370 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

### Chapter 370 "......Eh?" She collapsed. Sendai-san did. Even though I just gave her a slight push. "Hey, come on. Are you alright, Sendai-san? Are you feeling unwell?" I kneel beside Sendai-san, who's sprawled flat on the floor, and shake her shoulder. Her eyes are closed and won't open. What should I do? Shaking her might not be good. I stop moving my hands and look at her. But, not knowing what else to do, I call her name again. Calling her name probably won't do anything. But the only thing that definitely won't make things worse is to call out to her. I don't think that a safe action will improve the situation, but it's better than doing nothing. "Sendai-san." When I call her again, her eyes slowly open. "Sorry." She says faintly as she sits up. "Are you alright?" "I was just trying to surprise you, but I overdid it." Her ridiculous explanation irritates me, but I'm relieved. "I don't think it's a good idea to surprise people like that." "Yeah, that was a bit too much." She speaks in a weak, listless voice and leans against the bed. Her eyes close again. Her face remains flushed—a stark contrast from her usual self. Wondering why things turned out this way, my eyes wander to the table. —Clearly, the contents of that bottle are to blame. The cider tasted like a cousin to apple juice, but it's unmistakably alcohol. It makes sense that Sendai-san would show typical symptoms of someone who's been drinking. "If you know it's not a good idea, then don't drink anymore." "Why not?" She looks at me with a puzzled expression. "Why not? Because you're acting strange, that's why. You're drunk, aren't you?" "I'm not drunk. Just have a headache." "...What?" "Is it okay if I lie down?" "…That’s obviously not okay, right? Sounds like you’re not just drunk, but sick." "I'm fine." "You’re not fine." "I said I'm fine." Sendai-san confidently asserts again and lies back down on the floor. Her eyes are open, but there's a crease in her brow. Her posture screams anything but "fine," and I let out a small sigh. "It's fine if you want to lie down, but if your head hurts, why'd you drink?" "It wasn't hurting before. I just suddenly realized it started." "‘Realized it started’...?" There's no way she's okay. This person should not have alcohol. "Sendai-san, I'm borrowing your tablet." Instead of going back to my room to get my phone, I decide to make use of what we have here. Without waiting for her reply, I grab her tablet and search for what to do in such situations. The internet is incredibly useful; it tells me things about alcohol I didn’t know. Not everything is true, which is tricky, but after compiling the information, it seems I don't need to take Sendai-san to the hospital. For some reason, there are people who experience headaches immediately after drinking. Having found some tips that seem applicable for someone like Sendai-san, I head to the shared space, fill a glass with water, and return to the room. I sit next to Sendai-san, who's sprawled on the floor, and say, "Get up and drink this water." I'm not sure if it will work, but it's better than nothing. "If Miyagi kisses me, I'll drink the water." "...What?" "If you don’t kiss me, I'm not drinking." With those silly words, the dazed Sendai-san sits up and leans against the bed. "Sendai-san, do you not realize your condition?" My father never came home drunk. I can’t remember if my mother ever drank. I barely have any experience with drunk people, but this Sendai-san, saying such nonsensical things, is definitely drunk. "I do know my condition." Sendai-san, drunk on alcohol, speaks confidently and picks up the glass with the cider. She then takes a gulp. "Why are you drinking more?" I try to stop this nonsensical Sendai-san. "Because Miyagi won't kiss me." "You’re being ridiculous." "Yeah, I’m ridiculous." And with that, she takes another sip of the cider. This is hopeless. She's an incorrigible fool and an unreasonable drunk. So, so, so. Naturally, it leads to me conceding. "I’ll kiss you, so put the glass down." Resolutely, I place the glass of water on the table, and Sendai-san obediently puts her glass down and closes her eyes. With her flushed cheeks, Sendai-san is beautiful, but utterly foolish. I sigh dramatically, and without another word, I lean in and press my lips against Sendai-san's. It barely lasts a second. As soon as I pull away, she tugs at my clothes and presses her lips to mine again. Startled by the unsolicited kiss, I push her shoulder. Sendai-san said, "If Miyagi kisses me." So, I kiss her once more and hand her the glass of water. "Drink." Sendai-san looks at the glass in response to my voice. For a brief moment, she turns to me with a pleading look, but after another kiss, she finally drinks the water. "Thanks." With a feeble voice, the empty glass lands on the table. "Sendai-san. Today is my birthday, you know." "I know. Happy birthday." Holding her temple, Sendai-san replies in a cheery voice. "Thank you. ...Somehow, even though it’s my birthday, I'm the one doing all this for you, Sendai-san." "I'm sorry." "No need to apologize." "Even at the festival, you’ve been apologizing an awful lot these days." "I'm sorry. ...For only showing you my uncool side." Though there’s no need to apologize, Sendai-san does so, with a face full of regret. She’s like a scolded puppy, and it makes me feel a pang of sympathy. This side of Sendai-san is rare. But, if we look at just "recently," it's not uncommon—it’s rather typical. In short, during this summer break, Sendai-san isn't being herself. "...But, it's kind of nice. It makes you seem more human." I don't dislike this pathetic side of hers. Presumably, this side of Sendai-san is one nobody else gets to see, a version only for me. Thinking like that, I want to keep watching her, this sad 'puppy' of a girl. "Since it's your birthday, I wanted to show you a better side." As she spoke, Sendai-san leaned against me. Everyone knows the Sendai-san who handles everything with ease. I’ve been watching her since high school, and even as a university student, she's just as capable. It's natural to accept that the effortlessly competent Sendai-san stands before others. However, I can’t stand the thought of this side of her being shown to anyone but me. "Sendai-san, you're banned from drinking. Absolutely no drinking outside." "But alcohol is tasty." "Whether it tastes good or not isn’t the issue here." The idea of her being tipsy and showing such a side to others is absolutely out of the question. And the thought of her possibly telling someone else, "I won't drink unless you kiss me," is utterly unacceptable. There's no way I can allow the version of her who loses her wits with just a gentle push to exist anywhere other than in this house. "Is it okay if it's just in front of Miyagi?" Her voice, as limp as overcooked pasta, murmurs in response, and I firmly reply, "No, it's not." "Come on. Let’s drink together. I'll be mindful of the amount." "Just lie down and be quiet. I'll get you some clothes, so tell me where they are." "I've got a headache, but I can talk. Let’s chat." "Talking will only lead to you saying more nonsense, so you don’t need to. Where are your clothes?" I push against the arm of Sendai-san, who’s leaning on me. "Clothes?" "If you don't change, your clothes will get wrinkled." Today, she's dressed beautifully, as I requested. It would be a shame if they got wrinkled or stained. "It's fine. I'll just sleep like this." As she sulkily attempts to lie down on the floor, I pull her arm. "It’s not fine." "There are plenty of ways to get rid of wrinkles." "Apparently, it’s not good to wear restrictive clothing when you’re like this, so change out of them. Not just clothes, but your underwear too." "...You're a pervert, aren't you, Miyagi?" "I'm not a pervert." "But you want me to be naked, right?" "I didn’t say to take off that much. Think before you speak." "Then undress me." "What do you mean ‘then’? That makes no sense." I'm irritated. Ordinarily, she says silly things, but drunk Sendai-san is being ten times sillier. If this continues, we’ll get nowhere, and I’ll want to leave her sitting there in her beautiful dress. "Sendai-san, listen seriously. I'm worried about your clothes, but I'm worried about you too, so change clothes and get in bed yourself." I instruct slowly so the drunk Sendai-san can understand, and she says, "The T-shirt is in the chest. Go ahead and open it," before starting to take off her dress. Following her direction, I rummage through her chest, retrieve a T-shirt and sweatpants, and even though I was supposed to be the star today, I help the drunk Sendai-san change into them. I then help her into bed. "...I'm exhausted." I let out a sigh, coupled with the words that slipped out of my mouth, and empty the glass that had been filled with cider. Even now, I can’t find it as tasty as Sendai-san does. I select a non-carbonated cider from the array of bottles on the table and pour it into a glass. After taking a sip, I exhale. "...This would taste better with carbonation." I try a dry one, and it’s clearly not to my taste. The sweet one is somewhat better than the dry, but only marginally so. —Maybe I could share the "delicious" taste with Sendai-san. That silly notion led me to try the cider, but all I discovered was that I couldn’t share a sense of "delicious" with Sendai-san. Be it beer or any other alcohol, I doubt I could feel the same way she does. Alcohol isn’t interesting to me. I get up and sit at the edge of the bed where she's lying down. I brush her cheek and touch her earring. "...Hazuki. Don’t you dare drink with anyone else but me." I trace a finger behind her earlobe. Clipping her earring, the fastening pricks my thumb. It’s painful. So much so that I won’t forget today’s version of Sendai-san. I pull my finger away from her ear. Today’s memories are overtaken by Sendai-san, from eating cake to giving me a key case, and most vividly, getting drunk. I probably won’t ever forget my twentieth birthday. "How frustrating." I gently tap her forehead and place a stuffed penguin on her stomach. *** "The Weekly Story of Buying a Classmate ~ Two Secrets Under One Roof ~ Vol. 6" is on sale now. It includes new stories and revisions, so I’d be delighted if you picked up a copy. Please check the recent note for details on limited-time offers and special editions. ***