I tried closing my eyes, hoping I could fall back asleep, but it was no use.

         Sendai-san had drifted off again almost immediately.

         I sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

         My sleepiness had completely vanished. I was already wide awake, and with Sendai-san lying so close, I didn’t feel like sleeping anymore anyway.

         Annoyed by how soundly she was sleeping, I kicked her leg.

         「Wake up.」

         「Has it been thirty minutes already?」

         She asked in a drowsy voice, her eyes still closed.

         「I don’t know.」

         I hadn’t checked the time before closing my eyes, so I wasn’t sure if thirty minutes had passed. All I knew was that it was almost 11 AM.

         「… If you’re not sure, then I’m going back to sleep.」

         「Why are you so sleepy anyway?」

         「Because I had a hard time falling asleep last night.」

         Sendai-san murmured as she slowly opened her eyes to look at me.

         「But you looked like you were sleeping so soundly.」

         「Well, I went to bed pretty late. By the time you woke up, I was probably out cold.」

         「Why couldn’t you sleep?」

         「Hmm, not sure. Maybe because the bed felt cramped?」

         Her tone made it sound like she’d just come up with an excuse on the spot.

         「Well, I’m hungry, so I’m getting up. You can sleep more if you want, Sendai-san.」

         I wasn’t actually hungry enough to eat, but since she’d said she couldn’t sleep because the bed was cramped, I felt a little guilty. So, I decided to get up.

         「Are you planning to eat right now, Miyagi?」

         「Yeah.」

         「Okay, then I’ll get up and eat too.」

         Yawning, Sendai-san sat up. She got out of bed before I did, stretched, and glanced over at the clock.

         「It’s kind of a weird time to eat, but oh well. Should we call this breakfast or lunch?」

         It was too late for breakfast, but still a little early for lunch. It was an awkward time to eat. Still, if I had to choose, I preferred the option that would save us from having to prepare one more meal.

         「Lunch.」

         I answered curtly before getting up from the bed as well.

         「I’ll cook us something, so feel free to just wait.」

         「Let me help.」

         「Okay, but let’s change first before cooking.」

         I nodded at her suggestion and headed to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I changed and went to the shared living space. There, I found Sendai-san, already changed into a long skirt, starting on lunch.

         Her outfit was a stark contrast to my plain T-shirt and pants. It looked really good on her.

         「What are you making?」

         「Sausages and omelets. I’ll leave the bread to you, Miyagi.」

         I did as she said, putting slices of bread in the toaster. While I set out plates and grabbed some jam and butter, she cooked the eggs and sausages. Finally, we each poured a glass of orange juice and brought everything to the table.

         「Let’s eat.」

         We said in unison.

         As I spread butter and jam on my toast, Sendai-san, chewing on a sausage, stared at me.

         「Do you have any plans after this?」

         「No.」

         「Then do you want to finish the movie we were watching yesterday?」

         「It wasn’t that interesting, so I don’t mind if we don’t.」

         I didn’t have any plans today, and I was fine spending Sunday with her. But I wasn’t interested in finishing that movie. I bit into my toast and sipped my juice, not having any better suggestions for how to pass the time.

         「You don’t have anything else planned anyway, right? So we might as well finish it. It might’ve been boring, but at least it’ll kill some time.」

         「I guess you’re right.」

         「Then it’s settled. We’ll finish it after eating.」

         Sendai-san filled my schedule for me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I could complain about how pushy she was, but honestly, this level of pushiness was necessary if we wanted our Sundays to feel like they used to.

         As long as tension lingered between us, living together would be hard. It was easier like this—spending time naturally. If she’d been too considerate, it would’ve only worn me out.

         「You fell asleep partway through the movie, right, Miyagi? How much did you actually watch?」

         「I didn’t fall asleep. I was just dozing off.」

         「Well, anyway. Do you remember at least some of it?」

         「I think so… vaguely.」

         We finished the rest of our food while talking about the movie I hadn’t really cared for. After cleaning up the dishes, we went back to her room.

         「Is it okay if I start from here?」

         She held the tablet and looked at me from right beside me. I replied with a simple, “Yes,” and she started playing it from where we’d left off. The movie ran all the way through to the credits.

         「What did you think?」

         She asked. I decided to answer her honestly.

         「… I didn’t really like it.」

         「But weren’t you the one who picked it?」

         「Yeah, but it ended up being kind of boring.」

         I leaned back against her bed while she scrolled for something else.

         「Want to watch something else?」

         「Not really.」

         「Then what do you want to do?」

         「We don’t have to do anything, do we?」

         「Isn’t that boring?」

         She put the tablet down and leaned against the bed too.

         「Well, if you want to go out, I don’t mind even if it’s raining.」

         「I definitely don’t want to go outside.」

         「Hmm, then you think of something for us to do, Miyagi.」

         「How about a video game?」

         「I don’t really like video games.」

         Her displeasure was obvious. Back in high school, when we’d tried playing one, she’d been terrible at it. She wasn’t the gamer type, and I doubted she’d enjoy it now, even just to pass the time.

         「Well, then I guess there’s nothing for us to do.」

         「I wouldn’t say there’s nothing…」

         She said, as if suggesting something.

         「… What do you have in mind?」

         「Face this way.」

         She didn’t answer my question directly, but I turned toward her anyway. She grabbed my hand, sending a sharp jolt through me to my fingertips. As I looked down at our joined hands, I heard her call my name.

         「Miyagi.」

         The moment I lifted my head, her lips touched mine.

         But she pulled away almost instantly.

         I didn’t exactly like the idea of kissing her in her room, but I could let her get away with this much. We’d kissed plenty of times before, and if I said I disliked it, it’d only make me seem like I was too conscious of something else. Letting her go this far was fine.

         Sendai-san immediately leaned in again, this time bringing her tongue to my lips.

         I instinctively tried to back away, but she slipped inside my mouth. I tried pushing her off, but my space was stolen far too easily.

         We hadn’t kissed like this since that day.

         Even though I didn’t want to recall it, memories of that Sunday rose vividly in my mind. I hurried to push them away—only for something warm and soft to press in deeper, entwining with my tongue. The heat that had been mine alone was taken, replaced by hers. As our warmth blended together, my head began to go blank.

         I grabbed at her clothes, pulling her toward me, and bit her tongue—not hard enough to leave a mark, but with force.

         She pulled back slightly, only to lean in again. Then, almost as if in retaliation, she bit my lip.

         This pushy side of Sendai-san was the most like her, but right now wasn’t the time or place for that kind of pushiness.

         「If this is what you had in mind, I’d rather not.」

         I let go of her clothes and pushed her away.

         「You don’t like kissing?」

         She asked unexpectedly.

         「It’s not that I don’t like it, but I don’t think it’s something we should be doing right now.」

         「So you do like it, then?」

         「What’s up with you, Sendai-san? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t do anything weird to me?」

         「I told you the promise only lasted until you left my room. But since we already left earlier to eat, that promise has expired.」

         I remembered the promise she’d made me.

         Even if it had technically expired, I wanted to bring it up again—just in case she might change her mind and decide to keep it anyway. And if she didn’t, then I’d just make her promise again.

         「Fine, then promise me again.」

         All I needed was for Sendai-san to swear once more on my earrings.

         「Okay.」

         With that, she leaned closer, just like when she’d kissed me earlier, and whispered in my ear.

         「I won’t do anything weird to you—but only after this.」

         「After what?」

         She didn’t answer. Instead, she kissed my earring, then pressed her lips against my neck.

         The spot she touched burned with heat.

         She leaned into me, putting her weight on me. Before I could push her away, I was pressed flat against the floor. The hem of my T-shirt lifted slightly as her hand slipped beneath it.

         「Sendai-san!」

         I called her name loudly.

         She had definitely heard me, but her hand kept moving upward, sliding along my side until it reached my ribs. I caught her hand through the fabric of my shirt and held it down.

         「What do you think you’re doing with your hand?」

         「Do you hate it when I touch you?」

         She asked another unexpected question.

         「What if I said yes?」

         「Then I won’t ever touch you again.」

         She’s doing it again.

         At times like this, Sendai-san always forced me to choose. She kept asking me these questions when the answer had already been decided for me from the start.

         「… I don’t want you touching me right now, so get off me and keep the promise you made me.」

         I tried to push her away, but she didn’t move.

         I dug my nails into her shoulders, gripping hard enough to leave marks.

         「Play rock, paper, scissors with me, Miyagi.」

         「Huh?」

         Her completely random words, coming from someone pinning me down, made me loosen my grip.

         「Rock, paper…」

         「Wait—」

         「Scissors.」

         Before I could fully process what she was saying, she had already thrown paper. I reacted instinctively and threw scissors.

         「Well, since you won, I guess I’ll get off you.」

         She finally moved away. I tugged my T-shirt back down and stood up.

         「And I’ll keep my promise, too,」

         Sendai-san added with a smile.

         「… What would you have done if I’d lost?」

         「Hmm, I wonder?」

         I couldn’t tell what she would have done. But somehow, I felt that even if I had lost, she still would’ve kept her promise.

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