The backs of our hands brushed together, my fingertips briefly caught in hers.

         It was only an instant, but I felt Sendai-san’s warmth. Even so, it wasn’t her hand I held—it was Maika’s.

         「You’re walking so fast, Miyagi.」

         Sendai-san, whose hand I wasn’t holding, said as she tugged lightly on my arm.

         「There’s no need to rush that much, Shiori. The school festival isn’t going anywhere.」

         「Sorry.」

         I said, letting go of Maika’s hand.

         I was the one who had rejected Sendai-san’s hand earlier, and that wasn’t a mistake. If we’d kept holding hands, the “perfect shot” Maika captured would have turned into something else.

         So that was the right choice.

         That was what I was supposed to think. And yet, a small part of me regretted pulling my hand away from Sendai-san’s.

         But if Maika had seen it, I would have regretted that too.

         No—maybe she had seen it.

         The instant Sendai-san’s hand caught mine might already have been preserved as a photograph on Maika’s phone.

         The thought made me let out a quiet sigh inside my chest.

         No. If Maika had really caught something like that, she would’ve said something.

         So everything’s fine.

         I told myself that and stared straight ahead.

         I was looking forward to the school festival, but I couldn’t calm down with Sendai-san here. Nothing good ever came from Maika and Sendai-san being in the same space, and when they stood close to each other, my body tingled all the way to the ends of my hair, like something was about to happen.

         My hair, which was supposed to share Sendai-san’s scent, felt like it was frizzing and burning.

         How annoying.

         This was really, really annoying.

         Most of my memories were tied to Sendai-san against my will, and no matter what I thought about, she surfaced instantly, like a switch being flipped. That was what made it so irritating—she intruded on my thoughts on her own, even when I wasn’t trying to think about her.

         「Heeey, earth to Shiori.」

         Maika’s voice snapped me out of the thoughts that had swallowed me up.

         「Huh? What?」

         「You weren’t listening to anything I just said, were you?」

         It sounded like she’d been talking while I was lost in my thoughts.

         「Sorry. I didn’t hear a thing. What were you saying?」

         「I was just saying it’s kind of rare to see you in a skirt and makeup. You don’t usually dress like this. Is it because of the school festival?」

         Just as I’d expected, the conversation went there.

         As things unfolded exactly the way I’d imagined, a dull ache formed at my temples. I fidgeted around with my bangs.

         This was why I hadn’t wanted to wear a skirt or makeup in the first place.

         「… No, not exactly…」

         I wanted to tell her that I hadn’t chosen this for myself. But if I said that, I’d have to explain how things had ended up this way, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

         「I’m the one who picked out her skirt and did her makeup for her.」

         The voice came from right beside me.

         When I shot a glare at Sendai-san, she was smiling brightly. I felt like kicking her for saying something she didn’t need to say.

         「Ohh, is that what happened?」

         「Doesn’t she look cute?」

         For some reason, Sendai-san sounded like she was bragging about herself. Maika stopped walking and looked me over from head to toe.

         「Yeah, she does. Good work, Sendai-san. It really suits her.」

         「See, Miyagi? What did I tell you?」

         For some reason, Sendai-san sounded pleased. From my other side, I heard Maika add, “You really do look cute, though.”

         In the end, the only thing I could do was thank her, so I opened my mouth reluctantly.

         「… Thanks.」

         「Shiori, you should come to school wearing another one of Sendai-san’s outfits sometime.」

         「Huh? No thanks.」

         I answered without thinking and continued walking. Sendai-san and Maika walked beside me as we headed toward the university.

         「Aww, why not?」

         Maika asked, and I glared at Sendai-san.

         「Because she’s always trying to put me in a skirt.」

         「But skirts suit you. You look cute in them too.」

         It didn’t sound like Maika was lying, but I didn’t want to agree with what she’d said either.

         「That’s not true. Anyway, I’m against the idea of Sendai-san picking another outfit for me.」

         「Well, in that case… Sendai-san, can you pick an outfit for me sometime?」

         Maika’s voice echoed in my ears, louder than it should have.

         “Pick an outfit for me.”

         Those were words I would never say. Words that shouldn’t have come from anyone else either. I was the only one allowed to ask Sendai-san for things like that. She shouldn’t be doing it for anyone else.

         No.

         That wasn’t for me to decide.

         I had no right to stop Maika from saying what she wanted just like how I had no right to control what Sendai-san did.

         I knew that.

         And even so, I didn’t want to accept it.

         「Sure, if you’re okay with me doing it.」

         Hearing Sendai-san’s cheerful tone made my chest ache, like it was being squeezed tight. I knew it was just a trivial exchange between friends, and that Sendai-san wasn’t the type to turn people down. Even so, my breathing grew a little shallow.

         「Really?」

         「Really, really.」

         As though to put distance between myself and their voices, I took longer strides toward the university, still careful not to walk too fast.

         The campus was already buzzing with activity from the school festival. The two of them kept chatting happily as we walked, and I answered with safe responses, making sure nothing I said sounded half-hearted.

         My gaze drifted to Sendai-san’s ears, then to her neck.

         They were both places where I’d marked her. The pierced holes in her ears would stay forever, while the red mark on her neck would fade in a few days. Either way, it didn’t matter.

         I just wanted to touch her right now.

         Of course, I couldn’t reach for her earrings or her neck right in front of Maika.

         Sendai-san seemed to notice my gaze. She lifted a hand to her neck and brushed the spot where the mark should have been, over her turtleneck. Our eyes met, and I clenched my hand tight.

         「It’s almost lunchtime. Let’s get something to eat first. I’m pretty hungry. We still have plenty of time before the talk show, right?」

         Sendai-san asked, stopping in front of the building where food stalls were lined up and looked at Maika.

         「I’m kind of hungry too, and yeah, we’ve got time. But are you sure about this, Sendai-san? We’re only attending the talk show for a voice actor.」

         High school cultural festivals and university school festivals were both student-led, but they weren’t the same thing. University festivals had large-scale events that barely felt like something students had planned, and people you usually only saw on television appeared on stage as if it were nothing unusual.

         The talk show Maika and I had been looking forward to was one of those events. A voice actor who’d played a role in the anime adaptation of a manga we’d been following for a long time was scheduled to appear.

         「Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve seen the anime too.」

         「Oh, you have?」

         Maika asked, sounding surprised.

         「Yeah. I borrowed the manga from Miyagi and read it, then I got curious and tried watching the adaptation too.」

         「You got bored halfway through and went to do something else, though.」

         I directed my complaint at Sendai-san, who was acting friendly and having fun, yet would never be mine.

         Even when we watched something together, she rarely stayed focused. She’d grab my hand, kiss me, or start talking to me while I was watching an anime, and I wouldn’t be able to focus on the story. In the end, I always had to rewatch it on my own.

         Even during Golden Week, when we watched movies together, she kept doing unnecessary things while sitting right beside me.

         「You two watch a lot of anime together, huh?」

         「Watching together is more fun than watching alone, after all.」

         「But whenever we watch movies together, you always get bored of them so quickly, Sendai-san.」

         Instead of kicking her, I shoved Sendai-san by the arm.

         「It’s not that I get bored, you know.」

         Sendai-san said while stroking her neck, smiling at me.

         That gentle smile annoyed me right now. I couldn’t kick her or bite her like I usually did, so I shoved her again.

         Maika laughed.

         「You two really do get along well.」

         No, we don’t.

         I wanted to say that, but I swallowed the words and said something else instead.

         「Sendai-san’s the one who always wants to watch things together. Not me.」

         「Oh, really?」

         Maika giggled, so I gently slapped her arm too.

         「I can’t concentrate on anything when Sendai-san’s around. It’s not fun at all.」

         「Ohh, I see, I see.」

         Maika said in an exaggerated tone.

         「You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?」

         As I condensed everything I wanted to say into that one line, a shutter sound followed, and my temples twitched.

         「Nice, I got a good shot.」

         Hearing Sendai-san’s voice, I turned and saw her holding up her phone.

         「… Why are you taking pictures of me?」

         「Hm? Oh, just as a commemoration.」

         「For what?」

         「For coming to your school festival.」

         She held the phone out to show me the photo she’d just taken. I looked downright resentful in it.

         I wasn’t happy.

         I didn’t want any of this.

         「Hey—」

         Before I could finish saying “delete it,” Sendai-san cut me off.

         「Hey, Utsunomiya. How about I take a picture of you and Miyagi together?」

         「Oh yeah, do it!」

         Maika said happily, grabbing my arm and linking it with hers. It was already too late to refuse.

         「Alright, you two. Smile for the camera.」

         Sendai-san said as I lifted the corners of my mouth.

         It was a normal photo between two friends. Maika was probably grinning widely, while I was just smiling awkwardly at the camera.

         「Okay, I’m taking it now.」

         The shutter clicked.

         Once, twice, then three times.

         And then a few more.

         「You’re taking way too many pictures, Sendai-san.」

         I said as I pulled away from Maika and walked up to Sendai-san, who kept taking pictures. Before I could take her phone away, she spoke in a satisfied voice.

         「I got a bunch of cute ones.」

         She said, showing the photos to both of us.

         「I look weird. Delete them.」

         I said, and Maika immediately chimed in.

         「You look like you’re having so much fun, though. It’s cute.」

         「I’m not having fun at all.」

         「What? You’re not having fun, Shiori?」

         「… No, I am…」

         「Then how about I take a picture of you and Sendai-san together? And after that, I want one of me with Sendai-san too.」

         I didn’t want to take pictures with Sendai-san.

         And I didn’t want Sendai-san taking pictures with Maika either.

         But there was no way I could explain why, so I couldn’t say no.

         Only with Sendai-san could I say no without having to explain why.

         I’d always thought of smartphones as convenient, useful things, but today, I couldn’t help wishing they didn’t exist at all. I even found myself resenting the people who’d invented them.

         「Miyagi, you’ve got a pretty scary look on your face right now.」

         「No, I don’t.」

         I said reflexively.

         As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Sendai-san linked arms with me.

         「What are you doing, Sendai-san? Back off.」

         I’d taken a picture with Maika earlier with our arms linked like this, so it shouldn’t have felt any different. And yet, being aware that the person beside me now was Sendai-san made my heart start to race, like I’d been running nonstop.

         「Oh, you two look great.」

         Sendai-san pressed closer to me than Maika had.

         I felt like I should say something, but no words came out.

         「Take the picture, Utsunomiya!」

         Right. I need to smile.

         Sendai-san’s voice reminded me that Maika was watching us, so I quickly put on a normal expression, one I could show to other people.

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