183 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 183 "I'm bringing cake and tea." Miyagi, having finished her pizza and chicken nuggets, stood up and left me alone in the room. As I glanced around the room, I noticed that the bed opposite me was now a pipe bed, unlike in our high school days. The bedding was different too. Other things had also found their way here since then, yet it still felt like Miyagi's room, filled with familiar items like the crocodile tissue cover, which had moved with her. Even though it was my first time here, it felt comfortable and right. I’d be happy if she keeps letting me into her room like this, but with Miyagi’s penchant for the unexpected, I can’t predict what the future holds. Even today, I hadn’t expected her to celebrate my birthday. I pulled the crocodile, a friend of the black cat, closer to me. As I patted its head with a gentle touch, I heard a voice from outside the room. "Sendai-san, could you open the door?" I did as she asked, and Miyagi entered, carrying a tray. She placed the cake and tea on the table. "Is this, a rare cheesecake?" On the plate was a neatly sliced piece of cake. Its precise isosceles triangle shape made it clear Miyagi hadn’t cut it from a whole cake. "Yes. You like it, right?" Miyagi, sitting across from me, sounded slightly anxious, so I quickly answered, "Yeah." She probably remembered the time I treated myself to a rare cheesecake as a reward after exams, which made me happy. It was a small gesture, yet it meant so much. The truth is, I bought the cheesecake thinking Miyagi liked it. I didn’t have a particular preference for cheesecake. If it were between a shortcake and a strawberry tart, I’d choose shortcake, but when it came to cheesecake, I didn’t mind whether it was rare or baked. But because Miyagi bought this rare cheesecake thinking I enjoyed it, I suddenly found myself favoring it more in this moment. "Can I eat?" I asked Miyagi, fork in hand. "You don’t need to ask, just eat." Responding to her nonchalant voice with a "Let's eat", I took a bite of the rare cheesecake. The tartness of the lemon mixed with the smooth cream cheese spread in my mouth. The crunchy cookie base paired perfectly with the not-too-sweet cream. "It’s delicious. Thank you." Miyagi furrowed her brow slightly, looking a bit troubled but said nothing. Halfway through my cake, I looked at her. Finally, she uttered a small "Let's eat" and began to eat her piece of rare cheesecake. Knowing it was a cake Miyagi chose made me reluctant to finish it. This small piece was a testament to her remembering and going out of her way to get something she thought I liked. Gradually, I want to become embedded in Miyagi's memories, claiming more space in her mind. I want her to think only of me. I also want to know more about her than anyone else. "Don’t you eat whole cakes on your birthday, Miyagi? The round ones." I ventured to ask what wasn’t an odd question to ask now. "I don’t really like round cakes." "Why? Birthdays and round cakes just seem to go together." "Not great memories," she mumbled, eating another bite of cake. She didn’t look particularly cheerful or upset. Miyagi rarely talks about herself, and even when asked, she often doesn’t give clear answers. I’m curious why she doesn’t like whole cakes. "Can I ask about that?" Using a soft and gentle voice, I tried asking. Miyagi looked at me, then dropped her gaze to the cake. She poked at it with her fork, hesitating to speak of an unpleasant memory. If you don't want to talk about it, that’s okay. Just as I was about to say that, Miyagi began speaking quietly. "…When I was a child, my father would buy a round cake for my birthday, but he was always too busy with work to come home, so I ended up eating it alone." She paused there, took a bite of cake, and sipped her tea. With a small sigh, she pushed the words stuck in her throat out into the open. "You can’t finish a whole cake by yourself, right? So, more than half of it would be left and put in the fridge. Seeing it there the next day just felt lonely, which is why I don’t like them." Miyagi sipped her tea as if she had never shared this story with anyone. The memories from our high school days surfaced. Even during after-school hours, summer, or winter breaks, I never met anyone at Miyagi's home. It pained her to see the leftover cake in the fridge because she had always been alone. But it’s different now. "For your birthday, I’ll get a whole cake." "…What is that? Torment?" Miyagi looked up at me, incredulous. "No. Let’s eat a whole cake together. A smaller cake should be easy for us to finish together." "…Are you going to stay here on my birthday?" Miyagi, with a disbelieving look, asked, and I firmly stated. "I will. Isn’t it obvious?" "What if something comes up? Like a part-time shift running late or friends calling you unexpectedly?" "Well, Kikyō-chan is still in middle school, right? If I’m teaching her until midnight, her parents will get mad. Plus, even if a friend calls suddenly, I’ll still prioritize your birthday. So, let’s eat a round cake together on your birthday." Smiling, I looked at Miyagi. But she didn’t respond. "I promise." There’s no way I won’t be at this house on Miyagi's birthday. While the future is uncertain, I won’t make a lie of this promise. So, to ensure this promise, I reached for Miyagi's ear, aiming to touch her earring, but she flinched, pulling away from my hand. "…I don’t like promises because they might get broken, so it’s okay not to make them." Miyagi said to me. Pledging on the earring meant I wouldn’t break my promises. This was something Miyagi understood. We’ve promised many times, and earning her trust was part of the process. Yet, right now, Miyagi seemed afraid of making any promises with me. I gazed intently at Miyagi. If I let her go now, I’ll surely regret it. "It's okay. Whether I swear on the earring or not, I won’t break my promise. We’ll have cake together on your birthday." This felt like a promise I had to keep, no matter how much Miyagi might dislike it or what circumstances might arise. "…Really?" Her small voice sounded like she wanted to believe in me. "Really. I'll choose a delicious cake so we can enjoy it together." I didn't know how else to make her believe me, but I responded to Miyagi with the gentlest voice I could muster and asked, "Is it okay if I sit next to you?" "You never usually ask for that," she mumbled, dropping her gaze. "I thought it was better to ask today." "Don’t say things that are different from usual." Her slightly lowered voice wasn't one of objection. I moved to her side and kissed her cheek. When I tried to touch her, she shivered again, but this time I stroked her lips instead of her ear. "Thank you for today. It made me happy. Can I kiss you here?" "Why even ask?" "Because it seemed like the right thing to do." "If you ask, I'll say no." Finally, it felt like Miyagi was back to her usual self, and I quietly pressed my lips to hers. They weren't softer than the cream of the rare cheesecake, but they felt that way. Miyagi’s hand gripped my clothing. I pulled back slightly, gave another gentle kiss, and as I stroked her cheek to kiss her again, she spoke before our lips could touch. "As a birthday present, I didn’t know what you wanted, so I thought I'd do something for you instead. Is this kiss okay for that?" "Wait, hold on. That's not good." Startled at such an unexpected and quickly spoken offer, I looked at Miyagi to find her cheeks tinged with a slight blush. Perhaps she was embarrassed. "Then, what do you want?" She pulled on my clothes, seemingly eager for a response, not giving me time to think. But under pressure, my thoughts wouldn't settle. I pondered while holding the hand pulling my clothes. "Does that mean you'll do what I say, Miyagi?" "As long as it’s not something weird." "Is 'weird' based on your standards, Miyagi?" "If it were based on yours, Sendai-san, what’s weird wouldn’t be weird." Miyagi said something quite insulting, gripping our joined hands tightly. In response, I squeezed back, and soon, our joined hands became relaxed again. Holding her hand, I finally organized my thoughts and told Miyagi. "Then, next year, celebrate my birthday too." "Is that all you want?" "Because next year and the year after, I’ll keep asking for the same thing, fulfilling it over and over again." If I were to get a birthday present, I want a future like today’s. One day a year. I want to reserve Miyagi’s time. "Even though being roommates is only for the time we’re in college?" "Birthdays can be celebrated even if we’re not roommates." "Sure, but you have lots of people who’ll celebrate your birthday, Sendai-san. It doesn’t have to be me." "I want to hear 'happy birthday' from you, Miyagi." Hearing "happy birthday" always feels good, no matter who says it. But it’s most special coming from Miyagi. "…If you’re okay with that, Sendai-san, then so am I." Miyagi murmured, and as if to seal this as our "promise," she squeezed my hand tightly. Having one wish fulfilled only makes me crave more. I added a new request. "Also, tell me more about you, Miyagi. I want to know more." "You already asked for one thing." "You didn’t say one thing instead of a present, so I'll listen to a second one too." "That's unfair." "Come on, it's not difficult." "It might not be difficult, but what should I tell you?" Miyagi sounded as though she was resigning herself. "Just everyday things, like your favorite color or food. Simple stuff anyone would talk about. Maybe how you went to the aquarium and became fond of penguins." "Is that your story, Sendai-san?" "Yeah. The aquarium was fun. I grew to like penguins, and I kind of wish I’d bought a stuffed one. I want to have more conversations like that with you. Bit by bit. It’s easy." We’ve spent so much time together, yet we've talked too little. We should indulge in these trivial conversations more. The aquarium trip left me with great memories, and I regret not buying a plush as a memento. Even simple stories like these, I haven't shared. Though I want to know the deeply hidden memories that sit at the bottom of the heart, there are so many other things we should talk about. "You’ll share your stories too, Sendai-san?" "Of course." "Then, I’ll talk." Miyagi replied in a soft voice.