Volume 6 Episode 07

 Having a cold is never a good thing.

Whenever I come down with one, I have to stay home from school and spend the entire day stuck in the same house as my mother who barely even makes an effort to interact with me on normal days. Even when I’m sick, she only does the bare minimum for me, so we hardly ever see each other’s faces despite living under the same roof. It’s not exactly enjoyable.

But right now, things are different.

My mother isn’t here. The only one here is Miyagi.

I’m lying in that hazy space between dreaming and waking, bedridden with a cold.

The old me would’ve been caught up in unpleasant thoughts, but because Miyagi is here, I don’t have to dwell on anything bad. She stays by my side until I fall asleep, driving away the nightmares. She’s like a stray cat that never really warms up to me, and yet, on that day, she let me stroke her sleek hair to my heart’s content.

Now that my cold is gone, I’m sure she’d never let me do that again.

“Come to think of it… I wonder if that cat’s around today.”

I slow my pace and look around.

On my way home from university, like today, I sometimes run into a cat near the house.

Of course, I mean a real cat not Miyagi.

I’d rather run into Miyagi, but a cat isn’t bad either. I never used to be particularly fond of cats, but living with someone as feral as Miyagi has made me notice them more.

There… not there… there it is.

As I walk along, scanning the area, I spot a calico cat grooming itself by the roadside. Some days it’s here, some days it isn’t—so today must be a lucky one.

“Hey there, Mike-chan.”

I crouch down beside the cat.

“Think you’ll let me pet you today?”

Thinking that Miyagi would definitely refuse, I reach out my hand. The calico lets out a soft “mrow” and allows me to stroke its back. This cat’s never around when I leave for university in the morning, so it really does seem like a stray, but whenever I run into it, it usually lets me touch it. Even when it doesn’t feel like being petted, it never scratches me.

It’s completely different from Miyagi.

The calico stays calm and lets me keep stroking it, just like Miyagi did on the day I had that cold. I used to think Miyagi was like a stray cat, but now that feels rude to actual strays. Real stray cats will let me pet them even when I’m not sick, and they’re genuinely friendly.

Well… Miyagi’s only unfriendly toward me, I guess.

Even so, she isn’t heartless. She can be kind sometimes.

The reason my cold got better so quickly was because Miyagi took care of me.

She hardly ever looks after me like that, so thanks to her rare bit of nursing, my fever went down by the very next day. She seems to be gentle with sick people, which almost made me wish I could’ve stayed ill just a little longer.

“I wish you’d be kind to the healthy me too, though.”

There are things I can only say to a cat.

While talking to the friendly calico—so unlike Miyagi—I slowly run my hand down its back over and over again. Today, the calico seems to be in a good mood; when I stroke under its chin, it rolls onto its side with a purr and shows me its white belly.

“Wow, you’re really spoiling me today.”

I gently rub that soft, fluffy belly.

The calico must be getting fed somewhere, because its coat is glossy and feels wonderful to the touch.

Come to think of it, Miyagi’s belly felt nice to touch too. She isn’t too thin or too plump—her stomach has just the right amount of softness, like it welcomes my hand.

I wish she’d let me touch her more casually.

The moment that inappropriate thought crosses my mind, it’s like the cat senses it; it suddenly gets up and darts away.

“Even cats can tell when someone’s got ulterior motives, huh?”

After the calico disappears from sight, I stand up and start walking again. In less than five minutes, I reach the house, open the front door, and step inside. The shared space is dark, but Miyagi’s shoes are there. I walk up to the door of her room and knock. Almost immediately, Miyagi opens it.

“I’m home. Want to make dinner together?”

When I ask, Miyagi gives a small nod.

We decide frozen shumai will be the main dish. I drop my bag off in the room and come back to the shared space, where Miyagi’s already preparing the ingredients for a moyashi (bean sprout) Chinese-style salad. I take charge of slicing the cucumber and ham, while Miyagi boils the bean sprouts. While the shumai heats up in the microwave, we toss all the salad ingredients into a bowl and season it.

Dinner’s ready in no time, and the two of us eat together.

We finish cleaning up together too, then brew some black tea and head to my room. Miyagi sits down with her back against the bed. I place the two mugs on the table and sit right beside her.

I turn on the air conditioner and raise the set temperature by one degree.

It’s almost July, and the weather’s been getting warmer, but Miyagi often complains that my room is cold. Since she’s started coming to my room so naturally these days, I figure I can at least compromise on the temperature by a single degree.

I take a sip of black tea from my mug.

Miyagi, sitting quietly beside me, is also sipping hers in silence. Even this stray-cat-like Miyagi becomes fairly well-behaved when she’s eating or drinking something. I almost reach out to touch her the way I did with the calico, but I stop myself and take another sip of tea instead. If I touched any part of her body right now, she’d probably bristle and bite me immediately.

“Miyagi.”

“What?”

“If I asked to touch your stomach right now… would you let me?”

“Absolutely not.”

Miyagi sets her mug back on the table and answers in a clearly irritated voice.

“Yeah, I figured. I was just asking.”

I never really expected her to say yes.

I’ve got no intention of doing something she hates, and I wasn’t holding out any real hope. Still, I can’t help wishing she had at least as much friendliness as that calico cat.

“You’re such a pervert, Sendai-san. Don’t suddenly say weird stuff like that.”

With those words, Miyagi shifts just a tiny bit away from me.

“By the way, there’s a cat that’s been hanging around the neighborhood lately, right?” 

Even if Miyagi were to run off like that calico cat, it’d be a hassle, so I decide to explain why I got called a pervert.

“A cat? I haven’t seen one.”

“Huh? There’s sometimes a calico cat around when I get home. You’ve never seen it?”

“Nope. What does that cat have to do with stomachs anyway?”

“That calico lets me rub its belly, so I was thinking maybe you’d let me rub yours too.”

“I don’t get it. I’m not a cat. If you want to rub a cat’s belly, go rub the cat.”

The stray-cat-like Miyagi flatly refuses to be compared to a cat.

“Well, that’s true, but the cat isn’t always there.”

It’s not like I’m trying to treat Miyagi as some kind of substitute for the cat.

Honestly, it’s because it’s Miyagi that I want to touch.

In truth, it doesn’t even have to be her stomach.

“If you let me rub your belly, Sendai-san, I’ll think about it.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

I answer seriously to Miyagi’s words, even though they don’t sound sincere at all.

“Eh?”

“You said you’d think about it if I let you rub my belly, right? So you can rub mine as much as you want.”

“You really are a pervert. Move away.”

Miyagi frowns deeply and shoves my shoulder.

She’s the one who brought up the condition for the exchange, and yet she’s treating me like this.

When I think about everything Miyagi’s said and done to me up to now, she’s the one who fits the word “pervert” better. I’ve never told her to lick my feet, and I’ve never tied up her wrists either.

I wonder what Miyagi thinks I am.

I’m curious about what kind of “me” exists in her head. But if I ask her directly what she thinks of me, she’ll definitely just call me a pervert again, so I go with a question that might get a more concrete answer.

“Hey, Miyagi. Is there an animal I resemble?”

“Why’re you suddenly asking something like that?”

“Just because. We don’t have anything else to talk about, so answer me.”

“A dog.”

Miyagi answers without hesitation.

Her short reply doesn’t sound like she put much thought into it.

“Why do you think I’m a dog?”

“Because you listen to my orders.”

I see, so it’s that simple.

Since I’ve followed almost all of Miyagi’s orders up until now, it’s not strange that an obedient animal like a dog would come to mind, but it’s not a very interesting answer.

“Is that dog something small like a poodle or a corgi?”

“No. Why would you assume it’s a cute dog?”

“Because cute would obviously be better.”

“You’re not that kind of cute dog, Sendai-san. You’re a much bigger one.”

“Bigger? Like a large breed?”

“Yeah.”

“For example, what kind of dog?”

I can understand being called a dog, but I never expected to be called a large breed. I’m not that tall, and I can’t help being curious what kind of dog Miyagi has in mind. But she doesn’t say anything more.

“Is there no specific breed?”

When I press her again, Miyagi answers like she has no choice.

“A dog with a slender face and body.”

That explanation is way too vague, and I still can’t picture it.

Maybe there’s some lanky dog character out there.

“I can’t imagine it at all. Does a dog like that even exist?”

“It does. I saw it on TV before.”

“That doesn’t help. Be more specific.”

“Lend me the tablet.”

I hand her the tablet sitting on the table, just like she asked. Miyagi starts searching, and before long says, “This one,” showing me the screen. I lean in to look at the tablet she’s holding and see a dog that’s not one of the large breeds I’m familiar with, like Golden Retrievers or Siberian Huskies.

The dog really does have the slender face and body Miyagi mentioned. Its ears droop down.

Its legs are unusually long, and the coat covering its body is long as well. The fluffy fur is mostly white, with patches of brown mixed in here and there. The breed name says “Borzoï,” but I’ve never heard of it.

[T/N- This dog , also called Russian wolfhound.]

“It kind of looks like an aristocratic dog… Is this what I’m like?”

Rather than cute, it’s a beautiful dog with a refined, noble air. After seeing that, I can’t exactly go and tell Miyagi she’s like a stray cat anymore. It makes me feel like I’d been thinking something awful.

“It’s just the size. You’re taller than me, aren’t you, Sendai-san?”

It’s true that I’m taller than Miyagi, but even so, I think I’d only be medium-sized for a dog. I’m not tall enough to be called a large breed, and I don’t think I resemble a Borzoï at all.

“Even if I’m taller than you, it’s only about four or five centimeters, right?”

“How tall are you, Sendai-san?”

“163 centimeters. What about you, Miyagi?”

“157.”

“With only a six-centimeter difference, I don’t think I look big enough to be called a large breed.”

“You’re big.”

Miyagi mutters that, then deletes the Borzoï image from the tablet. Like she’s making an excuse, she adds, “I just thought it looked a little like you.”

I pick up my mug and look down at what’s left inside, now less than half.

The image of the Borzoï I just saw drifts across the surface of my black tea.

I really can’t understand what Miyagi’s thinking.

I don’t understand why a dog like a Borzoï came to her mind so quickly, or why she’d say I resemble it. I do want to clear up that “I don’t understand,” but after an answer as half-hearted as “because you’re big,” I know pushing her further won’t get me anywhere. And I also know that the only reason she’s sitting next to me right now is because she has the task of finishing her tea; once that’s done, she’ll go back to her own room.

Miyagi never comes to my room without a reason.

So I slowly finish my black tea and set the mug back on the table.

“You like animals, don’t you, Miyagi?”

I don’t know how much tea she has left, but she probably won’t leave the room until I’ve finished mine. “It’s not like I particularly like them.”

“Really? You seem pretty knowledgeable about dogs, though. I didn’t even know what a Borzoi was. And the tissue box covers you brought from the kitchen are a crocodile and a platypus, right?”

I pull the platypus tissue cover—now moved from the kitchen to my room—closer and gently stroke its head. A hand reaches in from the side and pulls out a single tissue.

“It’s just a coincidence for both the dog and the tissue covers.”

Her curt tone makes it impossible to tell whether she really only knew about the Borzoi by chance or if she just happened to pick animal-themed tissue covers without thinking. Still, I doubt she’d remember details about things she doesn’t like, or choose them in the first place.

“Then do you have any favorite animals? What about dogs?”

“They’re fine. What about you, Sendai-san?”

I set my mug down and answer while looking at the cat-like Miyagi.

“I think I like cats more.”

“Oh. I thought since you’re dog-like, you’d say you like dogs.”

Miyagi pulls out another tissue, then rolls the two of them into a small ball.

“I don’t think I’m that dog-like, though.”

“I think you are.”

The moment I say that, Miyagi tosses the wad of tissues toward the trash can.

Plop.

The tissue ball bounces off the rim of the trash can and rolls across the floor with a faint rattling sound.

“Sendai-san, go pick it up.”

Miyagi points at the tissue ball and speaks like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m not doing that.”

“I was just saying it. It’s fine.”

Her indifferent voice reaches me, but Miyagi doesn’t move. Of course, the tissue doesn’t move either, so the white lump keeps rolling slightly before settling on the floor.

“Miyagi, pick it up properly yourself.”

“If you want it thrown away, you can do it, Sendai-san.”

She doesn’t look at me as she speaks, clearly not in a very good mood.

No matter how I look at it, Miyagi has absolutely no intention of picking up the tissue herself. I’ve got no interest in playing dog-and-master, but I reluctantly stand up and pick up the white ball she threw.

“Here you go.”

I hand her the tissue ball and ask, “Satisfied?”

“Not satisfied.”

The tissue ball I just handed her gets placed back on the floor.

“Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“Paw.”

Along with that completely dog-like command, Miyagi holds her hand out toward me.

How ridiculous.

There’s no reason to go along with this.

The moment I think that, I immediately rethink it.

I obediently extend my right hand and place it on Miyagi’s palm. Then I grab that hand and pull.

Caught off guard, Miyagi’s body tilts toward me. I catch her and pull her into an embrace.

“You can give me more orders, you know.”

My heart beats a little louder from the closeness and the warmth coming from her body, but I pretend not to notice.

“I won’t. Besides, that wasn’t even a proper order just now. Let go.”

Miyagi’s voice is openly displeased as she pushes against me, but I have no intention of letting her go.

“It was basically an order. I’ll listen to anything except ‘let go,’ so give me more commands.”

Instead of giving any orders, Miyagi stays silent.

All I want is to stay at this distance; whether she gives me commands or not doesn’t matter. If she’s hesitating, that just means I get to stay this close, sharing body heat, for a little longer.

“Miyagi.”

I call her name near her ear, and a small voice answers.

“…Then let me touch your stomach.”

Before I can even respond, Miyagi reaches out and touches my stomach over my cutsew. The unexpected action makes me instinctively push away the body I’d pulled close, but her hand alone stays gripping my clothes, refusing to let go.

“What kind of order is that?”

“You said earlier that I could touch your stomach if I let you touch mine, didn’t you?”

Miyagi tugs at my cutsew with a dissatisfied expression.

It’s true that when she said, “If you let me rub your belly, Sendai-san, I’ll think about it,” I’d answered, “Sure, go ahead.” But I hadn’t thought she was serious, and I never imagined she’d actually follow through on it, so it caught me off guard. Still, if the exchange condition is still in effect, letting her touch my stomach once or twice isn’t a big deal.

“If I get to touch your stomach in return, then go ahead and touch mine as much as you like.”

“I’m only touching yours, Sendai-san. I’m not letting you touch mine. You said I could give you orders, so listen to what I say.”

Trying to make me obey using a command she added later instead of the original exchange condition is selfish and childish. It’s an order I don’t have to follow.

I know that.

But I can’t bring myself to reject this version of Miyagi.

“…Fine. If you want to touch it, go ahead.”

This is like a habit I picked up back in high school. Whether Miyagi’s right or wrong, in the end I always end up accepting what she says.

Besides, Miyagi doesn’t have the guts.

She’ll probably just touch it a little and then say “that’s enough” anyway.

“So, Miyagi? What are you going to do?”

When I ask, Miyagi lets go of the clothes she’d been gripping. Then she slowly slips her hand under my shirt and starts gently patting my stomach, the way a child might touch a stuffed toy.

I feel like I’m being treated like a dog, but it still makes me happy that Miyagi is showing interest in me.

“Is it fun?”

When I ask Miyagi, who’s looking down, a slightly low voice answers.

“It’s normal.”

Despite her indifferent tone, her hand keeps softly patting my stomach. When her fingers brush against my side, it tickles a little, but the feeling of her hand and the warmth it carries is pleasant. 

The hand I'd expected to pull away right away showed no sign of leaving and kept touching my stomach. The way it had been handling me like a toy gradually softened, turning into something gentler, like stroking fine fabric. Her fingertips slid smoothly along my side and drifted upward. The soft brushing of her fingers across my skin went beyond simple tickling and started to stir an entirely different kind of feeling.

The distance between us doesn't change.

There's a fixed space separating us, and only Miyagi's hand is pressed intimately against me.

Her hand reaches all the way beneath my chest, then smoothly glides down toward my navel.

"…Isn't the way you're touching me kind of erotic?"

Miyagi's touch loosens the screws holding back my reason—the kind that makes me want to do things she probably wouldn't want. I don't mind being touched like this, but I think it's dangerous for Miyagi.

"It's not erotic."

She answers in a firm tone and moves the hand that had been resting just above my hip bone. When I grab the hand sliding smoothly over my skin, my stomach suddenly gets pressed firmly.

"Miyagi. It's tough having my stomach pushed after eating, you know."

It's not enough to make anything come back up, but I don't want to be pressed like that.

"Then let go of my hand."

As soon as I release her hand like she says, the way she touches me goes right back to how it was before.

I wonder what Miyagi's thinking right now.

When I touch Miyagi, I feel something pleasant—does she feel the same way? Does she want to touch me more? And I want to know why she felt like touching me in the first place.

But I don't have the luxury of asking.

Miyagi's hand has now reached the edge of my underwear. It stops there and doesn't go any farther, so it doesn't seem like she intends to move higher, but I should stop her before the last of my reason slips away.

"Miyagi, that's not my stomach anymore."

This time, I grab her hand firmly over my clothes.

"You're the one who said I could touch your stomach, so what's with this?"

Her irritated voice reaches me.

"If you really want to keep touching me like that, I don't mind, but I won't be responsible for what happens."

"What do you mean, you won't be responsible?"

"I mean I won't be responsible for whatever happens to you, Miyagi."

I lightly tug on Miyagi's hair as she keeps her head down, refusing to look at me.

Miyagi, who'd been avoiding my gaze, lifts her head, and our eyes meet.

I bring my lips close to her face and lick her cheek the way a dog would.

"If this keeps up, my reason's going to fly off somewhere."

I whisper into her ear and let go of the hand I'd been holding. Miyagi hurriedly pulls her hand out from under my shirt.

"Pervert. I'm going back to my room now."

Miyagi—who'd done something far more deserving of the word "pervert" than I had—picks up the platypus tissue cover from the floor and bops me with it.

"Wait. I haven't finished drinking yet."

I slowly sip my now-lukewarm tea.

Miyagi just wipes her cheek with a tissue. She doesn't try to run away from me, nor does she demand I make a promise with my earring. But she lowers her gaze again and stares at the floor, so her expression is lost to me.

"Sendai-san."

"What?"

"…What kind of animal am I?"

Miyagi asks in a small voice.

"Hmm… a cat, I guess."

I hold back from saying "stray cat."

"A cat? Why?"

"Because you're sensitive to the cold, Miyagi. If we had a kotatsu, you'd probably stay under it all day."

After giving a safe answer, I make one suggestion.

"Want to buy a kotatsu when winter comes?"

"I definitely don't need one."

Miyagi replies immediately.

Just as expected, I finish my mug.

✧✧✧✧✧

"Is the cat even really there? Actually, let's just go home already. It's not like I desperately want to see a cat or anything."

It's Sunday afternoon, and we've only been outside for about fifteen minutes when Miyagi speaks in a voice filled with nothing but dissatisfaction.

I was the one who suggested going out to look for the cat and dragged Miyagi along with me. She hadn't been interested from the start.

"Even if we hurry back, there's nothing to do, right? Let's walk a little longer."

I encourage her as we walk beneath the street trees casting shadows along the sidewalk.

The two of us wander without any real direction, but there's no calico cat by the roadside or hiding behind any cars.

Well, I figured there wouldn't be.

I usually see the calico on my way home from university, so I have no idea whether it'd show up at this time on a Sunday.

"How much longer is 'a little longer'?"

"A little longer is a little longer."

Even if Miyagi has more than enough free time, she won't go out with me unless there's a reason. If there's nothing we need to buy, she won't go shopping with me, and if there's nothing she wants to eat, she won't agree to go out for a meal.

Going out together needs a reason.

That's why, to satisfy my occasional urge to go out with Miyagi, I deliberately created the excuse of searching for the cat that sometimes appears around the neighborhood.

I wish we could go out together without needing a reason.

If I were Utsunomiya, I could probably go out with her without needing any reason at all—but I'm not Utsunomiya, and I don't want to become her either.

I tilt my head up and look at the sky.

The sun's shining so brightly it's hard to believe the rainy season hasn't ended yet. As we walk through the town, where not even a breeze stirs the street trees, I start to feel like it might actually be better to stay inside than be out here—but I still want to savor this time a little longer. In the peak of summer, I might end up dried out and collapsed on the ground, but right now the heat isn't that intense, so I decide to keep searching for the cat.

"Sendai-san, you said we'd just look around the neighborhood. Liar."

With that, Miyagi gives my shoulder a firm shove.

I usually spot the calico less than five minutes from the house.

Since we kept walking even after checking that area, it feels like we've gone a bit too far to still call it "the neighborhood."

"I did say that, but you look really cute today. It's fine to walk a little farther, right?"

The weather's nice, but it's clearly hot, so a skirt should feel cooler.

Since I'd strongly recommended it, Miyagi's wearing a skirt just like me. It's a shame she wouldn't let me do her makeup, but I still managed to get her into a cute outfit, so I'm fairly satisfied.

"You're the one who told me to wear this, Sendai-san."

"Well, that's true. There's a family restaurant a bit farther ahead. Want to stop there?"

"No. It's hot, and I want to go home."

Her brows aren't knit together, but her voice is low.

She really does look like she wants to head back, and I can't help but think she's being stingy.

"Then instead of the family restaurant, let's keep looking a little longer. Cats are cute, and if it's in a good mood, it might even let us pet it."

Even if Miyagi wants to go home, I don't.

"Is there even really a cat around here?"

"There is, I'm telling you."

Most likely, there isn't a cat here.

We've wandered a bit too far from the usual spot where I see the calico.

It's also a different time than when I normally spot it.

Maybe the cat sometimes shows up around here, or maybe it appears earlier in the day—but the chances feel slim.

I feel dishonest with myself.

I'm dragging Miyagi along for something when the chances of finding that cat are practically zero.

But this level of dishonesty should be forgivable.

It's hard to claim I have much restraint, but I have been holding myself back quite a bit, acting like a normal roommate. Since I usually go along with Miyagi's wishes in everyday life, I should be allowed to enjoy something like this once in a while.

"Oh, right, Miyagi. Do Borzois usually just walk around town like regular dogs?"

I throw the question at Miyagi—whose pace has clearly slowed—to stop her from saying "let's go home" again.

"I think they do, but why?"

"Because I've never seen a Borzoi being walked. Not even once."

"I haven't seen one either."

"I see."

The conversation dies off easily. I shift my gaze across the road. There's no Borzoi there, and no calico cat either.

To keep Miyagi's "let's go home" sealed away, I search for another topic. I run through a few ideas—things about university, things about home—and then bring up the name that just drifted into my mind.

"Miyagi, when's Utsunomiya coming over?"

"…I haven't decided yet."

Her voice is so quiet it almost gets swallowed by the sound of children playing somewhere nearby.

"It's already July. You should decide soon."

"You said the other day that any time was fine, Sendai-san but is any time really okay?"

Any time isn't okay.

Or rather, I don't want Utsunomiya to come at all.

Miyagi's voice sounds like she wants me to say exactly that but I have no intention of giving her the words she's waiting for. Instead, I tell her something that'll probably disappoint her.

"Any time's fine, but if possible, I'd prefer this Sunday. We've both got exams later in the month, right?"

"Got it. I'll talk with Maika and decide."

Miyagi answers right away, like my opinion doesn't really matter.

Even if she has no intention of factoring in what I said, once she considers the exams in the latter half of July, it'll probably end up being this Sunday anyway. Still, the fact that she's trying to prioritize Utsunomiya's wishes leaves something murky sitting in my chest. I already knew she'd put her friend first but knowing that doesn't make it feel any better.

"Let me know once you decide."

I drag up the feelings sinking inside me, heavy and dark, like a stone falling to the bottom of the water and take a step forward.

Right, left, right.

I move my feet one after the other and keep walking at a slow pace.

Miyagi walks beside me.

Each time her legs move, the cool-toned skirt she's wearing sways softly.

She can wear whatever she wants, but if possible, I want to see her legs in a skirt. I don't think I used to have a thing for feet, but given everything with Miyagi, it wouldn't be strange if I've started to like them.

"Sendai-san, what are you looking at?"

If I say "your feet," she'll probably kick me.

"The sidewalk tiles."

I look up and give the name of something near her feet.

"Is it interesting?"

"Quite a bit."

—More interesting than thinking about Miyagi and Utsunomiya, at least.

I keep the words I really want to say locked away inside and look straight ahead.

I can't just keep staring at her feet forever.

But even when I look forward, there's nothing particularly interesting, so when I glance back at Miyagi, I notice that while she's not exactly walking energetically, her arms are swinging along with her steps.

"Oh, right, Miyagi."

"What?"

"Want to hold hands?"

I nudge her swinging arm.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's hot."

"Then can we hold hands once we're home?"

"That's not what I meant."

I get the answer I expected and since the Miyagi who doesn't give the expected answer feels unsettling, this is fine.

"There's no cat, so should we head back?"

"Weren't you the one who said we should look a little longer?"

"It's cooler at home, and I figured it might be nice to go back early."

It's a shame I couldn't show her the calico, a cat far more amiable than she is but I don't think we'd find it even if we kept searching. I turn toward the path leading home and start walking.

"Do whatever you want."

Her indifferent voice reaches me.

I pick up my pace.

Miyagi matches it, walking beside me at the same speed.

I want to get home as soon as possible.

Even if we hold hands once we're inside, nothing will really change.