304 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 304 Miracles don't happen easily. At university, I found myself caught by Maika, who continued to chatter about what had happened at her part-time job yesterday. This reminded me of a similar situation from the past. Back in high school, I recall being grilled by Maika and Ami about Sendai-san coming to the classroom to call for me. Unlike back then, I have a bit more I can talk about now, but that didn't mean I could share everything that happened yesterday. There's quite a bit I want to keep to myself, and being probed deeply would be troublesome. I had prepared what to say to Maika during my commute, which was why I was managing to keep up, but I didn’t think I could hold out much longer. I wished someone would come to my rescue soon. "Shiori, have you gotten close with Noto-san?" Before the lecture starts, Maika, sitting beside me, says this gleefully. Starting from her name, I had just explained to Maika what I knew about Noto-san. As a result, Maika had become quite curious about her. "Hmm." It's hard to say we've gotten close. But saying we're not close would cause friction. As I hesitated on how to respond, my phone in my bag notified me of a message. The timing was perfect. I felt relieved. "Sorry, give me a moment." Apologizing to Maika, who looked like she wasn't done talking, I dug into my bag to check my phone and saw Sendai-san's message. 'Thanks to Miyagi, Mio grilled me.' 'What's that about?' 'You know what I'm talking about.' I had a vague idea. I asked Sendai-san, knowing what she might have been interrogated about. It was the mark I left on the nape of her neck yesterday. Mio must've questioned her because the mark was still there. Sendai-san had attempted to hide it rigorously with concealer, and I didn't notice it right away in the morning. —Mio found such a mark. That meant Mio looked at Sendai-san closely and noticed what I couldn’t, despite Sendai-san's effort to conceal it. I tightened my grip on my phone. The mark I left on Sendai-san, a sign that she's "mine and no one else's," should be noticeable to anyone looking, I thought. But no one other than me should be allowed to look at Sendai-san in such a way. The same goes for her tutoring students. Today, she has her tutoring job, but the mark I made, a sign of her being mine alone, should be noticed by her student. Even though the student shouldn't look at Sendai-san that closely. 'You covered it, so she wouldn’t find out, right?' I sent a message denying what happened to Sendai-san, and a response quickly came. 'She noticed. I said it was thanks to Miyagi.' "What?" I instinctively let out a sound and covered my mouth. "Did something happen?" Maika asked, looking puzzled. "Ah... no, nothing. Apparently, Sendai-san lost something." "Oh, even Sendai-san has those moments?" I replied to Maika, "She's only human, after all," and then returned my gaze to my phone, replying to Sendai-san's bizarre statement. 'That's a lie.' 'It's true. Though she didn't believe it at first.' 'Really?' 'Mio was laughing, saying there's no way Shiori-chan would do something like that.' From the text alone, I couldn’t decipher whether Sendai-san was telling the truth or not. I wanted nothing more than to call and verify, but calling Sendai-san in front of Maika was something I didn't want to do. Having ruled out what I couldn't do, all I could do was send another message back, replying, 'Then that’s fine,' and put my phone away. "So, what did Sendai-san lose?" Maika inquired, and I reluctantly answered. "Uh, a report, it seems. She was asking if I mistakenly took it." "Did you?" "I didn't. Probably just left it at home, I think." I said something that might be plausible for anyone else but unlikely for Sendai-san. She's never forgotten a report at home, and likely never will. "Really? Maybe you actually brought it? You should check." Maika joked and prodded, "Did you put it in your bag?" "It's not in there." "I see. Still, forgetting something, even Sendai-san isn't perfect, huh? I guess it's obvious, but she really is an ordinary person. I should have gotten to know her better back in high school." With that, Maika gave a big sigh and lightly tapped my shoulder. “If you'd introduced me to Sendai-san sooner, Shiori…” Though I knew she was joking, Maika's words struck a nerve. The secret I had kept hidden awakened a sense of guilt, making me want to avert my eyes from her. "Sorry about that." I apologized softly and glanced at the bag holding my phone. Yesterday, a new secret formed within me. Sendai-san had become something other than just a roommate. It's not something I can tell Maika. But I wish she’d notice the mark Mio found. But that doesn't mean I want my secret known. When considering Sendai-san, contradictions arise everywhere. With no way to resolve them, the result is a dull ache at the back of my mind. “If you’re truly sorry, that’s fine. Anyway, back to our earlier topic—did you get close with Noto-san?” Maika's cheerful voice hit my ear, prompting a sigh that almost escaped. "Uh, yeah. Kinda?" I lied with a noncommittal answer. It'd be troublesome if Noto-san and I truly became close. She’d probably ask things even more intrusive than yesterday's questions, which I wanted to avoid. “Kinda, huh.” As Maika mused, Asakura-san arrived, ending a rather inconvenient conversation for me, and the two began discussing their part-time jobs. Relieved, the lecture began, and half of my day slowly passed. Today felt unusually long, lunch dragged, and even afternoon classes seemed to stretch on for eternity. Yet, university eventually ended, and I parted ways with the two, heading home. Unlike Sendai-san, who had work, I went straight home without any detours. There was pudding at home, so I didn't buy snacks. There was no calico cat around, the one Sendai-san often noticed. So, as planned, I arrived home. Naturally, Sendai-san hadn’t returned yet. I sat in the shared space, gently rubbing my neck. There were no marks on me. But there was a mark on Sendai-san. I was eager to see that mark, but she was still not home. This morning, I was too distracted to examine them properly. I took out the calico cat chopstick rest from the cupboard. Sendai-san's room housed its companions. And a platypus. As memories accumulate, so do objects. With her birthday coming up, followed shortly by mine, more memories will accumulate and our possessions will only increase. The once blank calendar now fills with writing, and memories gain labels. Even if I were to offer to let her lick my feet again in exchange for 5000 yen, we couldn’t return to the past. Yesterday made that clear. It's futile to try and trace the past. Every day is a new update, turning both of us into a newer version of ourselves. Marks that went unnoticed before are suddenly found. The Sendai-san who returns home later will not be exactly the same as she was this morning. I hope she returns soon. I want to see Sendai-san keeping her promise. That's what I wish for.