Let me think… What’s a harmless order I can give her?
I shut my textbook, racking my brain for ideas.
If I didn’t come up with something quickly, Sendai-san would bring up more pointless topics.
I averted my gaze from Sendai-san, who was sitting in front of me, and searched my room for inspiration. My eyes moved from the bed to the dresser, before finally settling on something from the bookshelf.
「Read me a book.」
「Which book?」
「Anything that’s seems boring.」
「Really? Not the opposite?」
「I want something that’s boring enough to put me to sleep.」
「Oh, that’s what you’re going for.」
Realizing she was being used as a substitute for a lullaby, Sendai-san got up, walked over to the bookshelf, and, without any hesitation, picked out a book before sitting down next to the bed.
「Is this one okay?」
The light novel Sendai-san was holding was one I bought because she mentioned liking the main character, but I found the story uninteresting and never finished it.
「Yeah, read that one.」
I gave Sendai-san an order as I took a seat on my bed.
「Okay.」
Her slender fingers opened the book that had been collecting dust on my bookshelf.
Sendai-san was seated next to my pillow with her legs crossed, allowing me to see her side profile.
Then, the room was filled with the sound of pages turning and Sendai-san’s voice as she read the story out loud.
I’d given her this order many times before, and Sendai-san read the light novel smoothly, just as she always did. Her voice was neither too loud nor too quiet—it was perfect for the room. Her soft voice sounded much gentler here than it did in the classroom, and I found it very pleasant to listen to.
The way Sendai-san read the light novel made it feel like we were back to the time before summer break started.
I didn’t know what she found so interesting about the light novel, but normally, I’d be lying down and fast asleep by now. However, today I couldn’t fall asleep. I didn’t even feel like lying down.
It wasn’t Sendai-san’s fault, though.
It was my own problem.
Once we graduate, I won’t be able to hear her voice anymore.
Even though I was the one who set a strict deadline for our arrangement, Sendai-san was going to a place farther than I had expected, and I suddenly started to worry about every little thing.
I knew it meant we wouldn’t run into each other by chance anymore, but at the same time, I couldn’t quite understand it.
「Weren’t you going to sleep?」
The dull story came to an abrupt halt, and somehow, the conversation shifted to why I wasn’t lying down.
「Yeah, so keep going.」
I rested my head on the bed, feeling no hint of sleepiness, as Sendai-san’s hand reached out toward me. Without hesitation, she began to stroke my hair. I pushed her hand away.
「Keep reading.」
Sendai-san didn’t reply but continued the story from where she had left off.
The sound of her clear voice tickled my ears.
I didn’t feel like sleeping, so I kept my eyes open and stared at Sendai-san instead.
Her beautiful, long hair fell across her face, which I found to be obstructive.
I was starting to think maybe I shouldn’t have ordered her to put her hair down.
I moved to the edge of the bed towards Sendai-san, and her voice started to sound much closer.
My gaze was fixated on the buttons of her blouse.
I could only catch a glimpse of her collarbone now, though I had seen more of her skin before.
On a day hotter than today during summer break, I had asked Sendai-san to take off her clothes, and she had done so without hesitation.
But from now on, we wouldn’t be doing things like that anymore, and I’d never see her body again.
I reached out to Sendai-san and pulled on her hair.
The thought of going to university seemed far more boring than the story being read to me.
「What were you looking at?」
I expected her to complain that it hurt, but instead, she said something completely different.
「I was just looking at you since you’re sitting right in front of me.」
「Hmm…」
My straightforward reply might’ve sounded suspicious to her, but she didn’t seem to have anything else to say. She placed the light novel on the bed, turned to face me, and let out a small sigh before starting to tug on my bangs.
「Close your eyes already. You said you were going to sleep, weren’t you?」
Sendai-san covered my eyes with her hand.
The room that had been bright a moment ago suddenly went dark, and I couldn’t see anything.
I grabbed her hand and pulled it away from my eyes.
Sendai-san was now directly in front of me.
I didn’t mean for it to happen, but our eyes met.
―― She’s too close.
The distance between us was even smaller than before.
I quickly let go of the hand I was holding, and in doing so, I accidentally knocked the light novel off the bed and onto the floor. The book fell with a thud, but Sendai-san didn’t make any move to pick it up.
「Back away a little bit, Sendai-san.」
「But weren’t you the one who tried to move closer first?」
She was right. I was the first one to try and get closer to her.
I’ll admit that much.
But I don’t remember us ever getting this close.
It felt like Sendai-san was peering right at me.
「Even if that’s true, you’re inching closer to me too, aren’t you, Sendai-san?」
「Hmm, am I?」
「You definitely are. You don’t need to be this close to read the book to me.」
I said as I pushed Sendai-san away by her shoulders, but she didn’t seem to listen.
Instead, she reached her hand out and touched my earlobe.
She caressed it gently, then pinched it and tugged on it.
Her fingertips slid behind my ear, making it feel extremely ticklish.
Sendai-san’s hand kept touching me gently, as if to remind me of what happened over summer break, causing me to swat her arm away.
「Sorry.」
Sendai-san looked surprised for a moment, but quickly apologized. Then, she sat back down on the floor.
「Pick that up.」
I said as I sat up and pointed to the book on the floor, and Sendai-san obediently picked it up. She opened it and flipped through the pages, stopping where she had presumably left off.
「I’ll read you the rest.」
Sendai-san said with a monotone voice.
「You don’t have to read it anymore.」
「I thought you were going to sleep?」
「No, I’m not going to.」
It was more like I couldn’t fall asleep even if I wanted to, but there was no reason to tell her that. I took the book from Sendai-san’s hand and placed it on the pillow.
My homework was still unfinished, but I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. Even though she was now empty-handed, Sendai-san didn’t seem interested in moving to the table, either.
Since the order had come to a half-hearted and abrupt end, the room fell silent. It was an awkward silence, and I felt restless, unable to sit still. Desperate to do something, I began tapping my fingertips on the book.
Tap, tap…
That was the only sound echoing in the room.
Sendai-san leaned against the bed, using it like a backrest.
From where I sat on the bed, I could see the top of Sendai-san’s head, which I usually wouldn’t be able to see. Just as I was about to reach out and touch her, Sendai-san suddenly said, “Oh, right,” as if she had just remembered something.
「Has your class decided what they’re doing for the cultural festival1 yet, Miyagi?」
She began discussing a school event coming up next month, and I seized the opportunity to keep the conversation going.
「Nope. What about your class, Sendai-san?」
「My class doesn’t seem very motivated, so we’re thinking of putting together some sort of exhibit and calling it a day.」
「Sounds nice.」
The conversation she suddenly started was much better than sitting in silence, so I wanted to keep it going.
If I had known we could have such a calm and pleasant conversation earlier, I would have wished we’d started it sooner. Talking about this was far better than discussing something as stressful as the entrance exams. Even though there was still a bit of awkwardness, we were gradually returning to our usual way of interacting.
「Is it different for your class, Miyagi?」
「Well, since it’s everyone’s last high school cultural festival, they seem eager to do something memorable.」
Personally, I thought it was kind of a pain.
About half of my classmates were enthusiastic and brainstorming ideas for the festival, while the other half seemed content with a more laid-back approach. However, since those who are most vocal often steer the conversation and make the decisions, no one was willing to voice any complaints.
「Does that include you, Miyagi?」
「Not really. I’d prefer doing something simple.」
「If you want something nice and easy, you should join my class.」
Sendai-san turned around and said with a grin.
“It would’ve been nice if we were in the same class.”
Seeing the smile on her face nearly made me say it out loud, but I managed to catch myself.
「I think it’s about time we finished our homework.」
Sendai-san said as she glanced over at the table.
「I don’t feel like doing it.」
「In that case, do you want me to go back to reading the book to you?」
「… Never mind, homework it is.」
「Alright, then come over here.」
「I would’ve moved even if you hadn’t told me to.」
I said as I got off the bed and sat across from Sendai-san.
- First, we had the sports festival, and now we have the cultural festival. These are held sometime either in October or November. Basically, it’s a school event where students display their learning and skills. As educational as it sounds, it’s mostly a recreational event. For elementary, middle, and high schoolers, each classroom must come up with an activity they wish to show off together and they must handle most of the organization and logistics themselves. Clubs can choose to participate as well (this one applies to university students too).
Usually, in anime or manga, you’ll see classrooms doing maid cafes or crossdressing cafes or plays or food stalls and the whatnot. It’s essentially a time for the students to have fun together, especially since campuses are generally open to all sorts of visitors during the cultural festival. ↩︎
Ave Lilium Translations 