366 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

### Chapter 366 Think, think, think. I've been pondering for days, preparing everything that needed to be done by today. However, there's one thing I can't seem to reach a conclusion on from this ongoing mental conference. —What should I wear today? Ever since Miyagi told me to "dress nicely" for her birthday, I've been thinking about it, but since she'd never asked such a thing before, even on the day itself, I have no clue what "dressing nicely" means. I want to wear clothes that Miyagi would like, but not knowing what that is, I'm sitting on the bed, clothes spread out around me, clutching my head in frustration. Today, I'm not considering my own preferences. All I'm thinking about is what Miyagi would like. And that's why I've been agonizing over it. I understand that it's not simply about wearing revealing clothes. If Miyagi wanted to see my body, she'd just ask me to take off my clothes. Since she mentioned "dressing nicely" even when I'm not wearing anything, it likely doesn’t mean clothes with less fabric, and I don’t really want to wear such clothing either. Therefore, I have no idea what Miyagi means by "dressing nicely." She has never made such a request before. "Maybe something different from what I usually wear?" I glanced at the dresses laid out on my bed. If she wanted me to wear my usual clothes, she'd probably say so more specifically. Therefore, I figure she might be happy if I wore a dress I rarely put on since we started living together. The problem is, there are only two dresses on the bed suitable for this season. Moreover, they feel a bit too fancy for just wearing around the house. What should I do? I press my temples with my fingers, then hold up a dress in a lighter blue shade than the earrings I received from Miyagi against my body. I look at myself in the mirror, but perhaps because of how infrequently I wear such clothes, I’m unsure if it looks good. More accurately, I lack confidence, but I doubt anything else would look better, so I decide on this dress. I prepared the drinks yesterday. I bought the cake after lunch. Now, I need to prepare dinner. It's still too early to change, so I put the dress away for now and leave the room. Although it’s a day off and I have plenty of time, it’s not infinite. I walk to Miyagi's door and knock twice. She appears almost immediately and asks, "Cooking?" "Yeah, cooking. I'm starting now, so can you help?" "Are you really making potato salad, Sendai-san?" "I am. And scallop carpaccio." "Wouldn't it be easier to just buy both?" "Yes, but I promised to make them, didn't I?" "Yeah, but..." She sounds disgruntled, yet I have no intention of changing plans. I've already made concessions by buying the fried chicken and desserts, so Miyagi should compromise too. "Even if it's troublesome, it'll be fun once we start." "...What should I do?" Reluctantly, Miyagi exits her room and looks at me. "Peel the potatoes." When I say this with a smile, she gives me a distinctly annoyed look. No matter her expression, I have no intention of altering my plans. We both stand in the kitchen. I hand Miyagi a peeler and some potatoes, leaving her to peel them. I take a knife to the peeled potatoes, cutting them into chunks and tossing them into a pot. The potatoes are boiled starting from cold water and mashed with a wooden spoon. While I slice the cucumber and ham, Miyagi boils the eggs. "Potato salad takes a few seconds to eat but ages to make." Miyagi comments as she looks at my hands, evidently bored with supervising the eggs. "Isn't that true for everything?" "True, but potato salad isn't even the main dish, and it's painstaking to make." "So, if it were the main dish, you'd stop complaining no matter how annoying it is to make?" "...Not really." Miyagi apparently wants to complain about difficult dishes, even if they're the main course. But I know this about her. Miyagi always finds cooking bothersome, no matter how simple, and never forgets to voice her complaints. "The boiled eggs are done." Miyagi mentions gruffly, and I cool the eggs in running water. "So, Miyagi, don't you want to dress cutely today?" I ask, unrelated to the potatoes or boiled eggs. "No." She replies curtly, and I respond with an "Alright." Miyagi is the star today, so I should respect her opinions. It's important she has fun wearing what she likes. Still, there's this idea that she might want to dress cutely today that I can't quite dismiss. "Miyagi, could you get the mayonnaise and whole-grain mustard?" "I'll grab them." Miyagi heads to the refrigerator, and I peel, then coarsely chop, the cooled boiled eggs. I mix them into a bowl with the potatoes, cucumber, and ham, seasoning it with the mayonnaise, whole-grain mustard, salt, and pepper that Miyagi brought. It turns out surprisingly tasty. "Miyagi, want to try it?" I scoop some potato salad with a spoon and offer it to her, but she doesn't open her mouth. "Miyagi." Without saying "ah," I gently press the spoon to her lips, prompting a grumbled response. "I’ll feed myself, give me the spoon." "Come on, just open your mouth." "No. I'll do it myself." Miyagi takes the spoon from me and eats the potato salad. "Well? Is it good?" "It's good." She says softly, looking at me. "…Are you staying dressed like this today, Sendai-san?" Miyagi asks, not quietly, but not loudly either. "Who knows." I smile as I answer, and she seems ready to say something but stops. I wanted her to request "dress nicely" again, but she apparently won’t. Miyagi is as stingy as ever; it's one thing I'm certain will never change about her. I brush my fingers against the plumeria earrings on Miyagi's ears. "Don't worry. I'll keep my promise." "You could've just said that from the start. Stop being mean." Though I didn’t intend to be mean, I apologize earnestly and place the potato salad in the fridge. "So, Miyagi, shall we make the scallop carpaccio?" "It's a bother." Miyagi never fails to meet my expectations. "It’s easy." Scallop carpaccio isn't that troublesome to make, so I'm telling the truth. I ask Miyagi to prepare the plates while I slice the tomatoes and scallops. Once cut, I arrange them on the plates and place them in the refrigerator. Carpaccio comes together simply with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil, but I'll leave that for later. Warming up the fried chicken is also something I'll do afterwards. Because today, there's still more to be done. "Alright, let's head back to our rooms and meet here at seven," I tell Miyagi, giving a small kiss to her earring. "What's with meeting at seven? There's quite a bit of time left. Besides, there's no need to go back to the room. I'll just stay here, so hurry up and get changed, Sendai-san." "Gathering at a set time makes it feel more like an event, don’t you think?" If I wanted to be efficient, I could have Miyagi stay right here and just return as soon as I’m done changing. But for a special day like a birthday, that feels too mundane. "...I suppose." "Alright, then. Let's both wait in our rooms until seven." "Sendai-san, you always do strange things, you know?" "Doing something strange makes it more memorable, right? It's a birthday, so I want to do something different than usual." "No need to make a big deal out of it." Miyagi lightly steps on my foot and murmurs quietly.