330 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Chapter 330 Go, go, don't go, go, don't go. The fact that there are more "go's" than "don't go's" reflects my true feelings. I desperately want to visit Miyagi at her part-time job. But choosing "go" would certainly ruin Miyagi's mood, and I've been wavering on this since morning. It's Miyagi's first day at the part-time job. My spirits are sunk deep in the water's depths, so profoundly that they can't resurface. Yet, I can't abandon my daily routine. Dragging my heavy feet, I made it to the university, only to spend my lunch break in the cafeteria with a sense of disinterest swallowing me. "Hazuki. You've been staring at me all day today. Do you like me that much?" Sitting opposite of me at the table, Mio, who created the situation making me feel this way, speaks in a carefree tone. "Do I look like I'm about to confess?" The reason I keep looking at Mio is because she's the one who took Miyagi away from me; there's no deeper meaning. "Doesn't look like it. You have this gloomy face while staring at me. …Did something happen?" "Not yet." "'Not yet,' you say, like something is going to happen soon." "Nothing really, but…" Actually, there is. Because of Mio, Miyagi's part-time job is starting in a few hours. But telling Mio wouldn't change anything, nor do I plan to. I know Mio isn't to blame. Mio did nothing wrong. She's actually a genuinely good person. Her kind-heartedness led to introducing Miyagi to a part-time job, making me feel like it's the end of the world. I relax the muscles on my furrowed brow and take a bite of hamburg steak, a dish Miyagi likes. Delicious. Now that I think about it, I haven't made hamburg steak in a while. It's been some time since I last made it, so perhaps it's about time to serve it for dinner. I consider making it tonight just because, but a sigh escapes me. Miyagi’s workplace, that café, provides meals, so she won't be having dinner at home. The thought squeezes my heart painfully. "Mio, are you free today?" I know from Miyagi that Mio has work today, so she's not actually free. Still, I want to hear her say she won't go to work, so I watch her finish her ginger pork set meal. "Oh, what's this? Are you inviting me out for once, Hazuki? I'm really happy about that, but I have work today." With her ever-cheerful demeanor, Mio tells me what I already know. It seems the future is unchangeable. Even though I was aware, my mood plummets to a place even deeper beneath the waters. It's a world where nothing can be seen, and feeling cheerful is impossible. "At the café?" I utter words whose answer I already know and take another bite of the dwindling hamburg steak. In this world of darkness, at least my sense of taste is still there. The hamburg steak is delicious. So delicious that I want to eat it again tonight. But Miyagi won't be here to have dinner with me today. "Yeah, at the café." Mio replies in a bright voice I can't possibly emulate. "You’re not going to ditch, are you?" "It's Shiori-chan's first day at work, after all. She must be nervous, so I have to be there for her." Mio's kindness irritates me. I wish she were more careless, ditching work to hang out with me instead. If she did, Miyagi would have to work without knowing anyone there. She's reluctant about working, so she might even quit if that happened. "Oh, by the way! Hazuki." Mio's unnecessarily cheerful voice cuts through, disrupting my dark thoughts that burn darker than the water's depth. Driving out my hopeless thoughts, I seal away the not-so-good parts of me and respond with "What?" Her voice grows even more exuberant. "Why not come to the café for a meal today? You can see Shiori-chan in action." "Miyagi's in the kitchen, right?" "That's true, but if you come, she could come to take your order." Mio's words that would likely make Miyagi faint are accompanied by her bright smile. Mio is sometimes careless, but she’s inherently a good person. It makes sense for Miyagi to urge me to befriend her. But I can’t muster the mood for chummy interactions today. I scoop up the remaining hamburg steak, swallowing it along with unsaid words. "…I'll pass for today. She’s probably nervous on her first day." Since Mio invited me, I could easily go. Deep down, I want to say "I'll go," but showing up on Miyagi's very first workday isn't the best idea. "That's kind of you." "Not as much as you, Mio." I'm not kind at all. Even now, that troublesome side of me says I should just go to the café, or I could lock Miyagi in her room so she can't work. I press down on the spot just below my collarbone through my shirt. Miyagi marked me there this morning. Even though I told her it was okay to place it somewhere visible, she unbuttoned my blouse and pressed her lips to a place that was hidden. In moments like that, Miyagi is really boring. She could have left more marks, but she only left one, and it was so faint it would quickly disappear. On top of that, when I kissed her, she stomped hard on my foot, and when I said I wanted more kisses, she left for university without me. It's unfair. There have been times when she initiated things, but she won't do anything if I make a move. Given this, I should have caught her before she left for university this morning and whispered “I love you” in her ear again and again— It's no use. I wouldn’t be convincing even if I said it all day. "Hey, Hazuki." Lost in impossible fantasies, Mio's voice jolts me, prompting an automatic "What?" "You went silent all of a sudden, I was wondering why." "Sorry. I was just thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight. Miyagi won't be home." Lying comes easy to me. The words flow out with practiced ease. "Oh, right. Without Shiori-chan, you're alone." "Cooking for just one person is such a hassle." "Once Shiori-chan is accustomed to the job, I'll cut back on my shifts. Let's go eat together, okay?" With a cheerful demeanor, Mio suggests happily. "The earlier the better." Though I don't entirely accept it, Miyagi working is inevitable. It's also inevitable that it’s that café. But what I can't stand, what I won't tolerate, is Mio being close to Miyagi. I want to separate them. Part of my agreement with Miyagi is to bond with Mio. "That's unusual for you to say something like that. I'm kind of happy, so maybe I'll go earlier. Can I set the plans?" "Sure." A wretched thought of "kill two birds with one stone" surfaces. But it's true, going to dinner with Mio not only provides two benefits, but a third. Because whenever I meet Mio, Miyagi will give me orders. On the days I meet Mio, I will do what Miyagi says. That's our agreement. "When would be a good time?" As she said that, Mio took out her smartphone and began checking her schedule. Watching her, I found myself wishing that day would come sooner.