"Here's your duck neck, sir."
"Thank you."
Hikari reached out and took the bag handed to him by the clerk at the braised food shop, who wore a professional smile. After thanking her, he turned and walked toward the next stall.
Before hunting down the Minotaur, it was necessary to eat something to replenish his energy.
Earlier, although Natsuha had brought a lunchbox to the rooftop with him, he hadn't eaten much at the time. Too busy feeding Natsuha on the rooftop.
Since he couldn't return to the Tsubakihara household and couldn't enjoy Miss Mira's perfect cooking, it was as if Hikari hadn't eaten lunch at all.
So before heading to the movie theater, he bought some lunch along the way, just a casual meal.
There was oden, duck necks, chicken feet, and so on.
As he walked and ate, the movie theater Amakawa Kanade had mentioned wasn't far now. Suddenly, Hikari spotted a young woman running a stall up ahead. The stall glittered with small accessories that would catch any woman's eye.
At first, he just glanced and looked away, but remembering the resentful expression on Miss Mira's face during their video call when she heard he wouldn't be back for lunch, Hikari walked over to the stall.
"Hello, how much is this?", Hikari picked up a pretty round earring and asked the stall owner.
"Ah, 1,000, no… 500 yen is fine," Initially, seeing Hikari's school uniform, the stall owner quoted a prepared price. But upon noticing his youthful, fair face, the young woman immediately halved the price.
Hikari smiled, "Alright, I'll take it."
Though the earring was clearly cheap, just a trinket, giving it to Miss Mira when he returned to the Tsubakihara household would surely ease some of her dissatisfaction from him rarely coming home for meals lately.
While the stall owner packed it for him, Hikari suddenly thought of the girls probably still lying in his bed, Akane and Tachibana Yui, as well as Natsuha, whom he'd just "fed."
He immediately pointed at a few other well-made accessories, "I'll take these too. Pack them all up."
"Okay~", The young stall owner, likely a part-time college student, couldn't help but smile at Hikari, her "big customer."
"Handsome, you're still a high schooler, right? Since you're helping my business so much, I'll give you a freebie."
The young stall owner picked up a grotesque mask that had been mistakenly included in her stock and handed it to Hikari.
Hikari nodded indifferently and accepted the gift.
———
In front of the movie theater, a lone figure with long, flowing hair stood waiting.
Amakawa Kanade wore a blue knee-length skirt, a red bag slung over her shoulder, and two 'X'-shaped hair clips adorning the smooth hair at her temples. Her delicate outfit perfectly accentuated her slender, curvaceous, and well-developed figure—clearly the result of careful preparation.
After all, this was the club's first group activity. After class, Amakawa Kanade had rushed home, taken a quick shower, changed out of her uniform into this pretty dress, spritzed on perfume, and arrived at the theater an hour before the movie started.
But to her disappointment, shortly after arriving, Nishida Hajime, the president of the Film Screening Club and the organizer of this event, messaged her to say he couldn't make it.
["Amakawa, I'm really sorry… Relatives came over today, so I can't join you all for the movie,"] Nishida's message read.
["Can't you greet your relatives, have lunch, and then come to the theater?"], Amakawa Kanade had hoped their first club activity could be attended by everyone.
["Sorry, but my relatives brought their kids. If I leave, they'll definitely go into my room."]
["What's in your room?"]
["I have anime figurines of female characters and some… uh, collectible manga. They're really important to me. If I'm not home, those kids will definitely wreck them. So… sorry."]
Hearing this, Amakawa Kanade sighed. Gentle by nature, though her tone carried disappointment, she still replied understandingly, ["Alright, I get it, Nishida."]
["Thanks, Amakawa! You're the best!"], Nishida sounded extremely grateful.
'Then why not just come to the theater?'
'As the president and organizer, skipping his own event, is that reasonable?'
Though she was generally very gentle, after dressing up and rushing over, Amakawa Kanade couldn't help feeling a bit upset.
["Oh, right! Amakawa, could you explain this to Matsuoka and Hikari for me?"]
["Sure, I will."]
["I really didn't mean to skip out on watching the movie with you all. It's just an emergency. I'm really sorry. Amakawa, just enjoy the club activity with Matsuoka and Hikari,"] Nishida's apologetic tone sounded quite sincere.
But for some reason, it only irritated Amakawa Kanade further.
["Uh-huh, got it. Nishida, you focus on protecting your figurines and collectible manga. I'll do my best to organize this club activity.""]
["Ah! That's great! Amakawa, you're seriously amazing!"], Nishida completely missed the irritation in her voice and instead seemed thrilled to be understood.
Click!
Amakawa Kanade hung up directly.
Looking around and seeing no one approaching, her expression darkened further after the call.
She thought about Nishida's words earlier, 'Nishida already bailed and confirmed he's not coming. Is Hikari not planning to show up either?'
She distinctly remembered reminding Hikari multiple times.
Opening her phone and seeing no response from Hikari, Amakawa Kanade's fair face showed a hint of anxiety.
She called Hikari to ask about his plans, but no one picked up. Her LINE messages to him also went unanswered.
'Hikari's even worse than Nishida… If you're not coming, can't you at least say so? Not even a reply…'
Remembering how she'd reminded Hikari repeatedly and the messages she'd sent him today, a wave of frustration rose in her heart, her face filled with disappointment.
Nishida Hajime and Hikari, the two boys in the club, were both so annoying.
One, the event organizer, didn't show up. The other, whom she'd reminded the most, didn't even reply. It was really too much.
("Just enjoy the activity with Matsuoka and Hikari…"), Nishida's parting words echoed in her ears.
Suddenly, the face of the third boy, Matsuoka Reiji, that frivolous-looking guy with dyed blond hair, flashed in her mind.
'Maybe Matsuoka Reiji isn't coming either? That'd be for the best.'
Though Matsuoka Reiji hadn't arrived yet either, Amakawa Kanade had zero expectations for this unwelcome guest with a bad reputation who'd suddenly decided to join the activity.
She hadn't even sent him a message or called him, because she didn't want this annoying, sleazy guy to show up. The thought of watching a movie with him was unbearable.
"Okay, Nishida's definitely not coming, gotta protect his figurines. Hikari's gone silent, probably not coming either. No need to wait for Matsuoka Reiji. Watching alone is the only and best option now," With only about ten minutes left before the movie started and the theater already allowing admission, Amakawa Kanade muttered to herself.
But just as she was about to turn and enter the theater, the last thing she wanted to happen did.
A figure with dyed blond hair and a frivolous expression walked straight toward her.
"Hey there, Kanade-chan!", Matsuoka Reiji quickly approached Amakawa Kanade, greeting her enthusiastically.
"Don't call me by my first name. We're not that close, Matsuoka," Amakawa Kanade took a few steps back, putting distance between herself and Matsuoka Reiji, who was trying to get too close.
"Fine, fine. Amakawa," Matsuoka Reiji flashed what he thought was a charming smile, but Amakawa Kanade took another step back.
Looking at Matsuoka Reiji's face, his unpleasant smirk, and especially the lecherous gaze that subtly but discomfortingly scanned her body from head to toe, Amakawa Kanade suddenly didn't want to watch the movie anymore.
Even though she'd been looking forward to this event for a long time, she really didn't want to watch it with someone like Matsuoka Reiji.
"Huh? Amakawa, where are you going? The movie's about to start," Matsuoka Reiji exclaimed in a panic as Amakawa Kanade suddenly turned to leave.
"I don't feel like watching anymore. I'm going home," Amakawa Kanade replied flatly.
"Eh? But we agreed to watch it together and then write a report, right? If we don't watch it now, isn't the ticket a waste? And what about Nishida and Hikari?", Matsuoka Reiji quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
Amakawa Kanade had no choice but to stop, "Nishida said he's not coming because of something urgent. Hikari probably isn't coming either."
Her tone carried a hint of dejection as she spoke.
She didn't care about Matsuoka Reiji. In fact, she'd prefer if he didn't come. But the absence of the Film Screening Club members still left her feeling upset.
"Oh, I see. Well, if they're not coming, how about we watch it together? What do you say, Amakawa? I'll keep you company," Matsuoka Reiji patted his chest, trying to appear reliable.
"No thanks. I don't feel like watching this movie anymore," Amakawa Kanade shook her head.
"Eh… why?", Matsuoka Reiji looked puzzled.
"I'm going home," Amakawa Kanade couldn't be bothered to explain further.
Seeing her insistence on leaving and her obvious disinterest in him, a flash of anger crossed Matsuoka Reiji's eyes.
But as his gaze swept over Amakawa Kanade's slender figure beneath her skirt, especially the fullness of her chest under her white blouse, he forced a gentle smile back onto his face.
"Amakawa, I know you don't have a good impression of me because of the rumors at school. But those are all lies. Still, I understand why you don't trust me, it's only natural."
"However, I hope you'll give me a chance to explain. After that, whether you want to stay and watch the movie or not is up to you. Okay?", Matsuoka Reiji blocked her path, his tone earnest, though his obstructive stance was unmistakable.
Though she still felt an inexplicable disgust toward Matsuoka Reiji, his words and expression seemed sincere, and he kept blocking her way.
Amakawa Kanade reluctantly agreed, "Fine. Go ahead, Matsuoka."
Matsuoka Reiji put on a serious face, about to explain, but he suddenly glanced around and then turned back to her.
"Amakawa, there are too many people here. I'm a bit embarrassed. Let's go over there."
He pointed to a narrow alley beside the movie theater.
With the theater currently admitting audiences, the area was indeed crowded.
Seeing Matsuoka Reiji's pleading expression, Amakawa Kanade didn't think much of it. Her petite feet, clad in round-toe shoes, stepped toward the alley.
Behind her, Matsuoka Reiji watched her alluring, youthful figure with a meaningful smirk before quickly following.
"Alright, Matsuoka. Say what you need to say quickly," Amakawa Kanade urged.
"Sure, I'll tell you right away," As he spoke, Matsuoka Reiji took a step forward.
"You can just say it. No need to get so close!", Amakawa Kanade tensed as Matsuoka Reiji suddenly approached.
"Ah, this is kind of embarrassing. I'd rather whisper it, Amakawa. Let me get a bit closer," Matsuoka Reiji feigned shyness.
"Fine… whatever."
Though she'd been keeping several meters between them, Amakawa Kanade reluctantly nodded.
Matsuoka Reiji immediately grinned and stepped closer.
Despite agreeing, Amakawa Kanade instinctively backed away as he approached.
Thud!
A soft sound echoed as Amakawa Kanade's back hit a hard wall. Looking behind her, she realized she'd retreated to the very end of the alley, surrounded by silence and no one else.
"Matsuoka, what exactly do you want to say? Hurry up! The movie's about to start!", A growing sense of unease made Amakawa Kanade urge him impatiently.
"Ah, don't be so impatient, Amakawa. There's plenty of time, not just to watch, but even to 'film' something," Matsuoka Reiji smirked strangely.
Though she didn't fully grasp his meaning, the ill intent in his smile was unmistakable.
"Y-You… what do you want? If you're not going to say anything, I'm leaving!", Amakawa Kanade tried to sidestep Matsuoka Reiji to escape the alley.
But Matsuoka Reiji firmly blocked the exit. The alley was a dead end, and Amakawa Kanade's sense of dread grew stronger.
As her back pressed against the wall with no room to retreat, Matsuoka Reiji kept advancing, closing the distance between them.
Even so, he kept talking, "Relax, Amakawa. I won't do anything. I really just want to explain those rumors about me being a bad guy."
"T-Then explain!", Amakawa Kanade's voice trembled.
Seeing the fear flicker across the beautiful girl's fair face, Matsuoka Reiji grinned.
"Alright, listen carefully, Amakawa."
"I, Matsuoka Reiji, solemnly clarify to you: those rumors… 'aren't' rumors!"
With that, Matsuoka Reiji suddenly lunged toward the large-breasted beauty cowering against the wall.
———
The alley beside the movie theater wasn't very deep. Anyone paying attention could see inside clearly from the outside.
So even though Matsuoka Reiji was bold and had planned this in advance, he didn't intend to go all the way in such a narrow, exposed space.
He just wanted to steal a kiss or something to get his kicks, then use it to blackmail this voluptuous but naive beauty.
His mud-stained soccer shoes quickened their pace as Matsuoka Reiji closed in on the panicked Amakawa Kanade.
Seeing her flustered, terrified, and seemingly unsure what to do, Matsuoka Reiji smirked wickedly.
Since Amakawa Kanade was already trapped at the dead end of the alley, he wasn't worried about her escaping.
To fully savor this overly innocent, large-breasted beauty, a cut far above his usual prey, Matsuoka Reiji felt an odd sense of ceremony.
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