107 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

**Reasons to Meet Miyagi** **Chapter 107** As cram school wrapped up, the city was just starting to fall into the embrace of dusk. I knew I ought to head straight home, yet my feet seemed to have a mind of their own, leading me in the opposite direction. Despite my lack of intent, they moved. My purpose lay ambiguously between my head and feet, and I walked on without a clear destination. After turning a few corners, nearly colliding with people bundled against the chill, I couldn't pretend anymore. When the sign came into view, it became clear where my feet were taking me, whether I liked it or not. A few dozen meters later, I found myself standing at the bookstore where I had once forgotten my wallet and Miyagi had lent me five thousand yen. I hesitated in the space just short of the automatic door, caught between the urge to enter and the thought of turning on my heel to head back home. I wasn't so pressed for time that I couldn't afford a brief distraction from studying. "Oh, I haven’t bought it yet, have I?" I suddenly remembered the magazine Umina reads religiously. School starts again tomorrow. It's not essential, but having it would make conversations go smoother. That thought decided it—I entered the bookstore. I wandered around the spacious store. I wasn't in such a rush that I had to leave right after buying the magazine. I looped through the store once more at a leisurely pace, finally drifting to the magazine section. "As if she'd just happen to be here." A year and a half ago. Back when I was a second-year student, I met Miyagi at this very bookstore. And since then, exchanging commands for five thousand yen has become the norm for us. Broken promises aside, our relationship seems unchanged since then. Yet, that's not entirely true. Various events have left their mark, but the core of our relationship feels intact. This winter break is no different. The stakes may have shifted from money to kisses, yet the essence remains unchanged. I halted in front of a shelf lined with flashy magazine covers and picked one up. Flipping through the pages absentmindedly, I returned it to its spot. Repeating this a few times, I finally selected the magazine Umina buys monthly and headed to the checkout. The wallet was safely in my bag. No phantom five thousand yen emerged from behind; I paid for the magazine myself and left with the bag. Checking my phone, I found hardly any time had passed. My feet moved again, steering me towards the manga section. As I leisurely approached the manga-filled shelves, a familiar back caught my eye. Wrapped in an unfamiliar coat and a scarf she seldom wore, there stood Miyagi. Despite circling the store twice, our paths hadn't crossed. Miyagi seemed engrossed in checking new releases, oblivious to my presence. I hesitated as I had when I first entered the store. I hadn't come to the bookstore to see Miyagi, yet if I spoke up, it'd seem I was here just for her. It was a chance encounter. A coincidence. Unplanned. I was just here to buy a magazine, and Miyagi happened to be here. Those excuses swirled in my mind as I tightened my grip on the magazine bag. I hadn't come to meet Miyagi, but it's true I thought I might run into her. I felt dissatisfied with our current relationship. It frustrated me that I needed so many excuses just to speak to her. I couldn't tell if Miyagi felt the same kind of dissatisfaction, but she seemed discontent. Otherwise, why would she want to sleep beside me or verify the pendant? If she were fine with how things were, she wouldn't have suggested studying during winter break or spending the night. I took a small breath. "Miyagi." I called her name, loud enough not to disturb the browsing customers. Yet, Miyagi didn't turn. It seemed she either chose to ignore me or hadn't heard my low voice. I almost walked away. And I felt disappointment with myself for considering it, and with Miyagi for not turning. I knew how to address the dissatisfaction. It would just take a small shift in our terms. For example, allowing us to talk at school. Or meeting up on days off. Or even becoming friends. There were many ways to change things, but I lacked the courage for a major revision. All the courage I had amounted to calling her name one more time. "Miyagi." With a slightly louder voice than before, Miyagi turned around and addressed me, "Sendai-san." "Are you here to buy manga?" Standing beside her, I glanced at the book in her hand. "Yeah. What about you?" "I'm here for the usual magazine." Showing the bag in my left hand, I got a "I see" in response, and the conversation stalled. Miyagi stepped a few paces away, picking up a few more manga. My attention drifted past the books to her scarf. "Well, I'm heading to the checkout." Miyagi declared her intent to leave, starting to walk off. I silently followed her. "...Sendai-san. I'm going home after buying these." Miyagi halted her steps. "Okay." "Why are you following me?" "You didn't say goodbye." I understood she wanted to leave me behind, but there hadn't been a farewell to mark the end of our encounter. "Goodbye." With that, Miyagi started walking again. And again, I followed silently. This time, she didn't say anything. Miyagi paid, collected her bag with the manga, and exited the bookstore without a backward glance. As I trailed behind her, a cold voice reached my ears. "Stop following me." "Why not?" I asked Miyagi, who only offered her back to me. "I don't want people seeing us walking together." "You won't run into anyone familiar that easily." "You never know. You're always so casually dismissive." "Can't we just walk a little together?" "A little?" Miyagi stopped abruptly and turned to face me. "A little." "...Well, walking a little isn't a problem." Her voice wasn’t exactly welcoming, but it wasn't hostile either. I walked three steps to stand beside her, saying, "Just to that point." "And where's that?" "The place we won't decide." Because I hadn’t determined where, I didn’t know myself. Miyagi didn't pursue the question further. We began walking together, and I couldn’t help but tug at Miyagi's scarf, something that had bothered me since the bookstore. "Isn't it rare to see you with a scarf?" "It's not rare. It's just cold today." Indeed, today was chillier than usual, my breath visible in the frosty air. But even on days cold enough to seem like snow, Miyagi hadn’t worn a scarf. In my memory, she’d sometimes donned a warm coat, but never a scarf. Even if she shivered, she wouldn't wear it. So, "because it’s cold" didn’t seem a convincing reason for the scarf today. "Let me borrow it a bit." I tugged at the scarf once more. "No way." "Oh, come on." "It's suffocating when you pull on it." Miyagi, with an air of irritation, pushed my shoulder. I refused to let go of the scarf, and she finally stopped, releasing a sigh so heavy it seemed the whole town might be bleached white from it. "Let go, and I'll take it off." Heeding her annoyed tone, I obediently released my grip. Instantly, the scarf was pulled off and handed to me. "...Why are you wearing the scarf?" I stared intently at the turtleneck sweater that emerged from beneath. "I told you, because it's cold." "I thought it was to hide something." That's not fair at all. The reason Miyagi wore a scarf she normally wouldn’t. It was to cover the hickey I had left a few days ago. Without the scarf, I expected to see remnants of the mark still lingering. "It's gone now." Just as I avoided mentioning what was hidden, Miyagi didn’t specify what had disappeared. "Really?" "Really." "Let me see." "No way." A voice colder than the winter wind cut through the air, and the scarf disappeared from my hand. Miyagi shoved her bag of manga at me, wrapped the scarf back around her neck, and slowly retrieved her bag before walking off. We traced the path I first walked with Miyagi when I was a second-year student. Back then, Miyagi was silent as a mouse, and now she was too. But unlike before, the silence didn't bother me. I didn’t mind that I hadn’t gone straight home. "Sendai-san, how long are you going to follow me? Your house isn't this way." A dissatisfied voice revealed Miyagi didn’t share my sentiments. "I said just to that point." "We've reached that point. Goodbye, see you around." Miyagi exhaled her prickly words with white puffs of breath. "Hold on." I grabbed her arm as she tried to escape. "I'm not waiting. Let go." "If you want me to let go, show me your neck." "I told you no." "I want to see. Show me." If the mark had vanished, I wanted to make another. A mark that wouldn’t fade so quickly this time. One visible at school. "Absolutely not." Miyagi slapped my hand away. "Stingy. It's not like I'm asking you to strip. Just show me." Reluctantly, I released her, but couldn't help voicing my dissatisfaction. "Telling someone to strip out here is beyond perverted. You'd deserve to be caught. Should I call the police for you?" "You're really harsh, Miyagi." Whether the mark remained or not, our relationship wouldn’t change. I knew that something so trivial wouldn't alter our connection, yet I wished for something to transform. Otherwise, even if Miyagi was accepted to the same university as Utsunomiya, I feared she still wouldn’t see me. "Sendai-san. I'm really going home now, so don't follow me." "I get it. See you." I should’ve had more to say, but that's all that came out. "Bye." Without saying "see you," Miyagi waved. When I waved back, she turned and headed home.