An Encounter at the Cinema

Weekends were days everyone looked forward to. Some took the opportunity to rest when the holiday arrived, while others stayed in their rooms for two days and nights, playing games and watching anime.

Then there were those who used that time to spend with the people they loved.

Normally, Hachiman Hikigaya fell into one of the first two categories, but today, that was about to change dramatically.

"Hey, Hikigaya!"

At the call, the surrounding gazes were drawn toward her, and Hikigaya lifted his eyes from his phone.

Looking toward the source of the voice, he saw Sato, dressed casually and smiling as she ran toward him.

That was right. Invited by Sato, Hikigaya was about to go on the first real date of his life.

Hikigaya and Sato had always been fairly close. Even the small group Sato usually hung around with knew Hikigaya well.

Apparently unable to hold back her feelings any longer, Sato had decided to make the first move and invite Hikigaya to the shopping center that weekend.

When faced with an invitation from a girl, Hikigaya had agreed without a second thought.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just got here too."

Sato breathed a sigh of relief, a happy smile on her face.

"Then let's go."

"Okay."

The boy and girl entered the shopping center, their distance from each other unconsciously very close.

They bought tickets for the next screening, then wandered around the shopping center for a while beforehand.

"Hmm... Is this a new flavor? It looks really good... but I still want this flavor."

While browsing the mall, Sato found herself torn between two different flavors of snacks on the shelf.

Hikigaya took a look. They were ordinary snacks he saw all the time. If it were him, he would probably just choose both.

He really did not understand girls, those creatures who could spend ages thinking and wasting time when there was such a quicker way to decide.

"Hikigaya, which flavor would you choose?"

Unable to decide, Sato chose to ask for help.

"I'd choose both."

"Eh? I want to do that too, but I don't have nearly enough points."

Sato looked like a deflated balloon, utterly disappointed.

Seeing that, Hikigaya put both bags of snacks into the cart and said, "It's fine. Consider it my thanks for going on a date with me. I'll cover the points from here on out, so just buy whatever you want."

Sato froze slightly, then showed an embarrassed expression.

"Oh, come on. I was the one who invited you. How did it end up the other way around?"

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"Even if you say that..."

Sato secretly felt delighted. Does that mean he actually wanted to go on a date with me too?

Even with Hikigaya's assurance, Sato did not go on a shopping spree. She merely bought a few snacks, nothing that would add up to an amount that would trouble Hikigaya.

After spending a few hundred points in total, Hikigaya took the bags himself, and the two headed toward the cinema.

"Hikigaya, do you usually like horror movies?"

Hikigaya's mouth twitched. "They're okay. I watch them occasionally."

"Eh, I really like horror movies, but I'm pretty timid. I can't work up the courage to watch one alone.

So..."

Sato gave Hikigaya a shy sidelong glance. "I might suddenly grab onto you."

"Hm?"

"Like this."

Sato demonstrated for Hikigaya. Before he could react, she wrapped both hands around his arm.

A shy blush on her face, Sato nervously waited for Hikigaya's response.

This was also her way of testing him.

If he was not interested in her, he would probably pull his arm away immediately.

Several seconds passed, but Hikigaya's arm did not move at all. He simply let her hold it.

"Do you understand now?"

Sato released his arm and continued toward the cinema.

"Yeah, that works."

Hikigaya nodded calmly, expressing his approval of that behavior.

Almost every guy who went to see a horror movie with a girl probably hoped for this moment to happen.

A scary scene appeared, then the heroine hugged the hero's arm and buried her head deeply against it, while the hero took the opportunity to embrace her.

It was practically a scene made specifically for dates!

Soon, the two arrived at the cinema. After having their tickets checked, they found their seats and sat down together, waiting for the movie to begin.

This was the third time Hikigaya had come to the cinema since entering this school.

And the person accompanying him each time had been a completely different girl.

Hikigaya was already very familiar with the atmosphere of the cinema, so he did not feel particularly nervous or excited.

On the other hand, Sato, who looked like someone who watched movies often, had an especially expectant look in her eyes.

Could this movie be some kind of international blockbuster?

Her reaction made Hikigaya look forward to it a little more.

"Eh? Isn't that Hikigaya?"

"Maya? What are you doing here too?"

Voices rang out from both sides at once, and the speakers looked at each other curiously.

Ah, his luck was ridiculously good!

He had only come out to watch a movie during the holiday, yet he had run into four classmates at the same time.

And they were the two most famous couples in the class.

Hirata and Karuizawa, Yamauchi and Kushida.

All three groups looked surprised, but with the movie about to start, they did not exchange many greetings so as not to disturb the other students, and simply went to their seats.

Hikigaya had never believed in something like fate before, but today, he had to admit defeat.

Not only had the six of them unexpectedly run into each other, even their seats were right next to one another.

As the two girl friends met, Hikigaya and Hirata both took the outermost seats, allowing the girls to sit in the middle and happily whisper to each other.

Hikigaya's and Hirata's gazes met. The latter gave him a helpless look, and Hikigaya nodded back.

"Hey, Hikigaya, are you here with Sato?"

Yamauchi nudged Hikigaya with his elbow, his gossiping spirit blazing.

"We just came out to watch a movie together. It's not at the level you and Kushida are at."

Hikigaya did not hide anything and stated the truth openly.

"No way. How far have you two gotten?"

Yamauchi wore a wicked grin. From his eyes, Hikigaya could practically see a lewd gleam.

What an obvious thought!

"We're not like what you're imagining. We're only ordinary friends for now."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Yamauchi waved his hand with a dirty grin, as if saying, No need to explain. I understand.

Beside him, Kushida gave Hikigaya an apologetic yet helpless smile. Behind that smile, a trace of disdain flashed through her eyes.

Hikigaya caught that barely noticeable detail.