251 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 251 "Show me when you do it by yourself." If I had continued to order her like that, Sendai-san might have actually done it. But if she truly did it in front of me, it would cause trouble. Honestly, I didn't really want to see her doing it. What I desired from Sendai-san was for her to resist, say no, or look troubled saying she can't do it. When she agrees so readily to do it alone, I don't know what to do with myself. "Miyagi." Sendai-san softly calls my name while holding onto a stuffed penguin. I've already used up the "right to order Sendai-san" that I acquired on New Year's, so I have no reason to stay in this room any longer. I should return to my own room. If I stay here, I’ll probably say unnecessary things or end up hearing something I shouldn't. Even though I know this, I can't bring myself to move. On the bed, the plush penguin flaps its wings. To be precise, it's Sendai-san moving the penguin's arms—no, wings—back and forth. "Are you really not going to do it?" When I answer "I'm not" to the voice that descends from the bed, the penguin is thrown my way, and I hastily catch it. "Hey, that's dangerous." I place the penguin next to the platypus and voice my complaints, but there's no response. Instead, she quietly climbs down from the bed and sits next to me without a word, laying her hand over mine as though it were the most natural thing in the world, bringing her face closer. I press against her shoulder. "Sendai-san, I don't like this." "A little kiss is fine, isn't it?" "No, it's not. You'll definitely try something weird." I brush off the hand that comes to touch my neck and glare at Sendai-san. "Miyagi made the weird order first." "Even if it was a weird order, I did say you didn’t have to do it anymore, so it's over with that." "You said something that sounded like an invitation, and that's why it turned out like this." "I wasn't inviting you. I was merely giving an order." "Even if that's how Miyagi sees it, I don't feel the same way." Her voice, full of unmasked dissatisfaction, follows as Sendai-san's fingertips brush against my lips, slowly stroking. Her fingers trace my lips as if checking whether I'm using the new lip balm she chose. I bite down hard on her fingers. "Ouch." "It hurt because you did something strange." I release the bitten finger and give Sendai-san a light smack with the penguin. "Honestly, Miyagi, you're cruel. You leave kiss marks, issue strange orders, and then stop halfway, tossing me aside immediately. You should take responsibility once in a while." "What do you mean by take responsibility?" "Let's make a new promise." I hear Sendai-san's voice close to my ear. The warmth of her breath tickles, and I clench my hand tightly. I quickly understood what she was referring to. So, my mind drifts to Christmas. The day when we went out together, had a meal, and won a penguin from the crane game.—I kept the promise I made with Sendai-san. That was a day when Sendai-san felt especially close, a memory both pleasing and floating. It wasn't something I wanted to forget, but I buried it deliberately as something not to be actively recalled. It's not good. It’s not good to keep making such promises multiple times. "...No." As I quietly reply, a pre-prepared question is thrown my way. "Then, if we don’t have to make promises, tell me. Miyagi, did you dream a lot about me on that bed? Do you ever do it alone or feel like doing it?" "That's ridiculous. I have the right to order, not Sendai-san." "But the order time is over, isn't it?" "Even if it's over, Sendai-san doesn't have the right to ask such questions." "So not saying means you do?" Sendai-san speaks in a way she usually never does. It's not the broken reasoning I wanted to see in her. "No, I don't, and I don’t feel like it. Unlike you, Sendai-san. I’m heading back to my room, so please let go." I'll escape from here before her reasoning truly shatters. But before I can stand, she seizes my arm. "Do the same as me. When you go back to your room, do it yourself, and in the morning, tell me how it goes." "Sendai-san, you're a pervert." "Come on, just tell me." "In that case, will you tell me too? When I'm gone, will you do it here alone?" "...Do you seriously want to know that?" This was something hard to understand. Her unusually serious tone makes me realize I’m treading on forbidden ground, prompting me to shake off Sendai-san's hand. "Please, just move a bit further away. This isn't the kind of conversation I wanted to have." "So, what kind of conversation do you want?" Her voice isn't gentle, nor is it angry. It's flat, matter-of-fact, making my chest ache slightly. "...Sendai-san, sit over there." I point to the other side of the table. "Why? If we have something to talk about, let's do it here." It seems she has no intention of moving. In that case, I’ll be the one to move. Announcing, "I'll sit over there," I make my way along with the platypus with tissues, sitting on the opposite side. I line up the three cat chopstick rests sitting on the table's edge facing Sendai-san. "Which one do you like? Answer seriously." White cat, tabby, tuxedo. The three cats stare at Sendai-san. "What about Miyagi?" Holding the penguin that was on the floor, she asks the question I expected, and I answer, "The black cat," which isn't here. "Isn’t that cheating? If that's allowed, I'll choose the calico cat." "It's really Mike-chan you like." "Does Miyagi dislike Mike-chan?" "Not really." I neither like nor dislike calico cats. They're only remembered as a cat Sendai-san likes. "So, Miyagi, what's this game?" "It's not a game. It's a question... Did you dislike that order?" "I don't mind being ordered by Miyagi." "Even those kinds of orders?" "Any kind of order." Sendai-san is strange. Something's off. But I’ve always been watching this kind of Sendai-san, and life with her has become indispensable. And I want to know the Sendai-san she doesn’t show, despite her eccentricity. The Sendai-san visible to my eyes alone won't reveal her true self. I want to fill in the missing parts, to expand my exclusive Sendai-san. Even if Sendai-san becomes more eccentric or goes a bit off the rails, I want the Sendai-san that she doesn't show. I clutch the small hand of the platypus tightly. "Sendai-san." "What?" "...At the zoo, the shoebill was incredibly cute. It was cold, but I’m glad we went." "Why bring this up suddenly?" "Because I promised to share fun moments before. And I think I'm keeping my promise to have silly conversations, too. So if you truly dislike something, say you dislike it clearly." I blurt out everything that needs to be said, and I release the platypus's hand. "So, you're saying if there's ever an order I absolutely don't want to do, I should say it?" "Not just orders. If there's something you dislike when you're with me, say it. Also, tell me what you truly like. You're not allowed to say it’s the same as mine." "What’s that about? What’s the point of this?" In a probing voice, Sendai-san stacks the tuxedo cat on top of the tabby cat chopstick rest. "I just want to get to know you better," I say. "Why the sudden interest in getting to know me?" The white cat is placed on top of the tuxedo cat, forming a tower of chopstick rests that soon collapses. The cats are stacked and unstacked again, rearranged on the table, and Sendai-san silently looks at me, urging me to speak. "...Because I'm curious," I mutter, only to hear an astonished "Eh?" in response. "—Miyagi, do you have a fever or something?" "No fever. Is it wrong to be interested in you? We live together, and asking about things like your likes and dislikes is normal. So, if I ask, you should answer properly." She offers no reply. The room is quiet, almost as if you could hear the movement of the air. Sendai-san continues to silently gaze at the chopstick rest cats. I pull two tissues from the platypus, crumple them up, and toss them across the table. The small white ball hits Sendai-san softly on the head and falls to the floor. "...I'll try to satisfy you as best I can," she says, perhaps prompted by the tissue, in a mumbling voice that lacks clarity. "Isn't that a strange answer?" I ask. "Well, there's really nothing unpleasant about being with you. And it's true that I like the same things as you." "Then, create things you like and dislike." "Even if you say to create them... Oh! There is something I dislike." "What is it?" "I don't want you to tell me to 'stay away'." "Why not?" "Because it's more fun being close." "You always lie, Sendai-san." "It's not a lie. Can I come closer?" Without waiting for a response to her gentle voice, Sendai-san moves closer of her own accord. She sits next to me and kisses my earring.