We leave the house in a flurry.
We walk down the street where I sometimes meet Mike-chan and head for the station.
I walk at Miyagiâs speed, which is quite fast.
ãHurry up, Sendai-san.ã
ãIâm telling you thereâs no need to rush.ã
I had to change my clothes and reapply my makeup to cover the marks that Miyagi had left on me.
And while Iâm at it, I give Miyagi a light makeover as well.
As I was doing this, we left the house later than we had planned.
ãIt might not be all right, you know.ã
She is one step ahead of me, and she is grumpy, even though it is mainly Miyagiâs fault for leaving the house so late.
There is no need to rush to get to the appointment on time.
But Miyagi walks away from me.
Maybe she doesnât like what I did.
Was it wrong that she wore makeup or that I said she was pretty? Maybe the kiss at the end was a bad idea. No, Iâm sure it was all a bad idea.
Miyagi, who is ahead of me, keeps walking without looking back.
I stroke the red mark on the knit covering my neck.
Autumn is starting to head towards its end and the wind is getting colder, but today the weather is nice and warm, so I wanted to wear something that wasnât a turtleneck. I wish I didnât have to cover my neck without the mark Miyagi put on it, but I rejoice in the fact that even though it is visible, itâs only fading away, adding to the marks that were never supposed to be put on me again.
I press and release the mark on the knit.
Look at the swaying skirt and Miyagiâs legs.
Right, left, right.
Her feet are moving regularly and at the same speed.
Her speed never slows down
Looking up, a blue sky with thin clouds stretching across it came into view, reminding me of Miyagi and the flying penguins I saw at the aquarium.
Come to think of it, we had yet to visit the zoo we had talked about going to in the fall.
The sky is farther and higher than summer.
If we donât do something soon, it will be winter.
Miyagi, who is cold, may not go to the zoo when winter comes. I increase the speed at which I move my legs and go next to Miyagi.
ãMiyagi, remember when we promised to go to the zoo?ã
When I called out to her, Miyagi, who was walking briskly, suddenly stopped and looked at me.
ãâ¦Youâre a liar, Sendai-san.ã
ãEh?ã
ãItâs winter already.ã
ãWinter is a little further away, isnât it? But you remembered we promised youâd go in the fall.ã
I had never heard the word âzooâ from Miyagiâs mouth, so I thought maybe he had forgotten about it.
So I am glad.
I am so happy that I want to jump up and down here and skip to the station. But Miyagi is not in a good mood.
ãYou forgot about that, didnât you, Sendai-san?ã
Miyagiâs voice is lower than before.
ãHow could I forget that?ã
I remembered, but before I invited her to go to the zoo, there was my birthday and Miyagiâs birthday. Then I started a new part-time job and my vacations were filled with it, and I had more things to do at the university. The gaps in my schedule were rapidly disappearing, and I found myself speeding toward the end of autumn.
ãBut you had a part-time job, right?ã
The legs that I can see through Miyagiâs skirt move. She takes a step or two and then rushes to move her feet as she tries to leave me behind.
ãIâm sorry about that. Sorry.ã
ãThatâs not something you should apologize for.ã
Miyagi says in a voice that doesnât hide her frustration.
ãIs that promise still valid?ã
ãDo you want to go, Sendai-san?ã
ãIâm thinking of going, but when would you prefer, Miyagi?ã
ãSpring.ã
I was surprised at the short reply, but it was better than if she had said she wouldnât go. If it had been before, she wouldâve said she wouldnât go.
ãOkay, letâs do it in the spring.ã
We arrived at the station without seeing Mike-chan and went through the ticket gate. As we joined the crowd of people heading for the platform, Miyagi called meãSendai-sanãlightly.
ãWhat is it?ã
ãIs the zoo good in the spring?ã
ãIf Miyagi is okay with winter, Iâll do winter. Winter seems to be less crowded, and we can relax, donât you think?ã
ãI donât want to slow down in the cold.ã
ãSo if we donât slow down, you donât mind if itâs winter?ã
ãâ¦Warm weather is fine.ã
I hear a small voice and I answer before she changes her mind.
ãThen, a warm winter day, it is.ã
No reply from Miyagi.
Iâm not saying itâs good or bad, but if she didnât like it, she wouldâve said so, so the fact that there was no reply suggests that the proposal ofãa warm winter dayãwas accepted.
It could be during the winter break, before or after.
Wrap a scarf around Miyagi, who is sensitive to the cold, and make her wear thick clothes, and the two of us go to the zoo.
If this wasnât a train station, I would swear by Miyagiâs earring.
If I kissed her ear and swore a promise, I want Miyagi to kiss my ear too. I want Miyagi to tell me that she wants to keep her promise too.
ãThatâs a promise.ã
Instead of kissing her, I put the back of my hand on her hand with a tapping motion. Miyagi still didnât respond, but that was okay, because she didnât refuse.
When we arrive at the platform, the train comes quickly and we board.
We talk about the school festival, though we donât have much to talk about.
The train stops, the word stops, a reasonable amount of time passes, and the destination station gets closer. I look out the window and see the scenery that Miyagi always sees. I saw Miyagi when she ran away from home and went to the university to look for her, but she didnât seem to be looking around me at that time.
I donât want to have that feeling again.
Miyagi should be next to me.
We get off the train and walk down the platform.
There is nothing unusual outside the window or at the station as seen from the train. Itâs all very mundane, the kind of thing I would find on my way to college, but I wish I could see the scenery that Miyagi sees every day.
I wish I could see the same scenery Miyagi sees every day, attending the same university and taking the same lectures.
Share more time than I do now.
How nice it would be if we could spend our four years like that.
I hold my head down, thinking about the future I didnât get.
I canât see it, but Miyagi remains here.
A red, skin-burning mark that takes root and heads deep within me.
I am missing something in my body that Miyagi left behind that wonât go away for days. I want heat, not just a mark that makes me feel her. I would like to have the heat of Miyagi that is hot, warm, and melts the core of my body.
In the station heading out, I touch Miyagiâs hand, which I only bumped into earlier. I grab her fingertips, and her hand slips away from me.
ãWhat is it, Sendai-san?ã
I hear her slightly low voice.
ãLetâs hold hands.ã
ãWeâre almost at the meeting place.ã
ãI know that.ã
We and Utsunomiya are meeting at a bookstore near the station.
ãI absolutely wonât hold you.ã
I donât think we should hold hands either, but I also want to hold hands, even if itâs only for a short time until we get to the meeting place.
ãThere are plenty of people holding hands, you know.ã
ãI donât want that when thereâs a lot of them.ã
Itâs not unusual to see people holding hands.
Even if Utsunomiya saw us, I donât think she would suspect anything. Even though it may seem strange, she wouldnât know what kind of relationship Miyagi and I have. Besides, we are only roommates.
Weâre not friends, were not lovers, weâre not anything, weâre just roommates.
ââThatâs all Miyagi will allow.
ãMiyagi.ã
I go through the turnstiles and grab Miyagiâs hand once more.
But the hand that grabs her quickly escapes.
ãLet go, Sendai-san.ã
When I said this, Miyagi pushed my arm gently.
And with a lot of force.
Just as I stumble over and say,ãThatâs dangerous,ãI hear a bright voice.
ãDecisive moment obtained.ã
I looked toward the voice and saw Utsunomiya holding a smartphone.
ãEh, Maika? The meeting place is a bookstore, right?ã
Miyagi says in a surprised voice, not the gruff voice she had been making earlier. But itâs understandable that Miyagi is surprised, since Utsunomiya showed up at a place that wasnât the meeting place.
ãI thought it was about time you came over, so I came over here. Then I saw the two of you milling around, so I wondered what you were doing.ã
ãWe didnât do anything. The decisive moment, did you take a picture of us?ã
Utsunomiya chuckled at Miyagiâs voice.
ãI took it. I want to title it âShiori Miyagi, the other side of her face.â So, what was the dispute about?ã
ãWeâre not even in dispute. Itâs just that Sendai-san was wrong now.ã
With a voice that hides her dissatisfaction, Miyagi taps my arm as I stand next to her, followed by a crunching, electronic sound.
ãIâve added another one.ã
ãMaika, you donât have to take pictures.ã
ãI think it should be like a frame before going to the school festival. I think Iâll title it âMiyagi Shiori hitting that Sendai Hazuki with a sticky rice cakeâ and send it to Ami.ã
Utsunomiya turns her phone screen to us and shows us the photo she just took.
Me and Miyagi.
And a part of the scenery that Miyagi always sees.
Cut out on Utsunomiyaâs phone, it was the first time I had ever seen it. We had never taken pictures before.
ãYouâre definitely going to get in trouble. If you send it, Iâll hate you for the rest of my life.ã
Hearing Miyagiâs voice, I resent the past me.
Why?
Why didnât I take a picture of Miyagi?
Why didnât I notice how easy it was to get a piece of Miyagi?
Not only Utsunomiya, but even I could see Miyagi anytime just by using a small machine called a smartphone that I have, but I havenât used it for a long time.
If I could, I would like to go back in time and take a picture of Miyagi laughing at the aquarium, or even Miyagi on her birthday. There are many other Miyagiâs I would like to photograph.
ãEh, what should I do?ã
I can hear Utsunomiya chuckling happily.
I let out a small breath.
Like itâs nothing.
As casual as asking about tomorrowâs plans.
Say the words that will get you what you want, accompanied by a smile.
ãHey, Utsunomiya. I want you to send me that picture later.ã
ãOh, Iâm sending it now. Iâll send it to Shiori too.ã
When I say so, Utsunomiya immediately sends me a photo.
I look at my phone and see two photos of us cut out earlier.
One shows a grumpy Miyagi pushing my arm, and the other shows an unnaturally affectionate Miyagi tapping my arm.
ãThanks.ã
Miyagi smiles and says the same words with reluctance.
ãSpeaking of which, do you have any pictures of the two of you together? Iâd like to see them.ã
I look at Miyagi, but she doesnât seem to be planning to answer, so I answer for her.
ãWe never took a picture together, though.ã
ãEh, why?ã
ãNhn, I wonder why. I donât have a particular reason.ã
In high school we were not the kind of people who take pictures.
When we were in college, it was all about being together so much that we didnât even notice that we can take pictures.
ãNow that weâre done talking about pictures, letâs go.ã
Miyagi said to hurry up and grabbed Utsunomiyaâs hand and pulled it, even though she didnât hold mine.
ãShiori. You donât have to be in such a hurry.ã
As I watched Utsunomiya walking as if being dragged along, I thought to myself, âThatâs not fair.â
ãSendai-san, hurry.ã
Miyagi called me and I exhaled.
We couldnât hold hands, but I got one treasure.
I tucked away Miyagiâs time-locked phone in my bag and followed them.