「Hazuki, are you not tired of hamburgers? You’ve been eating them all the time lately.」
The words I just heard yesterday come out of Mio’s mouth.
So I utter the same lines as yesterday.
「I’m not tired of it, though.」
We are having the same conversation as yesterday, we are in the same café space at the university as we were yesterday. It is no different with a half gone hamburger steak and a two-thirds gone taco rice on the table, which Mio and I are eating.
The only difference is the time of day. Yesterday, it was the busiest time of the day at noon, and today, people are eating with Mio at a sparse time after lunch.
「Perhaps hamburgers again tomorrow?」
「I might eat them.」
Demi-glace, cheese and mushrooms.
Grated hamburger steak today.
There are many kinds of hamburgers in a mouthful, so I will never get bored if I eat them in rotation. April is coming to an end, but I don’t think I will get bored even if I order the same menu every day until Golden Week.
In fact, Mio, who has been nagging me about my lunch, has been eating taco rice for three days in a row, so she can’t say anything about other people.
「If you eat that many hamburgers, your brain will turn into hamburgers.」
「Then, Mio’s brain would be taco rice, wouldn’t it?」
「Sounds good, it looks delicious. If I run out of food, I will share Mio’s special taco rice with Hazuki.」
After saying so, Mio tucked into the taco rice in front of her with relish.
I think it was really like her.
If it were Mio, she wouldn’t mind at all if her head was full of taco rice, and she would share the taco rice in her head with me.
「I’ll pass on that.」
The taco rice created in Mio’s head seems to change the personality of those who eat it to be just like her. Mio’s rough and generous personality is desirable, but if you ask me if I want to be like her, I will answer that I am not.
「That’s unfortunate, even though it’s delicious.」
When I said this in a tone of voice that did not seem to express regret, Mio continued,「I mean, it’s just that…」
「Why do you suddenly like hamburgers? You didn’t eat that much before.」
「I was trying to make a delicious hamburger.」
I mouth an answer that is neither right nor wrong, and eat the hamburger in a snap.
The hamburgers here are not bad tasting, and they are reasonably priced and fill me up. But I feel like there is not enough grated daikon on top, so if I make this for Miyagi, I would like to increase the amount of grated daikon.
「What’s that? Did you have someone you wanted to feed?」
「Only Miyagi, though.」
I answer honestly because it is not something to hide.
It’s just not accurate.
There is no doubt that there is someone I want to feed and that it is Miyagi, but that is not the root of why I am particular about hamburgers.
It is because Miyagi said hamburgers are important.
That’s the main reason.
What is important to her is important to me.
So since I made hamburgers for Miyagi that day, I have been eating only hamburgers. And I have made hamburgers many times for her who hasn’t asked me to make hamburgers since then.
「I got a very boring answer. I thought you were going to say boyfriend.」
「Mio, you know you’re not going to get that kind of answer from me, and you’re asking me that.」
「Well, yeah. About Shiori-chan, does she like hamburgers?」
「Suddenly, she’s so excited that she start asking me to make her a hamburger because she wants to eat it.」
「That means, she likes it very much!」
「So I thought, if I’m going to cook and eat it anyway, it better taste good.」
What is important to me and Miyagi does not overlap.
I am sometimes discouraged by this, but I accept the situation as it is. If Miyagi and the place where we live continue to be protected and Miyagi continues to be there, that is all that matters. I don’t want much, and I don’t think there is any point in wishing for more.
Still, Miyagi’s words about the importance of hamburgers and her act of asking me to make them carry a certain weight, and her words and act make me continue the act of eating hamburgers.
We are not progressing, instead we are not regressing.
We are stepping back all the time.
If that place is that house, I can keep stepping on it.
I can continue to compromise on a relationship that will never turn around.
「You two are so close, it doesn’t even make sense.」
Mio said sincerely and brought the taco rice to her mouth. Then, after chewing it, she continued,「But if you eat a hamburger steak every day so much, you will get fat.」
「I’m working on it rather hard, so it’s okay.」
「Is that so.」
「In a manner of speaking.」
After smiling, I put my chopsticks on the hamburger steak. The chatty Mio also put the taco rice in her mouth, and the conversation was interrupted. However, the silence does not last long.
「What is Hazuki, a hamburger enthusiast, doing for the holidays?」
Golden Week is near.
The words that follow the questions posed at these times of the year can be predicted without asking. So I tell her the schedule that I can never move.
「Tutoring job.」
「That’s a boring answer, too. It’s your day off, so why don’t you go have fun? I’ve been requested to bring you, Hazuki.」
Mio continues to speak, not forgetting to bring the taco rice to her mouth with a spoon.
「I’m busy at my part-time job.」
Some teachers and students say that tutors are also closed during Golden Week, but my students and I will not be absent. I intend to study during Golden Week as well.
When I told Miyagi about this story, she balked, but didn’t tell me not to go.
That is a good thing, but also a bad thing. She wants me to go to work part-time, but she wants me to stop telling Miyagi not to go. I know it’s selfish, but Miyagi not interfering with me is not enough and makes me uneasy.
「Let’s take this opportunity to expand our friendships.」
「I don’t have to be quick about it. I only need Mio.」
I smile at Mio, whose face is so wide.
There is no lie in the words I said.
If someone talks to me at the university, I answer with a smile, and I sometimes go out with other girls besides Mio. But I don’t intend to expand my friendships here that much, I want to stay within a limited scope.
「You say things like that right away. I’m glad you say that, but…」
Unusually, Mio said shyly and clapped her hands,「Oh yeah,」she said. Then, she turned her eyes full of curiosity toward me.
「Aren’t you going out with Shiori-chan for the holidays? Let’s go somewhere.」
「The way you said that, it sounded like you’re coming too, Mio.」
「Of course I’m going. Where are you going?」
「I have a part-time job and Miyagi doesn’t leave the house, so I don’t think we’re going anywhere, or rather, I don’t think we can go anywhere.」
To be precise, I don’t want Miyagi to go anywhere.
She should have plans to go out with Utsunomiya, but I even want her to cancel those plans. I know that Utsunomiya will have a part-time job during the vacations, so the number of times we can see each other during the break should be small, but I still don’t want them to see each other.
Last year, Miyagi put a mark on me that prevented me from going outside and locked me up at home. Then I would be allowed to keep Miyagi at home this year. I want to watch movies together like we did last year, do makeup, and fill in the gaps between holidays at that house.
Miyagi can stay home all the time eating hamburgers I made.
「Even Hazuki’s part-time job won’t be there all the time. Pull Shiori-chan yourself out of the sun.」
「Miyagi will turn to ash if she force herself out.」
「She’s not a vampire. Tell Shiori we’re going out.」
「Well, just to let you know…」
「Convince her.」
「Don’t expect a good response.」
If the command persuasion could be used on Miyagi, I would have used it already. But it doesn’t work. If she is the kind of person who listens to me, then we are something other than roommates.
「Aren’t Shiori-chan being too salty? She needs to be more sociable to become an idol.」
「She’s not the type of person who aspires to be an idol.」
Miyagi is cute.
I like to make her even cuter.
And I like going out with her like that, and I want everyone to know how cute she is, but I also want to keep it to myself. So I don’t want her to try to be an idol.
I eat the hamburger steak, which Miyagi loves to eat.
「Hazuki, what do you really do on consecutive holidays?」
「I’ll call you when I have some free time.」
「That’s coming from the person I never hear from!」
When I said that, Mio sighed one deliberate sigh.
「Hazuki, are you not tired of hamburgers? You’ve been eating them all the time lately.」
The words I just heard yesterday come out of Mio’s mouth.
So I utter the same lines as yesterday.
「I’m not tired of it, though.」
We are having the same conversation as yesterday, we are in the same café space at the university as we were yesterday. It is no different with a half gone hamburger steak and a two-thirds gone taco rice on the table, which Mio and I are eating.
The only difference is the time of day. Yesterday, it was the busiest time of the day at noon, and today, people are eating with Mio at a sparse time after lunch.
「Perhaps hamburgers again tomorrow?」
「I might eat them.」
Demi-glace, cheese and mushrooms.
Grated hamburger steak today.
There are many kinds of hamburgers in a mouthful, so I will never get bored if I eat them in rotation. April is coming to an end, but I don’t think I will get bored even if I order the same menu every day until Golden Week.
In fact, Mio, who has been nagging me about my lunch, has been eating taco rice for three days in a row, so she can’t say anything about other people.
「If you eat that many hamburgers, your brain will turn into hamburgers.」
「Then, Mio’s brain would be taco rice, wouldn’t it?」
「Sounds good, it looks delicious. If I run out of food, I will share Mio’s special taco rice with Hazuki.」
After saying so, Mio tucked into the taco rice in front of her with relish.
I think it was really like her.
If it were Mio, she wouldn’t mind at all if her head was full of taco rice, and she would share the taco rice in her head with me.
「I’ll pass on that.」
The taco rice created in Mio’s head seems to change the personality of those who eat it to be just like her. Mio’s rough and generous personality is desirable, but if you ask me if I want to be like her, I will answer that I am not.
「That’s unfortunate, even though it’s delicious.」
When I said this in a tone of voice that did not seem to express regret, Mio continued,「I mean, it’s just that…」
「Why do you suddenly like hamburgers? You didn’t eat that much before.」
「I was trying to make a delicious hamburger.」
I mouth an answer that is neither right nor wrong, and eat the hamburger in a snap.
The hamburgers here are not bad tasting, and they are reasonably priced and fill me up. But I feel like there is not enough grated daikon on top, so if I make this for Miyagi, I would like to increase the amount of grated daikon.
「What’s that? Did you have someone you wanted to feed?」
「Only Miyagi, though.」
I answer honestly because it is not something to hide.
It’s just not accurate.
There is no doubt that there is someone I want to feed and that it is Miyagi, but that is not the root of why I am particular about hamburgers.
It is because Miyagi said hamburgers are important.
That’s the main reason.
What is important to her is important to me.
So since I made hamburgers for Miyagi that day, I have been eating only hamburgers. And I have made hamburgers many times for her who hasn’t asked me to make hamburgers since then.
「I got a very boring answer. I thought you were going to say boyfriend.」
「Mio, you know you’re not going to get that kind of answer from me, and you’re asking me that.」
「Well, yeah. About Shiori-chan, does she like hamburgers?」
「Suddenly, she’s so excited that she start asking me to make her a hamburger because she wants to eat it.」
「That means, she likes it very much!」
「So I thought, if I’m going to cook and eat it anyway, it better taste good.」
What is important to me and Miyagi does not overlap.
I am sometimes discouraged by this, but I accept the situation as it is. If Miyagi and the place where we live continue to be protected and Miyagi continues to be there, that is all that matters. I don’t want much, and I don’t think there is any point in wishing for more.
Still, Miyagi’s words about the importance of hamburgers and her act of asking me to make them carry a certain weight, and her words and act make me continue the act of eating hamburgers.
We are not progressing, instead we are not regressing.
We are stepping back all the time.
If that place is that house, I can keep stepping on it.
I can continue to compromise on a relationship that will never turn around.
「You two are so close, it doesn’t even make sense.」
Mio said sincerely and brought the taco rice to her mouth. Then, after chewing it, she continued,「But if you eat a hamburger steak every day so much, you will get fat.」
「I’m working on it rather hard, so it’s okay.」
「Is that so.」
「In a manner of speaking.」
After smiling, I put my chopsticks on the hamburger steak. The chatty Mio also put the taco rice in her mouth, and the conversation was interrupted. However, the silence does not last long.
「What is Hazuki, a hamburger enthusiast, doing for the holidays?」
Golden Week is near.
The words that follow the questions posed at these times of the year can be predicted without asking. So I tell her the schedule that I can never move.
「Tutoring job.」
「That’s a boring answer, too. It’s your day off, so why don’t you go have fun? I’ve been requested to bring you, Hazuki.」
Mio continues to speak, not forgetting to bring the taco rice to her mouth with a spoon.
「I’m busy at my part-time job.」
Some teachers and students say that tutors are also closed during Golden Week, but my students and I will not be absent. I intend to study during Golden Week as well.
When I told Miyagi about this story, she balked, but didn’t tell me not to go.
That is a good thing, but also a bad thing. She wants me to go to work part-time, but she wants me to stop telling Miyagi not to go. I know it’s selfish, but Miyagi not interfering with me is not enough and makes me uneasy.
「Let’s take this opportunity to expand our friendships.」
「I don’t have to be quick about it. I only need Mio.」
I smile at Mio, whose face is so wide.
There is no lie in the words I said.
If someone talks to me at the university, I answer with a smile, and I sometimes go out with other girls besides Mio. But I don’t intend to expand my friendships here that much, I want to stay within a limited scope.
「You say things like that right away. I’m glad you say that, but…」
Unusually, Mio said shyly and clapped her hands,「Oh yeah,」she said. Then, she turned her eyes full of curiosity toward me.
「Aren’t you going out with Shiori-chan for the holidays? Let’s go somewhere.」
「The way you said that, it sounded like you’re coming too, Mio.」
「Of course I’m going. Where are you going?」
「I have a part-time job and Miyagi doesn’t leave the house, so I don’t think we’re going anywhere, or rather, I don’t think we can go anywhere.」
To be precise, I don’t want Miyagi to go anywhere.
She should have plans to go out with Utsunomiya, but I even want her to cancel those plans. I know that Utsunomiya will have a part-time job during the vacations, so the number of times we can see each other during the break should be small, but I still don’t want them to see each other.
Last year, Miyagi put a mark on me that prevented me from going outside and locked me up at home. Then I would be allowed to keep Miyagi at home this year. I want to watch movies together like we did last year, do makeup, and fill in the gaps between holidays at that house.
Miyagi can stay home all the time eating hamburgers I made.
「Even Hazuki’s part-time job won’t be there all the time. Pull Shiori-chan yourself out of the sun.」
「Miyagi will turn to ash if she force herself out.」
「She’s not a vampire. Tell Shiori we’re going out.」
「Well, just to let you know…」
「Convince her.」
「Don’t expect a good response.」
If the command persuasion could be used on Miyagi, I would have used it already. But it doesn’t work. If she is the kind of person who listens to me, then we are something other than roommates.
「Aren’t Shiori-chan being too salty? She needs to be more sociable to become an idol.」
「She’s not the type of person who aspires to be an idol.」
Miyagi is cute.
I like to make her even cuter.
And I like going out with her like that, and I want everyone to know how cute she is, but I also want to keep it to myself. So I don’t want her to try to be an idol.
I eat the hamburger steak, which Miyagi loves to eat.
「Hazuki, what do you really do on consecutive holidays?」
「I’ll call you when I have some free time.」
「That’s coming from the person I never hear from!」
When I said that, Mio sighed one deliberate sigh.
