264 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 264 "Aloha" The moment the door opens, Mio's voice reverberates in my ears. "Aloha" I respond with the same word in the same tone, and Mio looks slightly disappointed as she steps inside and closes the door. "Where's Shiori-chan?" "Shiori-chan is over there." I deliberately use her name to answer, pointing towards the back where Miyagi—who had been disgruntled by the intercom ringing earlier than expected—is waiting for Mio in my room. "Mio, it's fine to arrive early, but isn't over thirty minutes too soon?" "I thought so too, so I did send a heads-up." "Still, it's early." I'm grateful for the advance notice about arriving early, but if she can be that thoughtful, I wish she'd spend that time elsewhere first. Had she shown up just twenty, or even ten minutes later, Miyagi and I might have had more time together to indulge in certain... activities. If not, there still would have been more time for affection. "I headed out early to search for the cat Hazuki's fond of." Mio says in an innocent tone. "Did you find her? Mike-chan?" "Yeah, Mike-chan." As she mentions the name of the calico cat I named, Mio hands me a bag that's starkly different in color from Mike-chan. Looking inside, I find snacks—a sign she stopped by a convenience store. "I got tired of looking for Mike-chan, so I ended up at the convenience store and then came straight here." "Thank you." Despite being considerate enough to bring a gift, Mio can't manage the simple act of arriving on time. "This way to the room," I gesture, and she replies with, "Excuse me." After waiting for her to remove her shoes and coat, the two of us proceed to the shared space. "Wow, it's like this, huh." Telling the curious Mio that there's nothing particularly interesting to see, I open the door to my room. "Mio, Miyagi is waiting." "Is this Shiori-chan's room?" "My room." With that, Mio, full of energy, makes her way inside. "Shiori-chan. Alo—" "Mio, that's not really how you usually greet people." I intercept her words and shut the door. "Why not? Sometimes it's good to greet like this. Aloha, Shiori-chan." "…Hello." "Aw, you should say Aloha there." "Mio. Enough with the greetings, take a seat." I lead the cheerful Mio to sit across from Miyagi, hang her coat on a hanger, and sit diagonally across from Miyagi. "Is Shiori-chan's room next door?" "Oh, yes. Next door." Miyagi responds as if slightly troubled. I can tell she's wary of whatever Mio might say next, yet there's no avoiding it—Mio's words won't change, and neither will Miyagi's inevitable unease. "I'd like to see Shiori-chan's room later." Exactly as I anticipated, Mio voices her predictable request, to which I reply on Miyagi's behalf. "No need, just stay here." "But I'm asking Shiori-chan." "It'll probably be the same answer, though." "Really?" "Yeah, pretty much." With a vague reply, Miyagi glances around nervously between Mio and me. Today, she seems like a borrowed cat brought to an unfamiliar place—so unlike her usual, spontaneous stray self when with me or her softer demeanor with Utsunomiya; it's clear she's not comfortable around Mio. "I guess it can't be helped. I'll just make do with Hazuki's room today," Mio declares cheerfully. Relaxed in her denim, she seems so at ease it wouldn't be surprising if she claimed to have been visiting here for the past ten years. It's hard to tell who the guest really is. "By the way, Shiori-chan, do you like dorayaki?" "Yeah, I quite like it." I'd never heard anything about Miyagi liking dorayaki, nor have I seen her buy any before. So, her "quite" translates to indifferent at best—I suspect if I were the one asking, she'd say she doesn't particularly care for it. "That's good, then. It's a new product, so I bought some. I also got chocolate and potato chips." "Thanks." Miyagi's voice carries a public politeness. Had I spent my high school years without visiting Miyagi's place, I'd likely be met with the same reaction as Mio. I'd be classified as someone like Mio, missing out on any chance for friendship forever. Back in my second year of high school, I'm grateful Miyagi spoke to me at the bookstore. Without that encounter involving five thousand yen, the current state of me being Miyagi's roommate wouldn't exist. "Mio. Is cold tea alright? We have barley tea, soda, and orange juice." While arranging Mio's snacks on the table, I call out. "Then soda, please." "Miyagi, could you please get it?" "Sure." Miyagi agrees with a somewhat relieved expression and exits the room. Ideally, I'd offer to fetch it, but I can't leave. Beyond not wanting to leave Miyagi alone with Mio, I don't wish to add to her discomfort by matching her with someone she clearly struggles with. If Mio were a little more like someone Miyagi could easily tolerate, perhaps I could make pancakes as I did when Utsunomiya visited. But leaving them alone now might just stress Miyagi right out. "This room doesn't quite feel like yours, Hazuki," Mio observes as she scans the room. "Really?" "Yes. It's more barren than I imagined—but then you have a cute penguin plush and a quirky tissue cover." "That's a platypus." I clarify the identity of the animal Mio finds strange. "What was the name of that odd bird you photographed at the zoo?" "Shoebill?" "Yes, that’s it. You took a lot of photos of that, right? When did you start liking quirky animals, Hazuki?" "I've never become particularly fond of them." "Then why the platypus?" Mio points at the tissue cover. "It's something Miyagi likes. She left it in my room." I offer a half-truth. Miyagi never declared her love for platypuses, but she did decide on leaving the cover in my room—so it isn't entirely a lie. "Ah, Shiori-chan's tastes, huh? I see. But even without these, I wouldn't have thought of this room as yours, Hazuki. I'd pictured something more sparkling." I chuckle at Mio's words. Similar remarks have been made by both Miyagi and Utsunomiya, but to hear it from Mio too was unexpected. I've always been playing a version of "Sendai Hazuki" that fits in easily among many, and that remains true even now in university. However, I didn't think I was as disconnected from the real me as I was in high school. But with Mio pointing out that my image differs, it seems I'm still portraying a version of myself quite distant from the "real Sendai Hazuki." "What kind of room do you mean?" I ask Mio lightly. "Hard to say exactly, but it's just not what I imagined. And Shiori-chan doesn’t fit the image of your roommate either, Hazuki. It’s a bit of a mismatch. What’s your relationship like?" "As I’ve said before, we were high school friends." I answer, thinking that the gap works both ways. With her classic bob cut without bangs, she's often perceived as having a cool demeanor, but the moment she speaks, that image shifts—becoming less crisp and more chaotic, like a breeze loudly rustling leaves. Some say Mio is beautiful until she opens her mouth, but even if she were silent, she'd send telepathic messages to communicate directly with your mind, so she'd never be the quiet beauty type. "It seemed like you were part of different circles back then too. Shiori-chan wasn't secretly a gyaru in high school or anything, right?" "No, and that would be terrifying." It’s true that if Miyagi were a gyaru, she might have gotten along quite well with Umina, but that never was the reality. Nor was it ever likely. In any case, if Miyagi were like Umina, I doubt I would have proposed the idea of sharing a room. "It might make more sense if she were a gyaru, though. Looking at Shiori-chan, it’s hard to believe you two are roommates." "Even if you can't believe it, we are roommates." "But isn't there a bit of cool distance?" "In what way?" "The way you address each other. Why not use first names? I’d think Hazuki would call her Shiori." Mio brings up something I’d rather not discuss, causing me to press where Miyagi once placed a mark, just below my collarbone. "I’ve always called her Miyagi." If I could call her Shiori, I would have long ago. But as it stands, I use "Miyagi" because I’m not allowed to use her first name. "You usually call your friends by their first names, Hazuki." "Well, yes, but we were in different groups in high school, so it just stayed as Miyagi." The chance to change that hasn't come. I don't even know if it ever will. I'm not even allowed to refer to Miyagi as Shiori-chan, as Mio does. I swallow a sigh and glance at the door, not wanting to continue this conversation with Mio. Though I asked Miyagi to bring cold drinks instead of hot drinks to ensure she could return quickly, she's taking longer than expected. I contemplate whether to go call her. "Something wrong, Hazuki?" Noticing my gaze, Mio looks at the door. "I'm wondering why Miyagi is taking so long." Just as I’m about to stand, the door opens, and in comes Miyagi, carrying a tray with three glasses, placing the soda in front of Mio. "Thank you, Shiori-chan," Mio chirps cheerfully. Miyagi, in an unusually considerate gesture, asks, "Sendai-san, did you want barley tea?" "Yeah, thank you." She sets the barley tea before me, and places the last glass in front of Mio, who is already sipping her soda. "Shiori-chan, why don't you call Hazuki by her given name? Isn't 'Sendai-san' too formal for roommates?" "Well, since I’ve always called her Sendai-san, it’s just easier that way." Miyagi, seated across from Mio, speaks in a troubled tone, before sipping what seems to be the same transparent soda as Mio. "Why not seize this opportunity to call each other by your first names?" Mio suggests. Though it would be nice, Miyagi remains silent, like a borrowed cat indifferent to the suggestion. Her expression remains vague. She doesn’t want to call me by my name. Though she didn't explicitly state it earlier, Miyagi’s words, "Sendai-san is easier to say," speaks volumes, and even Mio’s suggestion doesn’t alter that. "It's hard to change how you address someone suddenly; this is fine for now." Unwilling but having no choice, I say the necessary words and take a sip of my barley tea. "Oh come on. What about you, Shiori-chan?" "Mio, don’t pick on Miyagi too much." "I’m not. I was only trying to improve things between you two, but Hazuki-mama is too protective." Mio quips playfully, adding, "Right, Shiori-chan?" "Instead of joking around, how about you eat some dorayaki?" "Okay, Mama." "I don’t recall giving birth to you." "Why not be a mom? Then how about a happy little room-share with the three of us?" Mio glances at Miyagi for agreement. Before she can speak, I immediately shoot down Mio's proposal. "Let's not make it a family trio. Besides, we don't have an extra room here." Even as a joke, I don’t want Miyagi to consent to having a third person share our space. Miyagi's only roommate should be me—now and always. "Hazuki, you’re being cold. Be a bit kinder to Mio-chan," Mio mock-complains, pretending to wipe away tears and letting out an exaggerated whimper that was mildly irritating. "Be nice and eat the dorayaki," I insist, handing her one from the table. "Alright, time for a snack," Mio agrees, smiling brightly.