As soon as I entered Miyagi’s room, I undid a button on my blouse.

          The atmosphere between us still felt awkward, but I was slowly adjusting to it.

          After Miyagi handed me a five-thousand-yen bill, I sat in my usual spot. Miyagi brought over glasses of barley tea and soda, placing them on the table. After a moment’s hesitation, she took a seat next to me, a bit farther away than usual. I felt a little relieved, seeing as how she’d been sitting across from me since summer vacation ended.

          Things weren’t entirely back to normal, but they were improving.

          Sometimes, things didn’t always work out the way I wanted them to, and that was okay.

          As long as we acted the same way we had before summer break, my feelings should eventually return to how they used to be too.

          Miyagi laid out her textbooks and assignments on the table in silence. I couldn’t tell how motivated she was today, but she dove straight into her homework. I followed her lead and started on mine as well.

          Yesterday, I had carelessly suggested to Miyagi that she should consider applying to the same university as me. She thought it was impossible for her to be accepted, and though I disagreed, I knew it would be difficult for her.

          We’d been studying together ever since the start of summer break. Although the number of times Miyagi had to ask, “I don’t get this part. Explain it to me,” had decreased, I still wasn’t confident she would pass. That said, if she committed to working hard from now on, there might be a chance for her to get accepted. She would need to be very determined. If Miyagi asked for my help to get accepted into the same university as me, I’d gladly offer it, but I couldn’t force it on her.

          But even if we both ended up at the same school, it wouldn’t necessarily mean we’d have anything to do with each other. Our relationship had a set end date, something I had agreed to from the start.

          Still, for some reason, I thought it would be fun if Miyagi and I went to the same university.

          「Sendai-san.」

          I raised my head to look at Miyagi, who had called my name out.

          「Was there something you didn’t understand?」

          「No, but what was up with you earlier today?」

          Of course.

          This was why Miyagi had called me two days in a row.

          I knew the reason, but I pretended to be clueless.

          「What are you referring to?」

          「You grabbed my wrist when we were in the hallway, didn’t you?」

          「I was just trying to help you pick up what you dropped.」

          「Sure, but you didn’t need to grab my wrist for that, right?」 

          「What do you mean? My hand just bumped into yours by accident.」

          「That was definitely not “just a bump.”」

          What a pain.

          I didn’t want her to dig deeper and force me to say things I preferred to keep buried. Even if I told Miyagi the truth, it wasn’t going to sit well with her.

          ‘I just didn’t want to hand you back to your friends.’

          It was best for both of us if I kept these feelings to myself.

          「… What do you want me to say then? I’ll tell you anything you want to hear.」

          I said, hoping to resolve the situation with some kind of middle ground.

          If there was something she wanted me to say, I’d say it if it meant ending the conversation right away. Dragging this out wouldn’t make either of us happy, so it was best to wrap it up quickly, even if my response was half-hearted.

          But I knew Miyagi wouldn’t be satisfied with that sort of answer.

          「That’s not what I want from you.」

          「Okay, then what do you want?」

          「Tell me the reason why you grabbed my wrist.」

          「I just wanted to touch you, that’s all.」

          I decided to tell her half the reason why I had grabbed her wrist earlier.

          「What? Answer me seriously.」

          「I just did.」

          「Fine, then tell me why you wanted to touch me.」

          You’d be better off not asking me that.

          That way, we can carry on in peace.

          「Miyagi, why are you asking me this when you already know I’m not going to give you an answer?」

          I asked, trying to put an end to her relentless questioning, but she stayed silent. I was left with no choice but to continue with,

           「I don’t need a reason to want to touch you, do I? Sometimes, I just feel like doing it.」

          I said as I reached out to Miyagi.

          Even though we were sitting a bit farther apart than usual, she was still close enough for me to touch. I brushed her cheek with my palm. Miyagi’s face twisted in discomfort, but I didn’t pull my hand away.

          The warmth from our skin touching was pleasant, so I slid my hand from her cheek to her neck. I wasn’t planning to go further than this, but I knew my feelings for Miyagi were far from pure.

          「It’s not like I ever touch you just because “I feel like it.”」

          「Miyagi, if you put it that way, doesn’t it imply that there’s always a reason when you touch me?」

          「I――」

          Miyagi appeared to be at a loss for words, but instead of saying anything, she quietly moved my hand away from her.

          「I don’t get you, Sendai-san. Everything you do, whether it’s at school or in here, just doesn’t make sense.」

          Miyagi mumbled quietly as she lowered her gaze.

          「I don’t understand it myself. ―― Just hurry up and give me an order for today.」

          I wasn’t confident I could keep going like this without something happening. Whenever I was around Miyagi, it would feel as if the screws that held my rationality together were coming loose.

          Although we were beginning to adjust to the new shape our relationship was taking, we still hadn’t returned to its original form. Even the slightest provocation could easily shatter it.

          I’d rather be ordered around than risk something worse happening. Miyagi would probably just give a trivial order anyway, which was better than whatever was happening right now.

          「Okay, then let me pierce your ears.」

          Miyagi spoke without flinching or looking up, catching me so off guard that I ended up repeating what she said.

          「Pierce my ears?」

          「Yeah. I’ll pierce your ears for you, Sendai-san.」

          Miyagi lifted her head and tugged on my earlobe.

          Was this her way of getting payback because I had touched her ears yesterday?

          「No. Absolutely not.」

          I stood my ground against Miyagi.

          I didn’t want anything that would leave a mark on my body. Especially not a piercing.

          I knew Miyagi was eager to leave any kind of mark she could on me, and she had done so many times before. I had put up with it until now, but only because the marks faded quickly.

          But piercings were different.

          I was not able to tolerate this as I had in the past.

          「Why not?」

          「Because having piercings is against school rules.」

          Miyagi’s hand showed no sign of restraint as it continued to softly touch my ear, so I grabbed her arm. When I pulled her hand away, her fingers released my earlobe with little resistance, but she didn’t sound willing to give up.

          「But you wear your skirt shorter than what’s allowed and dyed your hair. Aren’t you already breaking the rules?」

          「I think I’m still somewhat adhering to them.」

          「You’re always like this, Sendai-san.」

          「Like what?」

          「You adjust the rules to fit your own standards and act like that’s just how it should be.」

          「Isn’t it okay to stretch the rules a little? The teachers don’t seem to care much about my skirt or my hair, so I’m not really violating any rules.」

          The school rules weren’t as strict as they seemed.

          The official guidelines were one thing, but the teachers who enforced them were more relaxed. As long as you mostly complied with the rules, you wouldn’t get into trouble.

          All I did was establish a new boundary for the rules and ensured I stayed within it.

          「That’s not fair.」

          「If that’s what you think, then why don’t you give it a try too? I bet you’d look cuter if you wore your skirt a little shorter.」

          I grabbed Miyagi’s skirt, which was hanging at a medium length, and tugged it gently. Before I could adjust it to a shorter length that wouldn’t get her in trouble, she slapped the back of my hand.

          「There’s nothing wrong with this length. That aside, it doesn’t have to be today, but let me pierce your ears sometime.」

          「No, give me a different order. I’m considering this one against the rules.」

          I said firmly.

          But Miyagi didn’t look like she was ready to give up.

---

< Previous Part | Next Part >