Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists? - Chapter 26: Do You Like Tailing? 3

Chapter 26: Do You Like Tailing? 3

Akaishi was gradually becoming more relaxed and casual with Hachiya.

The kind of familiarity he felt with Suda was starting to emerge, just a little, with Hachiya.

He was beginning to see Hachiya as someone he could be at ease with.

“Hey, what am I supposed to do with this one-liter milk…?”

“Drink it. It’ll help you grow.”

“Grow where!?”

“Stop with the dirty assumptions. Your height. It’s fine, right? You’re supposed to be a country bumpkin girl, so milk and jam buns go well together.”

“Stop calling country people bumpkins! You’ll get in trouble!”

“Well, I’m not exactly city-bred either, so I guess I’m a bumpkin guy.”

“This guy…?”

Hachiya glared at Akaishi with narrowed eyes.

Ending the aimless banter, Akaishi took out his food.

“You’d better eat quick. Sakurai and them might come out.”

“That’s…”

Hachiya looked at Akaishi’s food.

Vegetable juice and a nutritional supplement.

“Your Akaishi-ness is off the charts with that. Even your food choices are so rational.”

Hachiya looked slightly dumbfounded at his food.

Akaishi was a bit surprised, realizing she understood his rational personality to some extent.

“Fine, I’ll take yours then. Swap.”

“Huh… It’s not like we’re getting anywhere, so sure. But have you ever seen a guy chugging a liter of milk and eating jam buns on a bench?”

“Your fault!”

Hachiya’s indignation ended their exchange.

※

Akaishi chugged the one-liter milk.

“Honestly impressive.”

“Thanks.”

Akaishi tossed the trash and resumed watching Sakurai and Suijou.

Since they were inside the café, their voices weren’t audible anymore.

“I’m curious what they’re talking about…”

Hachiya, sweating nervously, kept watching.

But Akaishi had already pieced together the situation.

First, the assumption that Sakurai invited Suijou on a date.

Given his desire to maintain a harem, that’s unlikely.

So, he needed an excuse to invite her.

Akaishi looked at Hachiya.

“Have you heard Sakurai has a sister?”

“Huh… Yeah, but what’s that got to do with it?”

Bingo.

Akaishi was certain his hypothesis was correct.

“Do you know when Sakurai’s sister’s birthday is?”

“No way I’d know that.”

“Is Suijou, like, Sakurai’s childhood friend?”

“Now that you mention it, Sousuke did say Shiorin was his childhood friend…”

Confirmed.

Sakurai must’ve asked Suijou to help pick a birthday gift for his sister. Akaishi was sure of it.

An excuse like acting practice could work, but there’s no reason for that here.

Pretending to be a boyfriend is a rom-com staple, but that didn’t fit either.

In rom-coms, a sister is essential. Protagonists often adore their sisters, and sisters love their brothers.

Given Sakurai’s adherence to rom-com tropes, he likely asked Suijou, his childhood friend who knows his sister, to help pick a gift.

That’s the excuse, the justification.

Akaishi concluded in his mind.

“Sakurai probably asked Suijou to help pick a birthday gift for his sister.”

“…? How do you know?”

Hachiya looked puzzled.

Still so dense, Akaishi thought, exasperated.

But he couldn’t say, “You’re all like a rom-com protagonist and his entourage.”

Too sarcastic. Implying Sakurai has a favorite or that the entourage all like him would make them resent Akaishi.

Ruining their happy harem.

Turning their fun group into romantic rivals.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they thought that.

So, Akaishi stayed silent.

“Just a hunch and my insight.”

He brushed it off.

“Alright… We’ll find out if we keep following. …Oh.”

Sakurai and Suijou, chatting happily, stood up.

“Let’s follow!”

Akaishi and Hachiya stood and trailed them.

※

“A movie theater…”

“This is getting full-on date-like…”

Akaishi and Hachiya arrived at a movie theater.

“What now? We don’t know which movie Sakurai’s watching.”

“Wait.”

Hachiya silently pulled out her phone and opened “Tweek.”

She went to Sakurai’s account and scrolled through his posts.

“Let’s see… He’s watching a horror movie, ‘Madness of White Wings.’”

“He posted that too?”

“Yup!”

“I see…”

Too convenient.

Almost as if Sakurai posted for someone tailing him.

“Oh, Shiorin posted she’s watching the same movie. No mistake.”

As expected, Suijou posted too.

“…”

Akaishi nodded silently.

He didn’t want to think anymore.

For a moment, he gave up thinking.

To avoid being spotted, Akaishi and Hachiya watched the same movie.

※

“““Eek!”””

Screams echoed through the theater.

Far diagonally from Akaishi and Hachiya, Suijou clung to Sakurai’s shoulder, and he held hers.

Akaishi—

“Whoa…”

He was overwhelmed by the movie.

Hachiya wasn’t a horror movie fan.

But, fitting her wild persona, her boldness kept her from clinging to someone out of fear.

“Not bad, pretty scary.”

But “Madness of White Wings” was far scarier than she expected.

Her legs trembled, and she sweated coldly.

Still, she acted aloof, devouring popcorn.

Glancing at Akaishi, she saw him leaning forward, engrossed.

She whispered.

“Didn’t know you were into movies. Thought you’d say, ‘Fiction’s a waste of time.’”

Akaishi frowned and turned.

“I don’t think that. I don’t come to theaters much, but since we’re here, might as well enjoy it. Not enjoying it would be the real waste.”

“I see…”

Nodding, Hachiya turned back to the screen.

She thought about Akaishi’s nature.

It felt oddly out of sync with the Akaishi she knew, suspicious.

Maybe she still misunderstood him.

But she glimpsed his hidden side.

Deep down, beyond his rationality, Akaishi wanted to enjoy entertainment, post cherry blossom selfies with friends on “Tweek,” and goof off.

She felt she’d touched the surface, the tip, of Akaishi’s true self.