What Sendai-san likes — 245
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
Penguins are always cute.
Naturally, they are unquestionably cute today.
I could watch the penguins wandering around on the small castle-like buildings or swimming in the pool forever.
And yet, Sendai-san never looks at the penguins.
It was strange.
Absolutely strange.
She is wrong.
Something’s wrong with her.
「Sendai-san. Forget the humans, take a picture of the penguins.」
I stare at her noisy phone as it crunches.
The zoo is not the place to take my picture.
「I’m taking pictures of the penguins, too.」
「Not penguins, “too,” “just only” the penguins.」
「You’re stingy, Miyagi.」
With that said, Sendai-san takes one photo.
The phone is naturally facing me, and I can tell that I, not the penguins, was saved on her phone.
I take off my gloves, pull my phone out of my pocket, and point it at Sendai-san, who is constantly taking pictures of me.
Tapping the shutter button, Sendai-san, holding her smartphone, was cut from today’s day and saved with a crisp sound.
「Miyagi, if you’re going to take pictures, just say you’re going to.」
「If I told you, you would look good, so I don’t want to.」
「It’s better to look good, right?」
「You don’t have to force yourself to look good.」
「Not only do I look good, but you didn’t even get my face right in that picture. If you’re going to take a picture, take a good picture.」
Sendai-san smirked at me as if appealing, “Come on, take a picture.” So I set up my phone and took a picture of the penguin, not Sendai-san.
「That’s where you take pictures of me, not the penguins.」
I can hear her disgruntled voice, so I take a crisp picture of Sendai-san, who is not smiling.
「I want you to take a picture of me looking good.」
「…I’d prefer you not to look good.」
I am concerned about Sendai’s smile today.
I am tempted to complain to her that she goes out of her way to smile when she has come all the way to the zoo.
「Why? Wouldn’t it be better to be in the picture with a face that says “fun at the zoo”?」
「I think the normal is fine.」
「It’s normal to want to be photographed with a happy face because it’s fun.」
Sendai-san’s words are correct, and I too know that she goes out of her way to smile in order to create a moment of fun. Still, I am tempted to complain about the smile made because I am not sure if she is having fun from the bottom of her heart.
Today Sendai-san is more like her at school.
That’s how I feel.
As a high school student, Sendai-san was amiable to everyone.
She was always smiling, even next to Ibaraki-san, and spent her time with a face that said she was enjoying her school life, but after school she was different. She was showing me Sendai-san, which she never showed me at school.
What I want today is the real Sendai-san, not the made-up Sendai-san.
「That’s why, let me take some fun pictures of you, Miyagi.」
She says in a cheerful voice and holds up her phone again.
I don’t know what’s so interesting, but she tries to take pictures only of me, not animals.
At any rate, she seems to be having fun.
I hope that is in conjunction with her feelings, but if not, don’t smile. If the zoo is boring, she should look like that.
「Like I said before, take the penguins, not me.」
Sendai-san is mine and she should see no one but me, but not today. We are at the zoo and I want her to see the animals.
Besides, I could never get used to having my picture taken by her, with her eye-catching appearance.
I am the photographer and Sendai-san is the subject.
I am sure that everyone would agree that we should switch roles, as Sendai-san is far more photogenic than I am. But she continues to choose taking pictures of me rather than having herself taken.
I’m not good at this.
The sound of the crackling sound that her phone makes when Sendai-san points it at me.
Still, today I am mature enough to be photographed.
I’m going to allow her to point her phone at me because she is coming to the zoo with me, which I don’t think she likes animals.
「Miyagi, I’ll take a picture of you with the penguins, so smile.」
I was forced to do the impossible.
I try to smile at least a little, but it doesn’t work.
Sendai-san goes to a little distance and calls me,「Miyagi.」
I had no choice but to look at Sendai-san on the other side of the phone, and instead of laughing, I let out a small breath, and at the same time I heard a cracking sound.
「Sendai-san, did you get a shot of the penguins together?」
I ask before she says again, “Smile,” and Sendai-san comes back next to me.
「I got the shot. Since we’re here, why don’t we both take a shot?」
「Both?」
「I will try to include penguins. Also, I’ll take lots of pictures of the shoebill and give them to you, Miyagi. So, why don’t we two take some?」
I look around.
The zoo is crowded, though not as crowded as the aquarium in the summer, and there are many people taking pictures. In addition to families, there are a fair number of people who seem to be here with friends or lovers, and although many people are taking pictures of themselves together, shoulder to shoulder, I don’t want to say it’s okay to be honest.
The picture of just me and Sendai-san are different.
「You took a lot of pictures.」
「I didn’t take this photo with you, Miyagi.」
I look at the blue earrings on Sendai-san’s ears.
A sign that she’s mine.
It’s not a collar, but it serves as a reminder that she is mine.
Sendai-san, with those marks, looks somewhat like a furry Borzoi, and now she is looking at me only like a dog waiting for her master’s instructions. That is an attitude appropriate and desirable for the blue earrings, but today I’m not looking for a submissive girl.
「…If you take a picture.」
There are a number of things I want to say, but I swallow it all and go next to her. As we put our shoulders together, Sendai-san took one of our pictures with the in-camera of her phone.
「I was able to get a decent shot of the penguins in there, and do you want to go to the shoebill?」
「Let’s go.」
After a short announcement, Sendai-san walks away with a smile like the sun.
Unable to move my legs, I clutch my blue scarf tightly. I was called「Miyagi」when I see her walking with her back.
「Are you perhaps tired?」
Turning around, Sendai-san calls out softly to me as I stand still, and comes back as far as I have gone.
「I’m fine.」
I answer in a small voice, remove my hand from the scarf, and step forward.
Right, left, right.
Sendai-san walks next to me, moving her feet slowly.
She is as kind as ever.
The only thing Sendai-san won’t give up is her part-time job, but she gives up most other things to me and accepts my word. Today she is going around at my pace where I want to see her.
It’s natural for her to do so because she was mine, but she can refuse if she doesn’t want to. If she wasn’t interested in animals, she can just say she wasn’t, and she didn’t have to come to the zoo.
And yet, she obeys me and puts me first.
I think I am terribly selfish, but I don’t like it today. I am frustrated and anxious that Sendai-san is always concerned about me. It has been bothering me since before we came here.
「Miyagi, the shoebill.」
Sendai-san points a little ahead.
At the tip of her finger, I see a bird with long legs and a large beak. I walked quickly up to the fence separating the shoebill from the people and pointed my phone at the bird, which looked like it was in a sleeping habit.
「…It’s moving pretty well.」
Snap, she mumbles, taking a picture.
I had an image of shoebill as motionless birds, but they walk slowly and catch fish in the pond.
Surprising.
「They’re looking better than I expected.」
Sendai-san’s words were the same as what I felt, and I nodded「yeah.」
I take another picture.
The shoebill is not a well-balanced animal, but it’s cute whether it’s moving or stationary.
「Sendai-san.」
「What?」
「Are you watching the shoebill?」
I tuck my phone into my coat pocket and shift my gaze from the big bird to the one next to me.
「I’m watching it.」
When I say this, Sendai-san points her phone at me.
Snap.
Soon I heard a familiar sound and I tapped her on the shoulder.
「You’re taking pictures of humans again. You’re supposed to take pictures of the shoebill.」
「Okay, okay.」
Sendai-san responded in what can only be described as a cursory manner, and then pointed her phone at the shoebill and began taking pictures.
She obeys me maturely, and I still think she is like a dog.
「Miyagi, did you have fun?」
Sendai-san asks as she turns toward the shoebill.
「Yeah.」
I have to change my mind.
We should enjoy it because we can see the civet, not the image or the video.
Today’s Sendai-san is the usual Sendai-san, nothing to be concerned about. It is better to let it slide that she is her usual self.
So I took my phone out of my pocket and pointed it at the shoebill, not at Sendai-san.
