Date? (2)
In the midst of an awkward silence, Yusoha fanned her face. But she soon stopped, set the fan down, and picked up her spoon again. This is ridiculous, she told herself. Getting so worked up over something so trivial. Indirect kisses and all that nonsense were just the overreactions of schoolkids, weren't they? Now that she was an adult, it didn't suit her to be flustered by something like that. In moments like these, she should remain composed... She just needed to keep her cool and continue enjoying this delicious parfait.
But she couldn't stop being hyperaware of it. After all, she had never been in a relationship before. This kind of intimate contact with the opposite sex affected her far more than she had expected. The entire time she ate the parfait, her mind kept replaying the fact that the spoon had been in Eclipse's mouth only moments earlier.
"Eit."
Yusoha shook her head once, scooped up some parfait, and put it in her mouth. A refreshing burst of flavor hit her, strong enough to blow away the strange embarrassment from before. Only then did she calm down a little. She looked at Eclipse, who was staring at her with a blank expression.
"What are you doing? Eat."
"...Alright."
Eclipse lifted his own spoon and took a bite of the parfait. The sight was so picturesque that Yusoha unconsciously lowered her face and silently continued eating her own.
After that minor incident, Yusoha couldn't help but become strangely conscious of Eclipse. It made sense—she had virtually no experience with men, and the person in question was Eclipse. With looks that could easily earn him the title of the century's most handsome man, every little thing he did made her blush without realizing it.
But Yusoha shook her head to snap herself out of it. If she fell for his appearance, how would she be any different from the princesses Eclipse had encountered before? She couldn't show him such an ugly side of herself.
She led him out of the café.
"Want to watch a movie next?"
"A movie?"
"Yeah. We don't really have anything specific planned, and I was going to take it easy today anyway."
"...Well, I'm not sure what we should watch."
"Is there any genre you're interested in?"
Before she could finish, Eclipse spoke in his previous tone. Yusoha looked at him curiously.
"Huh? Why?"
With clear discomfort written across his face, Eclipse said, "It's about the way we speak. It's too uncomfortable."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Trying to consciously speak softly every time is giving me goosebumps."
"...Is it that bad?"
Eclipse nodded at her question.
"I suppose so. Since you've lived that way your whole life, changing it now would be difficult... Then there's no helping it."
"Sorry."
"What do you have to apologize for? It was all because of my stubbornness. I'm the one who's sorry. I put you in a difficult position with my pointless obstinacy."
Eclipse waved his hands dismissively at her words.
"No, you don't need to apologize. It was just... a bit uncomfortable, that's all."
"Okay."
Yusoha nodded. "Anyway, let's go watch that movie."
"...Alright."
"Oh, and if there's something you want to see, just say so. We'll watch that."
"Is that really okay?"
"Yes. We came out to find your hobbies, after all."
"Understood."
The two of them headed straight for the large movie theater located inside the academy.
"Uh... so you really want to watch that?"
"Yes. The others don't interest me much, but this one catches my attention."
Yusoha looked at the poster Eclipse was pointing to with a slightly troubled expression.
It was early autumn. The horror films that had opened during the summer were still lingering in the corners of the theater. The one Eclipse had chosen was exactly that kind of movie—one shoved into an obscure corner now that fall had begun, failing to draw much attention. Its title was Sin. It was a typical story in which the protagonist's sins took physical form and came for him.
"Uh... hmm."
Yusoha let out a troubled groan. The reason was simple: she was extremely weak to horror movies. Though she faced specters from gates and all kinds of demonic beasts without batting an eye, the supernatural elements in horror films were a completely different story. Real monsters she could handle herself, but the beings in movies were beyond her power. Above all, what terrified her most were jump-scare films where ghosts suddenly popped out.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
However, Yusoha couldn't bring herself to honestly admit to Eclipse that she was scared of horror movies. She didn't want her own Guardian Star to see her as a coward who couldn't even sit through a scary film.
With no other choice, she booked the tickets, grabbed a bucket of popcorn, and moved somewhat stiffly. Meanwhile, Eclipse followed behind her with a strange sense of anticipation.
"Should I take off the sunglasses?"
"Yes. You have to. It's hard to see otherwise."
"Right."
When Eclipse removed his sunglasses, Yusoha took them and slipped them into her handbag.
"I'm looking forward to this. I wonder what the story will be like..."
"Didn't your world have plays or anything like that?"
"We did. There were plays about heroes defeating their enemies, and ones centered on tragic love. But... there were no plays that deliberately stimulated human fear. So this feels even more novel."
Along with loud advertisement sounds, an announcement rang out that the movie was about to begin.
The film opened with someone's blood-curdling scream. At the sound, Yusoha—who was already extremely tense—flinched hard and trembled. The unique atmosphere of horror films began to tighten around her heart.
…Where am I?
The protagonist opened his eyes at the scream and found himself staring at the interior of a silent mansion. He took a step forward. The dark interior made it difficult to see anything at all. Fortunately, a nearby torch allowed him to light his way as he began walking carefully through the mansion.
His memories were faint, but some unknown instinct began to constrict him. I have to get out of here. The protagonist's state of mind was narrated aloud, burning itself into Yusoha's retinas. She felt exactly the same way. She wanted to leave.
I shouldn't have been so stubborn…! You idiot!
But having already come in, she couldn't leave now. If this was Eclipse's hobby, she had to respect it.
The protagonist kept walking. A faint, unidentifiable melody reached his ears.
What the hell is this damn music?
When he shouted in irritation, a dark, locked door appeared before him. The protagonist carefully opened it. As expected, the room beyond had no lighting whatsoever, so he raised the torch to illuminate the interior. At that exact moment, the music stopped.
Inside the revealed room was a scene of carnage—dozens of corpses scattered everywhere in a bloody mess.
Huk…!
The protagonist recoiled in horror, but Yusoha wasn't particularly startled by the sight of corpses. Corpses were fine. The problem was the ghost that might jump out at any moment. Still, the tension created by the atmosphere and background music was impossible to ignore. Yusoha watched the rest of the film in a slightly shrunken state.
The protagonist stared at the gruesome scene, then calmly began to analyze the situation. Where was he? Who was he? What had he done? But his memories were incomplete, full of static-like gaps. The only thing that remained was a vague recollection of enjoying a peaceful time. He searched the room for any clue that might help him escape. But there were no useful objects—only another door leading somewhere else. He walked toward it.
Then it happened.
Creak. Thud.
The door he had clearly left open when entering the room slammed shut behind him.
…!
Short screams erupted from various places throughout the theater. Nothing had been revealed yet, but the atmosphere and tension inside the theater had reached their peak. The sudden sound had startled everyone. Even after turning around, the protagonist saw nothing. He moved forward again, trying to open the next door, but it wouldn't budge.
Damn it…!
The moment the man glanced back, searching for something to break the door with—
Hehehehehehehe.
A grotesque woman's face, made of countless tangled corpses, appeared right in front of the man's nose.
Huk…!
"Kyaaaaah!"
Chaos erupted inside the theater, and Yusoha was no exception. She recoiled in terror at the monster's face that had suddenly appeared and instinctively grabbed Eclipse's arm, seeking something to hold onto.
"Soha?"
"Kyaaah!"
Still completely immersed in the movie, Yusoha continued screaming as she watched what happened next. The monster made of corpses smashed the spot where the protagonist had been standing. Though the door had been destroyed, the creature blocked the exit and slowly advanced toward the protagonist. His face deathly pale, the protagonist ran around the room trying to avoid the corpses. At the last second, he barely dodged an attack and sprinted toward the broken door.
Even after he passed through, the monster chased after him, its horrifying form trailing behind. The grotesque sight of it pursuing him was so bizarre that Yusoha stared with wide eyes, screaming nonstop.
On the other hand, Eclipse looked at Yusoha, who was clutching his arm, and gave her a troubled glance. Then he gently raised his hand and covered her eyes.
"If it's too hard to watch, don't look."
"Ah, uuu..."
Yusoha found a momentary sense of calm in the warmth of Eclipse's palm covering her vision. But then she realized what a disgraceful scene she was making and felt her face burn with embarrassment.
"It should be fine now. The monster is gone."
As he spoke, Eclipse moved his hand away from her eyes. But the moment he did—
A monstrous face suddenly filled the entire screen, and another scream tore from Yusoha's throat.
"Haa… haaa..."
Yusoha emerged from the theater looking half-dead. She barely managed to put her sunglasses back on while being led out by Eclipse's hand.
"...I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were that weak to horror movies..."
"Ah, no. It's fine. I'm okay..."
She clearly wasn't okay by any measure. Eclipse recalled the way she had looked during the film. The story of Sin was simple: the people the protagonist had actually killed returned as monsters to drag him down to hell. The problem was that every time a monster appeared, Yusoha would scream at the top of her lungs until she was completely drained. By the final act, when countless monsters swarmed the screen without pause, she had simply covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.
It was the first time Eclipse had seen her look so weak. Honestly, to him, the way she cowered in fear at the monsters on screen was... incredibly cute. The girl who usually acted as if nothing in the world could scare her was actually so terrified of a mere horror movie that she turned into a half-corpse. What an adorable twist.
But Eclipse didn't voice those thoughts. He simply supported the exhausted Yusoha in silence. She clung to his arm, practically being dragged along, until she finally came to her senses and turned bright red.
"From now on, I'll watch horror movies alone. I'm sorry, Soha."
"..."
At his sympathetic words, Yusoha could only hang her head. An unbearable wave of embarrassment burned through her mind.