Sendai-san’s kisses couldn’t be passed off as mere jokes.

          The same could be said about our first kiss.

          If all she did was give me a peck on the lips, it could have been played off as a playful gesture. However, Sendai-san consistently kissed me in a way that left no room for excuses. Just pressing our lips together would have been fine, but she always attempted to take it further.

          When Sendai-san’s tongue touched my lips, it sent a shiver down my spine and made me feel uneasy.

          Her warmth had merged with mine, causing my thoughts to become heated.

          Those kinds of kisses crossed a line in our relationship, so I had to bite Sendai-san’s lips to put an end to it. Her serious kisses were unacceptable because they threatened to unearth the buried emotions within me.

          The wound I inflicted on Sendai-san’s lips turned out to be deeper than I expected, but she had brought it upon herself.

          I increased the pressure with the fingers I used to press down on her wound.

          Sendai-san’s expression contorted, and she shot me a glare, though she attempted to conceal the pain in her face.

          It had been a while since I had seen Sendai-san look at me with such defiance.

          Whenever I saw Sendai-san with that expression in my room, I felt a sense of superiority, much like when I acquire a rare item. It excited me to know that I was the only one who could make her wear such an expression.

          ―― Or at least, that was how I felt up until recently.

          But right now, there was a part of me that didn’t want Sendai-san to look at me with a disapproving expression on her face.

          This was strange.

          Sendai-san was the one who tried to push for a deeper kiss, so I should have every right to dish out a little pay back. It shouldn’t matter what sort of look she had on her face.

          I pressed my fingernail into her wound.

          Sendai-san grabbed me by the wrist, my fingertip now tinged with a bit of her blood.

          「I told you, that hurts.」

          She said as she forcefully tore my hand away from her wound.

          As I inspected my fingertip, I noticed Sendai-san’s blood on it, the same blood that had been on her lips. When I licked the blood from my finger, it had the same taste as when I kissed Sendai-san, and it wasn’t particularly pleasant.

          「Don’t lick that. Go wash your hands.」

          Sendai-san said as she tried to turn the tap on in the sink, but I quickly grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

          「I’ll wash my hands later.」

          「Then what are you planning to do right now?」

          Sendai-san seemed to be getting carried away this summer.

          Even when I tried to initiate the kiss, she kept kissing me as if it were more natural that way. I didn’t mind being kissed, but I had an issue with Sendai-san acting like she pleased all the time.

          This was my home, and now that I had fulfilled her three commands, I should be allowed to do whatever I want with her.

          「I’ll kiss you.」

          I had no intention of waiting for Sendai-san’s reply.

          I took a step closer to her and leaned in, bringing my face closer to hers.

          She didn’t close her eyes.

          Sendai-san’s face drew nearer in my field of vision. She maintained her gaze for a moment longer before finally deciding to yield and closed her eyes. Then, I pressed my lips against hers.

          I could sense her warmth, along with a wetness – likely blood – through her lips.

          The wetness from her lips was somewhat unpleasant, but the contact with mine felt pleasurable, just like when she had kissed me. As I pressed my lips more firmly against hers, Sendai-san pulled back slightly, likely because of the pain from her wound.

          There shouldn’t be any difference in the softness of the lips, regardless of where they touched on the body, but when our lips met, it sent my heart racing and my body heating up.

          I wasn’t sure if I’d feel this way with someone else.

          I didn’t even want to find out.

          The only thing I was certain of right now was how I felt while kissing Sendai-san.

          I tugged at her T-shirt, pressing my lips more firmly against hers. There was more blood on her lips than before, and they felt even softer against mine. However, Sendai-san soon broke the kiss.

          「Be a bit gentler. I already told you, my lips hurt. Also, you’re going to stretch my t-shirt out, so let go.」

          Sendai-san said as she smacked the back of my hand.

          Without uttering a word, I headed to the sink to wash my hands before resuming my task of whisking the eggs. Sendai-san didn’t comment on my silence and continued cutting the bread. The kitchen was now filled with the rhythmic sound of chopsticks striking the bowl.

          My heart was still pounding a little bit.

          The only thing in my line of sight now was a bowl of yellow liquid. However, as if unable to stand the silence, I decided to ask:

          「What should I do with this now?」

          I wasn’t sure how the mixture was going to be used.

          「I think that’s good enough. All that’s left is to pour that over the bread and bake it, so you can take a seat and wait over there, Miyagi.」

          Sendai-san kicked me out to the living room, even though she was the one who had asked me for my help earlier.

          How irresponsible.

          I had a few complaints about being kicked out after being forced to help, but I also felt uncomfortable staying in the kitchen. Besides, it would be a hassle if she asked me to help her bake the bread.

          I decided to listen to Sendai-san’s instructions and left the kitchen.

          While waiting at the counter table, I heard sizzling bread and caught a whiff of the sweet scent of French toast. Despite not being very hungry, my stomach stirred. Leaning closer, I noticed slices of bread with crispy crusts. It seemed like an eternity, but eventually, the French toast was served.

          「I’m not sure how it’ll taste thanks to someone not following my instructions earlier, but here, give it a try.」

          Sendai-san placed a knife and a fork in front of me and took a seat beside me. Although we didn’t say it at the same time, we both clapped our hands together and said, “Let’s eat.” During that moment, our eyes met briefly.

          I sliced the bread, and a small piece – resembling tamagoyaki – made its way to my mouth. The crispy outer layer and the soft interior combined to create a nostalgic flavor of eggs and butter.

          「So, what do you think after trying French toast for the first time?」

          Sendai-san asked while staring at me.

          「It’s a lot sweeter than I imagined.」

          「That’s your own fault. You did add a ridiculous amount of sugar.」

          Sendai-san said with a dissatisfied tone in her voice.

          「Well, I guess it tastes pretty good.」

          Those were my honest thoughts.

          While it tasted a bit sweeter than I expected, I would consider French toast as one of my favorite foods now.

          Just like the karaage and tamagoyaki, the food Sendai-san made was delicious. Maybe she had the ability to make even the things I didn’t like taste good.

          「I’m glad to hear that.」

          She said, sounding relieved.

          Every time Sendai-san prepared a meal for me, she would react this way when I expressed how delicious it was. While my opinions shouldn’t concern her, it appeared that she cared about my thoughts.

          I savored another bite of the French toast. While I chewed on the fluffy bread and swallowed, I heard the distinct sound of utensils clinking against the plate. Glancing to my side, I found Sendai-san with her hand over her mouth.

          「Are you okay?」

          I knew immediately why she was covering her mouth.

          The French toast must’ve brushed against her wound.

          At least, that was probably what happened, but considering Sendai-san was the one who deserved it, there was no need for me to be concerned. However, she looked like she was in so much pain that I couldn’t help but ask if she was okay.

          「Stop biting me so hard to the point where it causes bleeding.」

          Sendai-san glared at me with her brows furrowed.

          「It’s your fault for doing things that make me bite you so hard.」

          「It’s not like you hate it when we kiss, though.」

          「I never said I liked it either.」

          「Really now.」

          Sendai-san’s voice and eyes seemed like they were filled with doubt.

          I took another bite of the French toast, attempting to drown out her voice and avoid her gaze. I chewed it slowly, savoring the buttery taste until it faded, and then I expressed what was on my mind to Sendai-san.

          「Starting from the day after tomorrow, act a bit more normal.」

          「What do you mean by “normal”?」

          「Don’t do anything strange anymore.」

          Just as Sendai-san said, I didn’t hate being kissed, and I was fine with kissing her too.

          But it wasn’t something we should be doing.

          Our relationship wasn’t the type where we should be kissing each other, and I had no intention of changing that. Just because things had taken a different turn at the start of summer vacation didn’t mean our relationship would remain the same when the second semester began. It was more likely that we’d return to our previous routine, much like during the first semester.

          Moreover, I had a feeling that if we kept going like this, we might not be able to stop. My lack of confidence stemmed from the fact that I didn’t dislike it, and it made it hard for me to behave as I normally would.

          I had a feeling that if we continued down this path, something bad would end up happening.

          「And what do you mean by “strange”?」

          Sendai-san asked as she poked at her French toast with her fork.

          「I don’t know. Just stop doing weird things.」

          「Don’t beat around the bush. You’re telling me not to kiss you anymore, right?」

          「If you already knew what I was going to say, then don’t ask. Look, if we have to do something together, we could study or have some conversations. And if that doesn’t interest you, we could pass the time by reading books or playing games together.」

          I said firmly as I snatched a slice of French toast from Sendai-san’s plate. Taking a bite, I heard Sendai-san smile and say,

          「You know, doing things like that makes us sound like we’re friends, Miyagi.」

          Her artificially cheerful voice filled the living room. Then, Sendai-san rose from her seat and said, “I’ll get us something to drink,” as she made her way to the kitchen.

          「Well, if that’s the kind of friendship you want, then sure, I guess we can try that starting the day after tomorrow.」

          She said as she returned to the table with two cups in her hand before placing them down.

          「I never said I wanted us to be friends or anything.」

          「Is that so? When you said to “act a bit more normal,” I thought we could at least pretend to be friends. You know, we could’ve caught a movie together, like what real friends do.」

          Sendai-san smiled as she took a sip of her barley tea. It looked just like the same smile she would wear at school.

          I could tell from her voice that she wasn’t being serious either.

          There’s no way I’d ever go to the movies with you.

          That was probably the response Sendai-san was expecting from me.

          And that was exactly why I wasn’t going to say it.

          「… Alright, fine. Let’s go.」

          「To the movies?」

          「Yes. Let’s go tomorrow – it’ll be Thursday then.」

          Although I wasn’t pretending to be her friend at the time, I once tried treating her like one.

          We talked about trivial things and even played a game together.

          But in the end, all that did was make me realize that Sendai-san and I could never be real friends.

          This time, things might take a different turn. Back then, I was the only one making an effort to treat her like a friend. Now, Sendai-san was also playing along. I wasn’t particularly eager to be friends with her, but it could be the beginning bringing our relationship back on the correct path.

          「Why are we going on a Thursday?」

          Taken aback by my response, Sendai-san asked, probing for more details.

          「Well, if we’re going to pretend to be friends, we should probably do it on a day where you’re not coming over for a tutoring session.」

          「I guess that’s true. Okay, Thursday it is then.」

          Sendai-san replied while wearing a smile that I had never seen in this house before.

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