259 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 259 I found more pencil cases than expected. However, with a fixed budget in mind, the choices inevitably narrow down. Thus, as soon as we reached the store, I knew which pencil case would make the perfect gift, but I kept it to myself. "What do you think would be good?" Not wanting to end our outing too quickly, I decided to ask the others for their opinions. "I don’t know much about the student you're tutoring, Sendai-san," Utsunomiya said earnestly. "Choose according to your preferences. Miyagi, what do you think?" I knew she wouldn’t answer me. Yet, I yearned for an excuse to talk with Miyagi, who had been silent all day. "...Since she got help with choosing clothes today, Maika will answer," came Miyagi's voice, not from my side, but from beside Utsunomiya. "But you’re the one who was asked, Shiori." "Just hurry," Miyagi insisted. "Well, if it were me..." Utsunomiya studied the pencil cases intently between us, before pointing at a pretty flower-patterned one after a moment's thought. "Maybe this one? What does Shiori think?" The ever-reticent Miyagi, who hadn’t answered my question, chose a pencil case with a cute penguin family on it. I understood that Miyagi treated me indifferently whereas Utsunomiya was spared such coldness. Being questioned by Utsunomiya compelled her to respond, which left me with mixed feelings. Nevertheless, I couldn’t complain to Miyagi, so I merely smiled and said, "They're both cute," as I picked up the flower-patterned and penguin-decorated cases. Both seemed to suit them and were appealing in their own ways. The penguin case, especially, was very "Miyagi-like," compelling me to buy it and display it with Pen-chan. However, penguins didn't fit Kikyo-chan’s image, and the floral one might be too cute. "I bet you’ve already decided," Miyagi's voice rang out. My general preference had been set before coming, and I had done some online research. Although Miyagi wasn’t aware of this, she was perceptive at such times. "Having others around makes me want to hear their opinions too," I replied, smiling, and placed the pencil cases back where they belonged. "No need for that. Which one did you decide on?" "I'm thinking of this one," I said, picking up a canvas pencil case. Slightly larger than the others, its size was akin to the one Kikyo-chan regularly used, but with a more subdued design. Its price was just right, neither too high nor too low. "Is that the image you have of your student?" Utsunomiya asked brightly, while Miyagi, who had inquired with a different tone, remained silent, though her eyes stayed fixed on the case. Ideally, I wished for her to look at me rather than the stationery, but I couldn't say that aloud. I answered the question instead. "She's a bit more energetic." "Got it," Utsunomiya responded. "I'm going to buy it, so wait here," I said, heading for the cashier with the case in hand. Miyagi's mood didn't improve. Not knowing how to ease the tension, I decided to leave it to Utsunomiya. I lined up at the register, paid, and requested gift-wrapping. I walked slowly, taking a longer route. Even if the beautifully dressed Miyagi wasn’t looking at me today, I wanted to see her. I longed to be beside her, not separated by Utsunomiya, yet it was Utsunomiya who helped create the lovely Miyagi today, so excluding her wasn’t an option. Still, deep down, I wanted to be beside Miyagi. Even though I felt guilty, I couldn't suppress my desire to be near her. "Let’s get back." After taking a deep breath, I returned to the others, putting on a smile. "Sorry for the wait. There are some cute tissue covers over there—want to take a look?" "Yes, I do! We need to find a new friend for the crocodile in your room, Shiori." "I don't need that many tissue covers." "Choosing a new resident for Utsunomiya's room doesn’t sound bad either." We browsed the tissue covers, checked out some accessories, and admired the tableware. When Miyagi approached the polar bear coasters and seemed to drift further away, I felt an urge to call out, "Do you want that?" Before I could, Utsunomiya gently tugged at my arm. "Sendai-san." "What is it?" "Did you have another argument with Shiori?" She whispered, ensuring Miyagi wouldn’t hear. "Why do you ask?" "Shiori's different today. Her energy is high, yet she isn't talking much with you... Something feels off, doesn’t it?" I knew. I knew she’d think that. Miyagi may have tried to act naturally, but her reluctance to talk unless prompted wasn’t normal. Ensuring she didn't walk right next to me was also out of the ordinary. "…I guess it shows." I didn’t deny it, although we hadn’t argued. Attempting to clear the misunderstanding could complicate matters. "Shiori's still keeping a bit of distance, after all." "Yeah, it's a bit distant." "I'll let her know to make up with you soon." "Thanks." I expressed gratitude, leaving the misunderstanding as it was, and received a smile in return. "No, thank you. Thanks to you, Sendai-san, I found some great clothes today. I’m glad you helped me choose." "I'm happy to hear it was helpful." "I might ask you again." "For what?" Miyagi, who’d been a short distance away, appeared before us, directing her question to Utsunomiya. "For choosing clothes." "I see," Miyagi responded disinterestedly, picking up an enameled mug. Plain and without logo or illustrations, it seemed unlike her typical choices. "I like choosing clothes, so anytime," I said, addressing Utsunomiya over Miyagi, who wouldn’t meet my gaze. "You really do enjoy picking out clothes for others, don’t you, Sendai-san?" "I guess so." I loved both looking at and choosing clothes. While mostly selecting for myself before, I hadn’t particularly enjoyed choosing for others until now. Now, I found joy in selecting for Miyagi, which extended to enjoying choosing for others besides her. Of course, Miyagi was always my first choice, and that preference would never change. "That's why you're choosing clothes for Shiori too." "Even if she rarely lets me." "I’d gladly let you choose outfits for me any time," Utsunomiya noted thoughtfully, drawing Miyagi’s attention as she placed the cup back and looked at me. "...What about tutoring?" Miyagi’s low voice reached me. "I believe I'm quite suited for it," I replied. "Do you like it?" "I think I might." "See? There are things you like after all." Miyagi fell silent at those words. Her gaze shifted from me to the red mug. If she's going to look, I wish she'd look at me instead, but that desire doesn't reach her. "Shiori, are you going to buy that mug?" "I'm not buying it. Besides, I'm hungry." To avoid any awkward pauses, I quickly followed up on Miyagi's comment and asked both of them. "Then let's eat something. What do you want?" "I'm fine with anything. What about you, Shiori?" "I want hamburg steak." "Shiori, you eat hamburg steak quite often." Utsunomiya chuckled softly. "I'm okay with anything too, so let's go where there's good hamburg steak for Miyagi," I suggested, pulling up nearby restaurants on my phone. We left the store, heading towards an old-fashioned mansion-like restaurant. As we entered, the delicious aroma made my stomach, which wasn't that empty, grumble quietly. As we ordered, my mind flashed back to the time I made hamburg steak for Miyagi. After the juicy, flavorful dish arrived, the three of us cleanly devoured it with delight. We parted ways with Utsunomiya, waving her off with smiles. Finally, with Miyagi beside me once more, we boarded the train. Though I thought she might start talking, she barely responded to my attempts with half-hearted replies. While the train continued its rhythm, our conversation was stagnant. It wasn't until I had almost given up that Miyagi's voice, tinged with displeasure, emerged. "…Were you talking to Maika about something?" Though I was happy she spoke up, it seemed the topic wasn't going to be an interesting one. "What do you mean by 'something'?" "I wouldn’t know." "When are you talking about?" Miyagi didn’t answer, clamming up like an oyster. The silence was suffocating, heavy in the air. At our usual stop, we disembark and start the walk home. Lit by streetlamps, the path appeared gloomier than usual. In this dim atmosphere, as if shrouded in mist, Miyagi's small voice finally broke through. "…After we chose the pencil case." Feeling chilly, Miyagi clutched her blue scarf tightly, taking a step ahead as if evading me. "Eh?" "The answer from earlier." The abrupt delivery of the answer to my question on the train startled me, and I rushed to reply. "She just thanked me for helping her choose clothes." Though it's the truth, it wasn't what Miyagi wanted to hear. What she sought was probably about the inquiry, "Did you have a fight with Shiori?" but saying that was unnecessary. "That’s not something to whisper secretly about." "We weren’t whispering. You were just away from us." "…It looked sneaky." "We weren't." I gently corrected her and walked beside Miyagi, who had taken a step ahead. Just then, her phone started ringing from her bag, but she continued to walk without checking it. "Your phone's ringing." I pointed out, watching as Miyagi's brow furrowed. Reluctantly, she fished out her phone, glancing at the screen before her frown deepened. "Sendai-san." She finally called my name, though not kindly. Her voice was thorny, and it sends a chill down my neck, exposed by the pontyail. "…What did you say to Maika?" "Was it from Utsunomiya just now?" "Don't answer my question with a question." "I didn’t tell her anything strange. So, what did Utsunomiya say?" "She said to apologize to Sendai-san. …Did you tell Maika something weird?" Utsunomiya's kindness was almost painful, like a throbbing at the temples. She did say she'd tell us to make up quickly. I didn't expect her words to become reality so soon. It was almost too timely. I'm grateful, but Miyagi's mood had soured even more. "She only asked if we'd had a fight." If I stayed silent, it would only worsen her mood, so I opted for honesty. "Why do I seem like the bad one here? We haven't fought, so make sure to tell Maika that." "I could have said that, but Utsunomiya figured you were acting strangely because of a fight. If I denied it, she’d probably just ask why you were acting that way. Are you okay with that?" "I wasn’t acting strange." Her voice was barely audible. "You were. You wouldn't talk unless I initiated, and you wouldn’t even call my name." I let out a sigh, unintentionally sounding accusatory, though it wasn’t my intent. I didn’t want the day, which should have been enjoyable, to conclude like this. After exhaling again, Miyagi quickened her pace, almost leaving me behind. Instinctively, I grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?" I wanted to get home, to gaze at the Miyagi I had created today until I was satisfied and kiss her countless times, but I didn't want to be left behind like this. I wanted us to go home together. "Home." "I figured. The house isn't going anywhere, so slow down a bit." Miyagi said nothing, nor did she slow down. I tugged gently on her arm. "Should we hold hands?" Though she wore a scarf today, she had no gloves. Holding hands would let us feel each other’s warmth. "No." Her quick refusal prompted me to grip her arm a bit tighter. "Then walk slower." "I'll slow down if you let go." "If you slow down first, I'll let go." Miyagi finally reduced her pace.