I wasn’t about to deny what Miyagi said.

          After all, she wasn’t wrong. Whenever I teased her, it was always intentional.

          It was entertaining to see Miyagi lose her composure.

          However, it was only acceptable when I did it. Whenever she did it, I found it irritating.

          In other words, it was my exclusive privilege to ask questions that would trouble Miyagi. She should be the one at a loss for answers. Therefore, I pretended not to hear Miyagi’s remark and replied with a question of my own.

          「What is it that you want from me, Miyagi?」

          「…… I don’t have to answer that.」

          She had no intention of answering my question, but it seemed like there actually was something that she wanted from me.

          However, I didn’t know what that something was. It piqued my curiosity, but pushing for answers would be tough, and it wasn’t exactly a topic she’d be willing to delve too deeply into either.

          “I see,” I said, simply for the sake of replying to her, as I stared at Miyagi.

          I wriggled around a bit, wondering if I could manage to free myself, but it only resulted in the necktie digging deeper into my wrists.

          When I had warned Miyagi not to leave any marks earlier, she had loosened the knot slightly – but just barely. The necktie continued to cling tightly to my wrists, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if it did end up leaving marks.

          「Stand up.」

          Miyagi said curtly.

          「Huh?」

         「You want to be untied, don’t you?」

          「It’s kind of difficult to stand up like this, you know.」

          It appeared that arms played a crucial role in maintaining one’s balance, so seemingly straightforward actions like standing or sitting became quite challenging with my hands bound together. Technically, I could stand up on my own, but I was a bit apprehensive about the possibility of stumbling and falling.

          「Fine, then don’t move.」

          Miyagi said as she got off the bed and moved behind me. Before long, the cloth that held my wrists together was removed, and I regained my freedom.

          However, my arms weren’t as mobile as I had anticipated, so I shook them to regain feeling. When I felt that my blood was circulating properly again, I stood up and seated myself on her bed. Miyagi joined me, sitting next to me as she grabbed my arm.

          「Let me take a look.」

          Before I could even respond, Miyagi began examining my arm like a detective searching for clues.

          「I don’t see any marks.」

          Miyagi mumbled as she ran her fingertips over the area where I had been tied up. She delicately traced her finger along my vein, as if following a trail.

          As her finger slowly made its way toward the palm of my hand, I could sense my arm regaining sensation, as if reacting to her touch. Gradually, the sensation of Miyagi’s fingertip became increasingly vivid, causing me to shake her hand off.

          「I knew it. So you were trying to leave marks on me.」

          「No, I’m saying I’m glad it didn’t.」

          It sure doesn’t sound like that to me.

          The way she touched me and spoke made it sound like she wished that it had.

          「Or are you saying that you were hoping it would leave marks on you?」

          「No way. Absolutely not. What would I do if everyone at school saw that I had marks on my wrists from being tied up?」

          「Well, good thing it didn’t leave any on you then.」

          Miyagi said as she kicked my leg. She continued to kick me a few more times as if using it as a substitute for words, before remembering the manga she had set aside on the table earlier.

          However, I snatched the manga off the table before she could.

          「I want to ask you something.」

          「What?」

          Miyagi asked as she glared at the manga that was in my hands.

          「If I ordered you to do the same thing as what you made me do earlier, would you comply?」

          「There’s no way I’d ever obey you.」

          「Right.」

          I figured as much.

          I knew Miyagi would never do something like that. Yet, I asked her that question anyway.

          Even if I offered to pay her, there was no chance Miyagi would be willing to lick someone else’s feet. I understood that she was simply having me do things she would never do herself. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable for me, but I couldn’t object since I had agreed to follow her every command.

          「I’m not a pervert like you, Sendai-san.」

          「No, if anything, you’re the pervert here, Miyagi. You take pleasure in giving orders like that to me.」

         「It’s not like it makes me happy, you know.」

          Maybe not, but you sure do seem amused.

         Every time I voiced my complaints while still adhering to her commands, she always seemed to be enjoying herself.

         While I hadn’t meant to lick her in a suggestive way, she probably found that amusing nonetheless.

         「Oh, right. You’re having dinner here, right?」

         Miyagi asked, swiping the manga out of my hands as she changed the subject.

         「Yeah, I guess so.」

         There was no need to argue over who the bigger pervert between the two of us was, but I couldn’t understand why she suddenly changed the topic. Then, as if nothing had happened, Miyagi stood up, placed the manga back on her bookshelf, and left the room.

         Not going to say anything else, huh.

         Well, whatever.

         I stood up and followed Miyagi. Upon entering the living room, I found Miyagi, who typically prepared something instant or pre-made in the kitchen, seated in her usual spot.

         「Make something for dinner, Sendai-san.」

         I couldn’t believe my ears.

         I’d made karaage here once before.

         Since then, we had shared many meals together, but she had consistently turned down my offers to prepare dinner, so I never expected to hear those words coming from her mouth.

         「Do you have anything in the fridge?」

         I had many things I wanted to say, but I was afraid if I said too much, it might cause Miyagi to change her mind. Instead, I proceeded to the kitchen without uttering anything more than what was necessary.

         「Well, there should be some eggs in there.」

         Just as Miyagi said, there were a few eggs in her fridge.

         But other than that, there wasn’t much else in there.

         I guess I could make fried eggs, tamagoyaki, or omelettes out of this…

         I frequently cooked for myself, but I wasn’t a chef by any means, so those were the only recipes that immediately came to mind when I saw the eggs.

         What should I pick?

         I thought to myself as I pulled the eggs out of the fridge.

         In the end, I decided to go with making sweet tamagoyaki.

         I cracked a few eggs into a bowl. Perhaps Miyagi preferred to have her eggs salty, but I wasn’t going to bother asking her.

         Since Miyagi didn’t have an egg fryer, I opted to heat up a round frying pan instead and poured the eggs into it. Tamagoyaki cooked relatively fast, so it would be ready shortly.

         Because it was cooked in a round frying pan, it turned out somewhat uneven and had a slight char, but it still looked appetizing.

         「Alright, it’s ready.」

         I placed the tamagoyaki, along with a plate of rice, in front of Miyagi.

         Placing it on the table like this made it appear somewhat meager for a dinner, but there were no other ingredients to work with, so there wasn’t much choice.

         「Let’s eat.」

         Miyagi said as she clasped her hands together and then picked up her chopsticks.

         It was normal for us to share a meal together while acting as if nothing had happened in her room earlier, and today was no exception. Despite the rather harsh treatment I had received earlier, I sat down beside her and began eating the tamagoyaki with my chopsticks.

         If anything, Miyagi likely believed that no matter what she did to me, I would always end up forgiving her. Well, I suppose that wasn’t too far from the truth, considering I was the idiot who voluntarily obeyed every last one of her orders and then shared dinner with her afterward.

         I glanced to the side. Miyagi was eating her tamagoyaki in silence. I could hardly believe that this was the same girl who had bound me and kicked me earlier.

         「Hey, at least tell me what you think of the food.」

         「I wouldn’t mind if you made it again sometime.」

         Oh, come on. Last time I made food for you, you said it was delicious.

         She wasn’t being as honest with me today.

         Actually, maybe that was her roundabout way of telling me that it was delicious.

         「Well, I’ll do it if I feel like it.」

         I said as nonchalantly as possible as I popped another sweet tamagoyaki into my mouth.

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