138 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 138 "Miyagi, that hurts." The unexpected pain makes my body freeze. It feels like she’s trying to crush my bones with how hard she’s biting, the throbbing reaching up to my temples. "I said it hurts." I tap Miyagi’s shoulder to get my finger freed from its hostage situation, but she doesn’t relent. My small wish to make her smile has instead been transformed into this relentless pain. Miyagi never knows how to hold back. It’s a familiar trait of hers, but today is especially painful. I can't figure out what’s caused it, but it’s like she’s gone mad, biting down with such force. It’s painful, hot, and dizzying. "Miyagi!" I slap her shoulder harder, enough to make a resounding ‘bang.’ Yet my finger remains caught, so I touch her earring instead. Honestly, the pain is so intense I feel tempted to just rip the earring off, but I merely tug lightly. Her soft earlobe stretches a bit, and the grip of her teeth finally loosens. As soon as I pull my finger away, her bite releases. "Stop trying to eat people’s fingers. Wasn’t the hamburg steak enough?" The print of her teeth is etched clearly on my finger. The pain is so sharp it feels as if she might have believed it was dessert. It's still terribly sore. "If I’m going to eat, it would be something tastier." Miyagi speaks flatly and rudely, then grabs some tissues and roughly wipes my finger. A sharp jolt of pain flares. "If you want me to laugh, then do something funny enough to make me want to laugh, Sendai-san." Miyagi picks up the dictionary that fell from her lap and places it back on the desk before looking at me. "You don’t look like you’d laugh no matter what, so I’ll pass." I rub the throbbing finger. I’m used to the pain Miyagi inflicts, but it still brings a frown. "If laughter isn’t needed, why bother doing something weird in the first place?" "I thought so too. It was silly of me to try and make someone who doesn’t want to laugh, laugh." "If you’ve realized that, why don’t you be the one to laugh, Sendai-san?" Miyagi presses a finger to the corner of my lips. Just as I did earlier, she attempts to raise the corners of my mouth. Her fingers push roughly to lift my cheeks, and I brush her hand away. "Seriously, what are you trying to do? You’re getting on my nerves." "What—" Miyagi's words abruptly stop. Her gaze fixes on my finger. It’s the finger she bit earlier, and despite my bad feeling and attempt to retract my hand, it's too late. Miyagi catches the marked finger again. "It hurts, let go." I try to pull the tightly grasped finger back to myself. But instead of releasing, she pulls it harshly, and the pain forces me closer to her. "What’s going on?" I ask, leaning over, but she doesn’t answer. "If you have something in mind, just say it." I speak firmly, and Miyagi releases my finger. Instead, she tugs at the collar of my blouse. She draws her face close to mine, stopping at a distance where our breaths mix but words do not. Our eyes meet, and hers quickly avert. She lets go of my blouse, and this time, I grab her arm. "What’s next?" "There is no next." Miyagi shakes off my hold, retreating just as much as she had drawn near. "If there isn’t, then make one." "Sendai-san..." Miyagi mutters, once again leaving her sentence unfinished. "Can you just say everything till the end?" "—Do you want there to be more?" "If I say yes, what will you do?" "If you do, then ask me properly. I might do it then." The throbbing pain in my finger dissipates. I hold Miyagi’s hand. She doesn’t flee, but neither does she look at me. Just thinking about wanting more of what Miyagi just attempted makes my bitten finger feel warm again, and I exhale softly. "Then, kiss me." I say to Miyagi, who refuses to look my way. "That’s not a proper request." "Please kiss me. — Is that good enough?" "Yes, it is." With that, Miyagi moves closer. But before her lips touch mine, she hesitates. Her grasp loosens as if she’s about to pull away. In moments like these, Miyagi lacks courage. She’s always eager for unnecessary actions, yet when it really counts, she falters. "You said you would if I asked, so do it properly." Before Miyagi can escape, I remind her of her promise and close my eyes. Her presence draws near. She squeezes my hand tight, and then her lips press against mine. It’s so light, I barely perceive her warmth before she pulls away. When I open my eyes, Miyagi has distanced herself a little, watching me cautiously. I refuse to let her think that light kiss fulfills her promise. "Is that it?" "That’s it." "Do it once more." "No way. You’re probably thinking something weird, Sendai-san." She shakes off my hand, but doesn’t leave my side. When I edge closer to make up for the small distance, she doesn’t run and stays seated next to me. Miyagi’s unusual demeanor is off-putting. Normally, she’s prickly like a stray cat, keeping me at a distance. "…Is Utsunomiya doing well?" If l stayed silent, I have a feeling she’ll say she’s returning to her room and leave, so I speak up. But I don’t know what to talk about with today’s Miyagi, so I end up searching for topics from our few commonalities. "She’s fine, but—" "Why not bring her here sometime." "Why would I bring Maika here?" "She’s your friend, right? You should invite her." "I won’t." As expected, the conversation I tried to initiate swiftly ends. Though, in all honesty, I’d be troubled if she really did invite her. Still, I’d like to know what Miyagi is like at university. Surely, Utsunomiya knows many things about a Miyagi I don’t. While I know aspects of Miyagi that Utsunomiya isn’t aware of, it's unclear how much falls into her unknown territory. "Miyagi." As I probe for conversation, I glance at her side. "Have you ever kissed Utsunomiya?" Miyagi gives me a confused look. But my curiosity persists. I wonder if Utsunomiya is familiar with the softness of Miyagi’s lips. "Sendai-san, do you kiss your friends?" "No, I don’t." "Neither do I." Despite not kissing her friends, Miyagi has just kissed me. Even as a roommate, I’m not a friend. We’ve never been friends, and I think it’s been better that way. I touch Miyagi’s cheek. Even as I draw closer, she doesn’t resist. Her eyes refuse to close, so I close mine and kiss her. Again and again, making up for earlier when I couldn’t even discern the softness of her lips. I part her closed lips, sinking my tongue in, deeply. I kiss Miyagi. Our body temperatures blend, and even when our tongues meet, she remains calm. I touch a part of her that wouldn't be touched by merely a friend, and I become curious, eager to know more about Miyagi. When she bit my finger, her tongue had touched it, and I felt her warmth. But it only hurt and felt unpleasant. This time, it feels incredibly good, and I want to keep kissing her this way indefinitely. I lean my weight against Miyagi, attempting to push her down, but she forcefully pushes back on my shoulders, increasing the distance between us once again. "Sendai-san." Her voice calls out, neither pleased nor displeased. "What?" "...Quit your part-time job." Unexpected words follow the kiss, and she grips the finger she had bitten earlier tightly. The pain causes the warmth that had been rising to drop. "Why?" There’s no reason for Miyagi to tell me to quit. It’s my job, and I haven’t inconvenienced her with it. I certainly don’t plan on doing so in the future. I stare at Miyagi intently. But she remains silent, her expression troubled. "If I quit now, it’ll cause problems, and I actually quite like the job, so it’s impossible." Tutoring suits me better than working at a convenience store or restaurant. Plus, the pay is better. Finishing the job in a shorter time means more hours spent at home, too. "I understand that." Miyagi releases her grip on my finger. "Then why did you say I should quit?" "I just said it, without thinking." She mutters and then takes my hand in hers. Something feels off. She’s different than usual. I want to understand why she said to quit the job, but if I ask, I know Miyagi would retreat back to her room. The feeling of our connected hands is comforting, and I don’t want to let go. So, without saying anything, I gently squeeze her hand back.