<h4>Chapter 123: Rules to be followed by Sendai-san — 123</h4>


    <i>Tranted by KaiesV </i>


    <i> Edited by KaiesV</i>


    On the table is a te of toast, scrambled eggs, and orange juice.


    Across from me sits Sendai-san.


    I still can’t get used to the fact that Sendai-san, who has always been next to me when I study or eat, was across a seat from me.


    But one more week to go.


    Maybe it will take a month or so, but I think I should be able to get used to Sendai-san being in my presence as we eat together.


    I spread butter and jam on my toast. Then I look at the ss.


    「Sendai-san, why the orange juice?」


    「Would you have preferred cider?」


    「I thought maybe it was tea.」


    Any beverage is fine.


    I’m not that picky.


    It was Sendai-san who prepared breakfast, and I have nothing toin about. However, I am only slightly dissatisfied that the electric kettle we went out of our way to buy yesterday is not being used.


    「If you want tea, I’ll start making tea tomorrow.」


    I look at Sendai-san.


    Our eyes meet, but she doesn’t look away.


    I am relieved about that.


    I don’t want to feel bad in the morning.


    「Tea or whatever, what about the electric kettle?」


    「You want me to use it?」


    「We didn’t have to go out and buy it if we weren’t going to use it.」


    「Even if I don’t use it right now, you need it, and you had fun shopping.」


    「That’s not what I meant.」


    I bite into a piece of toast and drink orange juice. Sendai-san also eats toast with butter and jam.


    「That’s what I mean. Anyway, Miyagi. You’re going to college after you finish eating, right?」


    Unsure if the electric kettle will be used tomorrow, Sendai-san changes the subject.


    「I’m going but…」


    「In a hurry?」


    「Nothing like that.」


    「I see.」


    The conversation stopped there, and I don’t know what Sendai-san will do now. I feel like I’m intruding too much into her life if I ask, and the longer I don’t ask, the more empty my te and ss be.


    「I’ll wash it for you.」


    She lowers the tes and sses for two from the table and deres.


    「It’s fine. I’ll do it myself.」


    「You prepared breakfast for me.」


    「Then, I’ll leave it to you.」


    After saying this, Sendai-san returns to her room. I quickly finish the dishes and return to my room. I’m not in a hurry, but it will take a reasonable amount of time to get to the university, so I’ll be prepared with plenty of time to spare.


    I dress myself and look in the mirror.


    At times like this, I wish I had a uniform.


    It is a hassle to think about what to wear every morning. I envy my past self, when everything was solved with just one uniform. I exhale and grab my things. When I opened the door, I found Sendai-san in themon space with her makeup done.


    「I’m going to go now.」


    I call out to her as she sits in the chair. As I was about to head straight for the door, Sendai-san stood up and grabbed me by the arm.


    「Wait, Miyagi.」


    「What?」


    「Lend me your face.」


    「My face?」


    「I’ll do your makeup.」


    Sendai-san smiles.


    She seems to be in a good mood, but her errand seems to be a trivial one.


    「I’m going to bete.」


    「You said earlier that you weren’t in a hurry.」


    「I’m not in a hurry, but I don’t have the time.」


    「Why don’t you at least put on some lipstick? Your lips, they’re rough. You’ve got time for that, no?」


    Sendai-san’s thumb touches my lips.


    The tip of her finger is pressed lightly against my lips and softly strokes them as if to check the texture.


    I don’t dislike Sendai-san’s fingers.


    It feels good to feel her fingertips on my lips after a long time.


    「Is it okay, Miyagi?」


    Her fingertips move apart and ask.


    「It’s not that rough.」


    When I looked in the mirror earlier, my lips should not have been rough.


    「I told you it’s rough. It’ll be over soon. Have a seat.」


    She pulls on my arm and I reflexively reach for it.


    I press my thumb to her lips, just as Sendai-san did to mine. I wiped her lips with my fingertips and the lip on her lips stretched out andnded on my fingers.


    「Hold on, Miyagi!」


    Sendai-san grabs my arm tightly, saying angrily.


    「If you keep fixing that, you’re going to run out of time.」


    「Are you stupid?」


    I shake off Sendai-san’s hand and turn my back to her.


    「Do you have time tomorrow?」


    I hear a grumpy voice.


    「I don’t.」


    「Make time for it. I’ll make you pretty.」


    「You don’t have to.」


    「I’ll do it for you.」


    「I told you it’s fine.」


    「You could at least let me do my makeup. You’re really stingy.」


    「Shut up, Sendai-san. I’m going already.」


    The typus-covered tissue are ced on top of the color box. But instead of taking a tissue, I head for the sink. In front of the mirror, I put the package down before I get the water out.


    I look at my thumb.


    It is dyed the same color as Sendai-san’s lips.


    I look in the mirror and see myself with unblemished lips.


    I knew it, it was a lie.


    I touch my lips with my index finger.


    The fingertip glides smoothly to reach the edge of my mouth.


    I almost touch my lips with my lightly stained thumb and Sendai-san’s soft lipse to mind. I wash my hands without touching anywhere.


    I scrubbed and scrubbed.


    Carefully clean the dirt off my fingertips before leaving the house.


    I take the train and head to the university in a reasonable amount of time.


    I wish it was closer, but I have no choice.


    I pass through the gate and enter the university.


    The university, which seems out of ce, has yet to be my ce. I don’t know if I can call them friends, but I talk to them when I see them, but I have not yet reached the point where I enjoy talking with them. And there are many troublesome things.


    The most important of these is course registration.


    Students decide which lectures to take and make their own schedule.


    It’s terribly tedious to think about the credits needed to graduate and schedule them. If Sendai-san were at the same university, she might be willing to do the same for me, but she is at a different university.


    I enter the lecture hall and look around inside.


    Of course, Sendai-san is not there.


    As I sit down and plop down on my desk, I hear the sound of something being put down with a nk. Then someone called my name「Shiori,」and I looked up to see Maika.


    「Lack of sleep?」


    Saying this, Maika sits down next to me. At first I couldn’t get used to Maika not being in uniform, but now I’m used to it. Even the thinning makeup, which I did not wear in high school, has be part of what makes up Maika in my mind.


    「No, I slept well. Anyway, I’m sorry about yesterday.」


    On Saturday, I called Maika and told her “I was sorry.”


    But I apologize again today.


    I told Sendai-san I had no ns, but I had promised to meet Maika on Sunday. I feel guilty for turning down a priormitment that should have been my priority and incorporating a schedule that cameter.


    「It’s fine. What did you buy yesterday?」


    I had to go shopping for something to share with the people I live with.


    I told Maika so and went shopping with Sendai-san.


    「Electric kettle. I didn’t have anything to boil water with.」


    「Even now?」


    「I’ve been a little mmed and didn’t get around to buying it.」


    「You’re living with your rtives, right?」


    「Yeah.」


    It’s kept secret that Sendai-san is my roommate.


    It’s not that I didn’t have a chance to tell Maika, but I didn’t know how to exin about Sendai-san, so I ended up telling her that I live with a rtive.


    I know I will have to tell the truth at some point, but if I tell her that the other party is Sendai-san, she was bound to ask me to exin how I came to share a room with Sendai-san. But I don’t have an answer for that.


    「Is that person distressed?」


    「Why?」


    「That person said you shouldn’t invite friends over. That person is distressed.」


    It would be troublesome if Maika came to visit the house where I lives with Sendai-san instead of my rtives.


    So I made up a makeshift rule that「friends are not invited to the house,」 and told Maika. Although I feel guilty about lying repeatedly, I cannot let Maika know that my roommate is Sendai-san in my current state.


    「Yeah— I think she’s normal. Maybe.」


    「Normal people, huh? Well, that’s fine.」


    Maika looked as if she wanted to say something, but she didn’t pursue it any further.


    She is always kind.


    I have been spoiled by Maika since high school, and I am still spoiled by her even as a college student.


    「Speaking of which, yesterday, Shiori wouldn’t go with me, so I got my earrings pierced.」


    「Pierced?」


    Maika’s voice made me look at her ear and I saw a small silver earring.


    「Did you open it yourself?」


    「Yes.」


    I don’t think Maika has be more shy or changed the friends she hangs out with. But I do think she has be more fashionable. Her makeup is the same, but it’s not the same as it was in high school.


    The environment has changed, and so has Maika. Sendai-san has not changed, but she may have changed when she is not in my presence. When I think of that, I feel as if I am the only one left behind.


    「It looks surprisingly good on you.」


    Maika raised her eyebrows deliberately as she said this while looking at her earrings.


    「Because the unexpected is superfluous.」


    I told her I was joking, and as we were talking about where I bought it, the door to the lecture room opened. The teacher, looking a bit scary, enters and begins its lecture.


    Sendai-san, who looked like she was going to get her ears pierced once she got to college, did not get her ears pierced, but Maika did. That seems a little odd.


    I wonder if one day Sendai-san will get her ears pierced.


    I don’t know.


    She had been unsure since high school, and became even more unsure as a college student. I do not know anything about Sendai-san at the university.


    Until now, when I heard the names of my friends from Sendai-san, I could picture their faces. When I heard about a ss, I would picture the teacher’s face. I could imagine everything in the school, but now I can’t imagine anything.


    What is Sendai-san doing at this time?


    Send one message and I’ll know about it.


    But I can’t imagine thendscape.


    I am dissatisfied with those things. And I am dissatisfied with myself for being dissatisfied with such nonsense.


    It’s boring.


    Both Sendai-san, who is following the rules that should be followed, and myself.


    I look at my thumb.


    Then I stroke my lips with the tip of my finger.