Shouko handed the phone back to Akira, then leaned in close to him, curious to see how he was going to use it.

If he dared lie to her, she was ready to bite him as payback.

Akira calmly started searching through the movie listings while she hovered nearby. After a minute or two, he tilted the phone toward her so she could see the screen.

"You pick. I don't feel like looking," Shouko said, leaning back onto the bed and closing her eyes.

Akira gave her a helpless look. What could he do? He'd basically raised her from the time she was little—spoiling her came naturally.

He began reading the titles aloud:

"There are three new releases at the local theaters. I'm skipping the old ones."

"Mhm."

"Let's see... Pencil Careful: My Groom from Beyond Time and Space, Action Kamen: Z, Chrysanthemum Hero vs. Peach Blossom Monster, Blue Cat vs. Pot Lid Hero, and Me and My Thirty-Six Ex-Husbands."

The more he read, the more confused he looked.

What even are these titles? Do they seriously screen this stuff in actual theaters?

"Hmmm…" Shouko opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling as she pondered.

"How about… Chrysanthemum Hero vs. Peach Blossom Monster?"

She sat up and glanced at Akira, spotting the phone screen still on the movie list. She pointed at her choice.

"Are you sure that's the one you want?" Akira turned to look at her like she'd just grown a second head.

He was beginning to question her taste. Had he accidentally steered her into weird territory somewhere along the way?

"Mhm! That one!" she said with total confidence.

"Well… alright then. We'll buy tickets tomorrow," he replied with a resigned sigh. He figured he'd probably fall asleep during the screening anyway. What mattered was spending time with her and helping her unwind—she still hadn't fully let go of what they talked about earlier.

"Then it's settled! I'm heading back now." Shouko chuckled, stood up, and gave Akira's hair a casual ruffle before darting toward the door.

"Watch your step!"

"I won't!"

[A little while later]

「Akira! Akira! Can you see my messages?」

Akira was still scrolling through his phone when a notification popped up from Shouko.

He hesitated briefly before backing out of what he was doing and opened the message thread.

「Did you make it back to your room?」 he texted back, then rolled onto his back and flopped into bed, imitating how Shouko had been earlier.

「Mhm!」

「Yuzuru and Grandma are asleep. Mom's still working in the living room.」

「What time are we going to the movie tomorrow?」

「Also—what should I wear?」

「Do you think a dress would be good?」

He had barely shut his eyes for a moment before his phone was being bombarded with messages.

As he tried to decide which one to respond to first, another popped up:

「If you don't reply, I'm coming over to beat you! 🐰🔥」

Seeing that threat—and the fiery bunny emoji—Akira quickly sent:

「How about we just talk on the phone?」

Shouko, who had been rolling around on her bed, heard the ding-dong notification and instantly grabbed her phone.

"Huh?"

Just as she saw Akira's message, the screen shifted to a call coming through, accompanied by a cheerful ringtone.

She tapped to answer. "Hello?"

"Can you hear me okay?" Akira asked, his voice softer over the line.

"Yep, all good!" she replied, nodding even though he couldn't see.

Just as she was about to continue, she heard:

"Alright then. Go to bed. I'm going to sleep now."

Click.

The call ended.

Shouko slowly pulled the phone from her ear, glaring at the blank screen as her jaw tightened.

Without saying a word, she slid out of bed, slipped on her slippers, opened her door, and headed out.

"Shouko? It's so late—where are you going?" Yaeko Nishimiya, sitting in the living room reviewing documents while a drama played in the background, looked up in surprise as her daughter moved past the hallway.

"I left something at Akira's house. I'll grab it real quick. Don't worry, Mom!" Shouko said breezily, putting on her outdoor shoes.

Yaeko opened her mouth to ask what she'd forgotten, but before she could say anything, the front door had already closed.

She sighed and shook her head. The Miyamura house was just next door. She figured there wasn't much to worry about.

"Click…"

Over at the Miyamura residence, Shizuka Miyamura was in the living room, watching TV. Hearing the sound of a key being inserted and turned repeatedly, she paused the show and quickly stood.

She frowned.

That doesn't sound like Akira. Could it be… a thief?

Just to be safe, she grabbed the fishing rod her husband had left leaning against the wall—some expensive limited edition he'd bought in Osaka.

She stepped into the hallway and took a stance that looked suspiciously like the beginning of a kendo match.

But as the door opened, instead of a burglar, she saw a familiar head poke in.

"Um… Auntie? What are you doing?" Shouko blinked, bewildered.

"Ahaha…" Shizuka scratched her cheek, utterly embarrassed. "Your uncle and I are planning to go fishing soon, so I was… uh… practicing my casting form."

To sell the lie, she even gave the rod a few theatrical swings.

"Oh, okay. I just came to find Akira. Don't mind me, Auntie—please continue." Shouko quickly stepped inside, took off her shoes, and bolted up the stairs before Shizuka could say anything more.

Shizuka finally exhaled and lowered the fishing rod.

From behind her, a voice rang out, struggling not to laugh.

"You seriously planning to go fishing with me?"

"Get lost!" she snapped, turning to glare at her husband, Daiki Miyamura, who had peeked out from the study.

Daiki barely managed to stifle a laugh before retreating back into his chair.

But the second he sat down, another burst of laughter slipped out.

From outside the room came Shizuka's voice:

"Laugh again and I'll rip your head off!"

He shut up instantly.

In all their years together, there had been few moments where Shizuka had been this embarrassed. He'd heard the key in the door and peeked out just in time to catch her standing with his prized rod in full battle stance.

He hadn't needed to intervene—but it was worth the sight.

As for whether he cared if the rod broke?

He chuckled to himself: If it breaks, I'll just buy another one.

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