369 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 369 "Sendai-san, is it typical to drink something like that down so eagerly?" When we toasted, the cider in Sendai-san's glass was filled to a bit above the eight-tenths mark. However, now, the liquid in her glass is noticeably less than half. "Why not? It's delicious. You should try some, too." Sendai-san says with a lightness reminiscent of cotton candy. "I will, but..." I take a small sip from my glass. As expected, I can't bring myself to drink it without hesitation. "Make sure you eat the cake, Sendai-san." "Don't worry. I'll eat it all." Saying this, Sendai-san takes a bite of the cake and smiles at me with a cheerful "Delicious." She continues eating bite after bite until she finishes one of the two pieces on her plate. Sendai-san is always cheerful, but today she's in an especially good mood and keeps saying "delicious." It's true—that meals shared with others are delicious, and meals shared with someone who enjoys eating are even more so. This is a simple truth, undeniable, and one I only seem to realize when I'm with Sendai-san. "You should eat some too, Miyagi." Encouraged by the beaming Sendai-san, I bite into one of the two pieces of cake on the plate, the one missing a triangular corner. I crunch down on the chocolate message plate, letting the celebratory words melt into me. Everything is sweet and delicious. I munch on the strawberry resting atop the other cake. Breaking apart the sponge, I let the white cream dissolve on my tongue. I glance at Sendai-san to see her savoring the remaining cake. Gradually, the triangular pieces that were once part of a round cake disappear into our stomachs. "Think you can finish it all, Miyagi?" After finishing the slices on her plate, Sendai-san looks at me. I nod while consuming the birthday symbol, to which she responds with a pleased, "The cake was delicious," and I echo, "It was delicious." "Now, on to the main event of today." Her voice resonates in my ears. "The main event?" "The birthday present. It's nothing too grand, though." Sendai-san takes another sip of her cider, retrieves a box from beneath the bed, and sits back down. "Miyagi, happy twentieth birthday." Despite having heard these words countless times today, I never tire of them. She hands me a box wrapped in a beautiful shade of blue. "Thank you." Last year, Sendai-san gave me her "ears." What she gives me now is a "box" that fits in my palm, leaving its contents a mystery. It's rectangular. Not heavy. But it's lightweight. I explicitly told her I'd prefer something other than a necklace for my birthday, so a necklace isn’t likely inside this necklace-sized box. So, what could be inside? "Can I open it?" I ask in a small voice, and she responds clearly with, "You have to open it now." Sendai-san isn't drinking at the moment. She watches me intently. I drop my gaze to the box. While I'm not well-versed enough in shops or brands to guess the contents from the wrapping paper, the blue encasing the box offers no clues either. "Hurry and open it," she urges. I peel back the blue paper slowly, careful not to tear it, and place the folded paper on the table. Opening the box gently, I look inside. "It's cute... But, what is it?" It's rectangular and made of leather. Embossed on the leather is a dog's imprint, reminiscent of a Borzoi. I said it was cute, but "stylish" is a more precise description. "It's a key case. Check inside." Removing it from the box, I undo the button on the rectangular case and find a key hook inside, allowing me to attach keys. "Honestly, I wanted to surprise Miyagi with something grand, but that was hard to come by," Sendai-san says somewhat sheepishly, adding, "so it ended up being something ordinary." Looking up, I see a concerned expression on her face, and I unconsciously grab onto her clothes. Yet, her hesitant voice continues. "I wanted to give you something special, like you did for me." Her hand grazes the four-leaf clover. Her fingers stroke the leaves softly as she says in a quiet voice, "This truly made me happy," before returning her gaze to me. Sendai-san doesn't understand. For a birthday, nothing "special" is needed. A birthday like anyone else's. Spending today with Sendai-san, I wish for such a commonplace birthday. In the repetitiveness of daily life, an event that highlights only this day makes me afraid it will stand out and become detached. "I know you seem confused unless I tell you every single time, but I'll tell you, there's no such thing as a present that I wouldn't be happy with." I tug on Sendai-san's clothing. "I see. Thank you." "Isn't it strange for Sendai-san to be the one saying thanks?" "Is it?" "Yes, it is." Upon my assertion, Sendai-san chuckles softly and suggests, "Hey, Miyagi. Give me your key. I'll attach it for you." "My key? I'll have to go back to my room to get it." "Then please, go grab it." "Right now?" "Yes, right now." Sendai coaxed me, and though it was my birthday and I was supposed to be the star of the day, I had to give in. "Just wait a moment." I quickly dash to my room, retrieve my key, and come back. Sitting beside Sendai-san, I hand over the key. "Miyagi, we’re not just roommates; we’re people living in something important, right?" "You're the one who said this place was important, Sendai-san." "I did, but it means this place is important to you too, right?" Sendai-san calmly says in a gentle voice, as she opens the key case. "I live here too, after all." "Great. You know, keys let you into a home—something important. Something that can protect that seemed best for Miyagi’s birthday gift." The key I fetched is inserted into the key case. "This key case will always protect your key, Miyagi, so hold onto it." She presses the key case into my hand. "Even without being told, I'll always keep it." I'm certain this is something Sendai-san chose wholeheartedly for me. Though I've never owned a key case before, I don't mind one bit. It's beyond a doubt worth guarding since it holds access to something important. Both the key and the case will never go missing. "Thank you. Then Miyagi, I have a request. Do the same thing for me." "The same thing?" "Attach the key to this." Upon saying this, Sendai-san produces a leather rectangle from her pocket. It looks identical to my key case, prompting me to ask, "Is this the same key case as mine?" "It's the same, yet different. Look closely," she replies. I take the key case from Sendai-san and gaze at the leather object. "...A cat?" I observe. While my key case has a dog imprint, the one she's given me bears what unmistakably looks like a cat. "Yes, a cat. It's cute, isn't it?" "But why is Sendai-san with a cat, and I with a dog? It should be the other way around." Sendai-san reminds me of a Borzoi. When I mentioned that in the past, she compared me to a cat. "It's not backwards. You referred to me as a dog, so I want you to hold onto the dog one." "...Fine." With a quiet response, she hands me a key. I attach it to the key case and return it to her. "Thank you. I'll take good care of the cat." She whispers near my ear, unrequested, and kisses the Plumeria earring. Today, Sendai-san is being terribly self-indulgent. Although it's my birthday, she does whatever she pleases. "Miyagi, promise me." The soft whisper tingles in my eardrum. I push against her selfish behavior with a nudge to her stomach, and she responds with a whisper, "Miyagi." I don't mind making a promise, but conceding to her continuous whims feels infuriating, prompting me to tease her blue earring with my teeth. "Ouch." "It's my ear, so I can do what I want with it." I ease the pressure of my bite, then touch the tip of my tongue against it. Tracing my tongue along her ear, I give a gentle nibble. When I grip her side, she challenges with a playful, "May I touch you too?" forcing me to release my lips from her ear. "Aren't you going to drink?" "Miyagi, you're so stingy." "Today's not about that." "So, when will it be about that, then?" "Today’s a drinking day for you, Sendai-san. Just drink up." "Well, the most important part of today is done. Let's drink. I'll just put the key cases here for now." With that, Sendai-san places both our key cases on the dresser. Then she picks up her glass, finishes the remaining liquid, and refills it with cider. "Miyagi, you should drink too." She nudges my shoulder, prompting me to gulp down the far-from-delicious liquid. As I finish my glass, more cider is poured. "I'll bring another sweet one," she announces. Before I can refuse, she steps out, and a new bottle is added to the table. "Keep drinking," she encourages with bright words as she sips her glass. "Wait, Sendai-san, are you really okay to drink more?" "What do you mean?" "Your face is red." More accurately, her cheeks are flushed. While she seems relatively unchanged, her cheeks’ hue is quite different from before her drinking started. "Miyagi is unchanged," she observes. "Maybe you should stop drinking?" "But I just started. Miyagi, join in," she insists in a merry voice, patting my shoulder. She chuckles as she pours cider into my still-full glass. "It might overflow," she says, the statement echoing in the room. No, it's not almost overflowing. It already has. I wipe the table and move the cider bottle away from her. My previous notion of her unchanged demeanor should be revised. She’s reached a peculiar cheeriness now. "Miyagi, birthdays are wonderful." Beaming widely, Sendai-san adds, "You should drink more." "It's not that tasty to me." "Drink, it's good!" Without waiting for permission, she takes a sip from my glass. "Hey, Sendai-san, are you alright?" "What do you mean? It’s delicious." "But you’re drinking the carbonated one." The cider in my glass is her disliked carbonated kind. Moreover, she's somehow on her third glass, which has transitioned to the carbonated variety. "Even carbonation can be tasty." "Perhaps, but... maybe you should stop drinking." I take her glass away, looking at her as she leans into me with a heavy "Hmm." She's heavy. All her weight falls onto me. "Are you really okay, Sendai-san?" "I might not be." "Huh?" "I'm feeling kind of light and floaty." "Hey, Sendai-san." "The alcohol is good, though," she says, her voice starting to slur. As she leans against me, her body feels limp, and with a gentle nudge, she collapses onto the opposite side.