No, not that one. Not this one either.

          Although I had just spent the last thirty minutes pulling clothes out of my wardrobe and arranging them on my bed, I still couldn’t decide what to wear.

          I knew there wasn’t a need to spend this much time trying to decide on an outfit.

          Even though we didn’t know what movie we were watching yet, Sendai-san and I decided on a meeting place yesterday.

          We agreed to hang out at a location that was unfamiliar to both of us – an area rarely visited by our schoolmates – and because of that, we needed to take a train to be able to reach our designated meeting spot.

          No one else knew of my after-school relationship with Sendai-san, let alone that we had plans to see each other over summer vacation. To keep it all a secret, we purposely chose an area where we wouldn’t run into anyone we knew.

          I had to get to the station and then catch a train.

          For a simple movie outing, it was quite a lengthy trip. Nevertheless, since our plans were for the afternoon, I still had plenty of time to get there.

          「I’ll just go with this.」

          I picked up a white blouse and a pair of jeans – the same clothes I wore when I met up with Maika and Ami the other day.

          There was no need to get all dressed up just because I was going to hang out with Sendai-san.

          I should’ve just picked something random instead of dwelling on it so much.

          I quickly changed my clothes and returned the clothes I had pulled from my closet. Contemplating whether to tie my hair or leave it be, I drew the curtains aside. Gazing outside the window, I noticed the sun was exceptionally radiant today.

          It looks really hot outside.

          Worried about potential sunburn on my neck, I applied sunscreen and decided to leave my hair down. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was still a bit early to head out.

          I let out a sigh.

          Sendai-san probably wasn’t being serious when she suggested watching a movie together, so I couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened. I did have a movie in mind that I wanted to watch, but I wasn’t sure if Sendai-san would be interested. Likewise, if she had a specific movie in mind, I wasn’t certain I’d be interested in it either.

          There were probably many things about Sendai-san that her friends knew but I didn’t.

          Like her favorite movies, music preferences, or her favorite foods.

          I heaved another sigh before gently smacking my cheeks.

          We’re only “pretending” to be friends for today.

          It’s not a big deal.

          I just had to approach this hangout with Sendai-san as I would with Maika. Even if our movie preferences differed, we could always reach a compromise, just as I’d done with Maika and other people when our tastes didn’t match.

          「I’m going to be a little early, but that’s fine.」

          I grabbed my bag and left my apartment.

          In less than ten minutes of being outside, my sweat had already started dampening my shirt. The chirping of the cicadas, combined with the sounds of passing cars, made it feel even hotter than it actually was, and frankly, it was quite annoying.

          As soon as I entered the station building, I stopped in my tracks.

          Now that I thought about it, Sendai-san’s home wasn’t far from mine. Since we were both headed for the same place, there was a possibility we might end up on the same train.

          I wasn’t going to go out of my way to search for her, but I ended up looking around a bit anyway.

          There’s no way she’d be here.

          I went through the ticket gate and boarded a train I wasn’t used to taking. Both the platform and the air-conditioned train were devoid of any familiar faces.

          I disembarked from the train after a few stations and made my way to a peculiar-looking statue – our designated meeting point. But before I reached the statue, I spotted Sendai-san already waiting there.

          Although the clothes she wore and the aura she exuded were different from the usual Sendai-san I’d see in my room, I could tell it was her even from a distance.

          She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and a long skirt, which was a fairly common outfit. Yet, it suited her remarkably well and, combined with her good looks, made her stand out.

          I wasn’t the type to approach someone I knew if we didn’t have any prior arrangement, and even though I had plans with Sendai-san, it was still challenging to call out to her. Even if we were in the same class this year, I doubted we’d get along since we didn’t belong to the same social circles. Right now, Sendai-san looked just as I had imagined her during our second year, before we started talking.

          However, I had no choice but to call her out to her.

          Suppressing a sigh, I moved three steps closer to Sendai-san, and our gazes met. Before I could reach her, she approached me, waving her hand and calling out my name.

          「Sorry, did I make you wait long?」

          It wasn’t like I was late or anything. There was still plenty of time before our agreed meeting time, so there was no need to apologize. However, if we were friends, I felt it was only proper to apologize.

          「No, I came straight from prep school today, so I got here a bit early.」

          I wasn’t sure how long she’d been waiting, but Sendai-san smiled and told me not to worry. Then, she looked me up and down and said,

          「Miyagi, you look pretty much the same as when you’re at home.」

          「There’s no need for me to change things up.」

          「I see.」

          「Do you always dress up like this, Sendai-san?」

          She appeared somewhat different from the last time I saw her with Ibaraki-san, but I couldn’t be certain because we were quite far apart.

          I was a bit curious, so I decided to ask about it, though I didn’t think too much of it as it was common for people to dress differently on different days. But for some reason, she pinched her skirt and, with a serious expression, asked,

          「Yeah, I do. Why, do I look weird?」

          「No, I was just wondering.」

          「I see. Anyway, shall we get going?」

          Sendai-san’s skirt swayed gently as she started walking. Naturally, our destination was the movie theater. We walked through the station building and got on an elevator. After ascending a few floors and disembarking, my gaze was drawn to several posters adorning the walls.

          「Do you have a specific movie you want to watch in mind?」

          Sendai-san asked as she glanced at the posters.

          「Kind of.」

          「Oh, you actually do. What’s it called?」

          I told her the title of the movie, which was an adaptation of one of the romance manga series I had at home.

          「Oh, that one? Umina said she wanted to watch it too.」

          「Ibaraki-san did?」

          「Yeah, she really likes the actor who plays the male lead.」

          「I see.」

          I mumbled, and before I could follow up by asking, “Do you like him too, Sendai-san?” I swallowed those words and chose to ask a more appropriate question instead.

          「Was there a movie that you wanted to see, Sendai-san?」

          「Yeah.」

          She replied, following up with the title of her preferred movie – a title I least wanted to hear.

          「You really want to watch that?」

          「I mean, it’s perfect for summer. Are you okay with watching a horror movie, Miyagi?」

          To be honest, I wasn’t okay with it at all.

          The movie Sendai-san suggested was a B-horror film set in a school. It surprised me because she didn’t strike me as someone who’d enjoy that genre. Personally, I was the type who wouldn’t even consider watching a trailer for a horror movie.

          If that was the kind of movie we were going to watch today, I felt like turning around and going home immediately. But at the same time, I didn’t want Sendai-san to tease me for not wanting to watch it either.

          「…」

          「Wait, are you not good with horror?」

          Sendai-san asked, noticing my silence.

          「I didn’t say that. I just want to watch a different movie today.」

          「Oh, I know. I bet you’re the type who’d be too afraid to go to the bathroom at night because you’re afraid you might encounter a ghost in there.」

          「No, I’m not.」

          「Well, if you aren’t, then how about we catch that horror movie?」

          There was a hint of amusement in her voice as she spoke.

          Given the current situation, I was certainly not eager to admit that I had no desire to watch it. But it’d also be problematic if we did end up seeing it.

          「… I’m not afraid of encountering ghosts, but sometimes, I do feel like a hand might pop out of the toilet.」

          I also didn’t like the thought of anything being behind me.

          Even though I was aware that there was nothing behind me, there were times when I felt a sense of unease, especially when I was alone at home. On such nights, I couldn’t help but imagine that something eerie might emerge from my toilet at any moment.

          「Do your parents get home late or something, Miyagi?」

          My father often came home late, and sometimes, he didn’t come home at all. But I didn’t feel like sharing that with Sendai-san, so I stayed quiet. Then, Sendai-san chuckled and said,

          「Okay, okay, let’s go see the movie you wanted to watch. It’d be a problem if you couldn’t bring yourself to go to the bathroom at night.」

          「You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?」

          「No, not at all. I just thought that side of you was a bit cute and childish.」

          「So you are making fun of me.」

          「I told you, I’m not. Also, I thought you were a fan of stories that had happy endings. If I remember correctly, this one doesn’t have one, right?」

          The movie I had in mind was a romance film, and in the original manga, the heroine dies at the end. Even though it wasn’t a happy ending, the main character did end up with the boy she loved, so it didn’t leave a bitter taste.

          But right now, I was more focused on Sendai-san’s memory than on how the series concluded.

          I recalled mentioning that I found romance manga with unhappy endings uninteresting, but I had only said it once.

          「You sure have a good memory.」

          「That’s because I was a little bitter after you spoiled me on the ending.」

          Sendai-san spoke in a tone that was difficult to tell if she was joking or being serious.

          「Yet, you read the whole series anyway.」

          「Yeah, I guess I did. So you’re willing to watch movies that don’t have happy endings?」

          「Even if it didn’t end on a happy note, I still liked it.」

          「Okay, then let’s go buy our tickets.」

          Sendai-san said with a smile before turning her back to me.

          She seemed to be smiling a lot more than usual today.

          Probably because we were “friends.”

          Even if that was the reason, the sight of a Sendai-san who was so different from yesterday made it hard for me to relax even once the movie started.

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