Chapter 350: An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 350: An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth
Once a year, there’s always that one day when you have exceptionally bad luck.
And for me, that unlucky day was today.
Thump.
It started with my foot catching on a paving stone, causing me to stumble badly. Then I dropped the Suichu Hiyori had just handed me...
And as I was about to drink the melon milk I’d bought at the convenience store, I bumped shoulders with someone coming from the opposite direction, spilling a little...
Why is my luck so rotten today?
Did I anger God? I considered it, but that didn't seem right...
It felt more like Hiyori had put a curse on me.
“What have you been doing this whole time? You’re so clumsy...”
Seeing Hiyori giggle and tease me only strengthened my conviction.
“This isn’t clumsiness, it’s bad luck. Because of you.”
“It only ended like that because I was here. If I wasn’t, your clothes would already be covered in muddy water and milk, you know?”
“Aren’t you giving yourself a little too much credit?”
“Let’s just say I have healthy self-esteem. Here, a tissue.”
Hiyori offered me the tissue in her hand.
As I reached for it, she snatched her hand back, and I furrowed my brow.
“What are you doing?”
“Lift your head. I’ll wipe it for you~”
Haa... Do you go around doing this for other people, too?
This sort of thing makes me incredibly jealous.
You only do this for me, right? I’m going to believe that you do.
Without hesitating, I obediently lifted my head. Hiyori gently dabbed at the melon milk on my neck.
Because of our height difference, she had to stand on her tiptoes, and the focused look on her face was incredibly pretty.
I felt an urge to wrap my arms around her and lift her up.
“All done. You’re welcome, right?”
She threw the used tissue into the movie theater’s trash can and puffed out her chest. I said to her,
“Cut your nails. You poked my neck.”
“You’re grateful, but you still have to be prickly about it.”
“.....”
I think I just heard the very words I often say to Renka.
With a beaming Hiyori by my side, I entered the ticket booth area, printed our tickets, and went to the concession stand.
Just as I was about to order, Hiyori cut in front of me and spoke to the employee.
“One couple’s set, please. Caramel popcorn, if you don’t mind. And...”
Flinch.
Hearing her order, I couldn’t help but squirm.
It was the exact same thing I used to do when I was in that will-they-won't-they phase with Miyuki.
Ordering the couple’s set because it was cheaper and then watching Miyuki’s embarrassed reaction.
Of course, Hiyori was completely absorbed in ordering without a care for me, but I was the problem.
I was reacting exactly the way Miyuki had back then.
Why is it that whenever I’m with Hiyori, I feel like I’ve become the heroine?
Wait, has she been stalking me?
What she said just now about me being prickly, and this situation right now... it feels like déjà vu.
Hiyori, secretly watching my every move from the very beginning, then revealing her true colors after enrolling in the academy to seduce me...
Just imagining it is a huge turn-on.
Swoosh.
While I was lost in thought, Hiyori, having finished ordering and paying, grabbed my arm and moved me to the side.
A cool sensation spread from the lower part of my arm.
Hiyori’s hands are usually so cold. I’ll have to warm them up for her.
As she let go, I glanced down at her, scratched the bridge of my nose, and said,
“You should wear a shirt over that.”
“Ugh, why are you starting again...! Can you stop that?”
“It’s too revealing.”
“I think it’s better than being subtly suggestive, don’t you?”
She had a point. See-through clothes were more erotic than blatant exposure.
“Neither is okay. Cover up, now.”
“Being with you feels like I’m visiting my grandpa.”
“I’ve heard that one from you before.”
“I said that before?”
“Yeah.”
“That just goes to show how conservative you are, right?”
“You’re the one who’s overly liberal.”
“There are plenty of people who show more skin than me. Look over there.”
“I’m not looking. Just grab the popcorn and drinks.”
At my words, Hiyori muttered something cute under her breath. Just then, the popcorn was ready. She hugged the container and picked up a cola in each hand.
The large popcorn container covered most of her chest, and the pouting, cat-like expression on her face created such a strange harmony that a laugh escaped my lips.
With her ahoge bobbing as she trotted behind me, we entered the screening room.
“Why did you pick seats in the corner? It’s hard to see one side of the screen from here.”
“It’s an aisle seat, so it’s not uncomfortable. Once you sit here, you’ll never be able to sit anywhere else.”
“What was that...? You just sounded like one of those scammers on the street. There are plenty of seats, can’t we just sit in the middle?”
“Stop talking and sit down.”
“So I don’t get to have an opinion?”
“Nope. This is payback time.”
“Jerk.”
Hiyori said it with absolutely no sincerity before putting down the popcorn and drinks and sitting in her seat.
Then she started fidgeting, took off her sandals, and propped her heels on the edge of the seat, pulling her knees to her chest.
Seeing this, I frowned and scolded her.
“What are you doing? Don’t be a nuisance.”
“How is this being a nuisance?”
“If putting your feet on a seat isn’t a nuisance, what is?”
“They clean up after the movie. And I wiped my heels with a wet wipe...”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Nope.”
“...You lie so shamelessly.”
“If you insist like this, it works a few times. You should try it, senpai.”
“Yeah, great advice.”
I chided Hiyori and tapped her on the calf.
It was an unconscious gesture. Just like when I was on a date with Miyuki, the touch came naturally.
Realizing this, I felt a slight tremor run through my body. Meanwhile, Hiyori mumbled something, put her sandals back on, and popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth.
She didn’t seem to mind the touch. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.
Still, I was happy.
Because, one way or another, she seemed to listen to what I said.
Putting those thoughts aside, I passed the time chatting with Hiyori. When the theater went dark and the movie began, I turned my gaze to the screen.
“By the way, what movie is this?”
Hiyori asked, leaning slightly toward me.
I shifted my body away by the same distance and answered.
“Action.”
“Is it supposed to be good?”
“I don’t know. I just bought tickets for the earliest showtime.”
“Who watches movies like that? Don’t people usually watch a trailer before buying tickets?”
“It can be more fun to go in not knowing anything than knowing even a little. Besides, you didn’t know what it was until I printed the tickets either.”
“That’s true. Want some popcorn?”
“Sure.”
Hiyori placed a single piece of popcorn in the center of my outstretched palm.
I stared at her beaming face with a look of disbelief and said,
“You expect me to eat just this?”
“If that’s not enough, you can get more from here. Here you go.”
Hiyori turned her body, showing me the popcorn container resting just below her chest.
If I reached for the popcorn without thinking, I would accidentally touch her chest... She’s trying to tease me. It’s so obvious.
“I’m good.”
Hiyori giggled at my curt reply and turned her eyes back to the screen.
How much time passed as we focused on the movie?
The opening sequence ended and the real action began. The theater filled with the magnificent roar of explosions, and just as a brief lull arrived,
“Senpai.”
Hiyori called to me in a small voice.
“.....”
I pretended not to hear her and stayed still. Hiyori poked my arm.
“Senpai. Look at this.”
Only then did I look at Hiyori. My eyes followed her pointing finger downward, and I was inwardly horrified.
A piece of popcorn was resting right in her cleavage.
It must have fallen there while she was eating.
‘Hah... really...’
It seemed she was having way too much fun teasing me for acting like such a gentleman, but I couldn’t take it anymore.
The urge to teach Hiyori a firm lesson grew immensely.
At the same time, I wanted to get closer to her, fast.
With a shrug that said, ‘So what?’, I picked up the piece of popcorn from her cleavage.
“Oh...?”
Hiyori let out a small gasp, sucking in a sharp breath.
It seemed she had never dreamed I would be so blatant.
She probably expected me to get embarrassed and scold her for what she was doing, right?
Seeing her eyes go wide like a puppy startled by something unfamiliar, I could already picture her future reactions.
It seemed the winner in the battle of who devours and who gets devoured would be the former.
But since it was Hiyori, of all people, I couldn’t let my guard down.
I calmly turned my head away from her—she looked like she might hiccup if I so much as touched her—and brought the popcorn to my mouth, chewing it slowly.
I didn’t forget to wear an expression that treated the incident as something less than a happening... something utterly and completely trivial.
“.....”
I could feel Hiyori’s gaze on me, her words caught in her throat.
I won this battle of wills. This tug-of-war is surprisingly fun.
Just as I was reveling in my victory,
“Senpai. I’m going to the restroom.”
Hiyori, who had been watching the movie in silence, spoke up. I gave a nonchalant nod.
“Okay.”
“Hold my shirt for me.”
“Wear it.”
“It’s uncomfortable. Here.”
She took off her shirt and tossed it onto my lap.
Momentarily flustered, I was about to lecture her when she stood up and brushed past me.
With this much space between the front seat and our legs, she could have just walked normally, but Hiyori deliberately faced me and sidestepped past the seats.
It was as if she was paying me back for what I’d just done.
As I pressed myself deeper into my seat to give her more room, I thought I saw one corner of her mouth lift in a smirk, but was I mistaken?
The theater was so dark, and the movie scene at that moment was dim, so I couldn’t be sure.
Whatever it was, I had a feeling this tug-of-war with Hiyori was about to get a lot tighter.
No, on second thought, maybe it’s getting looser... It’s hard to say for sure.
I guess that just means my date with her is so unpredictable it’s confusing.
I was lost in thought, breathing in the faint scent of lemon Hiyori had left behind, when her quick return and question snapped me back to reality.
“Did any important scenes happen while I was gone?”
What was the intention behind this question?
Was she testing me to see if I had calmly focused on the movie while she was in the restroom?
Or was it a pure, innocent question because she was genuinely curious about the plot?
Normally, I would have assumed the latter, but Hiyori was just too unpredictable.
Deciding not to overthink it, I shook my head from side to side.
“Nothing.”