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Chapter 144
The Sendai-san whom I don't know and the Me whom I don't know — 144
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
「So what happened?」
The moment I step into the room, Maika says.
Normally, she would ask me,「Would you like something to drink?」But today, she didn’t seem to care about drinks.
「Before we talk, can I put my bag down?」
「Okay, but you promised me that you would tell me what happened.」
「Yeah.」
I put my bag down next to the table and sit on the edge of the soft rug. I have visited Maika’s room many times since I became a college student, but I am a little nervous when I think about what I will have to answer.
「Then tell me why. Is it really a fight?」
Maika sits across from me and stares at me.
The reason is why I went to the university with a big baggage, or more specifically, why I was asked to stay in Maika’s room. When I asked Maika「to stay over today」in the lecture room, I explained to her that I had a fight with my roommate, but that was not enough to convince her.
But there is no way I can say that I ran away from Sendai-san because of what happened yesterday. I told Maika that I live with a relative, so if I mention Sendai-san’s name, it would complicate the conversation.
「There were a few things going on. It became like a fight, or something.」
I am heartbroken by my own surprisingly poor lying.
I don’t want to hide anything from Maika, but I am not confident that I can successfully explain how we became roommates while hiding everything that happened with Sendai-san in the past. And I don’t dare tell her everything.
I always have…
The courage to see Sendai-san’s face in the morning.
The courage to have dinner together at night.
Because I didn’t have that kind of courage, I left the house before Sendai-san woke up. I know that running away from her won’t solve anything, and it is not that I don’t want to see her, but I didn’t know what kind of face I should make and what kind of conversation I should have with Sendai-san.
「That’s I want you to tell me about all that.」
Maika makes a deliberate smile and urges,「I’m going to let Shiori stay in this small room.」
As she said, Maika’s room is not so spacious, but I never felt it was too small, probably because it is clean and tidy. It would seem that there would be no problem if there were more than just one of me, but as I am the one being asked to stay, I have no right to complain, and I should at least tell her why. But I still don’t have the courage to talk about it, starting with the fact that my roommate is Sendai-san and leading up to what happened yesterday.
「I said it was really a fight.」
I shall push through the first lie I told.
「Shiori, you don’t seem like the type to fight.」
「We’re relatives, and I’ve been a little out of line.」
「Is that Shiori’s fault then?」
「Mhm, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with either of us. It’s just that I need to cool down a bit.」
I don’t know if she was convinced, but Maika looked at me and said,「Hmmm.」
「How long does it take to cool your head a little?」
「Well, a little bit is not good enough」
「If you’re going to stay at my place until your head cools down, you better let me know.」
Maika says in a serious voice.
「…Maybe three or two weeks.」
「Isn’t that way too long?」
「Then, just a week. I don’t care if it’s for three days. Let me stay.」
「It doesn’t matter if you stay for two or three weeks, but it’s hard to make up for a fight if it goes on too long, right? Maybe you should get back home soon, no?」
I could tell by her soft but firm voice that Maika didn’t want me to stay, but that she was seriously concerned about me, the pain in my chest, which had been like being stabbed with a needle, grew as if it were being driven with a stake.
「…I know that, but…」
Considering what happened yesterday, Sendai-san will probably think that’s how it is even if I don’t go home today, but I think it would be better for me to go home as soon as possible. The more days pass, the harder it is to leave.
Besides, I was thinking about Sendai-san today.
What did she think when she noticed I wasn’t there in the morning?
Was she thinking about me in college?
Does she want to do something like that again?
Many things come to mind, and my feelings float and sink, and I end up staying in Maika’s room instead of going home.
「Well, you might want to think about that. In the meantime, I’ll get you something, and you can sit down.」
Maika then stood up.
I am tempted to ask her what to do when she opens the refrigerator and has a physical relationship with her roommate, but I think I would spend more time explaining who the roommate is and how it happened than how to handle it, so I seal the metaphor of knowing each other and collapse onto the rug.
I want to at least follow Maika’s words that「I should think about it a little」and figure out how I can spend time with Sendai-san as before, but when I think about her, the memory of Sunday is pulled out with her and I can’t think straight.
「Which do you drink, plum or orange? By the way, plum is a new product」
Maika returns and explains the contents of the glass she brought to me as I am lounging around.
「Orange juice.」
I heard a ton of glasses being placed on the table and I sat up.
「…Shiori.」
「What is it?」
「Is it possible that the person you are fighting with, or living with, is actually your boyfriend?」
Maika, sitting where she used to be, looks at me with a very serious look.
「What makes you think that?」
「You don’t deny it.」
「I’m denying it.」
「That’s not a denial now. I doubt it.」
「Not in doubt」
After taking a sip of my orange juice, I add,「It’s not my boyfriend,」to which she replied,「Heh,」in a flat voice. Apparently, my word wasn’t believed.
「And those earrings aren’t really from your boyfriend?」
She said jokingly, and Maika reaches out and fluffily touches my earlobe. I pulled away ticklishly and replied,「No, it’s not,」and the fingers left my earlobe.
I look at Maika’s fingertips, who giggled.
Sendai-san also touched my ear, but it felt completely different from when Maika touched me.
I touch my own ears.
It was obvious, but it was different from when Sendai-san touched me. Her hands were different from anyone else’s.
On Sunday, I was sure that Sendai-san’s hands were——
I almost remembered yesterday and poured orange juice into my mouth along with the memory. Sendai-san is deeper into me than the piercing, and if I’m not careful, she tries to show her face immediately.
「Shiori, this is delicious. Want to take a sip?」
Maika’s glass was placed in front of me from the other side, and the light-colored clear liquid shook. Perhaps it was because I was told earlier that it was plum, but I think there is a fresh sour aroma in the air.
「I don’t want it.」
I don’t dislike plums, but I returned the glass to Maika.
「Is that so.」
My phone rings, coinciding with Maika’s voice, and I pull it out of my bag. I looked at the screen and saw,『What happened this morning?』And I received a message from Sendai-san for the umpteenth time.
I have been missing Sendai-san for a long time and can’t wait to see her.
I can’t get my mind off of it, so I shove my phone into my bag without replying to the message.
「Is that your quarrel partner?」
「Yeah, well…」
「Are you sure you don’t want to go home today?」
「Let me stay today.」
「You can stay as long as you want, but you guys better make up soon.」
I don’t know if she believed my words or not, but Maika says in a gentle voice.
「Okay.」
I hesitate for a moment, then took out my phone.
『Sorry. I won’t be coming home today.』
I don’t want to worry Sendai-san.
I sent the minimum necessary information to Sendai-san and put my phone in my bag.