313 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 313 "It really annoys me when you ask things like that," Miyagi says in a voice filled with irritation. All I had done was express a normal desire to take a picture together. Considering we're at an aquarium, anyone else would likely say, "Sure," without any issue. It shouldn't be something that annoys someone. But when it comes to Miyagi, standing in front of me, what's considered "normal" never applies. "So, does that mean I can take a picture without asking?" If I tried that, she'd probably, no, definitely get mad. I know this, but I had to ask anyway. Asking if it's okay to take a picture together is a simple thing, a matter that can be concluded in an instant. However, I find myself wishing I could take Miyagi's picture without having to ask. It's not that I mind going to the trouble, but I want the freedom to capture her whenever I wish. Still, Miyagi is always Miyagi, and she replied curtly, "No way." "Then there's no choice but to ask, right?" "... I don't want to be asked today. It makes me nervous." Does that mean it's okay to take the picture, though? I almost voiced the question, but swallowed it back down. If I said that, she'd surely answer, "That's not it," and that answer isn't what I want. "I see." I smiled at Miyagi and tugged at her arm. She leaned closer to me, and I moved closer to her as well. Switching my smartphone camera, I snapped a selfie with Miyagi. Click. Captured within the frame, it's a picture of my smiling face with an annoyed-looking Miyagi at the aquarium. There's no sea lion in the picture, but that's not what matters here. "Why did you take it? I never said you could." Miyagi's face was full of dissatisfaction, and she pushed me away, breaking the closeness we just shared. It wasn't amusing, and I moved closer to compensate for the distance she'd created. But Miyagi averted her eyes towards the sea lions, not me. "But you said I shouldn't ask, so I didn't ask before taking it, right?" "Still not right." "Then what needs to happen for you to let me take pictures?" It's not that I desperately want to take photos together, but if Miyagi has conditions to let me take photos, I'd like to know what they are. "Figure that out yourself. Besides, you've already taken one." The irrational Miyagi was looking at me. Though she wasn't glaring, her gaze was sharper compared to when she looked at the sea lion. "Since we're here, let's take a proper one." I smiled at her, twice as gently as usual. No matter what kind of face she makes, I want to capture Miyagi on my smartphone. Even now, as she looked like she might glare, I wanted to snap a picture of her. Any kind of Miyagi is better than pictures of the aquarium's creatures, and if I could, I'd take as many pictures as I wanted. "So, by 'proper' you mean you want to take one together?" "Exactly. Together." I replied without hesitation, and Miyagi thought for a moment before speaking. "... Let's play rock-paper-scissors." "So if I win, you'll take the picture with me?" I waited for Miyagi to say yes, but she didn't say anything. Her gaze dropped to the ground as if she had dropped something, intently staring at the aquarium's floor. "Miyagi, what about rock-paper-scissors?" "Nevermind, we don't have to." She muttered. "Why not? Do you dislike taking pictures that much?" "It's not that... It just doesn't seem worth it... Go ahead and take the picture." Almost missing her words, rendered nearly inaudible, I nearly asked "Eh?" before I stopped myself. I looked at Miyagi, realizing she was glaring at me with a look that could pierce through steel. "... Miyagi, aren't you being a bit too grumpy?" "Is that bad?" "Not really." Step by step, I closed the distance between us, standing so close my shoulder could brush against hers. I prepped my phone and smiled. But I didn’t press the shutter. The screen showed my smiling face and Miyagi's troubled one. "Miyagi, in times like this, you should smile." "That's impossible." "Even if it's impossible, just smile." "Then you smile, Sendai-san." "I'm already smiling." The words seemed to catch in Miyagi's throat, and she glared at the phone. On the screen, a clearly disgruntled Miyagi was captured. Miyagi is almost always in a bad mood, hardly ever smiling. Yet, her expressions are vivid. Or rather, she has a wide variety of "grumpy" faces. Sometimes her eyes are sharp enough they could destroy my stomach, at other times she's like a pouting child. Her brow furrows deeply one moment, lightly another. Sometimes she looks like she's about to puff her cheeks out. I'm never bored with the myriad "grumpy" expressions she shows. I want to be with her, always. That's why it's okay if Miyagi is grumpy. I'd be happy if she smiled, but I know that's not easy for her. Regardless of the circumstances, I want to stay by Miyagi’s side. Even so, since we're already here, I feel like making a small selfish request. "Okay then, you don't have to smile, but let's take a picture where we look like we're getting along." When I spoke to the scowling Miyagi on the screen, she replied with, "What’s that supposed to mean?" and I pulled her into a hug from the side. "Like this." I smiled warmly at the camera, and Miyagi pressed against my arm. "Sendai-san, you're too close." Though not so loud that it echoed through the building, her voice was quite audible from beside me. "Miyagi, quiet down. If you make too much noise, it'll be a bother." "I'm not making noise." The volume of her voice lowered, but the wrinkles on her brow in the screen deepened. "If you want me to let go, then smile. If you smile, I'll let you go." "What if I don't smile?" "I'll take the picture as it is. I don't mind either way, but what about you?" Miyagi fell silent. Reflecting on the screen was her gaze dead set on the phone. I found myself wanting to press the shutter as is. Again, and again, and again. Whether she's smiling or not, whether she's close to me or not, I always want to capture Miyagi. "Sendai-san." Her voice dropped a little lower. "Have you made up your mind?" No response came. Yet, the corners of Miyagi's mouth lifted in the image. It's an awkward, mechanical movement, but it’s an expression close enough to call a "smile." I lowered my arm from her shoulder. Still longing to maintain some connection to her, I clung to her clothing, as a small request was made. "... Include the sea lions in it." "Got it." I adjusted the phone's position to capture the sea lions at the edge of the frame. Miyagi's intentionally exaggerated smile was endearing. Now, unlike before, I found myself not wanting to press the shutter. If I don't take the picture, I can gaze at this "smiling Miyagi" forever. "Sendai-san, hurry." She nudged my side with her elbow. I didn't want to move my fingers. I wanted to stay like this, just a little while longer. But that wasn't allowed, and as Miyagi poked my side again, I slowly moved my finger. Click. The sound signaled the end of a special moment, and Miyagi reverted to her usual self in an instant. "It came out cute." I said as I lowered my phone and looked at Miyagi. "Sendai-san, you’re really annoying." "But it turned out cute, so it’s fine. Look." When I showed her the picture I had just taken, Miyagi pushed my phone back, protesting, "It's not cute." "It is cute, though." "Okay it's cute— I'm going to see the otters." With that abrupt end to the conversation, Miyagi started to walk away, heading towards the otter exhibit at a brisk pace, leaving me scrambling to catch up. "Let's go together," I called out. I meant that I wanted us to walk side by side, so I tugged at Miyagi's arm. "We're already going together. You're keeping up just fine, Sendai-san." "That's not what I mean. Come walk over here more." "No way. You always do weird things." "All I did was take a picture." "It wasn't just 'taking a picture.' You touched my shoulder too." Without stopping, Miyagi shook off my hand and continued with a voice full of complaints. "Sendai-san, are you having fun today?" "I am. How about you, Miyagi?" "Really?" Instead of an answer, I got a question in return. "Really." "Is that why you're smiling?" "Exactly. I don't smile when I'm not having fun." As I said this, Miyagi stopped and stared at me. I responded to her gaze with a smile. Miyagi said nothing more as she began walking again. Keeping a reasonable distance, I walked alongside her as she headed decisively toward the otters. "Sendai-san, smile," she said, stopping once more to look at me. I obliged, flashing a bright smile at her, and then she came out with the unexpected comment, "You might do well selling burgers instead of Maika." "What? How did you come to that conclusion?" "It just seems like it would be fun." With that cryptic answer, Miyagi began to walk, and I continued by her side. We soon reached our destination, and with an indifferent voice, Miyagi declared, "I'm going to watch the otters, so keep quiet, Sendai-san." As Miyagi began snapping pictures of the otters, I too took photos, capturing the otters and then secretly taking one of Miyagi. She didn’t complain. She was absorbed in watching the otters. I was absorbed in watching her. We spent a good amount of time in front of the otters before heading to a café. After lunch, with time to spare, we moved on to see the seals. We viewed both obscure small fish and larger varieties too. I snapped pictures of Miyagi and of the fish. Miyagi captured images of everything behind glass. We repeated this several times. Before we knew it, the entire day at the aquarium had flown by, and it seemed like a good time to head home. So, I knew I had to say it. Shall we head back soon? The words were right there in my mind. Yet they wouldn’t escape my lips. Miyagi wasn’t saying anything either. I don't want to leave. Those feelings were too strong, and so I found myself just standing there in front of the seals that we had circled back to again. "... Sendai-san, shouldn't we be heading back?" Miyagi spoke up, still looking at the seals, saying the words I didn't want to hear. Desperate to prolong our time here, I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "How about checking out the souvenir shop before we go?" "Do you usually buy souvenirs on outings like this?" Miyagi asked without budging from her spot in front of the seals. "It makes for a nice memento. Why not?" "And what kind of souvenir would you get for Mio-san?" "Mio?" The unexpected mention of a familiar person had me asking it back. "Aren't you buying something for your friends? It’s not an overnight trip, but people sometimes buy souvenirs when they’re at places like amusement parks or aquariums. Isn’t it like that?" With Miyagi's words, I realized my intended meaning was being misunderstood. I meant it as a keepsake of the day I spent here with Miyagi. "You seem quite close with Mio-san," Miyagi stated flatly, shifting her gaze from the seals to me. "I’m not getting a souvenir for Mio." "Why not?" "Because Mio doesn't need one." "...What if it were for Ibaraki-san and the others?" She suddenly brought up names of friends from high school. "Maybe for them." "You’re close, aren't you?" "With Umina?" "No, with Mio-san." "Is that so? It's just normal." "I think it's nice." I couldn’t make sense of the conversation, nor of contrasting Mio with Umina, or the conclusion that I was close with Mio. "Do you want a souvenir, Miyagi?" Wanting to change the atmosphere, I asked a question I already knew the answer to. "No." "Let's buy something as a memento to bring home." I knew full well that wouldn't change her answer. "…I’ve got pictures, so it’s fine." "Pictures are enough?" I asked, and Miyagi pulled out her smartphone from her bag, purposefully taking a picture of the seals as if declaring it her souvenir. It’s frustrating. I knew she wasn't someone who cared about mementos, yet seeing her treat the seal photo as a souvenir left me feeling irritated. "Sendai-san." I had been about to complain when she called my name, prompting me to respond, "What?" only for Miyagi to point her phone at me. Click. The sound of the shutter snapping echoed, and then she tucked her phone back into her bag. "Let's go." Miyagi muttered as she started walking. "Hey, Miyagi, what was that about?" "Just showing you my phone, Sendai-san." Miyagi replied without stopping. "…Eh?" While her response wasn’t strictly truthful, it wasn't that far from the truth—I had seen her phone after all. Although it wasn’t an entirely satisfactory explanation. "Hold on, Miyagi." Miyagi kept walking, her destination seemingly the aquarium exit, and I caught up to her. Miyagi didn’t stop. Yet she wasn’t walking at a pace that would leave me behind, either. She walked at a pace that was both leisurely and swift—a contradicting speed that didn’t let her get too far ahead, ensuring I could keep up. "Miyagi." I called her name once more. "Sendai-san, aren't you coming home?" Miyagi turned to ask me. "I’m coming." Upon hearing that, Miyagi began to walk again toward the exit. I picked up my pace. The penguins receded into the distance. The seals, further still. The otters and countless other fish, all faded into the background. Everything at the aquarium grew distant, and I drew closer to Miyagi.