「Is that good enough?」

          Sendai-san asked as she smiled at me.

          Our tastes in movies were different.

          It wasn’t uncommon to have our differences. It was like this with Maika and the others as well, so it wasn’t really an issue.

          The real problem was with Sendai-san’s attitude.

          Sendai-san – who still had a smile plastered on her face – felt distant.

          「Yeah, I don’t think we could ever be friends.」

          I finally voiced the thoughts that had been lingering in my mind all day.

          At first, I thought that by engaging in activities with her that typical friends do, even if we couldn’t ultimately become friends, we could at least mend our deteriorating relationship. But it was merely wishful thinking.

         It wasn’t fun being around Sendai-san whenever she tried to treat me like a friend, and I didn’t want to be around her whenever she was acting like this, even if it did mean being able to repair our strained relationship. However, she persisted with her futile efforts.

         「It’s only been half a day and you’ve already come to that conclusion?」

          Sendai-san asked with a composed tone as she sipped on her barley tea.

          「Nothing’s going to change no matter how many hours we spend with each other.」

          「So, what are you unhappy about?」

          「Everything. Everything about you right now is grossing me out, Sendai-san.」

          「Well, you didn’t have to put it like that.」

          Sendai-san let out a deep sigh as she set her cup down on the table.

          「You were the one who wanted us to act like friends, so I was just listening to your request, Miyagi.」

          「I didn’t request anything.」

          「You invited me to the movies, didn’t you? That’s basically a request.」

          「But Sendai-san, you were the one who suggested we go and watch a movie together.」

          「And you were the one who said you wanted to go.」

          Sendai-san, sounding somewhat offended, said before flopping down onto the bed. She wasn’t entirely sprawled out, but her manners were a little lacking. I was also concerned that her skirt would get wrinkled.

          「Sendai-san, you shouldn’t roll around on other people’s beds. Your skirt might get flipped up.」

          「That won’t happen as long as you don’t do anything strange.」

          She responded half-heartedly as she bumped her arm into me. While it was somewhat bothersome, her arm stayed motionless against my shoulder. I reached out and took hold of her dangling arm.

          Even though she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, her arms were surprisingly not tanned at all. It was hard to believe that she walked to my apartment under the blazing sun three days a week. While gazing at the tips of her lovely, pale arms, I noticed that her nails were subtly decorated, although it wasn’t very conspicuous.

          I placed my hand on Sendai-san’s shoulder, curious if she’d react with her usual complaints or displeasure whenever I touched her. Slowly, I ran my fingertips from her upper arm down to her wrist, stealing a glance at her as I did so. However, Sendai-san remained quiet and appeared unfazed.

          I brought my face closer to the area right above her wrist.

          When I pressed my lips against her skin, I felt a hand pushing my head away.

          「I thought I told you not to do anything weird.」

          Sendai-san said, sounding dissatisfied as she glared at me.

          Now this was the Sendai-san that I knew.

          As I thought, I found this side of Sendai-san the most appealing – undoubtedly so. Yet, for some reason, her displeased expression felt like a needle pricking my body. I tightened my grip on her arm, as if I were clinging to her.

          「All I’m doing is touching you. That much is fine, isn’t it?」

          I asked nonchalantly.

          「Touching me? That was a kiss just now, wasn’t it? Do you usually do this with your friends?」

          「I don’t, but you’re not my friend. Also, we’re done pretending to be friends.」

          We spent a lot of time together, and now we were even meeting on our days off.

          We’d also engage in casual conversations multiple times a week, so it wouldn’t have been strange if we actually became friends. However, I wasn’t sure if it was because we didn’t start off on the right foot or if it was because of the activities we did together, but in any case, there was no scenario where I could truly consider Sendai-san my friend.

          I tried to press my lips against Sendai-san’s arm once again. However, before I could manage to do so, she tugged on my hair.

          「Hey, just because we’re not friends doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, you know.」

          Sendai-san stated firmly as she flicked my forehead. The overly calm and kind side of her had completely disappeared.

          「Well, it’ll be fine as long as you give me permission to do whatever I want, right?」

          To be honest, I was lying about it being fine.

          Letting things fester like this wouldn’t lead to anything good, but even though I was aware of that, I couldn’t resist the urge to touch Sendai-san.

          Moreover, none of this would’ve happened if Sendai-san had gone home when I asked her to. It was all because she chose to accompany me to my place as if it were the most natural thing, that it had come to this.

          Instead of heaving a sigh, I sank my teeth into her arm.

          「Miyagi, that hurts.」  

          I didn’t bite her that hard.

          However, after exaggerating the pain, Sendai-san followed up with, “I never said you could do whatever you wanted.”

          「Well, in that case, hurry up and give me permission.」

          「You don’t have the right to order me around today.」

          Sendai-san muttered as she sat herself up and leaned against the headboard of the bed while stroking the bite mark.

          「So if I did have the right to give you orders, you’d let me?」

          I was well aware of what I needed to do to gain the authority of giving her orders.

          I got up, took my wallet from my bag, and pulled out a five-thousand-yen bill before giving it to Sendai-san.

          「I just need to give you this, right? Now follow my orders.」

          「A five-thousand-yen bill isn’t always going to solve everything. Besides, you’ve already paid me this week.」

          「That was payment for your tutoring services. This is for the order I’m about to give you.」

          I tried to force her to take the five-thousand-yen bill, but she appeared unconvinced and refused to accept it. Instead, she kicked my leg and firmly stated, “I don’t want it.”

          With nowhere else for it to go, I put the bill on my bed before taking a seat next to her.

          「Sendai-san. Do as I say.」

          None of the rules we had established covered this situation, so she had every right to refuse. The reality was, Sendai-san hadn’t accepted the five-thousand-yen bill from me. It lay on the bed, nestled between me and Sendai-san.

          It was probably impossible to convince her.

          Just when I was on the verge of giving up and reaching for the bill, I heard Sendai-san let out a deep sigh as she brought her feet to the floor.

          「―― Look, I’m not saying you can do whatever you want to me, but if you really want to touch me that badly, then just do it.」

          There was a tone of resignation in her voice as she turned to me.

          She hadn’t specified where or how I could touch her.

          I gently caressed her cheek.

          She didn’t object or express any dislike. I gently stroked her chin with my fingertips and did the same to her lips. When I moved my face closer to hers, she didn’t complain, so I pressed my lips against hers.

          After a brief, fleeting kiss, we quickly pulled away. When I glanced at Sendai-san, no longer able to sense the softness and warmth of her lips, I heard her express her dissatisfaction.

          「I don’t think you could call this “touching” anymore.」

          「You never said I had to touch you with my hands, right?」

          「You’re so annoying.」

          Despite her irritated tone, Sendai-san remained seated and didn’t distance herself. She simply stayed on the bed.

          So, I took the opportunity to press my lips against hers once again.

          She wasn’t my friend, so it didn’t really matter if I kissed her.

          Perhaps this was a bit of a logical fallacy, but given that Sendai-san had kissed me multiple times before, I don’t believe she has any right to complain. Moreover, if she didn’t like it, she could simply walk away.

          I went for a longer kiss than before. This time, I could distinctly feel the sensation of her lips against mine.

          Sendai-san – who was closer to me than anyone else has ever been – had lips as soft as they had been a few days ago.

          Our lips stayed connected.

          I didn’t know how something so simple could bring such pleasure, and it was only intensifying my desire to be even closer to her – to experience more of her.

          I wanted just a little more.

          I grabbed Sendai-san’s hand and pressed my lips against hers with more intensity than before. As I began to sense her warmth more vividly than the softness of her lips, we parted, and she hit me on the head with a pillow.

          「Can’t I be the one doing this to you instead?」

          Sendai-san asked, staring at me as she hugged the pillow.

          「No, because you always end up doing something unnecessary, Sendai-san.」

          If all we were doing was simply kissing, that would be fine, but it was never the case whenever Sendai-san initiated them. Even if I issued an order, she always seemed to push for more.

          Actually, she shouldn’t have been asking something like that in the first place.

          All she should be doing is rejecting me.

          If we wanted to enjoy the remaining time of our summer vacation in peace, then that’s what she should have done. Instead, Sendai-san posed her question as if kissing had become a routine part of our daily lives.

          「So you’re saying it’s fine as long as I don’t do anything unnecessary.」

          「Not today.」

          「“Not today,” you say. Does that mean there are days when I can?」

          「You talk too much, Sendai-san.」

          I leaned in as if to silence Sendai-san’s incessant, unnecessary chatter with a kiss.

          “Miyagi,” Sendai-san said, calling out my name.

          However, I kissed her without saying another word.

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