My usual message was met with an unexpected refusal.

          Because of that, I found myself retracing the directions to Sendai-san’s house in my memory.

          『I caught a cold and took the day off from school, so I can’t make it today.』

          We were in different classes, so I wouldn’t have known this on my own. I replied with, “Got it,” but my thoughts drifted back to how she’d been sneezing when we last saw each other.

          If those sneezes on that rainy day were a sign of her catching something, she might have been out of school for a few days by now. I didn’t really care how long she was absent, but since she’d never missed school before, I started to wonder if she was okay.

          Besides, being stuck in bed at home seemed rough for her, especially given the tension with her family. I wasn’t sure what was worse—being in a difficult household like that or being left at home alone—but neither option seemed very pleasant.

          I knew visiting her wouldn’t actually change anything, but I could at least bring her some food and something to drink. Whether those would be of any use, I wasn’t sure, but it was better than nothing at all.

          I’d known Sendai-san for more than a year now, so going to check on her wasn’t out of place. Besides, I was a human with a heart, too—caring about someone wasn’t anything unusual. There wasn’t anything weird about this.

          Recalling the path we’d once walked together, I headed toward her house.

          I could clearly remember the words we’d exchanged, but the route itself was blurry. I hadn’t been to her house even once since then, so it made sense.

          Still, I was pretty sure I knew where to go.

          On the way to Sendai-san’s house, I stopped by a convenience store.

          I couldn’t remember it clearly, but this was probably the same as the one we stopped by last time.

          I grabbed a plastic bottle of tea and some yogurt, tossing them into a shopping basket.

          Maybe I should get her some forehead patches, too.

          After a moment of hesitation, I added a pack of cooling patches for her forehead. Given the way things were between her and her mother, it seemed like a good idea.

          Once I paid for everything, I left the convenience store.

          Since I hadn’t told her I was coming, there was a chance I wouldn’t get to see her even if I visited. But I kept walking, and after about five minutes, I arrived at a familiar house.

          Standing at her front door, a sudden pang of regret hit me.

          I couldn’t exactly text someone that was sick and ask them to come outside, so the only way to enter was to ring the intercom.

          Considering the time, her father was likely at work, and maybe her mother as well. But chances were her mother, who I didn’t have a very good impression of, would be the one to answer the door. The odds of Sendai-san coming herself were pretty slim.

          Maybe I should just leave.

          I stared at the shopping bag while standing there. Taking a deep breath in, I exhaled.

          I decided to ring the doorbell once, and if no one came, I would go home.

          I placed my index finger on the button and pressed it.

          The doorbell rang for a moment, then silence followed.

          Nobody answered.

          Her parents were probably at work, and Sendai-san was likely home alone.

          I guess I’ll head back, then.

          Just as I turned my back to the front door, a woman’s voice came through the intercom—one that didn’t belong to Sendai-san. It was the first time I’d heard this voice, but I was certain it was her mother.

          Hearing it made me want to turn around and leave immediately. But as a high schooler, I couldn’t just ring a doorbell and run away. Stumbling over my words, I told her I was here to check up on Sendai-san. Her mother, whom I had only seen once during summer break, opened the front door. In an emotionless voice, she told me to come inside. I thanked her and headed up towards Sendai-san’s room.

          I climbed the stairs and stopped in front of one of two doors that stood side by side.

          I raised my hand to knock but hesitated.

          Coming here was quickly becoming my biggest regret of the year.

          For some reason, I found myself standing at her door without even letting her know I was coming. Sendai-san might get upset that I showed up without permission, and she might not even let me into her room.

          I shouldn’t have pressed the button on the intercom. Thinking it would be best to leave the convenience store bag behind, I hooked it onto her doorknob. But because I was so nervous, the plastic bottle inside hit the door with a loud thud. The noise startled me, and before I could figure out what to do, the door opened.

          「… Huh? What are you doing here, Miyagi?」

          Sendai-san stepped out of her room, dressed in her pajamas, even though I hadn’t called her to come out.

          「I was just about to leave.」

          I turned my back to her as I spoke.

          「Wait, what’s going on?」

          「It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.」

          I answered without turning around. I started heading down the stairs, but Sendai-san grabbed the hem of my uniform, tugging at me weakly. Likely due to her cold, her grip wasn’t strong, but I felt bad pulling away from someone who was sick, so I stopped.

          「Even if you tell me not to worry, it’s too strange to ignore. There’s no way you’d come all the way to my house if it was nothing, right? Also, wait, what’s this? Were you the one who brought this, Miyagi?」

          Sendai-san asked, pointing at the shopping bag hanging from the doorknob.

          「That’s for you, Sendai-san.」

          「… Thanks. But if you were the one who brought this bag, does that mean you came all the way here just to check up on me?」

          「No, not exactly…」

          「So, you came to see me anyway? Even though that’s not the reason?」

          That was why I came, but I didn’t want to say it, so I stayed quiet. The hallway fell silent, and after a moment, Sendai-san let out a tired sigh.

          「Well, just come in for now.」

          While still gripping my uniform, Sendai-san took the shopping bag off the door handle. I had no choice but to accept her invitation, so with my uniform held hostage, I dragged my reluctant feet into her room.

          When I looked around, I saw a bookshelf, bed, and a desk. It was as tidy as before. Her room hadn’t changed much since I’d last been here during summer break, but there was a piggy bank on the dresser that hadn’t been there before. It looked like the kind meant to store hundreds of thousands of yen in five-hundred yen coins.

          When I glanced at Sendai-san, I saw she wasn’t wearing any makeup today. Her hair was down without its usual braid.

          But she was still wearing the necklace.

          And though I didn’t know if she had any at home, she didn’t seem to be using any cooling patches for her forehead.

          「You can sit over there, Miyagi. I’ll bring you something to drink.」

          「There’s food and something to drink in the bag I brought.」

          I told her as she placed the convenience store bag beside her bed and checked inside.

          「Still, let me bring something for you to have.」

          I tried to stop her before she left the room.

          「I don’t need anything. You should rest since you’re sick. I’ll leave soon.」

          「You’re going to leave soon?」

          「I can go right now if you want.」

          Perhaps worried that I’d leave while she was out of the room, Sendai-san sat down on her bed.

          「I’ve already slept too much, so I don’t think I can sleep anymore. How about you keep me entertained with some conversation?」

          「There’s nothing for us to talk about.」

          「We don’t have to talk, then. Just stay with me a little longer.」

          She mumbled quietly.

          Her voice sounded the same, but seeing her in pajamas and without makeup made it clear she was sick, and I’d feel bad leaving her like this.

          「How’s your temperature?」

          「I’m still a bit feverish.」

          「You should cool your head down. I brought something you can use in that bag.」

          I said, pointing at the shopping bag with the cooling patches while sitting a bit away from her bed.

          「Put it on for me, Miyagi.」

          「Just do it yourself. You might be sick, but you can handle that much, can’t you?」

          「Aren’t you a little too cold to someone who’s sick?」

          「You still have a fever, so me being cold is perfect for you, don’t you think?」

          Even though I hadn’t clearly said I came to check on her, that’s exactly what I was doing. But I didn’t see why I should go out of my way to be nice about it.

          「You could at least listen to me for today, can’t you?」

          Sendai-san said as she tossed the box of cooling patches at me.

---

< Previous Part | Next Part >