As I was walking, a group of students in uniforms came walking towards me. They were all wearing our school's uniform.

The distance closed, and we passed each other. They walked in the direction of the high school. I walked in the opposite direction.

I was dressed in casual clothes instead of a uniform. Next to me was Rui-san.

The result of the rock-paper-scissors was Rui-san's victory.

I threw a fist, and Rui-san threw a palm. Rock-paper-scissors. When she confirmed that she had won, Rui-san smiled triumphantly.

"That's why I told you, right? I'm strong."

Thus, I ended up spending the whole day with Rui-san.

After returning to her room once, Rui-san took a shower and changed her clothes. After that, she went out with me, who had changed from my uniform to casual clothes.

"How does it feel? Taking a break from school after such a long time."

"I still don't really feel it. Strictly speaking, it doesn't count as skipping until the morning homeroom starts."

"If you leave now, you can still turn back."

"It's a hassle to change back into the uniform."

I said.

"Besides, it's a promise. I won't go back on it now."

When Rui-san heard that, she let out a faint smile.

"Let's make the most of today and have a great time."

She said.

It was probably because school hours had long passed. The usually bustling school route was completely devoid of people.

A familiar road. Yet, there was something different about the atmosphere.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the café. It was a place we had visited before. Today, there were other customers inside the café. Two of them. But it was quiet.

I ordered the morning set. It comes with coffee, toast, and a boiled egg. Rui-san ordered the set with pancakes.

"I come to this place quite often, but it's my first time having breakfast here. I have never woken up this early before."

Rui-san says, "It's thanks to falling asleep in Yuito-kun's room."

"This early hour, I don't think 8:30 is that early."

For me, 8:30 is early morning.

While chatting about trivial things, I eat the breakfast that has been brought to me.

When I suddenly looked at my phone, it was already past the start time of the morning homeroom. It was the moment my skipping school today was confirmed.

I imagine. The scene of the homeroom in the morning without me.

Among the other students who have gathered, only my seat remains empty.

For a moment, I might pause and notice. They're not here today. But that's it. In the next moment, I'm already swept away into another consciousness.

I'm not even worried about it. We're not that close.

Whether I skip or not, the classroom continues to function as usual. My absence has no impact whatsoever. Thinking that way, I felt no guilt.

"What are we going to do after this?"

I ask.

"Would you like to go see a movie?"

"A movie?"

"There’s a movie theater in the shopping district a few stations away. It seems like they only show small-scale films that aren’t screened in other theaters. I’ve been interested in it for a while, but I hesitated to go alone."

"So, you want me to accompany you?"

"Shall we go?"

"Alright."

I decided to move right away after waiting for Rui-san to finish smoking a cigarette.

After finishing breakfast and leaving the café, we take the train and move a few stations. Perhaps because it's outside of rush hour, the train is empty. I'm getting further and further away from school. And from home too.

We get off at the station a few stops ahead.

The moment I passed through the ticket gate, an unfamiliar scene unfolded. It's a distance I could walk if I tried. But I wouldn't come here unless I had a reason. And today, I had one.

The shopping district is right next to the station. Walking under the long arcade. The end is not in sight. It seems to go on forever.

The movie theater was located at the corner of the shopping district.

The sign placed in front of the movie theater listed the films being shown. I didn't know any of them. I should have been watching movies like everyone else. They were all outside my field of vision.

"Have you decided which one to watch?"

"Hmm. Well, let's see... How about this one?"

Rui-san pointed to what seemed to be a coming-of-age movie.

The title "The Youth of a Monster." I have never heard of it.

"Well then, let's go with that."

As I head to the reception, I try to buy a ticket. High school students are a thousand yen. Cheap. But for a broke student like me, it's quite expensive.

"I invited you, so I will pay."

Rui-san tries to pay for my ticket, but I stop her.

"I will properly pay for my own share."

"You don't have to hold back."

"No, it's not that I'm being polite or anything."

And I talk after making that preface.

"If Rui-san pays for it, I think it would be hard to say the movie wasn't interesting if it turns out not to be. Since I'm watching it with someone else's money, I feel it's wrong to complain. So I thought it would be better to pay for it myself from the start."

"Hehe. What's with that obsession?"

Rui-san burst out laughing.

"Yuito-kun, don't people often say you're way too serious?"

"I've never been told that."

I say.

"I don't have anyone in my life with whom I share such a deep relationship."

"Speaking of which, that's right."

She apologized by saying,

"I'm sorry for that."

"No, no. Then, let's each pay for our own share."

I handed over a thousand yen, and the university student Rui-san contributed fifteen hundred yen. After receiving the tickets, we made our way through the aisle and stepped into the theater.

The theater was cozy, with about sixty seats. Since it was the first screening of the day, there were no other customers. It was like a private screening.

"Yuito-kun, where do you usually sit in the movie theater?"

"I hardly ever come to the movies in the first place, but there are a lot of seats in the front."

"Doesn't that make your neck hurt?"

"It will hurt. But, since most other customers don't sit in the front row, we can watch without worrying about those around us."

"Are you concerned about your surroundings?"

"I don't want to feel the presence of people too much during the screening. I come here to escape from reality, but it feels like I'm being pulled back into reality."

"So, you can't stand people who check their phones halfway through?"

"I can't forgive this."

"Are there people who try to leave during the end credits?"

"I can't forgive that either."

I said.

"If I ever become rich, I will always buy the seats above, below, and beside mine when I go to the movies."

"It's very much like Yuito-kun to not even consider going with someone else."

"Rui-san, don't you mind the people around you?"

"I also get bothered when there are people eating popcorn during the movie. It's one thing if it's a comedy or a light-hearted scene, but sometimes there are people eating during serious scenes, too. I can hear the crunching in the tense, silent moments."

"I don't like that."

"One time, during the climax scene, I heard the crunching sound and thought, 'Wow, they must have been holding that popcorn for almost 120 minutes,' and I couldn't help but laugh."

Rui-san said that,

"But, we can't really complain, can we? It's something the theater allows. They're the ones contributing to the sales."

"Where will Rui-san sit?"

"I will sit in the middle back seat. It's the easiest to see from there."

"But isn't it crowded there?"

"If I choose the first morning screening or the late-night screening, it's usually empty. Besides, I hardly ever go to see the blockbuster movies that are always packed. It's a privilege of being a university student with flexible hours."

I'm genuinely envious, I honestly thought.

"It seems to be unreserved seating, but where shall we sit?"

"Well then, shall we sit in the front seats?"

"Even though we have the place to ourselves? Rui-san usually sits in the middle seat at the back, right? Don't you want to sit there today?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to see the scenery that Yuito-kun usually sees."

Chapter 12: Going to Watch a Movie