After returning home from prep school, I had lunch and then sent a message to Miyagi. Unlike my usual routine of going straight to her place from school, this time, I left from my own house.

          Walking through the streets on a scorching summer afternoon, I decided to take shelter in a shaded area.

          The sun blazed above, making it hard to believe it was the same sky that had poured rain during the rainy season.

         The journey to Miyagi’s place, which was a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk, felt incredibly distant.

          If this had been me a year ago, I would have turned back, but the me of today managed to reach Miyagi’s apartment without a single complaint about the weather. After being buzzed into the building, I took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked down the hallway to her door. When I rang the intercom at the front door, it opened almost immediately.

          「This is my first time seeing you like this.」

          Now that summer vacation had begun, I noticed she was wearing a different outfit than what I was used to seeing, so I couldn’t resist voicing my thoughts aloud.

          「Like what?」

          「It’s my first time seeing you in casual clothes.」

          She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

          The Miyagi who greeted me wasn’t dressed in loungewear or anything fancy. She had picked something comfortable to wear at home. Her outfit looked relaxed and casual, quite different from how she usually appeared in her school uniform.

          A small breath escaped me as I took in this new side of Miyagi, one I wasn’t used to seeing.

          「You’re dressed in casual clothes today too, Sendai-san.」

          「Oh, yeah, I guess that’s true.」

          My only plans for today were attending prep school and tutoring Miyagi. There was no reason to dress up, so I chose a simple outfit – a blouse and shorts.

          「Your legs are pretty long.」

          Miyagi said while staring at me.

          「You know, praising me won’t really get you anywhere.」

          「I wasn’t praising you. It was just an observation.」

          Miyagi replied curtly before entering her apartment. Just like always, I followed closely behind her into her room. Once inside, she handed me a five-thousand-yen bill.

          「Here’s your pay. This includes today’s and Friday’s sessions.」

          「You can just pay me after we’ve gone through the entire week.」

          「That’s harder to remember. It’d be a lot easier if I paid you at the beginning of each week, so just take it.」

          We agreed on three tutoring sessions a week.

          I’d prefer it if she paid me after the sessions rather than before. It just felt more comfortable for me that way.

          Miyagi had a different perspective and insisted on paying me in advance. Moreover, she preferred a weekly payment schedule rather than paying per session.

          「Our vacation started after Monday, so we’re only doing two sessions this week. Paying me five-thousand-yen is a little too much.」

          「It’s too much of a pain otherwise. Just take it.」

          Miyagi said, as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation. She handed the bill to me and then proceeded to sit down at the table, opening her textbook.

          「Alright, thanks.」

          I had come to realize that arguing with her was futile. Her stubbornness ran deep, and it was a pointless endeavor that would only waste my time and energy. So, without any protest, I accepted the money and tucked the bill into my wallet.

          The textbook she had open on her desk was an English textbook, and next to it were sets of handouts and worksheets that had been assigned as homework.

          「Okay, sensei. What are we going to do today?」

          Miyagi asked apathetically. When I looked at her, she had an obvious lack of motivation written all over her face.

          You’re just going to skip all the questions you’re not good at and make me answer them for you, aren’t you?

          Even though we were in different classes, our assignments were mostly identical. While it would save time to do all her assignments, there was no point in that. I wasn’t aiming to be a full-fledged private tutor, but I did want to help Miyagi with the parts she struggled to grasp.

          「Well, obviously, we’re going to study together. And don’t call me “sensei.”」

          「Doesn’t it have a nice ring to it, Sendai-sensei?」

          「It’s not like you see me as a teacher anyway. And be honest with me, you really don’t want to study, do you?」

          「Is there anyone who does?」

          Then why did you accept my suggestion of tutoring you in the first place?

          I held back the words I was about to say.

          I was curious about her answer, but now wasn’t the right time to ask. If I did, Miyagi might change her mind, or worse, she might ask me why I volunteered for this at all.

          「For the time being, I’ll just have you start on your homework.」

          I picked up one of the worksheets and placed it in front of Miyagi.

          「You’re going to do it for me, right, Sendai-sensei?」

          「No, you’re going to do it yourself. But I’ll help explain the parts you get stuck on.」

          「Sure, sure.」

          Miyagi replied, using the same words I typically used, before diverting her attention to the worksheet in front of her. I retrieved my own homework and set it on the table, then proceeded to work on it.

          The room fell quiet, and I looked to my side.

          Despite Miyagi’s initial complaints, she was earnestly working on her homework. As I glanced at her worksheet, I spotted a few errors, and I mentally noted what I would teach her later. Then, I returned to my own homework.

          Today marked my first visit to her room on a non-school day, but it didn’t feel all that different from our usual routine. Miyagi had given me a five-thousand-yen bill earlier and sat down beside me, just as she always did.

          But the fact that we’d be seeing each other over the duration of summer break was proof that Miyagi and I had gotten closer than ever before.

          There didn’t seem to be much point in growing closer to Miyagi, especially since we’d eventually part ways after our high school graduation next spring. Yet, for some reason, I had chosen to come all this way to her house today. While I was intrigued by the person Miyagi was and found her place more comforting than anywhere else, I couldn’t shake the growing unease about the path I was treading.

          But even despite all of that, I still chose to come here.

          I really didn’t like this part about myself.

          It was like giving myself a problem that couldn’t be solved, and it would make my head hurt whenever I thought about it.

          「Miyagi, what are your plans for tomorrow?」

          I asked, trying to shake off the somber feeling that didn’t quite fit the mood of summer vacation.

          「Huh?」  

          「Are you doing anything tomorrow?」     

          「Why do I have to tell you anything?」     

          Miyagi asked as she lifted her head to look at me.

          「You don’t have to tell me anything, but I’m just trying to make conversation with you.」

          「…… I’m hanging out with Maika and another friend.」

          So, Utsunomiya and someone else. She was likely talking about the other girl in their friend group, the one she had been spending time with since they became third years.

          「Where do you guys plan to go?」

          「I don’t know. Anywhere. Sendai-san, you’re starting to sound like my parent or something.」

          「I don’t think I’m as nosy as a parent, though.」

          I wasn’t actually trying to pry information about their plans out of her.

          Before the start of summer break, I remembered that Miyagi wasn’t particularly excited about the vacation, but she had mentioned having plans, so I thought I’d bring it up as a conversation topic – that was all. I didn’t appreciate being compared to a nosy parent, though. If anything, Miyagi was the one behaving like a defiant child. I was just making casual small talk with some trivial questions, but instead of answering, she’d just complain. However, before I could say anything else, Miyagi interrupted, saying,

          「No, you definitely are. 」

          「What’s so wrong with making some small talk?」

          I asked, poking Miyagi in the arm with my pencil.

          「I’m going to go back to doing my homework, so stop bothering me.」

          Miyagi said as her pencil moved across her worksheet. However, not even ten minutes had passed before she set her pencil aside.

          「You know what, I don’t feel like studying after all. Here, you finish this for me, Sendai-san.」

          「Do it yourself. It hasn’t even been an hour yet.」

          「I’ll try harder next time.」

          「Fine, but at least correct the mistakes you’ve made, and then I’ll do the rest.」

          「What mistakes?」

          「For starters, you got this and that wrong. There were a few others that I saw too.」

          As I pointed out the questions she had answered incorrectly, Miyagi counted the number of mistakes she had made and frowned. However, the offer I had made must’ve seemed appealing to her as she began erasing all the wrong answers. I provided her with a few tips on how to solve them correctly, and shortly after, she had managed to fix all her mistakes.

          「I’ll handle the rest, so in the meantime, work on the homework for the other subjects that you’re good at. You can copy what I’ve written once I’m done.」

          「…… In the end, I’m still going to be doing homework, huh.」

          「Of course.」

          As for the worksheets I was working on, I wasn’t going to let Miyagi copy them outright. I had no plans to mention this now, but I intended to have Miyagi try to solve the problems on her own to some extent.

          She probably hadn’t expected me to suddenly start acting like a real tutor. A displeased look appeared on her face as she started working on her homework for her other subjects.

          Of course, there was only so much we could get through in a single day.

          A considerable amount of time went by as I kept working on Miyagi’s assignments.

          「Are you having dinner here?」

          Miyagi asked as I stared at the numerous printouts scattered across the table.

          I was a little surprised by her question, as I hadn’t expected her to offer to serve me dinner over summer break.

          Though, the food being served would likely be the same as usual.

          It would be either instant or frozen food.

          Regardless, eating here was much better than eating at home.

          「Yeah, I’ll have something to eat.」

          After hearing my answer, Miyagi headed straight for the kitchen. I trailed behind her, settling into a chair by the bar counter. In silence, I observed Miyagi’s actions in the kitchen as she submerged a silver bag into boiling water, eventually transforming it into a serving of curry.

          The two of us brought our hands together and said, “Let’s eat,” before digging into our meal.

          「Eating instant food every once in a while is fine, but you should really learn how to cook for yourself sometimes.」

          I said as the curry – which surprisingly tasted better than typical instant food – settled in my stomach.

          「Isn’t instant curry fine? Plus, cooking is a pain anyway.」

          「You say it’s a pain, but what you really mean is that you can’t cook, right?」

          「If that’s what you think, then you make something for me, Sendai-san.」

          「Fine. As long as you prepare the ingredients.」

          I felt guilty about always being treated to meals, so I thought it was only fair to contribute in some way. Whether or not Miyagi found it tasty, I could quickly prepare a simple dish. However, the person who initially proposed the idea responded with something unclear.

          「Only if I feel like it.」

          I guess that means she’s not going to do it.

          I sighed at Miyagi’s half-hearted response before bringing another bite of curry to my mouth.

          Having dinner together in silence meant that we finished eating quickly.

          After helping put the dishes away, I gazed out the window while sipping on a cup of tea.

          Since we didn’t have school today, I arrived at Miyagi’s house earlier than usual, and we had dinner at an earlier time as well. Nevertheless, the sky visible through the lace curtains was dark, and the streetlights glowed like beacons.

           「I need to get home soon.」

          No one ever said anything whenever I came home late, but that didn’t mean I could stay here forever.

          I grabbed my bag from Miyagi’s room and headed for the entrance.

          As I put on my shoes, I heard Miyagi’s voice from behind me.

          「Are you going to prep school tomorrow as well, Sendai-san?」

          「Yep, and it’s not just tomorrow either.」

          While I was attending prep school, Miyagi would be spending time with her friends.

          It wasn’t like senior students had to study every single day just because our entrance exams were approaching. Still, for some reason, I felt irritated at the thought of Miyagi hanging out with her friends, even though there was nothing wrong with it.

          I began to open the front door but suddenly stopped.

          I turned around and grabbed Miyagi by the wrist.

          「What?」

          She had a wary look on her face. Ignoring it, I pulled her closer to me and put my lips to her neck.

          We had gone as far as kissing before, but even this made my heart race.

          Miyagi was trying to push me away by my shoulders.

          But I couldn’t stop myself.

          Even though I hadn’t planned on doing anything like this, I pressed my lips against her neck and sucked on it, but not hard enough to leave a mark.

          Her neck felt soft on my lips.

          The smell of her shampoo mixed in with Miyagi’s sweat tickled my nose.

          After parting my lips from her neck, I lightly brushed them against her skin once more before gradually lifting my head. A faint sigh escaped me, realizing the pointlessness of my actions.

          It was hot standing by the entrance with no air conditioning, and my hand holding onto Miyagi’s wrist felt a bit sweaty.

          「Didn’t I tell you not to do anything weird?」

          Miyagi said firmly and shook my hand off her wrist.

          「All I did was touch you a little bit. I didn’t leave any marks behind either, so I don’t think it’s that weird.」

          「That’s not what I meant.」

          「Look, not only did I help you study today, but I also did your homework for you, so…」

          I said, trying to come up with a random excuse to tell Miyagi.

          「…… How come this is the first time I’m hearing about this rule?」

          「Well, that’s because I didn’t tell you about it.」

          「Stop trying to make up new rules. Also, I’m pretty sure I finished most of my homework myself.」

          「But there were some parts you had to copy from me, right?」

          I retorted, backing up the fake excuse that I’d come up with on the spot, as I opened the front door. Miyagi trailed behind, grumbling, as we made our way into the hallway and stepped into the elevator together.

           We got off on the ground floor and walked to the entrance of the apartment building together.

          「See you later.」

          I said, before leaving the building.

          「Bye-bye.」

          Miyagi grumpily replied.

          Unlike before, I now had a clear idea of when I’d be returning here next.

          We would meet again on Friday, without the need for Miyagi to initiate the contact.

          We didn’t need to make any plans before I left – we both knew we’d be seeing each other the day after tomorrow.

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Just to clarify, the next part will be coming out in two days. Yes, this means I now update on odd-numbered days of the month!!!

…… I will probably try to catch up sometime and do a double release to make up for it, though.

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