272 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 272 "Miyagi, open up." From the other side of the door, Sendai-san's voice sounds just as it always does. The number of knocks varies—a single one, sometimes two—but they always happen. Even now, Sendai-san knocks before calling me from outside the door. Yet for some reason, I don't feel like opening it. It's been about ten, maybe fifteen minutes since I went to check on her in the bathroom. Sendai-san took a long time to come out, and instead of clearing my muddled thoughts, her absence only amplified them. I want to see her, but at the same time, I don't. "Miyagi, I know you're in there. I'm going to open the door." A thud resounds as the door is struck again. However, no sound of the door opening follows. It seems like a bluff, but not wanting the door to be opened without permission, I sit up from the bed. "...I'll open it, just wait." I tuck in the penguin for a nap, place the black cat on the bookshelf, and open the door. "Your bath took forever. It's never this long." Condensing thirty minutes' worth of complaints into one short line, I lightly kick Sendai-san's leg, dressed in her casual room outfit. "I just wanted to relax for a bit." "Why did you want to relax?" "You could have joined me in the bath. You're going to take one now anyway, right?" Instead of answering my question, she simply smiles. "I'm not going in yet." "I see." With that, Sendai-san falls silent but doesn't go back to her own room. Whether she has something on her mind or not remains a mystery. —But then again, that's just like her. Sendai-san visits my room whether she has a reason or not, so this is her usual self. Yet she doesn't seem quite like the usual Sendai-san. There's something different about her standing before me. That's how I feel. "Why don't you come inside?" She carries a pleasant scent that, while similar to mine, is distinctly her own. Despite not wanting to open the door, I have no reason to turn Sendai-san away. In fact, I want her to stay close. She is mine, after all, and should always be by my side, so I let her into the room. "Aren't you going to let Roro-chan rest in bed?" Normally she would sit on the floor, but today, Sendai-san sits on the bed and looks at me. "It has a designated spot on the bookshelf." "It'd be cute to let it sleep next to Pen-chan." "It doesn’t have to be cute." "Cute is better, don't you think?" Sendai-san loves the word "cute." She quickly tries to turn everything cute. Sometimes, I find that part of her a little bothersome, so I change the subject. "Do you like carbonara, Sendai-san?" I ask her and sit on the floor, using the bed as a backrest. "You had pasta for lunch, and you’re thinking about pasta for dinner too?" "No, I was just asking if you like it." For lunch, I used some store-bought meat sauce pasta but had plans to make carbonara. However, I wasn’t sure if Sendai-san liked it, and after checking the recipe, I doubted my ability to make it. "What about you, Miyagi?" "It's alright." "I can make it for you sometime if you want." "Can you make it?" "I've never tried before, but I think I can if I follow a recipe." Upon saying that, Sendai-san playfully tugs at my hair. "I want to eat hamburg steak." Forget about carbonara. If she's going to cook for me, I'd rather it be something other than carbonara, even if its not hamburg steak. "You mean hamburg and pasta?" "No, I mean for dinner." "Ah, dinner. I want to grant your wish, but I might not have the ingredients. How about next time for the hamburg steak?" "Anytime is fine, but I'd rather not have instant noodles tonight." "Then let's make something other than instant noodles. By the way, Miyagi, you really like hamburg steak, don't you?" "It's not that I particularly like it." "Miyagi, you're always quick to deny." Sendai-san comments in a soft, non-accusatory tone, tugging at my hair again. Somehow, my hair keeps getting pulled intermittently. "What are you doing?" In response to my question, she says "braiding," only to unravel it shortly after. Then, her voice falls from above my head. "By the way, Pen-chan. It's about time you returned it." "Why?" "Because it's mine." Sendai-san is right. The stuffed penguin lying on my futon is indeed hers. Exchanging it for an crocodile tissue cover was only temporary, something that inevitably required a return. It’s odd that I even asked, "Why?" Hence, I stand up and grab the penguin from the bed, pulling it out from under the futon to hand it over to Sendai-san. "Return the crocodile later." I had no hesitation in returning the penguin stuffed animal because I had wanted to return it along with all the vague feelings I had inside of me, like wanting to see Sendai-san, wanting to touch Sendai-san, and wanting to be touched by Sendai-san. Yet, with a serious expression, Sendai-san asks, "Shall we keep exchanging for a little longer?" To which I firmly respond, "Take it." "I’ll leave it with you a little longer. It seems like you’ve grown quite fond of Pen-chan, Miyagi." Sendai-san's hand, which was supposed to have received the penguin, stroked my wrist, then the back of my hand. I realized that my hand was clutching the wing of the penguin that I was supposed to have given to her. "I’m not fond of it." I try to let go after squeezing the penguin's wing, but my hand won’t release it. "It’s fine if you aren’t, but let’s make this penguin ours." Sendai-san smiles softly and pushes the penguin back toward me. "Ours?" "Even if it’s in either room, it belongs to us both. You won it from the crane game in the first place, Miyagi, so it’s okay, right?" "It’s not okay." I decided to return the penguin along with the things that shouldn’t be inside me. "Just hold onto it a bit longer." Sendai-san lightly taps the penguin on the head. The penguin, now unofficially declared as belonging to both of us, I inadvertently take on responsibility to keep it. But my hand doesn’t resist, firmly cradling it. As a result, the confusing emotions linger within me, blurring the resolution I made not to do things like that again. I shift my gaze to the penguin. Its cluelessly carefree expression meets my eyes. A small breath escapes me as I exhale, intending to set the penguin on the bed—but then, a familiar sweet scent draws near. "...Why do you do this kind of thing?" I ask Sendai-san as she unexpectedly embraces me, penguin and all. "What kind of thing?" "I'm asking why you're clinging to me." "So I don't catch a cold after the bath." "But I'm not warm." Despite being someone who usually dislikes heat, Sendai-san holds me tightly, briefly responding, "I see," before adding, "Take good care of Pen-chan." "...And what about my crocodile?" "I'll return it later." "Whenever's fine. Anyway, I'm hungry." Even though the massive amount of pasta I made earlier has left me not very hungry, Sendai-san's warmth is now far too comfortable, and I fear the confusing emotions inside me might grow larger, so I push against her. Yet, she doesn’t let go. Her lips brush against my cheek and graze my ear. Then, she kisses my earring and nibbles gently on my ear. "Stop doing weird things," I complain, giving Sendai-san's foot a light kick. "It was just a kiss," she says. "You bit me." "I want to do more than just that," she whispers in my ear and nibbles again. "You're ridiculous. I want to eat. Let go." I push her away with all my might. This time, she pulls back without resisting, and I press the penguin's beak to her lips. "If you want to do that kind of thing, do it with a stuffed toy." "A kiss?" she says, taking the penguin from me, clearly unhappy. "And more," I retort. "Isn't doing that with a stuffed toy a bit too weird?" "For a pervert like you, Sendai-san, it's just right. Anyway, make us a proper dinner." "Okay, okay," she responds, placing the penguin on the bed.