I took off my coat at the entrance.

         I went into my room first and turned on the air conditioner. Following close behind, Sendai-san undid the second button of her blouse, though she didn’t take off her blazer.

         I stared at her loosened necktie.

         She hadn’t said a word in the elevator. She walked the hallway in silence too, and even now, she still wasn’t speaking.

         She seemed calm, like always—but small things about her felt off, and that made me uneasy.

         Sendai-san sat down in her usual spot beside the bed.

         「I’ll bring us something to drink.」

         As I walked past her, she grabbed my arm.

         「You can do that later. More importantly, what did you want to talk about?」

         She pulled on my arm firmly, and I had no choice but to sit next to her.

         「Did you bring the necklace with you?」

         「It’s not that I brought it… I’m wearing it.」

         Sendai-san tugged slightly at her collar.

         Her loosened blouse revealed a glimpse of her cleavage—and the silver chain around her neck.

         Normally, she’d complain when I answered a question with another question. But today, she didn’t.

         She listened obediently, even though I hadn’t handed her a five-thousand-yen bill yet. Maybe it was because she already knew today was the last time.

         「Now give it back.」

         「Why?」

         「Because the order’s over.」

         When I gave her that order, I told her to wear it at school and at home—but only until graduation.

         She’d kept that promise this entire time, so I was sure she hadn’t forgotten.

         There was no reason to keep following an order that had already ended.

         I was the one who gave her the necklace, so if it no longer served a purpose, I had the right to take it back.

         「Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do with it if I do give it back?」

         「I’m going to throw it away, and it’ll be the end of our relationship.」

         「What do you mean, “the end of our relationship”?」

         She asked that like it was the first time she was hearing of this, even though she should’ve already known.

         「I’m not going to see you anymore after this, Sendai-san.」

         「Even though you got into the same university as Utsunomiya and we could meet up anytime?」

         「We already agreed we wouldn’t meet after graduation. We’re not going to be meeting up whenever we want. So give it back.」

         「But you’re just going to throw it away, right? That’s kind of a waste, isn’t it?」

         She really didn’t know when to quit.

         She should’ve known what I’d say today.

         She should’ve known the order ended as soon as we graduated.

         Sure, I never told her she had to return it—but there was no reason for her to resist.

         You’d think she’d be glad to get rid of something that had basically been a collar.

         「It’s not a waste, so just give it back already.」

         I held out my hand, urging her.

         「You really are stingy, huh, Miyagi.」

         Sendai-san let out an exaggerated sigh as she spoke.

         Then, slowly, she began to remove the necklace.

         「Here.」

         She placed it on the table.

         I reached for the silver accessory, but just before I could grab it, Sendai-san caught my hand.

         「But before you do that… There’s something I want to show you. Give me a second.」

         「Something you want to show me?」

         「Yeah.」

         “Here it is,” she said, pulling something from her bag and placing it next to the necklace.

         「… What is this? A letter?」

         What she put on the table was a cherry-blossom-colored envelope with nothing written on the front. It was thin and light, and I couldn’t begin to guess what was inside.

         「Have a look inside.」

         I picked up the envelope—which, apparently, didn’t contain a letter—and turned it over. As expected, nothing was written on the back, and it wasn’t sealed.

         It opened easily, and a folded sheet of paper slipped out.

         It wasn’t ordinary stationery.

         It looked more like printer paper, folded into quarters.

         I unfolded it—once, then twice—and found something written inside that I hadn’t expected.

         「Sendai-san… What is this supposed to be?」

         It wasn’t the first time I’d seen something like it.

         In fact, I’d seen it many times before.

         But it wasn’t something I ever thought I’d be seeing right now.

         「It’s a floor plan.」

         She said calmly.

         「I can see that.」

         「Alright, good.」

         「What are you trying to say? Why are you showing me a floor plan?」

         「Well, it’s going to be your room, so obviously I had to show it to you.」

         I had no idea what she was talking about.

         She looked calm, but everything coming out of her mouth was nonsense.

         I’d never fully understood her, but right now, she was the most confusing she’d ever been.

         Because of that, I looked over the paper again.

         There were two bedrooms.

         There was also a kitchen, a dining area, and a bathroom. It was fairly spacious.

         「This is a lot of space for one person to live in.」

         There were plenty of things I could’ve said, but I decided to start with the most confusing part based on what I saw.

         「It might be too much space for one person, but don’t you think it’s just right for two?」

         「― And who’s the second person supposed to be, exactly?」

         I could already guess what Sendai-san was going to say next.

         Still, I felt like I had to ask.

         「You, of course. Don’t live in the dorms. Come live with me instead. Oh, but the apartment’s somewhere in between both of our schools, so there’s a bit of a commute.」

         She spoke quickly, not giving me a chance to cut in.

         「Your room’s going to be a bit smaller than it is now, but it’s still really nice.」

         「Sendai-san.」

         「Oh, and they said we’ll get the keys once we start moving. I’ll give you yours later.」

         「Sendai-san!」

         「And I already told my parents I was planning to live with you. They didn’t really care and told me I could do whatever I wanted.」

         「Sendai-san! I never said I was going to live with you, and I didn’t ask you to go looking for a room either. Besides, you usually have to pay something upfront when you sign a contract, right? Who even paid for my share?」

         I had way too many questions and didn’t even know where to start, but more than anything, I just wanted her to stop talking.

         I looked down at the floor plan again.

         I couldn’t imagine she went apartment hunting on her own. She must’ve gone with her parents, and they probably signed the contract for her.

         But there was no way her parents paid for my part.

         「I paid for it out of my own piggy bank.」

         Sendai-san said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

         「Your piggy bank?」

         「I saved every five-thousand-yen bill you ever gave me.」

         「You stashed them all away? Wait, you weren’t spending that money?」

         I had never asked what she did with the money I gave her.

         I never kept track of how much I gave, and I never questioned what she used it on.

         It was her money, and she was free to spend it on whatever she wanted.

         I just assumed she spent it on something.

         「I never needed to. Anyway, I told my parents you gave me the money to cover your share.」

         The five-thousand-yen bills I’d handed to her ended up being used on me instead.

         I never would’ve guessed she was the kind of person who’d do something like that.

         And the most ridiculous part was that it meant she’d been coming over to my place and following my orders for money she never even spent.

         That wasn’t normal.

         「Sendai-san… For someone so smart, you’re actually really stupid, huh?」

         I folded the floor plan and placed it back on the table.

         「I don’t mind being stupid. So, what will you choose?」

         「Choose between what?」

         I already knew what she meant, but I asked anyway.

         「I’m asking you to choose between the pendant and the floor plan. I’ll go along with whichever you pick. If you choose the pendant, I won’t try to see you again. Even if we pass each other somewhere, I won’t call out to you. Today will be the last time we’re ever together like this.」

         「And if I pick the floor plan?」

         「Then you’ll come live with me.」

         Sendai-san never made the decision herself.

         She always gave me two options and pushed the choice onto me.

         And whenever she did that, there was always an answer she wanted me to pick—regardless of how I felt.

         There was only one right answer, and she always made sure I knew which one it was.

         Today was no different.

         Sendai-san wanted me to choose the floor plan.

         But if I had to pick, it should be the necklace.

         That would be better for both of us.

         Sendai-san didn’t need to be tied down by someone like me.

         And I needed to forget about her and focus on a clean start.

         Everything that happened between us could just be written off as a mistake—something I’d look back on someday and wonder why I ever let it happen.

         It wasn’t the kind of relationship I should be dragging with me into my university life.

         「Can I ask you something?」

         Before giving her an answer, I wanted to ask Sendai-san something first.

         「Sure.」

         「Why did you decide to do this?」

         Sendai-san was acting strange, and she was making everything more complicated than it needed to be.

         Today was supposed to be about saying goodbye. That was all.

         「Why, you ask? I just felt like if I didn’t do this, we’d never get to see each other again. And also… I did try to ask if you wanted to come with me, but you kind of ignored me.」

         After the day we saw that movie together, she had reached out to me several times.

         Some of those messages were probably from around the time she said she was going apartment hunting.

         I ignored them, thinking she was just asking what I was up to, or wanting me to call her—things like that.

         But if I’d known she was trying to invite me to go apartment hunting with her, I would’ve definitely responded and shut it down.

         「I thought I told you I was going to live in a dorm.」

         I complained without acknowledging that I’d been the one ignoring her.

         「You don’t like living with other people, right?」

         「… Even if I don’t, I’ll figure something out.」

         A change in environment was a good excuse to move on.

         If I was going to let go of Sendai-san, there was no better time than now.

         「I think it’d be better for you to live with me instead of forcing yourself into a dorm. And if you are going to live with someone else, it might as well be me.」

         There was nothing good about spending the next four years with Sendai-san.

         She’d adjust to her new life quickly, and once university started, she’d just shove me off to the side—even if we were together.

         But as long as we were apart, the traces of her left in my heart would fade on their own.

         If I moved into the dorms and got used to life without her, I wouldn’t be able to keep thinking about her forever.

         Even if it didn’t happen right away—even if it took time—it would be better for me in the long run.

         That was definitely what I needed to do.

         And yet…

         I still couldn’t help but ask.

         「… What are you going to do if I don’t choose the floor plan?」

         I asked, staring at the cherry-blossom-colored envelope.

         The spring-themed pink looked just like a real cherry blossom, and somehow, it reminded me of Sendai-san herself.

         「I’ll find someone else to live with me, so don’t worry about me. There’s probably going to be a lot of students looking for roommates anyway.」

         Sendai-san spoke softly, like flower petals dancing in the wind.

         Her gentle voice made my heart flutter.

         The idea of Sendai-san living with someone I didn’t know—in a place I didn’t know—living a life with a person I didn’t know… and I’d never be able to see her again.

         There was a part of me that absolutely refused to accept that.

         I grabbed the back of my left hand with my right and dug my nails into my skin.

         Who Sendai-san lived with was none of my business. It wasn’t my place to say anything.

         I knew that.

         But still—I couldn’t accept it.

         No, I hated it.

         I pressed harder into my hand.

         What kind of expression was on Sendai-san’s face right now?

         I wanted to know, but I couldn’t bring myself to look.

         「You’re treating this like it’s nothing.」

         I managed to say.

         But I didn’t tell her that I hated the idea of her living with someone who wasn’t me.

         「You’re the one treating this like it’s nothing. You’re just planning to wing it once you start living in the dorm, right?」

         I didn’t really want to live in a dorm.

         Living with other people felt impossible for me.

         But that didn’t mean I had a reason to live with Sendai-san, either.

         We weren’t friends. We were just former classmates. Nothing more.

         「And if I choose the floor plan…」

         What happens then?

         I already knew the answer. I just couldn’t make it sit right in my head. It made me feel like I had to ask again and again.

         I took a quiet breath and let it out.

         Then, I finally looked up from the envelope—something I hadn’t been able to tear my eyes away from until now.

         「Sendai-san, you really want to live with me? Even though we’re not friends?」

         「Oh, come on. There are plenty of people who live together even if they’re not friends.」

         Sendai-san said as she picked up the floor plan and slid it back into the envelope.

         「And what about Maika? What am I supposed to tell her?」

         「That’s for you to decide later. So—what will it be? The envelope or the pendant?」

         I could only choose one.

         And no matter what I picked, Sendai-san would accept it.

         What should I do? What should I pick? What am I supposed to do?

         Which choice is the one I won’t regret?

         「Choose, Miyagi.」

         Sendai-san said, nudging me to make a decision.

         I picked up the necklace from the table.

         She let out a quiet sigh.

         「Turn around.」

         I told her, and without a word, she turned her back to me. I undid the clasp and fastened the necklace around her neck.

         The silver chain settled into place, disappearing beneath her hair.

         It wasn’t like I particularly wanted to be roommates with her or anything.

         But for two people who weren’t even friends, maybe becoming something else wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

         With her back still to me, I spoke.

         「―― Four years. I’m okay with being your roommate… if it’s just for the next four years.」

         Just when I thought I was finally going to let her go, she went and brought me this envelope.

         Seriously, what an idiot.

         I gently tugged on a strand of her hair.

         「Miyagi.」

         As she started to turn toward me, I stopped her by placing a hand on her head and nudged her to face forward again.

         「So, does that mean you’re choosing the envelope?」

         「If you’d rather I picked the necklace, I can still change my answer.」

         I said, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible, and Sendai-san placed her hand over mine, which was still holding her head.

         「Miyagi, if we’re only going to be together for four years, then you better not flunk and repeat a year.」

         「You really don’t know how to pick your words, huh, Sendai-san?」

         There had to be better things to say at a time like this. I wasn’t sure what exactly—but telling me not to repeat a year definitely wasn’t one of them.

         「Now, can you take your hands away?」

         She gave my hand one last gentle squeeze before letting go. I did the same, and once free, she turned to face me.

         Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she held my hand again.

         「Can I call you “Shiori” from now on?」

         「No.」

         「You’re so stingy, Miyagi.」

         「Shut up, Sendai-san.」

         She laughed.

         As always, she said the most unnecessary things.

         But… four years, huh.

         If it was just for that long, I didn’t mind spending it with someone like her.

         I gave a gentle squeeze back to the hand holding mine.

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