266 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 266 "The wrinkle between Shiori-chan's eyebrows is just like in the photo." Mio-san says while staring intently at my face. "Photo?" "I saw it with Hazuki. Even in that picture, you had a wrinkle between your brows." I had suspected that Sendai-san might have shown Mio-san a photo. But from the mention of a wrinkle, I can imagine that it's not a particularly flattering picture. "...What kind of photo did Sendai-san show you?" "Just an ordinary photo." Sendai-san answers the question I meant for Mio-san. "Then, Sendai-san. Show me this 'ordinary' photo." "Don't worry, it's a cute photo." Sendai-san smiles unnaturally broadly. "I don't care if it's cute or not. I'm just curious about the kind of photo it is. Show me the photo you showed to Mio-san." I do appreciate Sendai-san. Mio-san suggested we have dinner together, which led to us deciding to eat pizza. Thanks to Sendai-san, we avoided the worst-case scenario. When Mio-san wanted to eat out and suggested, "Why don't we go now?"—I almost wished for the end of the world. But Sendai-san insisted it was too early for dinner and opted for ordering pizza later, saving the day. Had we gone out as planned, I was sure Mio-san would have suggested inviting friends over. Having more people like Mio-san around would be too much. So, I appreciate Sendai-san, but that's a separate issue. "...I could show you, but..." "Then show me." I reach my hand out towards Sendai-san, who is sitting diagonally across from me, but she just looks at me without pulling out her phone. "Sendai-san." "...You won't delete the photo, right?" "If I don't like it, I'll delete it." As I declare firmly, Mio-san bursts out laughing for some reason. "Shiori-chan, you're finally coming around." "Huh?" "You chatted quite a bit when you came to my workplace, but you're not talking much today." "That's because..." Last time, it was because I got swept up in her unrestrained communication style, as if personal space didn't exist. "You should talk more, it's more fun. Oh, and there’s that brow wrinkle again." Hearing her amused voice, I touch my forehead to smooth the wrinkle. Seeing this, Mio-san laughs again, tempting my brow to furrow once more. "Shiori-chan, don’t you want Hazuki to show you the picture?" Mio-san asks while chuckling, pointing at Sendai-san. "Oh, right. Sendai-san, what about the photo?" Giving up on my brow, I demand Sendai-san take out her phone. "I’ll only show it if you promise not to delete it." "I’ll decide after I’ve seen it, so hand over your phone." Just as I say this, Mio-san chimes in. "No worries, Hazuki said it's really a cute picture. Just as cute as you are now." "It's not like I'm cute or anything." "Shiori-chan, you're cute. That skirt looks great on you too." Mio-san smiles brightly, and before I can refute, Sendai-san interjects. "I picked out that skirt." "Oh, did you? But hey, Hazuki, you’re so fun with Shiori-chan around." "Fun? I thought I was just normal." "Totally fun. Today you're so assertive, jumping into conversations. That's not usually the case, right? And you're flustered over something as small as a photo." "That's because Mio keeps bothering Miyagi." Sendai-san mutters under her breath, giving Mio-san a reproachful look. "That attitude and face make you interesting too. It's rare to see this side of Hazuki. Shiori-chan, is this how Hazuki is at home?" I hesitate to talk about how Sendai-san truly is when she's with me alone in this house. The real Sendai-san that nobody knows about, the Sendai-san that’s just for me. The Sendai-san sitting here talking to Mio-san feels close to the real one. I don’t want Mio-san to get any closer to the true Sendai-san. "Well, how should I put it... probably a little gentler, I guess?" I offer a vague but not inaccurate response. "Oh, I just received a good evaluation—but it's still unclear. Isn’t she actually an 'Ultimate Selfishness Demon King' instead of gentle?" "I don't think so." In response to my answer, Mio-san looks doubtingly at Sendai-san. "Really?" "I'm not selfish. Let's drop this topic." Sendai-san sharply interjects, pushing a bag of potato chips towards Mio-san. "Alright, alright, I'll stop before Hazuki-mama gets mad." Mio-san cheerfully says, taking a chip and munching on it. Then, with a laugh, she adds, "I wanted to see more of the interesting side of Hazuki though." Still, I think— If seeing the interesting side of Sendai-san is her goal, she didn’t need to come all the way here. Though it’s rare, spending time together surely provides opportunities to see that side of her. Though I have my thoughts about Mio-san spending time with the Sendai-san I don’t know when I’m not around, it's better than her encroaching on my territory. Sigh. After a small exhale, I take a sip of soda. The syrupy drink with its fading fizz slides down my throat and settles in my stomach. I wonder if I should have gone with barley tea instead, but I take another sip and look at Mio-san, who is cheerfully talking with Sendai-san. I glance at the glass on the table. Watching the two of them, my stomach feels heavy. "This isn’t good..." The words slip from my mouth before I can catch them, and I hold my breath. But it was quiet enough that they shouldn’t have heard. I cautiously lift my eyes from the glass and meet Mio-san’s gaze. "What isn’t good?" Mio-san looks at me, serious. While not as much as Sendai-san, she is beautiful. It's suddenly striking. She has a frank and cheerful air when she talks, but her features stand out more when she's silent. She's rightly classified as a beauty, looking a little intimidating when quiet. "Uh, well... I’m not very good at speaking." Not exactly accurate, but not entirely wrong either, I reluctantly utter the words, and Mio-san starts to laugh light-heartedly. "No worries, no worries. You’re speaking just fine. Thanks to you, I got to see a silly side of Hazuki today. You both are incredibly fun." Mio-san says with a voice that is less bright and more gentle, emptying the glass that held soda. She then surveys me and Sendai-san with a soft smile and continues. "From the moment we met last time, I thought Shiori-chan was an interesting person. I was curious about what it's like for you two to room together, so I decided to visit. I’m really glad I did. I got to see an interesting Hazuki too." "Mio. I'm not a plaything, you know." Sendai-san sighs, holding her forehead dramatically. "I get it. But you two are really funny. It was worth taking the train to come here. I don't usually get to see Hazuki being scolded." "I wasn't really being scolded, was I?" Sendai-san retorts with a more serious tone. "You were, when you showed the photo earlier." Mio-san giggles. Watching her like this, I can tell she’s a good person. But being a good person isn't enough; it doesn't change the fact that Mio-san is challenging for me to deal with. Probably, Mio-san isn't the same kind of person as I am. She must be some kind of superhuman or something. If someone said she came from the edge of the universe, I’d believe it. She might even be able to speak without needing oxygen. Being such a creature that I’ve never encountered, I feel it'll be difficult to become as close with her as I am with Maika. "Shiori-chan, do you often scold Hazuki like earlier?" Her cheerful voice echoes, followed by the sound of a slap as Sendai-san smacks Mio-san. Yet, Mio-san just continues to giggle, standing up with a comment about how even hitting someone is rare. "Before I get hit any more, I’ll escape to the bathroom. Where is it?" Sendai-san stands up and explains the bathroom location to Mio-san. With a light-hearted "I'll be right back," Mio-san leaves the room. "Sorry about all the noise, Miyagi." Sendai-san sits back in her spot, letting out a big sigh. "It's fine... but you and Mio-san seem pretty close, huh." I say, pulling a tissue from the back of a stuffed platypus. "Because we're friends." "Hmm." I roll the tissue into a ball and toss it at Sendai-san, who catches it and approaches me. "In a bad mood?" Sendai-san sets the tissue ball on the floor and reaches for my hand. Before she can grab it, I rub over the mark I made on her through her clothes. "...I should've left more." "Want to add more now?" "Mio-san will be back soon, it's impossible." Even if I want to, now's not the time for that kind of thing. That much is clear. "Yeah, true." But thinking about having to watch my Sendai-san and Mio-san—who feels like she’s from another world—talk and eat dinner together makes me realize I need something to steady my nerves. What might that be? I trace the button of Sendai-san’s blouse and press hard on the marked spot. I want to remove her clothes and touch her directly. But that's not allowed. "...Let me have your hand." I caress her arm and grip her fingertips. "Sure." Her soft voice reaches my ears. I pull her hand and bite her index finger. The first joint, hard and firm. I bite so strongly that it leaves a mark. Sendai-san doesn’t complain of pain or dissatisfaction. Instead, she runs her fingers through my hair with her unbitten hand. "Sendai-san is mine." I tell her while wiping her finger marked with my teeth with a tissue. "I know. Do you want to do the other fingers?" "No. ...For now, act like you're at university." I want her to return to being just my Sendai-san, but I don’t want Mio-san to see that. So for now, show me the Sendai-san that Mio-san knows but I don't. "Huh? What do you mean?" "If you don't understand, that's okay." I push her shoulder and throw the tissue into the trash. Then I sit a bit away from her, bite into a potato chip, and swallow. Sendai-san remains silent, as she starts to eat potato chips as well. Just as I reach for my third one, the door opens. "Mio-chan’s back to treat you to pizza~." With a bright voice, Mio-san sits across from me. "Mio is treating us?" "As an apology for teasing you two. I'll treat you to three or even four, so order whatever you like." At Mio-san’s words, Sendai-san grabs the pizza leaflet. Using her unmarked hand, she places it on the table, and the pizza discussion begins. Teriyaki or seafood...? After some back-and-forth, the pizza arrives a little earlier than dinnertime. Before long, only the boxes remain, and even the ice cream for dessert is reduced to just its wrappers. Whether biting Sendai-san's finger had any effect is unclear. My feelings remained unsettled, but maybe it was better than not biting at all. While contemplating what I'd do if Mio-san decided to stay over, I tidy the table. She calls me, "Shiori-chan," prompting me to brace myself. However, instead of what I expected, she simply says, "I should get going soon," and, like a whirlwind, Mio-san leaves as quickly as she arrived. Leaving us with the ominous words, "I'll come again." "Will Mio-san really come again?" In Sendai-san's room, now just the two of us, I look over at her while leaning against the bed. "Do you think she won't?" Instead of answering, I let out a small sigh, and in an unusually weary voice for her, Sendai-san adds, "I don’t think she’ll come back right away."