「Okay, I put it on.」
I said, tracing the pendant with my fingers as I stared at Miyagi.
I didn’t mind wearing accessories, but something about having one on while in my school uniform made my chest feel slightly uneasy.
「Yeah, I can see that.」
「That’s not what I mean. Don’t you have anything to say?」
「Can I touch it?」
「I was asking for your opinion on how it looks.」
Before I had given her permission to touch it, Miyagi was already reaching out, like it was the most natural thing to do. I wasn’t expecting her to say something flattering, but I also didn’t expect her to try and touch it. I reflexively tried to pull back, but her hand reached me first.
Her fingertips traced the chain’s outline.
As they moved, they lightly brushed against my skin, tickling me a little.
「Isn’t the chain a bit too long? I would’ve preferred it a little shorter.」
I caught her unsteady fingers and complained about something that didn’t really matter to me.
「If it were any shorter, it’d show at school.」
She tugged the chain slightly, as if to check its length, then let go.
「You want me to wear this at school?」
「Keep it on until we graduate.」
「You’re telling me not to take it off, all the way until graduation?」
「Yeah, wear it everywhere, whether you’re at home or at school.」
「Is that an order?」
「It is.」
Miyagi’s tone wasn’t forceful, nor was it particularly soft.
The pendant was just a normal pendant—nothing more. It looked like an ordinary accessory, so it wouldn’t be unusual if I decided to wear it everywhere.
But her words made me realize something.
This wasn’t just any accessory.
Miyagi wasn’t the type to give me something without a reason behind it.
I didn’t want to say it out loud because it felt like she’d agree immediately, but this pendant felt like a collar, her way of showing ownership. Otherwise, there was no reason for her to force me to wear it until we graduated.
「Giving me orders that apply at school is against the rules, you know.」
The pendant might have been just an accessory, but the fact it was a gift from Miyagi made it feel like a soft but firm grip around my neck, like I was being stifled.
She’d done similar things before—like leaving hickeys or bite marks on me—but those would always fade. This pendant, however, wouldn’t. Despite weighing almost nothing, the pendant felt unbearably heavy. I wanted to at least take it off while at school.
「Let’s just make it a rule that says it’s okay to wear it, then. Remember what you said, Sendai-san? Learn to compromise every now and then.」
Miyagi echoed the words I had used in the music preparation room, something I never thought would be turned back against me.
「Compromising, huh… Fine, I’ll do it if you say, “Please put it on.”」
I knew she’d never agree to that condition.
「Never mind, then. I don’t care if you decide to wear it or not.」
「Don’t you think you can afford to be a little honest at times like this?」
「No.」
Just as I expected, Miyagi quickly retracted the order she’d given.
Now, I had the freedom to choose when to wear the pendant.
I glanced at Miyagi, who had now fallen silent and was sulking. She tapped her fingertip on the table, then did it again before reaching for the small box that held the pendant.
Miyagi was likely regretting giving me the present.
I knew there was no need for me to compromise—she wasn’t even willing to ask me nicely, as if it were a favor, which was why I didn’t allow her order to stand.
I knew all of this, but for some reason, my mouth decided to move on its own.
「… Fine, if all you want is for me to keep it on, then I’ll leave it on until graduation. But I’m not going to care if a teacher sees it and confiscates it.」
I said as I took the small box back from Miyagi’s hands.
I knew this all too well, as it had happened many times in the past, but I really was soft on Miyagi. Even though her orders went against our rules, I still chose to wear the pendant.
「I don’t think anyone will notice as long as you keep your second button fastened.」
Miyagi said quietly, her eyes focused on my blouse.
「I feel like they will.」
「Try buttoning one up, then.」
I had two buttons undone, but I did as she said and fastened one. Now with only one button undone, like I usually wore it at school, I asked,
「Can you see it?」
「No, I can’t.」
「I guess this works, then.」
「… Sendai-san, don’t let anyone else see it from now on.」
「Huh? That’s going to be hard, you know. I mean, I’m going to have to change clothes for gym class and all.」
「Make sure no one else sees it except me.」
Miyagi’s order sounded unreasonable.
Hiding it might be doable most of the time, but with classes like gym where we had to change clothes around other people, keeping the pendant completely out of sight was nearly impossible. Plus, the words “except me” stood out. The fact she was making herself an exception led me to a certain realization.
「Wait, does that mean I have to let you see it, Miyagi?」
「You always leave your second button undone here, so I’m going to see it anyway. Also, if I order you to, then you’ll have to show it to me.」
「If you can already see it normally, then why go out of your way to order me to show it?」
「I want to be able to see it more closely.」
「… Uh, isn’t that order kind of erotic?」
Since she wasn’t planning on giving me any orders to take off my uniform or anything, showing Miyagi the pendant technically stayed within the boundaries of our rules.
Still, there was a big difference between, “I can see it when your buttons are undone,” and, “I’m ordering you to show it to me,” even though the outcome was the same. Having to show her just because she was ordering me to felt pretty immodest.
「There’s nothing erotic about it. Let me see it right now.」
The same mouth that had just told me to button up was now telling me to undo it.
「This really does feel erotic, though.」
「It’s not nearly as erotic as you usually are, Sendai-san. And besides, you always leave your second button undone anyway, so stop complaining and just unbutton it already.」
「You really want me to undo it again?」
「I can’t see it unless you do, right?」
She was right—I always left that button undone. But now, being told to unbutton it just for her to see the pendant felt strangely awkward.
「Fine.」
But acting like it was a big deal would only make it one, so I decided to do as I was told and undid the button.
「Is this good enough?」
Miyagi’s gaze seemed to burn into my chest.
I knew she was only looking at the pendant, but I could feel a strange tingling sensation around my collarbone.
「You don’t have to stare so intensely, you know.」
「I’m just looking at the gift I gave you. I can stare as much as I want.」
「Did you go to all the trouble of getting me this just so you could do this?」
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pendant wasn’t only meant to be a collar—maybe she wanted an excuse to have me unbutton my blouse and look at my chest.
「You don’t need to know why I got this gift for you.」
Miyagi said softly, then added,
「Also, undo one more button.」
「You can see it just fine as it is, right?」
「Not well enough.」
「Haven’t you been staring at it for a while now?」
「I want a closer look. I’m giving you an order, so you have to obey.」
Normally, there’d be no reason to undo the third button.
But Miyagi didn’t seem like she was about to give up easily today.
That was how things worked normally, but exceptions could always be made, and today I chose to make one for her. It didn’t seem like she was doing this just to see the pendant anymore, but getting into an argument wasn’t worth it either.
「Fine, fine.」
I replied half-heartedly as I took off my necktie and undid the third button. Miyagi reached out, her fingers brushing the fabric lightly. She didn’t pull the blouse open too far, only enough to get a better view of the pendant.
She had seen my undergarments and skin countless times already, so there was no need to feel embarrassed. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled, like my heart was floating somewhere above the clouds.
Miyagi’s fingers traced the chain again, as if trying to count the links, which felt a little ticklish.
Then, the hand that had been tracing the chain suddenly pressed down on my body. What was once a gentle brush against my skin while touching the pendant became a forceful push, making me lose my balance. I fell to the floor, with Miyagi’s body hovering above me.
「Hey, Miyagi, that hurt.」
I didn’t fall too hard, but my back and shoulders felt sore from the impact. Without a word, Miyagi leaned closer to my chest and kissed the charm. Since the charm was small, her lips touched my chest as well, but the way she kissed it made it clear she intended to focus only on the little object.
She hadn’t put much force into her lips.
Yet, it felt heavy—almost suffocating.
The part where I was being touched felt incredibly warm.
Miyagi appeared entirely unfazed, as if she wasn’t even aware of what she was doing to me.
I took a deep breath.
It was getting hard to breathe, so I gently tugged at Miyagi’s hair, and she lifted her head.
She stroked the chain with her fingers once more.
As I watched her, I understood that my earlier guess was right. Miyagi had stayed silent before the kiss and continued to be quiet now, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything she did was her way of asserting her ownership of me. What she had just done seemed to confirm that more than anything else up to this point.
This pendant was likely—no, it was definitely—a symbol that Sendai Hazuki belonged to Miyagi until graduation.
Honestly, I was at a complete loss for words.
I didn’t want to admit it to her, but I was accepting this gift. It felt suffocating and burdensome, yet for some reason, it didn’t really bother me.
「Isn’t this enough already, Miyagi?」
Finding myself at a loss for words, I decided to say something trivial as I tapped her on the back. But Miyagi didn’t move away. Instead, she leaned in to kiss the pendant again, her fingertips gliding over the small charm and inevitably brushing against my skin.
Her fingers slipped from the charm, moving lower.
It felt ticklish, but it was also starting to stir up deeper emotions.
Miyagi attempted to unfasten the fourth button herself.
This is bad.
The sensations had gone beyond mere ticklishness, prompting me to grip her hand to stop her.
「Wait, stop, Miyagi. It’ll be dangerous if we go any further than this.」
「Are you telling me to stop because I’m doing something against the rules?」
「Well, that too, but I feel like I might lose my mind.」
I couldn’t keep treating this like it was no big deal; if we didn’t stop now, it could turn into a real problem.
I didn’t trust my own judgment, and if I didn’t express that to Miyagi, we’d both be in trouble.
「What’s happening with you, Sendai-san? Don’t let your mind slip away so easily. Tie it down so it stays in place if you have to.」
「That’s easier said than done.」
「… Why do you sound so unsure of yourself?」
Miyagi asked with a hint of exasperation.
Even though she asked me, I couldn’t make sense of it myself. I had no idea why Miyagi trusted my judgment so much, so I just gave her a half-hearted response.
「I don’t know either, so you should be careful, Miyagi.」
I said, shifting the responsibility back onto her shoulders.
Miyagi went quiet, her expression turning contemplative as her brows furrowed.
After about ten seconds of thought, she mumbled,
「What if I told you I’d let you kiss me if you let me undo one more button?」
After all her deliberation, she had come up with a proposal I never would have expected, leaving me momentarily speechless.
I mulled over her words in my mind, then decided to double-check with her.
「— So, you’re saying you’d let me kiss you?」
「Yeah.」
I never could’ve imagined she would offer something like that.
I had unfastened the fourth button on my blouse in front of her before, so this wasn’t something I needed to think twice about.
「Alright, deal. I’ll let you unbutton it.」
「You do it yourself, Sendai-san.」
「Okay.」
I did as I was told and unfastened the fourth button on my blouse. Miyagi’s fingers brushed against my stomach, causing my body to tense slightly.
Then, she pressed her palm against me. The warmth was gentle yet unsettling, causing me to catch my breath. The heat felt like it was seeping deep inside me, so I grabbed Miyagi by the wrist. But she showed no intention of going further. Her hand glided softly along my side before finally pulling away.
「Okay, you can kiss me now.」
She said quietly.
I raised myself slightly and gently caressed her neck, sliding my hand down the back of her neck as I pulled her closer. It hadn’t been that long since our last kiss, but my eagerness made me press my lips against hers with a bit more force than usual.
I bit down on her lips lightly, as if to savor the touch I’d been longing for. Normally, Miyagi would’ve pushed me away by now, like she was trying to get rid of me as fast as possible, but today she was unusually accepting.
It felt like she’d let me get away with undoing a button on her blouse, so I pulled away from the kiss and loosened Miyagi’s necktie.
Miyagi didn’t seem to mind. It looked like she was willing to overlook the button I’d undone, so I brought my lips closer to her neck. However, before I could kiss it, she pushed me away by the shoulders with considerable force, sending me straight back down to the floor.
「We’re done.」
Miyagi said firmly before standing up.
「Isn’t that a bit too quick?」
「Well, in that case, are you willing to offer something more? It’s supposed to be a trade, so if I let you kiss me again, then I get to ask for something in return as well.」
「You never said it’d be just one kiss.」
「It doesn’t matter if I said it or not. The trade was good for one kiss only.」
「That seems kind of unfair, don’t you think?」
「I only touched you a little bit. I think that was worth the equivalent of one kiss.」
Miyagi said in a tone that didn’t hide her dissatisfaction as I started to button my blouse back up.
「Okay, fine. We’ll stop here.」
I had a feeling that if I kept talking, I’d only provoke her into giving me worse orders. It wasn’t like I wanted to push things further; I just wanted to touch her a little more since she seemed okay with it.
I got up slowly. As I reached to close my blouse, Miyagi stepped in and began buttoning it for me, starting at the bottom, working her way up until every last button was done.
「This feels a little tight.」
「Just deal with it.」
「Is that an order?」
「Not really.」
She muttered, clearly irritated, as she walked back to the table. Feeling like I couldn’t breathe properly, I loosened my tie and undid one button.
TL note: Hey… nobody told me this part would be so long… It ended up being just shy of 3000 words… In any case, I wanted to get this part out while it was still Miyagi’s birthday! Apparently, September 25th is Miyagi’s birthday (and NOT the 26th – which, I could’ve sworn was her birthday, but maybe I’m delulu, which is pretty on brand for me), so uh, happy birthday Miyagi!!!
Ave Lilium Translations 