132 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 132 In the dead of night, I observe the mark left by Miyagi. The mirror clearly reflects a vivid red hue. A mark gifted today won’t disappear by tomorrow. I place the handheld mirror on the table and lean against the bed. Using concealer and foundation, I can make it less noticeable. However, there is no need to conceal it while at home. “…Seems like I’m stuck at home. What a bore.” Though there’s nothing urgent that needs doing at home, going out while being conscious of the mark Miyagi left is troublesome. I haven’t made any plans with friends yet. I just thought it might be nice to go out together. There's no particular place I want to visit, nor a place I must go to. Once the holidays are over, I’ll see them at university whether I like it or not. Spending time leisurely at home isn’t a bad thing. Yet, when I consider what Miyagi did, I feel uneasy. Ever since high school, I've felt like I’m the one who gets harsh treatment. For instance, being tested on to see if a kiss mark would fade faster when a lemon slice was placed on it, or having the buttons of my rain-soaked uniform undone to find a kiss mark on my chest. Miyagi never does anything decent. Even so, I chose to live with her, and here I am. I’m sure if someone explained my current situation to last year's me, she wouldn’t believe it. I firmly press the mark Miyagi left with my palm. She seems oblivious to the concept of moderation, but at the beginning, I sensed a degree of restraint. Now, there's none. I pull away from the bed and hug my knees. My gaze falls on the platypus flattened beneath the table. It's a tissue dispenser with tissues sprouting from its back, something we bought together, but it feels like it's Miyagi’s. It probably resembles the crocodile tissue cover in her room, and I’ve naturally accepted such items in my space. In the past, the growing presence of Miyagi’s belongings in my room felt burdensome, but now, even her uniform and cut-sleeve tops stored in my chest of drawers feel like part of the room’s composition. I stand up and fetch a jewelry case from atop the chest. I place it on the table and retrieve the necklace Miyagi gave me. Since it was left with me in exchange for an envelope on our graduation day, I haven’t worn it. I want to feel Miyagi’s touch again, like when I wore this pendant. I wish I had kissed her while we watched the movie. I drape the silver chain over my fingers. The small moon-shaped charm catches my eye. Confirming the chain with my fingertips, I tightly grip the small charm. I don’t necessarily wish to go back to those times, but I envy who I was then. I draw the platypus closer and place the pendant atop my head. Rolling over onto the bed, I knock gently on the wall. It's not a loud noise, so there’s no reply, but in the midnight stillness, I don’t need to strain to hear the sound of the door opening. I rise from the bed, deliberating whether to head to the shared space. There’s nothing in particular to discuss. After deliberating for a minute, I decide to stand up. I’m grateful to have incorporated sweatpants—they make it easy to step into the common space. I open the door to find the lights on and Miyagi standing in front of the refrigerator. She's wearing familiar sweatpants—more precisely, the sweatpants I borrowed when I stayed at her place during winter break. “Aren’t you sleeping?” She responds coolly from near the table, “I will, but I was thirsty.” Miyagi takes a soda from the fridge, pours it into a glass, and drinks about a third of the clear liquid. “Aren’t you going to bed, Sendai-san?” Miyagi looks at me with the glass in hand. “I thought I’d grab something to drink.” I voice a reason for being out in the shared space. “Want some orange juice?” “Hmm, I’ll take some of the soda you're drinking. Let me have a sip.” “It’s soda, though.” “I can see that.” “…Then, you can have the rest.” With that, Miyagi approaches and offers me the glass. “I don’t really want that much.” I’m neither thirsty nor particularly fond of soda. It’s awkward to be offered a glass more than half full in response to such a flimsy excuse. I sip as much as I said I would and attempt to return the glass, but Miyagi won’t take it. With little choice, I drink about half, set the glass on the table, and then Miyagi speaks up. “Are you going out tomorrow?” “Thanks to someone, I can't go out even if I wanted to.” “Hmm.” Feigning disinterest despite having asked, Miyagi empties the glass on the table. Then, she says she’ll tidy up and moves to wash it. “How about we talk a bit longer?” I grab Miyagi's arm. “There’s nothing to talk about.” “Even if there's nothing.” I take the glass and set it on the table. I take a step closer to Miyagi. I reach out and touch her lips with my fingertips. “You said you wanted to talk.” With that, Miyagi furrows her brow. Her expression appears displeased, but she doesn’t flee. So, I release her arm. “Why don’t you say something, Miyagi?” “Didn’t you say you wanted to talk?” “Did I?” I caress Miyagi’s cheek, pressing my palm against it. She must know what I intend to do, and should run away now. My memory returns to our high school days. The music preparation room after the cultural festival. I had called out to Miyagi, who was enjoying the festival without me, and grabbed her arm, telling her she could escape if she didn’t want to be kissed. Even then, though I didn’t intend to kiss her, I ended up wanting to, and I touched Miyagi. The situation isn’t entirely the same now, but it is strikingly similar. I move closer to Miyagi's face. She says nothing. So, I close my eyes and lean in, pressing my lips to hers. Soft and warm. It's a sensation I know well. Yet, having not touched it for so long, my heart flutters as if it might break; my mind goes blank. Just the touch of our lips sends a pang of discomfort through me, leading me to pull away. Almost immediately, I dive in for another kiss, pressing my lips more forcefully this time. I grasp Miyagi's arm, attempting to draw her closer, but she shakes me off and pushes my shoulder. It’s not enough. I yearn to kiss her more. I grab for her hand, but she shakes me off again, this time kicking my leg. “Why didn’t you run?” Miyagi never flees when I want her to. Even though I thought she would dodge easily, she accepted it. If only she had avoided the kiss, I wouldn’t be left craving more. "...I was just testing whether you, Sendai-san, were lying. Sure enough, you were. We agreed to watch a movie, and you said you wouldn’t do anything weird," Miyagi accused, her voice tinged with resentment, as she kicked just above my ankle with more force than before. "That was about not doing it in my room," I defended. "I hate that about you, Sendai-san," Miyagi said, her tone dripping with bitterness. She kicked me at the same spot again. "That really hurt," I protested, feeling the sting from her thoughtful yet considerably strong kick, only to be met with another strike at the same place. "I'm going back to my room," Miyagi declared, turning her back to me. As she took three steps towards her room, I called out, "What are you doing tomorrow, Miyagi?" "I'm going out with Maika," she replied, still not facing me. "The weather forecast says it'll rain again tomorrow," I ventured. "Here you go again, Sendai-san. I just checked the forecast, and it said it’s going to be sunny," Miyagi retorted, turning around to debunk the random forecast I had thrown out. "Maybe I misread it. Are you free the day after tomorrow?" I asked. "...I'm free," she admitted reluctantly. "I can't go anywhere because of this mark, so how about we watch another movie?" I suggested with a smile, touching my neck where the mark was. It’s unfair and dull if I’m the only one unable to leave the house. Since Miyagi is the one who gave me a reason not to go out, she should take responsibility. While I won't demand it to be something exciting, she should at least humor me by spending time together. "I won’t watch any of your favorite movies," she insisted. "That's fine," I replied, maintaining my smile. "Goodnight," Miyagi said in the most displeased voice I'd heard from her today before heading into her room.