/
I want a boyfriend.
I want a good-looking, non-cheating boyfriend.
Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend.
In a karaoke box after school, Umina was “boyfriend” repeatedly as if she were a robot that could only speak the prescribed words.
This is the result of finding out that one of the usual members has a boyfriend, and after being dumped by her boyfriend at the end of January, Umina has become a machine for boyfriends. Umina is a pain in the ass at times like this. After all the boring drama I’ve been through, I don’t think it’s going to help me much today.
「It’s nice, isn’t it, that Hazuki is popular?」
Popular.
Whether those words are true or not is not the issue.
The answer to be uttered is fixed from the beginning, and it is required to bring it to the conclusion that「Umina is more popular」without denying too much or affirming it.
The girls are decorated like cakes with colorful fruits on top of whipped cream but the contents are not always as sweet as the cakes. Sometimes, when I put something in my mouth that looks delicious, it turns out to be poison. So, I’ll lift up Umina while dismissing the word popular to the extent that it doesn’t come off as sarcastic.
But Umina, who is in a very bad mood is not convinced.
「You know, on Valentine’s Day, Hazuki left on the way home. You went to see someone, right? Iida? Or Sasaki?」
「I told you before, it wasn’t like that. If I had a boyfriend, I would be the first to tell Umina.」
Because I was called out of Miyagi on Valentine’s Day and left early, the next day, Umina and other had suspected that I had gone to see my boyfriend. I thought I had cleared up the misunderstanding, but it seemed to be rehashed instead of being taken out on me.
Umina is not a bad girl.
If I’m down, she worries about me and encourages me. She just have more emotional ups and downs than most people.
But it’s hard to keep in a good mood.
Out of the four members, one was buoyant because she had a boyfriend. The other was a corpse after being chipped by Umina. Then I alone had to fix Umina’s mood.
That’s right, it’s very cumbersome.
At times like this, I wish Miyagi would contact me.
I could leave this place with a proper reason, but it would be easier to get out if I had proper business to attend to.
However, as in the past, I never heard from her, as I have rarely been invited by Miyagi in succession.
In the end, it was not until the following week that I was called by Miyagi, and that day I did her homework and ate a bad dinner together.
So today I went from the bookstore where I saw the caller’s message to the supermarket, bought some chicken, and headed to Miyagi’s house.
The side dishes for bento.
I wondered about other things we can have besides cup noodles and frozen foods that she keep having for dinner.
Besides, I wanted to see the look on Miyagi’s face the moment I did something I was not ordered to do. In the first place, there was no need to be concerned about Miyagi seeing my disgusted face.
Cooking dinner at home is the same as cooking at Miyagi’s house.
That’s why I go into Miyagi’s room with the ingredients for dinner.
「Were you meeting with Ibaraki-san and the others?」
Miyagi asked me why I was late coming to this room as she was about to give me 5,000 yen.
「Wrong. Here, put this in the fridge.」
I take the 5,000 yen and push the supermarket bag into Miyagi.
「What is this?」
「Ingredients for karaage.」
「Why are you bringing this?」
「I’m making dinner here.」
「I didn’t order you to do that.」
Miyagi was overtly unhappy.
I follow her orders.
That’s what I promised, but I did not promise to cook for dinner in this house. I don’t think I can be blamed for cooking today, since there is such a rule that I am free to do so until I am ordered to do so.
Miyagi herself knows this, and she doesn’t tell me not to cook dinner. She just wrinkles her brow uncomfortably.
I have never wanted to see someone’s face when they are uncomfortable, but it was amusing to see Miyagi looking at me uncomfortably as I tried to do something she had not ordered me to do.
「I know you don’t, but it’s my way of saying thanks for always treating me for dinner. Besides, I like to eat something decent once in a while.」
I give a reason why she will not be able to refuse, and tries to hand the supermarket bag to the landlord again, but Miyagi does not accept it.
「You put it in yourself.」
Miyagi said so curtly and left the room, which was warmed up to a hot temperature by the fan heater, and headed to the kitchen. I took off my coat and blazer and followed her. I enter the kitchen with a crinkling supermarket bag and find a very large refrigerator sitting in the kitchen.
I wonder how many people are in this family.
When I opened the square box, which made me want to think about such things, I found that, contrary to its apparent size, it was refreshingly empty inside.
「The fridge, is almost empty. Is it bad that there is only juice in the fridge?」
「It’s not that bad.」
A low voice assures me that this was just fine.
Well, I can’t complain about the refrigerator in someone’s house.
I silently stuff the ingredients for dinner into the refrigerator. When the supermarket bag was nearly empty I took out the flour and potato starch I had bought that I wouldn’t have in my house anyway, I called out to Miyagi.
「What’s the order today?」
「Anything.」
「I was thinking of making karaage first. If you don’t mind.」
「I haven’t decided yet, do whatever you want.」
Miyagi throws down and tries to leave the kitchen.
「Wait. Cut the cabbage.」
I take a cabbage out of the refrigerator and hands it to Miyagi.
「Me?」
「Who else but Miyagi?」
「Sendai-san said she would make it, so why don’t you do it yourself?」
「Can’t you cut them into strips, by any chance?」
I asked as I washed the cutting board and knife, and I heard a low, quiet voice.
「I’ll do it.」
Can she shred it or not?
I’m not sure, but Miyagi puts the cabbage on the cutting board.
I grate the ginger next to it and put it in the soy sauce and sake. I don’t put garlic in because I don’t really like it. The chicken for deep frying, which has already been cut into appropriate sizes, is also thrown into the combined seasonings and rubbed in.
Suddenly, Miyagi became concerned and looked next to me, she was about to cut off her fingers rather than the cabbage. It is an exaggeration to say, but I knew that I had put a knife in the hands of someone who should not have put a knife in their hands.
「Miyagi, wait a second. There, isn’t that dangerous?」
「Where was?」
「Hand, your hand! It’s a like a cat’s paw.」
「What’s a cat’s paw?」
「Didn’t they teach you that in culinary class?」
The left hand holds the object to be rounded and cut.
She must have learned that.
But Miyagi is holding the cabbage with her fingertips, which is scary.
「I don’t remember.」
Miyagi says and lowers the knife.
And cabbage scattered on the cutting board in widths that were more like chunks than strips.
「That way could cut your hand, not the cabbage. And you lifted the knife too high.」
It would be an exaggeration to say that she was swinging the knife down, but dhe was bringing it down from quite a high place with a zang.
「Sendai-san, you’re making too much noise from the side.」
「Ahh—ugh, Miyagi, go away there.」
I get chills looking at her.
I’d rather do this all myself.
But she didn’t back down.
「I’ll do it, so leave me alone.」
The knife chops the cabbage, and thud the cutting board.
I asked for it, and it was a mistake.
No matter how much I regret it, I can’t go back to the time before I asked for shredded chicken. Eventually, I would be scared to death, and I would end up covering the chicken with a combination of flour and potato starch.
Thud.
Thud!
After a few sounds that did not sound very much like chopping cabbage, I heard Miyagi moaning softly.
「What’s wrong?」
No reply.
「Miyagi?」
I looked down at her hand and saw a red color mixed with the green of the cabbage.
「Wait, Miyagi. Blood’s coming out. If you cut yourself, tell me if you did.」
I rinsed the powder from my hand and grabbed Miyagi’s wrist. When I tried to bring her hand close to the faucet, which was left running, the water was turned off.
「Don’t they lick their cut fingers in these situations?」
「You read too much manga. You should wash it well and put an adhesive bandage on it.」
「How about disinfecting?」
「Disinfecting it slows down the healing of wounds. Where is the bandage? If you don’t have any, do you want me to bring some?」
The wound does not appear to be very deep.
Still, the index finger was bleeding to the point of almost dripping.
I washed it under running water and put a bandage on it.
I remove Miyagi from the kitchen.
All of that should have been very easy to do, but Miyagi was not letting me do any of it.
「Lick it and disinfect it.」
Then she puts her severed finger in front of me.
「It’s bleeding, and licking won’t disinfect it.」
「It’s an order.」
「…Did you cut yourself on purpose.」
「No way.」
Miyagi’s fingers remained out in front of me, telling me that her orders were absolute.
Red, red blood flowed out, staining her fingers.
Just looking at it, the taste of iron spreads in my mouth.
「Sendai-san, hurry up.」
I have licked my own blood, but I have never licked anyone else’s.
Does other people’s blood tastes the same as my own?
I was to know the answer to that question.