Volume 6 Episode 05

 Even days when something special happened eventually get buried in the past as time keeps piling up.

That unforgettable Sunday for me isn't an exception.

Because I've deliberately tucked those memories away in an inconspicuous corner of my heart, I've been able to go on spending my days the same as always with Miyagi. It's not like I don't have complaints about stamping out the same day over and over again, but by doing that, our relationship is gradually returning to how it used to be.

Even so, the days aren't completely identical.

"Sensei, is university fun?"

Hanamaki looked up from her homework and turned her gaze toward me.

"Well… it's alright, I guess. What about you, Hanamaki? Do you enjoy school?"

I'm not sure how well I'm managing to play the role of a "teacher," but I've grown used to being called "sensei" in this part-time tutoring job. I've also figured out how to interact with Hanamaki, so I no longer feel the tension I had at the beginning. While I'm trying to remain the same, the tutor version of me is changing.

"It's fun. I wish I could stay in middle school forever."

Making a statement that doesn't really suit an exam student, Hanamaki let out an exaggerated sigh.

"I'd rather just stay a middle schooler like this. My current class is really enjoyable."

"High school might be fun too, you know."

"Was it fun for you, Sensei?"

I didn't get into the high school I wanted.

So I tried to navigate things cleverly and had a decent school life, and it was somewhat enjoyable—but "somewhat" was all it ever amounted to. That changed, however, once I spent nearly half of my high school days with Miyagi.

"In the end, yeah… it was fun."

"'In the end'? So it wasn't fun at first?"

"It was fun along the way too. That's why there might be fun things waiting for you as well, Hanamaki."

I replied with a gentle smile.

"I know there might be, but right now is still the best."

Hanamaki let out another heavy sigh before continuing.

"What exactly was fun for you, Sensei?"

Hanamaki isn't the type to get overly excited or talk nonstop, but she does enjoy conversation. Once she starts asking questions, it feels like the talking never ends. She's completely different from the quiet Miyagi.

"Hmm… let's see."

Talking about what was fun was difficult. I found myself at a loss for words.

I couldn't bring up anything about Miyagi, and even if I did, it wasn't the kind of story that would make the listener say, "That sounds fun."

"Was it because you got a partner or something?"

Her voice was overflowing with curiosity, and Miyagi's face surfaced in my mind as if it were only natural. I chased the image away and forced a smile.

"I get it. The reason you're enjoying middle school so much is because you have a partner, right?"

"There's no one like that."

Hanamaki answered instantly.

"Oh, really? Well, if someone like that does show up, make sure to tell me, okay?"

Casual chit-chat also serves as a break and helps ease the mood. A little conversation during study time works as a refreshing change of pace, and afterward, she usually focuses better. Normally, I would've let the conversation continue a bit longer, but this particular topic wasn't one I wanted to drag out.

"Shall we get back to it?"

I brought the conversation to a close and urged her to continue with her homework.

Hanamaki gave a short "Okay," and lowered her gaze back to her notebook.

Her pen raced across the white paper.

From then on, as usual, I supervised her studies until our time was up, then left Hanamaki's house.

I walked to the station and boarded the train.

As the train moved, I recalled the conversation I had with Hanamaki.

The word "partner" didn't apply to Miyagi and me back when we were in high school. It still doesn't apply now. Whether it ever will in the future is something I don't know.

I didn't want to use my feelings of liking Miyagi as a way to justify what happened that Sunday. That hasn't changed even now. But because of that, I've got no idea when the right time to confess those feelings would be. No matter whether I say it today or tomorrow, the word "like" feels like it would come across as nothing more than decoration meant to make my past self look better. I can't picture a future where my feelings would be properly conveyed.

That's why the word "partner" feels impossibly far away—like something completely unrelated to me. Right now, the desire to become someone Miyagi would call her partner is far weaker than the desire not to let go of the relationship we've built up until now.

Time is making me cowardly. It's made me realize just how much I might lose if I speak up.

The train stops, then starts moving again.

Repeating the same motion over and over as it draws closer to its destination.

Inside the swaying train, an unstable future flickers in the window, then disappears.

Where exactly are Miyagi and I heading?

I don't even know if we're aiming for the same place.

I step off the train that keeps repeating the same motions.

Illuminated by the streetlights, I head toward home, climb the stairs, and open the door. In the entryway, Miyagi's shoes are there. When I step into the shared space, a single slip of memo paper lay on the table.

'Feel free to eat the pudding.'

I check the refrigerator and find two puddings enthroned inside. Instead of taking one, I pull out some vegetables and pork and stir-fry them. After eating a simple meal to fill my stomach, I head over to Miyagi's room.

I knock three times on the door, and the room's owner peeks out.

"Welcome back. Did you eat the pudding?"

"I'm home. I'm about to eat it now, so I came to call you."

At my words, Miyagi quietly steps out of her room and sits down in the chair. I take out two puddings and two spoons, then take a seat as well.

"Let's eat."

Our voices overlap.

We peel back the lids, scoop the pudding with our spoons, and bring it to our mouths.

The firm pudding is sweeter than I expected.

When I glance at Miyagi, she's slowly breaking apart her pudding as she eats it.

It must be good, she seems to be in a good mood.  When we’re together like this, I can tell Miyagi doesn’t hate me. But just because she doesn’t hate me doesn’t mean she likes me. Besides, Miyagi doesn’t believe my words to begin with. There’s even a chance that saying “I like you” wouldn’t serve as any justification for what happened that Sunday. 

It feels incredibly difficult to make Miyagi believe what I say, and if I were to suggest going out with her, I have a feeling she’d reflexively turn me down. Even now, if I said something like “You seem to be in a good mood,” she’d surely deny it with, “No, I’m not.”

Miyagi is like a stray cat with strong wariness—she doesn’t like change.

The feeling of liking someone is something that drastically alters a relationship. If I told the current Miyagi how I feel, it feels like everything would come to an end.

We’d probably stop being roommates, and Miyagi would disappear from in front of me.

In that case…

If it would lead to something like that…

Then it’s better not to say anything.

If I keep living this life of stamping out the same days, I can still touch Miyagi as her roommate. The relationship won’t change, and I won’t lose anything either.

Even if I feel dissatisfied with the current situation, I can still pull out those memories buried in the past and quietly gaze at them. For now, I can endure with just that. The word “lover” shouldn’t be something worth risking everything to obtain.

I bring the yellow mass to my mouth, swallow it, and ask,

“Miyagi, where did you buy this pudding?”

“At the convenience store nearby.”

“Next time, I want to eat almond tofu.”

“Then go buy it yourself.”

“You’re so stingy, Miyagi.”

As long as I don’t say “I like you,” I can still have these silly exchanges.

Just that alone feels enjoyable.

We continue our meaningless chatter while eating the pudding.

Even after the containers are empty, we keep talking for a while. When the conversation finally dies down, I stand up.

I walk over to Miyagi’s side.

While she remains seated, I run my fingers through her hair and touch her ear. She squirms slightly as if it tickles and grabs onto my clothes.

As my fingers wander further, they touch something hard. It’s shaped like a small flower. When I touch it, I can believe that I’m someone special to Miyagi. Even if I’m the only one who feels that way, it’s fine.

I bring my lips close to her cheek.

I touch them gently, then pull away.

If I keep things as they are, I can still kiss her like this.

I stroke her lips with my thumb.

Miyagi shifts her body slightly and looks up at me.

Our eyes meet.

I clench my own hand tightly. My heartbeat starts to quicken, and it feels like my heart might burst before I can even touch her.

I close my eyes first and press our lips together.

It really lasts only for an instant.

I touch them lightly and immediately pull away.

When I open my eyes, Miyagi is still there in front of me, unchanged.

“Tomorrow, buy something that isn’t pudding, Sendai-san.”

Miyagi releases my clothes and says.

“Got it.”

All I have to do is hold myself back a little.

Because right now, what matters more is that Miyagi is still here with me.

✧✧✧✧✧

I kept my promise.

The day after we ate pudding together, I bought almond tofu as the “something that isn’t pudding” and brought it home. Miyagi and I ate it together. It wasn’t anything special—just something from the convenience store—and it wasn’t delicious enough that I’d recommend it to my university friends. But when I ate it with Miyagi, it tasted incredibly good, so the next night I bought the same thing again.

Meals with Miyagi, who isn’t family, in a house without family, somehow make anything taste delicious.

And so, those trivial days kept passing. One night, alone in my room, I let out a small sigh. It was Saturday night, yet the weather was terrible.

I slid the curtain open just a little and looked outside. The wind was so strong it felt like a typhoon might be coming, and the rain was violently striking against the window glass. Beyond the window where the streetlight stood lonely, it looked like zombies or something might be wandering around. If I went outside now, I might run into something that wasn’t human.

While thinking about things that would probably make the easily frightened Miyagi angry if she heard them, I closed the curtain.

“Maybe I’ll watch a movie.”

The weather forecast said it would rain tomorrow too, and even if I woke up early, there’d be nothing to do.

I turned on the tablet sitting on the table, prepared my earphones, and started playing a horror movie.

Leaning back against the bed, I watched the screen that was still showing a peaceful world.

I thought it was the perfect night for this.

It’d be nice if I could invite Miyagi to watch it together, but if I made her watch a horror movie, she’d probably hold a grudge against me for life. Besides, there was no way Miyagi would come to my room at this late hour.

Even though I was just sitting still, after thirty minutes my throat felt dry.

I paused the ongoing footage, poured some barley tea into a glass in the shared space, and returned to my room. From outside the window came a low, heavy rumbling sound. It was unmistakably the sound of thunder. After moistening my throat, I slid the curtain open slightly and saw the sky flashing in the distance.

“I wonder if Miyagi is okay with thunder…”

Searching through my memory, I felt like I’d heard back in high school that she wasn’t good with it.

I checked the clock.

It was already late enough that she could be asleep.

If she was sleeping without noticing the thunder, waking her up would be bad. Thinking that, it felt like I probably shouldn’t go check on her.

But I was worried about Miyagi.

I paced around inside my room.

Today, I had a dream about Miyagi that I hadn’t wanted to see, yet had wanted to see.

It was a dream that made the parts I’d been glossing over feel vivid, and for some reason it made me hesitate to go to her room. It was no longer impossible to look her in the eyes the morning after having an improper dream, but it still left me feeling unsettled.

From outside came intermittent low rumbling.

I hesitated for a few minutes about what to do.

In the end, the option of not going didn’t even exist, so I walked over to the front of Miyagi’s room.

I took two deep breaths.

I knocked on the door once.

Miyagi didn’t come out.

She might really be asleep after all.  I should probably go back to my room, but the thought that she might still be awake keeps my feet from moving. I'm worried, I want to see her face, and yet I also feel like I probably shouldn't see her face. Even though I'd already hesitated before leaving my room, I hesitate again and knock on the door harder than before.

Once. Twice.

I waited for a bit, but Miyagi doesn't come out.

Just as I'm about to give up and head back to my room, the door opens.

"…Sendai-san, you're still awake?"

Miyagi, dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants, peeks her head out while speaking in a voice that carries annoyance rather than sleepiness.

"I was watching a movie. Are you okay with the thunder, Miyagi?"

"I'm fine."

"Didn't you say before that you were bad with it?"

"…I am bad with it, but it's not like I'm scared."

Miyagi says this with an expression no different from usual. Even when the low rumbling reaches us, her face doesn't change at all.

"I see. Then that's good."

I feel relieved. And disappointed.

I push those conflicting feelings deep into my chest and tell Miyagi, "Good night." At that moment, a sharp crack like lightning striking nearby echoes out. Miyagi's hand grabs my arm for an instant, then quickly lets go.

I wish she'd keep holding on a little longer.

If only the thunder would roar even louder, maybe she'd grab my hand and not let go.

While thinking something that doesn't sound like I came here out of concern, I speak to her.

"Are you okay?"

If I asked "Are you scared?" Miyagi would definitely say she isn't, and she might shut the door and not come out again.

"The sound was just really loud, so it surprised me."

"Want to come to my room?"

Miyagi doesn't answer.

She looks like she's wary of me.

"If you can't sleep, want to watch a movie or something to pass the time?"

I add that to make it clear there's no deeper meaning behind what I said. Miyagi murmurs a quiet "Okay" and steps out of her room. Even though I'm the one who invited her, I'm surprised she comes out so obediently. As I walk, Miyagi comes along, and we enter my room together. We sit side by side, leaning against the bed. Miyagi reaches for the tablet I'd left on the table.

"What were you watching?"

Before I can answer, Miyagi presses the play button. From the still-connected earphones comes faint, unsettling music. She hurriedly stops the screen that had just started playing.

"If you're watching something weird, tell me first."

Miyagi lightly kicks near my ankle.

How unreasonable.

I didn't do anything wrong.

"You pressed play before I could say anything. Besides, it's not something weird—it's a horror movie."

"Horror is the same as something weird. I can't believe you're watching a horror movie on a night like this."

"Isn't that exactly why? Don't you think the atmosphere's perfect?"

"It feels like something might come in through the window. It's scary."

Miyagi voices what sounds like her honest feelings and pulls her knees up to her chest.

Sitting there with her back curled like that, she looks like a stray cat frightened of people. I want to reach out and tell her it's okay, but if I actually extend my hand, she'd probably run away before I could touch her, just like a cat.

"You can choose whatever movie you want to watch, Miyagi."

When I say that, she looks at me instead of the tablet.

"Sendai-san, are you going home during summer break?"

"I'm not, but what about you, Miyagi?"

"I'm planning not to go back."

"I see."

The conversation cuts off.

Instead of searching for a movie, Miyagi places her hands—previously holding her knees—flat against the floor.

"…Why aren't you going home, Sendai-san?"

"Hmm… I guess it's more comfortable here than at home. My parents aren't worried either. What about you? Won't your parents worry?"

"They might be worried."

"…Is it okay not to go back?"

You should go back.

That's probably what I should say, but I don't want to.

"There's no point in going back. …My parents are almost never home during summer break anyway."

It's rare for Miyagi to talk about her family.

Neither of us has ever talked much about our families.

For me, family isn't something I want to bring up on my own, and I get the feeling it's the same for Miyagi. Even when asked, she's never given a proper answer. I don't know why she suddenly started talking about something she usually avoids, but the fact that she shared even a little about something she probably doesn't want to talk about makes Miyagi feel closer to me than usual.

My gaze drops to her hand pressed flat against the floor.

I reach out toward it.

But before my hand can touch hers, Miyagi turns her body toward me.

"Sendai-san."

She calls my name, and I wait for a moment.

But Miyagi doesn't continue.

She looks like she wants to say something, yet keeps her mouth closed.

"If you've got something to say, go ahead and say it."

"…Promise me you won't do anything weird."

Miyagi says it in a low mumble.

"Weird like in a horror movie?"

"No. You know what I mean."

I do know.

The "weird things" Miyagi is talking about are the kind of things I dreamed about. I've got no intention of doing them even if she says it. Not that I have no desire to recreate that dream — but if I tried something like that right now, Miyagi would definitely leave the room, and I don't want that.

"I promise. Should I swear on your earring?"

Miyagi gives a small nod.

I brush Miyagi's hair behind her ear and lean in close to her ear.

"I won't do those things right now."

I whisper, then kiss the flower-shaped earring. After that, I slide my lips beneath her ear and gently bite the side of her neck. The sweet scent of her shampoo is comforting. When I bite her neck gently and softly, Miyagi pushes my body away.

"You said you wouldn't do anything weird. And what do you mean by 'not right now' anyway?"

"What I just did wasn't weird — it was part of swearing on the earring. Also, Miyagi, you never said 'forever.' That's why I said 'right now.'"

"Why do you always say such stupid things, Sendai-san?"

"Isn't it because I'm stupid?"

"…Whatever." 

Miyagi said it in an exasperated tone and leaned back against the bed.

“Can I hold your hand?”

No answer came.

Miyagi silently picked up the tablet from the table. Then, she leaned her shoulder against mine.

Feeling relieved by the closeness that let me sense her body heat, I peered at the tablet screen. The horror movie I’d been watching had disappeared, replaced by a Japanese film from several years ago.

“It’s gotten a little quieter outside.”

I said it without looking at her.

The low rumbling was still there, but the sharp cracks that felt like they could break through the walls had stopped.

“What about the rain?”

“It’s probably still falling. What do you want to do?”

I didn’t want to ask if she was going back to her room.

I wanted to keep Miyagi trapped in this room.

“What do you mean, what do I want to do?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“Sendai-san, is it okay if I watch this?”

When Miyagi pointed at the tablet screen and asked, I answered, “Sure.” She removed the earphones that had been left plugged in and pressed the play button.

She’d been the one to press her shoulder against mine.

But she hadn’t taken my hand, so I reached out and held it.

She didn’t complain. We watched the movie with our hands linked.

I wanted to increase the places where our bodies touched, but if I did anything extra, both the shoulder leaning against me and the hand I was holding would probably pull away. So I obediently kept my eyes on the screen.

The movie was a typical romance. It wasn’t boring, but it lacked something that would really make it interesting. Still, since Miyagi watched it without saying anything, I did the same and looked at the people moving around inside the tablet. Before I realized it, the rumbling of the thunder had faded, and time passed quietly.

“After this ends, want to watch something else?”

I asked while watching the screen as it approached the end credits.

But there was no reply.

When I glanced beside me, her eyes were closed for far too long to call it a blink. We’d been watching the movie for nearly two hours, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to feel sleepy.

I figured it was about time I let Miyagi sleep.

But if she were to sleep in this room, the only place was my bed, and I couldn’t imagine Miyagi obediently using it. If I said something like “Just sleep already,” she’d probably leave the room.

I wanted to keep watching Miyagi like this without saying anything.

I still wanted her to stay in this room.

Even so, I couldn’t just leave a sleepy Miyagi alone like this.

“Miyagi, if you’re sleepy, you can sleep.”

I reached out with my free hand and touched the tablet screen. The protagonist froze in a strange pose, and a sleepy voice came from beside me.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re already half asleep.”

“I’m not sleeping. I’m awake.”

“Can you watch the movie until the end?”

“…I’ll go back to my room.”

The answer I’d expected came back, and before Miyagi could stand up, I tightened my grip on our linked hands.

“I remember the promise properly, so use the bed.”

“It’s fine. I’ll sleep in my own room.”

Sleepy as she was, Miyagi spoke clearly.

I could understand not wanting to sleep here, but I didn’t want to let her go. Not knowing what to do to make her stay, I put even more strength into our joined hands.

“…How long does your ‘right now’ last, Sendai-san?”

I’d added the qualifier “right now” to the promise I swore on the earring—that I wouldn’t do anything weird—but it seemed Miyagi wasn’t going to let it stay vague.

If I answered wrong, Miyagi would probably leave the room, so I carefully chose my words.

“Until you leave this room.”

Our linked hands tried to slip apart.

But Miyagi didn’t stand up.

“I’ll be watching the movie.”

When I added that, a small voice came from beside me.

“Until when?”

“Until morning.”

“…I’ll borrow the bed.”

Miyagi murmured it, then lay down on the bed she’d been leaning against.

On the bed I’d touched.

On the bed I’d bought with the money I saved.

With her eyes closed, Miyagi, eyes closed, looked as though she were wrapped in everything that makes her special to me, I wanted to feel her body heat.

My field of vision was filled with Miyagi, leaving no room to focus on the tablet.

I started to reach out, but my eyes caught the earring I’d kissed when making the promise.

I dimmed the lights and turned on the nightlight.

I plugged the earphones into the tablet and pressed play. The protagonist, frozen in that strange pose, began moving again, and the story started heading toward the end credits. But I couldn’t follow the plot because I was too conscious of Miyagi behind me. The movie was simply playing. Almost all of my awareness was on my back, and I couldn’t even move my body.

I shouldn’t pay attention to it.

I thought that, but it didn’t work.

The muscles in my back tingled.

I took a small breath and tried to exhale slowly when something touched my back. I removed the earphones and turned around. What had touched me was my pillow. Miyagi, who I’d thought had already fallen asleep, was sitting on the bed.

“Sendai-san.”

“What?”

“Are you really remembering the promise?”

Miyagi asked as if to confirm.

“It’s okay. I remember.”

When I told her clearly so she could feel even a little more at ease and fall asleep, a small voice reached me.

“…You can use half the bed.”

“‘Use half’? In Miyagi terms, this room is my territory, though.”

“But the bed is my territory.”

“Why does it turn out that way?”

I asked without thinking, and Miyagi hit me with the pillow.

“Sendai-san, you said I could use it, right? So the bed is my territory, and I’m lending half of it to you.”

It seemed that the bed I’d said she could use had somehow had its ownership transferred to Miyagi.

But the ownership of the bed was a trivial matter. More than that, I was surprised that I was allowed to sleep next to Miyagi.

“Is it really okay to use half?”

“If you don’t like it, you can just watch the movie.”

Miyagi said it curtly and turned her back to me as she lay down on the bed.

“I’m going to sleep too.”

I turned off the tablet and set it aside.

Miyagi was using the half of the bed against the wall, so I slipped into the remaining empty space beside her.

“It feels kind of narrow.”

Her back shifted slightly, and a dissatisfied voice reached me from just ahead.

It was very Miyagi-like to complain even though she was the one who had said I could use half, but even so, I still felt like it was a bit unfair.

“It is a single bed, after all. Should I buy a double bed instead?”

I had no intention of replacing this bed since it was something precious to me, but the words slipped out before I could stop them.

“You don’t have to buy one. I won’t sleep here again anyway.”

Her voice sounded much clearer now, as if she had properly woken up.

“Then maybe I’ll tell you scary stories every single night from now on.”

“If you do that, I’ll never speak to you again for the rest of my life.”

“I was joking.”

I quickly took back what I had said, but Miyagi curled her back even more and yanked the comforter toward herself with all her strength. Naturally, the comforter completely disappeared from my side of the bed. It wasn’t cold—in fact, it was almost a little warm—so I didn’t really mind not having the comforter. But it was boring that Miyagi’s back became completely buried and hidden underneath it.

If anything, I wanted to look at Miyagi’s back more than the comforter itself, and I wanted to touch it as well. More than that, I wanted to lift both the comforter and her T-shirt and slip my hand underneath to touch Miyagi directly with my own hand.

But I couldn’t break the promise.

If I broke the promise I had sworn on the earring, Miyagi would get seriously angry with me.

Still, wanting to touch her somewhere, I gently lifted the edge of the comforter and grabbed onto the hem of Miyagi’s T-shirt.

“Sendai-san, aren’t you going to sleep?”

A low and quiet voice came from in front of me.

“I’m not sleeping yet. Miyagi, turn this way.”

“Why?”

“I want to kiss you.”

I said something I already knew Miyagi wouldn’t allow.

“Not right now.”

The reply came immediately, exactly as I had expected it would, but it was softer than I had imagined it would be. I gently touched her back over the fabric of the T-shirt.

“You’re so stingy, Miyagi.”

“Being stingy is fine.”

There was no sign at all that Miyagi was going to turn toward me. I lightly poked her curled-up back with my fingertip, and she called my name in an unusually serious voice.

“Sendai-san.”

“What is it?”

“…The earring…”

Her words trailed off there before finishing.

“What about the earring?”

“Does it have a meaning?”

Miyagi spoke so softly that I might have completely missed it if I hadn’t been listening carefully.

“What do you mean by ‘meaning’?”

“The earring is modeled after a plumeria flower, right?”

A question came back in response to my own question.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I looked up the flower language for it.”

“What did it say?”

“…Things like ‘grace’ and ‘shy maiden.’”

“It suits you perfectly, Miyagi.”

“You don’t actually think that.”

Her voice sounded a little sulky and dissatisfied. I removed the hand I had placed on her back and quietly let out a breath.

I had thought Miyagi might look up the flower language of plumeria at some point. So this exchange was still within my expectations.

“The earring is just something to help me not forget the promise. There’s no deeper meaning behind it, so you don’t have to worry about it. Or would you have preferred it if there was some kind of meaning?”

“…It’s fine even if there isn’t.”

Miyagi murmured softly and then fell completely silent.

I felt relieved that she wasn’t pressing the topic any further.

Miyagi wasn’t wrong to try and seek some kind of meaning in the earring.

But the meaning wasn’t in the flower language. It was in the plumeria earring itself.

It was a wish for the happiness of someone precious to me.

That was the meaning held by the earring now adorning Miyagi’s ear.

I had liked the small flower-shaped earring and looked into it, eventually discovering the meaning behind Hawaiian jewelry modeled after plumeria. I had chosen it specifically so that it would decorate Miyagi’s ear.

But I didn’t want Miyagi to know that it carried any kind of meaning at all.

“Just think of it as something like a protective charm.”

I said it as if it weren’t anything important and pulled the comforter that had been taken from me back over my own body.

The meaning I had put into the earring was something that only I needed to know.

If Miyagi came to know the meaning, she would definitely stop wearing it.

—Even if she noticed the meaning, I planned to play dumb and pretend that I didn’t know anything about it.

“Miyagi, you were sleepy earlier, right? You should try to sleep soon.”

“You should sleep too, Sendai-san.”

“I’ll sleep even if you don’t tell me to.”

After learning the meaning of the earring, I had thought about something.

I could accept a Miyagi who didn’t like me, but I couldn’t accept a Miyagi who liked someone other than me.

Right now, it didn’t look like Miyagi had anyone she liked.

If she were going to like someone, it should be me.

But if, someday, Miyagi were to fall for someone other than me…

My heart wasn’t big enough to wish for her happiness in that case. So when I couldn’t wish for Miyagi’s happiness myself, I hoped the earring would wish for it in my place. At the same time, I also hoped she would remain like the flower language of plumeria—a shy maiden who, even if she fell for someone, wouldn’t have the courage to confess her feelings.

I gently tugged on the hem of Miyagi’s T-shirt.

“Good night.”

When I said it softly, a small “Good night” came back to me in reply.