290 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 290 "It's delicious." I convey my thoughts to Miyagi as I swallow the tofu that nearly melts away in my mouth. "Sendai-san, you always lie." A disgruntled voice comes back, and I take another bite of the mapo tofu. It's not spicy—just delicious. I'm not someone who dislikes spicy food, but the slightly sweet mapo tofu Miyagi made is undeniably tasty. For me, the fact that Miyagi made it already gives it value, but even without that factor, I genuinely mean it. "I only speak the truth. Don't you think it's delicious, Miyagi?" "It's tasty, but..." She murmurs hesitantly, lacking confidence, while nibbling on her portion of mapo tofu. "Miyagi, you've gotten better at cooking." "It's nothing—I just used the mapo tofu mix and added tofu." Her low voice suggests dissatisfaction. For some reason, the more I praise her, the worse Miyagi's mood seems to get. She's always so irrational. But I'm glad she made dinner and waited for me, so I express my honest feelings. "No matter what ingredients you use, if the end result is tasty, it means you've improved, right?" "You could make it even tastier, Sendai-san." "I don't think it'd be that different." "It would." "If it would, it's just because I've been cooking longer than you have, Miyagi." "I don't think that's it." "That's just how it is." I continue to contradict Miyagi, who seems determined to negate everything I say, while reducing the amount of mapo tofu on my plate. Across from me, Miyagi munches away on her mapo tofu as well. Surely, even she finds it delicious. Though I've never made mapo tofu since coming to this house, I think I might try making it from now on. "Do you prefer silken tofu, Miyagi?" The tofu in this mapo tofu is soft and goes down smoothly, suggesting it's silken instead of the firmer momen tofu. "I just used it because it was in the fridge." "I see. Next time, if I make mapo tofu, which do you prefer, silken or momen?" "This one. How about you, Sendai-san?" "Silken, I guess." Momen tofu might make for better-looking mapo tofu, but if I'm making it, it should be something Miyagi wants to eat. And whatever Miyagi wants to eat would become what I want to eat too. Sweet. Silken. I'll remember Miyagi's preferred mapo tofu. "Sendai-san." As I'm slowly savoring the mapo tofu, Miyagi calls out to me. "What is it?" "Is there anything specific you want to eat?" Miyagi asks before popping another bite of mapo tofu into her mouth. "Well, let's see... What do you want to eat, Miyagi? Is it hamburg steak, again?" I've been refraining from making hamburg steak lately because Miyagi mentioned gaining weight. But if she wants it, I'll make it anytime. I could cook it even before she asks, but Miyagi's weight is a concern. Whether she's gained weight, lost it, or is exactly the same, it doesn't matter to me as long as she's healthy. Still, if Miyagi starts going out for walks on her own to lose weight, that would be a problem. She never admitted it was a part of a diet plan, but those early morning walks surely were, and so I believe I should keep an eye on Miyagi's weight. "I'll let you know if I want hamburg steak." Miyagi mutters quietly. "Anything else you'd like?" "As long as it's not something I hate." "You mean broccoli?" "Things like shungiku or green peppers too. There are others." "Isn't that quite a lot?" "It isn't." Miyagi responds definitively, taking large bites of mapo tofu. I take another bite too. As we chat idly over dinner, the plates empty quickly. Before I start cleaning up, I ask Miyagi, "What do you want to do afterward?" "What about you, Sendai-san?" "I'd like to watch a movie with you, Miyagi." "...No horror." From across the table, her voice is unmistakably unhappy. —Perhaps she’s still annoyed about that. I know why Miyagi is saying this with such displeasure, even without asking. After her solo walk, it wasn’t exactly revenge, but I did show her a horror movie trailer unannounced. She’s probably still holding that grudge. "There's no need to be so cautious—I won't show you anything like that again." The trailer wasn't terrifying on its own. It only had eerie music, and my intention was simply to surprise her a bit, thinking it might lead to us sleeping together after. Since it's Golden Week, I figured things like that might happen, but apparently, Miyagi doesn't think along those lines. She took the penguin plush we share and retreated back to her room. "So, let me know what you want to watch first." Miyagi, who's not even trying to hide her bad mood, glares at me. "Why don't you pick something you want to watch, Miyagi? That way, it won't be anything scary, right? And should we watch in my room or yours?" "I haven’t even agreed to watch anything yet. Don't just decide on your own." Miyagi gets up and begins cleaning up the dishes. I follow her lead, carrying some to the kitchen. As she grabs the sponge, I ask, "You’re not watching?" "...I'm free anyway, so I'll watch in your room, Sendai-san." She mumbles softly, and I grab the sponge from her. "Okay, then I'll wash up quickly." I'm faster at washing dishes than she is. As I promised, I swiftly finish cleaning, prepare two glasses, and pour soda and barley tea. Miyagi picks up the glass with the clear soda, and I carry the remaining glass to the room. Together, we place the glasses on the table with a clink. Miyagi sits, leaning against the bed. I bring over the tablet and sit next to her. I pass the tablet to Miyagi, who selects a Japanese film from a few years ago and presses play. The screen displays an actor we haven't seen recently, and a movie adapted from a manga starts to play. It feels like last year. Back then, we spent Golden Week watching movies together too. But this year is different from last year. It has become normal for Miyagi to come to my room, and we've been watching movies since the start of Golden Week. That stability is comforting and something I wish would continue, but it also leaves a bit to be desired. I hold Miyagi's hand. She doesn't resist or pull away. When I nudge her with my shoulder, she pushes back with mild irritation, but that's all. Nestling my shoulder and arm against her, she finally voices a complaint. "Sendai-san, you're too close." "That's fine." "It's not fine." Still, Miyagi doesn't let go of my hand. I wish she'd initiate a kiss at times like this, but Miyagi never does. I know that any attempt to compel her would only end poorly. Even if I try creating a moment where "Miyagi would want to kiss," she never begs for it. Rather, she would probably start refusing kisses from me altogether. That's how Miyagi is, and I'm fine with that. But I still want kisses, and I don't want her to reject them. "Miyagi." There's no answer when I call her. I lean on her, putting pressure on our joined shoulder and arm. The fragrance of the same shampoo tickles my nose. By using the same shampoo, I had wanted Miyagi to be more conscious of me. But most likely, I sense Miyagi far more often than she senses me. I belong to Miyagi, though Miyagi doesn't belong to me. I have no complaints about that, but I do wish the space I occupy within Miyagi would grow. "...Shall we kiss?" Knowing she’ll never say "yes," I don't wait for an answer and press a kiss to her cheek. But before I can feel her warmth, she pushes me away, breaking our contact before it fully forms. "Stop with the weird stuff and watch the movie." "You can watch the movie, Miyagi." "When you do weird things, I can't watch." "If it's just a kiss on the cheek, you can still watch, right?" I caress her cheek and try kissing again. "I can't watch." "Then why don’t we watch the movie later?" I tug on Miyagi's shirt, turning her towards me. I silence her lips before she can object, my tongue sneaking in, but Miyagi pushes against my shoulder before it can entwine with hers. "We're watching it now, not later." Her sulky voice is accompanied by her turning the tablet away from me. "If you give me a kiss, we can keep watching." Trivial tricks don't work on Miyagi. But I know that making an exchange often works. And I know Miyagi needs a reason. I place the tablet back on the bed and pull her arm towards me. Strongly, determinedly. Then, I let my back rest against the floor. "What's this?" Miyagi's brow furrows as she finds herself hovering over me. "Would you have preferred if I had pinned you down?" "That's not it. If it's just a kiss, we don't need to do this." "So, you're going to kiss me?" "I didn't say that." "Aren't you interested in watching the rest of the movie?" I gently prompt, and her fingertips brush against my lips.