When I call out âMiyagi,â she replies, âWhat?â
And then the room goes quiet.
The promise I made before the meal is kept, and Miyagi is in my room.
However, not next to each other as usual, but diagonally in front of each other.
I could tell Miyagi was in a bad mood even before she spoke.
ãShall I go put some cider in it for you?ã
Leaning back against the bed, I reach for my empty glass. But before my hand could touch the glass, Miyagi, who had been sitting silently, spoke in a brusque voice.
ãI thought you had something tell me, didnât you?ã
Miyagi doesnât look me in the ear.
Her gaze is on the platypus tissue cover on the floor.
ãI do.ã
ãThen, say it to me quick.ã
Miyagiâs cold voice lowers my body temperature.
I havenât mentioned the word âpart-timeâ since I got back, but Miyagi knows that what I am about to talk about isnât a good one.
I let out a small breath.
When it came to working part-time as a tutor, it was easy to talk.
But now I canât.
I am more timid than I was then.
Unlike tutoring, this part-time job is for a month or so and will not last long. Itâs just enough that I can smile and push it through because itâs short term, and I should. Part-time work can be done without Miyagiâs approval, so if I want to do it, I can, and if I donât want to, I donât have to.
ãSendai-san, donât just go silent, speak up.ã
Miyagi says in a low voice.
Miyagi shouldnât dislike me so much for having more part-time jobs. Even if she ever had a bad mood, itâs only temporary. I have been asked to quit my tutoring job, but I never did.
ãIâm talking aboutâ¦ã
I piled up excuses in my mind and shoved the word âpart-timeâ up my throat, but it wouldnât come out of my mouth.
I am so invaded by Miyagi that I canât even say this.
ãSendai-san, whereâs the rest of it?ã
.
Miyagi looks at my earrings.
I breathe in and out.
ãâ¦Iâm talking about a part-time job.ã
I manage to get some of what I want to say out of my body and poke the chopstick rest on the table with my fingertips. Instead of meowing, the brown tiger cat clung to the white cat next to it and made a small noise.
ãIs it your tutoring job?ã
ãA different part-time job. Itâs short term, like a month, but they asked me if I wanted to work at a cafe.ã
ãWhy are you telling me this?ã
ãI thought I should tell you.ã
ãWhy donât you just decide on your own, like when you decided on the part-time tutoring job?ã
ãYes, but I thought Iâd let you know, Miyagi.ã
ãI heard it now, but so what?ã
A tsun-tsun and a thorny voice pierced my eardrums.
Miyagiâs mood is getting worse and worse, and my spirits are dropping. I feel like Iâm on the third floor, then the first floor, and then deep enough to reach the mantle by digging further into the ground.
If I donât say what I want to say, Iâll never be able to say the wordãpart-time jobãfor the rest of my life.
ãIâd like to hear what you think of my part-time job.ã
Clearly, look into the eyes of Miyagi, who is diagonally in front of me.
ãKeep your promise from the morning.ã
Her voice has changed to something more gruff than before.
ãPromise from the morning?ã
ãYou said if I let you paint my lips, youâd do what I said, right?ã
ãI did say it, butâ¦ã
ãThen, you heard me said, you shouldnât work a part time job.ã
ãThatâs not within the bounds of common sense.ã
I recall as I answer.
The day I told her I was thinking of getting a part-time job as a tutor, I promised to do one thing Miyagi said as a punishment, which led to me getting her ears pierced. Although the content of âlisten to meâ is different from that day, I think itâs a very similar situation.
ãYou mean youâre not going to stop working part-time?ã
Miyagi wrinkles her brows.
ãSomething like that.ã
ãIf you do what I tell you not to do, then my opinion doesnât matter.ã
ãThatâs right, butâ¦ã
It doesnât matter, but it does.
I want Miyagiâs forgiveness.
I was not willing to accept the word to stop working part-time, but I want the word that I can.
To that end, I ask one question.
ãWhat will you do after you graduate from college, Miyagi?ã
ãWhat about the part-time job?ã
ãThat will come up in the future, but for now, answer the question now.ã
ãI donât care. I will work as a norm.ã
Miyagiâs words are withholding the part I want to know the most.
I donât know if I dare, but to uncover the hidden part, I asked,ãAre you returning home?ãAnd Miyagi blurted out.
ãâ¦What about you, Sendai-san?ã
ãI donât plan to go home after college, so Iâm going to look for a job here. Also, if I donât get a good job, I wonât go home. So Iâm hoping to get a part-time job and save up some money.ã
I donât care what kind of relationship we have, I want to work part-time so that I can live with Miyagi forever.
I will not say that I think so, but I will not say that I am.
I am afraid that if I say it now, Miyagi will run away.
ãOkay.ã
ãWhat about you, Miyagi?ã
ãâ¦I havenât decided yet.ã
She sounds unsure, and I want to tell her to decide now. But if I try to rush her, sheâs likely to say sheâs going home.
ãIs that so.ã
I answer shortly and hear a voice that doesnât hide its dissatisfaction.
ãWhat do you want me to do, Sendai-san, by talking like that? If you have a reason for wanting to work part-time, why donât you just do it without worrying about me?ã
ãIf you want a part-time job, Iâll be happy to tell you if itâs a good one, Miyagi.ã
ãIâm not saying that.ã
ãDo you really hate it that much?ã
Miyagi takes her eyes off me. Then she pulled the platypus and threw it at me.
The tissue-grown platypus hits my leg.
ãSendai-san, you donât keep your promises, I donât want that.ã
She said it like a sulking child and tried to pull the platypus close again, so I grabbed her hand.
ãIâll listen to anything you want to say, except to tell me to quit my part-time job.ã
ãAnything, really?ã
ãIâll listen to anything right now.ã
Miyagi shakes her hand and smiles, and her gaze wanders and reaches the platypus.
Itâs hard to open my mouth to ask what she is thinking.
When I call out âMiyagi,â her hand moves away from mine.
The eyes that had been watching the platypus turn to me.
But she didnât say anything.
She stared at me, look away, and then look at me again.
I have a bad feeling about this.
ãââTell me if youâve done it yourself since then.ã
I hear a small voice, and I almost hear it back, but swallow my words.
I donât have to ask where the âsince thenâ refers to.
Itâs the day Miyagi touched me.
And I know what âI did it myselfâ means.
It must be what Miyagi asked me that day and I answered.
ãâ¦Do you think I would answer?ã
It is difficult to answer honestly because I understand the meaning of the words I hear.
ãYou just said youâll do whatever I say.ã
ãYouâre just trying to embarrass me, right?ã
Now, this is not the kind of question you would ask in this situation.
In fact, itâs probably not something you want to know much about.
I think she just wants to ask me questions that I canât answer on purpose, to get me to promise not to take a part-time job.
If so, Miyagi doesnât understand me.
The part-time job is about my future, and while I canât accept Miyagiâs request not to do it, I can accept most other things. The same goes for the question I just asked.
I am embarrassed and I cannot help but hesitate, but if Miyagi insists on asking, I will answer.
ãIt doesnât matter what the reason is. If you answer me, I wonât tell you not to take that part-time job.ã
Miyagi says quietly and squeezes the platypusâ hand.
ãDonât take that back.ã
ãOkay.ã
I hear a hard voice and I suck in my breath.
I exhale slowly and remove my gaze from Miyagi.
I look at the platypus hand held by Miyagi and answer without lying.
ãâ¦I did.ã
My voice is quieter than I thought it would be, and I feel like I said something extra embarrassing, which makes me feel hotter in the back of my body.
There is no reply to my answer.
Miyagi didnât say anything, so I thought I could hear her heart beating impatiently. Unsettled, I looked up and saw Miyagi, who looked surprised, as if she thought I wouldnât be able to answer.
ãââWhat do you mean, what are you thinking about?ã
Miyagi says in a voice that is hard to say, but clearly audible.
There is no need for me to answer him, and I am sure Miyagi knows she doesnât have to ask.
Yet Miyagi still called meãSendai-sanãand would not allow me to run away without answering.
ãWhen I did it with Miyagi.ã
Miyagi tried to open her mouth again when I answered in one breath, so I added,ãThatâs it. This is done,ãto prevent her from saying anything more.
ãI still have a few more questions, though.ã
ãI promised to do one thing, right? I answered two questions, so I guess Iâm about as good as serviceable. So, does this mean I kept my word?ã
Then I sit down next to Miyagi and she kicks me in the leg.
Apparently, her mood is still not getting better. But she seemed to allow me to be next to her and didnât run away or kick me any further.
ãBarely.ã
Miyagi replies in disgust.
ãI know October will be busy, but Iâve been told that my part-time job will last until the school festival. Iâll let you know if Iâll be late.ã
ãIs that a promise?ã
ãA promise. I swear to your earring.ã
I kissed Miyagiâs ear and she pressed my shoulder as hard as she can.
ãIf you break the promise, youâll be punished.ã
ãI know.ã
I answered shortly, and Miyagi shook the platypusâs hand instead of mine.