257 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 257 I had intended to take it slow over the spring break. During the end of last year, there was Christmas. At the start of this year, Sendai-san kept me company, which forced me to live a relatively strict lifestyle. I even visited Sendai-san's part-time job and went to the zoo, so the winter break was quite busy. Therefore, I planned to relax during the spring break. However, I was roped into participating in truffle-making, and it seems like I'm being forced into doing something for White Day too. I also have to meet with Komatsu-san. But right now, I can’t afford to be preoccupied with things that have already happened or plans that are still ahead. I lay sprawled out on my bed, stroking the head of a black cat. I don't want to go anywhere tomorrow. It’s been a little over a week since Valentine's Day, and I feel like a child reluctant to go to school. This mood is entirely Sendai-san's fault. "This is ridiculous," I say. I never said she could fill in my schedule for tomorrow, but she did it on her own. The plan is for me, Sendai-san, and Maika to go out together. The purpose, of course, is to help Maika pick out some clothes. My schedule is filled with that plan. It's a set decision that won’t be overturned. While it might change if I absolutely refuse, I don't have a good enough excuse to avoid it should Maika ask for reasons. Even though Sendai-san set the plan on her own, it’s as if I don’t even have the right to refuse. After dinner, Sendai-san mentioned the plan for tomorrow, casually adding it as she was going to take a bath, but this is too much of a surprise attack. Maika had said she wanted Sendai-san to help choose her clothes. Since we were going out as a group, I thought I'd need to plan it, since Maika is my friend. I should have decided on when to go out with her, not Sendai-san. The fact that it was decided without my involvement leaves me unenthusiastic. I toss the black cat plush into the air toward the ceiling and catch it. These kinds of things require mental preparation; it’s not something to hastily decide. Sendai-san seems excited and wants to plan quickly, but I’m not the same. "If you want to go out with Maika so much, why not just the two of you—" No, that's no good. I can't let Sendai-san and Maika go out alone. Since we're supposed to be a group of three, we must go out together. I sigh deeply. It would be so much better if it were just Maika and me. I don’t mind going out with Maika tomorrow, but I don’t want Sendai-san to be there. I prefer it when it’s just me going out with Maika. This feeling continues beyond just tomorrow. It’s a persistent, relentless thought. In short, I don't want Sendai-san to meet Maika. I can't stand the idea of Sendai-san and Maika talking without me. The same goes for Komatsu-san and Noto-san. I don’t want them meeting or talking with Sendai-san either. I know the name of these feelings. Even though I didn’t want to acknowledge it, I became aware of this feeling during the school festival. It surfaces whenever others interact with Sendai-san. Even after the festival ended, it often came back to make me dislike myself. I didn’t need this possessiveness. It’s tied to another feeling I wish I'd remained unaware of. —Jealousy. Such trivial sentiments are dragged out from the depths of my heart. I toss the black cat into the air toward the ceiling again, watching the black bundle with my eyes. After catching it with both hands, I sit up and place it at the head of my bed. Using the bed as a makeshift chair, I grab my phone and bring up pictures from the school festival. Sendai-san and me. Sendai-san and Maika. There are many photos with Sendai-san. Just as people stick labels on mementoes to catalog them, I apply labels to the feelings I was reluctant to acknowledge. Though it’s unnecessary, I carefully separate these feelings from others, classify them, name them, and write on the labels in large letters. The words written are indelible, and the labels adhere tightly inside me, refusing to peel away. Ignored though they might be, more keep appearing, leaving my insides cluttered with labels. It's truly aggravating. However, there is a way to make the labels less conspicuous. All I need is to have Sendai-san tied to me. Promise, bond, constraint. Any way to connect is good. The stronger the method, the more effective it is. For instance, a collar to connect her to this room— I exhale heavily. Sendai-san belongs to me, so she’s already tethered. The blue earrings are proof she belongs to me, and if that's not enough, I could mark her body with a red sign. She will never belong to Maika. So, it will be alright. I caress the earring hanging from the hole Sendai-san opened. I press the small flower with my fingertips and tug at my earlobe when I hear a knock at the door. "Miyagi, can I come in for a bit?" I hear Sendai-san’s voice, and after I change the screen on my phone, I grab the black cat. "Wait, I’ll open it now." I place the black cat on the bookshelf and open the door. "Sendai-san, what is it?" "I have something to ask. Can I come in?" "…Fine." Though not very welcoming, I let Sendai-san into the room and sit on the floor, using the bed as a backrest. However, she remains standing in front of the bookshelf, not sitting beside me. "What are you doing?" "I noticed that the black cat had fallen over, so I sat it upright. Does it have a name?" "No." I try to recall whether I remembered to place the nameless black cat back on the shelf, but I can't. It feels like I did, as usual, but also like I didn't. "Aren’t you going to name it?" "No. Was that what you wanted to ask, Sendai-san?" "No, but should I name it for you?" "No. If I leave it to Sendai-san, you might name it something mundane like 'Kuro-chan.'" "…How about 'Roro-chan'? Isn’t that cute?" "It’s hard to pronounce. More importantly, what did you want to ask?" "I was going to ask if I could touch your hair." With those words, Sendai-san sits on the bed and lightly tugs my hair. "Now?" I gently hit her hand and ask. "Tomorrow. I want to do a three-strand braid and make up before we go out." "Absolutely not." "I knew you’d say that. Miyagi, you're really stingy, aren’t you?" Without sounding particularly disappointed, she pulls at a section of hair a little off from my crown. "It’s just a quick three-strand braid from here to around the ear. I’ll only braid this side, so it’ll be done quickly." "I said no." There’s no need for unnecessary fuss. Rather than such trivial exchanges, I'd prefer talking about something else. "…Why did you plan it for tomorrow?" I look at Sendai-san, who is wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt with a cardigan over it. She has just stepped out of the bath, her long hair untied and her face free from makeup. This relaxed version of Sendai-san is probably something only I get to see. "Why not tomorrow? There's no point in postponing it, right? Utsunomiya probably wants to buy clothes soon, and you never decide when to do things, Miyagi. Plus, Mio is coming over next month, so it's better to settle plans early, isn't it?" "I guess, but..." "Was it inconvenient? You said you were free, so I thought tomorrow would work." It’s true that I told her I didn’t have plans, but that didn’t mean I left my schedule open specifically for an outing with Maika. However, knowing that complaining now would be futile, there was only one thing left to say. "It's not inconvenient." "Then it's fine, right? Back to our earlier discussion—if you don't want me doing your hair or makeup, at least let me pick out your clothes." "No way." "Then how about an order?" "You always say things like that." "Come on, the person who's getting ordered doesn't mind it, so how about some orders, Miyagi? How about an exchange? Let’s trade an order for something I want to do." "I don't want to." "You like to give orders, don't you? Just do it." "Being told to order you feels off." Though I don’t dislike giving orders to Sendai-san, I don’t want to be coerced into it. Being told to issue an order feels like I'm following her command, which makes it akin to being ordered around by her in a way. "Then let me take care of your hair tomorrow. And do your makeup." As long as you don't do it for Maika. If we can agree on such a condition, I’d allow Sendai-san to touch my hair or do my makeup. But I can't actually say that. "Miyagi." Sendai-san descends from the bed and sits beside me. She reaches out to stroke my hair and then my cheek, the scent of the same shampoo we both use tickling my nose, making me acutely aware of her presence. "...Just a bit, then." I can’t make her promise not to style Maika’s hair or do her makeup, but at least tomorrow, it will just be me. "That’s fine. No need for marks?" "Not now." "Then how about me marking you, Miyagi?" "No." After a small mutter of "stingy," Sendai-san naturally presses her lips to mine. The contact was brief, just a momentary touch before she pulled away. The kisses she gives help conceal the feelings labeled inside me. So, when I tug on Sendai-san’s cardigan, she leans in to kiss me again.