Thirty minutes had passed since I’d finished an early dinner with Mio.

           I’d been standing in front of an earring display for a while, but I couldn’t find anything better than the pair I was already wearing. When I’d come to this same store with Miyagi to pick out earrings for her, everything here had looked more appealing. They still looked nice now, but they didn’t have the same brilliance they’d had back then.

           I was starting to think there just weren’t any earrings that suited me.

           That was the conclusion I’d come to after staring for so long.

           I brushed my fingers along my neck, where the mark that used to be there had already faded, then touched my earrings.

           Miyagi was so cold.

           She didn’t seem very interested in the ears I’d given her anymore, and she never offered to pick a new pair of earrings for me either.

           Sometimes I could feel her gaze on my ears, but that was all.

           Even though she’d been the one who’d wanted to pierce my ears ever since we were in high school.

           I wanted Miyagi to choose a pair of earrings for me, just like I had for her.

           I wanted to wear the earrings she chose in the holes she’d pierced.

           I let out a sigh.

           「I should just go home.」

           No matter how long I stayed, I knew I wouldn’t get what I wanted, and nothing here was going to lift my spirits. I was here to kill some time, but I left the store where I’d bought Miyagi’s earrings and headed for the station instead. On the train, I thought back to the school festival with Miyagi and found myself touching my neck again.

           Half of November had already gone by.

           It was the perfect season for turtlenecks now, so it would’ve been fine if Miyagi had left a mark on my neck. But there was nothing there anymore.

           I got off at my usual station and walked home, my skirt fluttering as I went. After climbing three flights of stairs, I reached the apartment and opened the door.

           Just as I’d expected, Miyagi’s shoes weren’t by the entrance.

           She was at Utsunomiya’s place today.

           Miyagi and I were just roommates, and she and Utsunomiya were best friends, so there was nothing strange about her being there. Just like it wasn’t strange for Miyagi and me to spend time together because we lived together, it wasn’t strange for her to spend time with Utsunomiya either.

           They’d done it before and would do it again. Utsunomiya wasn’t doing anything wrong, and I knew this was simply how things were. I considered Utsunomiya my friend now too, and I had no intention of interfering with Miyagi’s plans with her friends.

           I was just feeling a little jealous. That was all.

           I went into the shared living space, took a bottle of barley tea from the fridge, poured half a cup, and retreated to my room. I set the cup on my table and sat down on the floor, leaning my back against the bed.

           I checked my phone to see if Miyagi had contacted me, but there was nothing. She’d told me ahead of time that she’d be home late, yet I still found myself hoping she’d come back soon.

           I couldn’t put my phone down. I had a report to write, but instead I scrolled through the photos from the school festival. I wanted to set one of Miyagi as my lock screen, but she’d probably make a fuss if she noticed and try to force me to delete them again.

           I scrolled past photo after photo. One of Miyagi alone. One of Miyagi with Utsunomiya. One of me and Miyagi together.

           Then my hand stopped.

           It was the picture of a red mark on Miyagi’s stomach.

           I traced my finger over the screen as if I were touching her skin.

           That mark was probably gone from her body by now, but it still remained on my phone.

           I wanted to leave another mark on her.

           I wanted to leave marks so she could feel my presence even when I wasn’t there, so that one day she might feel like she belonged to me. It felt like I was reserving her for the future, a way of expressing that I had no intention of letting anyone else take her away from me.

           Ever since I’d left that mark on her, I’d kept staring at this same picture, thinking the same thoughts.

           Miyagi was the one who’d introduced that strange, unspoken rule about leaving marks on me, only to discard it on her own. It left me frustrated, and now it felt like it was all I could think about.

           「Shiori.」

           I whispered her name before changing what was on my screen.

           I opened my messages and sent Miyagi a short text.

           “It’s dangerous to be out so late.”

           Her reply came immediately. “I’ll be home soon.”

           My heart started pounding.

           About five minutes later, I heard movement in the shared living space, followed by a knock at my door. I opened it to see Miyagi standing there.

           「I’m home.」

           「Welcome back.」

           「I’m not a kid anymore, so you don’t have to worry so much about me.」

           She said, like she was responding to the message I’d sent her.

           「Things have been a bit dangerous out there lately, you know?」

           「I’ll try to be more careful.」

           Miyagi said and started to head back to her room, so I grabbed her arm to stop her.

           「Come on, let’s talk for a bit.」

           「What do you want to talk about?」

           「Anything. You’re free right now, aren’t you?」

           I tugged lightly on the arm I was holding, and Miyagi came into my room without much resistance. We sat down on the floor, leaning our backs against the bed.

           「What were you up to, Sendai-san?」

           「I was supposed to be working on a report, but I ended up just lazing around.」

         「Are you sure you’re not supposed to be working on that right now?」

           「I’ll do it later.」

           As I answered, I reached out and touched the earrings I’d chosen for Miyagi. After caressing it gently, I pressed my lips to her earring. Miyagi looked at me suspiciously and asked,

           「What was that for? Were you trying to make a promise?」

           「No, I just wanted to touch you.」

           I said as I stroked her earring again.

           「Hey, Miyagi. Pick out some earrings for me.」

           「No.」

           「Why not?」

           I asked, and Miyagi’s gaze dropped to the floor. She stayed quiet.

           「Miyagi?」

           When I called her name softly, she seemed to hesitate, then reached out and pulled the platypus tissue box toward herself. When it reached her feet, she took hold of its small hand.

         「… I’m not good at picking out cute earrings like you are, Sendai-san.」

           She mumbled and let go of the platypus’s hand.

           「They don’t have to be cute. I just want you to choose something for me.」

           「No.」

           I knew she wasn’t trying to be mean.

           I even found it a little cute that she thought she couldn’t choose a good pair for me. Still, being turned down so bluntly hurt more than I expected. As if to soothe that ache, I grabbed Miyagi’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

           「You haven’t really been leaving hickeys on me lately.」

           I shifted away from that painful topic and asked about something else that had been bothering me.

           「You haven’t been going anywhere. And they’re not hickeys.」

           「So you only leave marks on me when I go out?」

           「No, that’s not it…」

           Miyagi answered hesitantly as she slipped her hand free and started stroking the platypus’s head.

           If she was going to pet someone, it should’ve been me.

           Wanting to draw Miyagi’s attention back to myself — especially when she was touching something other than me, even though she’d just come back from Utsunomiya’s place — I reached out and touched her stomach over her clothes.

           「Is it okay if I leave a mark here, Miyagi?」

           「No.」

           「Why not?」

           「Just because.」

           「At least give me a reason.」

           As I said that, I snatched the platypus from Miyagi’s hands and grabbed her shirt. When I lifted the hem slightly, she spoke in a quiet voice.

           「… It just bothers me.」

           「Then put a mark on me instead.」

           「I don’t want to do that either.」

           「If you’re going to say no to everything, then I guess it’s time for a punishment.」

           「A punishment? For who?」

           「For you.」

           「I haven’t done anything that deserves a punishment.」

           「You came home late today.」

           「But I told you in advance that I’d be home late.」

           「That doesn’t matter. You still came home pretty late.」

           Miyagi had followed the rules properly by letting me know she’d be home late, so I was the one being unreasonable. She had no reason to accept a punishment. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling that Miyagi should just say “yes” sometimes.

           「I didn’t come home that late.」

           「No, you did. I waited for you for quite a while.」

           「You were waiting for me?」

           「Yeah, I was.」

           When I’d come home earlier, Miyagi hadn’t been there. It had felt like it would still be a while before she returned, so I’d had dinner with Mio. I’d even killed time looking at earrings. And because the real Miyagi hadn’t been home, I’d spent some time staring at the pictures I had of her instead.

           「… What kind of punishment are you going to make me do?」

           I was surprised that Miyagi seemed willing to accept one at all. I’d been sure she would refuse. Still, there was no way I was letting this chance slip.

           「I want you to give me an order — one you’ve given me before.」

           I said, bringing up something I thought might interest her.

           「Which one?」

           「— I want you to order me to lick your foot.」

           「You’re such a pervert, Sendai-san.」

           「It’s your fault I’m even saying things like this.」

           「Even if it is my fault, I’m not going to order you to do that.」

           「If you won’t do it, then I’m going to make you lick my foot instead. How does that sound?」

           I knew Miyagi wouldn’t do it.

           It was something she’d never agree to, even if I begged.

           And yet, despite it being something she absolutely wouldn’t do, Miyagi quietly said,

           「Sit down.」

           She hadn’t told me where to sit exactly, but based on the past, I knew where she meant. Miyagi always sat on the bed, and I sat on the floor. Which meant that today, I would be on the bed, and Miyagi would be on the floor.

           I sat down on the bed and crossed my legs.

           Miyagi looked up at me from the floor.

           She traced my ankle with her fingertips, then lifted my skirt up to my knees. Her fingers circled my knee, following the bone there before slowly moving downward.

           A shiver ran down my spine as her fingertips moved. Feeling her warmth so close made my lungs feel tight, and my breathing turned shallow.

           For a moment, I wondered if Miyagi had ever felt this way too, but I dismissed the thought right away. I couldn’t imagine the Miyagi from back then feeling what I was feeling now.

           She was only touching my leg. It didn’t seem like she was going to lick my foot.

           From above, I could see the whorl of her black hair, and it made it hard to stay calm.

           「Miyagi.」

           When I called her name softly, her hand moved again. She lifted my skirt higher, leaving about half of my thighs exposed. When I instinctively tried to pull it back down, Miyagi spoke in a displeased voice.

           「Open your legs a little.」

           「You’re not even following the order I gave you.」

           「Just do as I say.」

           Even though she wasn’t licking my foot, Miyagi was the one giving orders now. And for some reason, even though I was supposed to be the one ordering her around, I ended up opening my legs slightly, just like she’d told me to. Her hand slid along the inside of my thigh, stopping just above my knee.

           I wanted to call out her name — “Shiori” — but I bit my lip when Miyagi pressed her lips against the inside of my thigh.

           My body flinched at the sudden heat.

           All my awareness narrowed to the spot where her lips touched me, the sensation growing unbearably hot.

           Miyagi sucked hard at the inside of my thigh.

           Seeing her smooth hair and the whorl at the crown of her head, I reached out and held her head. But she pulled back soon after, her lips separating from my skin. When I looked down, there was a clear red mark where her mouth had been.

           「That’s not what I ordered you to do.」

           I’d told her to lick my foot, not leave a mark on me.

           When I tried to pull my skirt back down, Miyagi stopped my hand.

           「You’re the one who said you wanted me to leave a mark on you.」

           「That’s not what I ordered you to do.」

           「Does it matter?」

           Miyagi said dismissively, then traced her fingers over the red mark she’d left on my thigh.

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I’ve decided to continue accepting chapter debt for the foreseeable future.

Like before, for every 5000 yen ($35 USD) that gets crowdfunded (i.e. every dollar that gets contributed is counted towards this), we’ll add one chapter to the debt. Remember that this is completely OPTIONAL. This is NOT a service or product, but a tip/donation for extra motivation to translate / catch up faster.

Current debt as of writing this is 81.

Click here for the Ko-Fi link.

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