310 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 310 We climb the stairs, heading upward. After passing by a tank reminiscent of a jungle, the seals come into view. My memory does not fail me. The seals that Sendai-san and I admired the last time we were here are adorable today as well. However, unlike that day, there’s no leisurely watching them today. It’s not that I dislike seals or don’t want to see them, but I briskly walk past. I know there’s no need to hurry. The penguins won't suddenly disappear, and neither will Sendai-san. Following the aquarium’s path will inevitably lead to the penguins, and Sendai-san should be by my side all along. There's plenty of time. No matter how leisurely we explore the aquarium, our promise will be kept, so there’s no need to rush. Even thinking this way, I can’t help but prioritize seeing the penguins. It seems strange to be so captivated by a promise. I slow my pace and glance to my side. Sendai-san walks next to me, just like last time. Her smartphone is back in her bag, and she's not focused elsewhere. Instead, she smiles at me and comments, "The seals were cute," to which I reply, "They really were." During summer break at this aquarium, when I unwisely asked if she had someone she liked, she responded with "Mike-chan." But today, she doesn’t bring up Mike-chan at all. Today is clearly different from the last time. Even though it's the same location with the same person, it's not the same day. Fragments of memories scattered everywhere vividly remind me of today, making me realize that today, too, will eventually transform into a memory. Things we talked about and saw on that day. Just like that, the things we talk about and see today will also change into memory fragments and sink into this place resembling the bottom of the ocean. But it’s not a bad thing. I want the blue-tinged memories we created in this aquarium to remain here, like the earrings I gifted to Sendai-san. I don't necessarily want to talk about Mike-chan or talk about who we like, but it's nice to occasionally pull those memory fragments from the shelf and gaze at them. "Miyagi, is it alright if we head straight to the penguins?" With Sendai-san's gentle voice, I respond with "Sure," and step outside to the open-air area. My feet automatically bypass the sea lions and otters. Soon, I spot penguins walking as if flying over the grass. Yet, today, those aren’t the penguins I want to see. Since we came this far, I wish to go just a bit further. "Miyagi, aren't we going to look at these penguins?" With a gentle tug on my arm from Sendai-san, I come to a halt. I point to a bit further ahead. "I want to see the penguins over there first." "Then let’s come back and see these ones later." With a cheerful voice, Sendai-san agrees and releases my arm. We start walking again, heading towards the location where we saw the flying penguins during summer break. Penguins are adorable; naturally, I want to see them if they are there. However, they're not something I must prioritize over all the other creatures in the aquarium. Both the penguins on the grass and the ones that seem to fly through the sky are just penguins, and either way, our promise will still be fulfilled. Still. I want to see the flying penguins. Just as Sendai-san showed me that day, I want to gaze up at the penguins from below. "Miyagi." Sendai-san calls to me, halting her steps. I too stop walking. I lift my gaze and see a tank overhead reflecting the blue of the sky. Though it's not as hot at the end of May as it was during summer break, this place remains unchanged. "The penguins are flying today too." Her soft voice reaches me from my side. As sunlight pierces through the tank, it creates a sparkling shadow at our feet, illuminating Sendai-san with a brilliance that feels almost blinding. Voices calling for mothers, friends chatting casually. Trivial conversations. Various sounds flow in with the wind. The scenery is visible, too. Buildings stand tall, with grass and trees swaying. The sky is blue, and the clouds are white. Yet, even though I can see and hear, I remain unfocused. These things seem irrelevant now. All my attention is directed towards Sendai-san. "Miyagi, are you watching?" Despite the surrounding noise, Sendai-san’s voice reaches me clearly. My vision, embraced by blue skies and water, leads the promised penguins far away, leaving only Sendai-san in focus. "Miyagi?" Meeting Sendai-san’s gaze, she calls out to me. The penguins are in the sky. They’re not between us. "Sendai-san, why are you looking this way?" "You too, Miyagi..." Her sentence trails off, dissolving into the light descending from the tank. Our gazes remain locked, and my vision sparkles. "What about me?" When I ask, Sendai-san smiles softly. "Nothing. Let’s look at the penguins." "I am looking." "Then, look more closely." As she says this, Sendai-san moves behind me. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she whispers "See?" into my ear. But I can't move. She taps my shoulder, prompting me to lift my gaze. The penguins blur into the sky's blue. I hear Sendai-san’s voice from behind. "Miyagi, aren't the penguins cute?" "Yeah." Black and white creatures flow above my head. "…Sendai-san." "What?" "Thank you for keeping your promise." The guidebook my father looked at but would only plan with. Even though Sendai-san sometimes broke her promises, she looked at that guidebook too, and the plan didn’t end with just planning. Until now, whenever a special promise was made, seeds of doubt sprouted, grew tall, and ensnared me. Doubts I wished to crush flourished, becoming tendrils that bound my heart, incapacitating me from moving forward. The more I wanted to believe, the more anxious I became, and I simply couldn’t stop doubting. Of course, even now, there are times when I have doubts. When a promise is made, I worry about whether it will be kept. Yet today, I feel like it might be okay to make a special promise, even if it might not be kept. "Those are my words. Thank you, Miyagi, for keeping your promise too." Though I can’t see her face, her voice, softer than the clouds, is clear. "The penguins are truly adorable." With a voice as warm as sunlight, Sendai-san remarks, and the blurred penguins take shape. The creatures, resembling black-and-white rockets, swim overhead. They really are cute. This is where we needed to come to see the penguins. Certainly, I’ll recall today repeatedly in the future. And I’ll remember the first time we came here as well. That's why I want to see the flying penguins with Sendai-san again. That’s what I thought.