185 Sendai-san Is Unlike Anyone Else - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Sendai-san Is Unlike Anyone Else Chapter 185 "It's strange to still be on summer break in September." Maika says with a hint of nostalgia as we meet for the first time in a while. After spending nearly a month at her family home, she looks slightly sun-kissed and healthy. "University students get a really long summer break, don't they?" "Yeah, but since I mostly stayed at home, I couldn't do anything that felt like 'university student' things. Even though I'm living alone now, I hardly used this room." Maika dramatically flops onto the floor, but there's no sense of despair. Instead, she looks as if she's basking in the sun like a seal on a beach, appearing more amused than anything. I shift my gaze from her to the table. On the table, there are two glasses filled with barley tea and a bag of potato chips. I pick up a glass with droplets forming on the outside and wet my throat. She had invited me over saying she had souvenirs, and the room isn’t too hot or too cold, maintained at just the right comfortable temperature for me. "Since it's still summer break, why not start doing 'university student' things now?" "What exactly are 'university student' things?" Maika asks, without missing a beat. "Well, what could it be?" It's been nearly half a year since becoming university students, but my life hasn't changed much compared to when I was in high school, so I’m a bit puzzled by the question. Ideally, Maika should ask Sendai-san about such things. However, if she mentioned reaching out to Sendai-san, I'd be left feeling uneasy, so I keep quiet. We continue the unproductive cycle of proposing and then dismissing what each of us think 'university student' things are. "Shiori, what about traveling?" When she suggests it for the umpteenth time, I reply with "Sounds tiring," prompting Maika to transform from a seal back into a human and sit up. "Oh, Ami said you should come back during winter break." "I told Ami the other day that I wouldn’t be coming back even for winter break." In late August, Ami had asked about my winter break plans and I told her I wouldn’t be returning home. Although it’s a conversation about the distant future, my plans won’t change. "She asked me to persuade you. Not coming back for New Year's either?" "Nope, not coming back." "Aren't your parents loud about it?" "My family is pretty hands-off." My father prioritizes work above all, and he's not interested enough in me to interfere. Besides, he's hardly ever home enough to meddle, so I didn't go back for summer break. "Lucky you. I’d love to stay here during winter break, but I’ll have to go back—there's New Year’s money too." "Nice, New Year’s money." "You could come back, Shiori. Ami would be happy." "I'd like to see Ami too, but..." Although I'm being truthful about wanting to see Ami, I can't say I feel inclined to return to an empty home. "Everyone’s going home for New Year’s, so wouldn’t it be boring to be here alone?" Without directly saying "Let's go back together," Maika's voice hints at it. "I don't think Sendai-san's going back either, so I won’t be alone." Although I haven’t asked Sendai-san about her plans, I doubt she’d return home just for New Year’s. Given that, I'd prefer to stay here rather than return to an empty family house. "Sendai-san isn’t going back either, huh? Come to think of it, she didn’t go home during summer break, right?" "She stayed at home, but..." "Did you go out together?" "We went out, but..." It’s understandable for her to be curious. If I were in Maika's position, I’d ask the same thing. However, it's a difficult question to answer. Although there's nothing shady about it, I still feel guilty. "Where did you go?" Maika casually asks. I understand she has no deep intentions, and it’s only natural the conversation would lead there once ‘going out’ is mentioned. "The aquarium." I answer briefly and take a sip of barley tea. "That’s surprising. I thought Sendai-san would go somewhere different. Plus, the aquarium seems like a date." "It's not a date." It's not strange to go out with your roommate. Even if the place is an aquarium, there’s nothing wrong with it. It's a place friends can go to, and roommates can go to. Maika’s the odd one for suggesting it’s like a date. Although I realize I’m overthinking when talking about Sendai-san to others, we've done things that can't simply be chalked up to a typical roommate relationship, which is why I’m so sensitive about it. "Well, the 'date' thing was just a joke. I wish I could’ve gone out too." "Want to go somewhere together?" "Sounds great. Where should we go?—Oh, Shiori, isn’t your birthday this month? Why not go out on your birthday?" "Ah, for my birthday..." The sudden mention of 'birthday' leaves me tongue-tied. Maika and Ami celebrated my birthday up until last year. But this year, it’s not going to be the same. “Hm? Do you have plans or something?” Maika looks at me with curiosity. It’s awkward, but I have to tell her. "…I have plans." "Oh, you do." "Yeah. With Sendai-san." "Just the two of you?" "…Something like that." "Aww, I wanted to go out with just you this year!" Maika says dramatically, before smiling lightly and continuing. "I’d say that, but it’s not like we did anything big last year. I guess I'll let Sendai-san take over this year." "Sorry." I feel bad since I know she's being considerate of my situation. Ideally, I should invite Maika and spend my birthday with both her and Sendai-san, but it’s hard to suggest that. “It wasn’t like we had made plans anyway, so no need to apologize. By the way, when’s Sendai-san’s birthday?” "August." "So it’s already passed. Did you do something together for it?” “In a way.” We did something ‘birthday-like,’ though it wasn’t grand. I’m not sure if the birthday present I hesitantly gave was the right choice. While Sendai-san seemed pleased, she's not the kind to rudely reject a gift, so I’m still uncertain if her happiness was genuine. In wanting to reciprocate her kindness through a birthday celebration, I’m not convinced I succeeded. "Shiori, seems like you really enjoyed summer break. Lucky you." "Oh, but you went out with Ami, didn’t you? Isn’t that nice?" "Yeah, but still... I wanted to have fun here too." Maika pouts playfully, lying on the floor again like a seal on the beach. Recalling the difference Sendai-san taught me between seals and sea lions, I continue discussing the seemingly never-ending summer break with Maika, even as September begins. Deciding to meet up again before university resumes, we have dinner together before I head home by train. I climb up the stairs to the third floor, and when I open the door to our apartment, I notice Sendai-san’s shoes at the entrance. She had said earlier that she wouldn’t be going anywhere today. Though I’m unsure whether she actually stayed in, it seems she’s home. Heading to the shared space, Sendai-san emerges from her room, greeting me with, "Welcome back," to which I respond, "I’m home." "How was Utsunomiya?" In a rare moment of not being her usual cheerful self since summer break began, Sendai-san asks with a somewhat gloomy face. "She was great. She got a bit of a tan, looked healthier." "That's good to hear." "Here, a little souvenir for you. For the two of us to share." When I handed the souvenir from Maika to Sendai-san, she asked, "Do you want to eat it now?" Since we had just eaten and my stomach was still full, I replied, "Tomorrow's fine." Upon hearing my response, Sendai-san settled down into a chair, seemingly ready for a leisurely conversation. "Did you have fun today?" "Well, it was nice catching up after a while. We plan to hang out again during the break." "When are you planning to go?" "We haven't decided yet." "I see." With a soft murmur, Sendai-san began to rise from her chair. Although I didn't have anything urgent to discuss, I didn't want her to return to her room just yet, so I spoke up. "Are you going home for winter break, Sendai-san?" "No, I'm thinking of doing a part-time job during the break, something I can only do because it's winter." Her response was half-expected, yet the part about the job was unexpected. I clenched my hands tightly. "What about the tutoring?" "It'll be separate from that." "Are you taking on more work?" I looked at Sendai-san, who was considering taking on another job in addition to her current tutoring gig, which I still struggled to accept. The tutoring job makes me uneasy because her students reflect too much of my past self. Even though I know she wouldn’t lead her students down the same path we took, it bothers me that she spends her time on it. I wish she would quit, even now. There were times I thought I could accept other part-time jobs, but it seems I can't accept Sendai-san taking on any job, not just tutoring. "That's the plan. Are you going home, Miyagi?" Sendai-san looked at me. "I'm not going home." "Then why don’t we go somewhere together during the winter break?" "If you're taking more work, you won't have the time for that." "I'm not planning to work so much that I can't go anywhere." Sendai-san smiled warmly, and inexplicably, I found myself yearning for a kiss. Why? Why is Sendai-san unlike anyone else? I don’t want her to become someone special, but no one else could ever take her place. Despite not wanting her presence to grow within me, she's already become significant, and being together makes me want to do inexplicable things that I wouldn’t do with anyone else. I reach out and touch her lips with my hand. As I press my fingertips firmly, Sendai-san closes her eyes as if naturally expecting what comes next. As I lean in, I feel her warmth reaching me even before our lips meet. I close my eyes to avoid confronting my feelings and bite her lips. As Sendai-san starts to pull away, she grabs my arm. Pressing my teeth harder into her, her grip on my arm tightens too. I don't intend to leave any marks on her lips, but I feel compelled to imprint something unmistakable on her that declares where she's been and what she's done. She isn’t mine, but I want to leave marks that everyone else can see. I bite down firmly, long enough to almost draw blood, then release her. "That hurt so much," she complained, rubbing her lips with a finger. After confirming there was no blood, she sighed softly. "You can be mad." I’m being unfair. I know she won't truly get angry with me. "I've gotten used to Miyagi doing inexplicable things." She spoke in an exasperated tone and stood up. But she didn't return to her room. "Are you in a bad mood?" She gently tugged at my bangs as she spoke. "No, I'm not." I was telling the truth. So, to prove it, I leaned in and kissed her lips.