358 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

Miyagi Never Changes Chapter 358 "I don’t want to wear them." The moment she saw the matching geta sandals, Miyagi said that with a sullen face, yet the girl walking next to me is wearing the same pair. This means we’re wearing the same geta, and also, I’m in a good mood. Miyagi, dressed in a yukata, looks as pretty and cute as I imagined. Her black hair goes well with the wisteria color. She looks so good in a yukata that I want to keep her locked at home to keep her away from others, but at the same time, I want to show her off to everyone. I gently touch the four-leaf clover on my chest. I think today is going to be a good day. Even if Miyagi doesn’t exactly have a festival-friendly expression. "Hey, Miyagi. Do you know where we’re going now?" I ask with a smile, and though she stared so intently while I was changing, now she won't even meet my eyes. "To the festival, right?" "If you know that, why not try looking a little more cheerful?" I look at Miyagi, who isn’t even trying to hide her bad mood. "…Does it matter what face I’m making?" "Festivals are meant to be fun, don't you feel like lifting the corners of your mouth?" "I don't." Miyagi replies curtly. She never changes, no matter the time or place. Even on our way to the extraordinary setting of a festival, she shows neither friendliness nor consideration, looking as displeased as always. Indeed, world-class sulkiness suits Miyagi best. And I’m okay with her being that way. I know how foolish it is to forcibly make her smile, and it’s not like she’s never smiled before, so I don’t mind her sulkiness. No matter how grumpy Miyagi gets, she’ll smile when she wants to. —Like when she smiled in front of the penguins. No matter how much you try to make her force a smile, none will compare to that expression; it’s unnecessary. Still, I’d like to see her smile, so I inevitably tend to meddle. "Alright then, let’s take a picture, smile for me." I take out my smartphone and point it at Miyagi. "I definitely won’t smile." Along with a low voice, a hand reaches out to cover the camera. So, before she catches me, I snap a photo of a grumpy Miyagi. "Sendai-san, delete that." Miyagi’s low voice reacts to the shutter sound, but I’ve no intention of complying. I put away the smartphone holding the image of Miyagi in her yukata and put on a smile. "It’s really hot, isn’t it?" Fanning my face with my hand, I look up at the culprit causing the consecutive thirty-degree summer days. "It's summer. I don't really want to go to a festival in this heat." Miyagi, unable to have the photo deleted, says in a resentful voice. "It's okay, the festival isn’t far, so it should be fine." "Even if it’s not far, I still don’t want to." "Don’t say that. We’re almost there, so walk a bit more." "I’m walking without being told." I chose a festival we could walk to from home. There aren’t any grand fireworks, but there are food stalls and a procession. Going on a trip by train to see fireworks. Such plans crossed my mind, but I doubted Miyagi would agree, and what I wanted to see were not the fireworks, but Miyagi, so our destination was limited to places she’d be willing to go. "I should’ve put my hair up." I was so focused on getting Miyagi into a yukata, and once she was dressed, I hurried to leave the house before she could resist and refuse to go. So, here I am with the usual half-updo, nothing special. I wish I could’ve shown off my blue earrings with the necklace. "Raising your hair won’t make it less hot." Miyagi mutters, looking at me. "It’s the thought that counts." "Then, it’s fine. Sendai-san, every hairstyle looks good on you." "…Does the yukata suit me?" "I think it looks better on you than on me." Miyagi is dangerous for my heart. Usually, she doesn’t compliment me, but unexpectedly does so at random times, shortening my lifespan. Even with her sour face, she stares at me and adds, “I won’t wear one, but you should wear it next year too,” making me feel like I could perish under the scorching sun. I’m not a fan of the blazing sun, the steamy summer air, or going out on sultry days they call ‘midsummer days.’ But if it’s with Miyagi, it’s different. Everything—the sun that only raises temperatures, the air that makes you feel faint, Miyagi’s words—everything makes my heart race. Step by step, our matching geta click softly. I can’t remember the last time I wore geta, but being in matching ones with Miyagi makes me feel good. The festival's din draws closer. Walking beside Miyagi is fun in itself. "The crowd’s growing." A voice filled with reluctance comes from beside me. "The stalls are coming into view." "Sendai-san, is there something you want to do at the festival?" "What about you, Miyagi?" "Me?" "Yeah, Miyagi. Like trying to catch goldfish or playing with yo-yos." "Goldfish sound like a hassle to take care of, and I don’t need yo-yos." Miyagi says indifferently, continuing to walk. I stride beside her. We quickly arrive at the shrine, and the crowd swells further. "Miyagi, what do you want to eat?" "The one who invited should take responsibility for choosing." In the throng, Miyagi lightly taps my arm. Hmm. I softly groan and look at the bold text of the lined-up stalls. Shaved ice, skewers, fried chicken. Countless other food items are listed. "Sendai-san, is there something you want to eat at places like this?" Back in high school, I’d go along with others, so when asked what I want to eat, I’m at a loss. "Uh, candy apples look tasty but tricky to eat… By the way, Miyagi, you mentioned going to a festival with Utsunomiya before; what do you eat at those events?" "That question’s unfair. Figure it out yourself." I want what Miyagi wants to eat, but she seems unwilling to reveal it. That leaves me to find an answer myself as I gaze at the stalls. "Hmm… cotton candy, maybe?" "Do you like cotton candy, Sendai-san?" "Well, I guess." Cotton candy is nothing but transformed granulated sugar. It’s a food that’s no more or less than that. If forced to choose between liking or disliking, I’d say I like it, but it’s not something I particularly seek out. Yet today, even such cotton candy looks alluring. "Let’s share one." As I say this and start walking, Miyagi follows. The cotton candy stand is just up ahead, and I buy two after paying. I want to see Miyagi eating fluffy cotton candy. Just for that reason, as Miyagi reaches to pay for her share, I press a cotton candy into her hands. "Thanks." A small voice casually arrives. Miyagi lightly tears off a piece of the big cotton candy and pops it into her mouth. The fluff whiter than clouds disappears into her mouth. With a voice softer than the cotton candy, she quietly smiles, saying "Delicious." "I'm glad." It truly, truly was a good thing. Seeing Miyagi enjoy the festival makes me so happy. I also tear off a small piece of cotton candy and pop it into my mouth. Though it’s like the fluff one would imagine inside Pen-chan, it’s incredibly delicious. It’s just sugar that melts into sweetness in my mouth, yet it makes me crave more and more. While eating the cotton candy, I observe Miyagi. In her yukata, eating cotton candy, she looks genuinely adorable. Though she doesn’t speak much, that's just how she always is and it doesn’t bother me. As we eat our cotton candy, we wander through the shrine lined with stalls. “Do you want to try grilled squid or baby castella?” If we’re going to eat, it might as well be things we don’t often have. “Do you like those kinds of things, Sendai-san?” “They’re festival-like.” Even without talking, we continue to walk, sharing fun conversations if we do decide to chat. We walk to the end of the shrine and loop back. Miyagi isn’t one to become talkative just because we’re out, but after finishing the cotton candy with what seemed like a good mood, she points to a nearby stall and says, “Let’s have takoyaki.” “Sounds good. Looks delicious.” We buy a box of takoyaki and head to a resting area with tables and chairs. Sitting down, we start sharing it between us. Just like with the cotton candy, I watch Miyagi eating her portion of the takoyaki. She gently blows on the takoyaki to cool it before carefully eating to keep her yukata clean. She’s cute. While the corners of her mouth aren’t noticeably lifted, she eats with an expression of enjoyment. I take one of the takoyaki from the half portion split for me. Seeing Miyagi in a yukata and in seemingly good spirits was reason enough to come here. As we leisurely eat the takoyaki, we hear voices announcing that the mikoshi is coming. “Want to go see?” I ask Miyagi, and she responds with "Yes." We buy baby castella as we start walking. Amidst the crowd, Miyagi’s pace slows. The mikoshi comes into view, and loud, spirited chants fill the air. Miyagi walks slowly, unhurriedly. I match her pace as we leave the shrine. Amidst the courageous voices resounding, time moves gently and leisurely. It’s not the kind of time one expects at a bustling festival, but it suits me perfectly. When I stop and look at Miyagi, she grips the sleeve of my yukata. “Want to hold hands?” I propose to Miyagi, but she instantly replies, “No.” “If we don’t, we might get separated and lost.” “Would you, Sendai-san?” “Miyagi might get lost.” “I won’t get lost, I’m holding on here.” Miyagi firmly states.