Amane's mother, Shihoko, arrives at the apartment without warning while Mahiru is visiting. Amane asks Mahiru to hide, but Shihoko eventually finds her, and the two neighbors frantically try to correct Shihoko's assumption that they are dating. Nonetheless, Mahiru is touched by Shihoko's motherly kindness. After Amane sees how happy Mahiru is to be called by her first name, he tries calling her "Mahiru" too. From that day on, the neighbors call each other by their first names.

Mahiru and Amane ring in the new year together. When the exhaustion from cooking catches up with Mahiru and she falls asleep in Amane's arms, Amane has no choice but to let her stay the night in his bed. The sight of her sleeping peacefully but totally unguarded gives him a bit of a jolt. Two days later, Amane's parents come to visit. When the four go to Hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year), Amane is taken aback by how pretty Mahiru looks in a kimono. Meanwhile, Mahiru keeps blushing at the sight of Amane dressed up so handsomely.