Movie Matinee
Saturday morning.
Lately there hadn't been any Demon King's Army raids in the neighborhood, and Harin — perhaps thanks to her treatment — was sitting quietly in front of the TV. Normally she'd get irritated the instant a magical girl appeared on screen and change the channel on the spot, but today she was watching the way anyone else would watch the news.
It didn't last, of course. The moment an actual interview with a magical girl came on, or anyone started running their mouth about the Demon King's Army, she'd shut the whole thing off.
Still. All's well that ends well. These days she wasn't having those seizure-like fits, and she wasn't pouring killing intent in my direction either. That had to count as a giant leap forward.
"...Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Huh? No, I was just... wondering if you've been feeling a bit better lately."
Harin, apparently annoyed by the worry in my gaze, sharpened her eyes and glared at me. Hearing my answer, she furrowed one brow and went on as if the concern were completely unfounded.
"I'm fine, so worry about yourself. Dummy Siwoo."
"Why do you keep calling me a dummy..."
I clutched both hands to my heart and pretended to wipe away tears, like some pitiful heroine from a play who'd been torn away from her lover against her will.
"I gave you a place to live, I buy you food, I do everything for you..."
"You little shit. Stop putting on an act. It's annoying."
"Hngh."
I sat down at the far end of the sofa with a dejected little noise and picked up my phone. It was the weekend, but I had nowhere to go and no particular reason to leave. Home was the best.
Of course, compared to when I'd lived alone, I had to be a bit more careful now that Lee Harin was here... Still, I could probably just think of her as one of the guys at this point. It wasn't a matter of a few years — we'd known each other for decades. Though, admittedly, we'd only gotten close again recently.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh drifted over from my right. For some reason, Harin had scooted about a handspan closer. I don't really need to worry about that... right?
I was thinking that as I looked at my phone when a name came back to me — a magical girl the class president had mentioned at my house last time, and that Kim Min-ah had let slip.
Lunafall.
Just what kind of magical girl had she been? Honestly, it felt a little like digging into a friend's family, and that pricked at my conscience...
"It'll be fine, right?"
"What will?"
"Never mind..."
I opened the internet and typed Lunafall into the search bar. Article after article, blog post after blog post, poured onto the screen. Every last one of them was about how much they missed her.
Well — she had been the Strongest Magical Girl fighting the Demon King's Army. And if even Harin, who was with the Demon King's Army now but had once been a magical girl herself, acknowledged her, her character must have been extraordinary too. I was thinking I might get to meet her someday when an unbelievable headline appeared on the screen.
The Strongest Magical Girl had already left this world.
Hadn't the class president and Lee Harin both said she was missing? Why...?
"What are you staring at so hard?"
Just as I was thinking that, Lee Harin had plastered herself right up against my side without me noticing, peering over my shoulder at the screen.
"Do I not get any privacy?"
"You don't respect mine either."
"That's because you were in the living room... haah... never mind..."
Ever since she'd moved in, my room was pretty much the only personal space I had left. And because the door was paper-thin and didn't block a single sound, I couldn't even have any time to myself. It was frustrating, but what could I do? I didn't have the money to replace the door. I'd just have to put up with it.
"What were you searching? Lunafall? Why are you looking that up?"
"I was just... curious?"
"Hah. So now that you've got a magical girl and a Demon King's Army member around, you're suddenly curious?"
Lee Harin smiled faintly and sank back into the sofa.
"What do you want to know? Go on, ask."
"Well..."
I asked her why what the class president had said didn't match what the news was reporting. Harin listened in silence, then answered flatly.
"According to the Association's official statement, she is dead. But that girl doesn't seem to think so."
"What do you mean..."
"Who knows. Maybe that's just her hope. Plenty of people make an impossible wish their reason for living."
Harin's voice had no inflection at all — she was simply listing facts. I didn't know how to respond, so I just sat there staring into space.
And then my phone chimed.
I lifted the screen and saw a message from Min-ah. I reached over, opened the fridge right beside the sofa, pulled out a bottle of cold water, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink. At the same time, I opened the chat and started reading what Kim Min-ah had sent.
Just as I finished reading, another message arrived.
"Pffgh!?"
I choked instantly, spraying the water I'd been drinking, and pounded my chest.
"Khak, cough! Guhh...!"
"Hey, you little shit... what the hell did you just see."
"N-nothing... it's nothing..."
But before I could even make an excuse, Lee Harin pulled a tentacle up from the floor, snatched my phone, and brought it in front of her. As she read through the messages, her face grew redder and redder.
"Wh-what kind of crazy bitch is this?!"
Lee Harin bellowed, lifting the phone high as if she were about to hurl it across the room — then, apparently realizing it wasn't hers, set it down gently on the sofa.
"Ahem, ahem... s-so. What are you going to do. Are you going with her?"
"Are you insane? Why would I hang out with a magical girl. You go play with her."
"Ugh... fine. I'll buy you some Choco Pies on the way back."
"That's a promise."
I got up, went to my room, threw on some clothes, and came back out. A tentacle that had risen from the shadows was diligently wiping up the water I'd sprayed on the floor, rag in hand. Swish, swish.
"Have fun."
Lee Harin saw me off with a faint smile, and I gave a little wave in return.
"Siwoo-ssu! You came!"
I nodded and walked over to Kim Min-ah.
"We didn't get to hang out properly last time! I wanted to hang out with you!"
She spoke with that same bright, sunny smile as always.
"Didn't going to the cake shop with the class president count?"
I was pretty sure she'd said we were going there as payback for not getting to hang out properly last time.
"Come on! That wasn't just the two of us! It only counts if it's just the two of us!"
"Is that how it works?"
"Obviously! What kind of question is that? That's chemistry!"
Kim Min-ah started walking first, a bright smile on her face.
"So, where should we go! Wanna watch a movie? There's this new one that looks really fun..."
She trailed off, her expression suddenly stiffening as she swallowed the rest of the sentence.
"Ah, but it might be a bit much to watch together. I'd definitely be the only one who likes it..."
"Huh? What kind of movie is it? A horror film?"
"Please. Fighting the Demon King's Army is a horror movie. Why would I need to go watch one?"
Kim Min-ah joked with a bright smile. Fair point — if you spent your time fighting the Demon King's Army, most horror movies would probably feel like kids' play. Humans were creatures of adaptation, after all.
She started walking alongside me and continued.
"It's a tokusatsu movie! But, well, the theater's going to be full of little kids anyway, and I figured it might be a bit weird to go together..."
"Hmm..."
It was true — it wasn't exactly the kind of genre a guy and a girl would typically go see together. Especially if it was a kids' movie aimed at young children. And if we went together, people would probably wonder why we'd come to see this movie rather than assume we were on a date. She'd taken a step back, thinking the stares from people around us would be too much to handle.
"I don't mind, though?"
I genuinely didn't care. If I'd been afraid of other people's eyes, I wouldn't have hidden Harin in my house, and I certainly wouldn't be living with her. I'd already done that much. Sitting through a tokusatsu movie was nothing.
"Really!?"
Kim Min-ah's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah. I've mooched plenty of meals off you as it is. I figure I can at least hang out with you for something like this. And, well... we're friends. So..."
"Thank you! Siwoo-ssu!"
Kim Min-ah snatched my arm, hooked her own through it, and started walking ahead. My heart thudded a little, but at least I didn't collapse in the middle of the street, so that was something. The symptoms weren't as bad as they used to be, either. And if I did collapse from the shock right now, Kim Min-ah would probably protect me.
With that thought, we walked a short distance to a small department store nearby, up to the movie theater on the top floor. The sweet smell of popcorn hung in the air. A few couples dotted the lobby, along with kids who'd come with their families, running around underfoot.
I'd watched a lot of movies here, once...
A sharp twinge.
"Huuuh..."
"Huh? Siwoo-ssu, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"
Kim Min-ah bent toward me, looking at me with worried eyes.
"Ah, it's nothing. I got dizzy for a second, but I'm fine now."
"Hmm... you're really okay, right? If you start feeling bad during the movie, you have to tell me right away, okay?"
"Got it. I promise."
With that promise, we stepped into the theater.