295 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 295 My smartphone now contains three more photos of Miyagi. I initially planned to stop at two, but one more mysteriously ended up being added. However, whether it's two or three photos, it probably makes little difference, and as long as I don't show them to Miyagi, I won't be subjected to any complaints. I had considered recording a video as well but ultimately decided against it. Keeping a video of a vulnerable Miyagi, reliant on my help, on my phone isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if I were to film something, I'd prefer it to showcase a lively Miyagi. Properly asking for her permission beforehand would be best. Although, I doubt she'd ever agree to me shooting a video of her. "Why are you staring at me?" From across the table, Miyagi, who was begrudgingly eating the egg porridge I had made, furrowed her brows. "I was thinking it’d be nice to record a video next time.” "...A video of what?" "A video of you, Miyagi. Is it okay if I record you?" "Of course not." "I thought you'd say that." "If you knew, you shouldn't have bothered asking." Miyagi spoke in a low voice before taking another bite of the porridge. Seeing the bowl nearly empty, a wave of relief washed over me, knowing that Miyagi had a proper appetite. Considering she left some of the porridge from last night, this is a good sign. That said, she still had a fever of over 37 degrees Celsius earlier, so there's no real comfort just yet. "Would you like some more?" Given it was breakfast—and after what happened last night—I hadn't prepared much. However, if she wanted more, I'd gladly make another portion. "Sendai-san, you're trying to fatten people up all the time." "That's not my intention. I just wanted to ensure the porridge was filling enough." I only want her to eat well and recover swiftly. My reason for making the porridge is solely that; I have no desire to have Miyagi gain weight. "I'm full." After Miyagi answered curtly, she quietly finished the leftover porridge in her bowl without looking at me and said in a soft voice— "Sendai-san, is your body okay?" "I should be the one asking that. Are you okay, Miyagi?" Miyagi is the one who caught the cold, so any concern rightly belongs with her. She should worry more about herself than me and recover fully as soon as possible. But instead of answering me, Miyagi grumbled, "But you were sleeping on the floor," sounding displeased. "I'm fine, really." I did indeed fall asleep on her bedroom floor, but she needn't concern herself with that. After cleaning up from dinner, I wanted to be near Miyagi, who was still feverish, so I went to her room. Watching over her, I eventually got sleepy and used the floor as my bed. If Miyagi were in good health, she might have made space for me to sleep beside her, but I would never push aside a sick person to share the bed. "...You complained about the pain when you woke up," Miyagi pointed out. Her words, quiet as they were, didn't escape my ears. "Sure, I was a little sore, but I'm fine now." "You catch colds so easily, Sendai-san. You didn't catch mine, did you?" "I'm alright." Regrettably, I added silently. There's a silly saying that you get better by passing a cold onto someone else, but if Miyagi could recover by transferring her cold to me, I wouldn’t mind at all. Nonetheless, reality isn't that simple, and if I caught a cold now, there’d be no one to care for Miyagi. "Forget about me; you should focus on yourself, Miyagi." "I'm almost better." "You still have a fever; you're not well yet." "It's almost gone." "You're not fully recovered until it’s entirely gone." "Fevers disappear quickly enough." Miyagi overestimates her resilience. Possibly confident in her physical strength, she doesn’t seem to realize fevers can't be dispelled through sheer willpower. Even if it does subside, one could feel better in the morning, only to suffer a fever spike and discomfort by evening. Complacency is dangerous. If she’s been dealing with colds this way all along, Miyagi might not live long. —And that would be troublesome. "Saying things like that will lead to a bigger fever. Should I skip work today and stay with you?" "...Even though I dislike your job, there's no need for you to do that." "Are you sure?" "I'm not a child; no need to worry so much. Instead, make sure you eat properly, Sendai-san." Miyagi said firmly, indicating the bowl of porridge in front of me. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can, so behave yourself." "I'm fine without being told." Her low voice reached me, and I spooned some cooled porridge into my mouth. After a few bites, I glanced at Miyagi, meeting her gaze, which she quickly averted. As I took another bite, a soft "Thank you for the meal. It was delicious," came from her. I replied with a simple, "You're welcome." The porridge, which Miyagi claimed to dislike due to its blandness, seemed to have satisfied her taste. "Sendai-san." Miyagi called out to me in a near whisper. "What?" "Yesterday, I..." Her faint voice trailed off, leaving the words unclear. "Miyagi—" As I tried to ask her to continue, my voice was drowned out by her slightly louder declaration of "It's nothing." "Just say it, Miyagi." "It's nothing." "I'm curious now." "If you're curious, erase all your memories from yesterday." "That's impossible." "Try anyway." "Why?" "Just because." Miyagi glared at me as if refusing to let me speak further. I can guess why she’s like this. She must be concerned about her behavior yesterday, wondering about things she might have said or done. Whether she remembers or not, I understand enough to know that she doesn’t want me to see that side of her. "Just to make sure, is the memory you want erased something you said while sleeping?" Though I could let her dodge the question, I voiced my curiosity. "...What did I say?” Her voice was probing. It's clear she doesn’t remember. The fact is, she called out to me numerous times. She voiced a belief that I would return home to her. While all of these things are precious to me, telling her would undoubtedly lead to denial. That wouldn't be pleasant—just as unpleasant as the thought of Miyagi meeting someone else instead of me. "You said you wanted a kiss." I picked something likely to be denied and grinned. "...I absolutely did not say that." "But you did." "I absolutely didn’t." Miyagi declared, kicking my leg under the table. Though the strength made me cry out slightly, a cold "Serves you right" came from her in response. "Shall we do it once you’re better?” "Once I'm better, let's go see the penguins instead of a kiss." The sulking Miyagi threw an unexpected suggestion my way. "But we've already seen them." While it was through a video, the goal of seeing the penguins has been accomplished. "You promised we'd go see them. How about this Sunday?" "Isn't that a bit soon? You might not be fully recovered from your cold, so why not a bit later?" "No, it's not too soon." "The penguins won't run away, so there's no need to rush." "It's better to keep promises sooner rather than later." "But you already kept the promise." "Watching them in a video isn't the same as going to see them." Miyagi seems inflexible. Although we haven't physically gone to see the penguins, I consider the promise fulfilled since we've seen them in some form. Ultimately, whether or not we physically visit doesn't matter much to me. As long as Miyagi is by my side, I'm happy. While I'd love to see her delight in the penguins, her health is the more pressing concern. "Do we really need to be so strict about it?" "I want to keep our promises. So, please keep it too, Sendai-san." "You really like promises, don't you, Miyagi?" "It's not that I like them; I just hate when they're broken." "Then, let's make it a promise to see the penguins someday." I wouldn't mind if our commitments multiply—it would actually be delightful. I genuinely wish for more promises with Miyagi and to spend time together. However, I don't want her to hide her poor health just to uphold a promise. "You always say things so carelessly, Sendai-san." "I'm not being careless. This is another promise." I stand up and lightly touch the plumeria earring Miyagi wears. I'd like to seal this promise with a kiss, but today isn't the day for that. There’s plenty of time to kiss Miyagi after she's back to full health.