Chapter 18
My skin had gotten a little lighter.
At this rate, I didn't look like a blond, tanned delinquent anymore.
Even before, I was a tanned blond delinquent with the blond part missing; now the tan was gone too, leaving me looking like nothing but a delinquent.
Still, brighter-toned outfits suited me better now, so I decided to take comfort in that.
After leaving the movie theater restroom, I ordered a coffee at the cafe next door and waited for Miyuki.
When it was around 7:50, I saw Miyuki coming up the escalator.
She looked around.
She seemed to have come straight from the arcade without stopping at home, her bag slung over her back.
I raised one hand toward her, and she approached with a bright expression before sitting across from me.
“When did you get here?”
“About ten minutes ago.”
“You came really early.”
“It just worked out that way on my way here. You got here early too.”
“I'm not the type to make a habit of being late like some people do.”
I gave a small chuckle at Miyuki's teasing and held out the extra iced Americano I'd ordered in advance.
“Drink it. You look hot.”
Just as I'd said, beads of sweat had formed on Miyuki's forehead.
Some of her bangs had stuck to her forehead because of it, but her beauty hadn't faded in the slightest.
Miyuki carefully accepted the Americano and said,
“Thanks. I'll enjoy it.”
“Did you come straight from the arcade?”
“Yeah. I was only going to play for an hour... but I was having so much fun playing games with Tetsuya that I lost track of time.”
Was being with Tetsuya really that much fun?
Don't make me jealous.
She brought her lips to the straw and took a long sip, her face filling with bliss.
“Wow... It's really refreshing... Did you get tickets for the movie?”
“Yeah.”
“What movie is it?”
What else was there to watch in this muggy summer weather besides a horror movie?
It was one of the essential romantic-comedy clichés.
“Something scary.”
“Huh...? A horror movie? Are you good at watching those, Matsuda-kun?”
This was the first time I'd ever watched one because I wanted to.
At least knowing the plot would let me anticipate when the scares were coming, but
when I played Dokiaka, all that happened was an event during dialogue like, ‘It was a horror movie.’ and ‘The moment the ghost first appeared...’
So I was more nervous than usual.
“I was going to watch something else, but its reviews were good, so I bought tickets. What about you? Can you handle horror?”
“I do kind of like it.”
Yeah, the idea of the heroine being afraid of ghosts was a pretty stale concept.
But Dokiaka was filled with those stale clichés, and now that I thought about it, that was a little unfair.
If Miyuki had been more frightened, I could have enjoyed an unintended physical-contact event.
I was silently nodding when Miyuki took out her wallet and said,
“I'll buy the popcorn. Do you want a cola?”
“I already ordered it. They said they'd give it to me as soon as I handed them the number ticket.”
“How much was it?”
“990 yen.”
At that, Miyuki turned toward the cafe menu.
After checking the price of the Americano, she began taking bills and coins from her wallet.
“I'll give you 1,370 yen.”
“You don't need to. I'll pay today, so you can cover everything next time.”
The prospect of having another date like this made Miyuki's hand falter.
After hesitating over what to do, she spoke uncertainly.
“Still, we should settle up properly... Even at the hospital last time...”
Do we really need to distinguish between what's yours and what's mine?
If it really bothers you, you can pay for the love hotel later instead.
“Forget it. I hate being so formal, so just pay next time.”
“.... Okay... Then I'll definitely pay next time. I definitely will.”
She'd even repeated “definitely” for emphasis... Today was looking pretty good.
“I said I got it. Let's go get the popcorn.”
“Yeah.”
I stood up and slung Miyuki's bag over my shoulder.
Before she could say anything, I beat her to it.
“This bag is ridiculously heavy... No wonder you aren't growing any taller. Are you even 160 centimeters?”
Miyuki, who had been about to hold out her hand for the bag, bristled.
“I-I'm 162 centimeters...! You just make me look small because you're so tall...!”
“Don't get cheeky just because you're tiny. Say thank you when an adult carries something for you.”
“W-what do you mean, adult...! Stop saying weird things and just give me the bag... M-Matsuda-kun! Wait for me...!”
I ignored Miyuki and walked toward the concession stand, so she followed close behind me with her coffee in hand.
After trying to take the bag from me for several minutes, Miyuki eventually gave up when I didn't budge and thanked me with a sullen face.
She's so cute I want to grab her cheeks and stretch them.
I gave her a small grin and handed the number ticket to the concession-stand employee.
Not long afterward, the popcorn, two colas, and a hot dog were ready.
“Number 837, Couple's Set. Enjoy your meal.”
I gave a light chuckle, nodded, and picked up the popcorn and one of the colas.
Then I nodded toward the rest and said,
“You carry the other cola and the hot dog.”
“Huh...? Oh, okay...”
Miyuki's face was slightly red.
She seemed to be embarrassed after hearing the word ‘couple.’
It was a trivial plan, not even appetizer-level, but these little things piled up one by one, becoming flirtation and eventually developing into love.
Still, I wouldn't be able to see reactions like that once we started dating... I might end up missing them later.
Still, Renka and Hiyori were still around, so it was nice that I could keep enjoying that sort of thing.
**
“Isn't this color a little too flashy...? I like silver, white, or black. Those are safe choices.”
“Same here. I'm just seeing what kind of brainless idiots would drive one of these.”
“Matsuda-kun. You shouldn't say things like that.”
“Got it.”
We chatted while picking out cars together during the advertisements, then naturally stopped talking when the movie began.
Screeeeeeech...!
As the distributor's banner appeared, a strange sound assaulted our ears.
This was what I hated about horror movies.
The sound effects designed to create tension from the very beginning.
I was already getting goosebumps.
At least the theater was packed with people.
The extra meant to trigger the event, whom I'd noticed before sitting down, was still seated behind me.
Somewhat reassured, I turned my gaze to the screen and was about to take a sip of cola when
Crunch.
I heard Miyuki daintily chewing popcorn beside me.
I deliberately flinched briefly and pretended to be startled.
“Oh, crap...”
Then I scrunched up my face and looked at Miyuki, who brought her lips to my ear, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
“You're more scared than you look. But were you about to swear just now?”
Every time Miyuki spoke, her breath gently tickled my ear.
I really shouldn't get an erection. This was bad.
“.... I didn't, so what's the problem? And eat more quietly.”
“I was eating really quietly...? Maybe you're just more sensitive than usual. Are you that scared?”
“What's there to be scared of...? Forget it. Let's not talk.”
I snorted and began watching the movie while gripping the armrest tightly.
So the story was basically... a group of students trying to perform an exorcism entered a haunted house, and then they started disappearing one by one.
It was cliché. But it was fucking scary.
Kyaaaah-!
The spirit's shriek rang out the moment the protagonists entered the house.
I shuddered and prayed for the ghost to show up already.
But contrary to my wish, the ghost didn't appear even after forty minutes had passed.
Thump-!
Crash!
Dududududu...!
Instead, every time the tension began to ease, it played all kinds of tricks and tightened the noose around our throats.
But why was I even concentrating on this movie?
I just needed to think about the event.
Just as I relaxed and my tension was about to fade,
Thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
-Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!
Along with the heroine's ear-splitting scream, a hideously frightening ghost made a noisy entrance, finally opening the movie with a bang.
The unexpected timing genuinely startled me, and I let out a sharp gasp.
“Hwaaah!”
The woman sitting behind me was startled out of her wits and spilled the cola she was holding all over my head.
The event had finally begun.
The tension in my tightly clenched heart eased.
The cola's distinctive brown color instantly stained my white T-shirt, and ice cubes slipped inside it and touched my bare skin.
That was one way to cool off in summer.
“Matsuda-kun...! Are you okay...?”
Miyuki frantically checked on me.
“W-what do I do...! I'm so sorry...!”
The woman also sprang to her feet and bowed deeply to me.
The sudden commotion drew everyone's attention in the theater.
This was where I had to choose an option...
I could shape the situation my way, as I had at the festival, but for this event, I decided to follow the most favorable choice from among the options Dokiaka had provided.
After thinking it through quickly, I turned around and waved one hand at the woman with a smile.
“It's all right. Please keep watching the movie.”
“I-I'll wipe it off for you...”
“I was startled too, so I spilled some cola. It's already wet, so don't worry about it.”
“I'm really sorry... I'll at least pay for the cleaning...”
I told you not to worry about it, didn't I?
We were in a theater! We had to be quiet!
“It's really fine. Enjoy the rest of the movie.”
“..... I'm sorry...”
After forcing the conversation to an end, I lifted the unstained part of my T-shirt and wiped my head with it.
Miyuki tapped me on the shoulder reproachfully and whispered,
“Don't do that. I'll give you a handkerchief, so wipe it with that...”
“I don't need one. It'll dry on its own while we watch the movie.”
“Haa... You're so positive in situations like this too... What on earth just happened...?”
“Didn't any get on you?”
“Only a little on my arm. I'm fine.”
“That's good.”
My wet T-shirt was clinging tightly to my skin, revealing the contours of my body.
Miyuki kept stealing glances at my abs in the shifting light from the screen, then a glint appeared in her eyes when she spotted the cola sitting in the cup holder.
She brought her lips to my ear again and said,
“Matsuda-kun.”
“What?”
“You didn't spill your cola.”
“I didn't. I thought I had.”
Miyuki didn't say anything else. She simply stared at me.
You were touched by my consideration for that woman, weren't you? My affection rating went up too, right?
I believed it wouldn't be long before I could call her Miyuki instead of Hanazawa.
I pretended to watch the movie indifferently, then nudged Miyuki's arm as if something had just occurred to me.
“Hey, Hanazawa.”
She flinched and jerked her shoulders.
She must have felt guilty because she'd been caught peeking.
“Yeah... Why? Do you need a handkerchief...?”
“What are you talking about...? That's not it...”
I pulled the hem of my beige shorts forward and showed Miyuki the center of my shorts, which had been darkly stained where the cola had soaked in.
Then I asked teasingly,
“Do I look like I wet myself because I was scared?”
“.....”
Maybe she'd lost for words because I was still making jokes even in a situation like this.
All that escaped Miyuki's lips was a hollow laugh.
She stayed like that for a moment, then saw my mischievous expression and formed a faint smile.
“Yeah... I'll buy you some adult diapers next time.”
“They make those?”
“They do. They're for people who can't hold their urine, like you, Matsuda-kun.”
“Now that you mention peeing, I really need to go. Keep watching while I use the restroom.”
“I'll come with you. I'll ask the theater staff for some towels.”
“Sure, if you want.”
“Try saying, ‘Would you do that for me?’”
“No.”
She shook her head at my noncommittal refusal, but a satisfied smile still bloomed at the corners of her mouth.
Today's event had been a little dull, but it had still been worthwhile in its own way.
On the way back, we should eat ice cream together and call it a day.