CH 235

Last day of the year with Sendai-san — 235

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Whether or not to buy bento.

As soon as I entered the convenience store, I had a tussle with Sendai-san.

My opinion was that it would be a hassle to go home and cook dinner, while Sendai-san’s opinion was that she had already bought the ingredients and wanted to eat a proper meal since it was New Year’s Eve.

「It’s a hassle. I think you’d be better off just eating and slacking off.」

When I complain to Sendai-san, she puts two cream puffs in the basket and tries to make today a meaningful day, saying,「It’s the last day of the year, so let’s eat something proper.」

「December 31st is just another year.」

I throw two puddings into the basket.

「Miyagi, will you still spend this day next year with me?」

「I don’t have anything to do anyway.」

「Are you perhaps still bitter about what I said earlier?」

「Not really.」

When I replied to Sendai-san that I would watch the first sunrise of the year,「I don’t want to because it would make me sleepy,」and she said,「You don’t have anything to do, do you?」She didn’t care about what I said. Maika isn’t here, and it’s true that there’s nothing for me to do. But even if there is something to do, if Sendai-san wants to spend next year’s New Year’s Eve as she did today, I am willing to spend it with her.

Filling the calendar with plans with her would eliminate boring time spent alone, and it’s not something I would strongly reject.

「Sendai-san, this as well.」

I add more chocolate to the basket.

「Anything else you want?」

「Ramune. What about you, Sendai-san?」

「Potato chips.」

We throw the snacks, which are nothing special, into our baskets, pay for them, and leave the convenience store. Talking quietly, we go home and make mizutaki.

「Miyagi, bring out the earthenware pot.」

Sendai-san’s voice makes me laugh as my stomach replies with a grumble that I should have eaten cheesecake. I kick her feet as she peeks into the refrigerator and prepares the earthenware pot. Sendai-san cuts the ingredients, makes the broth in a small earthenware pot, and adds the chicken. While removing the scum from the chicken, I cooked the chicken and added chopped vegetables, mushrooms, and more tofu, and brought the pot and rice to Sendai-san’s room.

「Why don’t we eat in the common area? It’s a hassle to clean this up.」

I ask Sendai-san, who is placing her chopsticks on the chopstick rests of a tortoiseshell cat and a black cat.

「It’s New Year’s Eve, and it feels more special to do something different.」

「I think normal is fine, though.」

「Normal is just fine, but it doesn’t have to be always normal. Let’s eat.」

After saying this, Sendai-san sits down with her back to the bed and I sit across from her. Then, from either side, we mouthed「Itadakimasu」and held our chopsticks.

I take the Chinese cabbage and chicken in a bowl of ponzu and stare at them.

When was the last time I had a nabe?

I can’t remember, even if I try to recall.

「Would you have preferred it not to be cooked in water?」

I hear Sendai-san’s voice and look up.

Until I lived with her, my meals were always retort-packed, frozen foods, or packed lunches, and I rarely cooked for myself, so there was no way I could easily find memories of eating hotpot.

「I’ve hardly ever done hotpots, or anything.」

I give a small answer drawn from memory, bite into a piece of chicken, chew it well, and swallow.

Eating one-pot meals alone is so boring that even if I had been a cook in the past, I would not have made it.

「Really? Is it delicious?」

She doesn’t ask why I don’t do hotpots, and when I tell her「it’s delicious,」she smiles back.

Sendai-san is as kind as ever.

But I feel a little uncomfortable because I can’t find anything to return her unconditional kindness.

She looks down at the black cat chopstick rest and eats the Chinese cabbage and chicken.

She takes the potherb mustard and tofu in her bowl and looks at the stuffed penguin lying on her bed.

It’s the one I took from the crane game at Christmas, and it is placed in different places on different days.

They may be lying on the floor or sitting on the bed.

Today, it was sleeping in a futon instead of Sendai-san.

I am not sure if it was cherished or not.

「Sendai-san, you said you wanted the stuffed penguin, did you like it?」

I remember Sendai-san’s birthday.

She wanted to talk about normal things that anyone would do, she said she had fallen in love with penguins and that I should have bought her a stuffed animal. But I don’t know if it could’ve been a stuffed animal taken from a crane game.

「I love it. I use it as a pillow.」

「Do you like penguins that much?」

「Miyagi, you like penguins, don’t you?」

Sendai-san returns the question to the question and eats the tofu, saying it is hot.

「I’m not talking about myself. I’m asking if Sendai-san likes penguins.」

「I like it. That’s why we sleep together.」

The penguin sleeping in bed isn’t small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, but it wasn’t big enough to want to sleep in her arms. If I were to use it as a cuddle pillow, I would prefer something larger.

「The penguin, isn’t it a little small for a cuddle pillow?」

「Then, will you be my cuddle pillow, Miyagi?」

「It’s not going to happen.」

I glared at Sendai-san, who says nonsense, and takes the chicken from the pot. Sendai-san also takes a piece of chicken and puts ponzu on it.

We talk about unimportant things as we reduce the contents of the pot, but the pace of the meal is slower than usual, and it doesn’t seem to run out. I don’t know if the nonsense is exciting or not, but the nabe eaten leisurely is delicious, and I’m glad we didn’t buy bentos at the convenience store.

「Miyagi. Would you rather eat pudding or cream puffs?」

When the pot is reduced to only soup, a cheerful voice is heard from across to me.

「Sendai-san, you can decide.」

「Which do you prefer, Miyagi?」

「Then, pudding.」

In these situations, Sendai-san rarely lets me choose the one I like. She lets me choose what I like this time. That makes me happy, but it also seems as if she is masking her feelings.

Pudding and cream puffs.

It doesn’t matter which one I eat first. But if I want to have a normal conversation like anyone else does, I should speak my mind once in a while. It may not seem important, but if I don’t tell her, it’d be frustrating.

「I’ll get it, just wait here.」

Sendai-san stands up, not telling me which she really wants to eat, the pudding or the cream puffs. She leaves the room and quickly returns, placing the pudding and spoon on the table.

「Was it pudding that you wanted to eat, Sendai-san?」

「Yeah.」

Sendai-san smiles as she puts the cream puffs in the basket at the convenience store and peels off the lid of the pudding. Giving up on pursuing the matter, I too peel off the lid and take a bite of the pudding.

Tender, cold, and delicious.

As I took another bite, Sendai-san tapped her side of the table,「come here,」she said.

「Why?」

「Because it tastes better when you eat close by.」

「Pudding is the same no matter where you eat it.」

「Really? Try it, it tastes better.」

Sendai-san smiles and eats the pudding.

There is no reason to follow her.

I’ve never heard of the taste of pudding changing from place to place, and I’m just saying it’s random. She must be thinking about sitting next to each other and doing weird things, or even eating my pudding. So I don’t have to sit next to her, but I can deceive her because I had a delicious meal today thanks to Sendai-san.

「In the meantime, I’ll give it a try.」

I sit next to her and take a bite of the pudding.

Naturally, the taste is the same.

「Is it delicious?」

「Delicious, but the same as before.」

「I see. Want a bite of mine?」

As Sendai-san tries to scoop the pudding with a spoon, I push her arm and declare that I「will not eat」it.

「Even though it’s delicious.」

I can hear her muttering to herself from next door, but she’s eating the same pudding as me, so there is no taking a bite or two. It tastes the same no matter how much I eat.

「Well, can I take the last Miyagi of this year?」

Sendai-san puts the pudding on the table, takes her phone and points it at me.

「I absolutely refuse.」

「You’re stingy, Miyagi.」

「I’m fine being stingy.」

「Well, give me a bite of your pudding, Miyagi.」

「It tastes the same, and if you eat your own.」

「Will do.」

Sendai-san easily gives up and takes the pudding on the table. She then takes a bite or two and eats it with a spoon.

「Hey, Miyagi.」

Sendai-san says quietly and looks down at the pudding, which is two-thirds gone.

「What?」

「Don’t let Mio or Senpai call you Shiori.」

「I’m not going to let them call me that.」

「If you make them call you that, I’ll call you Shiori, as well.」

Sendai-san whispers in my ear and involuntarily pushed her shoulder.

「Miyagi, look out. I thought you’re going to drop the pudding.」

Her voice is pleasant.

It reminds me of things I don’t need to be reminded of.

「That’s because Sendai-san suddenly came closer to me. It’s hard to eat pudding, so stay away.」

I deceptively scooped up the pudding and brought the spoon to my mouth.