306 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 306 “I just can’t stop wondering.” Mio’s somewhat loud voice came from next to me, accompanied by her piercing gaze. It has been a little over a week since Miyagi left a mark on my neck. The mark on my neck has long since disappeared, and I’m back to my normal self, but Mio’s memory hasn’t faded one bit. “About what?” I asked in a hushed tone only Mio would hear in the restless lecture room. She lowered her voice to match mine before replying. “Who left the mark on Hazuki’s neck?” “I told you, it was Miyagi.” I stated the fact, flicking the pencil case on my desk with a finger. The pencil case was a Christmas gift from Miyagi with a black cat sprawled at the corner, reminiscent of her. I can’t help but touch it for no reason. Even when I'm at university or tutoring, the urge to touch it never leaves me. “I find that hard to believe.” “If you think it's impossible, just give it up.” I’m stating a fact, and I have no intention of naming anyone else. However, since Mio refuses to believe me, it’s pointless to repeat this conversation. Her question will never be satisfied. I feel a mix of relief and disappointment about this. “How about this then?” Ignoring my suggestion to let it go, Mio looks at me with the eyes of a child who has just come up with a brilliant idea. Her eyes sparkled, but I only had a bad feeling. “Can I come to your house?” As expected, Mio voiced something troublesome. “Isn’t that too sudden?” “Well, it’s the kind of thing you spring on someone, right?” “Maybe so, but I’m quite busy today.” “You’re always busy, Hazuki. It doesn’t have to be today. Just ask Shiori-chan if I can visit sometime. I want to see her.” My hand reflexively touched my blue earring when she mentioned “Shiori-chan.” “You don’t need to come over just to see Miyagi.” I tugged at my earlobe casually. If I told Miyagi that Mio wanted to come over, she’d probably become grumpy. Even regardless of that, I don’t want Mio meeting her. Mio might ask Miyagi unnecessary questions, another reason I’m reluctant to let her into the house. “Shiori-chan might know who left the mark on your neck, so I’ll ask her.” Her predictable words sent a pain to my temple. If Mio were to ask such a question, Miyagi would surely lie. And Miyagi isn’t very good at lying. While a scenario where Mio figures out the truth from Miyagi’s poorly told lie doesn’t necessarily bother me, I do think it best for Mio not to forcefully pry the truth from Miyagi. “Miyagi isn't comfortable with relationship talk. I doubt she’d engage in that kind of conversation.” Miyagi left a mark on my neck out in the open, yet she’s quick to become irritable regardless of the consequences, and she would never want the truth coming from her own mouth. I don’t want to do what Miyagi doesn’t desire. I want to be the person Miyagi wants me to be. “Come on, just tell me!” Mio, who might be considered attractive if she stayed quiet, let out a voice that shattered the image. “No need to ask Miyagi about the mark. It’s not that big of a deal, anyway.” “But it is! We’re talking about you, Hazuki. You're not exactly sociable. How can I not be curious about who you’re with?” “I could have been with a casual partner, you know?” Even if it’s just a hypothetical discussion, indulging in these topics brings me no joy. But I don't have a choice if I want to veer away from the direction of house visits. “I considered that too.” “And?” “The more I think about it, the more unclear it becomes. Even if it’s a casual partner, who could it possibly be?” “If you don’t know, maybe it’s time to give up.” “Noto-senpai told me the same thing.” “Noto-senpai?” Given Mio and Noto-senpai’s relationship, it wouldn’t be strange if the senior heard about my situation. They’re close enough that it’s inevitable, and I haven’t asked Mio to keep quiet about the mark on my neck. This development was bound to happen. Still, I think today is just not a good day. Everything coming out of Mio’s mouth triggers a throb in my temple; nothing interesting is said. “When I talked about the mark and Shiori-chan with senpai, she told me to stop prying.” I appreciate those wise words, but even if Mio stops probing, Noto-senpai is likely to start snooping, causing another sigh to well up inside me. While Mio says troublesome things occasionally, Noto-senpai might well be three times as cumbersome. “That’s all?” I inquired, maintaining a neutral expression. “That’s all.” “Then follow Noto-senpai’s advice.” Despite sensing potential future complications, I smiled lightly at Mio. “Alright.” Mio seemed to accept it, or half-heartedly so, then pleaded, "Show me that report from last time. I’ll treat you to lunch," while bowing before me. I agreed, and about five minutes later, the lecturer finally entered the room. As the session began and listening to the lecturer’s voice, I touched my neck. The mark was gone. I brushed my fingers across the pencil case. I can't see Miyagi, who isn’t at the same university. I attended a few lectures, had lunch with Mio, and sat through more classes. Today, there's no work. After completing all the necessary university tasks, I head straight home. Catching the train, navigating the sidewalk void of Mike-chan's presence, ascending three flights of stairs, and opening my front door—I find Miyagi’s shoes at the entrance. Proceeding to the shared space, I don’t find Miyagi herself. I put my bag away in my room, and upon knocking on her door, it promptly opened. “Welcome back.” Miyagi appeared, speaking in a voice neither too loud nor too soft. “I’m home.” To my response, Miyagi cast her gaze downward. But she soon lifted her eyes and called out, “Sendai-san.” “Hm?” “...I want to go to the aquarium instead of the zoo.” Her voice, previously neutral, dropped noticeably, making it hard to catch, but it wasn’t inaudible. “The place to see penguins?” “Yes.” Going to see penguins together. Probably “going to see penguins” rather than “together” is what’s significant here. Nonetheless, I’m delighted that Miyagi is excited enough to voice such a desire aloud. Is it the same as last time? Should we go somewhere else? Should we head out early and hit the zoo too? All sorts of questions swirl in my mind to ask Miyagi, but before I can voice them, she presses a palm gently against my stomach. “Sendai-san, cook us dinner.” Miyagi pushes me along as she exits into the shared space assertively. I’m steered by her to the front of the fridge. Apparently, she doesn’t want to follow-up the penguin discussion for now. This leaves me with only one thing to say, and I voice it. “Anything you want to eat?” “Anything is fine.” Her unceremonious tone met my ears as I opened the fridge. There was a decent assortment of contents in the fridge, including meat and vegetables. While I could opt for something from the freezer that just needed the microwave, I decided instead to whip up some ginger pork with eggplants and a Chinese-style salad with bean sprouts and cucumbers. I grabbed a frying pan and a knife. As I sliced the eggplants, I instructed Miyagi on how to prepare the Chinese salad while frying the pork. Once the meat was cooked, I added the eggplants, seasoning them with ginger and other spices. Meanwhile, Miyagi was slicing cucumbers into pieces that couldn’t quite be called “thin,” and combined them with bean sprouts heated in the microwave. “I put in too much soy sauce.” Miyagi said, sounding unsure despite having measured the soy sauce with a spoon, a crease forming on her brow. “It’s fine. I'll handle the plating, so please take care of the rice.” Miyagi nodded in agreement and fetched some dishware. Once I plated the ginger pork and the salad and carried them to the table, chopsticks were already set out. My seat didn't feel like my seat today. Noticing the slight strangeness on the table, I sat in Miyagi's chair instead. “Sendai-san, sit in your own chair.” Miyagi brought over the rice with a voice dripping with annoyance. “Aren’t we switching seats?” “Why would we?” “Because the chopstick rests—” On the table were chopstick rests modeled after a black cat and a calico cat. They were placed differently than usual, with my spot having Miyagi’s black cat and her spot having my calico cat. So naturally, I sat where my chopstick rest was. Yet Miyagi was strangely displeased and cut me off, insisting, “Sit where you usually do.” There was no point—and no need—in defying her, so I quietly complied with Miyagi’s request, and she, too, sat in her "usual place." “I made it match the pencil case I gave you, Sendai-san. ...But if you prefer the calico, I can switch them back.” The day we updated our plans to visit the penguins, Miyagi used the calico chopstick rest. But that was the only time; she never used the calico rest again. Still, I figured she could use mine if she wanted. So, there was no need to switch them back. I wanted to see Miyagi using my things, and I hoped she'd want to see me using hers. I thought today wasn’t going well, but I no longer felt that way. “The black cat is fine.” A memory of exchanging blouses and neckties back in high school came to mind. Miyagi likes exchanges, I believe. I gazed at her and spoke. “Cute.” Miyagi is. More than anyone else. “The chopstick rests?” “Well, something like that. Let’s eat.” With that, we said “Let's eat” at the same time.