Like I’d planned last night, I woke up earlier than usual today.

          To be honest, I barely slept at all.

          While suppressing a yawn, I opened the fridge. There was some cheese in front of me, and I remembered there were cherry tomatoes in the vegetable drawer too. I could’ve gone with the usual butter and jam on toast, but I felt like having something different this morning.

          「Maybe I’ll try making pizza toast.」

          I took out two plates and set a slice of bread on each. I was making breakfast for two, since Miyagi was still home today.

          It seemed she hadn’t run away. Her shoes were still at the entrance, and I could sense her presence on the other side of her bedroom door. I hadn’t greeted her with a good morning yet, but if I waited a little longer, I’d be able to.

          「― Good morning.」

          Not that I was practicing or anything, but I murmured it to myself anyway. Then, I spread tomato sauce on the bread and topped them with cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, and ham. I put the slices in the toaster oven and, while waiting, shredded some cabbage and sliced cucumbers for salad. As I arranged the cabbage, cucumbers, and leftover tomatoes in deep plates, the toaster beeped to say it was ready.

          Breakfast was nearly done, but Miyagi still hadn’t come out of her room.

          As I debated whether to knock on her door, I took the slices of bread with melted cheese out of the toaster and placed them on the plates. I would’ve liked to add basil, but since we didn’t have any, I poured a little olive oil over the pizza toast and finished them off with a sprinkle of pepper instead.

          I glanced over at Miyagi’s door. It still hadn’t opened.

          Carrying the plates with salad and pizza toast to the dining table, I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge. I poured the tangerine-colored liquid into two glasses and sighed.

          Meals weren’t meant to be eaten alone.

          I wanted to eat this breakfast with Miyagi.

          So, I walked over to her door.

          I took a few deep breaths, opened and closed my hand, then clenched it into a fist. Even though it wasn’t the first time I’d ever knocked on her door, I couldn’t help feeling nervous.

          I knocked lightly with my fist.

          No answer.

          This time, I knocked louder—twice in a row—and finally, a voice came from the other side.

          「What is it?」

          「Miyagi, breakfast is ready.」

          I said, consciously making an effort to sound like how I usually did.

          About ten or fifteen seconds passed—maybe longer—before Miyagi finally came out. She kept her head down, so our eyes didn’t meet. Even as she walked past me, she wouldn’t look up, but I greeted her with a good morning anyway.

          「… Good morning.」

          Her quiet reply came just as her door was shut behind her.

          Miyagi still kept her head down, avoiding my eyes. I wouldn’t say things were that awkward, but the way she refused to look up made it clear she felt that way.

          「Look at me.」

          I called out to her.

          「Does it really matter if I look at you or not?」

          「Just look at me.」

          「Why?」

          「That should be my line. Why are you not looking at me?」

          I asked, not really expecting her to answer.

          I could more or less guess why Miyagi wouldn’t look at me, and it didn’t really matter.

          Whatever the reason, the fact that she wouldn’t meet my eyes made something deep in my chest ache. And if there wasn’t any reason at all, it only hurt worse. Either way, it was a dull, throbbing pain—like a wound that refused to heal—and the thought of it lingering forever filled me with a heavy gloom.

          「I don’t know.」

          Miyagi mumbled, still not looking up.

          We’d already exchanged good mornings, and we were about to eat breakfast together.

          Everything I’d prayed for yesterday had come true.

          Yet, somehow, it didn’t feel like enough.

          「Miyagi.」

          I softly called her name, reaching out to her.

          I tucked her hair behind her ear and touched the plumeria earring I’d chosen for her. Feeling the small flower beneath my thumb, I whispered her name again and kissed the earring. As I did, she grabbed the hem of my T-shirt.

          I pulled away and met her eyes at last.

          Then I kissed her cheek and said, “Good morning,” once more. This time, her reply came clearly.

          「Good morning.」

          But as soon as she spoke, she looked down again.

          「Did you have a dream today?」

          I asked Miyagi, who wouldn’t meet my eyes anymore.

          「No, I didn’t.」

          「Well, I did. I dreamt that you were hugging me.」

          I told her the details of a dream I hadn’t actually had. Miyagi lifted her head slightly.

          「That has to be a lie.」

          「Yeah, that was a lie. I didn’t actually dream about anything.」

          To be exact, I’d managed to doze off a bit, but not enough to dream.

          「You lie so easily, Sendai-san.」

          Miyagi said, sounding displeased, and began to turn away again—so before she could, I caught her lips with mine.

          I pressed hard enough to feel the distinct shape of her lips beneath the softness, then pulled back. Before she could take another breath, I kissed her again, biting lightly at her lower lip, soft and springy like a gummy candy.

          I wanted to push Miyagi down right then and there.

          Even though we weren’t on a bed, I wanted to feel every part of her, to kiss her anywhere I could reach.

          I knew that wasn’t possible—but still, I wanted to.

          I bit her soft lips, then licked them.

          I pressed harder, until breathing became difficult, and wrapped my arms around her waist. As I pulled her closer, Miyagi pushed me away.

          「Why’d you kiss me?」

          She asked flatly, putting distance between us.

          「Because I wanted to.」

          「That’s it?」

          「Yep.」

          She looked at me, clearly unhappy, so I added,

          「Well, if you want a reason, I can make one up.」

          「Make one up?」

          「I just thought you were cute. How’s that for a reason?」

          I said as I smiled at her, and she kicked me in the leg—hard.

          「Hey, don’t kick me so hard.」

          I was glad I hadn’t told her I loved her yesterday.

          If I had, I wasn’t sure she’d still be here this morning.

          And even if she were, things would’ve been unbearably awkward. I wouldn’t have been able to kiss her or smile at her like this.

          「It’s your fault for saying weird things, Sendai-san.」

          「Thinking you’re cute isn’t weird, though.」

          「Fine, then it’s your fault for saying things you don’t mean.」

          「But I do think you’re cute, Miyagi.」

          I said, reaching out to run my fingers through her hair, but she kicked me again. Fearing I’d end up covered in bruises if I kept calling her cute, I caught her hand and led her to the dining table.

          「I made pizza toast today, so let’s eat before it gets cold.」

          Miyagi sat in her usual seat, and I took mine. We both said, “Let’s eat,” in unison before taking a bite.

          「It’s cold now because you kept doing weird things.」

          「All I did was kiss you, though.」

          I said before I took a sip of my orange juice and another bite of pizza toast. Like she’d said, it wasn’t warm anymore, but maybe because it was my first time making it, I still thought it tasted pretty good.

          After swallowing another bite, Miyagi spoke in a small, hesitant voice.

          「Why do you seem so normal right now, Sendai-san?」

          「Normal?」

          「… You’re not embarrassed?」

          Her words were vague, but I could tell she was referring to what had happened yesterday.

          「Miyagi, did you run away from home that time because you were embarrassed?」

          「I’m the one who asked you a question first.」

          She said in a low, quiet voice, so I answered honestly.

          「I am embarrassed, but it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.」

          She’d touched me, made me let out sounds I’d never made before, and pushed me to answer questions I shouldn’t have had to. Miyagi’s voice had sounded different when I’d touched her too, but looking at it all now, I was definitely the one who should’ve felt more embarrassed between the two of us. Considering what had happened to me yesterday, I could understand why she’d wanted to run away that day.

          But despite all that, I wanted to be with her—even if it was embarrassing.

          「You have friends who’d let you stay over, don’t you?」

          「I do, but I feel more comfortable here. Would it have been better if I wasn’t around?」

          「I didn’t say that.」

          「Then at least try to look a little happier.」

          I wasn’t saying she had to smile or act cheerful, but I wished she’d at least lose that obvious scowl.

          「It doesn’t matter what kind of face I make.」

          「It doesn’t, but I bet breakfast would taste better if you looked a little happier.」

          I took a bite of my pizza toast as I stared at her sullen expression.

          Miyagi didn’t look cheerful—in fact, she lowered her gaze even more.

          I opened my mouth to complain about how uncooperative she was being, but before I could speak, I heard her quiet voice from across the table.

          「… I think it’s better to eat with someone than to eat alone.」

          「Huh?」

          「That’s my answer. You asked if it would’ve been better if you weren’t here, right?」

          After saying that, Miyagi took a sip of orange juice.

          「Oh, right. I did ask that.」

          Her sudden honesty unsettled me a little, but it also felt like a chance to finally get the answer I’d been hoping for yesterday, so I decided to ask the same question again.

          「Hey, Miyagi. How about we go somewhere together over summer break?」

          Miyagi looked up at me from across the table.

          After a short pause, she replied quietly,

          「As long as you decide where we go.」

          「Okay.」

          I said, and Miyagi took a bite of her now-cold pizza toast.

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