165 What Miyagi Wants to Know - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

What Miyagi Wants to Know Chapter 165 "This isn't quite what I imagined. I thought it would be more like a college girl's room." As soon as she enters the room, Utsunomiya speaks a line that sounds familiar from somewhere. "Miyagi said something similar." In Utsunomiya's eyes, I might still be the high school version of myself who matched with Umina, so it's not surprising that her impression is similar to Miyagi's from last year. Now that I don't put on much of a facade even at university, I hope to update the image she has of me. "What did Shiori say that was similar?" "What did I say, again?" Miyagi says, looking troubled, as she puts down her plate with a pancake and a glass of iced tea on the table and sits. Each of us carries our own share. Utsunomiya and I, who brought our dishes to this room, place them on the table in the same manner. I sit diagonally across from Miyagi, and Utsunomiya takes the seat opposite me. "Last year, during summer break when you came to my house, you said it felt like a high school girl's room." I voice what Miyagi probably didn't want me to bring up. Utsunomiya knows that Miyagi and I have been close since high school. It's known that I tutored her, so it wouldn't be odd for us to visit each other's homes. The more lies there are, the easier it is for them to unravel. It's better to speak about things that wouldn't cause a big issue rather than hide them awkwardly. Miyagi looks at me with displeased eyes, but I pretend not to notice. "If you're close enough to visit each other's homes, you should have mentioned it sooner." "That's right, if you'd said something, we could have had pancakes together much earlier, Miyagi." "True." Miyagi gives a vague smile and asks, "Can we eat the pancakes?" I don't want to keep troubling her, so I suggest, "Let's eat before they get cold," receiving a "Let's dig in" from both of them. "Ah, they're so fluffy. Tasty." After a bite of pancake, Utsunomiya flashes the biggest smile at me from across the table. "Glad to hear that. It's good if you liked it." I quietly say my thanks and slice the pancake with my knife. "Shiori mentioned it, but Sendai-san, you're good at cooking, right? Do you enjoy it?" "It's not that I particularly enjoy it. But Miyagi said something like that?" Skilled at cooking. I didn't know Miyagi thought of me that way. In fact, I've never really asked Miyagi what she thinks of me. Just recently, I learned that she sees me as similar to a Borzoi, but I've never heard concrete words from her. "I heard it from Shiori on the way here." "Interesting. She usually doesn't say such things." Looking towards Miyagi seated diagonally, though her forehead isn't furrowed, she makes a subtle face that could suggest frustration. "I've said it's delicious many times." Miyagi says gruffly, making Utsunomiya chuckle. Since she didn't deny saying I'm good at cooking, Utsunomiya's words must be true. Miyagi praised me in front of others. It feels strange to think that. I take a bite of the fluffy pancake. The sweetness of the maple syrup soaking into the soft pancake is comforting. I take another bite and look at Miyagi. She's eating the pancake too but doesn’t say it's delicious. I wish she would. As we talk about shops with delicious parfaits and things we've recently bought, we continue eating. Miyagi directs a smile, reminiscent of her high school days, at Utsunomiya. Seeing that smile, which isn’t aimed at me, causes my hand with the pancake to pause when Utsunomiya speaks up. "By the way, Sendai-san, do you have someone you're dating?" A topic that would never come up when it's just Miyagi and me alone. "No, but how about you, Utsunomiya?" "I also don't. What about Shiori?" "You know I don't. Why ask?" "It's just the flow of the conversation." Utsunomiya says with a smile. I'm glad to see her, today's main guest, enjoying herself, but it feels as if that enjoyment is taking a toll on Miyagi's lifespan. And it's not good for my heart either. "We don’t need that conversation flow." Miyagi sighs, and takes a sip of her iced tea. Conversations like these never happen between Miyagi and me, so it's refreshing, but I'm slightly anxious that something I'd rather not hear might come up. Yet, there's something I'm curious to ask. Things I don’t usually have the opportunity to ask. Things I might regret after hearing. Such thoughts spin around in my mind. "Then, do you have someone you like?" What I wanted to ask emerges from Utsunomiya's mouth first and my heart pounds. "You know I don't. I don't have anyone." Miyagi answers immediately. My heart eases hearing the answer I expected but also feels disappointed. By saying she doesn't have anyone she likes, it means there's no chance I'm that person. I know it deep down, and even if she’d said she did have someone, I wouldn’t have imagined it being me and instead would have wondered who it might be. Either way, it's disheartening, so it might have been better not to know. "Does Sendai-san have anyone she likes?" Utsunomiya fixes her gaze on me. Well, it's only natural to be asked, given the conversation flow. I feel troubled. If I say I do have someone, things might get complicated, yet I don't want to say I don't in front of Miyagi. "What about you, Utsunomiya?" For now, I counter the question with another question. Miyagi would likely complain, but I doubt a still-not-so-close Utsunomiya would do that. "No, I don't." "I see. Do you usually have these kinds of conversations with Miyagi?" "Not really, but it makes me wonder what happens to sharing a room if you get into a relationship." "We do have rules for sharing a room, but we haven't set any regarding relationships. Maybe we should consider it." I really hope that day—where such rules are needed—never comes, so we don't need rules. But I can't say that to Utsunomiya, so I carry the conversation forward and seek Miyagi's agreement, who responds, "Indeed." "So you do have rules." Utsunomiya, apparently satisfied, says in a pensive manner, and the conversation lulls. As we finish the remaining pancakes and I glance at Miyagi, she suddenly stands up, as if just remembering something. "I need to go to the restroom." Miyagi says, almost fleeing from Utsunomiya. I understand the sentiment. If we continue like this, stray questions will likely target Miyagi again. "Take care." Keeping up with this topic would likely hurt both Miyagi and me, so I quietly watch her leave. Now, alone with Utsunomiya. What should we talk about? I search for a harmless topic as I pull the platypus tissue cover nearby closer and stroke its head. At that, Utsunomiya lets out an "Ah." "That looks like something Shiori would have in her room. Sendai-san, do you like those kinds of things?" "This platypus was chosen by Miyagi," I reply, gently tapping the tissue cover's head. "That's why it feels like something Shiori would pick." In my mind, I picture the crocodile tissue cover I saw countless times during high school. I don't know if that tissue cover is still in Miyagi's room. However, seeing how Utsunomiya casually said, "It feels like Shiori," makes me think she must have seen that crocodile in Miyagi's room. I would have liked to see for myself what Miyagi's room, my own forbidden space, looks like now, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's not Utsunomiya’s fault, and I still don't truly know if the crocodile is there. "You two are closer than I imagined," Utsunomiya observes, her eyes resting on the platypus. "Having things like that in your room." "Close enough to be roommates," I confirm. "Right? If you're sharing a room, you must be close." With that, Utsunomiya takes a good sip of her iced tea, nearly finishing it, and then looks at me. "Sendai-san, you're easier to talk to than I expected. In high school, you seemed a bit unapproachable, like..." "That was because I was around Umina, right?" "Yeah, kind of." I thought so. Umina left a big impression, for better or worse, so she was avoided by some students. I think she was friendly in her own way, but she didn't follow the rules and got attention from teachers, which might have made it difficult for people to approach me, given that I was frequently with her. "Were you the one tutoring Shiori, Sendai-san?" Perhaps feeling uneasy about how she spoke of Umina, Utsunomiya changes the topic. "I was, as a return favor for lending me money. I didn’t plan on teaching her for long, but Miyagi was a unique type, so it was interesting." "Ah, that's true. She's quite different from Ibaraki-san and the others." "I ended up reading a ton of manga in Miyagi's room. Umina didn't have many in her room." "Shiori's room has tons of them," Utsunomiya says with a laugh. Back then, I read almost every manga available in Miyagi's comfortable room. Even now, I delve into manga she brings to my room, although I've never chosen directly from her bookshelf. "So you became close enough to share a home." "Living alone felt daunting. I didn't expect Miyagi to tell others she was living with a relative." "I didn't think Shiori was living with you, Sendai-san." Utsunomiya adds, with a bright voice, "It surprised me," then lets out a small sigh. She looks at me with her eyes downcast, as if she wants to say something. After taking a deep breath, she speaks softly. "To be honest, I was shocked when I heard Shiori and you were living together. She never mentioned it, and I felt left out, like I was suddenly on the outside. I know it's childish." With a slightly awkward laugh, Utsunomiya apologizes, "Sorry for saying something weird." "I don't think it's childish at all. I'd feel the same way if a friend was suddenly ‘taken’ away from me." Honestly, I'm the childish one. Even though I said she could come, I couldn't genuinely be happy about Utsunomiya visiting this place, and even though I suggested she visit Miyagi's room, I didn't truly mean it from the heart. If I could, I’d like to share this feeling as Utsunomiya did, but it’s not possible. I can't confess the reasons why I wasn't genuinely happy about her coming or why I couldn't truly suggest she visit Miyagi's room. I can't voice feelings that even Miyagi herself doesn't know. Instead, I tell her something I thought about saying when Utsunomiya came over. "About my name. It's okay to call me Hazuki." While Miyagi stubbornly sticks to not calling me by my first name, most of my friends do call me Hazuki. I’d like Utsunomiya to call me that too. It feels like we could become closer. —Essentially, I want to become so close with Utsunomiya that I won’t feel jealous of her anymore. It's somewhat calculated, but that's not all there is to it. I felt we might get along, and that we could become friends, especially when Utsunomiya shared her honest feelings, making me want to be closer to her. "Hmm," Utsunomiya hums softly, then straightens her back. "Shiori doesn't call you Hazuki, so I think I’ll keep calling you Sendai-san until Shiori starts doing it. But Sendai-san, you should call me by my name." With a serious expression, and her earnest consideration, I reply earnestly. "I’ll keep calling you Utsunomiya until you decide to call me Hazuki." "Alright, let's go with that." Utsunomiya claps her hands, sealing our agreement. Then she calls out to me again, "Sendai-san." "What is it?" "Do you think we can become friends?" "Of course." With that answer, Utsunomiya says, "I’m glad," and we both share a lighthearted laugh. Just then, the door opens, and Miyagi appears. "What were you two talking about?" Taking her seat diagonally from me, Miyagi glances between the two of us. "About Miyagi's secrets... or at least that would’ve been nice. We were really just talking about how I ended up tutoring Miyagi in high school." "Maika, is that true?" With suspicion evident in her eyes, Miyagi turns to Utsunomiya. "Yeah, it’s true. Nothing significant." Utsunomiya laughs, echoing the sentiment.