She landed on the mat without wobbling a centimeter
Ohh
A cheer filled the entire gym They were using the vaulting box for a PE class with boys and girls together
Wow wow How many flips was that How many was it
Saya and then the rest of the girls raised their voices and ran over to her Fortunately no one was all that familiar with gymnastics so they had not noticed their classmate had just shattered a world record (You can’t do that Ange)
Mutsuki was worried about how much his angel roommate was standing out She was probably only using a fraction of her athletic ability but five flips was taking it too far
Well that’s just how it’s going to be
Ange did not seem to mind the attention as she brushed back her long hair and stepped off the mat In fact she seemed to be holding her chest out proudly
Thanks to incidents like that Ange was known around the school as a small but amazingly athletic girl
She was pretty well liked She herself still had a poor impression of humans and could often come off as cold but everyone allowed it because she was cute
Also
W-woody-yoo liks-sumkofee
While her athletic abilities were superhuman the rest of her was anything but And that had a certain charm to it
Okay Miss Jiyuuni That’s enough
Ange clenched her teeth in frustration as their exasperated English teacher ordered her to sit down
Despite being an elite angel when it came to PE she was more like this everywhere else
According to her
Shut up The languages chemical formulas and mathematical theory in heaven are completely different It was hard enough learning Japanese in such a short time frame
At any rate this helped Ange’s arrogance not seem so disagreeable
She did not move from her desk afterschool but Saya and a few other girls had a habit of gathering around her She did not seem wanting for friends
She had really become a member of the class
On another note it had become common knowledge on the second day that Mutsuki and Ange lived together
Gh Mutsuki
During the midday lunch break she kicked her chair back and approached him
What is it
He tilted his head and she held an adorable pink lunch box in front of him She pointed at the dark green blob in one corner
You added your own twist to the lunch again didn’t you
Y-yeah It’s a cold Salisbury steak made with greens and seaweed Did you not like it
It’s disgusting It looks like Salisbury steak but it’s bitter and stinks of seaweed
That’s strange I thought I’d done a good job on that oneIt’s full of nutrients you know
I’m not going to make myself sick for some extra nutrition Cough Cough
Some of the flavor must have lingered in her mouth because yelling was enough to make her choke Mutsuki was not sure what to say but
The couple is at it again
Fujita ’s had fifteen straight losses hasn’t he Keep at it
Sakae always ate lunch with Mutsuki and Saya would eat at Ange’s desk so those two
classmates started the usual conversation
W-we are not a couple
Ange was short tempered in the first place so whenever someone teased her she would shout back with her face the same color as her hair
Mutsuki tended to grow silent so whenever she got angry he would take a figurative step back and let it happen When another classmate caught his eye they would give him a sympathetic look so he could only smile bitterly back Hey husband Quit ignoring your wife She’s pretty angry
I’m not her husband How many times do I have to tell you she’s just a relative
He kept his tone as calm as possible as he answered his best friend who was nudging his cheek with a fist Both Sakae and Saya cackled in delight
The most convincing lie for living together was a familial relationship so that story had worked its way into the class over the past three weeks At first there had been rumors they had three or four kids together but now only their close friends teased them about it And with how plain Mutsuki was no one was going to doubt that they were just relatives
F-fine then
Everyone was laughing and Ange seemed embarrassed to be the only angry one so she stopped complaining and moved away She continued eating while avoiding the Salisbury steak
Mutsuki made their lunches every day It may have been a blessing in disguise that the class knew they lived together because now he did not have to fix two separate menus
What did you even cook that made her so angry You said it was a Salisbury steak made with greens and seaweed
Yeah You know how they make Salisbury steaks with one or the other Well I mixed them together
Mutsuki had a knack for all kinds of housework but he especially liked cooking
Back with his family his mother and older sister had only let him make breakfast (and had limited the menu to toast fried eggs and salad) so he had a lot more chances to cook lunch and dinner now That meant he could try out a lot more dishes Want to try some
Sakae was peering into his lunch so he held out a slice of the item in question
Sakae leaned as far back as he could and vigorously shook his head
Mutsuki was confused because this boy had a habit of asking for a bite whenever he was eating some kind of snack But when it came to Mutsuki’s original creations people had a tendency of sweating a lot and declining But it’s really good
He took a bite himself
It takes a generous heart to accept something like that You are a virtuous person my friend
After Sakae muttered that the smell of the seaweed and meat must have reached him because he pulled his chair back
Whoops Sorry Ibekusa
His elbow hit the neighboring desk where Ibekusa Machina was eating
The desk shook but the girl showed no reaction as she continued to eat
Her desk was located between Mutsuki’s and Ange’s so she almost seemed to be a part of their group She was physically close by but she was as hard to speak to as always
No one said a word about her unique lunch a single red apple
The way she chomped wildly into it did not match her overall image She did not actually open her mouth wide but she did crunch right through the skin
The class was already used to this scene
It happened every day She always had a single apple for lunch
Saya had once asked about it when it caught her interest
Hey hey Ibekusa Is an apple enough for you
It is nutritionally adequate
But aren’t you still hungry Are you on a diet
Do you like them
That was all
With her figure she certainly did not need to go on a diet so everyone had concluded she was
just a light eater
Mutsuki’s eyes wandered in her direction and he found himself entranced by her
When her cherry blossom pink lips pressed against the round apple skin they bent so softly around the apple’s contours
That kiss between scarlet and pink looked so oddly seductive that the boy’s heart started racing
Machina bit off a piece and thoroughly chewed it Her eyes were still half-closed and he still questioned whether she felt emotions at all
Even the normal act of eating seemed out of place for such a doll-like person It felt like he was watching something mysterious
Taking the bite had dirtied her lips with some apple juice so she stuck out her wet and shining tongue and carelessly licked it off
What are you staring at
Wh-what do you mean
When Sakae moved into his field of vision Mutsuki looked away in shock
You were looking at Ibekusa weren’t you Your wife’s right over there so don’t cheat on her okay
I was not UmI-I was not looking at Ibekusa
Sakae was teasing him just like with Ange earlier but Mutsuki panicked and shook his head since he really did have a crush on her
His intense reaction was as good as admitting to it but that boy was not mature enough to think so rationally about it
In search of an excuse he looked back toward Machina and the window beyond her
Th-the clock I was looking at the clock tower because I wanted to know what time it-