I went on a date to the movie theater with Akari.
The movie we were watching was Digital Masters, commonly known as Dijimasu.
Specifically, it was the animated film adaptation: The Sky Infinite Arena Arc.
“Rai! Don’t die! Raaai!”
It was the scene where the protagonist, Ryou, loses his partner, Rai.
Yurie Komagane, who plays the lead role of Ryou, delivers a performance designed to make the audience weep.
As expected, the sounds of sobbing could be heard from all over the theater.
Speaking for myself, even knowing the source material, I still tear up at Rai’s death scene. ”… … ” Akari was shedding tears too.
I took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
She accepted it in silence and wiped the corners of her eyes.
Before long, Ryou left the arena with the heroine, Chobi, by his side. And then… the film ended.
“Haaah~~~… What a good movie that was…”
Akari’s eyes were red as she spoke to me.
It wasn’t an act; she had genuinely been moved by the movie, her heart full. “Yeah, it was.”
“I can’t wait for season two of the anime! It’s gonna be amazing!”
We stood up from our seats and exited the theater.
It seemed like the show in Theater 5 had just finished as well.
Amidst the rush of people, I spotted Tanya.
“Terminator! We’ve still got a bit of time before dinner, yaseyō. Where do you want to go?” “Anywhere is good.”
“‘Anywhere’… I’d like to go wherever you feel like going, but…”
“You. Together. Anywhere. Fun.”
”…I see. Well then, I’ve found some baby items nearby, so let’s go take a look at those.” “Too early. But I want to see.”
“I looked up the location properly. Please follow me so we don’t get separated.” “Yes ♡”
The two held hands affectionately and started walking.
“Baby, do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl? Which one would you prefer?”
“It is a gift. Therefore. I do not know. But. You will resemble it. A wonderful child. No mistake.”
“R-really? Oh my, ha ha! How shy you are~”
“You foolish parents. It shows. What a nuisance.”
“So it’s definitely a baby with Tanya, huh! I know for sure they’ll be adorable!”
“……Embarrassing. Shy. Do not speak.” Our eyes met with a sharp, sudden glance.
Looking away awkwardly, she gave a small bow.
We waved lightly and left the scene.
“It would be bad to disturb their date, wouldn’t it~” “Yeah, I guess so.”
We left the movie theater and stepped outside. “It’s not like we’re going home… just yet.”
“Of course! It’s a rare chance for Akari and you to have a date all alone! Let’s enjoy it to the fullest~!”
Akari turned toward us with a bright smile.
This girl really never lets her smile fade.
…Well, she does turn into a little devil sometimes. “Normally you’re an angel?” “Don’t say that about yourself.”
Tsk, I poke Akari on the forehead.
She smiles in a soft, pliable tone and nuzzles into my arm.
Goon-yori… My chest gets squeezed between her arms, flattening into an obscene shape. “Let’s go~ ♡” “Yeah… I guess so.”
Keeping Akari wrapped around my arm, I leave the movie theater and walk through the shopping mall. “Akari-chan, Akari-chan~!”
I walk along with Akari, who is beaming with happiness.
“Does everyone see us as a proper couple, wonder if they do~?”
“Well, I mean, we are walking hand in hand.”
“Moo… that’s not enough. It’s lacking! More fluffing up!” (Note: Icha-icha refers to intimate/cute couple behavior)
Akari hugs my arm tightly with a gyuu.
“Is there any more affectionate behavior than this?”
“Right… for example… Ah! Akari, look at that!” “Boba tea…?”
There was a decent line of people waiting for the boba tea. “Look! It’s Nemo!” We joined the queue and waited for a while.
We bought our boba milk teas.
“Mmm~♡ So sweet and yummy~♡”
In front of the shop, Akari slurped her drink with a loud zzlop-zzlop sound. It was a place known for having a lot of female customers.
Maybe everyone here was craving something sweet. “Akari-chan♡”
She thrust the straw right at me. “You want to share it?” “What else would you think I mean?♡”
The people in line behind us were watching this whole thing happen, though…
“Akari-yan♡ Here you go~!” “Mmph!”
Akari forcibly stuffed the straw into my mouth.
As I slurped it down, sweet milk tea flooded my entire mouth. “Puff…”
“Well? How’s the ‘Akari-chan flavor’ milk tea?♡” ”…It’s really sweet. No comment.” It was the kind of sweetness that would give you heartburn.
“So I’ll have this milk tea then~” “No, wait, that’s not really…” “Sip sip~ ♡”
A-chup, a-chup—Akari sucks on the straw of my half-finished milk tea. Casually. Without a shred of hesitation. Honestly… “What’s up, nya?” “Well, it’s fine, I guess.”
“Heehee~ ♡ It looks like you’re getting more and more used to cuddling with Akari-chan now~”
I mean, considering we’ve been reunited for a while, I suppose I’ve gotten used to it.
“Mm-hmm! I remember the taste of the milk tea! I’ll make some at home for you next time~ ♡”
“Serious business. You can even replicate bubble milk tea?”
“Definitely! I’m just making all sorts of things to make my husband happy, that’s all~ ♡” “What a wonderful wife you are.” We start walking again.
Tehehe~ ♡ Akari giggles like a mischievous child. “Say, Okarin-sama?” “What’s up?”
“You just called me ‘wife’ earlier, right? ♡” … …I screwed up. “It slipped out.”
“Oh~ I see. So you’ve reached the point where your mouth just slips and calls Akari-chan ‘wife,’ huh~ ♡ Hehehe ♡”
Akari looks back, bends forward, and laughs. “I’m so happy ♡”
“You always look happy about everything.”
“Of course! If I’m with Karin, everything is fun and wonderful!”
“Come to think of it, the Inugami couple said exactly the same thing.”
“Isn’t that where every couple ends up? Invincible without even having to try.” Maybe he’s right…
After leaving the movie theater, we just wandered around. It wasn’t painful in the slightest, though.
“Karlin! It’s a baby goods store! Let’s buy some stuff for our future!”
“Yes, yes, let’s go check out the arcade together over there.” “Sounds good~ ♡”
We moved into the game center inside the mall. My eyes caught sight of the crane games.
“Oh, it’s a Digmas crane game! Really, Digmas merchandise is everywhere, huh~”
“It’s a hit title, so I guess that’s only natural.”
As someone involved in the work and a member of the publishing company, I feel incredibly proud.
“I’m doing this one~! I’m gonna grab Choby’s plushie!”
Akari inserted a 100-yen coin and operated the crane.
I reached for the deformed Chobi plushie lying around in the center…
“Aaah! I failed… tch… again!”
Akari spent about five hundred yen operating the crane, but she couldn’t get a single prize.
“Ugh… it’s too hard~. O Karin-chan, do it!” “Me? Well, sure.”
But I’ve never even been to an arcade before, let alone played claw machines… Still, worth a shot.
“Maybe I actually have some gaming talent!” But… miss… “…yeah, exactly…”
It’s not exactly easy to win, though. “Well, that’s fine too.” “Yeah.” We left the arcade.
“Aren’t those crane games a little too loose?”
“I thought so too. They don’t seem to want anyone winning.”
“Stores always make it hard to grab the prize, don’t they? It’s annoying~”
“Well, it’s their business, so you can’t really blame them.”
As I laughed awkwardly, Akari smiled back.
「Next time, I’ll study super hard so I can actually win one!»
“You’re seriously really dedicated to studying.”
“For sure! I’m not great at the kind of studying that requires brainwork, but games and cooking—those are my strong suits!” After the crane game… Again, window shopping.
Akari seemed interested in a lot of things, so they browsed through stylish shops like clothing stores and accessory boutiques.
But she was satisfied just looking at the items and would leave the store. “You’re seriously a frugal one.” Akari had a part-time job.
Yet she didn’t touch any of that money, saving it all as funds for the future instead.
“Mmh. Weddings seem to cost a lot of money, though~” “Are you already saving up for it?”
“For sure! I want a gorgeous wedding dress! And I wanna have like five different looks during the ceremony!”
Akari is always full of dreams.
She talked about her future with genuine happiness. …Or rather, from another perspective.
This girl rarely talked about the past.
From elementary school until their reunion, there was a blank span of several years.
Something definitely happened to her.
But she absolutely refuses to talk about it, even now that our relationship has warmed up. “Akari-san? What’s wrong?” “Ah, no…”
The desire to know and the urge to leave it alone are at war within me.
The deeper I get involved with her, the stronger my curiosity about the unknown parts of her becomes.
But I don’t know if I’m allowed to touch on those things.
“Being with people is complicated,” I said. “Hm… is that so?”
Akari laughed brightly and kissed my cheek.
Even though we were in public, even though I was an old man—this girl really doesn’t care about such things.
“I like you, and you like me. So let’s be together. Isn’t that enough?” Akari turned her smile toward me.
“See, the Nishigawa family said it too, right? That just being together is enough. Probably… it’s not that complicated for a man and a woman to be in a relationship, as long as there’s that feeling of liking each other.” …Indeed, they were right.
Mr. Nishigawa was Japanese, and his wife was Russian.
There must have been all sorts of obstacles they had to overcome.
Even so, right now, I was able to smile just as happily as before.
It must have been because of the feeling of affection Akari spoke of.
Even without a shared language, even with the age gap, if there is that feeling of liking someone…
“Go ahead and like me casually, okay? Like me already ♡”
Once again, Akari pecked my lips with a kiss. ……That feeling of liking.
Since I started dating Misae up until today, I’d been engaged in a twisted romance, never really understanding what it meant to like someone. But…
The desire to be by your side, the joy found in being there…
The longing to know that person better, the wish to feel close to them…
If that’s what it means to like someone, then perhaps I’ve come to like Akari. That was the thought crossing my mind.