Whoever said taking a bath was supposed to be relaxing was a liar.

         I felt nothing but tense and uneasy. The water only seemed to harden my body, as if it were turning me into concrete. Nothing about this situation was making me feel relaxed.

         I knew exactly why.

         It was because I was currently taking a bath in Miyagi’s bathroom, and she and I were the only ones home. Sure, it was normal for no one else to be around in her apartment, but today, for some reason, it felt different.

         I pressed my palms against my temples and let out a deep breath.

         「All we’re going to do after this is study. Everything will be fine.」

         I wasn’t really sure what I was trying to reassure myself of, but the words came out anyway as I pulled myself out of the bath.

         Eating dinner together, taking a bath at someone else’s place, and sleeping in the same room—none of that was strange. These were just normal things to do when staying over at someone’s house. There was no reason to be so self-conscious about any of it.

         At times like this, it was better to get things done quickly and not dwell on them.

         I washed my hair and body before leaving the bathing room.

         After drying off, I put on the sweats Miyagi had lent me.

         I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I put my pendant back on. There I was, dressed in Miyagi’s clothes. The fit seemed perfect—not too tight, but not too loose either.

         But something about it still felt off.

         It wasn’t that the clothes didn’t fit—they were just ordinary sweats—but somehow, it felt like I wasn’t fully contained by them. As if, even though they were simple fabric, wearing them made me feel like Miyagi’s presence was somehow close by.

         「These are just ordinary sweats. Nothing more.」

         This was getting ridiculous.

         There was no reason to let myself get caught up in this.

         I grabbed the hair dryer and switched it on. As I started drying my hair, something obvious caught my attention: the shampoo smelled exactly like Miyagi’s. My hands froze. The lukewarm air continued to blow out in a steady roar against the same spot of my hair.

         「Seriously, what is wrong with me right now?」

         I exhaled loudly.

         Even the smallest things could grow into something massive if they kept piling up.

         All the little details about Miyagi that I had never really noticed were now clinging to me, slowly consuming my thoughts.

         I swallowed, feeling like another sigh was on its way.

         I moved my hands again, properly drying my hair before heading back to Miyagi’s room.

         「I’m back.」

         I said to Miyagi, who was engrossed in a book. She didn’t reply with anything like, “Welcome back,” and instead silently stood up and opened her closet.

         「You can help yourself to some barley tea in the refrigerator if you want.」

         She spoke without looking at me. Then, as she pulled out what looked like a change of clothes, she added, “I’m going to take a bath now,” before leaving the room.

         Left on my own, I decided to follow her suggestion and headed to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of barley tea, then returned to her room. Setting the cup down on the table, I wandered over to her bookshelf.

         There, sitting on one of the shelves, was the stuffed black cat I had given her.

         I didn’t know Miyagi all that well, but I did know this bookshelf was filled with things she liked. The fact that the stuffed black cat had its own spot here meant she cherished it more than I expected.

         I picked it up and ran my fingers over its head.

         「Good for you, huh?」

         It wasn’t alive, of course, but it felt better to see it treated with care than to imagine it being tossed aside.

         I leaned forward and kissed the tip of its nose before returning it to its place on the shelf.

         In any case, there wasn’t much for me to do.

         I didn’t feel like reading, and I didn’t really want to watch anything either.

         After finishing my cup of barley tea, I decided to put my time to better use. Acting like a diligent student preparing for entrance exams, I spread my textbooks and notebooks across the table. It was certainly more productive than aimlessly wandering around Miyagi’s room.

         As I flipped through reference books and worked through problems, I felt far more at ease than I had in the bath. I stayed focused, letting the steady rhythm of studying occupy my mind until Miyagi returned, marking the start of our study session.

         「You’re not wearing any makeup, huh.」

         She said softly as she glanced at me.

         「Well, I did just take a bath.」

         Since I was planning to sleep right after we finished studying, there didn’t seem to be any point in putting my makeup back on. Even so, I couldn’t help but wonder what Miyagi thought of me like this. She didn’t say anything else, leaving me guessing.

         The room grew quiet, filled only with the overly loud sounds of pages turning and pencils scribbling against paper.

         We didn’t talk except for when I answered Miyagi’s questions about our homework.

         But just because it was quiet didn’t mean we were fully focused. I couldn’t deny I was at least a little conscious of her sitting beside me, and I doubted Miyagi was entirely absorbed in her work either.

         Still, somehow, two hours passed while we studied.

         「Let’s go to sleep.」

         Miyagi said suddenly.

         With exams approaching, it felt like we hadn’t done enough. But since I couldn’t concentrate anyway, there was no point in continuing. Deciding I’d make up for it later, I began packing up my reference books and notebooks.

         「Come with me, Sendai-san.」

         Miyagi said as she stood, dressed in a similar—but not identical—set of sweats.

         「Oh, sure. What are we doing?」

         「We have a futon for guests to use in another room.」

         I immediately understood what she meant.

         There was only one bed in this room.

         「… And that’s what I’ll be sleeping on?」

         「Yeah. Come help me get it.」

         「Okay.」

         Well, this wasn’t exactly surprising.

         It was perfectly normal for a guest to sleep on a futon when staying over at someone’s house. In that sense, having me use the guest futon wasn’t strange at all. And realistically, there was no way Miyagi would want me to share the same bed with her.

         I followed her out of the room.

         Miyagi slid open a door at the back of the living room, revealing a Japanese-style room I hadn’t seen before. She walked to the closet, pulled out a futon, and we carried it together back to her room, spreading it out on the floor.

         「I’m going to turn off the lights now.」

         Her voice was cold as I placed my phone next to my pillow. Before I could say anything, the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

         「Good night.」

         I said in the pitch-black room, where even the faintest glow of night lights was absent.

         「… Good night.」

         She replied quietly, and the room fell silent.

         Something about the stillness felt off. This didn’t feel like the same room I’d been in so many times before. Even lying on my back, I couldn’t shake the discomfort. It was as though something was sticking to me, and if I had to guess, it was probably because I was still wearing Miyagi’s sweatshirt.

         I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to let the unease dissolve into the darkness.

         ―― But just as I expected, I couldn’t fall asleep.

         I opened and closed my eyes again, then rolled over a few times, but nothing helped. Sleep was nowhere to be found. If I tried counting sheep right now, I was sure I’d hit 10,000 and still be awake. Normally, I wasn’t the type to lose sleep just because I wasn’t in my own bed, but tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if I stayed awake until morning.

         I reached for my phone and checked the time. Barely ten minutes had passed since I last looked.

         「Are you still awake?」

         I called out to Miyagi, wondering if she was in the same sleepless boat as me, but there was no response.

         「Miyagi, you’re awake, aren’t you?」

         I tried again, speaking a little louder this time.

         It’s not fair if she’s the only one who can fall asleep.

         That thought spurred me to call out again, louder this time. Still, there was no response. My eyes, still adjusting to the dark, guided me as I made my way to her bed.

         「If you’re just pretending to be asleep, give it up already.」

         I thought calling her name might get her to move, but Miyagi didn’t even flinch.

         Reaching out, my hand brushed against something soft—her cheek. I let my fingers trace the shape of her face, then moved to her hair, its dark strands smooth beneath my touch. I tugged gently at what I assumed were her bangs, but still, she didn’t react.

         「… Shiori.」

         I whispered her name close to her ear. That finally made her shift, pulling back from me.

         「Don’t call me by my name.」

         Her voice sounded irritated, cutting through the dark like a sharp blade.

         「So you were awake.」

         「You’re the one who woke me up.」

         Miyagi sat up, turning on a small night light that cast a soft glow over the room.

         「Keep me company for a little while. I can’t fall asleep.」

         Without waiting for her reply, I sat down on her bed. There wasn’t much we could talk about, but even small talk was better than staring into the dark, counting imaginary sheep.

         「I don’t want to. And this is my territory, so don’t sit here.」

         Her hands pushed against my shoulders, forcing me back.

         「Your ‘territory’? That sounds like something a grade school student would say.」

         「It doesn’t matter. Just get off and go back to your own territory.」

         「And where exactly is that?」

         「Over there.」

         She pointed toward the futon, and I stood up without complaint.

         「Fine, fine. I’ll go back to my own territory.」

         I stepped back over to the futon and slipped beneath the covers.

         Miyagi and I were different.

         I was the one who always wanted to kiss her, to touch her. Honestly, I still felt that way even now. I couldn’t believe she didn’t feel the same, but whatever she felt was undoubtedly different from what I did. Maybe she only had those urges half as often as me—or far less than half.

         「Okay, I’ll try to sleep now. Good night.」

         I rolled over, closing my eyes in an effort to suppress the feelings that had grown too loud to ignore.

         「Didn’t you just say you couldn’t sleep?」

         Her voice made me open my eyes again, and I turned towards her bed.

         「Yeah, but I’m going to try anyway.」

         「Why the sudden change?」

         Despite her earlier refusal to keep me company, Miyagi sounded almost like she didn’t want me to sleep now.

         If she’d stayed quiet, I might’ve managed to drift off eventually, but now that she was talking to me, my fleeting drowsiness slipped even further out of reach.

         「I just don’t want to betray your trust.」

         I answered with my eyes closed.

         「What does that even mean?」

         「You let me stay the night because you trusted me not to do anything strange, right?」

         「Yep.」

         「Yeah, so, good night.」

         I wasn’t even remotely sleepy, but I cut the conversation short anyway. When Miyagi called out, “Sendai-san,” I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned my back to the bed, only to hear the soft rustle of movement behind me.

         The futon dipped slightly at its edge, and I sat up. Turning toward the sound, I could make out Miyagi’s form in the faint light.

         「This is supposed to be my territory.」

         Miyagi, who had just kicked me back into this so-called “territory” earlier, was now seated at the edge of the futon herself.

         「Well, the whole room is my domain, so technically, this is my territory too.」

         Claiming the futon as hers now, Miyagi pulled the comforter away from me. The room was warm enough that I didn’t exactly need it, but I wasn’t about to let her take over without a fight.

         「That’s not fair. You didn’t say anything like this before.」

         「I’m the one letting you stay over, so I think it’s fine if I’m a little unfair.」

         Without waiting for a rebuttal, Miyagi shifted closer, settling herself beside me. Then, her hand brushed lightly against my collarbone.

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