprisingly easily.
　Originally, she only had the bare minimum of grooming, but her natural features were not bad, so with a little tidying up, she looked completely different.
　
"Oh, looks are not what you'd expect, are they? It's a bit difficult to maintain, but appearances aren't as important as you think."
"...I see, I wonder."
"Yeah, so it would be really helpful if you could get to know us better and keep an eye on us."
"…………"
　
　The girl didn't reply, but she no longer seemed angry or malicious like she had been earlier.
　
"So this is the end of the matter, I guess?"
"So, isn't that okay? Amane is surprisingly good at charming people after all."
"I think I understand."
　
　As we were talking, it started to get noisy outside. The students must have returned after the closing ceremony.
　
"Huh? Shiina-san, why are you here?"
"Wow, you look a lot different. Are you getting a makeover for the closing ceremony?"
　
　The girl's acquaintances gather around her in excitement, drawn by her new appearance.
　The person in question was completely panicked and flustered.
　
"Look, you look cute now, so let everyone see you."
"C-cute!?"
　
　A single word from Amane, who was watching her calmly, made her turn bright red and become even more upset.
　
　--Amane-kun?
　
　Amane says things like this quite unconsciously.
　That is one of Amane's good points, but if left unchecked, there is a risk that more and more girls will be after him.
　I had been thinking of letting this happen for the sake of Amane, but I decided to get a little revenge.
　
"Now that I think about it, you said that Amane was trying to defile me with your dirty desires, but it's actually the opposite. I was the one who seduced you and attacked you."
""picture!?""
　
　Even the people around her, who don't know the situation, are surprised to hear Mahiru's sudden words.
　
"Oh, my angel... Shiina-san would never do something like that!"
"Oh, you don't believe me? I'll prove it to you."
"Oh, hey, Mahiru?"
　
　She puts her arms around the confused Amane's neck and gives him a passionate kiss.
　
"Mmm, smooch... smooch... lick... smooch, mm... haa"
　
　While everyone around them was speechless at the suddenness of the situation, the excitement grew even more.
　
"Mmmm... haa, mm... leo... mmmm... slurp, slurp... mmmm, pua"
　
　After enjoying it to the fullest, I took my mouth away and a string of saliva dribbled out of my mouth.
　
"Ah, aaaah. My, my image of an 『Angel』 is…"
"If you still can't trust me, how about we just have sex right here?"
"Se!?"
　
　The female student was completely devastated, as she had never expected to hear such words come out of Mahiru's mouth.
　Her image of an "angel" must have been completely shattered.
　Everyone around who saw it thought the same thing.
　
"An angel... an angel has fallen from heaven!"
　
　――――Complete