The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 18: Date 2

Chapter 18: Date 2

The theater was dimly lit and bustling with people.

We had our tickets scanned at the entrance and stepped onto the carpeted hallway.

Soft fluorescent lights lined the ceiling at regular intervals. Posters of trending movies decorated the walls, each one looking more exciting than the last.

Movie theaters are strange places.

The mall outside was loud and lively, but the moment you stepped in, the atmosphere turned solemn and quiet.

Next to me, Runa was carrying a tray with popcorn and drinks. She seemed fidgety, which wasn’t surprising. I didn’t know much about it, but one of her favorite romance stories had finally been adapted into a movie.

“…A romance movie, huh.”

“Hm? Got a problem with that?”

“Not really. I’m just not used to them, so I don’t really get the whole heart-fluttering thing.”

It was true. I wasn’t familiar with romance movies. The whole “heart-throbbing” thing? No clue.

Runa mentioned the tagline for this movie was “The ultimate rush of love!” or something like that. For me, though, “thrills” came from the sheer terror of being stalked. That kind of thrill was on a whole other level.

“Good. I’d be worried if you did understand it.”

Runa muttered under her breath, looking a little annoyed.

I tilted my head, not quite understanding what she meant.

“Still, there’s something exciting about movie theaters, right? They kind of feel… out of the ordinary.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? …But, yeah, I guess they do.”

After some light conversation, we headed into the theater.

The reason for today’s outing was “so we won’t panic when we actually have a boyfriend or girlfriend.” And honestly, a movie theater seemed like the perfect place for that.

I wasn’t into romance movies, but I didn’t mind watching films in general.

Like most people, I enjoyed movies.

“Uh, our seats are… over there.”

Inside, the silence felt even deeper.

Trailers and ads played on the massive screen, which was too big to take in all at once. Even a boring movie trailer seemed exciting when shown like this. I couldn’t be the only one who felt that way.

I heard the occasional sigh or whisper from other viewers. Our seats were near the middle, slightly toward the back.

For a weekend movie without a reservation, these seats were surprisingly good.

Runa and I nodded politely as we squeezed past other people already seated. After setting down the tray, we sat down.

While I stashed my stuff under the seat, Runa tapped my shoulder and spoke in a low, hushed voice.

“Here. The special edition pamphlet.”

She handed me a small booklet.

The cover was packed with bright pinks, yellows, and other flashy colors. I flipped through the pages.

Apparently, you could follow the movie even if you hadn’t read the original story. But a little background knowledge seemed helpful. There were character introductions and a relationship chart. The characters seemed normal, but the chart… was filled with arrows and heart symbols everywhere.

As expected of a romance movie.

“Hey, doesn’t it look super fun?”

“The only thing I know for sure is that this movie is way out of my league. There are so many arrows and heart symbols, it looks like a full-on attack.”

“…Wow, that’s the worst.”

With my lack of romance experience, this movie felt a bit too advanced for me. I didn’t mind watching it, but I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it.

More than anything else, though…

I held the pamphlet up to partially hide my face and glanced around the theater. Just as I thought.

─An overwhelming number of couples.

Cuddling, whispering, flirting —the atmosphere was almost suffocating.

It was the weekend, and a romance movie at that. Of course, the theater was packed with couples.

To everyone else, maybe Runa and I looked like a couple, too… Nah. At best, I probably looked like a guy tagging along as a favor.

There was no way I matched up to Runa. She was way out of my league.

“Kyaa!”

At that moment, a sharp, loud sound effect blasted through the theater. I looked up to see a trailer for a cheesy monster movie —two giant creatures fighting it out in a flashy display of explosions and chaos.

“You okay? That was pretty sudden.”

“I-I’m fine. I didn’t get scared at all.”

“…Yeah, but you totally went ‘kyaa’—”

I chuckled, but then I noticed her face in the theater’s dim light. It was tinged a soft pink.

For once, the usually teasing Runa seemed flustered.

She pouted slightly and turned away.

“Don’t treat me like a kid!”

Runa raised her voice slightly, still careful not to disturb others. She pinched the back of my hand that was resting on the armrest. It hurt —a lot.

I hadn’t meant to treat her like a kid, but now that I thought about it, Runa did hate loud noises. Thunderstorms were the worst for her.

“Ow, okay, my bad. …You’ve always hated loud sounds. …Stop glaring at me.”

“You’re the one being mean, Shin-nii.”

She really couldn’t handle being teased. Honestly, I found that kind of cute. But if I said that out loud, she’d just get angrier, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Hey, it’s starting soon.”

“…Hmph.”

She was still glaring, but I smiled and pointed it out. The bright lights dimmed.

The movie was about to begin. The only problem? Her fingers were still pinching the back of my hand. It didn’t hurt anymore, but she wasn’t letting go.

“Uh, Runa-chan? Maybe let go of my hand now?”

“Nope. If there’s a loud sound, I’m pinching you again. Think about what you did until the movie’s over.”

“…Isn’t that punishment a bit too harsh?”

Yeah, she wasn’t letting go anytime soon. I could already imagine my hand turning bright red and going numb by the end of the movie.

The theater went completely dark. The iconic “movie thief” animation played, reminding everyone not to record the film.

After a brief safety announcement, the screen lit up.

—It was fate.

With those words, the sweet romance movie began. The curtain had risen.

(W-Whoa. That’s a chin lift.)

The first five minutes. The setting: a school.

We were already at the first big moment.

I glanced over and saw Runa’s face, dimly lit by the screen. She looked embarrassed but also excited by what was happening.

To be honest, her features were even more beautiful than the actors on screen. Thinking about how I was on this “pretend date” with her felt almost unreal.

“Kya! Oh no, no!”

In the next moment, the audience around us started to buzz.

Runa was one of them —her fingers unconsciously pinched my hand harder.

(Ugh… this is awkward.)

A classic scene: a chin lift followed by a kiss.

It was probably a staple in romance movies, but I had no idea how to react to it.

Runa quickly turned to face me, as if she couldn’t look at the screen anymore. Her eyes were shimmering, on the verge of tears.

“T-This is bad. Seriously bad!”

“…I get that it’s bad, but calm down. You’re about to peel the skin off my hand.”

“Is this movie always this intense?!”

Runa kept ignoring my comments, lost in her own flustered world.

Her confident nature mixed with this shy, embarrassed side was honestly kind of cute. The fact that this was the movie she wanted to see made it all the more entertaining.

…If I ever fell in love, what kind of boyfriend would I be?

Mimi had recently asked me what I’d do if I fell in love. I brushed off the question back then.

After spending so much time helping Hinata play matchmaker, romance felt like a mystery to me. Even that mistaken love letter turned out to be meant for Hinata.

Do you fall in love before dating?

Or do you date someone first and then fall in love?

There were probably all kinds of answers, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt lost.

Today was just “practice.”

We’d gone shopping, had lunch, and now we were at the movies. It was a textbook date plan.

And while it was fun, I still couldn’t imagine these feelings turning into something romantic.

Maybe it was because Runa was someone I knew so well. Friendship naturally came before romance.

It was our first real outing together. I thought it might give me some clues about dating, but—

“…It’s fine, isn’t it?”

A soft, smooth sensation slipped between my fingers.

Her slender hand intertwined with mine. She was holding my hand —a real, interlocked couple’s hold.

“Uh, well… Isn’t this a bit much for practice?”

“I don’t want to mess up when it really counts.”

Her hand held mine tightly. The warmth spread between us.

It felt like she had no intention of letting go. Maybe the movie had gotten to her; her voice sounded softer, almost a little sultry.

“…I see.”

“Yeah.”

I wondered why I didn’t pull away.

The last time we held hands like this was when we were kids. Now, we were both high schoolers.

“When I like someone, I want to be with them. Isn’t it the same for you, Shin-nii?”

“Yeah… it is.”

The closeness felt both awkward and strangely comforting.

But despite the awkwardness, I didn’t feel like pulling away.

Maybe the movie was affecting me too. That’s what I thought.

“…It might be practice, but it doesn’t feel like practice. I’m here thinking of this as the real thing.”

If the stalker really was watching us right now, maybe this was all part of her plan.

But her eyes held a seriousness that went beyond any plan.

Her hand was still warm in mine.