319 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 319 The start of June marks the beginning of hell. The Sunday that should have been spent peacefully turned out to be utterly chaotic, making me want to bury my head in my hands. Although Mio stopped probing about the kiss mark, she wouldn't stop with the questions about a boyfriend. I know she's just teasing me for fun, but it becomes bothersome when she tries to drag Utsunomiya into the conversation and make it a big deal. "Hey, Sendai-san, you were popular back in high school, right? Are you sure you don't have a secret boyfriend?" Utsunomiya inquires innocently, and then Mio chimes in, "You're still popular in college, aren't you? Are you sure you don't have one?" "I'm not that popular, and I don’t have a boyfriend, okay? More importantly, tell me about you two. Utsunomiya, is there anyone you’re interested in?" I smile brightly and change the subject. I feel like I want to turn this room into the depths of hell, dragging everything—including the penguin on the bed and the platypus tissue box on the floor—down with me into a boiling cauldron. The purpose of this gathering still remains a mystery to me. Not that it's boring, but it's not the kind of group that would normally gather in my room. Even Miyagi, the organizer, sometimes wears a difficult expression. Yet, she, the creator of this inferno, irresponsibly refuses to make any effort to improve the situation. "Hmm, there's someone good-looking, but I'm not interested in dating them or anything. Just eye candy," Utsunomiya hesitates as she replies. "Maika-chan, you should just go for it. If it doesn’t work out, you can always move on to the next one," Mio offers advice that could either be sincere or teasing, adding, "Right, Shiori-chan?" "Ah, yeah. I think so," Miyagi says sheepishly, but it's her own fault. She knew what would happen when she invited Mio, so she should face the consequences. "If I went for it and it didn’t work out, things would get awkward, and I’d feel like quitting my part-time job. So, I’m keeping it as just eye candy." "Oh right, Maika-chan, you’ve got a part-time job, don’t you?" "Yeah, I sell burgers. Oh, and Noto-san came by once—" "Was that the time Noto-senpai and Shiori-chan met? It sounded like it was amusing," Mio responds with a bright voice. Surprisingly, Utsunomiya and Mio seem to be on the same wavelength, making the conversation lively. If they keep enjoying themselves like this, peace might finally come to this room— Eh? The flow of the conversation almost made me miss it, but the name that came from their mouths couldn't be ignored. I unconsciously repeat the name. "Utsunomiya. Are you talking about Noto-senpai?" "Yeah, she came to my work." "I see." I respond mechanically to Utsunomiya's words, then look to Miyagi. But Miyagi remains silent, and Mio continues speaking. "Shiori-chan, you talked with senpai, right? What did you talk about? She kept saying it was funny but never told me what you discussed." "Just normal stuff," Miyagi answers vaguely. It was hard to believe that Noto-senpai showed up at Utsunomiya’s workplace and talked to Miyagi, but Miyagi's response confirms that both Utsunomiya and Mio’s stories aren’t just made up. "Miyagi, did you meet Noto-senpai?" I ask in the gentlest voice I can muster, as if it’s a trivial question, and she casually replies with, "Yeah." "You didn’t mention anything about it." "It wasn’t worth mentioning." "When did you meet?" "A little while ago." "When was 'a little while ago'?" I speak gently. As if it’s no big deal. Like I’m talking to a friend. Despite my intentions, my voice is a bit sharper. "The other day means just the other day. I don’t remember exactly," Miyagi says, seeming bothered, and goes out of her way to take my glass to drink barley tea. "Hazuki, you’re hilarious. Stop acting like a mom all of a sudden," Mio laughs heartily at our exchange. "I was just asking since I didn’t know; there’s no need to call me 'Mom'." "Well, there are things you don’t know. Normally, friends don’t report every single detail of their day," Mio points out. She states the obvious, leaving me with no choice but to agree. However, I have complaints. I have so many complaints that I could rant for an hour and it still wouldn’t be enough. Miyagi meeting Noto-senpai by chance at Utsunomiya’s job should count as a significant event. Keeping quiet about it suggests there might be something secretly shameful between her and Noto-senpai that she wants to hide from me. "Since I don’t even remember exactly when it happened, there was nothing significant to discuss, right? You’re overthinking this, Sendai-san," Miyagi remarks, as if tired of the conversation. "I’m not overthinking. I just found it a little curious." "You are overthinking. I just agreed to share a table with Noto-san when she asked if she could, and we made some small talk." "But, Hazuki-mama," Mio giggles softly to herself. Despite her teasing, I was more preoccupied by the fact Miyagi and Noto-senpai had met. Noto-senpai, who’s met with me several times, never mentioned Miyagi either. What that implies is— I have no idea. It’s possible they really just made small talk and nothing of consequence happened, which is why neither mentioned it. I could see it that way optimistically, but it feels unlikely. However, I know pressing Miyagi about it here and now will lead nowhere, as she’s bound not to answer. "Sendai-san, you really seem so different from the image I had of you in high school. I never thought you’d be such a worrywart," Utsunomiya’s voice breaks into my thoughts on Miyagi, sounding amused but not as frivolous as Mio. "Because Noto-senpai hasn’t mentioned meeting Miyagi either, I’m a bit concerned," I respond lightly, squeezing the hand of the platypus toy next to me. Its grasp is soft and unreliable. If possible, I wish I could immediately take Miyagi's hand, kiss her, and hold her close. Perhaps then, being able to feel Miyagi’s warmth, I’d stop worrying about Noto-senpai. "Seriously, Hazuki and Shiori-chan are so intriguing. it makes me want to install cameras in this house," Mio says while casting roaming glances around the room. "Coming from you, it sounds like you’d actually do it," I retort. "I’d let you put cameras in my house, so let me do it here too." "Denied. Watching your daily life isn’t interesting." "Come on, take this chance to monitor my day. I’ll even make it a special service," Mio bargains. "What are you planning to offer as 'special service'?" "A deluge of sexy shots," Mio teases back. "...I’m adding you to the list of people to banish to hell," I warn. "Hazuki is such a demon," Mio chuckles, exaggerating a sigh. Though I'd rather be the one sighing, chastising Miyagi more than necessary, I’m relieved to brush it all aside, thanks to Mio changing the atmosphere. I might even give her a chance to avoid that trip to hell. "Then, offer us a fun topic to discuss. If you do, I'll remove your name from the list," I tease Mio. "Okay, how about this? Why don't we all start working part-time at my café?" she suggests. "Why suddenly bring up part-time jobs? And are you really that short on staff?" I ask, curious about Mio's spontaneous suggestion. "Well, the idea of everyone working together is a joke, but we are hiring. Maika-chan, if you ever get tired of selling burgers, just give me a shout," Mio beams at Utsunomiya. "If I ever get bored, I’ll definitely consider it," Utsunomiya replies. "Shiori-chan, you can come work part-time too, anytime you want," Mio offers. "I'm not really into part-time jobs..." Miyagi responds hesitantly, clearly not wanting to even feign interest in working. "Don't say that. Just let me know whenever you feel like it." "Well, if the mood strikes me..." Miyagi trails off. The organizer of our little slice of hell lacks energy today. Still, the infernal gathering Miyagi initiated drags on at a leisurely pace. Thanks primarily to Mio, the conversation flows without pause. Gradually, our afternoon gathering evolves from a hellish meet-up into a dinner party as we enjoy pizza together. As the pizza disappears and an unexpectedly friendly atmosphere prevails, Mio and Utsunomiya exchange contact details, pulling Miyagi and me into their network—transforming our girls' hangout into a farewell of sorts. As Utsunomiya left, she said, "Sendai-san, if you ever get a boyfriend, make sure to introduce him to me!" Her enthusiastic comment left me a bit unsettled, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. It's all Miyagi's fault. She should bear the brunt of today's chaos since she instigated it, and I’d prefer not to get involved. Miyagi better explain clearly to Utsunomiya that there's no boyfriend in the picture for me. And she should admit it was her who gave me the kiss mark. While the matter of the mark on me is fading into obscurity, it’s clear expecting Miyagi to openly declare the kiss mark as her doing is unrealistic. Still, if it became known that I belong to Miyagi, the issue about a boyfriend would simply vanish. Regardless of any future marks, no one would question it any longer. It’s not practical, though. "Miyagi, this has been exhausting because of you," I tell her, even after Mio and Utsunomiya have left, noting she hasn't gone back to her own room. "It’s not my fault," Miyagi retorts, sounding displeased as she swats my arm playfully with the platypus toy. I look at her, noticing the furrow between her brows. The usual air has returned between us. After all, it should be just Miyagi and me in this room. Miyagi should always be by my side, and I by hers. I want to eliminate any future that differs from that. "This all happened because you said to invite Mio," I assert, leaning against the bed and reaching for Miyagi's hand. But she quickly pulls away, leaving me to grab the platypus's hand instead. "What happened?" "Think back to today's conversations," I challenge. My words deepen the line on Miyagi’s forehead. Although much of today's talk was trivial, some topics took a heavier toll. It wasn’t the worst day ever, but far from the best. "So, are you satisfied now that you called Mio over?" I ask, staring at Miyagi. But she doesn’t respond right away. The once noisy room falls silent as Miyagi lowers her gaze to the floor. She's pondering intensely about something, but it doesn't appear favorable. Before Miyagi concocts a new hell to accompany the one from earlier, I call out to her. "Miyagi." A small voice answers back, "Sendai-san." Then silence encroaches once more. When I call her name again, she finally lifts her gaze to meet mine. "...I think you should treasure Mio-san," she says unexpectedly. "Eh? I don’t understand what you mean." "It means exactly what it sounds like." I understand the words, but I don’t get why Miyagi is suddenly advocating for Mio. "And what do you propose I should do to treasure her?" "...Be friendly with her." Be friendly with Mio. That’s already happening to some extent; Mio and I maintain a reasonable friendship. It's not something Miyagi needs to tell me, nor something to point out to me exclusively, because I'm hers alone. As long as I remain Miyagi’s, that's enough. She herself said so. So it makes no sense for her to suddenly urge me to befriend Mio more deeply. "...And you're okay with that, Miyagi?" "Of course not. I don’t handle Mio-san well at all," she admits, and I feel a wave of relief from her more honest response. I want Miyagi to feel that it's “not okay” for me to become close with anyone else. "If you’re not fond of Mio, why did you suggest inviting her?" "I told you before; to become friends," Miyagi repeats. "That’s a lie." "It’s true. I wanted to understand what kind of person she is." "And did you?" "Sendai-san is mine alone, so turning into Mio-san’s is not allowed, but it’s better if you become proper friends with her." Miyagi rushes through her dull rationale while grabbing my hand from the platypus. But I make Miyagi hold the platypus's hand instead. She isn’t answering my question, and this isn’t the Miyagi I know. Her sudden emphasis on "friends" made her act more like a "helicopter mom" than I was before. "Miyagi, you should say not to get too friendly with Mio," I suggest, my tone lowering. Miyagi averts her gaze. The atmosphere turns awkward. "...Sendai-san, don’t you need friends?" she mutters. "Miyagi is all I need. I belong to you," I say confidently. "...That's true, but it’s not. I just think you should be more proper." "What do you mean by proper?" "Make genuine friends and bond with them. But I can’t allow you to do that, so from now on, just stay silent," she orders, unexpectedly sharp. "What?" "No talking until I say it's okay." I don't understand. Why is she trying to get me to make friends? Why is she trying to keep me quiet? I don't understand. Without me understanding, the buttons on my blouse are undone. Miyagi lets go of the platypus's hand and slowly unbuttons them, one by one. "...What are you doing?" I ask, grabbing her hand firmly. "I told you not to talk." "If I'm not supposed to talk, tell me what’s happening." "...Sendai-san wasn’t just mine today, so I’m making sure you’re mine again." "And that's your fault, Miyagi." "Sendai-san, you're noisy. Be quiet," she chides. "I haven’t been told what you’re doing." "You don’t need answers to understand, just be quiet." Her hand retreats from mine, and she resumes unbuttoning. "You're serious?" Miyagi remains silent, but all my buttons are eventually undone. She presses something warm against my neck.