The Woman Whose Life I Saved Turned out to Be the Mother of the Popular Twin Sisters in My Class - Chapter 10 - Movie First-Date

Chapter 10 – Movie First-Date

There were many times before when I went to the theater because there was a movie I wanted to see, but this was the first time in my life that I had decided what movie to see after arriving at the theater.

“Is there a movie you want to see, Kotobuki?”

“I told you to call me Yuzuki, not Kotobuki. Even Hikari can be called Kotobuki, so you need to differentiate between us.”

Even though I’m already using “Kotobuki” for Hikari and Yuzuki separately, she still doesn’t accept that reasoning.

It makes me nervous to call a girl by her first name, especially since I haven’t done that with anyone other than Shuka before.

I had this plan to call them by their first names only when the sisters are around, but it seems I’ll have to give that up.

“So, is there a movie you want to see?”

“What about you, Ao-kun?”

“It’s embarrassing when you call me that.”

“Well, now that you’ve said that, I can’t stop.”

And then Yuzuki smiled mischievously. Wow, that’s mean.

“…I quite like mystery films.”

Looking at the titles lined up, it seemed like they didn’t have any mystery films.

There were a lot of titles like theatrical versions of popular anime, horror films, animal films, and sci-fi films.

“What about you, Yuzuki?”

“I like romance films. Also, well, horror films.”

Horror, huh?

I looked at the list of films again and saw a film called “Happy Death Parade.”

“There are different types of horror, though, right?”

“I guess I like the ones that focus on jump scares.”

“And blood?”

“Either way, I don’t mind it.”

Looking at the poster for “Happy Death Parade,” I saw a clown with a creepy grin. It had a dark atmosphere, so I’m guessing it’s one of those where people end up dead.

“Then, let’s go with that one?”

“Is that okay with you, Ao-kun?”

“I’m fine with it.”

It’s true.

There have been times when I’ve watched something and found it boring, but I’ve never shied away from it because of the genre.

Like that, we bought tickets.

The screening was set to start exactly ten minutes later. Perfect timing.

After a quick stop at the restroom, we headed to the theater.

The unique smell of the atmosphere unique to movie theaters made my heart pound with excitement.

The main film hadn’t started yet, so the screen was still showing trailers. I think it’s amazing how most movie trailers look so interesting, but in reality, only a few of those movies are likely to be interesting enough to live up to the expectations.

“You read a lot of books, don’t you, Ao-kun?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I’m proud of how much I read, so if someone asked me what my hobbies are, I’d be able to answer proudly that it’s reading.

I turned towards Yuzuki and said yes.

“What kind of books do you read?”

“Various kinds, but I think a lot are mysteries. Sometimes sci-fi. I also read light novels, so I might read fantasy too.”

“You don’t really like romance stories?”

“It’s not that I dislike them, but I don’t usually pick it up on my own.”

When I said that, Yuzuki tilted her head and asked, “Why is that?”

Why?

When she asked me, I thought about it. There wasn’t any particular strong reason. It wasn’t like I stopped reading due to some trigger.

Or rather, when I thought about it…

“It’s hard to say why. There’s no reason. I guess it’s just that I’m not particularly interested in them. If I read them, I might find them surprisingly interesting.”

I realized I had probably never chosen a romance novel before.

Although there have been romance elements in other genres, I’ve never read a work that is based on romance itself.

It’s not that I dislike works that focus on the subtleties of emotions. In fact, I like them because they are interesting to read.

“…I actually read romance novels quite a bit. If you’re interested, I could lend you one of my recommendations, Ao-kun.”

Yuzuki looked up at me hesitantly. I wonder if she’s thinking that she might be acting bothersome.

For me, it was an offer I couldn’t pass up.

“Really? That’ll be a great help.”

“Really? You don’t find it bothersome?”

“Of course not. When I pick books myself, I tend to go for similar styles. That’s why getting recommendations from someone else is refreshing.”

“But it might not suit your tastes.”

“That’s okay. It’d still be something new to discover.”

Everything is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When you encounter a work, you see a new landscape. As a result, you realize something different from before.

And this is not limited to works of art. The same applies to people.

In fact, by meeting Yuzuki, I’ve gained new realizations.

“You see…”

Just as Yuzuki was about to say something, the theater got dark.

It seemed the trailers were ending and the main film was about to begin.

Realizing this, she shifted her gaze toward the screen. I guess she’ll continue what she was about to say later.

Sensing this from her subtle actions, I, too, directed my eyes toward the screen.

I’d never watched a horror movie in a theater before. I wonder just how scary it will be.

◇

After the movie, I was guided to a pasta restaurant by Yuzuki. According to her, she’d researched it online, and it had good reviews.

After placing our order, we decided to start our discussion of the movie.

I moistened my lips with a glass of cold water before speaking.

“How was it?”

There was no need to mention what it was about. The flow of the conversation made it obvious I was talking about the movie.

“Yeah, I thought it was interesting.”

Yuzuki put her hand on her chin and spoke modestly while glancing at me. She seemed to be asking for my opinion.

“What about you, Ao-kun?”

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t bad.”

The story was set in an abandoned amusement park. There was a bad rumor going around, and a curious person who heard it went to the park to investigate, getting caught up in various situations. It was a cliched story.

Or rather, in this case, it should be called a classic. In other words, the scenario was a series of developments that would appeal to horror fans.

Each attraction in the amusement park had a disturbing backstory, and one by one, the group’s members met their demise in connection with those attractions. As the number of victims increased, the survivors finally uncovered the truth, and the protagonist managed to escape in the end.

“So it wasn’t good either?”

“Well, the ending was kinda off.”

“Isn’t it a happy ending because they escaped safely?”

“Their friends died. If they escaped at the expense of most of their friends, can you really call that a happy ending?”

I like happy endings.

But I don’t like endings that leave it up to us to interpret, endings that assume a sequel, and especially bad endings.

If I’m going to enjoy a work, I want it to end on a good note.

It’s not that bad endings are bad. There are people out there who like them, and depending on the story, bad endings could be better.

But I don’t like them.

“That’s true…”

Yuzuki frowned when she heard what I said.

“If all the friends turned out to be terrible people, it might have been more satisfying in that case.”

“That’s true. There was no twist like that. It leaned more towards the tear-jerking type of storytelling.”

That’s true.

There was a scene where, just before dying in one of the attractions, a character reminisced about their memories with the protagonist while shedding tears. In fact, each character who died had a moment like that prepared for them.

It felt a bit overwhelming.

“That aspect didn’t sit well with me. But the way the story progressed was interesting. I also liked the unpredictable developments.”

“Right? How about that scene with the merry-go-round?”

We talked about movies for a while after that. It was interesting to see that we had different perspectives when we talked. Sharing thoughts is the best part of going to the movies with someone, and it’s really nice.

A movie first-date, huh…

While securing time to be together, we could share our impressions afterward, which provided a built-in topic of conversation.

I see.

A movie first-date can be really nice…