I Ended up Getting Close With the Class Madonna Who Keeps Rejecting Confessions, Saying She Doesn’t Plan to Date Anyone - Chapter 8

The movie theater entrance was dimly lit, giving it a special, almost exciting atmosphere.

Since it was spring break, the theater was pretty crowded. Maybe because a new movie from the popular anime Blue Raccoon had just come out, there seemed to be a lot of kids around.

“Do you want any drinks or popcorn?”

Since we had electronic tickets, we didn’t need to get them printed. I asked Shinoba as we walked toward the concession stand.

“Ah, um, what should we do?”

She gave a vague answer, maybe trying not to trouble me.

“…What do you usually do?”

“If I’m hungry, I might get something. But I just usually let the other person decide.”

“Then, since we missed lunch, let’s get something.”

“Hey, don’t make it sound like it’s my fault we missed lunch.”

“Just kidding.”

It was true that my schedule had been packed too tightly. I realized I should have included a little more free time, which was something to learn.

Deciding that, I joined the line at the end. Most of the people were families, but there were some students like us too.

I noticed a few pairs of boys and girls, probably couples. I doubted there were any fake couples like us.

“By the way, what movie are we watching today?”

“A romance called ‘Last Promise’.”

I had checked the reviews for currently showing movies yesterday, and this one didn’t look bad compared to the others.

“Do you like romance movies?”

“I don’t really dislike them, but I watch other kinds too.”

“Then why a romance movie today?”

“For a first date, a romance movie makes sense, right?”

“I’m not so sure, it might be a little heavy.”

Her careful and thoughtful answer made me look at her. She didn’t seem like she was just saying something random. Was I wrong again about what she’d enjoy?

“Ah, no, I’m fine with it. But since it’s the first date, something simple might be easier. You know, it feels like being forced to think about romance right from the start.”

“…I see.”

Thinking that a date always leads to romance was kind of naive.

In stories, that’s almost always how it works, but in real life, it’s not guaranteed. Even for us, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“But this movie is pretty popular.”

“Is it? I don’t really keep track of that stuff, but the reviews were good.”

“Then it should be fun. I’ve actually been wanting to see it.”

She let out a small, happy smile that didn’t seem fake at all. I felt like I could see her real feelings, not just her being polite.

Watching my carefully planned schedule get one rejection after another, I realized how foolish I’d been. This fake relationship was already teaching me a lot.

Before I knew it, the line moved, and it was our turn.

When the clerk asked what we wanted, Shinoba nervously glanced between the menu and my face.

There were single items, sets, a pair set, and a couple set…

“We’ll take the couple set.”

When I said it, Shinoba twitched slightly, and she reacted to the word couple.

It looked like a special price version of the pair set. The price was a little lower than usual. But there was a note, “※You must prove that you are a couple.”

“Yes, the couple set. Please prove that you are a couple.”

“P-prove we’re a couple!?”

Shinoba clearly panicked at the clerk’s words. Her face was red; she was definitely thinking we were doing something wrong.

“T-that means, w-w-w…”

“…Is this okay?”

I took Shinoba’s hand, which was about to pull away in surprise, and held it up so the clerk could see we were a couple.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

She chuckled softly as she started preparing our order.

“…That really surprised me.”

“It’s not a kiss. Idiot.”

“But.”

She let out a small sound and finally noticed that her hand was still in mine. She gripped it a little tighter.

“Um, what about the hand…?”

“We should keep holding it until we get the order.”

If I said we had to keep holding hands until the order arrived, then I had to follow through. I acted on impulse, but I don’t get many chances to grab a girl’s hand like this.

When I said that, her fingertips moved slightly, as if searching for my hand.

“…I see… yeah. Still, you could be a little more nervous about this.”

Caught in her gaze, I quickly looked away.

“I am nervous inside.”

Just like when we shook hands to make the contract the other day in my room, her hand was really soft.

＊

The movie was about a boy and a girl in a university film club.

The main character, Akito, both wrote scripts and acted in the films. The heroine, Sana, was stunningly beautiful.

Sana was the type who expressed the feelings she understood through her acting. Because of this, and since she had no real experience with romance, she had never been chosen for lead roles.

But for this film, her look was perfect for the role, so she was chosen. Wanting to meet the expectations, Sana asked Akito something.

“Just until we finish filming, please go out with me!”

Akito knew she acted based on real feelings and realized she was taking her work very seriously. So he accepted her confession.

And that’s how their pretend romance began.

“…”

That’s not a bad start. The story was clear and gave information when needed without any wasted time.

The characters felt realistic, yet each had their own struggles, which made me want to keep watching. I crossed my arms and got absorbed in the story.

I glanced at Shinoba sitting next to me. Her mouth was slightly open as she was fully focused on the movie. She seemed to be enjoying it.

But then I thought.

The relationship between Akito and Sana.

Even though the reasons leading up to it were different, it almost felt like―.