Iâm home and welcome back.
We have the usual exchange in the common space, and I place a not-so-large bag on the table.
ãHere, pudding. Thereâs one for Sendai-san, too.ã
ãDid Utsunomiya made this by hand?ã
Sendai-san, who was eating dinner alone, put down her bowl and looked at me.
ãNo. I bought it.ã
ãYou did, Miyagi?ã
ãIs it bad?ã
ãItâs not bad, butâ¦ã
My plans to hang out with Maika over the vacations were quickly digested, and today, less than a week later, the two of us saw a movie and had dinner together. I also bought a pudding that was reputed to be delicious at a store that Maika and I had looked around, but it may not have been what Sendai-san wanted to eat.
ãIâll put it in the fridge and you can have it when you feel like it.ã
ãThanks.ã
Normally she would have said something like,ãLetâs eat it together later,ãbut today she didnât say anything. I think she might not be in a very good mood. Sendai-san was the same as usual in the morning, but something might have happened to her while I was out.
I put the pudding I bought in the fridge and decide to go back to my room. But before I could open the door, I was approached.
ãStay here.ã
A flat voice turns to me and asks,ãWhy?ã
ãIâll finish eating soon.ã
I look at the tortoiseshell cat chopstick rest placed in front of her.
It was hung on the doorknob the day after her birthday, and itâs used every day.
Still, I think that a chopstick rest is something I could do without, and that I should have used something else.
ãThen, call me when youâre done eating.ã
As I was about to turn my back on Sendai-san with a hint of regret, my chopsticks were placed on the chopstick rest with a clatter.
ãIâm done eating. Thank you for the food.ã
After saying this, Sendai-san starts washing dishes.
The sound of running water.
The sound of the dishes.
Some sounds mingle together, but I donât hear Sendai-sanâs voice. Iâm not sure if I should go back to my room because she washing dishes silently while Iâm calling her out.
Lean my back against the door and touch the doorknob.
In my head, I can still hear Sendai-sanâs voice saying,ãStay here.ãI end up leaning against the door and calling out to her.
ãIf you told people to stay here, talk. I thought we were going to talk nonsense.ã
When I mention the promise I made on my birthday, I hear a voice devoid of emotion.
ãYou said you were going to see a movie. What did you see?ã
ãSomething Sendai-san is unlikely to watch.ã
ãIs it fun?ã
ãNot much. Maika said it was disappointing too.ã
ãI see.ã
Itâs frustrating to hear a curt response.
It was Sendai-san who said she wanted to have a normal conversation like anyone else would, so she should be a little more interested in me. I donât want to talk about anything if itâs going to be done in an random manner.
ãIâm going back to my room.ã
I kicked the floor, my voice hitting the back of Sendai-sanâs head.
ãSorry. I was washing dishes and I couldnât hear you very well over the sound of the water. Iâm almost done. Sit down and wait for me.ã
Instead of saying she canât hear me, I immediately hear a panicked voice, but she didnât answer me. When I remained silent, Sendai-san turned around and broke the time, saying,ãFive minutes left.ã
ãOkay, five minutes.ã
I declare, thinking that sheâd been washing dishes for a very long time, and sit down in my chair without checking my watch.
If I timed it, I bet she would say one more minute or two after five minutes.
ãSendai-san, what about your pudding?ã
I donât know how many minutes have passed, but I call out to her.
ãIâll eat it later.ã
ãNo, I mean, do you like it or not?ã
I donât think she would dislike it because weâve had it together in the past.
ãWhat about you, Miyagi?ã
After washing the dishes, Sendai-san comes to me.
ãI donât buy anything I donât like.ã
ãI like pudding too.ã
Sendai-san chuckles.
I donât like it.
Itâs not interesting that she didnât seem interested in me, or that she made me wait five minutes, as if she was trying to pretend it didnât happen with a smile on her face.
I stand up and grab Sendai-sanâs arm with my left hand.
Pressing the thumb of her right hand against the edge of my lips, she called out, âMiyagi.â
ãIf youâre going to bite, do it off the lip.ã
ãI didnât say Iâd bite you.ã
ãYou didnât tell me, but you still bit me, right?ã
She is right, but I donât want to say it is so if I can assume it is. I let go of her arm without answering.
ãYour lips are too sore, and you should go somewhere else. I donât care if it leaves a little mark.ã
When I say this, Sendai-san shakes my hand.
ãI wonât do anything, just let me go.ã
ãYouâll do nothing?ã
ãIâll will not.ã
I looked Sendai-san in the eye and she answered clearly.
But the hand that was held isnât let go. On the contrary, Sendai-san comes closer to my face and kisses my lips.
Our lips just touch and then quickly leave.
Then we touch again, and I bite her lip lightly.
ãIt hurts.ã
When my lips parted, Sendai-san exaggerated and looked at me.
ãI donât chew that much because it hurts.ã
ãIt was painful.ã
I put my face to Sendai-sanâs neck, who deliberately strokes her lips, and set my teeth on her neck. This time, I bite not lightly, but hard enough to leave a mark.
ãMiyagi. I told you that it really hurts.ã
As I continue to grind my teeth hard without answering the voice I hear, Sendai-san grabs my arm. I buried my teeth in the skin as I bites away at the tender flesh. My lips stick to her neck, and I can feel her body heat. As I put strength into my upper and lower jaw, Sendai-sanâs hand, which is attached to my arm as if in conjunction with the upper and lower jaw, also becomes stronger.
When she painfully grabbed my arm and removed my face from her neck, Sendai-san said without removing her hand from my arm.
ãI didnât say you could bite this hard.ã
ãIt was Sendai-san who said it was okay to leave a mark.ã
ãThereâs a limit to what you can do.ã
ãIf thereâs a limit, tell me from the beginning.ã
Sendai-san lets out a small breath and releases my arm to stroke her neck.
Her fingers crawl over the bite marks.
Watching her fingers move back and forth slowly makes me want to sink my teeth into her neck again. But before I can bite again, Sendai-san starts talking.
ãMiyagi, did you have a good time during the last few days of summer vacation?ã
ãWhatâs with that suddenly?ã
ãRemember what I said about telling me when you had fun?ã
I still remember talking about such things on the way home from the aquarium.
I let out a thin breath and then keep the promise I made in the past.
ãâ¦Well, it was a lot of fun.ã
This yearâs summer vacation was different from previous summers.
Long vacations used to be spent alone for a long time, but this year, with Sendai-san there, I didnât have much time to be alone. I did see Sendai-san last summer vacation, but that was three times a week. We didnât live together like this year.
I donât think I could spend time like this with anyone but her, but I donât think life with someone else around all the time on a long vacation is bad.
ãWell then, Miyagi. Letâs have a sleepover now.ã
Sendai-san smilingly says something out of context, but I have no idea how to get fromãWell thenãtoãsleepover.ãWe donât need sleepovers in the first place.
ãEven though we live in the same house?ã
ãWe live in the same house, but we donât sleep in the same room.ã
ãThatâs correct, butâ¦ã
ãTo finish up a fun summer vacation. Letâs talk about silly things and deepen our friendship. In your room, Miyagi.ã
ãWait. Why itâs my room?ã
I glare at Sendai-san, who looks at me as if I deserve it.
Iâve had her in my room a few times since her birthday, and thereâs nothing wrong with that, but when itâs in the name of a sleepover, itâs a different story. Besides, I havenât agreed to a sleepover yet.
ãYou already stayed in my room. Now Iâll stay in Miyagiâs room.ã
ãI donât want to.ã
ãItâs fine. Letâs have a sleepover.ã
ãSendai-san, you are definitely going to do something strange.ã
ãI said Iâd wait, remember? I wonât do anything more than kiss you until Miyagi says itâs okay.ã
ãThatâs unreliable.ã
ãI swear to your earring.ã
I didnât tell her to swear, but Sendai-san reaches out and touches my ear. Then she kisses the top of my earring.
ãIâll wait until you said itâs okay, Miyagi.ã
The promise sworn to my earring will be kept.
I know this, but I am not sure if I can trust Sendai-sanâs reasoning.
ãMiyagi. If you care so much, stay up all night.ã
ãStay up all night?ã
ãIf you stay up until morning watching a movie or something, you donât have to go to bed, and I donât have to do that.ã
ãâ¦Sendai-san, were you planning to sleep in my bed?ã
ãYou did slept in my bed, too, Miyagi.ã
ãItâs too small. If youâre staying here, bring your own futon.ã
ãItâs a hassle, and we can both sleep. If you donât want to sleep, you can stay up. So, itâs settled.ã
Sendai-san claps her hands to break off the conversation.
I look at the door to my room.
Iâm not so sleepy now.
Iâm fine without sleep for a night or so.
I decided to stay up all night and accepted Sendai-sanâs suggestion.