As after school hours approached, the classroom felt restless.

         Homeroom felt more like a formality than anything, and even the teacher didn’t seem very into it. I looked away from the teacher, who was fumbling for words to end the day with, and glanced over at Umina.

         The standardized entrance exam had gone by without a hitch.

         I didn’t know how serious she was being when she said it, but earlier, Umina had called it easy, and Mariko had just laughed and said, “got through it somehow.”

         I wasn’t sure how well I did either, but I felt like it had gone okay.

         I hadn’t seen Miyagi at all since the day I cast that charm on her, and she hadn’t contacted me either, so I had no idea how the exam went for her.

         Normally, at a time like this, you’d expect someone to message you and let you know if things went well or not.

         But we didn’t have that kind of relationship.

         I knew that—really, I did.

         Even so, I couldn’t help but feel like Miyagi was being way too cold.

         I turned my gaze back to the blackboard.

         The teacher scanned the room and explained one last unimportant thing like it actually mattered, then homeroom ended. The classroom quickly filled with noise, and it was finally after school.

         「Hazuki, there’s somewhere I wanna go today. Can you come with me?」

         I heard Umina say, but I found myself hesitating.

         I stood up, but I couldn’t bring myself to say “Sure.”

         「Oh, are you busy today?」

         Umina asked, placing her bag down on my desk. Her expression didn’t look too happy.

         I should just say I’ll go with her.

         I forced a smile.

         Just as I was about to tell her I would, Mariko’s voice cut in from beside me.

         「Isn’t it fine if it’s just the two of us today?」

         「Huh?」

         Mariko said as she took Umina by the hand, ignoring the way she looked a little unsatisfied.

         「Sorry. I’ll make it up to you both next time.」

         I called out to the two of them as they left, and Mariko waved back at me.

         I reluctantly pulled out my phone.

         It wasn’t like I had to see Miyagi or anything.

         But the fact was, I had hesitated to answer when Umina asked to hang out.

         『Hurry up and invite me over already.』

         I typed the message.

         But before I could send it, I froze.

         I was only reaching out because she hadn’t messaged me first.

         I wasn’t happy with how things had become, but if I didn’t say something now, she might never contact me again. I didn’t have much of a choice.

         I sighed deeply.

         Then, I hit “Send” and waited five minutes.

         But just as I expected, Miyagi didn’t reply.

         For a second, I considered asking her to meet me in the music preparation room, but I gave up on that idea pretty quickly.

         If she didn’t answer my message, there was no way she’d show up just because I asked.

         Her class was right next door.

         It’d be faster to just go see her.

         I grabbed my coat and bag and stepped into the hallway.

         The classroom door was shut, so I peeked in through the small window.

         And right then, I saw Miyagi and her friends leaving through the opposite door.

         Our eyes met.

         But before I could say anything, Miyagi quickly told her friends, “I forgot something,” and ducked back into the classroom.

         A few moments later, my phone buzzed with a notification.

         『Wait a little bit before leaving and meet me at my house.』

         She probably didn’t want to say that out loud in front of her friends, so she texted instead.

         That thought alone annoyed me.

         It made me want to storm into her classroom and tell her friends everything—how we spent time together after school, how we met up during summer and winter break.

         I wouldn’t actually do that, though.

         It’d just make my remaining time in high school harder than it needed to be.

         『How long is a “little bit”?』

         I replied, leaning against the wall between our classrooms.

         As I aimlessly looked around, I saw Miyagi’s friends—who’d been waiting for her—return to the classroom, probably because it was too cold out in the hallway.

         Then, another message popped up.

         『Wait until after I’ve left the classroom.』

         『Okay.』

         『We’re about to head out. Don’t call out to me.』

         『Yeah, yeah.』

         We weren’t allowed to talk to each other at school.

         After nearly breaking that rule, I sent my reply and stared down the hallway.

         Miyagi came out with her friends not long after.

         I didn’t know exactly how long I was supposed to wait after she left, but standing around in the hallway made the time feel longer than it was.

         I didn’t feel like going into any classrooms either, so after waiting five minutes, I left the school grounds.

         I walked the road to Miyagi’s place, trying not to look like I was in a hurry.

         The scenery passed by slowly and felt dull.

         The roadside trees were bare, and the people walking by all looked equally uninteresting.

         Everything felt so colorless—it was kind of depressing.

         I wasn’t walking particularly slowly, but I wasn’t rushing either.

         Eventually, I picked up the pace.

         I was supposed to be five minutes behind her, yet as I neared Miyagi’s apartment, I saw her up ahead.

         「Miyagi.」

         I called out to her when I was about a minute away from the building, but she didn’t stop.

         I caught up to her in front of the apartment and entered with her.

         「Sendai-san, I did tell you to wait a little bit before coming over, didn’t I?」

         「I did wait before leaving. I must’ve just caught up to you.」

         We walked through the building’s entrance and got into the elevator.

         「Isn’t it kind of weird that you managed to catch up? I bet you were hurrying over.」

         「Or maybe you’re just a slow walker?」

         「I’m not. You’re the one who walks too fast, Sendai-san.」

         Miyagi complained as we stepped off the elevator and walked to her door.

         She unlocked it, and I followed her inside.

         “Wait a second,” she said, disappearing into her room.

         She came back with a five-thousand-yen bill and handed it to me.

         「Thanks.」

         I tugged at the bill, which she didn’t let go of right away, but it ended up in my hands soon enough.

         I tucked it away and looked at Miyagi, who was wearing a strange expression on her face.

         「Miyagi?」

         「It’s nothing.」

         We exchanged the same words as we had last time I was here.

         Then she quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

         I headed into her room first, took off my coat and blazer, undid the first button of my blouse, and pulled out a manga volume from her bookshelf, where her black cat plushie sat.

         I lay down on her bed and flipped through the pages.

         Soon after, the door opened and Miyagi came in, placing a cup of barley tea and a bottle of soda on the table.

         「How cold do I need to set the air conditioner for you not to feel hot?」

         Miyagi asked as she picked up my coat and blazer from the floor and hung them up.

         「Don’t worry about it. Taking those off is just a habit at this point, so anything’s fine. If it gets too hot, I’ll let you know. Anyway—Miyagi, don’t you have something to tell me?」

         I closed the manga I was reading and sat up.

         「Like what?」

         Miyagi sat down in her usual spot, looking completely clueless.

         「How was your exam? Think you did well?」

         「Is that really something I need to tell you, Sendai-san? I said I’d let you know if I passed, but I never promised to tell you how I felt about it. Besides, I’ve still got more exams to take.」

         「You could at least say how you think it went. Don’t be stingy—just tell me.」

         I grabbed a pillow from her bed and smacked her lightly on the head.

         She was right—we still had more exams to come, and she wasn’t obligated to tell me how she did. We hadn’t made any promises about it. I knew I was just being selfish. Still, I couldn’t help wanting to know.

         「Miyagi.」

         I said, hitting her with the pillow again.

         「… I guess I did okay.」

         After a short pause, she finally gave a vague answer.

         「”Okay”? What’s that supposed to mean?」

         「Even if you ask me that, I don’t know how to explain it. What about you, Sendai-san? How’d yours go?」

         「I think I did okay too.」

         I answered with the same words she used, and Miyagi turned her back to me.

         I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was in a bad mood.

         She took a sip of her soda, then set the half-empty glass back down.

         I was used to the silence.

         Even though I knew she’d get upset, I gave her that answer anyway.

         Still, the heavy atmosphere hanging in the room was starting to get to me, so I spoke up again.

         「Anyway, Miyagi—are you planning on going on a graduation trip or anything?」

         I brought up a random, not especially interesting topic.

         「No. What about you, Sendai-san?」

         「Well, not a trip, exactly, but Umina and the others want to do something at least.」

         「I see.」

         She replied in a quiet voice.

         Miyagi suddenly turned to look at me, then stood up and snatched the manga I’d left on her bed.

         「Hey, I was reading that.」

         I hadn’t really planned on finishing it, but I complained anyway.

         「You weren’t even reading it. The book was closed.」

         「I was just about to keep reading.」

         「I’m about to give you an order, so read it later.」

         Miyagi said as she returned the manga to her bookshelf.

         「What am I doing today?」

         「Sit over there.」

         Miyagi instructed as she stood in front of her closet.

         「On the bed?」

         「Yep.」

         I followed her orders and sat on the bed like I was sitting in a chair.

         She opened the closet and pulled out a light blue towel.

         「Here.」

         She tossed it toward me—it landed on the floor in front of me.

         But Miyagi didn’t seem to care. Before I could reach down to grab it, she gave another order.

         「You know what I’m going to ask you to do with that, don’t you?」

         She asked quietly, pointing at the towel.

---

< Previous Part | Next Part >