293 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 293 Upon opening my eyes, I found a black cat nestled next to me, clutching a smartphone in its paws. —Well, more accurately, the black cat and the smartphone were sprawled beside me. The smartphone wasn’t acting as an alarm. I didn’t wake up due to anything in particular; it was simply a natural awakening. "…What time is it?" Mumbling an inquiry, the words barely made it out of my mouth before reverberating in my head, awakening me further. Sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtains, indicating that morning had arrived, prompting me to jolt upright. I grabbed the smartphone to check the time. 9:12. I flopped back onto the bed. I hadn't overslept. Today was the day Sendai-san and I were going to see penguins. Though I had woken up later than I intended to set my alarm, I hadn't overslept. Since our outing wasn’t until the afternoon, there was still time. However, I hadn’t had breakfast yet, which meant Sendai-san might come to wake me up, complaining about oversleeping or waking up late. She maintained a regular schedule even during holidays. Thus, I figured I should quickly change, put on the facade of having woken up as planned, and head to the shared space. But my body wouldn’t move. I felt drowsy and sluggish. Where were we going to see the penguins? I thought I was discussing it with the black cat and searching on my smartphone, but somewhere along the line, I must have fallen asleep. Probably, I got so caught up in indecision that it wore me out. Even with countless places to see penguins, I hadn’t figured out where to go, and morning had come. "...Still undecided." The destination was still up in the air. I pulled the black cat closer and squeezed its belly. "What should I do?" In hindsight, I should've left it to Sendai-san from the start. It’s because I insisted on deciding for myself that I’m now in this predicament. But it’s not too late. I could just tell Sendai-san, "Can you decide the destination after all?" No, that won’t work. If I say that, she’ll definitely respond with, "Miyagi always passes off responsibility onto others." Words cursing my own recklessness surged in my mind. Despite this, the only decision I was sure of was that I would decide on today’s destination myself. Clutching the black cat to my forehead, I muttered "What should I do" again. But the black cat, which Sendai-san affectionately called "Roro-chan," didn’t grant me Sendai-san’s level of decisiveness. My mind became cluttered with curses aimed at myself. I lacked the strength to even pick up the smartphone. Turning over with a sigh, I heard a knocking at the door. "Miyagi, you awake?" Sendai-san’s cheerful voice came from the other side of the door, reminding me of the black cat. It was the guardian of the bookshelf, not my bed. Rising and stepping off the bed left me feeling lightheaded. It must be due to lack of sleep. I’d spent too much time staring at the smartphone. "Miyagi? Are you asleep?" Sendai-san’s voice was slightly louder this time, and after returning the black cat to the bookshelf, I opened the door. "I'm up." "If you're awake, at least get changed." With that, she tugged at the sweatshirt I was wearing instead of pajamas. "I'm about to get changed. Sendai-san, you’re overly fussy." "If you don’t want me fussing, wake up earlier. Remember our plans for today?" When I answered affirmatively, her hand released the sweatshirt. "What about breakfast? If we're planning a slightly early lunch before heading out, we could combine breakfast and lunch." It seemed she remembered what I had said yesterday. Since it was already past nine, and we planned to have an early lunch, breakfast now would be too late. As she suggested, combining breakfast and lunch seemed wise—especially as I wasn’t particularly hungry or craving food. "…That sounds good." The consequences of not getting proper sleep were more significant than anticipated, and once again, I regretted not leaving today's destination to Sendai-san. "You seem really sleepy; are you okay?" Sendai-san asked softly. "I'm okay." "Really?" "Really. Stop nagging." "I haven’t nagged you that much yet." "You’re still nagging." I retorted sharply, kicking at Sendai-san's legs, as her hand found its way gently onto my cheek. "I'm not going to kiss you." "That's not it." "Then what?" Peeling her hand from my cheek, she then placed it on my forehead. Her cool touch was comforting, and I felt my strength ebb away. "Do you have a thermometer?" "I don’t, why?" The pleasant hand against my forehead reluctantly left me again. My drifting body leaned naturally toward Sendai-san, and as I gripped the doorknob, her unusually serious gaze locked onto me. "I’ll get one, so rest in bed, Miyagi." "Why?" "Because your face feels warm." "So what if it's warm?" "It means you have a fever." "I don't." "We'll know with the thermometer. If you hadn’t skipped properly drying your hair yesterday, you wouldn’t have caught a cold. Lie down in bed." She gently maneuvered me like a soldier, guiding me into an about-face motion. "What about the penguins?" Back facing her, I asked. "If you have a fever, you can’t go." "I don’t have one, so I’m going." It didn’t feel like I had a fever. Besides, I wasn’t like Sendai-san who frequently got sick; I understood my body best. Today, I just felt a bit sluggish and lacked appetite due to sleepiness. But Sendai-san seemed to think otherwise. "The thermometer will tell us, so just wait a bit." Sensing her presence retreating, I turned, but she was gone. With no other choice, I returned to bed and lay down. Before long, there was a soft double knock on the door, and "Can I come in?" was politely inquired. "Go ahead." With that, the door opened, and Sendai-san approached the bed, offering me the thermometer. "Don’t want to." Still lying down, I pushed her hand away. "If you don't check, you won't know if you have a fever." "I don’t." "...Miyagi, are you the type to become a stubborn kid when you have a fever?" Sendai-san mused, troubled. "I'm not." "Then be good and use it." "I rarely get a fever; I'm fine." I barely have any recollection of being bedridden from a cold. I’ve never had a serious illness, and I consider myself sturdier than most. "If you're so confident, prove you’re fine with this." Reluctantly, I took the thermometer extended towards me. Having been challenged this much, I had no option but to prove I didn’t have a fever. I turned it on and took my temperature. The result appeared quickly, and just as I was about to check the numbers, Sendai-san snatched the device away. "No penguins today." Gazing at the thermometer, she declared, her expression serious while she gently readjusted the covers over me. "Why?" "37.9 degrees. By anyone’s standards, that’s a fever." The thermometer, which was just taken away, was handed back to me. Evidence of my cold was displayed there, and I began to feel even more fatigued than before. "…Just go by yourself, Sendai-san," I murmured. I switched off the thermometer and placed it by my pillow. "Go? Go where?" "To see the penguins." "I wouldn't go without you." "Why not?" "Because it wouldn't mean anything without you, Miyagi." "Why not?" "It would be boring alone." "It might be exciting." I mumbled this as I burrowed into the duvet. I hadn’t truly wanted to go that badly, but now that it seemed like I couldn't, I felt an inexplicable longing. If this was how it was going to be, I shouldn't have insisted on deciding the destination myself. I should have let Sendai-san dry my hair yesterday. I shouldn't have even mentioned wanting to see penguins in the first place. I was filled with regret, amplifying my sense of lethargy. I was weary, unbearably hot, and even my breath seemed warm. When I emerged from the duvet, expecting to see Sendai-san by my bedside, she was gone. I wanted to sit up, but the thought felt burdensome. "Sendai-san," I called softly, but there was no reply. Was it because I didn't take my temperature like I should have? Because I failed to keep our promise to see penguins? I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong, but it seemed Sendai-san had left, disappointed with me. I felt like it was my own fault. Yet, I still wished for someone by my side, preferably Sendai-san. I couldn't tell if I felt this way because I was unwell or if I would have wished for it regardless. I could hardly recall if I had ever thought such things on those rare nights I fell ill. All I remembered was being more afraid of being alone than usual. My thoughts started sinking into an unwanted past. I didn't want this. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want this. I didn't want this, I didn’t want this, I didn’t want this. —Knock, knock. Bright sounds came from beyond my unwelcome thoughts. "Miyagi, I’m coming in." When the voice meant to save me reached my ears, I called out, "Sendai-san," as she entered, carrying a penguin and a platypus. "Here you go," she said as she placed the stuffed animals and tissue box covers around me. She even brought the black cat and the crocodile, arranging them on the bed. "It feels like a zoo, doesn’t it?" Sendai-san chuckled. "Why are you laughing?" "Because you look cute surrounded by these stuffed animals, Miyagi." "I'm not cute." Grabbing the black cat, I attempted to throw it at her, but it was snatched from my hand and returned to its original position. "Just behave and lie down." "It's too cluttered for me to sleep." "Then, how about we chat for a bit?" "I have nothing to say." "But I do." Without waiting for a nod, Sendai-san seated herself on the edge of the bed and started talking. "Have you hidden having a fever in the past?" The topic wasn’t exactly pleasant, so I aimed to toss the penguin at her but, naturally, it was taken before I could launch it. "So, Miyagi?" she asked, holding the penguin. "I haven’t hidden anything." Sendai-san seemed unlikely to relent until I spoke, so I conceded with an answer. "Really?" "I don’t catch colds." Even when I was sick, I didn’t measure my temperature. If I didn’t acknowledge feeling unwell, then I wasn't unwell. Ignorance allowed me to get by with only feeling slightly off. "From now on, rely on me," Sendai-san said, patting the duvet with a soft thud. "What do you mean by ‘rely’?" "If you’re feeling sick, admit that you’re sick. It’s normal. No more keeping secrets." "…It’s not normal for me," I admitted. "It should be normal. Roommates usually mention when they’re sick, right?" "…Do they?" "They do." "Then you won’t keep secrets either, Sendai-san?" "I won’t." Sendai-san smiled, saying what I couldn’t ascertain as true or false. There were times I could trust her and times I couldn't. It was because she didn’t always tell me the truth. Then, as for the current Sendai-san— My head was too foggy to think through it. "Miyagi, why don’t you rest for a bit?" she suggested as her hand gently combed through my hair, stroking my cheek soothingly. Her touch felt as comforting as ever. "I don’t want to sleep." "Then let’s watch the penguins together until you doze off." "How?" "Like this," she said, placing the penguin plush on the bed and turning a tablet with penguin videos towards me, presumably brought along with the stuffed animals. "Aren’t they cute, the penguins?" Her gentle voice reached me. I couldn’t be sure if today was a day I should trust Sendai-san or not. But having her close at times like these brought peace. Therefore, today, despite being unwell, I wasn’t afraid.