171 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 171 As decided yesterday, I got up earlier than usual. Or rather, I hadn't slept well. Suppressing a yawn, I opened the refrigerator. The sight of cheese reminded me that there were cherry tomatoes in the vegetable drawer. While I could just stick to my routine of spreading jam and butter on toast, today, I craved something different. "Perhaps pizza toast, then." I took out two plates and placed a slice of bread on each. I was preparing breakfast for two; today, Miyagi was definitely home. She hadn't run away, it seemed; her shoes were by the entrance, and I could sense her presence beyond the door. Though we hadn't exchanged morning greetings yet, I knew it was just a matter of time. "—Good morning." I murmured it softly, though not as a rehearsal, as I spread ketchup on the bread and topped it with cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, and ham. Once I'd finished preparing the slices, I placed them in the toaster. Shredding cabbage and slicing cucumbers for a salad, I added the leftover cherry tomatoes from the pizza toast onto a deep dish. The toaster chimed with a sharp sound. Breakfast was just about ready, but Miyagi hadn't emerged from her room yet. I hesitated over whether to knock on her door, but instead, I took the melted cheese toast from the toaster and placed it on a plate. If only I had basil, but since I hadn't bought any, I settled for drizzling olive oil and pepper on the pizza toast. I glanced at Miyagi's room, yet the door remained closed. After setting the salad and pizza toast on the table, I took some orange juice out of the fridge. Pouring the tangerine-colored liquid into a glass, I let out a small breath. I hadn't made this meal to eat alone. The pizza toast and salad were meant to be shared with Miyagi, so I stood in front of her door. Three deep breaths. I clenched and unclenched my hands, then firmly made a fist. Though it wasn't the first time I'd knocked on Miyagi’s door, I felt nervous. I knocked once, a faint tap. No response from inside. Then I knocked a bit louder, twice. "What?" came her voice. "Miyagi, breakfast is ready." I spoke in my usual tone, deliberately. Ten seconds? Maybe fifteen. Perhaps more. Waiting a while longer, Miyagi finally opened the door, though she kept her gaze lowered. Despite our eyes not meeting, I greeted her, "Good morning." "…Good morning," she answered softly, the sound of the door closing behind her echoing loudly. Miyagi remained looking down, avoiding my eyes. Even if she didn't say it was awkward, the way she refused to look me in the face told me how she felt. "Look at me," I prompted gently to the floor-gazing Miyagi. "Doesn't matter," she replied. "Please." "Why?" "That's what I should be asking. Why won’t you look at me, Miyagi?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. I could guess why she wouldn't meet my gaze, and it wasn't a matter of great importance. No matter the reason, it hurt inside when she wouldn't look at me, and if there was no reason at all, the pain was even worse. It was a discomfort that festered like an unhealed wound, and the thought of it continuing indefinitely was dreary. "I don’t know," she mumbled, still not lifting her eyes. We had said our morning greetings, and we were about to eat together. The things I had thought about yesterday were being realized, yet I felt unsatisfied. "Miyagi," I called softly, reaching out. Tucking her hair behind her ear, I touched the plumeria earrings I had chosen and given her. After feeling the small flower with my thumb, I called her name again and placed a kiss on the earring, at which point she grabbed the hem of my T-shirt. When I pulled back, our eyes finally met. I kissed her cheek and said, "Good morning." This time, she replied with a clearer "Good morning," but then her gaze dropped again. "Did you dream last night?" I asked her, guessing she wanted to avoid eye contact. "I didn’t." "I did. I dreamt you came and hugged me." Upon hearing the made-up dream, Miyagi looked up at me. "That's a lie, isn't it?" "Yeah, it is. To be honest, I didn’t really sleep enough to dream." "Sendai-san, you're such a liar," Miyagi said in a slightly irritated tone and tried to look down again. But before she could, I captured her lips. I held them firmly enough that I could feel the hardness beyond her softness, then pulled away. But before Miyagi could take a breath, I kissed her again, biting into her gummy-like bottom lip. I wanted to push her down right there. Not necessarily onto a bed—just somewhere I could touch her and kiss more than just her lips. I knew that couldn't really happen, but I couldn't help thinking that way. Nibbling and licking her soft lips, I pressed them tightly until she couldn't breathe and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close until Miyagi forcibly pulled away. "Why did you kiss me just now?" she asked in a flat voice, pushing me away. "Because I wanted to." "Is that all?" "That's all." Though looking at me, Miyagi seemed dissatisfied, so I added, "If you need a reason, I can make one up." "What do you mean make one up?" "How about 'because you looked cute'?" I smiled teasingly, and she kicked my leg with surprising force. "Stop kicking me for real." I'm glad I didn’t say I loved her yesterday. If I had, I don’t know if she would still be here. And even if she were, it would be so much more awkward, and we wouldn’t have been able to kiss or even smile properly. “It’s ‘cause Sendai-san says weird things.” “Saying you're cute isn’t weird, though.” “Then it's bad that Sendai-san says things she doesn't mean.” “I really think you're cute, Miyagi, honestly.” Reaching for her hair again, I was kicked once more. If I kept calling her cute, I'd end up with bruises on my legs, so I pulled Miyagi's hand to lead her to the table. “I made pizza toast. Let’s eat before it gets cold.” At my words, Miyagi took her usual seat. I sat down too, and we both said "let’s eat" in unison, before taking a bite of the pizza toast. “It’s cold because you were weird, Sendai-san.” “I just kissed you.” After sipping some orange juice, I took another bite. As Miyagi said, the pizza toast wasn’t piping hot anymore, but perhaps because it was my first time making it, it tasted good. After swallowing another bite, Miyagi spoke in a hesitant voice. “Sendai-san, why are you okay?” “Okay with what?” “...Aren’t you embarrassed?” Her words were lacking in many ways, but I understood she referred to what had happened yesterday. "Did you run away the other day because you were embarrassed, Miyagi?" "I’m the one asking the questions here." I heard her voice, slightly lower, prompting me to give an earnest reply. "I do feel embarrassed, but I have nowhere else to go." Being touched and making sounds I wouldn’t normally make—being compelled to answer questions that didn't really need answers. Miyagi’s voice had also been different from usual, but overall, I must have been more embarrassed. Reflecting on what I went through, I understood why Miyagi felt like running away from me the other day. Even so, despite the embarrassment, I wanted to be with Miyagi. "Surely, you have friends who’d let you stay over." "I do, but it’s more comfortable here. Would it be better if I weren’t here, Miyagi?" "I didn’t say that." "Then maybe try to look a bit happier." I wasn't asking her to laugh or be all smiles, but it would be nice if she could shed the "displeased" expression plastered on her face. "How I look shouldn’t matter to you." "It doesn’t, but I think food tastes better if you look a little happier." Watching Miyagi's sullen face, I took another bite of the pizza toast. Miyagi didn’t look any happier. In fact, she looked down again. Just as I was about to open my mouth to complain about her uncooperative attitude, a small voice came from across the table before I could speak. "...I think it’s better to eat with someone than alone." "Eh?" "The answer to before. You asked if I’d be better off without you, didn’t you?" Saying this, Miyagi sipped her orange juice. "Oh, right. I did." Her sudden honesty caught me off guard. But it seemed like I might get the response I wanted, so I asked what I’d been thinking about yesterday once more. "Hey, Miyagi. Let’s go somewhere together over summer break." Across from me, Miyagi raised her head to look at me. After a brief pause, she spoke in a quiet voice. "You’re choosing the place, Sendai-san." "Got it." With my brief reply, Miyagi took a bite of her now-cold pizza toast.