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Chapter 76: I\'ll be fine even if I don\'t see Sendai-san — 76

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Sendai-san did not come.

I did not wait for her yesterday or today, but she did not come to my class during the two days of the festival.

『I think I’ll go see Miyagi.』

I know that the words Sendai-san uttered on the day we last met were only in jest and that she is not the kind of person who would go out of her way to see me. So I didn’t wait. I just thought that the festival was over, the cleanup was done, and at the last minute, Sendai-san didn’t show up.

I think the festival itself was fun.

I went with Maika and the other students to first-year classrooms that I would not normally go to, and I also saw events that were taking place in the gymnasium. It was a hassle, but the things they made me do at the café will be good memories someday. The fact that Sendai-san was not present at any of them is not something to be concerned about.

It was just that she said something strange and it stuck in my head, and it didn’t matter if Sendai-san came or not. I was having a good time, and since I was going to have dinner with Maika and the others, I didn’t care about Sendai-san.

I don’t really care about her. By now, Sendai-san must be somewhere playing with Ibaraki-san and her friends, saying that they are about to launch.

I take off my apron, which I had been wearing instead of my café uniform, and remove the T-shirt that matches my classmates’. Then, we put on our uniforms. In October, uniforms are replaced by uniforms, and the short-sleeved blouses are replaced by long-sleeved ones.

In the end, I did not wear a single sleeve on Sendai-sans blouse. I will no longer have the opportunity to wear her uniform, which continues to sleep in the closet.

「Shiori, are you finished getting dressed?」

In a corner of the classroom where about half of our classmates have left, I was approached by Maika.

「Yeah.」

I put on Sendai-san’s tie and hold my bag.

「Well, I’m hungry, so let’s get going.」

At Ami’s words, the three of us leave the classroom.

The sound of our shoes echoes as we walk down the hallway, which is not as popular as it was during the school festival. As I descended the stairs and approached the shoe lockers, my phone rang in my bag.

「From Shiori?」

I nodded at Maika’s voice and stopped. Pulling out her phone, I looked at the screen and saw Sendai-san’s name there.

『Are you still in school?』

The short message is something I’ve never gotten from her before, and I grab my tie tightly.

I’ve never been asked this before.

What would happen if I stayed in school?

What would happen if I was not there?

From the first message I received, I can’t imagine where it goes from there. But I don’t know what awaits me beyond that point, no matter how lost I get, so I just write「I’m here,」and send a reply. Then a new message arrived immediately.

『I’ll wait for you from a place before.』

We are not close enough in school to get through this last word. But I knew immediately where it was.

There was one place in the school where I spoke with Sendai-san alone.

Music Preparation Room.

That’s where she must be waiting.

「Sorry, I’ve forgotten something. I’m going to go get it. Also, it went bad today. My father, it looks like he’s coming home early.」

I think it’s deliberate, but I can’t find any other appropriate reason, so I speak quickly and turn on my heel.

「Ehh— I’ll go with you to pick up the things you forgot, and Shiori, let’s go out to eat.」

Ami’s voice followed me and I turned around.

「My father, he’s telling me to come home soon. I’m really sorry. You two go ahead and eat.」

With a pang, Maika says without hesitation as she puts her hands together to ask for help.

「If Shiori don’t want to go to, next time is fine. Hey, Ami.」

「You’re right— Any day that fits your schedule is fine. In the meantime, let’s go get something you forgot.」

「Ah— it’s fine. Sorry, and it’s going to take a while, so I’ll go alone.」

Sorry, I apologized again, and Ami grunted before giving me a look that said she had no choice.

「Okay, we’ll leave first, but when are the days when Shiori is free?」

「I’ll set up a time for us and you guys decide.」

「Okay. I’ll take Maika.」

「Thank you. Sorry.」

I wave to them and head for the old school building.

The school, where most of the students have left, has an eerie feeling that it seems to be connected to some other world. The sun is about to set, but it is still bright outside and the hallway is not too dark. But the closer I get to the old school building, the fewer students I see, so what the heck, I get scared and start walking faster. As I opened the door to the music preparation room to escape the sound of my own footsteps, I found Sendai-san there, blending in with the instruments.

Under the lights, as I approached her, she called out to me.

「Long time no see.」

We’ve passed each other in the hallway a few times, so it’s not as if we haven’t seen each other in a while.

「We’ve promised not to talk at school, right?」

「Then you shouldn’t have come. I guess if you had just replied that you weren’t going, that would have done it.」

Leaning against a shelf with polished instruments, Sendai-san laughs.

「You wanted to see me about something, didn’t you? You called me here because you wanted to talk.」

I’m not going.

I could have said yes, but I don’t know why I didn’t. My body was moving before she could respond to the message that I was waiting. But I didn’t want to go out of my way to tell Sendai-san that.

「The cultural festival, I thought we could have fun together.」

Sendai-san said in a voice that sounded like she made it up and strummed an instrument that I couldn’t imagine what sound it would make.

「It’s already over, and there’s nothing to enjoy here. That kind of joke, it’s not funny. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll leave.」

「I’m not done talking about it.」

Sendai-san closed the distance that had been moderately far apart. When I took a step back, she grabbed the sleeve of my blouse.

「Would you laugh if I told you that I wanted to visit Miyagi and the cultural festival?」

The voice I heard before I complained was not so serious, but it was hard to reply in a voice that did not sound like a joke. But the air between us is not light enough to keep quiet, and I tell her shortly.

「I would.」

「Yeah, right. I would laugh too if Miyagi said the same thing.」

「…At my class, you didn’t show up.」

It is not possible for us to go around the cultural festival together, and Sendai-san knows that this will not happen. But if she felt that way, she would at least show up to my class.

Sendai-san did not show up.

I think that’s the answer.

Today, as always, she are just messing with me.

「I don’t make promises.」

I hear a simple voice and know that I was not wrong.

「I guess I should go home.」

I pushed Sendai-san’s shoulder, grabbing the sleeve of her blouse. But our distance remained too close, and Sendai-san did not let go of my blouse.

「Umina and the others were so noisy that they wanted to go somewhere.」

「What’s that?」

「The reason why I didn’t go to Miyagi’s class.」

「I didn’t ask why, and I don’t care.」

「Thought you might want to know.」

「I don’t think so. I’m leaving, and let go of me.」

「I won’t let you go.」

Sendai-san closes the distance that was close to me even further. Her hand, which should have been holding only the sleeve of my blouse, grabs my arm and pulls hard.

I didn’t intend to move my body, but I lost my balance and moved one step closer to Sendai-san. It was only one step, and it should have been something like a few dozen centimeters, but Sendai-san came even closer than that, and our lips almost touched.

The movement was not accidental, but deliberate, and I reflexively turned my face away. But Sendai-san wouldn’t let me go, and when she came face to face with me again I pushed both her shoulders as hard as I could.

「You don’t have to do this, right?」

No more kisses on the lips.

I haven’t set such a rule, but that’s how I think of it.

「Even though I’ve kissed Miyagi during summer vacation?」

「Because summer vacation is over. That’s why, no more kissing.」

“Heh,” Sendai-san says in a small voice in return, tugging at my tie.

「This is mine, right?」

「What then?」

「You wanted my tie and blouse and took them off, but you wouldn’t kiss me?」

「You didn’t want it, you didn’t take it off. We just exchanged them.」

I say in a strong tone of voice, and Sendai-san retorts in dissatisfaction.

「Okay, exchange over. Now give me back my tie and blouse. Take them off here.」

「Sendai-san know this blouse is not hers, right? I’ll return it later with your tie, and that’s fine.」

「You can’t.」

The uniform is a combined uniform, and the blouse has been replaced by a long-sleeved blouse. The short-sleeved blouse that Sendai-san wore is not here. She should know that when she saw it, but she doesn’t want to change her reply.

「Now, give it back here.」

「Don’t order me.」

「It’s not an order. I’m just saying that the exchange is over.」

「Even Sendai-san is wearing a uniform, so there’s no way she can return it.」

「If it’s the blouse, I’ve brought it. The tie is Miyagi’s, and I can return it right away.」

「That’s a lie, right? You wouldn’t have brought a blouse to a school festival.」

「If you think I’m lying, why don’t you find out? It’s in the bag there, you can open it.」

Sendai-san turns around and looks at the shelf where the instruments are placed. I followed her gaze and saw a familiar bag there.

I think it’s pointless to open it to check.

Since she says this so strongly, there must be a blouse in the bag. It is not surprising that Sendai-san would have prepared a blouse in anticipation of this happening.

「…What do you want?」

「If you let me kiss you, I’ll forgive you for not being able to trade right now.」

「Unfair. If you’re going to trade, tell me you’ll do it. Then you brought it today.」

「It’s not fair to Miyagi, either. She didn’t take off her blouse the other day.」

「That didn’t say anything about swapping out the one you’re wearing.」

「That’s unfair. I think the feeling is mutual.」

Now Sendai-san is not sane.

She was not the person to say this.

She may have tried to move me in a roundabout way to get me to do what she wanted, but she had never been so forceful in confronting me with her desires. I don’t know what happened and how it happened.

I didn’t see her until after the festival.

That’s about the only reason I can think of, but I didn’t think Sendai-san would change because of that.

「It’s not mutual. We don’t talk at school and we don’t do this. Sendai-san, you have to follow those rules.」

Otherwise, I’d be crazy too.

If Sendai-san doesn’t stay firm, I can’t get my bearings like a broken compass. I’m headed to a place I shouldn’t go. I don’t want to be in a place where I can’t go back. Sendai-san is leaving me in a few months and I don’t want to get involved any deeper.

「…The cultural festival, Miyagi looking like she was having fun.」

Sendai-san says in a whisper.

「How do you know I was having fun?」

「Because I saw you.」

「Even Sendai-san must have had a good time, didn’t she?」

I saw her laughing happily at last year’s festival.

I did not see her this year, but I am sure she was the same.

But there was no reply.

Instead, the hand that was holding my arm relaxes.

「If you don’t want to be kissed so badly, run away. I wouldn’t kiss someone if she didn’t want to run away. If Miyagi runs away, I will let her go and not chase her.」

「Does that mean I have to choose?」

「Something like that. I’ll let Miyagi choose. I’ll go along with it.」

「…I knew it, Sendai-san is unfair.」

She doesn’t always choose.

She throws the decision to me and sees how it goes.

And the choices given are the ones that should be selected.

「Hurry up and decide. Otherwise, you won’t be able to choose, will you?」

After saying this, Sendai-san removed her hand from mine.