118 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 118 I take off my coat in the entryway. After entering the room and turning on the air conditioner, Sendai-san, who followed me, unbuttons the second button of her blouse but doesn't take off her blazer. I notice her loosened tie. She hadn't spoken at all in the elevator. She walked down the hallway silently, and she's still quiet now. Her face looks as calm as ever, yet this slight change unsettles me. Sendai-san sits in her usual spot in front of the bed. "I'll go get something." As I approach and speak, she grabs my arm. "You can do that later. More importantly, what did you want to talk about?" She pulls my arm, and I reluctantly sit next to her. "You brought the necklace?" "I didn’t just bring it, I'm wearing it." Sendai-san tugs at the collar of her blouse, which she had unbuttoned. The opening reveals a glimpse of the silver chain. Usually, she'd complain when I answer a question with another question, but today she doesn't. Perhaps because she knows today is our last day and there's no need for me to hand over another five thousand yen. "Hand it over." "Why?" "The order expired." When I gave Sendai-san the necklace, I ordered her to wear it both at school and at home. I had also mentioned that the deadline was "until graduation." There's no way that someone as diligent as Sendai-san would forget just the deadline. An order past its expiration date doesn't need to be followed. The necklace was something I gave her, and when it was no longer needed, I believed I had the right to take it back. "Just out of curiosity, what happens if I return it?" "I'll throw the necklace away, and that'll be the end of our relationship." "What do you mean by 'end'?" Sendai-san asks, as if she's hearing this for the first time, something she should already know. "We won't see each other anymore." "But if you attend the same university as Utsunomiya, we could see each other anytime." "The promise was until graduation. Even if we could see each other anytime, we won't, so give me back the necklace." "If I return it, you're just going to throw it away, right? Isn't that a waste?" It's frustrating. She knew what I would say today and we agreed on "until graduation." While she didn’t promise to return the necklace, it's not something worth resisting over. It would be better for Sendai-san to discard it, like a collar. "It's not a waste, so just hand it over." I extend my hand, urging her. "You're really stingy, Miyagi." With a dramatic sigh, Sendai-san slowly removes the necklace. "There you go." She places the necklace on the table. I reach for the silver pendant, but before I can touch it, Sendai-san says, "Before that." "I have something to show you, so wait a moment." "Something to show me?" "Yes." Saying so, she pulls something out of her bag and places it next to the necklace. "A... letter?" The object on the table is an envelope, to be precise, a cherry blossom-colored one, with nothing written on the front. It's thin and light, likely just containing a letter or some paper. "No. You can look inside." I take the envelope, dismissed so simply, and turn it over. There's still nothing written on the back, and it's not sealed. Without any glue or sticker, the flimsy envelope opens easily, revealing a single sheet of equally flimsy paper. The paper isn't letterhead. It's more like copier paper, folded into quarters. As I unfold it once, then twice, it reveals something entirely unexpected. "Sendai-san, what is this...?" What's written on the paper isn't something I've never seen before. It's something I've seen several times, yet it's not something I'd expect to see now, in this situation. "A floor plan." Her calm voice reaches me. "I can see that." "Then it's fine, isn't it?" "It's not fine. Why are you showing me a floor plan now?" "Since it's Miyagi's room layout, it doesn't make sense if Miyagi doesn't see it." None of it makes sense. With a calm face, Sendai-san speaks utter nonsense. She's often incomprehensible, but this is the most baffling action and words from her yet. Consequently, I find myself looking at the paper from the envelope once more. Two rooms. In addition to that, there is a kitchen, dining room, and bathroom, making it reasonably spacious. "This is a lot for one person." Of all the strangeness derived from the paper in front of me, I point out one peculiarity. "For one person, yes. But don't you think it's perfect for two?" "—Two people?" I could predict what Sendai-san would say next. But I couldn't help asking. "You and me. Let's quit the dorms and live together. The location is midway between our universities, so the commute might take a bit, but..." Sendai-san speaks rapidly, barely taking a breath. "It’s smaller than your current room, but it’s nice." "Sendai-san." "Oh, I’ll get the keys when we move. I’ll give one to Miyagi later." "Sendai-san!" "I already told my parents we’d live together. They don’t really care about such things, so they told me to do whatever." "Sendai-san!" I haven't agreed to live together, nor asked her to find a place. Generally, doesn't renting a place require money? Who would pay my share? With doubts swirling, I stop the incessantly talking Sendai-san. I look at the paper with the floor plan. I can’t imagine her having looked for this room by herself. She must have done it with her parents, and they likely signed the lease. But there's no way her parents would pay my share. "I used my savings jar." With that matter-of-fact statement, I look at her. "Savings jar?" "I saved the five thousand yen you gave me. I put it all in the jar." "You saved it—didn't spend it?" I never had any particular interest in the money I gave her. I never counted how much I gave, nor did I ask how she spent it. It was her freedom to use it as she pleased and I assumed she had been spending it. "I didn’t need to spend it. So, I gave it to my parents, saying it was entrusted by Miyagi." Using the five thousand yen I handed over as a reward for fulfilling my orders, she spent it for my sake. I never imagined Sendai-san as someone who’d do that kind of thing. To think she came to my room and obeyed orders for five thousand yen that she never used is absurd. It's not normal. "Even though you're smart, Sendai-san, you’re stupid." Folding the paper with the floor plan into quarters, I place it back on the table. "Stupid or not, make a choice." "A choice, about what?" Even though I already know, I ask anyway. "Choose the envelope or the necklace. I'll abide by whatever you pick. If you choose the necklace, today will be the last time we see each other. Even if we cross paths in the future, I won't call out to you." "And if I choose the envelope?" "We'll live together," Sendai-san says. Sendai-san never chooses. She always provides options and makes me decide. And whenever she presents me with choices, she has already decided what my answer will be. My own will doesn't matter; she makes me choose what she wants. Today is no different. Sendai-san wants me to pick the envelope. But if I had to choose, it would be the necklace. It's better for both of us that way. It's best for Sendai-san not to be tied to my existence, and it's best for me to forget her and adapt to a new life. Everything leading up to today was just a minor mistake, something I'd look back on and wonder why I did such foolish things once grown up. It's not a relationship that should linger into our college years. "Can I ask you something?" Before giving my answer, I address Sendai-san. "Go ahead." "Why did you decide on a room without asking me?" The situation became complicated because of Sendai-san's odd behavior. It was supposed to be a simple matter of cutting ties after today. "Why? Because I thought otherwise, you'd never meet me again. Besides, I did try to contact you. You just didn't answer." After the movie, there were several calls. Some of those calls occurred during the period when Sendai-san said she was searching for a room. I ignored the calls because they were about mundane things like asking what I was up to or telling me to answer my phone. Had I known she was looking for a place for us to live, I would have certainly responded and stopped her. "I said I was going to enter a dorm." Still ignoring the missed calls, I complain to Sendai-san. "But you’re not good with dorm-like places, right?" "...I'll manage, even if I'm not good with them." Changing environments is a natural divide, and now is my only chance to separate from Sendai-san. "Living with me would be better than struggling in a dorm. Better me than living with strangers." There's nothing beneficial about spending the next four years with Sendai-san. She'd quickly adapt to her new life, and once college starts, she'd put me aside. If we aren't together, the chains she placed on me would eventually fade. If I entered a dorm and began a new life, I couldn’t always focus on her. If not immediately, then gradually, I'd better adapt to a life without Sendai-san. Choosing that way is definitely the smarter choice. Even so. Even so, I can't help but ask. "If I don't choose the envelope... what will you do, Sendai-san?" I gaze at the cherry blossom-colored envelope. Its spring-like hue is beautiful, like Sendai-san. "I'll find someone else to live with, so don't worry. Once I'm at university, I'm sure I’ll find someone who wants to share a room." Like petals spinning in the breeze, her words lightly fall. Her carefree tone unsettles my heart. Thinking of Sendai-san living with someone I don't know, living a life unknown to me, and never seeing her again—I can’t bring myself to accept that. I grab the back of my left hand with my right. Then, I dig my nails in. It doesn’t matter whom Sendai-san lives with; it's none of my concern. I understand that. But I can't accept it. I hate it. I press harder with my right hand. The pain is deep, resonating in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I'm curious about the expression on Sendai-san's face at this moment but can't muster the courage to look up. "That's too reckless." I manage to speak. But I can't bring myself to say, "I hate the idea of you living with someone I don't know." "You’re being reckless too, Miyagi. If the dorm doesn't work out, you'll deal with it then, right?" I'm not keen on entering a dorm. The thought of living with strangers is daunting. Yet, I can't find a reason to live with Sendai-san. We're not even friends; we can't be more than former classmates. "If I choose the envelope, then—" What will happen? Even though I've heard the answer, I can't process it in my mind, leading me to question repeatedly. I quietly inhale and exhale. Raising my gaze that was fixed on the envelope, I face Sendai-san. "Would you live with someone like me, who's neither a friend nor anything else?" "Don't you know, Miyagi? Roommates don’t have to be friends." Saying that, Sendai-san slips the folded paper back into the envelope. "What about Maika? What should I tell her?" "That's for you to decide. So, necklace or envelope, which will it be?" Between the necklace and the envelope, it's one or the other. Once chosen, Sendai-san will accept my decision. What should I do? What should I do to avoid regrets? "Decide, Miyagi." Urged by Sendai-san, I reach for the necklace on the table. Sendai-san lets out a small sigh. "Turn around." When I tell Sendai-san, who’s watching me intently, she quietly turns away. I unclasp the necklace and place it around her neck. The silver chain falls into its rightful place, hidden by her hair. I don’t want to be roommates. However, the thought that we might transform into something other than what we are now seems not too bad. I speak to Sendai-san's back. "—Just for four years. Being roommates for four years, I might agree to that." I intended to set Sendai-san free, yet here I am, led to this decision by the envelope she prepared. Sendai-san truly can be stupid. I grab a strand of her long hair and gently tug it. "Miyagi." As she starts to turn, I restrain her head to keep her facing forward. "Does this mean you’re choosing the envelope?" "If it’s better to choose the necklace, then I will." I try to speak in my usual tone, but Sendai-san takes hold of the hands on her head. "Miyagi. If it’s just for four years, work hard not to get held back." "Really, you always say one word too many, Sendai-san." In moments like this, there must be better things to say. I'm not sure what they are, but the comment about not getting held back seems inappropriate. "Let go of my head." When she requests this, she grips my hands tightly once more before releasing them. As I reluctantly obey and release her, she turns to face me, naturally reaching out to hold my hand. "Can I call you Shiori from now on?" "No." "You’re stingy, Miyagi." "You're noisy, Sendai-san." Sendai-san giggles softly. She really only ever says unnecessary things. Yet, for about four years... For that span of time, I wouldn’t mind spending it with this version of Sendai-san. I gently squeeze the hand that remained linked to mine.