I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 28

Chapter 28: The Post-Movie Fun and Our Shopping Trip

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When the lingering excitement finally began to calm down, Kaede stroked the bear she held in her arms and suddenly looked up at me.

“Then next, it’s my turn to get something you want, Yuuta-kun!”

“Hm? Nah, I’m fine.”

“Nope. It’d feel unbalanced if I just kept getting things. Go on, tell me anything you want?”

Anything, anything…Huh. There were few words harder to respond to than this kind of “anything.” Still, figures were pretty difficult to win and I wanted to keep her spending as light as possible. Thinking that, I pointed toward a nearby “mountain-stacked chocolate tower” type of UFO catcher.

“That one’s fine. See? The chocolate one.”

“Eh? Not a figure?”

“I’m not really interested. I’d be happier with something sweet.”

“Eeh… You don’t have to worry about my wallet that much, you know?”

“No, I seriously like chocolate.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Kaede stared intently into my face, then gave a small nod as if convinced.

“Okay then… Let’s go for chocolate!”

She sounded so motivated that I began feeling a little worried.

“No, you don’t have to get all fired up—”

“Let the battle begin!”

Kaede had already inserted a 100-yen coin. The claw descended slowly and scooped the edge of the pile.

Kyut.

…zazazazazaza!!

“Eh!?”

“Whoa!? Wait, isn’t that way too many!?”

A completely unexpected situation. The pile collapsed from the claw’s touch, triggering a chocolate avalanche. Tons of chocolates tumbled into the prize chute one after another.

“Eh, eh… Are we gonna get in trouble for this?”

“Nah, I think the settings are just ridiculously loose.”

“Really? The clerk won’t come over?”

“Even if they do, it’ll be the kind of situation where they say, ‘That’s just how it is.’”

I began stuffing the fallen chocolates into a bag with practiced movements. Kaede beside me kept switching between sparkling excitement and worried panic. But, every expression she made was cute somehow.

“…This is amazing. Not only did we break even, we’re basically in profit.”

“D-did we… Win?”

Kaede smiled brightly and declared.

“Next time I’ll bring enough money and win you a figure!”

“I said you don’t have to! Seriously!”

As we bantered back and forth, we held the chocolate-stuffed bag and walked through the noisy arcade. After that, we played a shooting game side by side, turning enemy fighters into beehives, and during the racing game—around the time my machine went off the course three laps in a row—I happened to check the time. The clock inside the building showed something alarming.

“Huh? Hiiragi-san, aren’t we cutting it close for the screening?”

“Eh? Ah, you’re right! Yuuta-kun, come on, run!”

The moment Kaede grabbed my wrist, my whole body slid forward across the arcade floor as she dragged me at high speed.

“Hey, you’re too fast! I’m not mentally ready yet—”

“Just dash!”

We practically dove into the theater, and while I pulled out the tickets, Kaede was already standing at the concession stand.

“Popcorn—caramel or salt, which do you want?”

“Uh, either is fine…”

“Then both! Ah, what about drinks?”

“Cola.”

Her reasoning made absolutely no sense, but her enthusiasm for movies came across painfully clearly. With both our hands full of snacks, we entered the theater and sat down.

“…Phew, we made it…”

“Hey, hey, Yuuta-kun. Sitting next to each other like this feels kind of nice, doesn’t it?”

Kaede subtly angled her seat toward me. This person was honestly terrifying in how unconsciously she shortened distance. Looking up at the screen, her expression was totally different from the chaos earlier—pure, innocent, and… Unfair.

“…I’m excited.”

“I’m glad.”

“By the way, what do you think happens after the last movie?”

“Hmm, I feel like there’s still one more twist coming.”

As we chatted happily, a low chime echoed through the theater. The signal for the movie to start. The room dimmed slightly, and the chatter slowly faded.

“Okay, time to focus.”

“Yeah.”

With that, the two of us turned our eyes toward the screen at the same time. A few hours later, the ending credits finished, and the lights slowly came back on. Kaede and I exhaled deeply at the same moment.

““Ahh… That was so good…!””

We were perfectly in sync. We exchanged a look, smiled awkwardly, and stood up from our seats.

“Hey, wasn’t that part with the ex-boyfriend childhood friend the best?”

“Right!? I thought, ‘Is the heroine gonna waver…?’ But then the protagonist just cleanly shut him down! It felt so good!”

“And the childhood friend’s comeback line was so weak!”

“‘You still have feelings left for me, right?’ Like… No way! Didn’t you think that?”

“I did. Everyone did.”

We left the theater still full of energy, our mood still stuck inside the movie. As we bought pamphlets and headed toward the exit…

“So… You’re coming to my place?”

“Yeah, that was the plan.”

“I knew it.”

“Of course. Ah, let’s do some shopping on the way.”

Kaede pulled a folded black reusable bag from her purse.

“…You came prepared.”

“Obviously?”

Apparently it really was obvious. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We entered the supermarket in the mall, and Kaede pushed a cart while tossing ingredients in at a steady rhythm.

“Ah, Yuuta-kun, is there anything you want to eat?”

I thought for a moment, then answered modestly.

“…Maybe stew-style hamburg steak.”

“Okay! Then two onions, breadcrumbs, mixed ground beef and pork, and…”

She answered instantly without hesitation. While tossing ingredients into the cart, she even recited the cooking steps out loud. Once we finished adding everything, we lined up at the register. As we prepared to pay, I spoke up.

“Hey, Hiiragi-san. You always do everything for me… So today I’m paying.”

“Eh…? But…”

Kaede’s eyes darted around and her fingers fiddled nervously with the edge of her bag. A face that said, “I want to be considerate, but refusing feels wrong too.”

“Come on, just let me. Here.”

I gently held out the money. Kaede stared for a moment, let out a small breath, then..

“…If you insist. Thanks.”

She accepted it quietly, but with obvious happiness. The cashier lady watched our exchange and smirked.

“You two get along so well.”

“N-no, that’s… I mean… Not… Wrong…?”

The cashier handed over the receipt with a satisfied little chuckle, and we left the store carrying a bag full of groceries. The walk home today felt heavier than usual, but warmer than usual too.

“Okay, let’s go. I’m looking forward to the stew-hamburg steaks.”

“Yeah.”

Kaede’s profile as she walked beside me lingered in my chest, different from the movie’s afterglow, but no less vivid.

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