Chapter 68: I can't sleep because of Sendai-san — 68
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
Order. Order. A bland order.
I close the textbook, wondering what it is.
If I don’t say sothing soon, Sendai-san will start talking about sothing else.
I remove my gaze from Sendai-san in front of and look around the room. The bed, the closet, the wardrobe. A bookcase catches my eye and I decide on an order.
「Read a book.」
「Which book?」
「The boring one.」
「That’s interesting, no?」
「I’m more likely to fall asleep if the book looks boring.」
「So that’s the reason.」
Sendai-san stands up when she realizes that she is being used as a lullaby. Then she went to the bookshelf, brought a book without bothering to read it, and sat down beside the bed.
「Is this fine? It sounds like a book report assignnt, and it’s a good one, and it’ll put you to sleep.」
「I an, that’s the book we were assigned in middle school.」
A 1st year or 2nd year.
The book that Sendai-san has is an assignnt book for either of those two years. I read it to write a book report, but I rember I had a hard ti falling asleep when I read it.
「Read that.」
Sitting on the bed, I command Sendai-san.
「Okay.」
Her slender fingers open a novel that has been sleeping on the bookshelf.
On the side with the pillow, I see the profile of Sendai-san sitting on the floor with her legs collapsed.
I hear the sound of pages being rolled up and stories being read.
The sa order has been given many tis in the past, and Sendai-san reads the novel without stagnation as she has done before. Not too loud, not too quiet, the voice is just right for this room. Her soft voice is nicer to the ear than it sounds in the classroom.
Sendai-san, reading a book, is much the sa as she was before the sumr vacation.
I usually want to lie down right away and get sleepy because I don’t know what’s so interesting about the novel being read out loud. But today, as usual, I couldn’t seem to sleep. I couldn’t even think about lying down.
It is not Sendai-san’s fault.
Maybe this is my problem.
When I graduate, I won’t be able to hear this voice anymore.
I was suddenly concerned about such a trivial matter because it was clear that she was going to be far away from where I thought she was, even though I should have delimited it myself.
I knew, but did not understand, that we would no longer see each other by chance.
「I thought you were going to sleep?」
The boring story abruptly breaks off and turns into a story about not lying down forever.
「I’m going to sleep, go on.」
As I lay my body on the bed without even a hint of sleep, Sendai-san’s hand reaches out to . Her hand stroked my hair without hesitation and I pushed her hand away.
「Continue reading.」
There is no reply, but the interrupted story is heard again.
A clear voice tickles my ears.
I don’t want to sleep, so I look at Sendai-san without closing my eyes.
Her hair is hanging over her well-grood face and I find it disturbing.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said untie her hair.
At the end of the bed, as I lean closer to Sendai-san, her voice is a little closer.
My gaze is fixed on a button that has been removed.
I can just see a little bit of her collarbone now, but I have seen beyond that.
A hotter sumr vacation than now.
When I ordered her to take off her clothes, Sendai-san did so without hesitation.
It’s sothing that won’t happen again in the future, and I’ll never see her body again.
I reach over to Sendai-san and pull her hair.
College sounds so much more boring than the story that is being read out to right now.
「Where were you looking?」
I thought she was going to complain about the pain, but I was told differently.
「Sendai-san is in front of , so I was just looking at Sendai-san.」
When I ntion the general facts, I hear a skeptical「Hmm.」But she says nothing more than that. She put the novel down on the bed and turned to face , and she gave one small sigh. Then she tugged at my bangs.
「Close your eyes. You’re going to sleep, right?」
Sendai-san’s hand covers my eyes.
The brightly lit room becos dark and I can no longer see anything.
Sendai-san is at the end of the line of sight.
I didn’t intend to match, but our eyes et.
——Too close.
I am closer to Sendai-san than I was a mont ago.
I hurriedly let go of her hand that was holding on to and hit the novel she had put down. A book fell out with a thud, but Sendai-san did not try to pick it up.
「Sendai-san, you need to get a little further away from .」
「But Miyagi did approached .」
I was the first to approach her.
I admit that.
But I don’t rember getting this close.
Sohow, Sendai-san is peering at .
「Even if that’s the case, Sendai-san is approaching , isn’t that right?」
「It might be?」
「That’s right, you know? And you don’t have to read this close to .」
I tried pushing her shoulder lightly, but she wouldn’t listen to .
Her hand touches my earlobe.
It was stroked softly, pinched and pulled.
Her fingertips crawl behind my ears, tickling badly.
Sendai-san’s hand kept touching gently, reminding of a sumr day, and I tapped her arm.
「Sorry.」
She looked surprised for a mont, and Sendai-san quickly apologized. Then she sat down flat on the floor.
「Pick it up.」
When I raise myself up and point to the book that fell out, Sendai-san takes it honestly in her hand. The book flipped through the pages and stopped at a page that would have contained the rest of the story.
「I’ll continue reading, right?」
Sendai-san says flatly.
「You don’t have to read it anymore.」
「You’re not gonna sleep?」
「I’m not.」
The exact words are “I can’t sleep,” but I don’t need to tell her the exact words. I take the book from Sendai-san and place it on my pillow.
I don’t get out of bed, though my howork is thrown out without being finished. Sendai-san, who had beco short-handed, did not head for the table either.
And because the order was given halfway through, the room beca awfully quiet. It’s not a very nice silence and I can’t sit quietly. I want to do sothing, and my fingertips tap the book.
Only a small thumping sound can be heard.
Sendai-san leans back against the bed.
From the bed, I can see her normally invisible whiskers. As I was thinking that I could reach out and touch them, Mr. Sendai said,「Ah, right,」as if rembering, and continued her words.
「Has Miyagi’s class decided what they will do for the festival?」
Next month, a scheduled school event rolls out of her mouth and I jump on it.
「Not yet. Sendai-san’s class?」
「We’re not going to do it at our place, so we’re going to have to fool around with displays and such.」
「That’s nice.」
The conversation that began abruptly is much better than the two of us being silent and sohow continue talking.
If we could have this kind of peaceful talk, I wish we had done it long ago. It’s much better than talking about tedious examinations. We are still a bit jerky, but we are getting closer to our usual selves.
「Isn’t that how it is in Miyagi?」
「It’s the last festival in high school, and they’re excited to do sothing morable.」
I think it’s a hassle.
Half of my classmates are excited and talking about doing sothing. The other half of the class seems to think it’s appropriate, but no one can complain because a prominent mber of the class is taking the lead in the conversation.
「Miyagi as well?」
「I’m not much. I just thought it was appropriate.」
「This way, it’s easy.」
Sendai-san turns around and laughs.
I wish we were in the sa class.
I almost say this to her soft smile, but then I stop talking.
「I think it’s ti we continue with the howork.」
Sendai-san glances at the table.
「I won’t do it.」
「If not then, should I read the book?」
「…I guess were doing howork.」
「Then, co here.」
「I’ll go even if you don’t tell to.」
I got off the bed and sat down across from Sendai-san.
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