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Chapter 214
After Sendai-san — 214
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
My teeth that stand up on the nape of her neck silently sink into Sendai-san’s skin.
Her lips are on the soft skin and she presses her tongue against it.
I bite even harder and grab her arm to make sure that my Sendai-san in my room, the one I have wanted all day, is not going anywhere.
「Miyagi.」
Sendai-san’s small voice shakes my eardrums.
I force my lips to stick together and continue to set my teeth to tear at the skin. I bit her neck so hard that I could’ve heard her say it hurts, but Sendai-san doesn’t say it hurts. Instead, her hand goes around my back and she hugs me.
The harder I bristled, the harder the hand around my back pulled me closer. I felt my body temperature rise as the heat from our clinging bodies mixed with her blood, and when I parted my lips and looked at her neck, I saw the teeth marks that surrounded the red marks.
「…It sticks to me, why? You always say your clothes stretch or hurt.」
I press hard against the body that embraces me, creating a gap.
「My clothes are stretched and it hurts, but I had a good time today, so I thought it was okay.」
Sendai-san laughs gently.
「So you don’t mind getting bit if it’s fun?」
「I’m glad you went to the trouble of inviting me into your room to bite me, even though you could have bitten me in the common area.」
「Isn’t that just perverted?」
「If you say I’m a pervert, it’s almost entirely Miyagi’s fault.」
As she said this, Sendai-san put her palm flat against my cheek. Her hand caressed my cheek softly, and her fingertips touched my earrings.
「Why did you bite me after you called me into your room?」
「…Sendai-san, you looked happy today.」
I wanted to lock Sendai-san in this room.
I didn’t want her to go anywhere.
I don’t want to tell Sendai-san that I thought of that, because she won’t promise to stay here without going to her part-time job or to her university. If I say something that I know will never come true, I will see Sendai-san not saying anything again.
「What’s that?」
「You don’t have to understand, just sit on the bed.」
「Fine, but are you going to put a mark on me again?」
Sendai-san quietly sits on the bed and looks up at me.
「I’m not putting it on. Get your phone out.」
As I handed the bag on the floor to Sendai-san, I heard a slightly low voice.
「What happens if I get my phone out?」
「I’ll tell you when you get it out.」
Perhaps anticipating what I would say, Sendai-san was reluctant to take out his phone. She has a look of blatant unwillingness on her face, so I think it is unlikely that she will take out her phone even if I wait for her to do so.
「Sendai-san.」
When I called out as if urging her to do so, Sendai-san sighed a single sigh and then pulled her phone out of her bag.
「So, what happens now?」
「All the pictures you took today, delete them all.」
「I don’t think I did anything to be punished. And this, Utsunomiya didn’t find this.」
Sendai strokes the place where the red mark is on the knit.
「I’m not punishing you, but delete them.」
「I’m not going to.」
「Why not? You don’t need those pictures, right?」
I have to erase everything today that is left on my phone.
And my photos.
I don’t want any pictures of Sendai-san and Maika.
It’s a waste of time, but they should all be erased.
「I do. And it’s a reminder of our day.」
She says quietly and Sendai-san grabs my hand.
「Miyagi, sit here.」
Her hand was pulled from my grasp, and as I sat next to her like a puppet with broken strings, Sendai-san displayed a photo taken today on her phone.
「You don’t need those memories of the school festival.」
I covered the screen of Sendai-san’s phone with my hand as she displays one photo and then another.
「It’s not just the memories of the school festival. Memories of me and Miyagi. I just want to look at this and remember how this happened on the day of the school festival.」
「With Sendai-san?」
「Miyagi, too.」
「You don’t need to remind me.」
「Then, Miyagi is going to delete all the photos taken today?」
「I…」
Erase.
That’s what I decided and came home.
But, if I erased all of them, it meant that Sendai-san’s picture would be included in the list of those to be erased. That means that Sendai-san, who is locked in my phone, will be gone, and I am suddenly unsure if I really want to delete it.
「Miyagi, if you’re confused, don’t erase them. I don’t want to erase them either.」
The phone escapes from under my hand and is placed next to Sendai-san.
I still have to erase them.
I don’t want to see Sendai-san looking happy with Maika, and I don’t want to see pictures of me and Sendai-san.
Photos are memories, as Sendai-san said.
It is a memory more certain and certain than memory.
Unlike uncertain memories that can fade or deteriorate, a photograph preserves the exact moment. The photographs that continue to capture and preserve time as a tangible object become a map of memories and a guide to reach today’s memories. Looking at today’s photographs, today’s memories are brought out along with those emotions.
My not-so-good feelings remain like a stain on the photos I took at the school festival, and every time I look at them, the possessiveness I felt today should come back to life. I think that is what makes Sendai-san even more special now that she has become special.
——That’s why, it has to be erased.
「Miyagi, look at me.」
When my name is called, my consciousness turns to Sendai-san.
Our eyes meet, and the next moment, Sendai-san’s lips lightly touch my cheek. Her fingertips brush my lips, and I grab her hand.
「Sendai-san is mine, right?」
「Suddenly what?」
「Answer me.」
「You know I don’t have to tell you that, right?」
「I won’t understand if you’re not saying it.」
「…I know I belong to Miyagi.」
「Then do what I say. Delete the pictures.」
Sendai-san falls silent at my words.
She doesn’t speak even when I pull her hand from my grasp.
Her gaze falls to the floor, and after a few moments, she slowly looks at me.
「…Then tell me why you wanted to keep me to yourself, Miyagi. Tell me and I can erase them.」
Sendai-san’s voice shakes my eardrums, melting into me and making my heart beat harder.
I cannot allow Sendai-san to go to her part-time job, nor can I allow her to befriend someone I don’t know. Today I could not forgive Sendai-san for listening to Maika, and I couldn’t forgive Sendai-san for smiling next to Maika.
If she trace these feelings, she will find them to be possessive.
That feeling that has been haunting me for a long time and won’t come off even if I try to peel it off is connected to my desire to keep Sendai-san as mine.
But perhaps Sendai-san is aware of my feelings.
How can she not notice what I can notice? There can be no reason to want to keep someone to yourself, other than exclusivity. So surely this isn’t what Sendai-san wants to know.
「Miyagi, just answer me.」
I don’t want to answer.
I shouldn’t answer.
What Sendai-san wants to know is at the root of this feeling, and it’s something that shouldn’t be traced and dug up. What is at the root of the feelings of wanting to keep Sendai-san locked up in this room is not a good thing. It should be better to soothe them and let them sleep at the bottom of my heart. Even now, I am so swept up in my emotions, in pain, in agony, I don’t know what to do, but if I knew what lay ahead, I wouldn’t be able to be next to Sendai-san.
「…I’ll tell you if you delete the pictures first.」
Today, the feelings I almost saw are chewed up and swallowed.
I don’t know what would happen to me if I made the special Sendai-san even more special. If Sendai-san were to disappear, there would be nothing I could do.
The words I say should be something that Sendai-san is aware of.
「If I erase them, will you tell me the truth for sure?」
Sendai-san says quietly and looks at me.
Tell her properly.
I know I should tell her so, but I can’t.
I grabbed the sheets tightly and heard Sendai-san’s voice.
「I knew it, I won’t erase them. Miyagi doesn’t have to tell me why either.」
「…Why?」
「I want to keep the pictures. If Miyagi wants to erase them, you can. Well, if you delete them, I’ll send them to you again.」
「Then there’s no point in erasing them.」
「That’s right.」
When I said this, Sendai-san took hold of my hand, which was holding the sheet.
“Miyagi,” she called, bringing her face close to mine.
Unable to close my eyes, her lips touched mine and left. Then, flopping down, Sendai-san’s hand stuck to my neck.
「Hey, Miyagi. I want to have marks in you as well.」
「I don’t want to. I——」
「”I don’t belong to Sendai-san,” right? I know that much. I am Miyagi’s, but Miyagi is not mine. I only mark it to swear to you.」
Taking my words away and saying them all at once, Sendai-san kisses me again.
「You don’t have to put a mark on it, you can swear to it.」
「At the earring?」
「Yes.」
「Then let me swear on both earring and Miyagi’s body.」
She whispers in my ear and Sendai-san kisses my earring. Then, without telling me it was okay, she turns up the hem of my hoodie and puts her hand inside.
「I didn’t say you could mark it or flip it.」
「If you don’t want me to turn it over, I’ll do that, but then I’ll have to leave a mark where you can see it, is that okay?」
The palms of her hands pressed against my sides and stroked up. Her lips attach to my neck as they should, and I press her shoulders.
「I don’t want to.」
「I didn’t hear you.」
Her lips were pressed again against my neck and sucked lightly. The hand that had been at her side had reached under her breast and I slapped her hand over the hoodie.
「Stop it, Sendai-san.」
「Do you want it where you can see it or where you can’t?」
「I don’t want either.」
「Miyagi, say it’s okay sometimes. Let me stay by your side, even when I’m not here, Miyagi.」
Sendai-san crawls her lips to my neck and bites my ear.
The softly applied teeth tickled me and as I moved my body, the tip of her tongue pressed against me and I pushed her away.
「What do you mean?」
「If I put a mark, we can stay together until it disappears.」
A hand, still tucked inside the hoodie, moves softly and strokes the side.
「…Not if it’s out of sight.」
If I leave Sendai-san alone at this point, she’s likely to leave marks where I can see them, so I accept her words.
「Then lie down.」
I had no choice.
I really had no choice but to lie down on the bed, and Sendai-san sat down beside me.
The hem of my hoodie was turned up, and my stomach was growling. On the skin that is no longer covered, Sendai-san’s hand crawls over my skin and follows my ribs. Her fingertips slide gently, trying to explore my body.
「Sendai-san, I didn’t say you could touch me.」
「I was wondering where is good. Where would you like it to go, Miyagi?」
Fingertips stroke over the navel and down the sides, and the hoodie is flipped up to the bottom of the bra.
「If you turn it over any further, I won’t let you leave a mark.」
「Got it.」
Sendai-san says quietly, and something warm sticks to my ribs.
It was licked as if tasting it, lightly at first, then gradually sucked harder. The heat and stimulation that comes from the skin being sucked up feels good. Her hair touches my fingertips as I reach out and tug lightly.
Her lips never part.
They stick to me, sucking hard, and when I tug lightly on her hair again, they finally leave. But then the lips stick to the same spot again, and then leave. Fingertips caress the skin and lips are pressed against it as if in pursuit.
「Sendai-san, it’s done.」
「Miyagi would have done the same thing.」
I looked up and tried to pull down my hoodie, regardless of Sendai-san’s frustration, but she grabbed my hand.
「Hold on a second.」
Sendai-san says, and a crunching sound can be heard.
「Eh? The sound just now.」
When I hurriedly raised myself up, I saw Sendai-san holding her phone and remembered that she had placed her phone on the bed.
「A memorabilia.」
Sendai-san shows me the screen of her phone. There I see my stomach and the marks she has made on it, and I reach for her phone.
「Delete it.」
I don’t want to leave a picture of my belly on someone’s phone, although it doesn’t show my face.
「I’m not going to.」
「Delete it.」
「If you want me to erase them, smile next to me like you did next to Utsunomiya. Then I’ll erase all the pictures Miyagi wants to be erased.」
Sendai-san smiles so vividly that I hate it.
「All of it?」
「All of it.」
「What’s that?」
「Isn’t it fine, I’ll delete them.」
Sendai-san’s voice sounds happy and infuriating.
But it seems difficult to take the phone from her hands, and I choose not to let her take any more pictures.
「…That’s fine. From now on, don’t take pictures unless I say it’s okay.」
「You mean you want me to get a permit?」
「Yes.」
「Got it.」
Then Sendai-san whispered,「I promise」and kissed my earring.