「You want me to do it myself?」

         I asked as I picked up the light blue towel from the floor.

         「Yep, that’s right.」

         Thinking back, I already knew what she wanted without her needing to say it.

         But when I thought about what she was going to do to me afterward, I didn’t really feel like going along with it.

         Miyagi had some really bad tastes.

         She always gave me orders that definitely weren’t something you could do in front of others.

         Then again, being ordered around by her like this was something we couldn’t be open about either.

         「Now hurry up and do it.」

         I hesitated, still holding the towel, as Miyagi urged me on.

         Whether I did it myself or had her do it, the result would be the same.

         Either way, I was going to end up blindfolded.

         I didn’t want to do it.

         But if I kept hesitating, she’d only get more annoyed—and there was a good chance her next orders would be even worse because of it.

         I covered my eyes with the light blue towel.

         Blinding myself like this made me feel like I was doing something immoral.

         Miyagi seriously had some strange tastes.

         「It’s kind of lame not being able to see anything, though.」

         I complained, even though I couldn’t tell where she was anymore.

         「This isn’t for your entertainment, Sendai-san.」

         Her voice came from in front of me.

         「So it’s supposed to be entertaining for you, then, Miyagi?」

         「It’s not.」

         It wasn’t just her tastes—her whole way of thinking was weird.

         I didn’t see the point in doing something like this if it wasn’t even fun for her.

         「So, what are you planning to do to me?」

         I asked, trying to hide the unease of not being able to see.

         But she didn’t answer.

         「Miyagi?」

         I called out to her, assuming she was still in front of me.

         Then, I felt her hand on my cheek.

         It gently stroked my skin and traced over my lips.

         My body stiffened without meaning to.

         The memory of being blindfolded during summer break flashed through my mind.

         But this time, she pulled her hand away quickly.

         She didn’t kiss me like she had back then.

         「Sendai-san.」

         Miyagi said my name quietly.

         She wasn’t touching me anymore, but I could feel her eyes on me.

         I couldn’t actually see her, so I couldn’t say for sure—but it made me uneasy.

         My neck started to feel strangely restless.

         「Respond to me.」

         She sounded irritated at my silence.

         But I still didn’t say anything, so she called out to me again.

         「Sendai-san.」

         「What is it?」

         「―― Tell me you hate me.」

         「Huh? Where did that come from?」

         「Just say it already.」

         「Why?」

         「It doesn’t matter.」

         Her voice was calm, but low.

         It was the same tone she used whenever she was in a bad mood.

         It wasn’t unusual for Miyagi to say things that didn’t make sense.

         She was always unpredictable, and there was rarely any point in trying to understand the reason behind her actions.

         But this time, I felt like I shouldn’t follow along without knowing what she meant first.

         「What exactly am I supposed to say I hate again?」

         I asked, still blindfolded, but lifting my head slightly—trying to match where I imagined her eyes were.

         「… Me.」

         She muttered.

         ――I want to see Miyagi’s face right now.

         Nothing was stopping me from using my hands, so I reached up to the towel over my eyes.

         I wanted to take it off and see what kind of face she was making.

         But before I could undo the knot, she grabbed my hand and tightened it again.

         「I didn’t say you could take it off yet.」

         I heard Miyagi say. Then, the spot next to where I was sitting sank.

         Without any hesitation, she grabbed my arm.

         She pulled me toward her, turned my body slightly, and pushed me down.

         Thanks to the mattress underneath me, it didn’t hurt at all—but I was still a little scared of being handled roughly while I couldn’t see a thing.

         Just as I was about to complain, Miyagi spoke first.

         「This is for not obeying my orders.」

         I felt her fingers trail along the chain of the pendant I was wearing, then tug it out from under my blouse.

         She hadn’t undone any of the buttons.

         She just yanked on the pendant so hard the chain dug into the back of my neck.

         「You’re pulling too hard. It kind of hurts, and you might break it.」

         She was only grabbing onto the pendant charm, so it wasn’t like she was choking me or anything.

         But still, I was scared she might actually end up doing just that—leaving me unable to breathe.

         I couldn’t see, so I had no idea what she was thinking, and it made my breathing go shallow.

         It felt like all my other senses were heightened.

         「Let go already.」

         I tried to sound firm, but she kept pulling on the pendant, the chain dragging against my skin and hurting me.

         When I finally called her name, she let go.

         Then, she bit the side of my neck.

         Her teeth sank into my skin, warm but not painful enough to make me say anything.

         She soon moved her mouth away, and I felt her fingers trace the spot where she’d bitten me.

         She followed the chain of my pendant again, her hand reaching the center of my collarbone.

         Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she unfastened a button on my blouse and undid my necktie.

         At first, I thought she was going to use it to tie my wrists.

         But she didn’t do anything more.

         If she’d really wanted to, she would’ve tied me up by now—she’d done it before.

         But for some reason, she didn’t do it today.

         ‘Maybe it’s because she wants me to touch her too,’ I thought, giving myself a convenient excuse to pull Miyagi towards me.

         I wrapped my arms around her back and gently stroked her hair.

         She didn’t try to push me away.

         In fact, it felt like she had no intention of resisting at all.

         「―― Do you hate me, Miyagi?」

         I asked, combing my fingers through her hair.

         「…Yeah.」

         She replied after a short pause.

         「Then say it clearly. Tell me you hate me. If you do, I’ll follow your order from earlier and tell you I hate you too.」

         I said as I continued to stroke her hair, then moved my hand to her cheek and traced her lips with my fingertips.

         But Miyagi stayed silent.

         「I’m not going to get upset, so just say it.」

         Still, her lips didn’t move.

         I pulled my fingers away.

         If she told me she hated me, I would’ve been a little surprised.

         She didn’t seem to mind that I had my arms around her or that I was stroking her hair—so there was no way she actually hated me.

         Miyagi shifted her body slightly away from me and brushed her hand against my pendant again.

         Her fingers traced the chain, pressing down on it so hard it felt like the marks might be left on my skin, until she reached the charm.

         「Give the necklace back.」

         She said as she yanked on the charm so hard I genuinely thought she might break it.

         I immediately pulled the towel off my eyes.

         This time, I managed to get it off before she could stop me.

         The Miyagi in front of me had her brows furrowed.

         Her expression was full of displeasure—but also looked like she was about to cry.

         My vision was still adjusting after having the towel pressed over my eyes, but even through the blur, there was no mistaking that it was Miyagi in front of me.

         「I told you not to take it off on your own, didn’t I?」

         She let go of the pendant and snatched the towel away from me.

         「That aside, why do you want me to give it back?」

         「I don’t need a reason, do I?」

         Her voice wasn’t cold, but it was completely devoid of emotion.

         I tugged on her blouse.

         「Then I’m not giving it back. You were the one who told me to wear it until graduation, weren’t you? You should keep your promises.」

         「You’re the one who’s always breaking your promises, Sendai-san.」

         She said, sounding irritated as she peeled my hand off her blouse.

         「Even if I do, you should keep yours, Miyagi.」

         I said, knowing it was selfish, as Miyagi silently tried to tear the pendant off.

         「I’m not giving it back.」

         I slapped her hand away to emphasize my point.

         But even then, she kept trying to take it from me, so I smacked her hand away again.

         Finally, the chain that had been digging into my neck loosened as she pulled her hand back.

         「Look, Miyagi. We’ve still got exams coming up, so stop saying weird stuff… It’s just going to make me feel depressed.」

         I said as I pushed her away and sat up.

         「There’s nothing for you to be depressed about, Sendai-san.」

         Miyagi mumbled as she planted her face in her bed.

         「You’re such an idiot, Miyagi.」

         I hit her with her pillow one more time before getting off the bed.

         「So, when’s the next time?」

         I asked as I stared at her, taking a seat by the table.

         Miyagi raised her head and looked over at me.

         「Huh?」

         「When’s the next time you’re calling me over? We agreed you’d keep inviting me until graduation, right? So hurry up and decide.」

         「… I’ll let you know later.」

         「You’re not actually planning to message me later, are you? I want you to decide right now.」

         I pressed her firmly, and Miyagi buried her face into her pillow again.

         「Five days from now.」

         She said, her voice muffled.

         ‘That’s kind of a long time,’ I thought.

         But we still had exams to get through, and it made sense to spend the time studying, so it wasn’t strange for her to tell me to come over in five days.

         「Okay. So, what about our optional attendance days?」

         I asked about the other thing that had been on my mind.

         Starting February, our classes would be optional—students could choose whether to attend or not. Most people didn’t plan to go.

         Umina and Mariko had already said they wouldn’t, and I didn’t plan to either.

         But I wasn’t sure what Miyagi’s plans were.

         「…」

         There was no way she hadn’t heard me, but she kept her face buried in the pillow and didn’t move at all.

         「Miyagi, optional attendance days aren’t actually considered days off, you know.」

         We’d agreed not to meet unless it was a school day.

         But technically, optional attendance days still fell under that.

         「Miyagi.」

         I called her name again, pressing for an answer.

         She finally replied,

         「I’ll call you over even without you needing to tell me.」

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