Thereâs no reason for Miyagi to be complaining about not wanting to go to the zoo today. I have checked the weather many times since this morning, but the weather is fine and it doesnât look like it will rain. I think itâs safe to say that itâs a good day for the zoo.
I hope it was worth making.
I pick up the teru teru bozu hanging on the doorknob. It was supposed to be in Miyagiâs room, and it did its job well. I kiss the little doll made of tissue and hang it on the doorknob again. I went to the common area and prepare an early lunch.
Get out the frying pan, lay out the ham and drop in the eggs.
Add water to cover and Miyagi comes out of the room.
ăIâll help, Sendai-san.ă
ăThen toast some bread.ă
ăOkay.ă
A short time after Miyagi began toasting the bread, the ham and eggs are ready. Butter and jam are prepared and placed on the table along with a plate of ham and eggs. Soon Miyagi had two glasses of orange juice on the table, some baked bread, and we sat down in our chairs.
ăItadakimasu.ă
Our voices are aligned, though not in concert.
Miyagi spreads butter and jam on bread and bites into it. When I spread butter and jam on my bread in the same way, she called meăSendai-san.ă
ăWhat is it?ă
ăAre there any animals youâd like to see?ă
ăThe shoebill.ă
Mouthing the names of animals that I wouldâve never mentioned in my life if not for Miyagi, I bite into a piece of bread. Butter and jam mingle in the mouth, spreading just the right amount of sweetness.
ăBesides the shoebill.ă
ăWhat about you, Miyagi?ă
ăItâs not me, itâs the animals you would like to see, Sendai-san.ă
I was asked the same question last year, but no matter how many times I am asked, the answer remains the same.
I am happy as long as I can see Miyagi looking happy.
But that is not something that should be spoken, so I convert it into something bland.
ăI guess Iâd like to do some people watching.ă
ăWhatâs that? Iâm not an animal.ă
Miyagi says in a low voice and pokes the white of the fried egg with a fork.
ăHumans are animals too.ă
ăThatâs true, butâŠă
ăAre there any other animals you want to see besides the shoebill, Miyagi?ă
I stare at Miyagi, who looks dissatisfied.
ăâŠA tiger.ă
Okapi, or a tapir, for example.
Last night, as I was checking the park map alone, I was thinking that Miyagi would want to see such unusual animals, but I was wrong. I didnât expect to see a tiger, an animal that is so commonplace.
ăWhat about penguins?ă
I throw out the name of an animal that Miyagi would definitely want to see.
ăIâll see it.ă
Her short but clear voice responds.
It seemed that she likes penguins after all.
I decide to take a picture in front of the penguins, although Iâm not sure if she will smile as she did when we went to the aquarium.
ăWhen we finish eating, can I go to your room, Miyagi?ă
ăI donât want to.ă
The answer came as expected, and I took a bite of ham and eggs before asking why.
ăWhy?ă
ăYouâre going to tell me to put on a skirt or something like that.ă
ăYou donât have to wear a skirt. I donât want you to catch a cold, so dress warmly. Miyagi, just lend me your face.ă
I would be happy if she wore a skirt, but I donât want to overstep the bounds of Miyagi, who will be cold. But I want to put makeup on her.
ăWhy donât you just make your own face, not mine?ă
Miyagi, who seems to have figured out what I want to do, raises her eyebrows and drinks her orange juice.
ăBecause itâs light. Lend me your face, Miyagi.ă
I look at Miyagi, who crumbles the yolk of her fried egg and chews on the white.
She is pretty without makeup.
But Miyagi with makeup is cute too, so I want to see her like that sometimes.
And then.
I want to be as close to Miyagi as possible, using makeup as an excuse. I want to touch her hair, touch her cheeks, and see her close up, with her brow furrowed in disapproval. Miyagi is cute when she complains but closes her eyes when I ask her to close them, and Miyagi is cute when she lets me apply her lipstick. So I would like to watch her like that for as long as possible.
ăâŠI donât want to.ă
ăYou donât have to like it, but I can go to your room, right?ă
ăIf you just come to my room, you donât have to ask me every time.ă
ăIâll still ask you, okay?ă
ăDo whatever you like.ă
Miyagi says tiresomely and bites a piece of bread with his big mouth. I too munch on a piece of bread, chew it, and eat a ham and eggs. After munching and munching and eating an early lunch, I sayăThank you for the food,ăand I hearăThank you for the food,ăfrom Miyagi as well, and we both clean up the dishes. We didnât have a leisurely meal, but time had passed at a reasonable pace, and I hurried back to my room to change my clothes and put on my makeup.
I put on the skirt I told Miyagi she didnât have to wear, and after a little hesitation, I tie my hair into a ponytail and go to her room along with the makeup kit Miyagi said she didnât want. The door opened with two knocks, and Miyagi, dressed warmly in a sweater and denim, looked blatantly uncomfortable.
ăItâs light, and so donât worry.ă
When I approached Miyagi, who was staring at a case containing makeup tools, she said,ăCome in,ăand I entered the room. I put the case on the table and sat in my usual place. But Miyagi sat in a different place than I sat in front of the bed.
ăCan I come over there?ă
Iâll ask in a moment.
ăYou canât.ă
ăThen, sit over there.ă
I tapped Miyagi next to me and looked at her, who was lost for a good 30 seconds before coming over to me on all fours, flopping down like a cat. Then she sat down next to me and stroked my neck.
ăIt had already disappeared.ă
The place where she stroked me is where Miyagi gave me a hickey the day before yesterday, barely hidden by my hair. Iâm wearing my hair in a ponytail today, so I donât have to go to the trouble of telling her that I donât have a mark, but Iâm going to tell her aloud.
ăI know it when I see it.ă
Miyagiâs finger crawls over the spot where the mark was made.
The mark was so thin that it disappeared faster than she thought it would.
ăDonât mark me in somewhere prominent today.ă
I grab Miyagiâs hand that caresses my neck.
The mark made yesterday before I went to my part-time job remains in what can only be described as a safe place. If itâs the same place today, thatâs fine, but I donât want to be marked in a place where my clothes wonât hide me. It doesnât mean that I wonât be able to go to the zoo, but the mark that Miyagi puts on me is a kissmark, so if itâs put on a place where everyone can see it, I will have to make an effort to hide it, which will delay the time we leave home.
ăWhat if itâs not in a prominent place?ă
This isnât good.
I know we better get ready and leave the house early, and today is not a day for part-time work. So I want to be marked by Miyagi even though it shouldnât be fine. Moreover, there is also me who doesnât mind it being conspicuous.
It was the same the day before yesterday.
The markings on the places that couldnât be hidden by the turtleneck werenât so much noticeable as they were hidden by the hair, but they could have been seen by anyone. However, I couldâve hidden it with foundation if I wanted to. But I chose to go to my part-time job without hiding the mark.
Maybe I wanted someone to find my mark.
To be more precise, I think I wanted Mio to tell me that it was a hickey and to ask me who the person was who made the mark. Even though I knew that it would be troublesome if Mio knew about my feelings for Miyagi, there was a part of me that thought so.
In the end, though, I was never noticed by the thinly veiled marks.
ăI didnât say that. And Iâm going to do your makeup, so just be quiet.ă
When I released my grip, Miyagi wrinkled her brow as if she didnât want to, but she didnât say aloud that she didnât want to. So I gave her a light make-up and then kissed her.
ăSendai-san, you do unnecessary things right away.ă
Miyagi, who has a low voice, pushes my shoulder.
ăItâs okay. If thereâs at least a kiss.ă
ăItâs not okay. Letâs go quickly.ă
Miyagi gets up and puts on her coat. Without marking me, she held her scarf and gloves and called me, as if to hurry me along,ăSendai-san.ă
ăWait for me at the door.ă
I say this to Miyagi and return to my room to put on my coat. When I go to the entrance, Miyagi is waiting for me, and we put on our shoes and go outside.
I go down the stairs first and turn around to look at Miyagi.
My earrings and matching scarf.
I think the blue stones and the blue sky go perfectly with the blue scarf.
Going to the zoo.
Iâm the only one who thinks that something as simple as going out with friends is a date, but I hope today will be a fun day.
Chapter 242.2
Platypus' Monologue
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
Iâm not much having fun these days.
I know why.
A newcomer who came to this room at Christmas, round and able to get into the masterâs bedding.
Itâs not fun because of that penguin.
The master has not been very fond of me, the platypus tissue cover, since that came along. No, they were never that endearing to begin with, but I feel like she doesnât care about me as much as she used to.
For the most part, penguins have names like Pen-chan, but I donât.
Since I play the important role of supplying the tissue that grows on my back, it would seem that I could be called Kamo-chan, but the master does not. If she doesnât want me to be Kamo-chan, I can become Nohashi, but I donât think she will call me that.
I think itâs unfair that penguin had even called Shiori, rather than having a name. Even I should be able to at least take the place of the person who calls Master Sendai-san, but she wonât.
I feel a difference in affection.
But I donât want to be the number.
Master has her number one, Miyagi Shiori.
Miyagi Shiori, the person who chose me, the person who inspired me to come to this house, and the person who calls the Master Sendai-san. She is a very important human being of Master, she is a strange person who comes to this room and holds my hand and beats Master with me.
Master likes that kind of person.
I have no problem with the fact that Masterâs number one is Shiori Miyagi, and I donât mind her holding my hand, but I donât think the act of hitting Master by me is acceptable. I donât want to hit Master.
However, Master doesnât care whether Miyagi Shiori beats her, kicks her, bites her, or in short, doesnât care what she does to her, but rather often looks pleased with what she does to her.
However, itâs difficult to accept the Penguin.
I too want to be kissed and hugged a lot by Master like that little girl. But the Penguin canât be the number one because Master kisses Miyagi Shiori more times than she kisses the Penguin.
The number one is Miyagi Shiori, and the Penguin is forever number two.
âŠItâs strange. And frustrating.
The number two is me.
The penguin should be number three because she is new.
If she become number three, I can be friends with the Penguin.
I am not sure why, since the penguinsâ floppy feet are not unlike mine. And the penguin have beaks, too. I might even tell her a little story someday.
But absolutely.
Itâs only after Iâm the Masterâs number two.