Chapter 32: 32

Chapter 32: Movie Theater

Translated by Dawn

 

Chapter 32: Movie Theater

“Welcome back.”

“I’m back.”

In order to fulfill the reason for going out, I went to the convenience store to buy some more juice and snacks, which I did not need to purchase, and came home to be greeted by Kazemiya at the entrance. I wondered if she had been waiting for me for a long time.

“…What were you and big sister talking about?”

It seemed that Kazemiya had somehow guessed that Kazemiya Kuon was the one who had taken me out.

“About Kazemiya.”

“And what is it?”

“……it’s a secret.”

Frankly, I didn’t know if I could tell her so simply because of the content of the talk.

At least Kazemiya Kuon herself would not have wanted me to tell her little sister. Still, she told me because she trusted me enough—to know that I wouldn’t tell her.

Well, I guess she was right. I must say that her prediction was correct.

…Even though I knew that her love for Kazemiya was distorted, for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. …Or rather, if I told her, I might not be able to get away with it for free either.

“…Hmm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Your sister’s beautiful.”

“Hm? Yeah…she is.”

It was indeed beautiful, with a face similar to Kazemiya’s. However, I had the impression that she was more frightening than that now, though.

“……”

“Kazemiya? What’s wrong?”

“…No. Nothing.”

Kazemiya turned away grumpily for some reason. ……As expected, she was different from her sister. Since her grumpy face was so cute. I tried to imagine Kazemiya Kuon making a grumpy face. It would give me chills.

“Ah, that’s right. Kazemiya, have you sorted out all the stuff your sister brought for you?”

“It’s still in the living room.”

“I see. I’ll help you carry them out, so just get your clothes out and change. It’s time to get ready, right?”

“Eh? That’s fine, but are we going somewhere?”

“Going somewhere, you say…”

Apparently, the mess of running away from her home had gotten it out of her head. I guess it couldn’t be helped.

“You know we originally agreed to go see a movie together today, right?”

“Ah.”

***

Although I was a little disappointed to find out that Kazemiya had inadvertently forgotten about it, we decided to go to the movie theater today as planned. The original plan was to gather at the meeting place, but since Kazemiya and I were going to stay at the same house for a while, we decided to go straight to the movie theater, since there was no need to meet up with her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

As I waited at the entrance, Kazemiya came downstairs after changing her clothes.

She was wearing a cool-colored frilly top with open shoulders and shorts. On her ears were elegantly designed earrings, and she was also wearing a thin layer of makeup.

“I’m really sorry…it took me a little while to get my stuff sorted out.”

“It’s fine, and there’s plenty of time to spare, so no need to rush, it’s fun waiting for Kazemiya.”

“… as I said, don’t spoil me like that.”

She began to fiddle with her hair, perhaps embarrassed. This was a habit of Kazemiya’s that she usually did when she was embarrassed, when she had something difficult to say, or when she was in trouble.

“Is that the outfit your sister brought you from home?”

“Rather than bringing me those clothes, they looked more like something my sister had bought me. The size fits perfectly and it’s nice. …What’s wrong with this dress? Is there something wrong with it?”

“It looks good on you. It’s beautiful.”

“….Thanks.”

Kazemiya turned away and started fiddling with her hair with her fingertips again.

…I remembered that Kotomi had told me to give her a proper compliment on her appearance. I had to think about it before I could remember that.

“Alright. Then, let’s go.”

After meeting at the entrance, we decided to go to the movie theater.

“It was kind of weird going out together from Narumi’s house.”

“I was going to say the same thing.”

I never expected to live with Kazemiya under one roof, even if it was only for the summer vacation, nor did I expect to go out together from the same house.

“You didn’t go to school with Kotomi-chan, did you?”

“That’s right. When it was difficult for me to stay at home, I would shift my commute. Depending on the situation, I would leave late, Kotomi would leave early, and vice versa.”

“What do you do now that you are getting along with your family? Do you go to school together?”

“We don’t go to school together. I leave later than her. …Well, I’m that kind of guy who likes to coast until the last minute.”

“Narumi, you’re weak in the morning.”

“Not so much, but it takes me a little while to get out of bed. What about Kazemiya?”

“I’m strong in the morning. I’ve never overslept or slept in, and I wake up feeling refreshed…although depending on where I sleep, I might fall asleep a second time.”

“I admire you for never oversleeping. I’ve been missing out on the perfect attendance award all through elementary, junior high, and high school.”

By the way, the reason for this was that I stayed up all night playing games with Natsuki in elementary, junior high, and high school. Therefore, Natsuki had also been missing the prize for perfect attendance.

“Primary and middle school aside, we’re still in high school……it’s only the summer break of our second year”

“It’s not ‘only’ two years, isn’t it? It’s ‘already’ been two years. Next year we’ll have to take the entrance exam.”

“Uh…stop that. It’s summer vacation for 2nd year students, the best time for having fun. Rather,  Narumi isn’t the kind of character to say such a thing.”

“…About the exams is true, but it’s true that I think it’s ‘already’ been two years.”

“…You’re more conscious than I thought?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that high school life with Kazemiya. I think it’s not enough.”

“……..”

I thought to myself, if only we had become friends at least a year earlier.

Although even if we had, I still would have regretted the rest of the time.

“Kazemiya? The station is this way.”

“…Wait. Wait a minute. Now. I need to calm down.”

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“Are you tired? Then, let’s find a store and take a rest. There’s still plenty of time.”

“It’s fine. …Un. I’m fine now. Let’s go.”

Kazemiya lightly slapped her cheeks, but her cheeks were slightly reddish, perhaps because of the summer heat, or perhaps because of the force of the slap.

With that happening, we took a train and arrived at our destination, a movie theater. There was still some time left before the screening started. We decided to kill some time at a cafe inside the theater.

“I’ll go get the tickets, and Kazemiya can secure our seats.”

“Okay. What do you want to drink, Narumi?”

“Hm…lemon soda.”

“Not melon soda, huh.”

“They don’t have melon soda in the cafe upstairs.”

I scanned the QR code on my phone into the ticketing machine, took the two tickets it spits out and hurried to the cafe area on the second floor.

“Hey, look at that girl. Isn’t she so cute?”

“Wow. I’ve never seen a girl that cute except on TV.”

“Maybe she’s a model or an idol?”

“I think I’ll go talk to her.”

“You shouldn’t do that. A man with a nice face tried to talk to her earlier, but she turned him away with a very cold look in her eyes.”

In the center of my gaze was Kazemiya Kohaku, who had a seat for two at a table, sipping iced tea and looking in the direction of no customers, something I knew before I even checked.

(Kazemiya is having a hard time here, too.)

Perhaps because this was outside the school, no one knew who Kazemiya was.

But she still attracted the same kind of attention as if she were inside the school. The only place where she could relax without worrying about the eyes of others might be inside the house.

“Thanks for waiting. Thanks for securing the seat. Here’s your ticket.”

“Thanks.”

Charging into the center of the vortex composed of gazes. It was only natural that the goddess who suddenly landed in the café area was approached by a man who could not be identified, so it was natural that their gazes were stirred with “what’s with that guy?”

“…My bad. I didn’t think it through.”

“Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”

“You were approached, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but…”

“I should have known that if I left Kazemiya alone, someone like that would come up to you. We should have acted together.”

“You’re overreacting. I’m used to this kind of thing.”

“Just because you’re used to this kind of thing doesn’t mean I shouldn’t worry about it on my own. Let me at least worry about you since—”

“…Mhm. I-I see. Thanks…for worrying about me.”

“—we’re friends.”

“……….Oh, that’s right.”

The light seemed to disappear from Kazemiya’s eyes, and she began to drink her iced tea in silence.

“Kazemiya?”

“Nothing. ……Oh, more people are coming.”

A quick glance downstairs from the café area revealed that it was more crowded than when we arrived. It might be that the screening time was approaching…….

“There are more people here today than usual.”

“I guess they’re all here to see the same thing we are.”

The movie we were going to see today was a big series of movies, and the buzz and expectations for the movie were high from the start. Moreover, this time the theme song was sung by Kuon—Kazemiya Kuon, the older sister of Kazemiya, and she also appeared in the movie. Her outstanding singing and acting skills had been attracting attention in various places, and the number of viewers had been steadily increasing since the first day of the movie’s release.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? My sister.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this movie we’re watching today?”

“It’s fine. I was originally going to go see the movie by myself. I like this series too.”

Kazemiya watched as the audience builds up their expectations for the film.

“To be honest, I’m jealous of my sister. I have a complex. I even have a grudge against her. Many times I wish my sister would go away. …Even so, I just can’t hate her.”

The respect in her eyes was tinged with respect for her older sister.

Her eyes were filled with respect for her older sister.

“She’s always been a genius and could do anything. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t work hard. On the contrary. For example, when it was decided that she would be in the movie we are going to see today, she was studying acting so hard. His room was filled with books, DVDs, and other materials necessary for acting. Even with her busy schedule, she made time to practice on her own, and she also worked on her body…….she is a genius, and it is true that she is blessed with talent, but she is more of a hard worker than she is talented.”

The public had the impression that Kuon was an all-around genius. She could sing, act, play sports, and do everything else, a genius with no flaws.

“I wish I could hate her the best I could, but…..I can’t. I can’t hate her. I couldn’t hate her. My sister is kind to me and loves me a lot. I look up to her, I’m proud of her, and I love her. …It’s dazzling, isn’t it? It’s so dazzling that I hate myself for being jealous of my sister.”

The reason why Kazemiya had a hard time staying at home was, of course, because of her mother. But even more than that, the reason why she felt it difficult to stay at home was that she hated herself for being jealous of her beloved older sister. She was so dazzling and kind that she couldn’t look directly at her sister.

“Kazemiya, why don’t you be a little kinder to yourself?”

“Eh?”

“You think it’s better to hate yourself than to hate your sister. That’s the same as saying that you would rather hurt yourself than hurt someone else.”

“…that’s better, isn’t it?”

“It’s not good. If Kazemiya is having a hard time because of it.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m not fine.”

Even though she had her own family problems, she gave me the push I needed. She helped me to face my family. Her own family was not doing well, but I was the only one who was doing well. It must have been difficult for Kazemiya.

“I hate it when Kazemiya hurts herself. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for me. Be nice to yourself to reassure me.”

“….That’s not fair.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s unfair; if it makes Kazemiya feel a little better, I’ll be your reason.”

What Kazemiya did for me, I want to return it to her, even if only a little. 

“……”

“……”

Both Kazemiya and I remained silent as time passed by. After a while, however, we both relaxed our shoulders and laughed at each other.

“We’re in a movie theater, but we’re just the same as usual.”

“I guess you could say that.”

It would not be out of place if someone told me that this café was the usual family restaurant.

Apparently, Kazemiya was thinking the same thing. As the two of us were laughing together again, an announcement came up, telling us to enter the theater screen with the number on our tickets.

“…Should we go?”

“Un.”

We both walked out of the café area and headed for the seats designated for our tickets. Kazemiya, her ears red, did not make eye contact with me for a long time until the movie started, but by the time the movie was over, she was back to her usual Kazemiya.

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