Not long after Sakayanagi and her group left, Shiina arrived right on time.
She was wearing a long white knit sweater, paired with a pleated skirt that was slightly on the short side. As she walked, the hem swayed lightly, revealing glimpses of her legs.
While her outfit was undeniably eye-catching, Hikigaya was more concerned about whether she might feel cold. But with gloves, tights, and long boots, she was probably fine.
"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun," Shiina said apologetically. "I was the one who invited you out, yet I kept you waiting. I feel really bad about it."
"No, it's my fault. I just arrived too early."
Recently, things had been rather stressful, and the cold weather helped clear his mind.
That being said, it wasn't like he wasn't looking forward to this outing… maybe about fifty-fifty.
Hearing his response, Shiina smiled slightly, as if she could see right through him.
Stop that, it's embarrassing!
"A-Anyway, is there anywhere you want to go?" Hikigaya hurriedly changed the subject.
"I was thinking of going to the movies. There's an adaptation of a novel I like that just got released."
After saying this, Shiina quickly added, "But it's not a must. I'm just a little interested. If there's something you want to watch, feel free to say so."
Now that she mentioned it, Pretty Cure's new movie was premiering today.
But Shiina probably wouldn't be interested in that... Should they just watch separately?
That thought lasted less than three seconds before Hikigaya dismissed it.
He couldn't do that now.
Unlike before, he wasn't just someone's practice partner—he had been invited out to have fun.
Besides, he didn't want to see Shiina with a disappointed look on her face.
So, the answer was obvious.
"I'm fine with anything. You can decide."
"Alright then, let's go."
Shiina smiled again and casually took hold of Hikigaya's wrist, leading him toward the theater.
Ahaha, sure, there were a lot of people around, but they were high schoolers. There was no need to worry about getting separated… Just let go already!
Hikigaya stiffened, nearly forgetting how to walk.
This girl was way too bold. She was going to give guys the wrong idea.
Doing his best to maintain a neutral mindset, he followed her to the theater.
As expected of the weekend, the place was packed with people. Just looking at the crowd made him want to turn around and go home.
"It's even more crowded than I imagined," Shiina muttered.
She seemed to have the same thought, but rather than giving up, she carefully checked the screening schedule and seat availability.
How unfortunate.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've come to the movies with you, Hikigaya-kun. It feels fresh and new."
"Yeah, I don't come to places like this very often either."
Ever since enrolling at Kouyou Academy, Hikigaya hadn't stepped into a movie theater once.
Back in Chiba, he would occasionally go alone to watch tokusatsu or anime films, which weren't exactly the kind of thing you'd go see with friends.
Not that it was because he didn't have any friends—absolutely not.
"Hikigaya-kun, look at that."
Shiina suddenly pointed to a large, eye-catching poster.
"That's the one! The novel it's based on is really famous. I even recommended it to you before."
Now that she mentioned it, he did remember something like that.
Shiina was really into mystery novels, while Hikigaya wasn't as enthusiastic about them—but he didn't dislike them either. He was actually somewhat looking forward to this movie.
As long as it didn't turn out to be a complete disaster.
Speaking of which… why was Pretty Cure's poster shoved into the corner?
And why did it have such a poor screening schedule—only two showings per day?
Then again, it made sense. Theaters were ultimately businesses, and most of the customers here were high school students. Pretty Cure's target audience completely missed that demographic.
Not that it was inappropriate for high schoolers—just that this was the age where people hated being called childish.
Even if they genuinely liked Pretty Cure, they'd put on a front and pretend they weren't interested, all because of the pressure from those around them.
This kind of thing got better with age.
It was that classic case of "a little too childish for elementary schoolers, but just right for university students."
...Wait a minute.
By that logic, didn't that make him more mature than most people for admitting he liked it?
As Hikigaya stood there lost in thought, Shiina tugged at his sleeve.
"Um, Hikigaya-kun…?"
"Huh? What?" He snapped back to reality.
"You've already decided, right? I'll go buy the tickets. Do you want any drinks or popcorn?"
"That's not what I was going to say."
Shiina shook her head, then pointed at the Pretty Cure poster.
"Did you want to watch that? I noticed you've been staring at it for a while."
Before Hikigaya could deny it, she continued with a teasing smile.
"Come on, if you like it, just say so. We can watch it instead. I understand, really—after all, the girls in it are super cute."
Uh… Shiina?
Even if you say that with a big smile, I have no idea how to respond!
Or rather, this kind of consideration is totally unnecessary!
"N-No, you've got it wrong." Hikigaya hurriedly shook his head.
To be clear, it wasn't that he was embarrassed. He just didn't want Shiina to accommodate him.
Besides… watching Pretty Cure with a girl from his year? That was some kind of torture.
"But didn't you just say I could decide?"
Shiina looked at him with an innocent yet amused expression.
"Then, I'll choose this one. I'm going to buy the tickets."
"Wait—"
Hikigaya tried to stop her, but she had already walked off toward the ticket counter.
You've got to be kidding… Damn it, I want to go home.
Even though this wasn't the first time, why did he always end up getting dragged along by Shiina?
This girl was terrifying.
To his surprise, she returned shortly after, looking dejected.
"What happened?"
Seeing her empty-handed, Hikigaya was puzzled.
Did the tickets sell out? That didn't seem likely.
"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun… I couldn't find two seats together."
She sounded a little frustrated.
"I mean, I can't tell people how to sit, but seriously, why do they all insist on leaving one empty seat between them?!"
"Ah, I see."
Hikigaya could understand. He also preferred not to sit right next to strangers when watching movies alone.
But Pretty Cure was this popular?
Now he was curious about what kind of audience was watching it. Maybe he could even start a fan club.
"The next showing is in the afternoon. Want to wait?" Shiina suggested.
"No, absolutely not!"
After Hikigaya refused several times, she finally gave up on the idea.
In the end, they watched the movie Shiina originally wanted to see.
Judging by the packed theater, it was definitely a hit.
But sometimes, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
Even if he tried to be generous, this movie was just plain boring.
Halfway through, some people couldn't take it anymore and left. Others just whispered among themselves.
But Shiina stayed focused.
Hikigaya couldn't bring himself to interrupt, so he endured it with her.
When it finally ended, the lights came on, revealing a relieved expression on her face.
So she hadn't enjoyed it either. She probably just sat through it out of courtesy.
"Sigh… I can't believe it turned out like this," Shiina said with a bitter smile. "The original novel was so good, but the movie was just dull… I feel kind of betrayed."
"That happens all the time. Don't let it get to you."
In the world of anime and manga, the phrase "tragically adapted into live-action" is all too common. Hikigaya had long since developed immunity to such disappointments, knowing that novel adaptations were often even more challenging.
After all, the narrative styles of the two mediums were vastly different. Some original works weren't even suited for film adaptations in the first place.
Of course, it was only natural for dedicated fans to complain.
"Alright, it's a rare occasion for us to go out together. Let's not talk about things that make us unhappy."
Shiina clasped her hands together slightly, as if trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere, and a smile returned to her face.
"Speaking of which, where should we go for lunch? Is there anything you'd like to eat, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Hmm... I can't think of anything off the top of my head."
If he were alone, he would've settled for anything without much thought.
But since today was Christmas Eve...
"How about KFC?" Hikigaya suggested.
"Oh, right! Since it's Christmas Eve." Shiina nodded in agreement, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes. "Every year around this time, I always have a bucket of fried chicken with my parents. Is it the same for your family, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Yeah, Komachi always says that without fried chicken, it doesn't feel like a proper holiday."
Honestly, he never really understood the connection between fried chicken and Christmas Eve—wasn't this just another consumerist trap?
Though, from what he'd heard, foreigners typically ate turkey on this day. Hikigaya had tried it once before.
As for the taste... well, let's just say it was hard to describe.
The fried chicken was still the best.
"By the way, who's Komachi?"
"My younger sister."
"You two must be close. That's nice." Shiina looked genuinely envious. "I've always admired families with siblings. It seems so lively. But my parents are always busy with work, so most of the time, I just read books alone."
It seemed like Shiina was feeling a bit homesick.
But there wasn't much that could be done about it—this school didn't even allow students to visit their families during holidays. In a way, it was even stricter than studying abroad.
After finishing their lunch at KFC, still dissatisfied with the movie, they decided to stop by a bookstore to buy the original novel.
Shiina had read it a long time ago, but only as a borrowed copy from the library. This time, she wanted to own a physical copy for her collection—and to reread it.
Perhaps because of the holiday, the bookstore was nearly empty.
However, they unexpectedly ran into someone familiar.
"Hey, Shiina, that guy... is that Ryuuen?"
Hikigaya wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him. From his angle, he couldn't see the person's face, but judging from the back, it had to be Ryuuen.
"Yeah, that's Ryuuen-kun." Shiina also seemed surprised.
To be honest, Ryuuen felt completely out of place in a bookstore.
He always assumed the guy's reading material wouldn't extend beyond Jump magazine.
"So? Do you want to go say hi?" Hikigaya asked for Shiina's opinion.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't bother. But after everything that had happened recently, he couldn't help but wonder how Ryuuen was reacting to it all.
However, Shiina hesitated and said, "Maybe we shouldn't? We're still on our date, after all. Besides, Ryuuen-kun probably doesn't want to be disturbed right now."
Huh… Now that's an unexpected reaction.
Given Shiina's usual demeanor, Hikigaya had assumed she would agree without hesitation and then greet Ryuuen as if nothing had happened.
But now, she seemed… hesitant.
More accurately, she looked guilty.
"Really? I don't think it's a big deal." Hikigaya shrugged. "But since you feel that way, let's just pretend we didn't see him."
"Mm…"
Shiina lowered her head slightly, still looking a bit downcast.
She must have something on her mind.
But since she wasn't willing to talk about it, Hikigaya had no reason to press her. He could only let it be.
The two of them wandered around the store for a while and soon found the novel Shiina had been looking for.
"How about it? Anything else you want to buy?"
"Uh…" Instead of answering, Shiina simply stared at the bookshelf, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Hikigaya didn't rush her and casually picked up a book to flip through.
But just then, Shiina suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Um, Hikigaya-kun."
"What?"
"Do you think… I'm a bad girl?"
"…Huh?"
Hikigaya was caught completely off guard. Since when did not greeting an acquaintance make someone a bad girl?
If that were the case, then he was undoubtedly the worst person in the world.
"You see, yesterday, I told so many lies in front of everyone." Shiina hesitated, her voice soft and uncertain. "I know that sometimes, to protect our friends, we have to fight. But… I still don't like hurting others. Do you think I went too far?"
So that's what this was about.
Even though she hadn't shown it on the surface, deep down, she still felt guilty about twisting the truth during the hearing.
Sigh, she is a kindhearted girl.
"…You're not wrong."
After a brief moment of thought, Hikigaya nodded solemnly.
"Lying to protect your class from punishment—any way you look at it, that makes you a bad girl."
"I knew it…"
"But—"
Before Shiina could feel too down, Hikigaya interrupted her.
"But you lied because you wanted to protect your friends. That, without a doubt, makes you a good girl." He found himself saying something utterly ridiculous. "So, let's just call it even. You're just a smart and beautiful girl—there's no need to overthink it."
"Eh…"
Shiina blinked as if struggling to process his words.
Not that Hikigaya himself fully understood what he had just said either…
Just as he was about to clarify, Shiina suddenly, without warning, threw herself into his arms.
"Hehe, thank you, Hikigaya-kun."
She nuzzled against his chest like a content kitten, her warm breath sending a strange sensation through his entire body.
"It's strange… but after hearing you say that, I suddenly feel glad I made up my mind to lie yesterday."
"Uh… I mean, I'm happy you've come to terms with it, but could you let go of me first?"
"Hehehe, nope~."
What do you mean, nope?!
Don't think you can just act cute and get away with this!
Hachiman refuses to acknowledge such devious children!
"Oi, oi, oi. Can you two have some self-awareness?"
A voice full of irritation suddenly interrupted them from the side.
"If you wanna flirt, take it somewhere else. This is a bookstore—a place of culture. Stop embarrassing yourselves here."