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What is about to happen?
She knows it and brings the brown mass to my mouth. The chocolate touches my lips and as if I’m following the procedure written in the manual, and bite the truffle with each of Sendai-san’s fingers as if I’m also following what has been decided.
「Miyagi, it hurts.」
She raised her voice as if she had a script to say those lines. But it was just a voice, and the word “pain” was not filled with emotions.
It was natural.
I haven’t bitten that hard yet.
I exert myself to leave a mark on the finger that touched the canine tooth.
Just barely and little by little.
As I sink my teeth into Sendai-san’s fingertips, the chocolate melts on the tip of my tongue, making me feel as if her fingers were sweet and delicious. I wanted to eat the whole truffle, so I pushed my canine teeth hard against my forehead.
「It hurts!」
There seem to be no lie in her words this time, and the voice I heard was filled with emotion. The hand pressing my forehead was also strong.
「Let me go.」
Sendai-san has no right to give me orders.
So I will not do what she says.
I bite hard on purpose.
Then, perhaps it hurt too much, she said again in a commanding tone,「Let go of me,」and then she pulled her fingers out. Only chocolate remains in my mouth, which I melt and swallow.
Even if we are not friends, the friend chocolate she made was good. It may not be the way she envisioned the friend chocolate, but it has served me well. It doesn’t matter what happens to the chocolates, since they were made incidentally.
But when I look at the face of the person who made it, the smile was gone.
「Tissue, please.」
Sendai-san says in a voice a little lower than usual.
The box of tissues with the crocodile cover is diagonally in front of me. If I were to say whether it was closer or further to me, it was closer to me than to Sendai-san.
I looked at her fingers and saw what looked like cocoa power and chocolate on them.
It doesn’t have to be a tissue to wipe it off.
I ignore Sendai-san’s words and run my tongue over her index finger. It was a very silly process, but I myself, who had defiled Sendai-san, will make her back to the beautiful Sendai-san she was before.
「Miyagi.」
Pretending there was no audible voice, I pressed my lips to her fingertips and licked her teeth marks. When I crawled my tongue over the second joint and sucked the base of the finger, I produced a small “chu” sound, and Sendai-san shivered for a moment.
「Hey, that feels disgusting.」
Her voice was flat.
But I am sure that Sendai-san feels the same way as I have in the past.
A feeling that is unpleasant but it’s not the only sensation she was feeling.
I felt as I could see such feelings in the flat words, and I pressed my tongue against her fingers. But the sweetness that chocolate brings with it was already gone.
I don’t think human skin is like any other thing I’ve ever tasted. It wasn’t particularly hot or cold, and human fingers are not delicious.
Still, this is the most fun time of the day.
I run my tongue over her thumb.
I lick that finger as did her index finger. As I slowly crawled my tongue over the chocolate to melt it, Sendai-san let out a small breath.
「You’ve got to be kidding me, Miyagi.」
With a word, she pressed hard on my shoulder and I removed my mouth from her fingers. Then, I tossed the crocodile box which was growing tissues from its back, to Sendai-san.
「Do you enjoy doing this?」
Sendai-san looks at me as she wipes her fingers.
「Of course.」
When I responded with a smirk, the crocodile returned with a gulp.
「What kind of hobby is this?」
「I don’t eat people.」
「Then, don’t bite me.」
Sendai-san took a sip of cider, saying dismissively.
「That was a pain earlier. Isn’t that a breach of contract?」
「It’s not violence. Besides, you did the same thing to me, so I might as well put up with it a little.」
「I didn’t bite you that hard. I thought you were going to chomp my finger off.」
「It’s just the result of eating chocolate.」
「Are you still going to eat it?」
「What do you want me do?」
「…Whatever you like.」
Sendai-san says as she throws out the trash.
I don’t want to be friends with her.
We are only connected through money, and we should be only connected through money.
So it doesn’t matter what Sendai-san thinks, and I have the right to do whatever I want with her.
That’s how it should be.
However, yet, what came out of my mouth were I didn’t expect.
「Do you want eat dinner?」
「I’ll eat.」
Sendai-san responds immediately.
Two people rather than one.
Even if the taste is the same, I feel that eating with someone else brings me closer tp the idea of a meal.
I get up and head to the kitchen. Without saying a word, Sendai-san follows me. Turning on the light and have Sendai-san sit on the living room side of the kitchen facing me.
I take the fries out of the freezer and stick the whole bag in the microwave. I place two plates side by side and top with a retort hamburger steak pulled from the refrigerator. When the microwave beeps, I replace the fries and hamburger steak.
That was about all I did, and dinner was soon ready. Still, it takes longer than a cup of ramen noodles, which is ready in three minutes.
「Done.」
When I placed a plate of rice and a plate of hamburger steak and fries on top in front of Sendai-san, she sounded pleased.
「That’s enough for both of us.」
She says it as if I had bought hamburgers for Sendai-san.
「For your father.」
Today was one of those days.
Inhsd bought hamburgers for my father.
That’s all, I didn’t prepare it for Sendai-san.
「What will your father do if I eat it?」
Sendai-san does not ask about my mother, but only about my father.
「There are still others.」
The words I uttered are wrong.
The fridge is as good as empty now.
But since my father rarely eats dinner at home, it doesn’t make any difference whether it was empty or not.
「That’s why, just eat.」
I said plainly and sat down next to Sendai-san. When I said “Itadakimasu” in a small voice, the same words were heard from next door as if overlapping. That doesn’t we’re on the same page, so the rest of the meal was eaten in silence.
The lack of conversation doesn’t bother me as much.
It was easier than forcing myself to talk along, and I chew a hamburger steak that is much softer than Sendai-san’s fingers
The only sounds between us are those made by chopsticks and plates.
The hamburger steaks and fries gradually decreased, and when the plate was almost completely cleared, Sendai-san opened her mouth.
「Do you want me to cook dinner for you sometime?」
「What’s the rush?」
「Do you not want it?」
The truffles were delicious, so I assume that the food Sendai-san makes is delicious. However, I have no reason to ask Sendai-san to cook dinner for me, and I don’t want her to do anything I haven’t ordered her to do.
The only thing that makes our relationship is the “order.”
「You don’t have to make it.」
「I see.」
Sendai-san says without disappointment and brings the hamburger to her mouth.
Eat quietly and my meal will be over soon.
It is no different than when I eat a cup of ramen noodles before winter break.
「Do you still want to give me orders?」
「No.」
「Then, I’m leaving.」
Sendai-san puts on her blazer and coat and heads to the front door.
「I’ll walk you home.」
We both walk out the front door and get into the elevator.
「The truffles, they were delicious. Thanks.」
As I watched the numbers decreased, from five to four, I told her how I felt about what I had received and thanked her for her kindness. I have that much common sense.
「You’re welcome.」
I heard Sendai-san’s voice and the elevator stopped. Walking to the entrance, Sendai-san waved her hand and said,「See you later.」
「Bye-bye.」
As usual, I called out to her back and Sendai-san turned around. I turned around, even I had never turned around before, said「Bye-bye,」and waved again.