203 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 203 "Sendai-chan, are you in financial trouble?" As I placed a café latte on the table, Noto-senpai made a rather impolite remark. "No, I’m not." She was the senpai who introduced me to a tutoring job. Our interactions were mostly limited to brief greetings, but now, at this café where I’ve taken up a new part-time job, it’s become customary for us to engage in slightly impertinent conversations. "So, are you spending it on some bad guy or girl?" Noto-senpai frowned as she made yet another rude comment. She’s a regular at this café, often trapping the staff in trivial conversations, and it’s difficult to gauge the line between her jokes and serious statements. "That's not it, either." "I thought so. You don’t seem like the type to be easily deceived." "What exactly are you investigating?" "If you need money enough to juggle multiple jobs, maybe I can introduce you to another tutoring gig. This café job is only till the school festival, right?" With that, Noto-senpai took a sip of her café latte and asked, "What do you think?" It seemed she was genuinely offering to help me find another tutoring position. "I appreciate the offer, but after this job, there’s something I want to do." I offered a convenient excuse. "If I asked what that was, would Sendai-chan tell me?" "It's a secret." I know that considering the pay, it would be better to take on more tutoring jobs than café work. But even if I did, Miyagi and I wouldn’t be able to work together, nor could I invite Miyagi over. Besides, Miyagi appears to have a strong aversion to me tutoring. If I’m going to take on more work, I’d prefer something that wouldn’t upset her as much. Though, right now, she's in a bad mood for reasons unrelated to work. "Then maybe I should find someone who isn't Sendai-chan." Listening to Noto-senpai’s voice, unsure if she was convinced or not, I couldn’t help but think of Miyagi’s perpetually displeased face ever since that day I picked up the lip balm. Since then, it’s been about ten days, and Miyagi has neither demanded a kiss nor permitted me to kiss her. If anything, her mood has only worsened. “I'm sure you will even if I don't tell you, but please, take your time." I sighed internally at the thought of Miyagi and addressed Noto-senpai instead. "Sendai-chan, you’re so cold. Mio would indulge me in conversation a lot more." Noto-senpai ruffled her long hair while sipping her café latte. Entertaining regular customers is somewhat part of the job here. Even if a conversation drags on a bit, the manager won’t chastise us. But if the talk continues endlessly, we have to draw the line somewhere. I smiled at senpai. "This isn’t the kind of place where the staff and customers chit-chat." I wish it was Miyagi. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to Noto-senpai, but if someone’s going to urge me to chat more, I want it to be Miyagi. Things don’t go the way I want them to. I shouldn’t have done anything unnecessary. Just because a stray cat was slightly tamed, it wouldn’t comply with commands like ‘give me your paw’ or ‘shake hands.’ Miyagi would never act according to my whims. I can’t help but feel disappointed in myself for taking the easy way out. "It’s like that kind of place, isn’t it? I came here because Mio invited me." Hearing Noto-senpai’s voice, I erase the image of Miyagi’s annoyed face from my mind. "What did Mio do?" "I was reading a book at a nearby park when high schooler Mio approached me, saying, 'If you’re going to read, why not do it at the café over there?'" "…That sounds like Mio." Considering her sociable nature, Mio would have no qualms about approaching strangers and probably wouldn’t hesitate to bring customers into the café. Despite Noto-senpai’s sharp look—an accurate description would be a habit of furrowing her brows when something irks her—Mio likely wouldn’t be deterred. "Thanks to that, I get to drink delicious café lattes now." With that, Noto-senpai gulped down her café latte. Noticing she still seemed eager to chat, I seized the chance to excuse myself and return to work without waiting for a natural break in conversation. No matter how regular a customer she might be, I can’t attend to her forever. Saturday crowds come in waves, and cafés are busy on this day. There’s room now, but it might not remain that way indefinitely. I scanned the café. She should stop by. I’d mentioned to Miyagi to come, but she wasn’t there. I knew she wouldn’t come. The hours of my afternoon shift slipped away, and as night fell, Mio arrived, signaling my shift’s end. “Hazuki-chan, can you cover for someone tomorrow? One of us has an urgent matter and needs to take the day off.” As I was about to leave, the manager called out. "Sure." "Then, please start at three." "Got it." Missing a day or two of free time for extra work doesn’t bother me. It means more pay, which is something I’m grateful for. Yet, I can’t be too happy when I think of Miyagi. Not only do I want to spend time with her, but also because any talk of my part-time job seems to worsen her mood. Plus, I finished work late today, and didn’t even manage to inform her in time. I took the train and got off at the usual station. I hurried through the route where I often encountered Mike-chan, making my way home. Up the stairs to the third floor, and I opened the front door. After removing my shoes, I headed to the shared space, but Miyagi wasn’t there. I knocked on the door to her room. Knock, knock. The door opened after my second knock, and Miyagi emerged looking visibly irritated. "I'm home." "…Welcome back. You’re late today." In a slightly low voice, Miyagi commented while eyeing my ear. "It was busy. Also, I’m sorry, but I have to work tomorrow." "Why are you apologizing?" "I’m not sure." "You apologize, but still go to work, so there's no need to say sorry." Miyagi lightly tapped my foot. Her gaze remained fixated on my ear. "Do you want to touch my earrings?" When I asked softly, a firm answer came back. "Not really." "You can if you’d like." "I didn’t say I wanted to." "But I want to touch you, Miyagi." When I reached out to cup her cheek, she promptly peeled my hand away before our faces could draw closer. It seemed she wasn’t going to allow anything leading to a kiss. I'd like to discard the silly ulterior motives from that day and erase them from the past. I don't mind if she doesn’t ask for a kiss, but I wish she’d let me kiss her. I wasn't made for this kind of standoff. Miyagi’s not likely to give in before me anyway. "Because it’s a penalty game." Miyagi stated it as if it were obvious. "Fine, but what are you going to make me do?" "Tomorrow, don’t go to work." She gave my foot another gentle nudge. It didn’t hurt, but it conveyed her discontent. "That's impossible." "I know. I was just saying it." "Then, what do you actually want for this so-called penalty game?" "You can go to work, but from now on, you have to do exactly what I say." "As I’ve said before, as long as it’s within reason." Her usual strong kicks are absent, and she recoils from my touch. It seems inevitable that this penalty game will be troublesome. Evidence of this lies in the fact that Miyagi doesn’t even acknowledge my words; instead, she simply says, “Come inside.”