ãMiyagi, it hurts.ã
My body stiffens at the unexpected pain.
The bite is so strong that I think itâs going to shatter my bones, and it tingles all the way down to my temple.
ãI said it hurts!ã
I tap Miyagi on the shoulder to ask her to return my finger that was taken hostage, but the finger is not released. My smallest wish for a smile continues to be converted into pain.
Itâs always the case that Miyagi doesnât add or subtract, but today it is especially painful. I donât know what is making them do it, but she was biting me stupidly hard.
It hurts, itâs hot, and it makes me dizzy.
ãMiyagi!!!ã
I tap her shoulder hard enough to make a bang sound. But my fingers remain bitten, and now I touch her earring. My fingers hurt so much that I really want to tear off the piercing as it is, but I decide to just tug on it lightly. The soft earlobe stretches and the teeth that were holding my finger loosen. I pulled my finger as it was, and the teeth came away easily.
ãDonât eat human fingers. You havenât had enough of hamburgers?ã
My finger that was bitten by Miyagi has clear teeth marks on it. It hurt so much that I would believe her if she told me she was going to eat it instead of dessert, and it still hurts.
ãIf Iâm going to eat, Iâll just eat something better.ã
Miyagi said rudely in a flat voice, took a few tissues, and roughly wiped my fingers. My fingers ached.
ãIf you want to make me smile, do something funny that makes me want to smile, Sendai-san.ã
Miyagi looked at me as she put the dictionary, which had fallen from her lap, back on the desk.
ãI donât think youâd smile at anything I do, so I wonât bother.ã
I rub my throbbing, aching fingers. Even though I am used to the pain inflicted by Miyagi, my brow wrinkles.
ãIf I donât have to smile, you shouldnât have done anything weird in the first place.ã
ãI think so. I was a fool for trying to make someone smile who doesnât intend to.ã
ãIf you get it, Sendai-san, smile for me.ã
Miyagi presses her finger against the edge of my lips. Then she tries to raise the corners of my mouth like I did. I brushed her hand away, her fingers moving roughly to raise my cheeks.
ãYou know, what the hell are you doing? Youâre expectedly pissing me off.ã
ãWhat do youââã
There, Miyagiâs words are cut short.
Her gaze falls on my fingers.
It was the bitten finger, and I tried to retract my hand in disgust, but canât do it in time. The finger with teeth marks is caught by Miyagi.
ãLet go of me, it hurts!ã
She pulled the finger that was gripped tightly toward me. But instead of letting go of my fingers, I pulled them out with such force that I was overcome with pain and moved closer to Miyagi.
ãWhat the hell was that?ã
I ask with my body leaning back, but Miyagi doesnât answer.
ãIf thereâs something you want to do, say it.ã
I said strongly, and Miyagi removed her finger.
Instead, she tugged at the collar of my blouse.
Miyagi moves her face closer to mine and stops just short of our exhales.
There are no words.
Our eyes meet and are averted.
I let go of the blouse collar that Miyagi was holding onto, and this time I grabbed Miyagiâs arm.
ãDo you want to continue?ã
ãNo need to continue.ã
She shakes off my hand and moves away from me by the same amount of distance that Miyagi has closed off from myself.
ãIf you donât have any, make one.ã
ãWhat about Sendai-sanâ¦ã
Miyagi blurts out, and the words are still broken.
ãWhy donât you just finish what youâre saying?ã
ãââIs there a continuation you want me to do, Sendai-san?ã
ãWhat if I told you there was?ã
ãIf you have, do me a favor. Then you may.ã
The pain disappears from the finger that had been throbbing all along.
I hold Miyagiâs hand.
She doesnât run away, but she doesnât look at me either.
The continuation of what Miyagi just tried to do.
I let out a small breath as I felt my bitten finger become very hot just by being aware of it.
ãThen, kiss me.ã
I tell Miyagi who refuses to look at me.
ãThatâs not a favor.ã
ãPlease kiss meââ Is this alright?ã
ãItâs fine.ã
As I say this, Miyagi approaches me.
But before our lips touch, Miyagi stops moving. The hands that are still clasped in my hand almost come apart.
At times like this, Miyagi has no spirit. All she does is what she doesnât need to do, and she does it with all her might, but then she gets scared at the critical moment.
ãYou said yourself you would if I asked you to, so get it right.ã
I close my eyes, reminding Miyagi to fulfill her promise before she runs off.
Miyagiâs presence approaches.
My hand is grasped back tightly, and lips touch.
It is so light and momentary that I canât even feel the body heat.
We kissed and Miyagi left.
When I opened my eyes, Miyagi took some distance from me as if to warn me. That kind of attitude is not interesting. I donât want her to say she kept her promise with the kiss she just gave.
ãIs it done already?ã
ãItâs done.ã
ãCan we have one more?ã
ãI donât want to. Sendai-san, you seem to be thinking weird things.ã
The hand that was holding her is shaken loose.
Even then, she didnât disappear next to me.
She sits next to me without running away when I get close enough to be a little farther away.
Miyagi is out of tune, unlike usual.
Normally, she would have bristled up her fur like a stray cat and wouldnât let me near her.
ãâ¦Is things going well with Utsonomiya?ã
I open my mouth because I feel that if I keep quiet, she will say she is going back to her room and leave. But I didnât know what to talk about with Miyagi today, so I had to find a topic of conversation based on the few things we had in common.
ãItâs going well.ã
ãIf you bring her hereâ¦ã
ãWhy am I bringing Maika here?ã
ãSheâs your friend. Why donât you just call her?ã
ãIâm not calling her.ã
The answer comes back as expected, and the conversation that I managed to find is easily terminated.
Well, she really donât want to call her.
However, I would like to hear what Miyagi is like at the university. I am sure she knows a lot of Miyagi that I donât. I also know Miyagi that Utsunomiya doesnât know, but I am not sure how much of it she does not know.
ãMiyagiâ¦ã
I look next to me, looking for clues to a conversation.
ãHave you ever kissed Utsunomiya?ã
Miyagi looks hesitant.
But I would like to know.
I am curious if Utsunomiya knows how soft Miyagiâs lips are.
ãIs Sendai-san a person who kisses her friends?ã
ãIâm not.ã
ãIâm not as well.ã
Miyagi, who never kisses friends, just kissed me. That is because I am her roommate but not her friend. We werenât friends for a long time, but I think that was okay.
I touch Miyagiâs cheek.
She doesnât mind when I put my face close to hers.
She doesnât close her eyes, so I close them myself and kiss her.
I kiss her again and again, even for the earlier time when I didnât even know how soft her lips were.
I parted my closed lips and inserted my tongue, deep.
I am kissing Miyagi.
I donât think she dislikes it because our body temperatures are equally mixed and she is mature when the tips of our tongues touch each other. Touching the inside of a personâs body, a place that a friend would not touch, makes me want to know more about Miyagi. When she bit my finger, her tongue hit me and I felt her body heat. But it only hurt and didnât feel good. It feels terribly good right now and I want to keep kissing her like this forever.
I deposit my weight on Miyagi.
When I tried to push her down, she pushed my shoulder as hard as she could, and we were separated again.
ãSendai-san.ã
She calls me in a voice that is not grumpy, but not in a good mood either.
ãWhat is it?ã
ãâ¦Quit your part-time job.ã
With words that do not seem to come after a kiss, she grabs my bitten finger tightly. It hurts and my body temperature drops.
ãWhy?ã
There is no reason for Miyagi to tell me to quit my part-time job.
I am the one who works and I should not be bothered by Miyagi. Of course, I have no plans to put it on in the future.
I stare at Miyagi.
But she remains silent with a difficult look on her face.
ãIf I quit now, Iâll get in trouble, and I canât because I like my part-time job a lot.ã
Tutoring is more suitable than working part-time at a convenience store or restaurant. Above all, the hourly wage is better. If I finish my part-time job in a short time, I will spend more time at home.
ãI know that.ã
Miyagi releases my fingers from her grasp.
ãThen why did you ask me to quit?ã
ãI just kind of said it.ã
She blurted out, and Miyagi shook my hand.
I knew it was strange.
Itâs different from usual.
I want to know why she told me to quit my part-time job, but if I ask her, Miyagi will definitely go back to her room. Our hands were comfortable together, and I didnât want to let go. So I held her hand back without saying anything.