Miyagi’s POV:

         Night was supposed to be for sleeping, but I hardly got any rest.

         The cause of my sleeplessness was the person in the room next to mine. I didn’t want to face Sendai-san, yet morning came all the same, and with it, the inevitability of seeing her.

         What I’d done with Sendai-san yesterday was something roommates didn’t do with each other. That hadn’t changed just because morning arrived. I was still the person who’d done something with Sendai-san that roommates didn’t do.

         What should I do?

         I still wasn’t sure what kind of expression I should have on my face when I say “good morning” to her.

         Lying on top of my bed, I curled up and wrapped myself in my comforter.

         The black cat plush I’d brought from my previous place sat beside my pillow, but right now, I couldn’t bring myself to kiss its forehead like I had yesterday. If I did, it would only make me think of Sendai-san—the one who had given me the cat in the first place—and if I talked to the plush, I could imagine it responding with her voice.

         I didn’t want that.

         I didn’t want to think about her at all.

         But she was just beyond the wall, and soon she’d come out of her room. On a normal morning, we’d eat breakfast together and talk. But if we did that today, there was no way I could avoid seeing her, and it would be impossible not to think about Sendai-san.

         I clutched the comforter tightly and squeezed my eyes shut.

         If I could, I wanted to melt right into the sheets.

         I wanted to disappear until I could face Sendai-san again with a perfectly normal expression.

         But that was even more impossible than avoiding her altogether, and I let out a small sigh.

         There had been mornings before when I cursed the sun for coming up—when I had classes I hated or events I didn’t want to attend—but never as much as today. This time, I truly resented the sunlight, and my mood was all the way in the gutter.

         That was how much the events of yesterday had affected me.

         After a sigh big enough to leave me lightheaded, I sat up and looked at my phone. It was a little past four. It wouldn’t be long before Sendai-san woke up.

         She rarely ever overslept.

         Even if I holed up in here, she’d knock once it was time to head to school. And if I still refused to come out, she might try to enter my room. I could lock the door, but interior locks like this were easy to open from the outside. Which meant that, sooner or later, we’d have to face each other.

         After thinking it through, I knew there was only one thing to do.

         I had to leave before Sendai-san woke up.

         That way, I wouldn’t have to run into her at all.

         I got up and stepped quietly into the shared living space.

         Without thinking, I turned on the light, though I immediately regretted it.

         She might wake up. If she saw me, she’d definitely ask what I was doing awake at this hour, and then we’d end up talking.

         I moved as quietly as I could to the washroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and went back to my room.

         After getting changed, I peered into my closet.

         I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do next.

         A terrible thought crossed my mind—one that would only make Sendai-san worry about me and cause trouble for Maika.

         I clenched my hands into fists before letting them go.

         I took a deep breath in, then exhaled.

         After fidgeting with my bangs a little, I pulled out a large bag I’d tucked away at the back of my closet.

         「… I wonder if Maika will be okay with this.」

         I was preparing to pack my bag so I could stay over at her place.

         I should have contacted Maika to ask for her permission first, but it was still too early in the morning for that. So I decided I’d ask her after meeting her at school, and started packing my bag.

         I’d gotten used to being near Sendai-san, but right now, that same closeness felt suffocating.

         Having my roommate see a side of me no one else had ever seen, and hear sounds from me no one else had ever heard—those were things I needed both time and distance to come to terms with.

         I picked up the black cat plush that had been sitting on my bed and placed it on the bookshelf.

         Meeting its gaze, I gently pet its head.

         「I’ll be back soon.」

         I said to the black cat, who didn’t reply, then quietly picked up my packed bag and left my room.

         This time, I didn’t turn on the lights in the shared living space.

         I walked through the hallway in the dark, careful not to make any noise with my footsteps. Then, I turned around for a moment.

         「I’m going to be staying over at Maika’s for a while.」

         I announced softly in the direction of the shared living space, then put on my shoes by the front door.

         I had a few ways to pass the time before classes started.

         「… I’ll be off, then.」

         I said, my voice quieter than before, and opened the front door.

---

Sendai’s POV:

         Miyagi hadn’t come out of her room yet.

         When I woke up and went to the shared living space, there was no sign of her. Even after I started making breakfast, she still didn’t come out.

         And now, even when I knocked, there was no answer.

         Still, after what had happened yesterday, I couldn’t really be surprised.

         I hadn’t expected Miyagi to be someone who could face me so easily after doing something that wasn’t appropriate for roommates, so in a way, this felt only natural.

         I stopped myself from knocking again.

         There was supposed to be a proper order to things like this, and I’d clearly skipped a few steps yesterday. So this outcome felt almost inevitable.

         No matter how I looked at it, I was the one at fault.

         Still, I couldn’t help thinking it was Miyagi who had started it.

         When she’d told me to lick her foot, something in me came undone—the screw that held my sense of reason in place slipped loose. My rationality had always been unreliable around her, and she’d only made it worse with the things she’d said─

         No, that wasn’t right.

         It wasn’t about assigning blame. We hadn’t done anything wrong. We’d just done something a little unfitting for people who called themselves roommates.

         So, awkward as it might be, the best thing to do was try and go back to our usual lives together.

         Even I didn’t know what kind of face I should make when I saw Miyagi, yet I was still standing here in front of her door. But I also understood she needed time.

         I decided to eat the breakfast I’d made by myself and sat down.

         Looking at the empty space in front of me, I let out a sigh.

         With Miyagi, who would usually sit across from me, gone, my field of vision felt unusually wide. Even if things were awkward, I still wanted to eat with her. But after what had happened yesterday, forcing her out of her room didn’t seem right. She’d come out when she was ready—I just had to wait.

         “Let’s eat,” I said quietly under my breath, and then bit into my toast spread with jam and butter.

         It would be an exaggeration to say it tasted bad, but it was definitely bland.

         I never measured how much jam or butter I used, so the amount varied each time. But today, the toast tasted nothing like it usually did. The jam wasn’t sweet, and the butter wasn’t salty. Even the ham and eggs felt dull on my tongue. Eating itself felt like a pointless waste of time.

         I ate both pieces of toast I’d made, moving my hands and mouth mechanically as I forced it all down. I stored the leftovers in the fridge and washed the dishes. I was still worried about Miyagi, but skipping classes wasn’t really an option, so I went back to my room to get ready.

         A reasonable amount of time passed after breakfast, and I went back out to the shared living space.

         As expected, Miyagi still wasn’t there.

         At this rate, I felt like I’d never see her face again, so I found myself standing in front of her door once more.

         I drew in a breath, let it out, and knocked three times.

         There was no response.

         So I called out her name.

         “Miyagi. Hey, Miyagi,” I said, repeating her name over and over.

         But she still didn’t come out.

         I’d known from the very start.

         Her room was probably empty.

         I finally faced the truth I’d been avoiding.

         She must have left before I even woke up.

         I didn’t want to accept the truth, but I went to check the front door anyway—the place I’d been avoiding all morning.

         ─ Her shoes were gone.

         I’d expected it, but still, I let out a long, weary sigh.

         「I knew it.」

         Rubbing at my temples, I went back to the shared living space and sat down.

         Why hadn’t I woken up earlier?

         If I had, I could’ve caught her before she left. We could’ve had breakfast together. She probably hadn’t wanted to see me, but once we did, she would’ve realized it wasn’t actually that big of a deal.

         I was filled with regret.

         I wanted to see her—right now.

         I wanted to know what kind of expression she’d had this morning, what she’d been thinking when she left the apartment.

         Had she thought of me, even a little?

         Had she remembered what happened yesterday?

         They were probably trivial things to her, but to me, they were important.

         Though, I knew Miyagi wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.

         I sighed and went back to my room.

         I picked up my phone from the table and sent Miyagi a message:

         『Good morning. Did you leave already?』

         Ten minutes went by, and of course, no reply came.

         I lay down on the bed.

         My blouse and skirt would probably wrinkle, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have the energy to.

         Lying here in this apartment without Miyagi made last night—when she’d been right beside me on this bed—feel like a lie. But it wasn’t, and that was exactly why she wasn’t here right now.

         I pressed my palm against the spot where her head had been.

         I stroked it gently, then gripped the sheets tight.

         Her warmth and the feel of her skin were gone.

         All that was left under my palm was cool, smooth fabric.

         If only I’d held her tighter and not let her go back to her own room…

         Even though Miyagi and I were just roommates, I couldn’t help thinking things like that.

         I tensed my body and curled up.

         Then, in one quick motion, I sat up and stretched.

         I decided to send Miyagi another message.

         『What time are you coming back today?』

         I waited for a while, but there was no reply.

         It was almost time to leave for school, or I’d be late for class.

         I tossed my phone into my bag and stepped out of my room.

         Even if I couldn’t see her now, I’d surely see her tonight.

         What had happened yesterday had been a big thing for both of us, but it wasn’t reason enough for her not to come home.

         On my way out, I stopped in front of her door.

         「At least reply to my messages.」

         I muttered quietly as I left the shared living area.

---

< Previous Part | Next Part >