Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week-Chapter 278: The world may change, but Miyagi remains the same —

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV 𝒃𝒆𝙙𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The fact that Miyagi started to say it would make a world of difference.

She complained, but we still took the train and go into a little trendy café. If it had been me who invited her to go out on Sunday, this wouldn’t have happened.

She wouldn’t have moved from her room as if roots had grown in the floor. No matter how much I asked her to go out, she wouldn’t have even stepped out of her room, but would have turned into a magnificent tree.

「It’s something different from what I expected.」

On the other side of the table, Miyagi, who failed to become a plant, says with a wrinkle between her eyebrows.

Her mood does not improve when we arrive at the café.

But I don’t mind if Miyagi looks a little grumpy today. I’m rather happy. The wrinkles between her eyebrows seem twice as cute as usual because it is proof that she went out with me even if she wasn’t in the mood.

「How is it different from what you thought it would be?」

「It’s not sweet.」

Saying this in a slightly low voice, Miyagi poked at the bacon-topped French toast with a fork.

「It’s an alternative to lunch, and I thought it would be a meal, but would you have preferred something sweet?」

That on the table is not the sweet type of thing she is talking about. I had brought her to a restaurant with a good reputation for French toast, but it may not have been to Miyagi’s liking.

「Either way, I’m fine but…」

「But?」

「——I just thought it was different from what Sendai-san makes.」

Miyagi’s words were not mistaken.

The French toast we are eating now is delicious, crispy on the outside and plump on the inside, and the large piece of bacon goes well with the bread, making me want to eat another plate, but unlike the French toast I make, it is not sweet.

I look at Miyagi.

I thought she would say it was absolutely delicious, but she has a look of nothing but frustration on her face.

I take pleasure in her that way.

She has come to a restaurant that has a reputation for good food, but she remembers what I made and compares it to it. I can’t tell her how many times that makes me happy. She is so cute when she says it’s not like the French toast I make.

「Shall I make French toast next time?」

I ask Miyagi, who is bringing a piece of bacon to his mouth with a furrowed brow.

「…Just when you’re not busy.」

「I see. Then I’ll make it on my day off.」

Miyagi does not say yes.

But she looks like she would eat it without wrinkling her brow if I made it. I cut the French toast into bite-sized pieces and eat it with bacon. I take another bite and drink my iced tea. Across to me, Miyagi is silently eating her French toast.

Conversations are few and far between.

The French toast is running low.

Despite her complaints, the fact that she ate the food maturely shows that Miyagi definitely thinks the food is delicious. I thought today’s outing would be fun only for me, but I think Miyagi enjoyed it a little too.

I’m glad Miyagi kept her promise.

Thanks to this, across from me is Miyagi, whom I decorated in the most adorable way. It was worth it to put makeup on her, who had the most disgusted look on her face. The fact that she is wearing a skirt of my choice is also a high point.

「Sendai-san, it’s hard to eat when I’m being watched.」

Complaints fly from Miyagi, where the bacon is being cut.

「Sorry. It’s just that you’re so cute.」

「Don’t say weird things, just eat.」

Miyagi stares at me with a face that would kick me in the leg if we were at home. Wherever I am, the word “cute” is always harsh. I reply,「Yes, yes,」and tuck into a piece of French toast.

The glass-walled, open-air restaurant is not so crowded, perhaps because it is past noon. The chatter coming from here and there fades into the background music.

It’s so cozy.

My grumpy but cute Miyagi and delicious food.

I can’t help but wish she would invite me back.

——I don’t think that will happen for a while, though.

「Hey, Miyagi.」

If it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often, I’d like to be a little more accommodating.

「What?」

「Why don’t you put your hair behind your ears?」

「I don’t want to.」

「I should be able to see the earrings.」

I tells Miyagi, who immediately responded with a small hope.

I would like to see the earrings I chose.

「It’s fine that I can see Sendai-san’s earrings instead of mine.」

Miyagi looks at me in a ponytail before bringing a piece of bacon to her mouth.

「That’s not what I’m talking about.」

「That’s what I’m talking about.」

「I think you’d look prettier with them over your ears.」

「Sendai-san, you’re annoying.」

I knew the reply to cute wouldn’t be very good. I don’t know why she dislike being called so cute, but I don’t want to say too much because it might put her in an irretrievably bad mood. But I don’t want to end the conversation here, so I offer a new topic.

「Oh right. You’ll be 20 when your birthday comes this year.」

I smiled and looked at Miyagi.

「It would be weird if I suddenly turned 21 or something.」

「Well, that’s true, though.」

「And when I turn 20, what?」

「When your birthday comes, let’s have a drink together to celebrate, Miyagi.」

My birthday is in August, so if I wait for Miyagi’s birthday in September, we can both enjoy something called alcohol.

「Don’t do that, just do what you did last year.」

A curt answer comes back.

「Since you’re turning 20, I want to do something to commemorate the occasion, don’t you think?」

「You don’t have to commemorate every single thing.」

「Then you don’t have to drink with me, but don’t drink with anyone else until you drink with me.」

「Why? It doesn’t matter who I drink with.」

As expected, I prick the French toast with my fork. I eat it quickly, drink my iced tea, and then look at Miyagi.

「…I’m just worried.」

「Worried?」

「I don’t know what happens when people drink alcohol. I mean, some people just don’t feel the same way they normally do.」

I don’t know if Miyagi is strong or weak on alcohol.

She may or may not be the same as usual when she drinks.

Either way, I’m worried that Miyagi doesn’t seem to be cautious.

I don’t think she is the type to go out drinking with the boys, but if she ever does—— I’m going to drop everything and go to Miyagi’s place. Even if the other party is a girl, I can’t send her off without knowing what will happen to Miyagi in such a place.

More importantly, I don’t want her to go to a place where she would drink alcohol with anyone else. But I know that is difficult for me, as we are not at the same university. As much as I would like Utsunomiya to monitor Miyagi, I cannot ask her to do so.

「If you say that, it means I don’t know what will happen to you either, Sendai-san.」

I am like Miyagi in that I don’t know what will happen if I drink, but there is one crucial difference. That is that I have no intention of going out drinking with anyone. So, I don’t really care about myself. But it would be a little reason to have a drink with Miyagi.

「Yes. So you should also know what happens to me.」

If she cares about me enough to be jealous, she should be at least a little interested in what happens to me when I drink.

I stare at Miyagi.

Our gazes meet, and Miyagi’s eyes flee to the French toast. Her mouth quietly opens and I hear her voice almost drowned out by the background music.

「…I’ll think about it.」

It’s an unreliable response, but it’s better than nothing.

There is plenty of time before my birthday.

There is no need to get a good answer now.

I empty my plate and drink my iced tea. Miyagi also ate the remaining French toast on her plate and chewed the last bite. Then I drank the rest of the iced tea.

「Next stop, shopping.」

Miyagi looks blatantly uncomfortable at the sound of my voice, but I have no intention of changing my plans. When I smiled at her, Miyagi assured me,「We’ll leave after you buy a nail polish.」