194 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 194 I find myself staring at the ear piercer resting on the table. With this, I can pierce Sendai-san's ears. It's something I wanted to do back in high school, and even as a college student, I still longed to do it. Now, the opportunity is right before me. I touch my own ear, gently tracing the earring, and glance at Sendai-san. She's always been receptive to almost everything I've suggested. Even now, if I disliked the present and asked for something else, I believe she’d oblige. If I wished for the right to give orders instead, she’d likely grant that too. She'd probably even follow through if I asked her to lick my foot with that right. But one of the few things Sendai-san has never permitted is piercing her ears. I take a sip of the iced tea, slightly diluted by melted ice. Why so suddenly? After being so adamantly against it in the past, what made her change her mind about getting her ears pierced? "Sendai-san, you said you wouldn't get piercings, right?" "I did say that. But I also mentioned that if there was something worth commemorating, I might consider it. Don't you remember?" "...I remember." The small floral earrings in my ears—when she gifted them, I asked why she wouldn’t wear earrings, and Sendai-san casually overturned her past refusal with that answer. "But is today such a commemorative day?" "Wouldn't it qualify as one?" "And what are we commemorating?" "Your birthday, Miyagi." Sendai-san states nonchalantly. "Isn't it strange to treat my birthday like an occasion? Normally, you'd do that for your own birthday, not someone else's." My birthday does not seem significant enough for what she's implying—a momentous enough day for Sendai-san to reconsider her stance on piercings. "It wouldn’t mean anything if it were my birthday." "And why is that?" The high school version of myself would have skipped the questions and simply pierced her ear. But now, I want to understand what’s going on in her mind, as she gracefully revises the past. Without that understanding, I can't bring myself to reach for the ear piercer on the table. "On your birthday, I want to make a vow with the earrings you pierce into my ears, Miyagi." Sendai-san says softly, gazing intently at me. "A vow? To do what?" "To share another whole cake on this day next year. Last time, we only promised for the current year." Next year, just like the earrings, is something I desire. I want to eat a whole cake with her again. Yet the prospect of a vow is frightening. A vow carries more weight than a simple promise; it binds words more firmly. It ties them to actions, solidifying them. And Sendai-san keeps her promises made with earrings. If I were to pierce her ear today, it would become an even stronger promise. That's why I'm scared. Should something unforeseeable happen that breaks such an unbreakable vow, leaving me alone on next year's birthday, I might lose faith in Sendai-san beyond that point. "You don't have to make a vow." Fearful of having my earrings tied to a vow, I can't accept what Sendai-san is offering. "What about making a promise with these earrings?" "If it's just a promise, there's no need to go through the trouble of getting earrings involved." I want Sendai-san to forever remain the kind of person who wouldn’t betray me. "I do want that. I want to leave a promise in a visible place for you, Miyagi." Sendai-san softly insists. "Why go that far?" "Because that's what I want to do. Does there need to be another reason?" "...No, that's enough." "Then let me use these earrings to make a promise for next year. And hopefully, for birthdays beyond that too." On the table rests an empty plate where the cake used to be, and the ear piercer. Her voice is sweeter than usual, and a sense of trapped nostalgic happiness seems ready to merge with the present. "...I can't." "Why not? You promised me, you'd celebrate my birthday next year and the year after, indefinitely. It's the same thing." Her voice is gentle, like explaining to a child. "Is it really the same?" "It is." Her soothing voice resonates in my ears. As I look at Sendai-san, it feels as if she’s assuring me, "It's okay." The words I held back are slowly pushed out from my throat. "Then, if it's for a promise for next year, I guess it's okay." "I understand." Sendai-san smiles brightly, placing disinfectant and cotton on the table. "Are you really sure about this?" "I am. You can pierce my ear wherever you like, Miyagi." As I pick up the ear piercer, Sendai-san invites me over with a "come here." Following her guidance, I sit next to her and she hands me a pen. The steps to pierce an ear are already etched in my mind, without needing to read the ear piercer package. Clean the ear, mark the spot with the pen, and use the ear piercer. Just those few steps would create a hole in Sendai-san's ear. There's nothing complicated about it. In fact, my own ears were pierced easily. Yet, somehow, it feels incredibly daunting. I put the ear piercer back on the table and reach for Sendai-san's ear, touching her earlobe as she did when I was pierced. Creating a hole in this unblemished ear signifies altering Sendai-san’s shape, carrying profound implications. I tug gently at her soft earlobe and release it. Like a cake changing shape from round to triangular, I feel like I’m transforming her into something slightly different from before. It’s a captivating act, yet it also makes me question whether it's right to pierce these ears. Changing her might also change a relationship I wish to keep the same. I trace my index finger behind her earlobe. "That tickles," Sendai-san murmurs softly, capturing my wrist. My ears, pierced by her at my desire, are adorned with the flowers she chose, functioning as the keepers of our promise. What I'm about to do isn't exceedingly different from what I wanted before. Through her wishes, I am the one changing her, keeping the promise. It won’t drastically alter who we are. It’s okay. Piercing Sendai-san's ear won't change the fact that we are roommates. "Let go." As I urge, she releases my wrist, allowing me to pull at her earlobe gently before letting it go. Her ear, perfectly shaped, comes into view. Once adorned with an earring, her ear won't look the same again. I bring my lips closer, softly brushing against her earlobe. It's somewhat cold, supple, and pleasing to the touch. When I lightly graze it with my teeth, Sendai-san twitches subtly. Though not on her ear, I've left countless marks on her body with my lips over time. But such marks don’t last long. Even if I were to bite, it wouldn't remain permanently. Hence, I craved to leave an indelible mark. Ideally, one unmistakable to any observer. Placing the earring in her ear wouldn't be a tag declaring her as mine, but it would be a visible mark to anyone, and I'd be able to recognize it as a mark I made. I flick my tongue lightly on the spot where the earring will soon adorn, prompting Sendai-san to tap my back. "Miyagi, let's wrap this up." Ignoring her, I bite her earlobe once more. Pressing my lips beneath it, I trace my fingers behind her ear. "Miyagi, that's kind of intense." With those words, Sendai-san grips my waist tight. Her fingertips glide along my side, tickling me, causing me to pull away as she pushes my shoulder. "Stop messing around and hurry up with it." Forcing the disinfectant and cotton into my hands, Sendai-san urges me to get moving. Accepting the items she practically shoves at me, I soak the cotton with disinfectant. I then wipe Sendai-san's ear with the cold cotton, mark it with a pen, and open the packaging for the ear piercer. For something meant to leave an indelible mark on Sendai-san's body, it feels remarkably light. —Did Sendai-san feel something similar when she pierced my ears? "Are you ready?" In a small voice, I ask, and she replies, "I am," as I gently position the device against her earlobe. With just a bit of pressure, I can pierce her ear. I breathe in, then out. It's going to be fine. It wasn’t as painful as I thought, and it was surprisingly quick. I'm sure Sendai-san will feel the same. Despite this reassurance, my hands remain frozen. "Miyagi." Her soft voice calls my name, and its gentle push breaks my frequent hesitations. I might not be able to move as swiftly as Sendai-san, but her call gets me moving again. I press my fingers together firmly. My heart pounds in my chest with a sound so loud, it's almost overwhelming. I let out a small breath. When I squeeze the ear piercer, the sound of a sharp snap reverberates, and her ear is now adorned with an earring. I hear an internal creak, as if some part of me was shifting. "I thought it would hurt more," Sendai-san remarks with a sigh of relief, meeting my gaze. "Now for the other ear," I say, touching the opposite ear. "Sure." With a repeat of the meticulous process—disinfect, mark, and apply pressure with the piercer—a similar snap echoes as her second ear is pierced, and once again, it's as if I hear a sound from within myself. One on the right, one on the left—a single hole in each ear. The sound of making two holes in Sendai-san's ears must have put cracks in a sort of shell that was surrounding me. I gaze intently at Sendai-san, now wearing the earrings that I had put on her. With the small cracks in my shell, a refreshing breeze seems to flow through, and it feels as though I can see Sendai-san just a little more clearly than before.