───● The Childhood Friend-Type College Girl Wants to Hold Hands ●○●
I’m going on a date with Masato. Such a wonderful, perfect day was blessed with clear blue skies.
I bet the sun is celebrating my date with Masato, too! Heh. We’re meeting in the shopping district by the station. I’m checking my reflection in the glass window of the shopping mall I designated as an easy-to-find meeting spot.
“Hair, check… My outfit isn’t weird, right?”
I came perfectly prepared today to create the cutest version of myself. This should be okay…!
My dearest wish to go on a date with Masato has come true. I really need to make my move today.
“Hey, Koumi, you’re early.”
“Heh!?”
A voice from behind suddenly made me jump in surprise. It’s still fifteen minutes before we were supposed to meet!
“Sorry, did I startle you?”
“J-Just a little! Aren’t you early, Masato? There’s still fifteen minutes…”
“I woke up early, so I just came on over.”
Masato said with a shy smile. His smile is as dazzling as ever today… and the cap really suits him, giving him a fresh look. I was so captivated by him that he leaned in to look at me, and said,
“You know, Koumi, I always think this, but you really have a lot of cute clothes.”
His voice was full of admiration.
“Y-You think so?”
I couldn’t help but grin. The fact that he’s always looking at me makes my chest feel warm. Masato is just so perfect, right down to the little things…
“We’re going to a movie today, right?”
“Right! But first, let’s grab a quick lunch, yeah?”
Today’s date is a movie. A friend recommended a romance movie, so I picked that one. Maybe if Masato watches a romance movie, he’ll start to see me in that way, too…!
Suppressing my soaring spirits, I started walking beside Masato.
After a light lunch at a cafe, we arrived at the movie theater. Probably because of the time of day, it wasn’t that crowded, and the theater itself had more empty seats than full ones. I had already reserved good seats in the middle and slightly to the back, so it wouldn’t have mattered if it was crowded, though!
“It’s surprisingly empty!”
Masato whispered after we took our seats. He leaned in, and the sudden closeness made my heart thump.
“Maybe because it’s still just after noon?”
I averted my eyes, taking a sip of tea from the plastic cup.
I’m okay, right? I checked my appearance again after lunch… and I used breath mints…
There aren’t many people around. Of course, it’s not completely empty, but at the very least, there’s no one sitting behind us.
In this dark, sparsely populated environment, we’re almost alone… The thought makes me nervous, even though it’s just a movie.
I half-watched the commercials playing on the screen, sneaking glances at Masato’s profile.
The movie was a pretty standard romance story. As the plot reached its climax, the hero and heroine were walking home along a sunset path, holding hands. It was the kind of scene where you could feel their “thump-thump” as your own heart pound.
I stole a glance beside me and saw Masato staring at the screen with a serious expression.
He was sitting right next to me, and if I lowered my gaze just a little, I could see his hand resting on the armrest. …If I put my hand there, too, our hands would touch… we could hold hands.
Would he let me, just this once? If I put my hand in the same place as his? If I let them overlap? Lost in the heat of the movie, would he allow it?
I gently started to move my hand… and then pulled it back.
What if he doesn’t like it? What if he quickly pulls his hand away…? The shock might make it impossible for me to even stand up from my seat.
I’m scared… but I want to hold his hand. I want to feel Masato’s warmth.
…Gently, I placed my hand down so that only our pinkies were touching.
My pinky finger was faintly brushing against the back of Masato’s hand. The sound of my own heartbeat was deafening. My face was so hot that the movie’s plot became a blur.
His hand never moved… and until the movie ended, I was able to continue feeling just a tiny bit of Masato’s warmth.
The movie was over. Masato and I were walking down a road bathed in the evening sun.
“Man, that was great! I thought it was going to be a pretty lighthearted romance, but the story was really well-written. I was crying by the end.”
“R-Right! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Masato!”
I was so preoccupied during the second half that the plot went right over my head… but seeing Masato talk about it with such sparkling eyes makes me happy, too. That’s another wonderful thing about him.
“I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world. If you know any other interesting movies, you should let me know!”
Masato said with a smile. I only chose a romance movie with the selfish hope that he might start to see me in a different light. But when he says something like that, there’s no way I could refuse.
“Of course! If you’re okay with my recommendations, I’ll give you as many as you want! Let’s go see lots more together!”
I gave him the best smile I could muster and then looked forward.
The sunset scene from the movie. A sunset just like this one, on a road lined with trees. The hero and heroine were walking hand in hand.
I looked at Masato’s hand as he walked beside me.
I might not have the courage to hold it just yet.
But someday, I want to walk beside you, holding your hand with my head held high.
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