「Nice, it looks pretty good.」

         Sendai-san said brightly, checking her newly pierced ears in the hand mirror.

         I wore earrings too, but somehow, Sendai-san suited them far better than I did.

         「Well? What do you think?」

         She asked as she set the mirror down and looked at me.

         「About your earrings?」

         「Yeah.」

         The earrings she wore had the same design as the ones I’d worn up until a few months ago. It wasn’t anything unusual—we’d used the same piercing kits, and anyone else who bought the same one would probably end up with the same earrings too.

         So there was no special meaning behind her wearing the same kind of earrings I used to wear. Her piercings were just there as a reminder of the promise we’d made for next year, and the earrings themselves were painfully ordinary. Even so, I couldn’t help thinking she looked beautiful with them.

         「I think it’ll be hard for me to bite your ears now that you have earrings on.」

         Unable to say what I was really thinking, I let a different thought slip out instead.

         「It might make it a little inconvenient for you to bite me, but I feel like you’ll do it anyway.」

         「Your ears belong to me now, so I think I should be allowed to bite them.」

         I didn’t want to touch the area that had just been pierced, so I gently tugged at a spot above Sendai-san’s earlobe before letting go.

         「You know that’s not what I meant when I said I was giving you my ears, right? And that’s not even what I was asking about.」

         Sendai-san said, reaching out to touch my earring.

         Her fingertips brushed over the small flower at my ear, pressing down on it gently.

          “Now answer me properly,” she said.

         I drew in a quiet breath.

         「… They look good on you.」

         I said as I exhaled.

         My voice wasn’t loud, but it still seemed to reach her, and she gave me a soft smile in return.

         「I see. That makes me happy to hear.」

         Seeing her with earrings felt so natural, like they’d always belonged there. They suited her so perfectly it seemed as though she could’ve had them since high school. She’d always looked like someone who would wear earrings, so it felt like I was finally seeing the real Sendai-san now.

         「Here, take this as a thank-you for the compliment. I actually got you another present.」

         Sendai-san said, pulling out a small, sturdier bag than the one the piercing gun came in and placing it in front of me.

         「Why’d you get me two presents?」

         「You gave me two for my birthday, didn’t you? You listened to what I wanted, and then gave me a set of chopstick rests the next day, so I wanted to return the favor.」

         Sendai-san smiled, then added, “Go on, open it.”

         Inside the bag was a small, neatly wrapped box. I took it out and found a rectangular box tied carefully with a ribbon, clearly meant to be a gift.

         I didn’t want it.

         Even so, I doubted Sendai-san would accept it if I said that. But if I could, I wanted to give it back without opening it.

         And the reason was simple: just from the shape of this long, rectangular box, I already knew what it was.

         Obviously, it wasn’t going to be a glue stick or a pack of batteries.

         What was inside was definitely something I almost never used—something that felt like it had nothing to do with me.

         「Hurry up and open it.」

         She urged, and I reluctantly untied the ribbon, peeling away the wrapping paper. I couldn’t help but sigh when I saw an expensive-looking stick of lip balm inside.

         「You don’t have to look that disappointed.」

         Sendai-san said, sounding a little unhappy.

         「Well, I mean, I’m not really a big fan of these kinds of things.」

         I never liked lip balm—it made my lips feel sticky. Plus, I wasn’t a fan of makeup to begin with. Sendai-san should’ve known that.

         「I figured you’d say that, but I thought this was something even you might end up using. Besides, lots of people who don’t even like makeup use stuff like this.」

         Sendai-san, who’d put makeup on me a few times before despite my reluctance, said with a smile.

         「I don’t think I’d use this.」

         「Oh, don’t say that. It smells nice, almost like it’d taste good.」

         「Is it strawberry-scented?」

         I wasn’t interested in actually wearing it, but I was a little curious about the scent. Just as I was about to take the cap off, Sendai-san snatched the tube from my hand.

         「Here, I’ll put it on for you.」

         「I can figure out the scent without having to put it on, so give it back.」

         「Where’s the fun in that?」

         「I don’t care if it’s fun or not.」

         「Come on, can’t you at least use it once in front of me?」

         「No.」

         「But I’m using the chopstick rests you gave me.」

         It was rare to hear Sendai-san sound so sulky. She was even pouting at me.

         She’s doing this on purpose.

         She definitely has to be doing this on purpose.

         She was only sounding so sulky and pretending to pout so I’d give in.

         「Miyagi.」

         It was my birthday today, so technically, there was no reason I had to cave.

         But Sendai-san had kept her promise to eat a whole round cake with me, and she’d promised we’d do this again next year too. She’d even let me pierce her ears, just like I’d always wanted.

         I let out a huge sigh and turned toward her.

         「Okay, now stay still.」

         Sendai-san said as she removed the cap from the lip balm. She placed her hand on my cheek and began applying it to my lips.

         It wasn’t unusual for Sendai-san to be this close to me. It wasn’t strange for our shoulders to brush or for our lips to end up almost touching.

         But today, she felt closer than ever, and I didn’t know where else to look, so I shut my eyes.

         The room went dark, and something sticky spread across my lips.

         Even though I couldn’t see anything, I could feel her gaze on my lips.

         I didn’t even need to sniff the air to smell the fruity scent.

         「Okay, all done. You look really cute with it on.」

         Sendai-san said, and I opened my eyes. The moment I did, I found her staring straight at me, so I immediately looked away.

         「You don’t have to flatter me.」

         「But it’s true.」

         「Shut up, Sendai-san. You’re so annoying.」

         I slapped her thigh, and she asked, “Does it smell nice?”

         「Yeah, it does.」

         I answered curtly, then brought a finger to my lips.

         A bit of the lip balm stuck to my fingertip, carrying its sweet scent with it. I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of fruit it was supposed to be, but it definitely smelled good.

         「Apparently, it tastes sweet if you lick it.」

         Sendai-san said, sounding way too pleased with herself.

         「What do you mean “apparently”?」

         「Well, I’ve never actually used that lip balm myself. I looked up a bunch of things I thought you might be willing to use and tested the scent in the store, but I’ve never tasted it. Why don’t you try it?」

         I licked my lips just as she suggested, and the lip balm brushed against the tip of my tongue, leaving behind a faint sweetness.

         「… It tastes pretty good.」

         「Really?」

         「Yeah.」

         「In that case, let me have a taste too.」

         Before I could say anything, Sendai-san leaned in. I shut my eyes instinctively, and her lips pressed against mine.

         The moment our lips touched, the sweet scent filled the air, and something soft and moist met my mouth. Even though she’d said she only wanted a taste of the lip balm, her tongue didn’t aim for my lips—it tried to slip into my mouth instead.

         When I grabbed Sendai-san’s arm in protest, her lips pulled away for a moment. But they came back almost immediately, pressing against mine harder than the first time, and the tip of her tongue slipped into my mouth.

         What curled around my tongue was sweeter than the lip balm, and even sweeter than the cake we had earlier.

         Our tongues touched, then parted.

         A small breath escaped me.

         Sendai-san should have felt out of place inside me, but instead she blended into me, almost like she was part of my own body. The warmth flowing into me felt good.

         After our lips parted, she brushed the tip of her tongue over my lips, licking the lip balm she’d just put on me.

         「That does taste pretty good.」

         Sendai-san said with a bright smile.

         「You’re making the lip balm come off.」

         「Yeah, I know.」

         She said casually and leaned in again, so I pushed her back by the shoulder.

         「I just said you were making the lip balm come off.」

         「It’s fine. A few kisses won’t hurt. And even if it does come off, you’ve still got plenty left.」

         「Just because I have a lot left doesn’t mean you have to kiss me that many times.」

         「You’re so stingy, Miyagi. What’s wrong with kissing you a bunch?」

         「I don’t care if I’m stingy. Also, how many more times are you planning to kiss me anyway?」

         「Well, I’m not convinced the lip balm I gave you is enough for a present, so… however many it takes to make up for it.」

         Sendai-san replied with a serious look on her face.

         I had no idea how to react when she said something that sounded like a joke so earnestly.

         I didn’t dislike kissing her, but it was something I wanted to leave for another time.

         「You’re such an idiot, Sendai-san. Anyway, no more for today.」

         I said, pushing her back firmly.

         I expected her to complain, but instead she backed off without protest and leaned her back against the bed. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, she said,

         「Hey, Miyagi. You can bite my ears again in about a month.」

         「Once your piercings have healed?」

         「Yep.」

         Sendai-san said quietly, then smiled at me.

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