My options for dinner included instant noodles or a frozen Hamburg steak.

         Or I could cook something for myself.

         After giving it some thought, I grabbed a frozen Hamburg steak from the refrigerator and heated it up. I was going to be eating alone, so cooking felt like too much of a hassle. Sendai-san had mentioned this morning that she’d be home late because of work, but even if she hadn’t told me, I already knew I’d be having dinner alone.

         I plated the Hamburg steak and scooped some rice beside it. A salad would’ve been nice, but adding more food wouldn’t make it taste any better when I was eating by myself. Meals were more delicious with other people. Alone, food just tasted okay. It was only there to make sure I wasn’t hungry.

         I ate with my chopsticks, quietly filling my stomach. Conversations with Sendai-san never flowed easily, and when I was alone, things were even quieter. I didn’t need to say a single word, so I finished eating in no time.

         With nothing left to do in the shared space, I washed my plate and returned to my room.

         I picked up the black cat plushie from my bookshelf and tossed it onto my bed.

         I followed suit and dove into bed, too.

         Today hadn’t been particularly fun, but it hadn’t been awful either. Still, I wasn’t in the best mood. I didn’t feel like taking a bath or changing clothes. I didn’t feel like doing my homework either. Instead, I hugged the black cat plush tightly.

         「Meow.」

         I meowed in its place as I stroked its head.

         The black cat plush I’d gotten for Christmas had become a source of comfort. Stroking its head helped distract me. If it had actually meowed, I felt like that alone would’ve cheered me up.

         I held the plush close to my chest and closed my eyes.

         I wasn’t really sleepy, but with nothing to look at, my mind grew foggy, and the drowsiness crept in.

         Maybe I’ll nap for a little. Just thirty minutes.

         Too lazy to set an alarm, I let the light in my room shine through my eyelids and drifted off. I could hear my own soft breathing, and the black cat plush slipped out of my arms.

         As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I heard a sound coming from what felt like far away.

         Knock, knock, knock.

         When I realized it was the sound of someone knocking, I quickly sat up.

         「What is it?」

         I called toward the door, forcing my voice out.

         「I bought some cake slices on the way home. Do you want to eat them together?」

         I heard Sendai-san’s cheerful voice from the other side.

         「Cake?」

         「Yep, cake. Come open your door already.」

         Urged by Sendai-san, I stepped out of my room.

         As I shut the door behind me, she grabbed my arm.

         「I bought a slice of shortcake, a strawberry tart, a no-bake cheesecake, and a baked cheesecake. Pick whichever ones you want.」

         「Isn’t this a bit much?」

         「Come on, you can eat two, right? I’ll make us some tea, have a seat first.」

         Even though I hadn’t agreed to anything, she pulled me over by the arm and dragged me to the table.

         Sendai-san pulled out the chair for me and smiled.

         On the table was a white box—meaning she’d bought the cakes at a real bakery, not the convenience store.

         I didn’t dislike cake, and my stomach still had room left.

         Maybe I couldn’t eat two slices, but I could at least handle one.

         I sat down like she told me to and looked up at her.

         「… Did something good happen?」

         「Do I need a reason to buy cake? Doesn’t good food make you happy? Or do you just not like cake?」

         「I do.」

         「Then it’s fine, right? The water’s already boiled, so I’ll be right back.」

         Sendai-san returned with a teapot filled with loose tea leaves and two mugs. She poured the hot water into the pot using the electric kettle we’d bought together. After carefully timing the steeping with her phone, she poured the tea into the mugs.

         「Pick whichever ones you like.」

         She opened the white box.

         Inside were the four cake slices she’d mentioned earlier. They looked so good I almost wanted all of them, even though I knew I couldn’t finish more than one.

         I already knew which two I wanted, but I felt bad about choosing first.

         「Since you bought them, you should pick first.」

         I said, handing the choice over to Sendai-san. She placed the shortcake and the no-bake cheesecake on my plate. Those were the two I had my eyes on, and she probably noticed from my gaze.

         「Which ones do you like the most, Sendai-san?」

         「The strawberry tart and the baked cheesecake.」

         She placed the remaining slices onto her own plate.

         「Tell me—which ones do you actually like?」

         「Well, I picked them based on my taste, so I like all of them.」

         Perhaps sensing I was about to say something troublesome, she peeled the plastic from her cheesecake.

         “Let’s eat,” she said, cutting into the narrow end of the slice and taking a bite with her fork.

         It felt like her way of ending the conversation, so I followed suit.

         “Let’s eat,” I echoed, peeling the wrap from my shortcake.

         I wanted to save the strawberries for last, so I moved them aside and took a bite from the point of the triangular slice. The lightly sweet whipped cream melted on my tongue and mixed with the fluffy sponge cake before sliding down into my stomach.

         「Is it good?」

         Sendai-san asked after taking a third bite.

         「Yeah, it is… Thanks.」

         I continued eating the cake topped with whipped cream, scooping a generous bite onto my fork and bringing it to my mouth. It was hard to believe I’d already eaten dinner—the cake went down so easily.

         Across the table, Sendai-san quietly ate her cheesecake.

         She didn’t talk about her part-time job.

         She didn’t ask what to do if a student asked her an unexpected question, or what middle schoolers think about these days.

         She didn’t talk about anything I didn’t want to hear.

         Honestly, I didn’t want to hear about her job even on her days off.

         The cake was delicious.

         But something heavy and hard to digest welled up deep in my stomach.

         「Sendai-san, come over here.」

         I called out to her and pointed at a spot diagonally in front of me.

         She stood up with a puzzled look.

         「With your chair.」

         I added.

         She clattered her chair into place and sat down diagonally in front of me.

         「Open your mouth.」

         I scooped some whipped cream with my finger, the coolness clinging to my skin.

         Sendai-san furrowed her brows slightly.

         I knew this wasn’t a good idea. But still, she opened her mouth without resistance.

         I reached out and stuck my fingertip into her mouth.

         As I slid my fingertip into her open mouth, her lips closed around it, and her teeth touched the first joint. Her warm tongue pressed against my finger, melting the whipped cream inside her mouth.

         Sendai-san would do almost anything I asked.

         Even now, without me ordering her to, she opened her mouth and licked my finger.

         Watching her do as I said gave me a small sense of relief. It felt different from the times I used to give her orders, but it made me realize that some things were still the same.

         I pushed my finger a little deeper.

         She bit down in protest.

         Still, when I pushed my finger deeper into her mouth, her tongue wrapped around it. The sensation—warmer and firmer than the whipped cream—was both pleasant and repulsive. I quickly pulled my finger out and wiped it with a tissue from the coverless box nearby.

         「Why’d you lick it?」

         「You told me to, didn’t you, Miyagi?」

         She said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

         「All I told you to do was open your mouth.」

         「But what you really wanted was for me to lick your finger, right?」

         She wasn’t wrong.

         But whenever she did something I hadn’t told her to do—like she already knew what I wanted—it made me feel like I could ask her for anything and she’d do it.

         ― What if I asked her to quit her job again right now?

         The thought nearly slipped out of my mouth, so instead, I pressed my fork into the shortcake. I took a small bite. It wasn’t too sweet—soft, airy—but it weighed heavily in my stomach. Somehow, the whipped cream and sponge had turned to something more like lead or iron.

         「Sendai-san, you said you didn’t need a reason to buy cake, but… what’s the real reason?」

I asked, trying to ignore the heavy feeling sitting in my stomach.

         「I just wanted to eat something delicious.」

         「Really?」

         「… No. I just wanted to cheer you up somehow.」

         Sendai-san let out a small sigh as she continued.

         「Even now, you don’t seem like you’re in a good mood. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?」

         「I’m not in a bad mood.」

         「You definitely are. I’m not gonna ask you to smile for me, but can’t you at least act a little happier?」

         Sendai-san was always there for me, even when I was in a bad mood or didn’t smile at her. She was always considerate of me like this, too.

         So I knew it would’ve been fine if I acted a little happier around her once in a while—but I didn’t even know how to do that in front of her.

         Sendai-san was kind.

         But I couldn’t return that kindness. I was always doing things like I was testing her.

         「Lick this. Maybe that’ll make me feel better.」

         I said, holding out my finger—now bare of any whipped cream. Without hesitation, she took my hand and pulled it toward her. Just like I told her to, she brought my finger to her tongue and began licking it. Something warmer than her hand crept up my finger, and even though there was nothing left to taste, her tongue moved as if chasing remnants of whipped cream.

         The base of my finger grew damp, and then her lips touched the back of my hand.

         She pulled away slightly, only to lean in again, this time running her tongue along the top of my hand and up toward my wrist. Wherever her body heat touched me, the nerves there stirred like they’d woken up. Every stroke of her tongue sent a faint shiver through me, making my shoulders twitch.

         My heart felt like it had shrunk to half its size, and it ached.

         Sendai-san’s tongue traced the veins in my wrist, down along my arm.

         When her lips pressed against my skin again, I finally pulled my arm back. She let go easily, offering no resistance.

         And yet, the moment her warmth disappeared, I felt a little disappointed.

         I wanted to touch Sendai-san more than I wanted to eat the slices of cake.

         「Close your eyes.」

         I said. Without a word, her eyes, which had been watching me, shut softly.

         I stood and gently ran my hand along her cheek.

         Then, I traced the shape of her lips with my fingertip. When I reached the center, she licked it again. As I pulled my hand away, Sendai-san reached up and tugged at my clothes, like she wanted me closer. I leaned in and lightly pressed my lips to hers.

         It was only a light peck, so I didn’t taste any whipped cream.

         All I felt was the softness of her lips before I pulled away.

         Sendai-san opened her eyes, and when our gazes met, she looked like she was about to say something, but I spoke first.

         「Sendai-san, you never did keep your promise to go out to dinner with me, did you?」

         I reminded her of the promise she made on my earrings back during Golden Week.

         「I’ve just been so busy since the break ended.」

         She gave an excuse as I sat back down.

         「Even though you’re the one who invited me.」

         「Do you want to go next Sunday?」

         「Okay.」

         I replied curtly as I wiped my finger with a tissue, and Sendai-san drank her tea like nothing had happened.

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