Hearing a sound from the shared living space, I focused my ears.

            I waited a little, though Sendai-san—who was coming home fairly late from her part-time job—didn’t come into my room.

            I let out a quiet sigh.

            It wasn’t like I’d been waiting for her. I just had something to pass along from Maika.

            This is such a hassle.

            It would’ve been nice if Christmas just stopped existing, though unless everyone in the world suddenly disappeared, that wasn’t going to happen.

            I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then stepped out of my room and knocked twice on the bedroom door next to mine.

            「You can come in.」

            Sendai-san’s voice came from inside, and I opened the door. When I stepped into her room, she was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, her hair still in the same ponytail from this morning.

            「There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Is that okay?」

            “Sure,” she answered in a cheerful voice as I sat down beside her.

            「Are you planning to wear your hair like this on Christmas too?」

            I asked, gently tugging on her ponytail.

            「Is that what you came here to ask?」

            「No. I was just wondering if you were going to keep it in a ponytail on Christmas Eve too.」

            「Yeah, that was the plan.」

            「Well, don’t.」

            It wasn’t that I disliked seeing her in a ponytail.

            The earrings I’d put on Sendai-san yesterday were visible for everyone to see, making it feel like she truly belonged to me. Even if someone else saw them, I doubted they’d think anything of it. To me, though, they were proof she was tied to me and it was something I’d always be able to see.

            But if she wore her ponytail—which made those earrings clearly visible—in front of Maika, things could get complicated.

            「Come on, there’s nothing wrong with me wearing a ponytail, is there?」

            Sendai-san said in a light tone beside me.

            「There is. Maika might comment on it.」

            「About the earrings?」

            「Yeah. She might go, “Whoa, you got new earrings?” or ask if someone gave them to you.」

            Maika knew I’d been trying to find a pair of earrings to buy.

            I never said who they were for, though if she saw Sendai-san wearing a different pair of earrings than the ones she had on during the school festival, she’d definitely be able to put two and two together.

            And if she were to ask why I gave Sendai-san earrings when it wasn’t for her birthday or Christmas yet, I wasn’t sure how I’d answer.

            「If she asks, I’ll just tell her you gave them to me. It’s not like there’s anything strange about roommates giving each other earrings, right?」

            「… I don’t want you to tell her that.」

            I said, reaching out and touching Sendai-san’s ear, tracing the blue stone before pressing my lips against it.

            I pierced Sendai-san’s ears on her birthday, wanting to leave a mark anyone could see. That alone wasn’t enough, and I went on to leave countless other marks across her body, ones that would fade. Even now, despite the two blue stones in her ears, it still didn’t feel like enough.

            Any satisfaction I felt only ever lasted for a moment before fading, leaving me with the sense that nothing would ever be enough for me.

            I knew that if Maika saw those gems in Sendai-san’s ears, that feeling of never being satisfied would only grow stronger, and I’d want even more to make it clear that she was mine and mine alone.

            I pulled my lips away from her earring.

            I didn’t know what I’d say if Maika asked why I bought Sendai-san a pair of earrings, let alone answer her at all. Even so, a part of me still wanted Maika to know that Sendai-san was mine, and I didn’t know what to do.

            That was why I wanted those earrings to stay out of sight.

            I’d put them on her to keep her under my control, and yet I couldn’t even keep my own emotions in check. But more than anything, I just wanted to stop feeling so confused.

            I sank my teeth into her earlobe.

            I bit down gently at first, then slowly added more pressure, and Sendai-san spoke up softly.

            「I’ll consider it. You know, not wearing my hair in a ponytail.」

            「What if she asks you about the earrings?」

            I asked as I pulled away from her.

            「If you don’t want me to say you gave them to me, then I won’t.」

            「Yeah, don’t.」

            「Okay.」

            Sendai-san replied, reaching out and brushing her fingertips against my earring.

            She traced the small flower, then pressed her lips against it the same way I had done to hers earlier.

            The warmth from her body, passing through my earlobe, felt comforting.

            Her lips, pressed to my earring as if making a promise, pulled away, and she touched my cheek.

            Her fingertips slid down my neck. It tickled, and I instinctively pushed her away.

            「So, what did you want to talk to me about?」

            She asked lightly, as if nothing had happened, and I let out a quiet sigh.

            I didn’t want to bring this up.

            Still, if I didn’t tell her myself, Maika would end up contacting Sendai-san directly, so staying quiet wasn’t an option.

            「Well, about Christmas… Maika suggested we do a gift exchange this year, keeping it around 2000 yen or less.」

            「Has that already been decided?」

            「If you don’t want to do it, I’ll let her know.」

            「It makes it feel more like Christmas, so I’m okay with it.」

            Sendai-san said in a flat tone, staring straight at me.

            I met her gaze—her expression neither gentle nor harsh—and she poked me between the eyebrows.

            「Why do you look so unhappy, Miyagi?」

            「I just don’t know what to buy for gifts.」

            「Just get Utsunomiya something she’d like.」

            「I already know what I’m getting Maika.」

            「… You do? What are you getting her?」

            Sendai-san’s voice dropped lower than usual, and I mumbled,

            「Why does it matter to you?」

            「I’m just curious. Come on, tell me.」

            「I’m getting her an apron. She said she wanted one.」

            「If you already know what you’re getting her, I don’t see why you’re so worried.」

            「… I was talking about your gift, Sendai-san. I don’t know what to get you.」

            Even if I were to suddenly have a change of heart and decide I was enthusiastic about having a small Christmas party with everyone, exchanging gifts—not just with Maika, but with Sendai-san too—was still hard to handle.

            Picking out earrings for her had already been difficult enough. I couldn’t imagine choosing a present for her being any easier.

            「Just give me something you’d like, Miyagi.」

            Sendai-san said lightheartedly with a smile on her face.

            「That just makes it harder for me. Just tell me what you want.」

            「Seriously, I’m fine with anything you pick. Also, is there anything you’d like?」

            「Not really.」

            「I see.」

            Sendai-san let out a small sigh.

            Then she tugged at her own earlobe with the blue stone in it, but quickly let go and reached down to the floor. She picked up the platypus tissue box and, for some reason, handed it to me.

            「Miyagi, um, there’s something I wanted to ask you too.」

            「What is it?」

            「You’re not planning to work a part-time job over winter break, right?」

            「That’s what I said before, isn’t it?」

            「Yeah.」

            「Is that what you wanted to ask?」

            「No, there’s something else. It’s about what I’m planning to do.」

            「… What you’re planning to do?」

            I tightened my grip on the platypus tissue box she gave me.

            「Yeah. I was thinking about working a second job at the café I used to work at over winter break. I wanted to hear what you think.」

            Sendai-san said, staring straight at me.

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