Chapter 36
Ding-dong-! Dee-dee-dee-dee-ding-dong!
The doorbell rang repeatedly.
It was definitely Miyuki.
I hurried to the front gate and opened the door, finding Miyuki standing there with her arms folded.
She looked angry.
Yet she was clearly trying hard to hide her anger.
“Why did you just leave?”
When she asked in a low, subdued voice, I answered while vigorously scratching my freshly dried hair.
“You didn't seem like you were going to come down even after an hour, so I thought you were sleeping.”
“I wasn't sleeping. And you could have woken me up.”
“I didn't think I needed to wake you just for that.”
“Why?”
“Because you'd just stare blankly even if I did.”
At that, Miyuki's body twitched slightly.
As if recalling how dazed she'd looked right after the kiss, she looked down to the side.
“E-even so... You said we were going out...”
“I was going to wait until you woke up and contacted me. Besides, we have a car, so we'd get there in no time anyway.”
“.... I suppose so... Anyway... Matsuda-kun, did you give my older sister your contact information?”
“My contact information? Yeah, I did.”
“Why?”
Miyuki's voice rose slightly.
She looked angry at the mention of contact information. Wasn't she upset because I'd kissed her and then left without so much as setting the mood?
While I tilted my head, lost in thought, Miyuki snapped at me.
“Are you interested in my sister? Are you planning to make a move on her? Like... are you just going to play with her?”
The moment I heard that absurd accusation, I vaguely realized what was going on.
She'd misunderstood something.
I can guess... Yeah, I can.
Kana must not have explained it properly, and it seemed she'd gotten Miyuki worked up.
“What are you talking about...? By your logic, does that make me a pervert planning to make a move on your mom and dad too?”
“.... What? Why are you bringing Mom and Dad into this?”
“Because I gave them my contact information too.”
The muscles in Miyuki's face twisted grotesquely.
She looked like she couldn't quite understand.
I snorted and continued.
“When I was about to head home, your sister suggested that we exchange contact information so our families could get to know each other. Your mom and dad agreed it was a good idea, so we exchanged it. Why are you getting all worked up?”
“....?”
Miyuki blinked at me.
She looked like she was thinking hard.
After mulling over my words, her face soon turned white as a sheet.
“I-is that what it was...?”
From the sudden drop in her voice, it seemed she'd cleared up the misunderstanding.
“That's what it was.”
“.... Oh...”
She slowly nodded as if she'd realized something.
Cute. I almost wanted to keep teasing her.
“What do you mean, oh...? I don't know what you heard that made you this angry, but stop making that stupid face and apologize first.”
“Apologize...?”
“For jumping to conclusions about me. You had weird preconceptions about me last time too, and it's pretty unpleasant, you know? Isn't this the sort of thing you hate?”
“.... I'm... sorry... Really...”
She apologized meekly, which made it seem like she was genuinely reflecting on what she'd done.
I snickered and gave her a light flick on the forehead, just as I had in Miyuki's room.
Tap.
Miyuki covered her forehead with her hand.
It couldn't have hurt, so her wounded expression had to be because she felt bad about what she'd done.
Leaning my elbow against the wall beside the front gate, I looked at her and asked,
“Did you walk here?”
“Yeah... I walked...”
“Nice going, walking here in this heat.”
“I-it didn't take long...”
I clicked my tongue, then immediately stepped outside the front gate and pressed the button on my smart key.
Beep!
The car unlocked with a brief sound.
I opened the driver's door and said to Miyuki, who was standing there blankly,
“Get in, then, if we're going out.”
“Ah, okay...”
Her face brightened, and she approached with quick little steps before getting into the passenger seat.
Then she fastened her seat belt and asked,
“Where are we going...?”
“Let's watch a movie.”
“Okay...”
I started the engine and turned the air conditioner up all the way, making Miyuki's upper body lean toward the vent.
She closed her eyes with an expression of relief as the cold air quickly poured out, then kept sneaking glances at me before secretly lifting her hair to her nose and sniffing it.
She must be worried she smells of sweat.
Then why did you walk all the way here while so worked up?
You should've called first.
And decide on a route already.
Isn't it time?
I pretended not to notice and drove toward the movie theater.
**
“Customer 812! Your Single Combo with an upsized cola is ready!”
At the movie theater employee's enthusiastic announcement, I got to my feet while chatting with Miyuki.
“Matsuda-kun, are we 812?”
Miyuki tried to check the number ticket in my hand.
There was a questioning look on her face.
We'd ordered the Couple Combo every time we'd gone to the movies together, so she seemed puzzled that I'd ordered a Single this time.
“We are.”
“We are...? 812...?”
“I told you, we are.”
I answered listlessly and went to get the box containing the popcorn and cola.
Miyuki's expression was growing stiffer and stiffer.
She seemed to think I'd had a change of heart.
Looking at her, I took both straws and stuck them into the holes on one side.
Then I held out the cola indifferently.
“Hold this.”
“Ah...”
Miyuki's face brightened as she accepted the cola with a short gasp.
Although there were separate straw holes at the front and back, she realized my intention and feelings when she saw that I'd put both straws in the same direction.
“.....”
There was something satisfying about acting differently than usual, letting her jump to conclusions and give it a new meaning, then watching her reaction.
“You've eaten a lot today, so I deliberately bought the small popcorn. No complaints, right?”
Miyuki stared fixedly at the straws and nodded frantically.
“Complaints...? None... It's fine...”
“Let's go in. It's time.”
“Okay...”
I grinned at Miyuki, who seemed even more demure than before, and entered the auditorium with her.
We hadn't made reservations, and since it was the weekend, there were a lot of people, so our seats were in the far-left row.
It was a little awkward to watch the screen from there, but that was the only drawback.
Miyuki didn't seem particularly bothered either.
But there was a problem.
A very big problem.
‘What the fuck is this?’
The armrest on the auditorium seat wouldn't lift.
I wanted to sit pressed close to Miyuki and enjoy some subtle physical contact, but what a shitty situation.
The other armrests looked as if they could be raised, but the one between us was completely immovable.
I couldn't help but suspect something. What kind of ridiculous situation was this?
Was I not actually the protagonist of Dokiaka?
“Matsuda-kun, what are you doing?”
Miyuki asked with a puzzled look as I changed positions and tried to raise the armrest.
After giving up on the armrest, which wouldn't budge no matter how hard I fiddled with it, I gazed at the ceiling of the auditorium with a hollow expression and muttered,
“The world is conspiring against me.”
“What are you talking about...? Do you want some cola?”
“Give it here.”
Even though I said it in a rough tone, Miyuki held the cola up to my lips without showing any reaction.
She isn't telling me to speak nicely today.
Since we'd had the momentous event of a kiss, and she'd badly misunderstood me, she must have decided to let me off just for today.
I took a long pull on the straw, then looked to my right when I felt a weight against my right arm.
The man sitting beside me was watching me with a dark look.
It was clearly because I was occupying the entire armrest.
The best part of a packed theater is the armrest battle, after all.
I deeply furrowed my brow and glared at the man menacingly.
Before long, he subtly averted his gaze and pulled his arm inward.
I gave a benevolent smile to the man who knew his place and tucked his tail between his legs,
Slap!
When Miyuki hit my left arm with considerable force, I whipped my head around.
“Why did you hit me?”
“Why...? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...”
After apologizing over and over to the man, Miyuki quietly but sternly scolded me.
“Why are you acting like this...?”
“That guy picked a fight with me first. He told me to give up the armrest.”
“What's wrong with giving up the armrest? Is it really that hard?”
“Yeah. Extremely difficult.”
“Haa... Seriously...”
Miyuki let out a long sigh as if I was hopeless, then gave a small snort of laughter while looking at me sitting there with an unconcerned expression.
“That's so like you, Matsuda-kun...”
Her voice was remarkably gentle.
Proof that she wasn't angry.
I scratched the side of my head and pretended to think about something, then lowered my arm from the armrest on the right.
As if Miyuki's kind words had moved me.
Miyuki's eyes turned into crescents as she watched me do this.
It meant she really liked what I'd done.
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I placed my left arm on the armrest between us.
“.... But I'll use this one.”
“Sure, use it however you like.”
Miyuki smiled brightly.
She looked to be in a good mood.
Before long, the screen explained the emergency evacuation routes, the auditorium lights went out, and the movie began.
Doo-doong-!
A majestic drumbeat heralded the beginning of the action movie.
I should have picked a sweet romance movie for a day like today...
Not getting better seats was a lifelong regret.
I glanced at Miyuki, who had practically sunk into her seat and turned her attention to the screen, then focused on the movie while thinking that something felt lacking today.
How long had passed like that?
When the main and supporting characters appeared onscreen and traded jokes during a simple action scene,
Tap. Tap.
Miyuki's finger touched the back of my left hand.
I turned to look at Miyuki, and when she swallowed a sip of cola and gestured for me to turn my hand over, I complied.
Miyuki then extended her index finger and poked my palm repeatedly.
Then she began writing something on my palm.
No—Miyuki wasn't drawing a picture; she was writing letters.
Her index finger moved slowly enough that, once I focused on the sensation, I could easily tell what word she was writing.
【I'm sorry I misunderstood you today.】
That was what she was saying with her hand.
So she was still thinking about it.
I was about to laugh softly at her cute apology accompanied by a show of affection, but my eyes flew open at the handwriting that followed.
【Ken-kun.】
It was my name.
Not my surname, but my given name.
She had definitely written my name.
All my lingering disappointment vanished at once.
She'd called my name with her hand, but who cared?
It was plenty lovely as it was.
I had no doubt that my name would soon come from those pretty lips as well.
Miyuki had bravely opened the floodgates herself.
As soon as Miyuki's hand slowly dropped after she had finished writing the whole sentence, I pursed my lips tightly.
The corners of my mouth kept trying to twitch upward.
My face must have turned grotesque because of it, but this wasn't the time to worry about something like that.
When I still couldn't calm down, I roughly grabbed a handful of the popcorn Miyuki was holding.
Then I dumped it into my mouth and chewed it noisily.
Why? Because if I didn't, I felt like I might cheer out loud without even realizing it.