267 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 267 "Is Mio-san always like that?" I quietly ask, glancing to my side. Although Mio-san has left, Sendai-san seems utterly drained. I don't know why she is so exhausted, but it seems best to let her rest soon. "She was more energetic than usual." "I see." There's no point in staying in this room any longer. We're both tired and should return to our respective rooms, but my body refuses to move. "Could you take out your phone?" Lingering in this room without a reason, I mumble, offering myself a legitimate reason to stay. "Phone? Why?" "The photo you showed Mio-san, Sendai-san. I haven't seen it yet." Having a reason to ask about it means staying here isn't odd, and simply chatting shouldn't be too burdensome, no matter how tired she is. "That's so typical of you, Miyagi." Sendai-san replies warmly, smiling. "Why won't you show me?" "Because it's one of those photos I've shown you before. No need to show it again, right? Besides, I'd be troubled if you deleted it." "…Fine, forget it then." Though I'd like to erase any strange photos, I realize it's useless now. What's needed to be erased is Mio-san's memory, but since that's not possible, there's no choice but to let it go. "Miyagi, are you feeling unwell, perhaps?" Her voice brims with genuine concern. "Why?" "Because you backed down surprisingly easily." I'm taken aback. While I admit I might not be straightforward, I don't think I'm difficult enough to prompt concern over my health just because I said, "Fine, forget it." "Regardless of what the photo is, Mio-san has already seen it. Mulling over it does no good." "Then why even bring it up again? Why ask to see it a second time?" Even if she asks me why, I'm at a loss. I can't say it's because I needed a reason to be here. "…I forgot why." I mumble softly, looking at Sendai-san's finger. The bite mark I left while Mio was in the bathroom is gone. Of course it is. Such marks fade quickly. I trace her index finger, as if following an invisible bite mark. Though I touch it, I can't find my traces. Still, the mark should remain. I know it doesn't disappear that easily, but I want to undo her blouse's buttons and check. I want to caress the mark, undress her completely, and make countless new ones. I want to make her body one that can't be shown to anyone. But Mio-san is no longer here, rendering such thoughts meaningless. "I'm going back to my room." I squeeze Sendai-san's index finger, then let go, only for her to take hold of my hand. "Why don't you stay the night?" Before I can get up, she suggests this as if it's nothing. "This is my house, so there's no such thing as staying over. Didn't we have a similar discussion before?" "Let's not get caught up in the details. Just sleep here." "No." "And the other stuff?" "What other stuff?" "What we were doing before Mio came." Sendai-san says quietly, entwining her fingers with mine. Her grip feels more like holding than grabbing, as if silently urging me. This level of connection feels too intimate to be mere roommates, and it felt like it gave this conversation a deeper meaning. I attempt to break our joined hands apart, but they stay connected. She holds on firmly, our shoulders brushing together. "Let's continue." She whispers in my ear, and I refuse with a quiet "no." Pressing against her shoulder with my free hand, she whispers again. "Shiori..." Sendai-san's pleasant voice tickles my ear. I fight back the urge to reach for the buttons of her blouse, biting my lip to resist. Now isn't the time for such things. If I get drawn into her warmth, the line between roommates and something else may blur irreparably. Or perhaps it already has, leaving me unsure of my standing. I can only see the marks I've left as if they were signs along the road, yet following them won't bring me back to where I was. "I haven't said you can call me by my name." I forcibly pull my hand from hers. "You're always saying things like that, but will you ever say yes?" "…I don't know, but not now." "Then, how about calling me Hazuki?" "Not now for that, either." If I call her Hazuki, Maika will also call her Hazuki. That's what Sendai-san said. I'm not ready to accept that yet. Nor am I ready to accept her calling Maika not by "Utsunomiya" but "Maika." I understand I must eventually, but now isn't the time. "You can say no to all my requests, but if you reject everything, I might not be able to hold back. ...Can't you allow just one thing?" "What would make you satisfied?" When I ask, Sendai-san grabs the hem of my blue skirt, thinking briefly before replying clearly. "—all of you, Miyagi." "Sendai-san, you're really stupid. That's more than one thing." I slap her hand away from my skirt and attempt to stand up. But she seizes my arm, bringing her face close, intending to kiss me as if it were the most natural thing. I ward her off by pushing her shoulder. "No." "Miyagi, you seem to think I'll obey whatever you say, don't you? Do you see me as nothing more than a dog?" Her voice drops a little, tinged with dissatisfaction. "Sendai-san, you're not a 'dog'; you're my 'possession.'" "A possession is a lower rank than a dog, isn't it?" "I think it's treated better than a dog." "Then show me how something treated better is handled." Sendai-san presents a challenge. I wouldn't want to make a dog my possession. I want only Sendai-san to be mine. But that doesn't automatically mean she's treated better than a dog. So, how should I proceed? I reach out to Sendai-san, who gazes at me as if she's a dog waiting for a treat. Covering her eyes that hold my gaze, I move in to kiss her. Knowing I can't placate her with gestures like this, I match the kiss she attempted earlier and ask, "How about this?" "Do you think that was enough?" She moves my hand away, her fingers stroking the back of my hand, pressing hard on my index finger like when I bit hers. Even though she doesn't bite like I did, her insistence that my previous kiss wasn't enough is clear, prompting me to kiss her once more. Gently brushing against her lips, I pull away. Her fingers draw mine in, and I lightly tease her lips with my tongue. Her lips part slightly, allowing me to enter. The warmth envelops me as our tongues wrap together, melding into each other with intensity. As our fingers release their grip, all my awareness focuses on the sensation of our tongues intertwining. The palpable heat almost suffocates me. I grip her blouse and pull away, only to hear Sendai-san's voice. "It's okay to unbutton it. You want to leave a mark, don't you?" I cast my gaze down at my hands. My fingers clutch the blouse in the very spot where my mark should be placed. By unbuttoning it, I could leave an indelible mark, one that no one else could make but me. Yet, I know those marks will fade away, like bite marks eventually do. They won't last forever. And so, I'll find myself marking her again and again, only for those marks to vanish, and I'll have to start over. No matter how many times I do it, it's never enough. "Miyagi." Her tender voice calls out to me, prompting me to press my lips against her neck. Sendai-san doesn't push me away. As I softly suck, she wraps her arms around my back, embracing me tightly, and I leave a faint trace on her neck. "I'm heading back to my room for tonight." I place a kiss over the visible mark I've made and stand up. If I stay with Sendai-san much longer, I might end up doing something that would keep her from ever leaving this house. Since Sendai-san is mine, it's my right to do such things. It's spring break, so making a visible mark isn't particularly troublesome. But today, that isn't enough. "Do you really have to?" I exhale faintly in response to Sendai-san's words. Today, I want to do something only I can do, and I want to see a version of Sendai-san that only I am allowed to see. Since Sendai-san is mine, it's my right to do such things. It's spring break, so nothing would be too concerning. However, she's not a dog that follows orders without question. I need to respect her wishes as well. What I want shouldn't be pursued without her consent, and words are necessary to gain that consent. "...I have to." Unlike the first time I touched her, I can't bring myself to express my selfish desires or touch her without hesitation. Right now, I'm at a loss for words. "Then, take this and sleep with it." With that, Sendai-san hands me the penguin lying on the bed. "Can’t I just take it with me without sleeping with it?" "No, you have to sleep with it. And then lend me a replacement for my dear Pen-chan." Grabbing my arm, she leads me out of her room. For the smiling Sendai-san waiting at my room door, I fetch the empty crocodile tissue box holder from my room. "Here you go." I hand the floppy crocodile to Sendai-san in front of my door. "That’s not Roro-chan." "If you don't want the crocodile, I won't lend anything." The black cat plushie has the duty of protecting my sleep, so I can't give it to Sendai-san. "The crocodile is fine." Without hesitation, Sendai-san claims and strokes the crocodile's head.