309 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 309 Boarding the train, then disembarking. Now, I'm simply walking beside Sendai-san. After all, there's no reason for me to walk anywhere else but next to her. Even if we both know the destination, it would be strange for two people to walk five or six steps ahead or behind one another. We're not exactly having an interesting conversation, but it seems perfectly reasonable to match our pace and walk together. But, I have a complaint. "Sendai-san, you're a pervert." "What’s up with that all of a sudden? Isn’t that a bit much?" Sendai-san lifts her gaze and looks at me. "If you don’t want to be called out, stop staring at my skirt." It's not constant, but I often feel her gaze. If we were at home, I'd probably step on her foot hard or kick her, but since we're outside, I am refraining from doing so. "Last time we went to the aquarium, you wore a skirt too. I was just thinking it reminded me of that day." Today’s destination is the aquarium, the same aquarium we visited before. The destination is the same. The situation is similar. Yet, today and that day are not identical. It was summer then, but today, the weather is too ambiguous to call it spring, and it's too soon to call it summer. And though I'm wearing a skirt like that day, it’s not the same. “Back then, you brought the skirt over without me even asking.” Today and that day don't overlap. Though I'm starting to regret choosing this skirt due to Sendai-san's gaze, it's fine. At the end of May, under a ridiculously blue sky, it’s not strange to wear a skirt. Today, I must wear a skirt. "Anyway, you’re forbidden from look at my skirt. Keep your eyes ahead, Sendai-san." “It suits you, so it's fine if I look a bit more, right?” “There’s no need to look.” I think Sendai-san should focus on no one else but me, but today, being looked at makes me uneasy. Wearing a skirt that I don’t usually wear makes me feel like I’m walking on clouds, uneasy and unsure. Being stared at too much might make it hard for me to look at Sendai-san myself. "Miyagi, you're stingy." "I'm fine being stingy." I push Sendai-san’s arm gently. We create a slight distance between us, and she directs her gaze forward. This skirt is merely a small token of apology. We had planned to see the penguins during the break, but because I caught a cold, our plans fell through. On top of that, Sendai-san ended up taking care of me and planning the outing that I should have planned. I left everything, everything, to Sendai-san. So today, before Sendai-san, who often insists on making me wear skirts, could say anything, I put on a skirt. A feeble act to reduce my guilt, only I hadn’t expected her to stare so much. The skirt I'm wearing, something I happened to buy on a whim, should have been chosen from what was already in my closet. If it had been one she’d seen before, I bet I wouldn’t have felt her gaze as much. “Hey, Miyagi.” Sendai-san softly calls to me, walking as if retracing the past summer. “Do you hate it when I choose your clothes?” Her gaze isn’t on me. She’s respecting my earlier request of “keep your eyes forward.” “Why are you asking that now?” “Because I want to pick out clothes for you again." "...And what if I say I don't like it?" I didn’t speak that quietly, but my voice seemed like it might be swallowed by the crowd. It's a seemingly ordinary Sunday morning, not a summer vacation nor a holiday, yet there are so many people converging towards the aquarium. "If you're genuinely against it, I'll give up." "Well, decide for yourself whether I’m serious or not." "What happens if I judge wrong?" "I won't forgive mistakes." "Miyagi’s requests always come with a high difficulty level, huh.” With a theatrically exaggerated sigh, Sendai-san looks at me. Though the crowd clings to the path to the aquarium, she stands out as if hovering above it. For some reason, Sendai-san never gets lost in a crowd. "Face forward," I tell her coldly. "Okay, okay," she replies. Walking in silence as the conversation lulls, we eventually reach the elevator that takes us to the aquarium. We're pushed in by others and step into the elevator. Like clockwork, as soon as it reaches the top, people get off, including us. Just like during summer vacation, we line up, not with the five thousand yen that once connected two high school girls, but with money from our own wallets to buy tickets. A day that is similar yet different progresses, leading us into the aquarium. The sight that greets us hasn't changed much. The interior spreads out like a deep-sea world steeped in a blue hue reminiscent of that day. No matter how crowded it is, Sendai-san remains faithfully by my side. She doesn’t get lost in the sea of people. "Would you prefer sticking to the path?" Sendai-san asks, glancing at a pamphlet. "I want to see the penguins first." "What about everything else?" "Later." Today’s promise is to see the penguins, not just any fish. Therefore, the penguins come first. Promises can be broken, but not this one today. Visiting an aquarium only to leave without seeing a penguin would not do. That's absolutely unacceptable. Prioritizing anything other than penguins is not an option. "Okay, then after we see the penguins, we can decide what to check out next." With those words, Sendai-san starts walking. I walk beside her, heading towards where the penguins are. There’s no hesitation. I know where the penguins are located. We move at a reasonable pace, passing people glued to the tanks with sharks and rays. She had told me about not having a boyfriend, about the person she likes. The fact that I had asked Sendai-san such a silly question here drifts through my mind, speeding up my walking pace. “Oh, Miyagi, can I take a picture?” Sendai-san catches my arm, asking. “No.” My answer is firm. But, she doesn't release her hold. Our pace slows. “Please, let’s take a picture.” With an upbeat voice, she releases my arm and pulls out her phone, aiming it at me. In front of the tank, I stop walking. A dry click resounds, capturing my image on her phone. “I didn't say you could take one.” My brow furrows instinctively. “Then why don’t you take one too? When we reach the penguins.” Sendai-san resumes walking. As her skirt, different from the one she wore in the summer, sways, I retrieve my phone from my bag and aim it at her as she walks. Click. I snap a photo of Sendai-san three steps ahead before moving to walk beside her. "Miyagi, if you're going to take pictures of people instead of penguins, let's take one together," Sendai-san said, looking at me with a dissatisfied expression. "No." I repeated what I’d said moments ago and quickened my pace. I couldn't afford to spend time taking pictures. Hurry, hurry. To ensure the promise isn’t broken. I rushed toward where the penguins were.