110 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 110 "You're asking me to do it myself?" I ask as I pick up the light blue towel. "Do it yourself." Based on past experience, I know what needs to be done even without explicit instructions. Nevertheless, considering what's likely to happen afterward, I'm not eager to comply. Miyagi has questionable tastes. She tends to issue orders that can't be made public. But then again, the very fact that Miyagi is giving me orders is something that can't be made public. "Hurry up." While I'm hesitating with the towel in my hand, Miyagi urges me to move along. Whether I do it myself or Miyagi does it to me, the result won't change. I'll just end up with my eyes blindfolded, moving us to the next stage. I have reservations about blindfolding myself. Yet, if I dawdle, Miyagi might get even more annoyed and give even worse orders afterward. I use the light blue towel to cover my eyes. Doing this myself only deepens my sense of guilt. Miyagi truly has poor tastes. "I can't see anything, so this is boring." I complain to Miyagi, whose exact location I can't discern. "This isn't for your entertainment, Sendai-san." A voice comes from in front of me. "Well, is this entertaining for you, Miyagi?" "It's not." Miyagi not only has odd tastes but also peculiar reasoning. I fail to understand the point of making someone do something that's not amusing. "So, what are you planning to do to me?" I ask to mask my unease about not being able to see. But there's no response. "Miyagi?" I call out her name, guessing she's in front of me, and feel a hand touch my cheek. The hand softly caresses my cheek, then traces my lips. I stiffen instinctively. It reminds me of the time I was blindfolded during the summer break. But the hand quickly withdraws, and she doesn't follow it up with a kiss as she did back then. "Sendai-san." Miyagi calls me softly. She doesn't touch me, but I feel her gaze. Even though I can't actually see if she's watching me, her presence is unsettling. My neck feels itchy. "Answer me." Miyagi says, sounding annoyed as she addresses my silence. When I still don't respond, she calls me "Sendai-san" again. "What?" "――Say you hate it." "Huh? What's with the suddenness?" "Just say it." "Why?" "Just because." Her voice is unchanged. It's a slightly lower tone she uses when she's displeased. It's not uncommon for Miyagi to say baffling things. Her actions are often unpredictable, and I've come to accept that worrying about them is futile. However, this command feels like one I shouldn't comply with without understanding its meaning. "What exactly should I say I hate?" Even with my eyes covered by the towel, I cautiously raise my head as though trying to meet her gaze and ask carefully. "…Me." She mutters softly. —I want to see Miyagi's face. My hands aren't restrained. I reach for the light blue towel. I try to remove it and see what expression Miyagi has, but before I can undo the knot, my hand is grasped, and the towel is tied more tightly. "I didn't say you could take it off." I hear Miyagi's voice, and the space right beside where I'm sitting sinks. Without resistance, my arm is pulled, and I'm turned towards Miyagi before being pinned down. Thanks to the futon beneath, it doesn't hurt my back. However, being handled roughly with my vision obscured is frightening. I think to protest, but Miyagi's voice reaches me first. "You didn't follow my order." Fingers touch the chain of my pendant, pulling it out slowly. The buttons of my blouse remain fastened. The pendant is yanked forcefully, the chain digging into the back of my neck. "You're pulling too hard. It's painful and could break." Miyagi seems to grip the pendant top rather than fully choking the neck, leaving just enough space for breath. Yet, the fear of being strangled to the point of stopping my breath lingers, and my breathing quickens because it's unclear what's happening out of sight. My senses feel heightened. "Let go." I say firmly, but she continues to pull the pendant, bringing pain with the chain's tension. When I call her name, the pendant is released, and she bites my neck. Her teeth sink into my skin alongside something warm and damp, but it's not painful enough to elicit a cry. Miyagi soon withdraws and touches the place she bit. She incidentally brushes the chain, her fingers gliding over my collarbone. Casually, she undoes a button and removes my tie. I thought she might bind my wrists but she does nothing further. If she wished, Miyagi could tie my hands at any moment, and she's actually tied them a few times before. But today, my hands remain free. I convince myself it's because she wants me to touch her, and I pull Miyagi closer. Wrapping an arm around her back, I stroke her hair. She doesn't brush my hand away. It seems she doesn't intend to resist. "——Miyagi, do you dislike me?" I ask while gently running my hand through her hair. "…Yes." After a pause, she answers. "Then say it clearly—'I dislike you.' If you do, I'll follow your previous order and say 'I hate you'." Tracing her cheek with my fingers, I brush her lips with them. Miyagi remains silent. "I won't be upset, so just say it." Miyagi's lips stay motionless. I pull my hand away from her lips. I'd be surprised to actually hear her say she dislikes me now. Despite holding her close, touching her hair, she shows no signs of rejection, making it hard to believe she truly dislikes me. Miyagi's body moves slightly away, her hand touching the pendant again. She traces the chain firmly enough that it might leave a mark on my skin, her fingers landing on the pendant top. "Give me back the necklace." Miyagi pulls the pendant with such force that I almost believe she intends to break it. I remove the towel covering my eyes. This time, I manage to take it off before being interrupted and see Miyagi, wearing an expression both annoyed and on the verge of tears. My vision, freed from the darkness and pressure, is indistinct but undeniably reveals Miyagi. "I told you not to take it off by yourself." Miyagi releases the pendant and snatches the towel away. "More importantly, what do you mean by 'give it back'?" "No reason." Her voice isn't brusque; it's devoid of emotion. I grip the fabric of Miyagi's blouse. "Then I won't give it back. You're the one who told me to wear it until graduation. You should keep your promise." "You break promises too, Sendai-san." Miyagi retorts with a biting tone, peeling my hand from her blouse. "Even if I break them, you should keep yours." I state selfishly, causing Miyagi to try to yank the pendant away again. "I'm not giving this back." I slap her hand off, reinforcing my decision. Yet, the pendant is tugged persistently, so I swat her hand away once more. The chain loosens at my neck, her hand releasing its grip. "Hey, Miyagi. We still have exams coming up, so stop saying weird stuff... it gets me down." I push Miyagi away gently and sit up. "You don't really get down, do you, Sendai-san?" Miyagi sprawls face-down on the bed. "You're such an idiot, Miyagi." I lightly thump her head with a pillow and step off the bed. "So, what's next?" I ask, taking a seat at the table and looking over at her. Miyagi lifts her face to look at me. "Huh?" "When should I come here next? You said you'd call me over and pay 5,000 yen each time until graduation, so tell me now." "...I'll let you know." "You won't, though. Decide on it now." I urge firmly, and Miyagi buries her face into the pillow. "Five days." A muffled voice reaches me. That feels distant, I think. But since exams haven't completely finished, and I still need to study, a five-day wait isn't unreasonable. "Got it. And what about when we enter self-study days?" I bring up another concern that’s been on my mind. In February, school transitions to self-study days, where attendance is optional. Students can choose whether to attend, but most decide not to. Umina and Mariko have already said they won't be going to school during self-study. I don't intend to either. I haven't asked what Miyagi plans. "...." Though she's clearly heard me, Miyagi remains unmoving with her face pressed into the pillow. "Miyagi, self-study days aren't holidays." We agreed not to meet on school holidays. But technically, self-study days are still school days. "Miyagi." I prompt for a response, and a small voice replies, "I'll call you even if you don't tell me to."