I check the weather forecast on my phone.
Sunny and sometimes cloudy.
Ten percent chance of precipitation.
Thereâs no reason for Miyagi to be complaining about not wanting to go to the zoo today. I have checked the weather many times since this morning, but the weather is fine and it doesnât look like it will rain. I think itâs safe to say that itâs a good day for the zoo.
I hope it was worth making.
I pick up the teru teru bozu hanging on the doorknob. It was supposed to be in Miyagiâs room, and it did its job well. I kiss the little doll made of tissue and hang it on the doorknob again. I went to the common area and prepare an early lunch.
Get out the frying pan, lay out the ham and drop in the eggs.
Add water to cover and Miyagi comes out of the room.
ãIâll help, Sendai-san.ã
ãThen toast some bread.ã
ãOkay.ã
A short time after Miyagi began toasting the bread, the ham and eggs are ready. Butter and jam are prepared and placed on the table along with a plate of ham and eggs. Soon Miyagi had two glasses of orange juice on the table, some baked bread, and we sat down in our chairs.
ãItadakimasu.ã
Our voices are aligned, though not in concert.
Miyagi spreads butter and jam on bread and bites into it. When I spread butter and jam on my bread in the same way, she called meãSendai-san.ã
ãWhat is it?ã
ãAre there any animals youâd like to see?ã
ãThe shoebill.ã
Mouthing the names of animals that I wouldâve never mentioned in my life if not for Miyagi, I bite into a piece of bread. Butter and jam mingle in the mouth, spreading just the right amount of sweetness.
ãBesides the shoebill.ã
ãWhat about you, Miyagi?ã
ãItâs not me, itâs the animals you would like to see, Sendai-san.ã
I was asked the same question last year, but no matter how many times I am asked, the answer remains the same.
I am happy as long as I can see Miyagi looking happy.
But that is not something that should be spoken, so I convert it into something bland.
ãI guess Iâd like to do some people watching.ã
ãWhatâs that? Iâm not an animal.ã
Miyagi says in a low voice and pokes the white of the fried egg with a fork.
ãHumans are animals too.ã
ãThatâs true, butâ¦ã
ãAre there any other animals you want to see besides the shoebill, Miyagi?ã
I stare at Miyagi, who looks dissatisfied.
ãâ¦A tiger.ã
Last night, as I was checking the park map alone, I was thinking that Miyagi would want to see such unusual animals, but I was wrong. I didnât expect to see a tiger, an animal that is so commonplace.
ãWhat about penguins?ã
I throw out the name of an animal that Miyagi would definitely want to see.
ãIâll see it.ã
Her short but clear voice responds.
It seemed that she likes penguins after all.
I decide to take a picture in front of the penguins, although Iâm not sure if she will smile as she did when we went to the aquarium.
ãWhen we finish eating, can I go to your room, Miyagi?ã
ãI donât want to.ã
The answer came as expected, and I took a bite of ham and eggs before asking why.
ãWhy?ã
ãYouâre going to tell me to put on a skirt or something like that.ã
ãYou donât have to wear a skirt. I donât want you to catch a cold, so dress warmly. Miyagi, just lend me your face.ã
I would be happy if she wore a skirt, but I donât want to overstep the bounds of Miyagi, who will be cold. But I want to put makeup on her.
ãWhy donât you just make your own face, not mine?ã
Miyagi, who seems to have figured out what I want to do, raises her eyebrows and drinks her orange juice.
ãBecause itâs light. Lend me your face, Miyagi.ã
I look at Miyagi, who crumbles the yolk of her fried egg and chews on the white.
She is pretty without makeup.
But Miyagi with makeup is cute too, so I want to see her like that sometimes.
And then.
I want to be as close to Miyagi as possible, using makeup as an excuse. I want to touch her hair, touch her cheeks, and see her close up, with her brow furrowed in disapproval. Miyagi is cute when she complains but closes her eyes when I ask her to close them, and Miyagi is cute when she lets me apply her lipstick. So I would like to watch her like that for as long as possible.
ãâ¦I donât want to.ã
ãYou donât have to like it, but I can go to your room, right?ã
ãIf you just come to my room, you donât have to ask me every time.ã
ãIâll still ask you, okay?ã
ãDo whatever you like.ã
Miyagi says tiresomely and bites a piece of bread with his big mouth. I too munch on a piece of bread, chew it, and eat a ham and eggs. After munching and munching and eating an early lunch, I sayãThank you for the food,ãand I hearãThank you for the food,ãfrom Miyagi as well, and we both clean up the dishes. We didnât have a leisurely meal, but time had passed at a reasonable pace, and I hurried back to my room to change my clothes and put on my makeup.
I put on the skirt I told Miyagi she didnât have to wear, and after a little hesitation, I tie my hair into a ponytail and go to her room along with the makeup kit Miyagi said she didnât want. The door opened with two knocks, and Miyagi, dressed warmly in a sweater and denim, looked blatantly uncomfortable.
ãItâs light, and so donât worry.ã
When I approached Miyagi, who was staring at a case containing makeup tools, she said,ãCome in,ãand I entered the room. I put the case on the table and sat in my usual place. But Miyagi sat in a different place than I sat in front of the bed.
ãCan I come over there?ã
Iâll ask in a moment.
ãYou canât.ã
ãThen, sit over there.ã
I tapped Miyagi next to me and looked at her, who was lost for a good 30 seconds before coming over to me on all fours, flopping down like a cat. Then she sat down next to me and stroked my neck.
ãIt had already disappeared.ã
The place where she stroked me is where Miyagi gave me a hickey the day before yesterday, barely hidden by my hair. Iâm wearing my hair in a ponytail today, so I donât have to go to the trouble of telling her that I donât have a mark, but Iâm going to tell her aloud.
ãI know it when I see it.ã
Miyagiâs finger crawls over the spot where the mark was made.
The mark was so thin that it disappeared faster than she thought it would.
ãDonât mark me in somewhere prominent today.ã
I grab Miyagiâs hand that caresses my neck.
The mark made yesterday before I went to my part-time job remains in what can only be described as a safe place. If itâs the same place today, thatâs fine, but I donât want to be marked in a place where my clothes wonât hide me. It doesnât mean that I wonât be able to go to the zoo, but the mark that Miyagi puts on me is a kissmark, so if itâs put on a place where everyone can see it, I will have to make an effort to hide it, which will delay the time we leave home.
ãWhat if itâs not in a prominent place?ã
This isnât good.
I know we better get ready and leave the house early, and today is not a day for part-time work. So I want to be marked by Miyagi even though it shouldnât be fine. Moreover, there is also me who doesnât mind it being conspicuous.
It was the same the day before yesterday.
The markings on the places that couldnât be hidden by the turtleneck werenât so much noticeable as they were hidden by the hair, but they could have been seen by anyone. However, I couldâve hidden it with foundation if I wanted to. But I chose to go to my part-time job without hiding the mark.
Maybe I wanted someone to find my mark.
To be more precise, I think I wanted Mio to tell me that it was a hickey and to ask me who the person was who made the mark. Even though I knew that it would be troublesome if Mio knew about my feelings for Miyagi, there was a part of me that thought so.
In the end, though, I was never noticed by the thinly veiled marks.
ãI didnât say that. And Iâm going to do your makeup, so just be quiet.ã
When I released my grip, Miyagi wrinkled her brow as if she didnât want to, but she didnât say aloud that she didnât want to. So I gave her a light make-up and then kissed her.
ãSendai-san, you do unnecessary things right away.ã
Miyagi, who has a low voice, pushes my shoulder.
ãItâs okay. If thereâs at least a kiss.ã
ãItâs not okay. Letâs go quickly.ã
Miyagi gets up and puts on her coat. Without marking me, she held her scarf and gloves and called me, as if to hurry me along,ãSendai-san.ã
ãWait for me at the door.ã
I say this to Miyagi and return to my room to put on my coat. When I go to the entrance, Miyagi is waiting for me, and we put on our shoes and go outside.
I go down the stairs first and turn around to look at Miyagi.
My earrings and matching scarf.
I think the blue stones and the blue sky go perfectly with the blue scarf.
Going to the zoo.
Iâm the only one who thinks that something as simple as going out with friends is a date, but I hope today will be a fun day.