“Happy New Year.”

         When I woke up and reached for my phone beside my pillow, I saw messages from Maika and Ami. I sent them the same New Year’s greetings in return.

         There was nothing from Sendai-san.

         No messages, no calls.

         She hadn’t bothered to text or call to welcome the new year—not that I had either. But it would’ve been nice if she had at least tried.

         I lay there, staring at my screen.

         But still, no calls came in.

         「Whatever. It doesn’t matter.」

         Sendai-san wasn’t here today, but I wasn’t alone either. My father, who was rarely home, had decided to spend the day here, and we planned to have dinner together.

         As a child, I loved New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day because they meant my father would be home. Once I entered middle school, it stopped feeling like such a special occasion, but even then, it was still reassuring to know someone else was around. Yet now, instead of thinking about dinner with my father, I found myself more preoccupied with my phone—where Sendai-san’s name remained absent from my notifications.

         Rolling onto my side, I ran my fingers over the head of the black cat plushie next to my pillow before setting my phone down beside it. Then, I pulled myself out of bed.

         After stretching, I left my room, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and made my way to the living room.

         My father and I exchanged New Year’s greetings before sitting down for breakfast together.

         The hours slipped by faster than they did on school days, yet the day still felt long with nothing much happening. I opened my reference books and sat at my desk, and before I knew it, evening had arrived.

         By the time I finished dinner, I realized all I had done today was study. My phone—still watched over by the black cat plush—had received a few more messages, but they were all from Maika and Ami. Nothing from Sendai-san.

         Just because it was New Year’s Day didn’t mean anything out of the ordinary would happen. Aside from getting more studying done, today was no different from the day before, despite being a new year. And just like yesterday, I went to bed a little earlier than usual.

         The next day came, and nothing changed.

         I woke up to an empty apartment, spent the day alone, and before I knew it, night had fallen.

         When I glanced at the clock, I saw it was already past ten, so I decided to get ready for bed.

         Now, I was alone in the room where I had slept beside Sendai-san just a few short days ago.

         I wasn’t particularly lonely.

         Just bored.

         I pulled the black cat plush close, tugging at its ears. It didn’t meow, of course—but something else did make a sound.

         It was my phone.

         I picked it up from my pillow and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Sendai-san.

         『Are you alone right now?』

         It wasn’t a New Year’s greeting, making it hard to believe that the new year had begun at all.

         I typed out a quick reply.

         『I am. Why?』

         Almost immediately after, my phone started ringing.

         Sendai-san was calling me.

         I hesitated.

         I could’ve answered right away, but I didn’t want to seem like I’d been waiting for her to call. So, I let it ring a few more times before finally sitting up and picking up.

         「Hello?」

         「Happy New Year.」

         Her voice was close—so close it felt like she was right next to me.

         It reminded me of that night, when we slept in the same futon.

         Back then, her voice had been just as close.

         My grip on my phone tightened.

         It was just a phone call.

         Nothing to get worked up over.

         「… Happy New Year.」

         I said the words I never got to tell her last year. Then, I waited for her to say something, but she remained quiet.

         「Did you need something?」

         I had no choice but to break the silence.

         「I was wondering when it was okay to come over.」

         「I told you I’d let you know when I decided on a day.」

         「I’m asking because I haven’t heard anything from you yet.」

         「If I haven’t said anything, that means I haven’t decided. Just wait a little longer.」

         New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day weren’t days to invite someone over just to study. I at least had that much common sense. Today was only the second day of the year—New Year’s festivities were still going on¹. Calling her over now felt wrong. And yet, here she was, making it sound like I was the one at fault for not reaching out sooner.

         「At this rate, winter break’s going to end before you even make up your mind, so decide right now.」

         Sendai-san said in a tone that made it sound like I was the one to blame.

         「I have plans too, you know. I can’t just decide on the spot.」

         That wasn’t true. I didn’t have any plans.

         I just didn’t want to decide right now.

         If all Sendai-san wanted was to settle on a day to meet, then the call would end the moment we decided.

         If that was the case, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stall a little and talk a bit more.

         「Oh, so even you have plans, huh, Miyagi?」

         Her tone carried a hint of surprise, and it irritated me more than it should have.

         「What, am I not allowed to?」

         「Well, no, but… Anyway, what have you been up to since then?」

         By “since then,” she probably meant the last time we saw each other.

         「Nothing, really.」

         「Not even on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day?」

         「It’s not like there’s anything I need to do on those days.」

         「Did you hang out with your friends at all?」

         「Sendai-san, you sure ask a lot of questions that sound like something a parent would ask.」

         My father never kept tabs on what I did, but sometimes, Sendai-san did—like one of those parents in manga or on TV. I didn’t particularly mind, but it wasn’t like I had anything interesting to tell her anyway.

         「Come on, it’s fine if I ask, right? It’s not like we have much else to talk about. So, have you met up with anyone? Like Utsunomiya or anyone else?」

         Her voice was unreadable, making it hard to tell if she actually cared about the answer or not.

         「I haven’t. Everyone’s busy studying for their entrance exams this time of year anyway. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t go out with your friends either—」

         I was about to finish my sentence when I suddenly remembered the plans she’d told me about before. But before I could correct myself, Sendai-san mentioned Ibaraki-san’s name.

         「I went to the shrine with Umina and the others for hatsumode² and made some prayers for success.」

         It was a name I didn’t want to hear, and I flopped onto the bed, reaching for the black cat plush and pinching its ears.

         「I prayed for your sake too, Miyagi.」

         「You didn’t have to do that.」

         「But you didn’t go for hatsumode this year, right?」

         She spoke as if it were obvious, and I stroked the plush’s head.

         「Yeah, since I don’t really believe in those sorts of things.」

         「I don’t really believe in them either, but you know, it’s the thought that counts, right?」

         Sendai-san didn’t seem like the type to pray for success. If she had time to rely on a deity, she’d probably spend it studying instead. If she had gone to the shrine on her own, I might’ve appreciated the thought, but she hadn’t—she was there with Ibaraki-san. That made her words feel empty. Still, if I brushed her off any further, I’d feel bad, so I let the conversation drop. But with that, I had nothing else to say.

         「So, have you decided on a day yet?」

         Sendai-san brought up the study plans again, reviving our dying conversation.

         「Do you have time the day after tomorrow?」

         「The day after tomorrow? Not tomorrow?」

         「Yeah.」

         「I’ll probably be free in the evening.」

         「Okay, then come the day after tomorrow.」

         「Is there a reason you don’t want me to come tomorrow instead?」

         「It’s only the third day after the new year, after all.」

         Given her family situation, I doubted the first few days of the new year held much significance for her, but I still wanted to be considerate.

         「You care about something like that?」

         「I don’t, but you probably need time to study on your own too, don’t you?」

         She paused before replying with, “I guess so. Okay, I’ll come the day after tomorrow, then,” and hung up shortly after.

         The voice that had felt so close didn’t just grow distant—it vanished completely. With no one left to talk to, the room felt too quiet, and a sense of loneliness crept in.

         Winter break was incredibly short.

         Once the day after the tomorrow was over, there probably wouldn’t be another chance to meet before it ended. Both of us had entrance exams to focus on. I didn’t want to be the reason Sendai-san failed, and even though I didn’t have to go to the same university as Maika, I’d rather pass than fail. If exams weren’t looming over us, I could’ve called her over more often.

         Last year, I had no trouble calling her over whenever I wanted. Then again, we had agreed not to meet over breaks, so it wouldn’t have been possible anyway. Yet, I still found myself thinking about how nice it would’ve been.

         Winter break really is boring.

         I couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.

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1. In Japan, New Year’s (shougatsu/正月) is celebrated over three days, and most businesses are shut down between January 1st and 3rd and treated as holidays, which is why Miyagi is reluctant to call Sendai over during this time. ↩︎
2. I could’ve sworn I had this footnote somewhere in a previous chapter, but probably a long time ago. As a refresher, hatsumode (first shrine visit of the New Year) is a Japanese tradition where you visit a Buddhist or Shinto shrine sometime during the first three days of the New Year. Typically, it is a way to welcome in the New Year, and you can make prayers for success for the year to come. ↩︎

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