To some, everything about a beautiful girl is enchanting—even the pungent, lingering odor from her feet after a summer day spent in stuffy boots is said to smell sweet.
Natsukawa Kanade, of course, wasn't quite that… unique. In fact, he was completely normal when it came to such matters. Kissing was one thing, but at any other time, saliva was nothing but dirty—something to be rejected and scorned.
And yet Kasumigaoka Utaha had brazenly smeared that very substance onto his palm. What wicked intentions she must have had!
Clearly, it was meant to disgust him.
Kanade didn't believe for a second that it was accidental. If it were, at most, her tongue would've grazed his fingertips. But his palm? What was she, some kind of snake-woman?
This was pure retaliation—payback for shoving popcorn into her mouth earlier!
While he wasn't particularly germophobic, the damp sensation lingering in his palm left him feeling deeply uncomfortable. Worse, the sensation seemed to spread, as if it were gradually creeping across his entire body.
A shiver ran down his spine, and he felt goosebumps rising.
"You—you—you—" Kanade pointed at her, unable to form a coherent sentence.
After a long pause, he gave up trying to speak and simply glared at her. Then he set down his popcorn and soda and marched toward the restroom.
The sensation was unbearable, and he had to stop it from spreading further.
Meanwhile, Utaha, who had been observing him the entire time, couldn't help but feel a peculiar satisfaction.
At first, she had been a bit nervous and embarrassed about her impulsive act. But seeing Kanade's flustered yet pitiable reaction—angry on the surface but more like a helpless victim—filled her with a strange sense of joy.
Even when he's being bullied, my junior is so adorable...
Still, she couldn't ignore the fact that her actions had been a bit over-the-top. A pang of guilt lingered as she wondered how Kanade might retaliate once he returned.
Truthfully, she enjoyed this back-and-forth dynamic. This was what she imagined the prelude to romance should feel like—a mutual exchange. If only one person made all the effort, it wasn't love, just self-inflicted sentimentality.
"Why's he taking so long?" Utaha murmured, resting her chin on her hand as she waited.
She let her mind wander to trivial thoughts to pass the time. Then her gaze landed on the abandoned popcorn and soda, and an idea sparkled to life in her mind.
"Let's see… like this… and this…"
By the time Kanade returned, she had barely finished her mischievous adjustments. He immediately noticed her crouched over his popcorn and soda, clearly up to something. From a distance, he couldn't make out exactly what she was doing, but he was certain it was nothing good.
Narrowing his eyes, Kanade calmly approached, feigning ignorance.
"The movie's about to start. Let's go queue up," he said casually, picking up his popcorn and soda as though nothing had happened and heading toward the ticket counter.
"Alright," Utaha replied, following him with a faint smile.
Since it was an older film and a workday afternoon, the theater was nearly empty. The two of them practically had the place to themselves.
After the tickets were checked, they followed the staff into the theater and chose seats near the front. Apart from them, there were only two other couples, each retreating to opposite corners of the last row. It was hard not to wonder if they were here to watch the movie at all.
Kanade didn't care. He wasn't a moral enforcer, and as long as he kept to himself, it wasn't his problem.
The film began shortly after. Initially, Kanade kept his guard up against Utaha's schemes. But as she became increasingly absorbed in the movie, he gradually let down his defenses, munching on his popcorn as he watched.
Popcorn. Right, he'd almost forgotten!
He had seen her sneaking around earlier. Though nothing seemed amiss so far, he decided not to take any more risks, leaving both the popcorn and soda untouched. He was determined to uncover what trick she'd played.
To his surprise, Utaha remained silent throughout the film, fully engrossed in the screen. Kanade, skeptical, occasionally glanced at her. She hadn't even shifted her posture, let alone done anything suspicious.
Has she really just been watching the movie?
Kanade decided to inspect the popcorn and soda more closely, but before he could, the screen erupted with… unexpected activity.
Young men and women entwined in a passionate, uninhibited display of physical desire.
"..."
Kanade had read Norwegian Wood before, so he knew what to expect from the story. However, he hadn't realized the film adaptation retained these explicit scenes. Shouldn't they have toned it down for the screen?
The unexpected intensity left him stunned. This was his first time watching something so graphic in a public setting. As he glanced around, he noticed subtle noises behind him—soft rustling and faint moans.
… Is there a leak? Kanade wondered, before quickly dismissing the thought.
He turned his gaze toward Utaha, silently praying she wouldn't make a scene. The last thing he wanted was for her to draw everyone's attention in this already awkward situation.
But to his shock, Utaha's face was flushed crimson, yet her eyes remained glued to the screen. She even murmured under her breath, "Yes… that's it. Love, desire, life… inspiration, all pouring forth…"
Kanade: "..."
This woman is absolutely insane, he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.