149 I Want to Get Closer to Miyagi - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

I Want to Get Closer to Miyagi Chapter 149 We don't bring up what happened on Sunday. It wasn't a promise we explicitly made, but neither Miyagi nor I have mentioned it since we returned home. If we want to continue living as usual, it's a topic best left untouched. So on Friday and Saturday, we continued not talking about it. But today, I can't help but be conscious of it. It's been exactly a week since that Sunday. We're spending another Sunday together. "Do you want some tea?" I call out to her, sitting quietly on the other side of the table. "Is it hot or cold?" "Which would you prefer?" "Cold." "Then I'll get some barley tea." I stand up, prepare two glasses, and drop three ice cubes into each. As I pour the barley tea from the fridge, the refreshing sound resonates. "Here you go." I place one of the glasses in front of her and take my seat. "Thanks." She says quietly, taking a sip of the tea. "Are you not going anywhere today?" "I told you yesterday, I'm not going." Her voice sounds displeased. I feel bad for asking repeatedly, but since her current actions don't align with what I expected, I'm compelled to verify. I figured she might avoid me, considering she ran away before, perhaps coming up with an excuse like going out with Utsunomiya from early morning on a Sunday. Yet, here she is in front of me without any complaints. It's not that it's without awkwardness. Sometimes, more than ever, I'm at a loss for what to say. Surely she feels the same, and our conversations sometimes break off uneasily. Still, she hasn't run away, and we spent both Friday and Saturday as usual. Today, too, we had breakfast together, and just finished lunch moments ago. "By the way, how are things with Utsunomiya?" She hasn't talked about Utsunomiya neither on Friday nor Saturday. It's unlikely that they haven't met at university, and if they did, our situation should come up. Given that, I half-expected her to complain about how she was wronged "because of Sendai-san," yet she hasn't. Though part of me hesitates to ask given it might be something she'd rather not discuss, I'm curious about the outcome of something I was involved in. "Nothing much happened." Her tone suggests otherwise. "If nothing much happened, that's fine. But how did you explain us to Utsunomiya?" "I said it started with lending you money, which led to you tutoring me. I was embarrassed to admit it, so I kept it a secret. I didn't mention us living together because that would mean talking about high school, and I didn't want to go there." There's some embellishment, but it is true that I tutored her, and it explains what we did after school, proven by her improved grades. Still, the reason for keeping it a secret seems a bit thin. "And Utsunomiya was satisfied with that?" "Sort of. I think I'll have to come up with something better eventually… I'm not sure what though." She probably finds it harder to admit ordering me around with money than the other way around. "Well, if she's satisfied for now, that's good, right?" Though it's just postponing the problem, we have to rely on Utsunomiya's understanding for now. "It’s not good." "Why not?" "…Maika wants to visit here." Her reluctance and that statement make it clear that this is why she hasn't brought up Utsunomiya to me. And it’s likely why Utsunomiya chose to accept a story that she felt was 'sort of' believable. "She can come over if she wants." By not delving deeper, that's the tacit condition she set. If the condition is coming over to visit, then she should be allowed to. "No way. She said she wants to talk to you too." "That's fine. I'd like to talk to her as well." "…You actually want to talk to Maika?" "She seems like a fun person, we might get along." I hadn't realized it in high school, but I think Utsunomiya is the type with whom I could become friends. Even if we didn't become friends, having helped me with Miyagi, I’d like to properly express my gratitude. "Are you going to become friends?" Her voice drops a bit as she says this, staring intently at me. Her gaze is piercing, though without furrows between her brows. "Maybe." We went to the same high school, and were in the same class before. Considering Miyagi is my roommate, and Utsunomiya is her friend, there's no reason not to befriend her. The question is if Utsunomiya wants to be friends with me. But given she wants to visit, she must be open to it. "Sendai-san." Her voice is tense, not pleasant. Expecting words I might not want to hear, I still ask, "What?" "Maika is my friend." I already know that without being told. To her, Utsunomiya is her best friend. The idea that this friend might be taken away bothers her. I can understand those feelings. While I understand, whether I can accept and come to terms with it is a different story. There's frustration over the fact that Utsunomiya is so important to Miyagi that she doesn't want us to be connected. "I won't take her away." I try to lighten my voice, hoping to hide the feelings inside me. Taking the moist glass, I drink half of the barley tea. The cold liquid slides down my throat, lowering my body temperature. My damp hand feels cold. But my head remains unfrozen. This obscure feeling I had toward Utsunomiya. I knew its name, yet pretended not to all along. I am jealous of Utsunomiya Maika. I didn't want to recognize that I was jealous of the closest person to Miyagi and the one she met most often. Knowing that Utsunomiya is a nice person, it burdens me to think this feeling will follow me from now on. Realizing my feelings for Miyagi, things I had ignored now appear before me. I let out a small breath. It's entirely normal to think of friends as important. I try to tell myself, but my unsettled emotions won’t calm down. After another breath, I look at her, meeting her eyes as if it’s natural. Since we returned together, it seems like she looks at me more often. "Sendai-san, I want more barley tea." When I glance at her empty glass upon her comment, I see only ice remains. I stand up, open the fridge, take out a bottle, and pour the tea into her empty glass beside her. We're both making a slight effort. Normally, she would have already retreated to her room, yet today she remains seated with me. Though I’d more readily touch her than reach for a bottle, I refrain from doing so. I put the bottle back in the fridge. I don't know what to do. Despite reaching a deeper connection than ever before, we're still just roommates. I was the one who decided to keep things as they are if she needed the term 'roommate,' and while there's relief in maintaining this unchanged relationship through a bit of effort, there's also frustration. My feelings are scattered, and I'm uncertain about what I truly want. Even attempting to sort them out, I don't know where to start. Yet, amidst all this, I clearly recognize the joy of having Miyagi by my side. Even as roommates, I wish to get just a little closer to her. I sit back in my chair and sip my barley tea. Watching her, I search for words to bridge the gap in our conversation.