Even though she had brought along her savings, the money her mother called her "wedding fund."
Just as Bocchi gathered her courage, ready to peek at the price on the POS machine,
Yukima Azuma gently placed his hand over her eyes.
For a moment, confused in the darkness, Gotoh Hitori only heard the sound of a card being swiped.
"Thank you for your purchase. If you have any questions, feel free to come by the store again."
When the light returned,
Gotoh Hitori saw Yukima Azuma casually crumpling the receipt into a ball.
"Azuma-kun..."
Gotoh Hitori anxiously wanted to say something.
But Yukima Azuma simply picked up the two bags and then took her hand, leading her out of the store.
"Let's go, according to the plan, we'll have Chinese food."
"Yes... yes!"
Bocchi nodded.
After all, she was definitely going to pay him back when they ate.
She thought to herself.
...
However...
When they received the menu,
Bocchi was stunned to find,
why was there no price listed on the menu at this restaurant!?
"Umm... how about you choose, Azuma-kun?"
Bocchi nervously handed the menu back to Yukima Azuma.
"Okay. Is there anything you can't eat, Bocchi?"
Yukima Azuma took the menu back, asking further,
"Really, nothing at all?"
Bocchi instinctively shook her head.
She didn't want to cause any trouble for others.
That had always been her ingrained mentality.
And because of this, Bocchi had endured quite a lot of hardship.
It was always the kind of thing where she had to "bite the bullet," silently shedding tears later and thinking, "If only I had been brave enough to speak up back then."
"Really nothing at all?" Yukima Azuma leaned in closer.
Bocchi instinctively leaned back, nearly falling off her chair.
Just as she was about to shake her head again,
"If you don't tell me, later you'll have to tell the waiter yourself," Yukima Azuma said calmly.
Bocchi immediately stiffened and quickly gave in.
It was clearly easier to tell Azuma than to face a stranger, the waiter.
"Well... I can't eat celery, and chrysanthemum leaves are a bit hard... but actually, it's fine."
"What about bell peppers?"
"Yes, I can eat bell peppers."
"How about bean sprouts?"
"Uh..."
"Alright, I understand."
After a brief Q&A,
Yukima Azuma called the waiter over, ensuring that the dishes would be free from the ingredients Bocchi couldn't eat.
He even instructed the staff to avoid certain ingredients in specific dishes.
When the food was served, Bocchi saw only the dishes she loved.
In that moment, she was so touched she almost cried.
Before, at class gatherings (where everyone had to attend), Bocchi had never really enjoyed a meal or felt full.
But she always had to pay her share like everyone else.
Each time they went out to eat, for Bocchi, it was a heavy blow both physically and mentally.
But this time,
For the first time, Bocchi felt the joy of eating out.
"Bocchi, you can eat first. I'll be right back, I need to use the restroom."
"Y-yes!"
Yukima Azuma left the table for a while, then quickly returned.
After the meal, Bocchi rubbed her stomach, savoring the full feeling.
She was so touched that she almost burst into tears.
To repay Yukima Azuma,
Bocchi gathered all her courage and, as they were leaving the restaurant, ran ahead of him.
"Umm... I, I want to pay... pay..."
Standing at the payment counter by the exit, Bocchi stuttered, unable to get the words out.
The staff behind the counter listened for a while, finally understanding her intention.
"You want to pay, right?"
"Yes, that's right!" Bocchi nodded vigorously.
The staff gestured to Yukima Azuma.
"The customer over there already paid, ma'am."
Bocchi froze, her eyes wide in surprise.
Yukima Azuma reached out and gently patted her head.
Her soft, light pink hair brushed against his fingers.
"Azuma-kun!"
Bocchi wanted to say something, but her mind was in such a mess that she couldn't express herself.
"Alright, alright, I know what you're going to say. I can read your mind."
Yukima Azuma smiled.
Bocchi really wanted to say that she didn't even know what she was trying to say herself.
"Let's go, the movie's about to start."
Yukima Azuma held up his phone, changing the subject.
Seeing the movie tickets already purchased on Yukima Azuma's phone, Bocchi had no idea what to say next.
....
At the Ginza cinema.
While waiting in line to pick up the tickets, Yukima Azuma curiously asked:
"Have you ever been to the movies before, Bocchi?"
"I have, but only watched DVDs on the TV at home."
"What about the cinema?"
"Never..."
How could she possibly come to a place filled with youthful energy and a popular hangout spot for couples on dates?
Bocchi silently thought to herself.
After getting the tickets, Yukima Azuma also bought two bags of popcorn and cola.
The two of them entered the cinema.
The movie Yukima Azuma chose was about a band's journey in pursuing their dreams.
Not because he thought Bocchi would prefer this theme,
but because the other films showing at the same time weren't suitable:
Two were about youthful romance.
One was about office romance.
The last one was a thriller-mystery, where the victim was a girl who lived alone, an otaku.
He felt that if they watched that one, Bocchi might just dead inside in the theater.
Compared to the other movies, the band movie was much friendlier.
...
In the last row, in the corner of the theater.
The two of them settled into their seats.
Since it was a movie about a band, and not during peak hours, the cinema was somewhat empty.
Sitting in the corner, Bocchi felt incredibly at ease.
But at the same time, a sense of guilt crept in.
As a super introvert with severe social anxiety, Bocchi had extremely sensitive thoughts, sometimes to the point where it became bothersome even for herself.
Even for something trivial and insignificant, she could spiral into self-doubt.
How could she not realize that Yukima Azuma had clearly chosen this spot with her in mind, to make her feel more comfortable?
Today, Yukima Azuma had been considerate toward her countless times, to the point where Bocchi felt uncomfortable.
Luckily, they were just friends.
If they were in a romantic relationship, Bocchi would definitely blame herself, thinking she wasn't a worthy girlfriend.
She might even feel guilty to the point where she'd vanish into ashes, blown away by the wind.
"Don't think too much, eat the popcorn."
At just the right moment, Yukima Azuma gently tapped Bocchi on the head, then handed her the popcorn.
Hugging the box, Bocchi, like a little squirrel, picked at the popcorn and popped it into her mouth, chewing without a care, her cheeks puffed with food.
It wasn't until Yukima Azuma tapped her again that Bocchi snapped back to reality.
The movie had started.
Bocchi tried to focus on the film, but couldn't help but keep glancing at the person sitting beside her.
In the dark theater, the dim light from the screen reflected on the boy's face.
Unlike in the sunlight, he radiated a different kind of charm now, one that made people want to pull him in immediately.
Bocchi looked at their hands, which were holding tightly together the entire time.
It was only then that she suddenly realized.
When she realized this, Bocchi wanted to bury her face in her hands and scream, but she couldn't.
Sensing the shift in the girl beside him, Yukima Azuma turned to look at Bocchi.
At that moment, he noticed some popcorn crumbs at the corner of her mouth.
So, he gently reached out.
Bocchi felt Yukima Azuma's hand touch her cheek.
She instinctively closed her eyes.
Huh!? Could it be...?'
'It must be! It's happeningkissing in the dark theater!'
But... was this really okay? After all, Yukima Azuma and she were just friends.
'Surely, as friends, kissing is fine, right? ... No, wait! How can this be okay!?'
Her heart was full of internal conflict, but she still kept her eyes shut, waiting.
A long moment passed, but her lips didn't feel anything.
Bocchi carefully opened her eyes.
Yukima Azuma was almost only a breath away from her.
Then, right in her gaze, Yukima Azuma gently kissed her.
Soft, very soft.
This was the first kiss, and the taste on her lips was popcorn, quite tasty.
It felt like eating chewy cotton candy, melting away but with time to experience it first.
After a long while, Yukima Azuma finally released Bocchi.
She was gasping, her chest rising and falling.
Because it was her first time kissing, she had unconsciously held her breath, almost passing out from lack of oxygen.
Although she had been released, her whole body still felt dizzy.
It took a long while before Gotoh Hitori's breath gradually returned to normal.
But she absolutely didn't dare to raise her head to look at Yukima Azuma.
Because she felt that her body was a bit off because of what had just happened.
However, even though she didn't look, Yukima Azuma lifted her chin.
"Bocchi, the reason I touched your face earlier was because the corner of your mouth had popcorn crumbs."
Yukima Azuma said as he took out the piece of popcorn that he had just held in his hand to show her.
Gotoh Hitori, after hearing that, first widened her eyes, then her gaze was full of embarrassment, and tears immediately filled her eyes. She wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
"But because Bocchi is so cute, I couldn't help but kiss you."
Yukima Azuma continued.
He purposely waited for Gotoh Hitori to open her eyes before kissing her, so she could understand the difference between a deliberate action and one purely driven by attraction.
"If Bocchi didn't like it, I'm sorry."
"No"
Gotoh Hitori unconsciously shook her head.
She always thought that others weren't wrong, and that all mistakes were her own.
And although the feeling earlier was very strange, she really didn't dislike it.
"So, Bocchi liked that?"
"Ah"
"So you didn't like it? I'm sorry."
"No I liked it."
"Then let's do it again."
"Ah? Wait"
Yukima Azuma stopped her words with a kiss.
Gotoh Hitori started rubbing her two legs together.
Since they were friends, kissing should be a normal thing, right? Right?
Bocchi was sure it was like that.
— — — — — — — — — — —
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Chapter 60: Marrying Eriri and Becoming a Stay-at-home Husband. (Sounds perfect to me)
Drip...
The sound of water running from the faucet in the bathroom continued to echo.
Hiding in the last stall of the women's restroom.
Gotou Hitori felt like her whole body was covered in a layer of gray.
They were kissing, then she suddenly ran into the restroom like this.
Indeed, my life is over now...
Her tiny soul, much like Bocchi, seemed to fly out from her mouth.
But, can't really blame!
Bocchi just couldn't take it anymore.
It felt like if she didn't run away, it would... be the end.
"Suppose I could reincarnate, please let me come back as a panda in my next life."
Gotou Hitori put her hands together, not sure which god she was praying to.
After a long moment, she had to face reality.
After Bocchi fixed her underwear situation.
She cautiously stuck her head out of the bathroom stall.
Wanting to see what Yukima Azuma was doing.
Had he angrily left?
Or was he standing outside with an angry face, waiting to judge her, the criminal who ran away in the middle of a kiss?
Just like the times before.
The scenario Bocchi imagined didn't happen.
Yukima Azuma was quietly standing outside the restroom.
When he saw Bocchi poke her head out, he waved at her.
Bocchi lowered her head, taking small steps to Yukima Azuma's side.
Yukima Azuma, as if nothing had happened, casually took her hand.
This made Bocchi feel a little more at ease.
"Ah... earlier..."
Bocchi was about to apologize.
Yukima Azuma's voice immediately drowned out her words.
"Let's watch this next time."
Bocchi heard that, looked up, and followed Yukima Azuma's hand as he pointed.
It was an advertisement for a movie that hadn't been released yet.
The movie Yukima Azuma pointed to had a large poster featuring a young couple embracing on a large ship.
It seemed to be a romance film.
The title of the movie was Titanic.
"Okay."
Bocchi nodded, agreeing right away.
Unlike before, when she felt pressured to agree because of societal expectations.
This time, she truly wanted to watch the movie with Yukima Azuma, so she nodded in agreement.
Her voice was 3% more confident than before.
The brief scene that had just occurred in the theater was quickly forgotten.
Yukima Azuma looked at the Titanic poster, his eyes full of anticipation.
Movies participating in the film festival were carefully prepared products, with their release dates already set.
Laplace Corporation had invested 10 million USD into Titanic, equivalent to 1.5 billion yen.
It was expected to receive a 3.5% share of the box office revenue.
The share percentage might seem small.
If this amount were invested in another movie, it would almost be enough to own the entire movie's rights.
However, when Titanic's box office revenue was announced,
This tiny share would really show its true value.
....
As they left the theater, the sky had turned dark.
The sun had set, and the sunset dyed the distant clouds a brilliant orange.
"Uh... are you really okay?"
Walking on the way home, Bocchi suddenly asked.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Bocchi?"
Yukima Azuma stopped and seriously faced Bocchi's question.
"A lot of things..." Bocchi lowered her head, speaking softly but seriously.
"That was expensive, right?" She tugged at the hem of her skirt.
"Even the food was expensive, there weren't any prices on the menu," she said, gripping the hem tightly.
