She’s definitely going to contact me right after the break ends.

       At least, that was what I thought Miyagi would do. However, she hadn’t been in touch for a while, and she only ended up sending me a message three days after she lent Umina her textbook.

       Well, not that it bothered me in the slightest.

       Miyagi was the one paying me, so she was free to decide whenever we’d hang out.

       I decided to drop by the convenience store on my way to Miyagi’s house and bought some potato chips and chocolate.

       Miyagi rarely ever served snacks at her place. I didn’t feel like talking much today, so I wanted to be able to pass the time comfortably by eating something.

       With a plastic shopping bag in hand, I headed for Miyagi’s house.

       It was annoying how clear the skies were today. It was as if everything was coated in a layer of blue paint, devoid of any blemishes.

       However, a shadow seemed to hang over my heart, casting a darkness even in the sunlight. While Miyagi’s place usually felt more comfortable than being at home, every step toward her house now felt burdensome.

       Why was I forced to feel this way?

       The plastic bag in my hands swayed back and forth as I walked.

       As if trying to chase Miyagi out of my thoughts, I started running.

       Five minutes.

       That was about how long it took to reach Miyagi’s apartment while sprinting at full speed. I called her on the intercom to let her know of my arrival, and she quickly let me in. I got on the elevator and rode up to her floor. Then, I rang the doorbell and she soon welcomed me in.

       「Here.」

       She handed me a five-thousand yen bill the moment I took off my shoes.

       Even though we hadn’t seen each other in a while, Miyagi was as curt as always.

       「Thanks. 」

       After slipping the bill into my wallet, I went to Miyagi’s room.

       As I set the plastic shopping bag I brought with me down, Miyagi got up and left the room.

       I walked over to her bookshelf and could immediately tell from a glance that the number of books had increased.

       I grabbed a manga I didn’t recognize and took a seat on the bed.

       As I took my time reading the book, Miyagi came back with cups of barley tea and soda in her hands.

       「You bought new books?」

       「I had some free time over the break.」

       Instead of answering with a “yes” or a “no”, Miyagi told me the reason behind the new books.

       Her room hadn’t really changed at all since the start of the break.

       Much like how her attitude remained as unfriendly as ever.

       I closed the book in my hands and pointed over to the plastic bag I had brought with me.

       「I went and bought some stuff earlier. Feel free to open it if you want.」

       「Why don’t you do it instead?」

       Miyagi said without even sparing so much of a glance at the bag I was referring to as she walked over to her bookshelf.

       And just like always, Miyagi would either reply with something snarky or generally sound displeased. Usually, I wouldn’t mind it that much, but I felt annoyed at Miyagi today.

       「Shiori.」

       I decided to try calling Miyagi by her given name.

       「…… Huh?」

       She paused for a moment, but as soon as she turned her head, there was a blatant look of disgust written all over her face. Seeing that, I said her name one more time.

       「Can I call you “Shiori”?」

       As far as I was aware, all of Miyagi’s friends called her by her first name.

       So there shouldn’t be any problem with me doing it too.

       It wasn’t like we were friends or anything, but we did a lot of things that friends usually wouldn’t do with each other. Considering we shared a secret that we couldn’t tell anyone else about, I didn’t see an issue with us getting a bit closer.

       However, Miyagi didn’t seem to feel the same way.

       「No.」

       Miyagi said coldly as she sat on the opposite side of me with a book in her hands.

       「You’re so stingy.」

       I got off the bed and took a seat on the floor.

       I pulled the chips and chocolate out of the white shopping bag and opened the chips. As if celebrating a pity party by myself, I started munching on them alone.

       One piece, then a second, then a third.

       I chewed on the chips and brought them to my stomach.

       Before the break, Miyagi – who had always strongly denied our friendship – suddenly started treating me like a friend.

       She asked me about the boy who confessed to me and got upset over it.

       That had to have been jealousy.

       And yet, she still wouldn’t let me call her by her given name.

       That seemed pretty unreasonable to me.

       I glanced over at Miyagi.

       She seemed to be concentrated on reading her manga, so she didn’t look up to meet my gaze.

       She didn’t seem the least bit interested in eating the chips either.

       「Hey, Miyagi. Do you want me to feed you?」

       I said as I grabbed a chip from the bag.

       「No. I don’t need it.」

       「You don’t have to hold back.」

       I brought the chip towards Miyagi’s mouth. However, instead of eating the one I was holding in my hand, she reached over to the bag and grabbed a different one for herself.

       「I can feed myself just fine.」

       Miyagi said as she devoured the chip in one bite.

       「What about this one?」

       I asked, still holding the chip that has now seemingly lost its purpose.

       「I don’t want it.」

       Miyagi said bluntly as she pulled another chip from the bag and popped it in her mouth.

       Pitying the stray chip in my hand, I decided to put it away in my stomach. Then, I reached over and grabbed Miyagi by the wrist.

       「What do you want?」

       Miyagi asked with a wary tone in her voice, but I ignored it.

       Usually, she’d order me to lick her fingers, but this time, I decided to do it out of my own volition.

       As I pressed my tongue against her fingers, the taste of salt spread in my mouth.

       「Sendai-san, stop that.」

       Miyagi said as she tugged on my bangs.

       However, I had no intention of listening to Miyagi.

       I wrapped my tongue around her finger and gently bit down on it.

       I applied more force to my bite until I could feel the bone of her finger underneath my teeth. As soon as I did so, she immediately pulled her finger out of my mouth.

       「I thought I told you to stop.」

       Miyagi spoke harshly, like she was throwing the words at me, as she furrowed her brows.

       Seeing her look so obviously discontent with me made my heart race.

       『That’s the kind of face that I want to see.』

       Miyagi had once said that to me after she’d put me in an unsavory mood.

       Back then, Miyagi looked unusually happy at seeing my disgusted face.

       At the time, I felt like I couldn’t tell what was going through her head, but I understood the appeal now.

       Seeing Miyagi direct those emotions towards me sent chills down my spine.

       「You taste kind of salty, Miyagi.」

       I said with a grin on my face, while Miyagi frowned at me in return.

       「Isn’t that just because of the chips?」

       「Well, I guess so.」

       「What is with you today? Stop doing these strange things.」

       「Hey, it’s only going to keep getting weirder unless you give me an order.」

       Being around Miyagi brought out a side of me that I hardly recognized.

       And to think, not too long ago, I never would’ve even considered licking Miyagi’s fingers without being ordered to.

       I hadn’t planned to get so deeply involved with her, but it seemed I was doing a terrible job at handling that.

       「I haven’t come up with anything for you to do yet.」

       Miyagi muttered.

       「Shall I do your homework for you?」

       「You’re too noisy, Sendai-san. I’ll think of something myself, so just be quiet.」

       It seemed she wasn’t in the mood to have me do her homework today.

       Miyagi put her manga down on the table and took a sip of her soda.

       She liked giving orders, but hated being told what to do.

       After thinking for a moment, Miyagi started rummaging through her school bag with a look on her face that suggested she knew exactly what she was looking for.

       Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to eat more chips.

       However, when I licked the salt off my fingertips, I became keenly aware of how it tasted just like Miyagi earlier.

       「Sendai-san.」

       It seemed that she’d calmed down a bit, as the voice I heard calling out to me sounded like the usual Miyagi.

       「This is your order for today. Hide this.」

       「An eraser?」

       I said, staring at the object in front of me.

       「Yes.」

       「When you say “hide it”, does that mean I can hide it anywhere I want?」

       「No. Hide it somewhere in your uniform, then I’m going to look for it after.」

       「…… You’re always so quick to think up the weirdest ideas, Miyagi.」

       I could see this game being fun if I was allowed to hide the eraser anywhere in the room, but being told that I could only hide it somewhere in my uniform changed the meaning of the whole game.

       「It’s not weird.」

       「No way, you’re definitely thinking of doing something weird.」

       「In that case, what “weird” thing do you think I’m planning to do, Sendai-san?」

       「I’m sure you’re just trying to touch me in strange places.」

       「What’s “strange” is that you could even come up with such an idea in the first place. You really are a pervert, Sendai-san.」

       「I’m pretty sure if anything, you’re the pervert here, Miyagi.」

       「I don’t mind being a pervert. Now, hurry up and hide it.」

       Since I accepted a five-thousand bill from her earlier, I had no right to refuse her order.

       Even if she did start touching me in strange places, at least she’d be doing it over my uniform, so it wasn’t a big deal.

       I picked up the eraser that was sitting on the table.

       「Fine. Face the other way.」

       I said. Then, Miyagi obediently turned her back to me.

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Fellow Genshin enthusiasts… Fontaine’s out! Excuse me as I degen away. See y’all never! ( ◕▿◕ )

… Just kidding. Next part will come in two days, as usual.

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