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Chapter 186
Sendai-san is unlike anyone else — 186
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
I’m home and welcome back.
We have the usual exchange in the common space, and I place a not-so-large bag on the table.
「Here, pudding. There’s one for Sendai-san, too.」
「Did Utsunomiya made this by hand?」
Sendai-san, who was eating dinner alone, put down her bowl and looked at me.
「No. I bought it.」
「You did, Miyagi?」
「Is it bad?」
「It’s not bad, but…」
My plans to hang out with Maika over the vacations were quickly digested, and today, less than a week later, the two of us saw a movie and had dinner together. I also bought a pudding that was reputed to be delicious at a store that Maika and I had looked around, but it may not have been what Sendai-san wanted to eat.
「I’ll put it in the fridge and you can have it when you feel like it.」
「Thanks.」
Normally she would have said something like,「Let’s eat it together later,」but today she didn’t say anything. I think she might not be in a very good mood. Sendai-san was the same as usual in the morning, but something might have happened to her while I was out.
I put the pudding I bought in the fridge and decide to go back to my room. But before I could open the door, I was approached.
「Stay here.」
A flat voice turns to me and asks,「Why?」
「I’ll finish eating soon.」
I look at the tortoiseshell cat chopstick rest placed in front of her.
It was hung on the doorknob the day after her birthday, and it’s used every day.
Still, I think that a chopstick rest is something I could do without, and that I should have used something else.
「Then, call me when you’re done eating.」
As I was about to turn my back on Sendai-san with a hint of regret, my chopsticks were placed on the chopstick rest with a clatter.
「I’m done eating. Thank you for the food.」
After saying this, Sendai-san starts washing dishes.
The sound of running water.
The sound of the dishes.
Some sounds mingle together, but I don’t hear Sendai-san’s voice. I’m not sure if I should go back to my room because she washing dishes silently while I’m calling her out.
Lean my back against the door and touch the doorknob.
In my head, I can still hear Sendai-san’s voice saying,「Stay here.」I end up leaning against the door and calling out to her.
「If you told people to stay here, talk. I thought we were going to talk nonsense.」
When I mention the promise I made on my birthday, I hear a voice devoid of emotion.
「You said you were going to see a movie. What did you see?」
「Something Sendai-san is unlikely to watch.」
「Is it fun?」
「Not much. Maika said it was disappointing too.」
「I see.」
It’s frustrating to hear a curt response.
It was Sendai-san who said she wanted to have a normal conversation like anyone else would, so she should be a little more interested in me. I don’t want to talk about anything if it’s going to be done in an random manner.
「I’m going back to my room.」
I kicked the floor, my voice hitting the back of Sendai-san’s head.
「Sorry. I was washing dishes and I couldn’t hear you very well over the sound of the water. I’m almost done. Sit down and wait for me.」
Instead of saying she can’t hear me, I immediately hear a panicked voice, but she didn’t answer me. When I remained silent, Sendai-san turned around and broke the time, saying,「Five minutes left.」
「Okay, five minutes.」
I declare, thinking that she’d been washing dishes for a very long time, and sit down in my chair without checking my watch.
If I timed it, I bet she would say one more minute or two after five minutes.
「Sendai-san, what about your pudding?」
I don’t know how many minutes have passed, but I call out to her.
「I’ll eat it later.」
「No, I mean, do you like it or not?」
I don’t think she would dislike it because we’ve had it together in the past.
「What about you, Miyagi?」
After washing the dishes, Sendai-san comes to me.
「I don’t buy anything I don’t like.」
「I like pudding too.」
Sendai-san chuckles.
I don’t like it.
It’s not interesting that she didn’t seem interested in me, or that she made me wait five minutes, as if she was trying to pretend it didn’t happen with a smile on her face.
I stand up and grab Sendai-san’s arm with my left hand.
Pressing the thumb of her right hand against the edge of my lips, she called out, “Miyagi.”
「If you’re going to bite, do it off the lip.」
「I didn’t say I’d bite you.」
「You didn’t tell me, but you still bit me, right?」
She is right, but I don’t want to say it is so if I can assume it is. I let go of her arm without answering.
「Your lips are too sore, and you should go somewhere else. I don’t care if it leaves a little mark.」
When I say this, Sendai-san shakes my hand.
「I won’t do anything, just let me go.」
「You’ll do nothing?」
「I’ll will not.」
I looked Sendai-san in the eye and she answered clearly.
But the hand that was held isn’t let go. On the contrary, Sendai-san comes closer to my face and kisses my lips.
Our lips just touch and then quickly leave.
Then we touch again, and I bite her lip lightly.
「It hurts.」
When my lips parted, Sendai-san exaggerated and looked at me.
「I don’t chew that much because it hurts.」
「It was painful.」
I put my face to Sendai-san’s neck, who deliberately strokes her lips, and set my teeth on her neck. This time, I bite not lightly, but hard enough to leave a mark.
「Miyagi. I told you that it really hurts.」
As I continue to grind my teeth hard without answering the voice I hear, Sendai-san grabs my arm. I buried my teeth in the skin as I bites away at the tender flesh. My lips stick to her neck, and I can feel her body heat. As I put strength into my upper and lower jaw, Sendai-san’s hand, which is attached to my arm as if in conjunction with the upper and lower jaw, also becomes stronger.
When she painfully grabbed my arm and removed my face from her neck, Sendai-san said without removing her hand from my arm.
「I didn’t say you could bite this hard.」
「It was Sendai-san who said it was okay to leave a mark.」
「There’s a limit to what you can do.」
「If there’s a limit, tell me from the beginning.」
Sendai-san lets out a small breath and releases my arm to stroke her neck.
Her fingers crawl over the bite marks.
Watching her fingers move back and forth slowly makes me want to sink my teeth into her neck again. But before I can bite again, Sendai-san starts talking.
「Miyagi, did you have a good time during the last few days of summer vacation?」
「What’s with that suddenly?」
「Remember what I said about telling me when you had fun?」
I still remember talking about such things on the way home from the aquarium.
I let out a thin breath and then keep the promise I made in the past.
「…Well, it was a lot of fun.」
This year’s summer vacation was different from previous summers.
Long vacations used to be spent alone for a long time, but this year, with Sendai-san there, I didn’t have much time to be alone. I did see Sendai-san last summer vacation, but that was three times a week. We didn’t live together like this year.
I don’t think I could spend time like this with anyone but her, but I don’t think life with someone else around all the time on a long vacation is bad.
「Well then, Miyagi. Let’s have a sleepover now.」
Sendai-san smilingly says something out of context, but I have no idea how to get from「Well then」to「sleepover.」We don’t need sleepovers in the first place.
「Even though we live in the same house?」
「We live in the same house, but we don’t sleep in the same room.」
「That’s correct, but…」
「To finish up a fun summer vacation. Let’s talk about silly things and deepen our friendship. In your room, Miyagi.」
「Wait. Why it’s my room?」
I glare at Sendai-san, who looks at me as if I deserve it.
I’ve had her in my room a few times since her birthday, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but when it’s in the name of a sleepover, it’s a different story. Besides, I haven’t agreed to a sleepover yet.
「You already stayed in my room. Now I’ll stay in Miyagi’s room.」
「I don’t want to.」
「It’s fine. Let’s have a sleepover.」
「Sendai-san, you are definitely going to do something strange.」
「I said I’d wait, remember? I won’t do anything more than kiss you until Miyagi says it’s okay.」
「That’s unreliable.」
「I swear to your earring.」
I didn’t tell her to swear, but Sendai-san reaches out and touches my ear. Then she kisses the top of my earring.
「I’ll wait until you said it’s okay, Miyagi.」
The promise sworn to my earring will be kept.
I know this, but I am not sure if I can trust Sendai-san’s reasoning.
「Miyagi. If you care so much, stay up all night.」
「Stay up all night?」
「If you stay up until morning watching a movie or something, you don’t have to go to bed, and I don’t have to do that.」
「…Sendai-san, were you planning to sleep in my bed?」
「You did slept in my bed, too, Miyagi.」
「It’s too small. If you’re staying here, bring your own futon.」
「It’s a hassle, and we can both sleep. If you don’t want to sleep, you can stay up. So, it’s settled.」
Sendai-san claps her hands to break off the conversation.
I look at the door to my room.
I’m not so sleepy now.
I’m fine without sleep for a night or so.
I decided to stay up all night and accepted Sendai-san’s suggestion.