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Chapter 157
I can have a little more faith in Sendai-san — 157
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
There is no black cat.
I groped around for the stuffed animal that was supposed to be next to my pillow.
My half-asleep body is so immobile that I think I was stuck to the bed with duct tape. As I crawl with my heavy hand, fighting my eyes that won’t open, I touch something hard yet light. It obviously doesn’t have the feel of a stuffed animal, and it seems awfully big.
I grabbed it tightly, not knowing what it was.
I can clearly feel the temperature in the palm of my hand.
Moreover, I think I hear what sounds like a growl.
——There is a strange thing on my bed that is not a stuffed animal.
Its eyes, which had not been open, flutter open.
「
Eh?」
In front of me was not a black cat, but Sendai-san, who shouldn’t have been there.
And she was close.
Our bodies are not attached, but I am close enough to touch her cheek just by reaching out a little. Apparently, what I grabbed was her head.
I slide my fingers through and comb her hair.
Her long hair falls freely as if escaping from my fingers.
Her closed eyes never open.
Come to think of it, I slept in Sendai-san’s room.
The weather was bad and the night was windy.
I hate those nights. When scary things happen in dramas and cartoons, the weather is often bad or the wind is strong, so if I stay awake for a long time, I get scared that something is going to happen.
But not as much now as in the past.
The reason for this is right in front of me.
「
Sendai-san.」
I called her meekly, touch her on the cheek and pinch it lightly.
She moves, but doesn’t wake up.
I had always been alone on any given night, so just the thought of having someone in the house made me feel safe. I don’t like thunder either, but it was just a rumbling sound, so I didn’t have to get under the covers.
So I planned to spend last night alone.
But then came Sendai-san.
It was more reassuring to have her by my side than to feel the presence of someone behind a wall.
I slide my hand on her cheek and run my fingers over her lips.
These are the lips that have touched me many times, even here on this bed.
The memory comes back to me so easily that I want to jump out of bed, but I don’t wake myself up.
Since a reasonable amount of time has passed since then, I would like to be the kind of person who can act nonchalantly when I remember that day. As we continue to be aware of it, it becomes separated from everyday life and that Sunday becomes a special day.
It’s better to keep it as normal as possible.
I close my eyes and let the memories that come to the surface sink in.
Yesterday, for my part, I chose to be brave and not leave this room. I didn’t want to take the bed and make its owner stay up all night, so here I am.
It’s alright.
I open my eyes and look at Sendai-san.
She is sleeping peacefully and happily.
Sendai-san, small on the edge of the bed, looks more cute than beautiful.
I pinch her cheek again.
She still doesn’t wake up.
I was a little envious of Sendai-san, who was sleeping soundly, because I had a hard time sleeping. This is her bed, so it’d be natural that she can sleep soundly, but when I think about it, it seems strange that Sendai-san is sleeping with a cool face. For the most part, it’s Sendai-san’s fault that the number of situations requiring courage has increased needlessly.
——It’s somewhat annoying.
I put my finger just a little bit inside her mouth. The tip of my finger hits her teeth, and Sendai-san’s hand moves as if she doesn’t like it. I heard a sleepy「What?」And I slowly pushed my finger into her open mouth to speak.
My fingertip touches a raw, warm tongue, and when gently pressed, is lightly bitten. I move my finger to trace the teeth, which are harder than the tongue, and the bite becomes stronger than before and I pull my finger out.
「Don’t wake me up like that.」
Sendai-san says with a rare wrinkle between her eyebrows.
「I didn’t wake you up, Sendai-san woke up on her own.」
「I would normally wake up if someone puts a finger on my mouth. If you’re going to wake me up, wake me a little more decently.」
The voice is more muffled than usual, with a final yawn and a sigh added to it. I tugged lightly on her sleepy bangs, and she brushed her hair back in a tedious manner and closed her eyes.
「Are you going to sleep?」
「I’m sleepy.」
「If you’re awake, you should stay awake.」
「I can’t.」
Her eyes did not open as she answered shortly.
I touch Sendai-san’s ear.
「Miyagi should sleep too.」
With a muffled voice, a hand is swept away.
Instead of answering, I touched Sendai-san’s ear again.
Follow the outline to confirm the shape of the ear.
I slide my finger down and pinch the earlobe, which, unlike mine, is empty. It was softer and more comfortable there, colder than her cheek. Even though I kept touching her softly, Sendai-san didn’t open her eyes. I put a little finger in her ear and she grabbed my arm.
「It’s ticklish.」
Sendai-san did not stop when I said the same thing on this bed.
I pull hard on her ear.
What would happen if I put my lips here now?
That’s what I’m wondering, but I let my hand go, letting the memory sink in and take my thoughts away as a matter of course. I then raised my body halfway up and put my lips on Sendai-san’s neck.
Her body moved slightly.
I don’t know if Sendai-san opened her eyes.
A sweet aroma tickled my nose.
She always smells good.
I lick her neck as if tasting her, then bites her hard with my teeth. As I sunk my teeth into not only the tender flesh, but also the slightly firmer area beneath it, I was tapped on the shoulder. I loosened my bite and attached my tongue. This time, she presses hard on my shoulder. I had no choice but to pull my face away from her and saw that Sendai-san was about to fall off the bed, and I hurriedly grabbed her sweatshirt.
I pull strongly toward the front.
Before the sweatshirt could stretch, Sendai-san’s body came back to the bed and slumped down.
「Why are you trying to wake me up in such a novel way?」
Sendai-san says, patting and rubbing the place where I bit her.
「Because I’m not busy.」
「You’re biting into your spare time, that’s crazy.」
「You’re not getting up?」
「I’m not.」
「Okay, I’m going back to my room.」
Her hand that had been stroking her neck stopped suddenly, and Sendai-san, who had been lying on her face, turned toward me.
「Why don’t you go back to bed? You don’t have plans today, do you?」
This time I get my sweatshirt pulled on.
「I don’t have any, but
」
The weather is so bad that I don’t even need to open the curtains to see it, and even if I had plans, I don’t want to go anywhere. But I don’t know if I want to stay in bed with Sendai-san.
「Don’t worry. I remember what you promised me yesterday.」
She will not do anything strange until I leave this room.
Sendai-san promised me that yesterday.
And I have not yet left the room.
Sendai-san, who is constantly breaking her promises, isn’t perfect in what she swears on my earrings, but she keeps them.
It reassures me.
It makes me trust Sendai-san more than before.
The earring is special.
Maybe it’s like a good luck charm, like she said.
I touch the earring and then answer back to Sendai-san.
「If only for another thirty minutes.」
「How about one hour?」
Sendai-san comes a little closer and I press around her collarbone just enough to keep her from falling off the bed.
「Thirty minutes.」
「Okay, thirty minutes is fine.」
Sendai-san said quietly and closed her eyes.