"Um... Arata-senpai, my parents might be home."
"Should we go somewhere else?"
"Where to?"
"How about that hotel over there?"
"Why go to a hotel? Didn't you say you were going home?"
"Um... I... I don't have to go back." Asuka Saito was nervous now, but she forced herself to stay calm.
"Go home quickly. I'll come by your place for coffee another day."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, Asuka's face turned even redder. She turned around, covered her face, and ran toward her home.
"Hey!" Arata suddenly called out.
Asuka stopped in her tracks, hoping Arata had changed his mind.
"You forgot your dessert."
"Oh..." Asuka covered her burning cheeks and trotted back. She snatched the dessert and dashed toward her house.
Arata glanced at his reflection in the car mirror. "I don't really think I'm that handsome. Why do they keep testing my beauty?"
With that, Arata drove toward the Tokyo Hot Movie Theater.
Meanwhile, Makima and Denji had just finished dinner. They had gone to see their third movie, a suspense film called The Bride of Halloween. Since it was a suspense flick, Denji had fallen asleep in his seat, while Makima stared at the screen intently the entire time. After it ended, she tried to discuss the case with Denji, but Denji, having slept through it, could only pretend to nod in agreement.
After waiting about ten minutes, they went into their fourth movie.
"Let's go, Denji-kun, let's watch the next one."
"Miss Makima, what genre is the next one?"
"I hear it's a difficult, thought-provoking film."
"Difficult? It's not another suspense film, is it?"
"No, it's called Soldier's Song."
"As long as it's not suspense, it's fine."
"Yes, this film has the potential to change one's life."
"A movie can change your life?"
Denji didn't understand cinema, but he still grabbed some popcorn and a Pepsi. Once inside the theater, they found it sparsely populated. They sat in their designated seats and continued watching until the scene where two characters embraced on screen. Suddenly, Denji started to choke up. He couldn't understand why, but as he looked over at Makima, he noticed she was crying too.
By the time the movie ended, it was already night. On the way home, they both gave the film five stars.
"That ending—I'll never forget it until the day I die."
"Same here. Just for that one scene, the whole ticket price was worth it."
"Um... Miss Makima, do you think I have a heart?"
"Why ask that?"
"No special reason, I just wanted to ask."
Makima leaned her head toward Denji's heart, intending to show him the answer with physical action. But suddenly, a large hand blocked her.
"Miss Makima, you just got here—what do you mean by putting your head on my hand?"
Arata appeared out of nowhere. Makima's head, which was meant for Denji's chest, was now pressed against Arata's raised palm. Realizing she had "missed," she immediately pulled her head back and feigned composure, staring at Arata. She had been one step away from capturing Denji, only to be intercepted.
"Master, what are you doing here?" Denji, standing behind them, asked.
"I was sitting right behind you while you were watching the movie."
"What!! Then back then..."
"It's fine, I was crying too."
"If even Master was crying, then the movie really must have been moving."
As the three walked along, they suddenly saw people organizing a fundraiser on the side of the road.
"Please donate for the children injured by devils."
"Please, everyone."
"Your donations can help the children recover sooner."
"Master, do you have any money on you?"
"I was in a rush when I left, I don't have much." Arata dug into his pockets. "I only have $10,000."
"Donate it all, Master. You should be a loving person too."
"Take it. I hope this pile of money really helps the suffering children, rather than being embezzled by the organizers."
Arata handed the $10,000 to Denji, and Denji ran toward the donation booth.
"Miss Makima, aren't you going to donate anything?" Arata asked.
"No."
"What's in Makima's bag?"
"Nothing at all, I'm just carrying it because it looks nice."
"I don't believe you," Arata laughed. "There's definitely something unspeakable inside."
"I'll show you, then." Makima voluntarily opened her bag. A pair of handcuffs, an eye mask, and a black rope appeared inside. Makima was startled and immediately snapped the bag shut.
"Haha, just as I thought." Arata burst into laughter.
"What's going on?" Makima remembered she hadn't put anything in there; why did handcuffs and an eye mask suddenly appear in her bag?
"Miss Makima really has changed."
"Did you put them in there? You were right behind us during the movie."
"Don't deny it, you have indeed changed." With that, Arata ignored her. Makima turned and tossed the handcuffs and eye mask out of the bag; looking at them made her feel uncomfortable.
"How do I donate this?" Denji asked, standing in front of the booth.
"Just put the money into the donation box." The woman at the booth smiled and explained patiently.
"The donation slot is too small, this pile of money won't fit." Denji held up the thick stack of dollars, comparing it to the slot.
"This..." Seeing the dollars in Denji's hands, the four people organizing the fundraiser were stunned into silence. They usually only received 1,000 Yen in donations at most; the massive stack of dollars in Denji's hands exceeded their income for several months.
"Are you sure you want to donate it all?!!" The woman's body trembled with excitement.
"Yeah! How do I give you the money?"
"Fill out a form, and we will tell every child you've helped about your kindness."
"I'll fill it out for him." Arata stepped over and took the form to fill it out for Denji.
"Who is this?"
"He's my master. This money is all his."
"Though the money is mine, the one donating is him. If it were just me, I wouldn't have donated this much," Arata explained. He finished the form quickly and handed it to the woman.
"Master, you drove here, right? Send me and Miss Makima home later."
"Impossible. I have things to discuss with Miss Makima in the car. As for you, walk home." With that, Arata turned and left. Denji wanted to chase after him to ask what it was about, but Arata was already gone.
"Forget it, I'll walk back myself. It's not that far anyway."
"Here, a little flower for you, to thank you for your kindness." The woman patted Denji's shoulder and handed him a small red flower.
"Oh, the flower is beautiful."
"Your heart is just as beautiful as this flower." The woman's compliment hit Denji right in the heart. He clutched the flower and walked along, lost in thoughts of his date with Makima. The more he thought about it, the happier he felt, vowing to defeat the Gun Devil so he could start dating Makima properly.
As he was dreaming of his bright future, a sudden heavy rain began to pour from the sky, forcing two strangers who had never met to take shelter in the same direction.
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