Chapter 39: Let’s Fall in Love!

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The setting sun hung low, and the curtain of night slowly rose, enveloping the horizon.

At the entrance of Tokyo Starry Sky Cinema, young men and women walked together in groups, flowing in and out of the theater, each face aglow with smiles. They chattered incessantly about the movie they had just watched, or debated where they might go for something to eat afterward.

“Wow, Yuta Okkotsu really is so handsome!”

Saying this, a boy dressed in a high school uniform struck a classic summoning pose and shouted, “Rika!”

“So cool, the pure-hearted warrior—Ohnishi, you’re amazing!” a classmate praised from the side.

Suddenly, Ohnishi Toru seemed to notice something, his whole body stiffened, and he slowly withdrew from his chuunibyou pose.

“Hey, look over there, what a kawaii girl!”

Following his gaze, a blonde beauty sat carelessly on the steps at the entrance. Her legs, clad in black stockings, were pressed together and perched elegantly on the next step. Although she attracted plenty of attention, not a single person dared approach her. No one wanted to risk provoking her.

For her delicate face was filled with anger.

“She’s pretty, but she looks hard to approach. I still prefer the Sagiri Izumi type—soft and adorable,” Kayama Bow said longingly.

“I wish her little feet would just step on me, Ohnishi.”

But Ohnishi Toru heard none of this; he simply stared in a daze at the girl.

The girl’s expression was one of clear annoyance. She brushed her hair back from her ear, revealing a soft, rosy earlobe.

In that instant, though autumn had already arrived, Ohnishi Toru felt as if his own spring was beginning. Just like a protagonist in an anime, he found himself encountering a lone, beautiful girl in a scene like this.

Fall in love, Ohnishi!

Kiyora Miron sat at the cinema entrance, her fingers flying across her phone’s screen, muttering with annoyance under her breath.

That fat idiot actually dared to stand her up?

They had agreed to meet at six sharp, and now it was already twenty past six. Miron had even arrived early, getting to the Starry Sky Cinema at half past five.

Why so early? Well… wasn’t it because she was afraid that idiot would show up ahead of time and fret over waiting for her? She wanted to prove she was different from other girls, that she was generous…

That’s always how it goes in dramas! Boys show up early, waiting for their beloved with gentlemanly patience. But not only had Kasuga Haruhi failed to arrive early, he was absent even after the agreed time!

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He made such a beautiful girl wait for him at the entrance for over forty minutes!

Unforgivable! And he only just replied to her messages!

When Kasuga Haruhi finally arrived, Kiyora Miron was determined to check his phone, to see what that thing was actually for—he never replied to her messages!

That damned bastard!

“Kayama, I think I’m in love…” Ohnishi Toru murmured, dazed.

“Huh? What? What are you saying, Ohnishi?” Kayama Bow was momentarily bewildered.

“I… I mean, love has come…”

At that moment, Kiyora Miron appeared in Ohnishi’s eyes as a goddess seen through a rose-tinted lens; every gesture, every expression tugged at his heartstrings.

Go for it, Ohnishi! March toward your love! Fall in love!

Ohnishi Toru hyped himself up inwardly, replaying every romance anime he’d ever seen in his mind.

Should he pretend to stumble and fall? Or “accidentally” drop something at her feet?

He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and strode resolutely toward love.

“Damn, damn!” Kayama Bow snapped out of it just in time to see his friend’s determined charge.

His buddy was off to chase his true love. Though he felt a pang of reluctance, he could only sigh and watch the retreating figure. “Go on, pursue your love, Ohnishi!”

Yet, just as Ohnishi Toru moved forward, his steps froze halfway.

A tall figure had arrived before the blonde beauty—a boy, who seemed to have come running, slightly out of breath.

Kiyora Miron climbed several steps higher, positioning herself to look down imperiously at Kasuga Haruhi.

Her arms folded across her chest, the anger and dissatisfaction faded from her eyes, replaced by a cold, calm indifference.

Kasuga scratched his head. Seeing the young lady’s demeanor, he realized this would take at least two dinners to resolve.

“Hmph!” Miron said nothing, only snorted haughtily, tossing her golden hair and turning her back to him with regal disdain.

Perhaps that guy was just trying to hit on her?

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Ohnishi Toru tried to comfort himself—yes, that must be it. The guy must have failed to pick her up, so he had to try harder!

With renewed vigor, Ohnishi strode toward the blonde beauty once more.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

Kasuga Haruhi, seeing Kiyora Miron suddenly double her pace, hurried after her, reaching out to wrap an arm around her slender waist.

But in her anger, Miron’s speed and agility were at their peak—she dodged like a character with maxed-out stats!

Still, she could not escape Kasuga Haruhi’s grasp. Even through her white blouse, he could feel the youthful elasticity of her skin.

Miron struggled a few times, but realizing escape was futile, she simply kept a stony face, refusing even to glance at him.

The moment Kasuga’s right hand circled her waist, he thought he heard the sound of a heart shattering.

Perplexed, he glanced around, and his gaze landed on a disheartened, ordinary-looking high school boy.

It was as if that boy’s whole world had collapsed—a picture of utter dejection.

This was not spring, or at least, not Ohnishi Toru’s spring.

At his side, Kiyora Miron noticed Kasuga Haruhi glance elsewhere, and in her anger, her cheeks puffed adorably with indignation.

That jerk! Even when she was angry, he dared to look away from her!

She lifted her petite foot and stomped hard on the top of his shoe, venting her annoyance. Ignoring his grimace of pain, she ground her foot into his a couple more times.

Finally, her dodging skills seemed to return to master level.

Kayama Bow walked over, patted the devastated Ohnishi Toru on the shoulder, and asked quietly,

“Want to come over and play some games tonight?”

...

Inside the theater, Haruhi managed, through coaxing and pleading, to take her soft little hand once more.

Come to think of it, this was the first time they’d gone to the movies together—Kasuga had actually forgotten, and that really was thoughtless.