「I’ll go bring the cake and some tea.」
Miyagi stood up after we finished eating the pizza and chicken nuggets, leaving me alone in her room.
As I looked around her room, I noticed that the bed across from me was now a metal-framed one, unlike the bed she’d had back in high school. The bedding was different too. There were things that hadn’t been there before, but also plenty that Miyagi had brought with her when she moved in, like the crocodile tissue box cover.
Even though this was my first time stepping into Miyagi’s room, it felt unmistakably like her.
It was comfortable being here.
It’d make me happy if she kept letting me in like this, but Miyagi was always unpredictable, so I had no idea what things would be like from here on out.
I mean, even today, I hadn’t had the slightest clue that she wanted to celebrate my birthday with me.
I pulled the crocodile tissue box—a friend of the black cat plush—toward me. As I stroked its head and played with its soft little hands, I heard her voice from outside the room.
「Sendai-san, help me open the door.」
I did as she said, and Miyagi came in carrying a tray with cake slices and cups of tea. She set it down on the table.
「Is this a no-bake cheesecake?」
On the plates were slices cut perfectly into isosceles triangles, and I could tell right away Miyagi hadn’t been the one to cut them.
「Yep. That’s what you like, right?」
Miyagi said as she sat down across from me. Her tone carried a hint of nervousness, so I quickly replied,
「Yeah.」
She was probably thinking back to that time I’d bought us slices of no-bake cheesecake to celebrate finishing our exams.
It was such a small detail to remember, but it made me happy anyway.
To be honest, I’d bought those cakes that day because I thought she’d like them. I’d never cared much about the type of cheesecake myself. If I had to choose between shortcake or strawberry tart, I’d probably pick shortcake, but when it came to cheesecake, I didn’t really have a preference.
But now, because Miyagi had gone out of her way to buy this no-bake cheesecake thinking it was what I liked, it was my favorite now.
「Can I eat it?」
I asked, picking up my fork.
「You don’t have to ask. Go ahead.」
「Let’s eat.」
I said, and then took a bite.
The cream—with the tartness of lemon and the smoothness of cream cheese—melted across my tongue. It wasn’t too sweet, and its flavor blended perfectly with the crisp cookie base.
「It tastes really good. Thank you.」
Miyagi furrowed her brows slightly, as if bothered by something, but said nothing.
After I’d eaten about half my slice, I glanced over at her. She finally murmured, “Let’s eat,” and began on her own piece.
Knowing she’d picked this cake with me in mind made it feel almost wasteful to finish it.
If I could, I wanted to save just a small piece of it forever—as proof that she’d remembered what I liked, and bought it for me.
I wanted to gradually fill Miyagi’s mind with more of me—to take up more and more space in her memories.
I wanted her to think of no one but me.
I wanted her to keep learning more about me, and I wanted to know her better than anyone else ever could.
「Miyagi, do you not buy whole cakes for your birthday? You know, like the round ones.」
I asked, figuring it was as good a time as any.
「I don’t really like round cakes.」
「Why not? They’re kind of the standard for birthdays, aren’t they?」
「I don’t really have any good memories associated with them.」
Miyagi muttered quietly, taking another bite of her cake.
She didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood, but she didn’t seem like she was in a bad one either.
Miyagi hardly ever talked about herself. Even when I asked, her answers were always vague.
I wasn’t sure if she’d tell me, but I still wanted to know why she didn’t like round cakes.
「Can I ask why?」
I tried to sound as gentle as possible.
Miyagi looked up at me for a brief moment, then lowered her eyes to the cake in front of her.
She poked at it with her fork for a while before falling still.
I could tell she was hesitating—trying to decide whether or not to share what must’ve been unpleasant memories.
Just as I was about to tell her it was fine if she didn’t want to talk about it, Miyagi began to speak quietly.
「… When I was a kid, my father would always buy me a round cake for my birthday. But he was always busy with work and away from home, so I always ended up eating it alone.」
She paused there, took a small bite of her cake, then a sip of tea.
Without looking up, she let out a quiet sigh and went on, her voice low, as if she were forcing the words out from somewhere deep inside her.
「And as you’d expect, it was impossible to finish a whole cake by myself. So I’d put the rest in the refrigerator, but the next day it would still be there—untouched, just like I left it. Seeing that always made me feel really lonely. That’s why I don’t like round cakes.」
After finishing her story—something she’d probably never told anyone before—Miyagi took another sip of tea.
Memories of our high school days came rushing back.
Whether it was after school, during summer break, or even winter break, I’d never once seen anyone else at her place.
Miyagi, who’d felt lonely just from seeing a cake sitting in her fridge, had always been by herself.
But things were different now.
「I’m going to prepare a round cake for your birthday, Miyagi.」
「… What’s this supposed to be? Some kind of harassment?」
Miyagi, who’d kept her head down until now, looked up at me with clear displeasure in her voice.
「No. What I mean is, we can finish a whole cake together. If there’s two of us eating it, it’ll be gone in no time.」
「… Are you even going to be home for my birthday?」
It was something that should’ve been obvious, but the uncertain look on her face made me answer firmly.
「Of course I will.」
「What if something comes up? Like if your job runs late, or a friend invites you out?」
「You know Kikyou-chan’s a middle schooler, right? Her parents would kill me if I tutored her that late. And even if a friend asked me to hang out, I’d still put your birthday first. So let’s eat a round cake together, okay?」
I said with a smile, looking straight at her.
But Miyagi didn’t reply.
「I promise I’ll be here.」
There was no way I wouldn’t be home for Miyagi’s birthday this year.
The future might be uncertain, but I knew this was one promise I would never break.
As if to seal that promise, I reached out and touched Miyagi’s earring—but she flinched and pulled away.
「… I don’t want to be disappointed if you promise me something and then break it, so you don’t have to swear on my earrings.」
The reason she’d gotten her ears pierced in the first place was to make sure I kept my promises—and I’d never once broken a promise I’d sworn on her earrings.
Miyagi was the one who’d made things this way.
She must’ve known that—we’d already made plenty of promises like this before. After keeping all of them, I thought I’d earned at least a little of her trust. But right now, Miyagi looked almost afraid to make any promise with me at all.
I looked at her.
If I let things go like this, I knew I’d regret it.
「Don’t worry. Whether I swear on your earrings or not, I won’t break this promise. We’ll have a round cake together for your birthday.」
It was a promise I had to make—whether Miyagi wanted it or not—and one I intended to keep no matter what.
「… Really?」
Her quiet voice sounded like she really wanted to believe me.
「Really. I’ll pick out a really good cake for us, so let’s eat it together.」
I didn’t know how to make her believe me, but I said it as gently as I could. Then I added,
「Can I sit next to you?」
「You always end up sitting next to me without asking, don’t you?」
Miyagi muttered, lowering her eyes.
「Yeah, but I felt like I should ask today.」
「Don’t start saying things you don’t normally say.」
She muttered quietly, but she wasn’t rejecting me.
I sat down beside her and kissed her on the cheek.
When I reached out to touch her, her shoulders trembled slightly.
Instead of touching her ears, I let my fingers brush against her lips.
「Thank you for today. It made me really happy. Can I kiss you here?」
「Why are you asking me that?」
「Because I thought it’d be better if I asked.」
「If you’re going to ask, then I’m going to say no.」
That sounded more like the Miyagi I knew.
Without saying anything else, I pressed my lips against hers.
They weren’t softer than the cream on the no-bake cheesecake, but they were still incredibly soft.
Miyagi’s hands clutched at my clothes.
I pulled back for a moment, then kissed her again.
It was a brief kiss.
Just as I was about to stroke her cheek and kiss her once more, Miyagi spoke before our lips could meet.
「I didn’t know what you wanted for a birthday present, so instead of getting you something, I decided I’d do anything you wanted from me. Can I count that kiss just now as your birthday present?」
She spoke faster than usual, blurting out something I hadn’t expected at all.
「Huh? Wait, no. That didn’t count.」
When I looked at her, I noticed a faint blush on her cheeks—perhaps out of embarrassment.
「Fine. What do you want, then?」
Miyagi asked, tugging lightly at my clothes as if she didn’t want to give me much time to think.
But even as she rushed me, my thoughts refused to settle.
「Hmm…」
I thought for a moment, then took hold of the hand she was using to pull at me.
「Does that mean you’ll do anything I ask, then?」
「As long as it’s not something weird.」
「Whose standards are we talking about here?」
「If we went by yours, nothing would count as weird, Sendai-san.」
Miyagi said something rather rude as she squeezed my hand tightly.
I squeezed back with the same strength, and our hands slowly relaxed together.
Still holding her hand, I finally managed to put my thoughts into words.
「Okay, then I want you to celebrate my birthday with me next year too.」
「Is that all you want?」
「I’ll keep asking for the same thing every year, so make sure you keep granting it.」
If I could ask for one thing as my birthday present, it’d be to have a day like this again.
Just one day each year—reserved entirely for me.
「Even though we’re only going to be roommates for the next four years?」
「You don’t have to be someone’s roommate to celebrate their birthday, you know.」
「That’s true, but… I feel like there are plenty of people who’d want to celebrate your birthday, so it doesn’t have to be with me.」
「I want you to wish me a happy birthday, Miyagi.」
I was happy when anyone wished me a happy birthday—
But hearing it from Miyagi made me the happiest.
「… Well, if that’s what you want, then I guess I don’t mind.」
Miyagi mumbled, then gave my hand a firm squeeze, as if to say that what she’d just promised was real.
Having one of my wishes granted made me greedy for another.
So, I added one more.
「Then I want you to tell me more about yourself, Miyagi. I want to get to know you better.」
「I’m already granting one of your requests, Sendai-san.」
「But you never said you’d only listen to one of my wishes, right? So grant me a second one.」
「That’s unfair.」
「Come on, it’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not even a difficult wish to grant.」
「I mean, it’s not… but what exactly do you want to know about me?」
Miyagi asked, sounding a little resigned.
「Just trivial things. Like your favorite color, or your favorite foods. Ordinary conversations anyone could have. We could talk about things like our trip to the aquarium the other day—or how I’ve come to like penguins because of it.」
「Really?」
「Yep. I had a lot of fun at the aquarium, and I really did come to love penguins. I kinda wish I’d bought a stuffed penguin plush back then. I want to have more of those kinds of small, ordinary conversations with you, little by little. Simple, right?」
We’d known each other for a long time and spent so much time together, yet we’d never really talked all that much.
I wanted to have more of those casual, everyday conversations—the kind anyone could have with each other.
I wanted to tell her things like how much I’d loved going to the aquarium with her, or how I regretted not buying something to remember that day by.
We’d never had any sort of conversations about these things that should’ve been so easy to say out loud.
I also wanted to know about the painful memories she’d buried in her heart, but there were still plenty of other things we needed to talk about first.
「Will you talk more about yourself too, Sendai-san?」
「Of course.」
「Then… I’m fine with that.」
Miyagi said softly.
Ave Lilium Translations 