349 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Plans with Sendai-san Chapter 349 8:36 AM. Considering that I slept without setting an alarm, I think I managed to wake up pretty early. Yet, I don't feel like getting out of bed. If possible, I'd like to spend the entire day just lounging here. That's precisely what summer break is all about. There's no need to wake up exceptionally early, nor is there a need to fill the schedule to be busy. A bit of idleness, lazily rolling about, seems just right. However, Sendai-san is different. She tends to wake up reasonably early and seems keen to do something. Today is no exception. She seems to be in the shared space instead of the adjacent room, as I can hear some noises. If I confine myself to my room past 9 o'clock, there will undoubtedly be a knock on the door urging me to come and have breakfast. I sit up and unclasp the hand that's been holding a specific object. I hadn't intended to sleep with it, but I found that I had inadvertently dozed off clutching it, and it remained in my hand till morning. Part of Sendai-san's name. Hazuki's "月" (moon). The silver moon in my palm was something I claimed as mine, in exchange for the necklace I hesitantly decided on after much deliberation. I clench and then release my fist. I can recall the day I went to buy this necklace as if it were just yesterday. My high school self was endlessly torn about whether to buy it, searched for a reason to make the purchase, and walked through the dimly lit streets to the shopping mall to obtain it. I grab the black cat lying next to my pillow and place the necklace around its neck, wrapping the chain around twice. This moon may be mine alone, but since it once bound Sendai-san, it doesn't suit me to wear it. Yet, hiding it away somewhere doesn't seem right either. I want to keep it where I can see it. Thus, the only one who can wear the moon around its neck is the black cat, which Sendai-san brought to me, making it mine. The shiny black fur suits the silver moon well. "...Roro-chan" I try voicing the name Sendai-san gave it. The black cat doesn't meow, but it looks somewhat satisfied. I stroke the small stuffed head, then the necklace. The moon illuminates the dark night. I, who used to fear the darkness of an empty house, stopped worrying about darkness after I began living with Sendai-san. A home where someone is present brings no fear of anything unseen. Surely, wherever it shines, the silver moon will illuminate the dark night and obliterate the darkness that comes with terror. "Don't lose it, okay?" I address these words to the black cat before getting out of bed. I place the black cat on the bookshelf and, still in my sweatshirt-as-pajamas, head to the shared space. I greet Sendai-san, who is preparing breakfast, with a "Good morning," and she returns the greeting with a "Good morning." I gaze intently at Sendai-san. A four-leaf clover. My leaf. It decorates her chest visibly. I step closer to Sendai-san and gently touch the necklace. It's neither cold nor warm. Yet, somehow, I feel Sendai-san's body heat. "I’ll get ready and help." After stroking the clover, I say this, and Sendai-san responds in a soft voice. "It's okay, take your time." "I'll be right back." I head to the washroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Gazing at myself in the mirror, I exhale deeply. "What should I do next?" Though buying the necklace through work was a significant goal, which I was able to accomplish, there's still something else I must do. August 23. It's not immediate, but if I dawdle, the birthday of Sendai-san will arrive in a flash. I haven't decided on a gift to present on that day yet. Not giving anything is not an option, so I feel a strong need to decide on something. However, having already given her a necklace and wanting her not to change the earrings she's currently wearing, it complicates matters. Asking her directly what she wants and gifting that would typically work, but I doubt she'd tell me what she truly desires. Most likely, Sendai-san would say that anything I choose would be fine, and if pressed further, she'd probably suggest something safe and unspecific. So, I need to decide the present on my own, but I always struggle to figure out what to give Sendai-san. Gifts, unlike quizzes or problem sets, are truly a hassle without a definitive right answer. I press my index finger between my eyebrows. Smoothing out the wrinkles in the mirror reflection, I return to the shared space. "Sendai-san, I'll go change, wait for me." I call out, and Sendai-san smiles as she replies. "The bread's almost done, so why not just sit down as you are?" As she places the orange juice on the table set with ham, sunny-side-up eggs, and salad, and pulls out my chair, returning to the room becomes no longer an option. I respond, "I'll handle the cleanup," and sit down. "Alright, I'll take you up on that." With Sendai-san's voice, the bread is done toasting. Placing it on a plate, she sets it on the table before seating herself, and as usual, our voices overlap in saying, "Let's eat." I spread jam and butter on the toast and take a bite. "Hey, Miyagi." At Sendai-san's voice, I swallow the toast in my mouth before opening it to respond. "What is it?" "Our summer break plans, what do you want to do? I'd like to decide soon." Sending a smile my way, Sendai-san takes a bite of toast smeared with jam and butter. "I said I want to stay here." "That's true, but I'd like some plans beyond just staying here." "...What kind of plans?" Faced with the question whose answer I've put off for too long, my gaze falls upon a chopstick rest shaped like a calico cat. Picking up my chopsticks and popping the ham into my mouth, I hear Sendai-san's cheerful voice. "Is there anywhere you want to go, Miyagi? The sea, the pool, hot springs, anywhere you'd like." "You know, I already said no to all of those." "I remember, but I had to mention them too. If all the places I want to go are no good, then Miyagi, you should decide the destination." "But there's nowhere I particularly want to go." "If you have nowhere in mind, can I decide then?" No way is that a good idea. Choosing destinations with places like the sea, pools, or hot springs with potentially high exposure levels would not end well. Yet, when asked to decide where to go, nothing comes to mind. If I were going out with Maika, I could list several places I want to visit, but when it comes to Sendai-san, my mind stalls. That's probably because I can anticipate that even if it's a place she doesn't particularly want to go to, she would accompany me if I asked, valuing me too highly. "...I'll think about something other than the sea, pool, and hot springs." While figuring out why my head isn't working, I have no clue how to get it operational. Thus, I'm left delegating the decision for summer plans entirely to Sendai-san. "How about a festival?" An unexpected suggestion comes, prompting a frown to form in my brow. "What would we do there?" "Well, at a festival, you'd eat something from the stalls, or watch the mikoshi parade, right?" "No way." "Why not? It sounds fun." "It's too crowded." The food from stalls is something I can get elsewhere, and the mikoshi doesn't particularly interest me. I don't see the point in diving into a crowd just to eat or see those things. Besides, Sendai-san would likely stand out in such a place, and I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy myself going there with her. "It might be crowded, but it could be fun once we're there." "It's a hassle." I take a bite of toast, enjoying the balanced sweetness and saltiness as I chew. Across from me, Sendai-san pops the egg white of her sunny-side-up egg into her mouth. The calico cat and black cat chopstick rests on the table seem to watch over us as we eat, and the quiet breakfast continues until the toast and eggs gradually disappear. Sendai-san picks up the last piece of ham with her chopsticks, bringing it to her mouth. I take a gulp of orange juice. As my glass drops halfway, Sendai-san asks with an unusually serious face. "Have you never been to a festival, Miyagi?" "I have." I reply, nibbling on a cherry tomato from my salad. Sendai-san stares at me and adds in a voice neither too small nor too loud, "…With Utsunomiya?" "Yes." "I see." Her unnecessarily bright voice rings out in the common area as she gives me a cheerful smile and continues. "Why don't we decide where to go with rock-paper-scissors? If I win, we go to the festival. If you win, no plans for the summer break." "You'd cheat, so no." "You're so stingy, Miyagi. I wanted to go to a festival together." Though she says it sounding quite disappointed, she doesn't deny the possibility of cheating. That means rock-paper-scissors would certainly have led to the festival, so I kick Sendai-san's leg under the table. "Ouch." She grimaces, speaking dramatically. "I didn't kick you that hard." "Miyagi, what about wearing yukata instead of going to a festival?" My words are ignored, and a new suggestion flies my way from Sendai-san. "I don't have a yukata." "It doesn't matter. We could buy or rent one." "Neither, thank you." It seems wasteful to buy something I might not even wear, and if I do, it'd likely be only once. Moreover, wearing a yukata isn't worth the trouble of renting one. "Alright, but if we're not doing rock-paper-scissors, you can't dismiss having summer break plans." I want to eliminate having plans. If I insist strongly, I think she'd relent. I’m sure that whether we play rock-paper-scissors or not, I’d get my way. But I think it’s not right if it leaves her desires unseen. "…Sendai-san." I look at the clover adorning her chest. The sign that she's mine alone is visible to everyone. Even at a festival, it would be there to see. "Have you decided where you want to go?" She asks softly. "…Does a birthday present have to be a thing?" "It doesn't have to be, and it doesn't have to be anything at all." She gently smiles and touches the clover on her chest. "Let's make the summer break plan the festival, then." Just one day during a long summer vacation. If that's all, I think it's okay to listen to what Sendai-san, who belongs to me alone, wants. "…Does that mean going to a festival is the birthday present?" "If you want something else, I can pick a different thing." "The festival is fine. But if we’re going, we should both wear yukata." "That's not included in the birthday present." "Come on." "No way." I kick Sendai-san harder than before.