Chapter 115: Aquarium date (3)

Eh, eh, eh, eeeeeeh?!

Like a malfunctioning robot, all I could think was “Eh?”
A-A-Aya… kissed me…
Eh, eeeeeeh?!

“A-A-Aya…”

It was a light peck, like our first kiss on the beach in Okinawa, just lips brushing against lips. Not a deep, passionate kiss… but it was still shocking.

Aya, the one who’d initiated the kiss, was blushing furiously, her face even redder than mine, and quickly averted her gaze.

“…Now you’re not thinking about anyone else, right?”

Her voice lacked conviction.

“Uh, uh, y-yeah… Anyone else… Ehehe… I’m not… Aya is… good, but that was so sudden, eeeee…!”

But… it was effective.
My words were jumbled, my heart was racing, and my face felt like it was on fire. Just then, the elevator doors opened with a ding. I quickly grabbed Aya’s hand and pulled her out into the hallway.

“Rina…?”

Aya walked beside me, looking at me cautiously. Her cheeks were also flushed crimson.
I covered my burning face with my hands and mumbled,

“I… I was just… surprised… it was so sudden…”
“I didn’t expect to do that either… You didn’t… dislike it, did you, Rina?”

Aya asked cautiously. I quickly shook my head.

Aya seemed relieved by my answer.
Her relieved smile was so beautiful…

We were both too embarrassed to look at each other, so we walked hand-in-hand in silence until we reached the entrance of the movie theater.

“So… what movie should we watch…?”
“Uh, yeah… What do you think…?”

We stood in front of the ticket machine in the lobby, still flustered from the kiss.

Then Aya pointed at the screen.

“Rina, how about this one? Revenger’s Diary. It’s an action movie… Is that okay?”
“Uh… Yeah! Of course! Action movies are fun!”

‘Aya likes rock music… and action movies… Does she just like things that explode…?’

Aya, despite being a model student, had some… unexpected preferences.
I preferred lighthearted romantic comedies… but since I had the memories of my past life as a man, I didn’t mind action movies.

The poster for Revenger’s Diary featured a familiar East Asian actress. Her name was written in katakana as “So Ye-eun,” so it must have been the actress I knew. She seemed to be playing the role of the protagonist’s mentor.

Aya selected the movie, paid, and then handed me a ticket with a shy smile.

“Here, Rina.”
“Thanks, Aya…”

****

The movie theater was dark and quiet. We settled into our comfortable seats with our popcorn and soda, wondering what the movie would be like. The poster had featured explosions and flying cars, so I assumed it would be a typical action flick.

The movie began, the intro played, and then the action scenes started. Aya, as expected, seemed to enjoy the action, her hands clenched into fists as she munched on popcorn.

Having been a man in my past life, I also enjoyed the action scenes. The fight choreography was impressive, and the explosions and car chases kept me on the edge of my seat.

But as the movie progressed past the halfway point… the atmosphere shifted subtly.

The female protagonist, a secret agent, got injured, and her male colleague quickly scooped her up and carried her to safety. I’d just started to think, ‘Wait, this is getting a little weird,’ when…

[I was so worried. If anything happened to you…]
[Don’t be silly. I’m not going anywhere without you.]

They looked into each other’s eyes, reciting their lines, and then… they started kissing. A long, passionate kiss.

I felt a jolt, as if electricity was coursing through my body.

‘Huh? Wait, what? Eh?’

This was supposed to be an action movie!
Why was there a romantic scene here?! So this was what it meant… they said women could feel the emotions of a romantic scene just by watching it… I’d read about it in web novels, but seeing it visually was a completely different experience.

I glanced at Aya, and her face was bright red. She was blushing, her hand covering her mouth, her gaze fixed on her lap.

“…”

We sat in silence, staring at the screen, speechless. The couple on screen continued their passionate kiss, and my heart pounded in my chest. Embarrassed, my face burning, I covered my eyes with my hands, but I peeked through my fingers.

‘No, no…! Don’t look…! Kurosawa Rina…!’

But I couldn’t help myself. I glanced at Aya again, and she was also peeking through her fingers, her face hidden behind her hands.

My face felt like it was on fire. This… this was a bit much for a date, wasn’t it?!

“Wh-What should we do…?”

I mumbled softly, and Aya replied quietly,

“I… I chose this because it was an action movie, but why…”

The camera zoomed in on the kissing couple, and we both covered our faces again.

‘Aaaaagh! This movie is weird!’

The movie returned to its action-packed scenes, but the fire had already been lit. We sat there, barely watching the rest of the movie. I could hardly remember anything that happened after that scene.

When the movie ended and the lights came on, we glanced at each other and then quickly looked away, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

“W-We should… choose a better movie next time… right?”

I mumbled, and Aya nodded awkwardly, a faint smile on her face.

“Yeah… That was a bit… much for a date, wasn’t it?”

Aya’s embarrassed voice was… cute.
We sat there for a while, even after the end credits had finished rolling, and then slowly got up. We threw away our half-eaten popcorn and soda and walked out of the theater, hand in hand. Aya’s hand was… a little warm.

****

The final stop on our date was… a cute café.

“I heard this place is famous. It has private rooms and cute themes… I found it online.”

Stepping inside felt like entering another world.
Everything, from the floor to the ceiling, the tables and chairs, was pure white.

A world where objects were defined only by shadows. Even the desserts displayed in the glass case were mostly white, creating the illusion that the entire world had turned monochrome.

“Rina, this place is so beautiful…!”
“Right! I thought it would suit you perfectly, Aya…!”

As I’d expected, Aya looked stunning in this setting. A splash of blue – her beautiful eyes – against the pristine white backdrop.

“Aya, you look so beautiful. Let’s take a picture!”
“…Okay.”

Aya blushed, but she happily posed for a picture.
Since she usually wore white dresses, it felt like the only colors in the room were her skin and eyes.

Aya, resting her chin on her hand, her arm on the table, looked like a blue jewel on a white canvas.

“Wow… Aya, you’re perfect!”
“I’ll take a picture of you too.”

Aya took my phone and took some pictures of me. I tried to look as innocent and pretty as possible, matching the café’s atmosphere.

“Rina, you’re so cute. They turned out great.”
“Heehee, thanks!”

We took pictures of each other and selfies, enjoying the unique atmosphere of the café.
After a while, the staff member brought our order: a snow-white milk cream cake, milk tea with pure white cream, and warm milk in pristine white cups.

“Wow, there’s really nothing but white here.”
“I know… It’s almost too pretty to eat.”

Aya admired the beautiful cake, taking pictures with her phone. I also took some pictures and, after a moment of hesitation, posted them on my Twitter account.

“Thanks to you, Rina, I’m having so many new experiences today.”
“I wanted to have a special day with you, Aya.”
“I’m looking forward to more days like this, Rina.”
“Me too!”

We savored the sweet desserts in the white café, wishing this moment could last forever, promising ourselves to erase any lingering shadows between us.