No matter how curious she was, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't just outright ask him to let her touch him.
That would be too much. Way too much.
Wouldn't that make her seem like a total pervert?!
No, no, she had to be patient. Wait for an opportunity. But unfortunately, such a golden moment wasn't so easy to create. Even as they continued walking, no brilliant ideas popped into her head.
Before she knew it, they had already arrived at their destination.
The movie theater.
The trip wasn't far, and since they weren't in a rush, the two had strolled at a leisurely pace, taking their time.
Surprisingly, the theater wasn't crowded. In fact, it was deserted.
Was it because of the location? The time of day?
Even though they were still in Tokyo, this area was clearly on the outskirts—far from the bustling, neon-lit chaos of the central city. Most of the surrounding buildings were older, traditional residential complexes, the kind that hadn't seen much modernization.
Despite this, the area had all the necessary infrastructure. There was no need to venture elsewhere just to find decent services.
Upon reaching the front desk, Natsukawa Kanade checked the movie's showtime, confirming that he had gotten everything right. After a quick verification, he decisively purchased two tickets.
Naturally, as any proper moviegoer knows, popcorn was an absolute necessity. But before making any assumptions, he turned to consult his companion about drinks.
"Senior, do you want a drink?"
"I don't need one," Utaha replied without hesitation, shaking her head. She wasn't a fan of drinking anything too cold.
Kanade nodded in understanding before turning back to the counter.
"Two servings of popcorn, one large Coke."
The girl working at the counter looked young—probably a high school student like them, working part-time. Her nervous energy was obvious.
A moment later, she hurried back from the storeroom, holding the items he had ordered.
"Y-Y-Your items, please take them…"
Kanade accepted the snacks, but as he did, he noticed something.
She kept glancing at him.
Not subtly, either. It was the kind of nervous, darting look someone gives when they're trying not to be obvious—but failing miserably.
The second their eyes met, she flinched and quickly turned away, pretending nothing had happened.
Wow, she's seriously shy.
Kanade chuckled inwardly, not thinking too much about it.
He turned back and took a few steps toward Utaha, handing her one of the popcorn containers. He was about to suggest they sit down and wait for the movie to start when—
"…As expected of Scum-kun."
Kanade blinked.
Hugging her arms across her chest, Utaha looked at him with open disdain, her tone dripping with disapproval.
"You don't even try to hide your desires, huh? You just ooze your pheromones wherever you go—like a peacock showing off its feathers…"
"???"
Kanade stared blankly at her, utterly speechless.
Excuse me? What?!
What was she even talking about—?!
Following her gaze, he realized she was looking at the girl from the front desk.
The same girl who had been sneaking glances at him earlier.
Sure enough, she was still watching.
Not only that—she was now leaning forward slightly, as if trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.
The moment she saw him looking, she panicked and snapped back into position, pretending she hadn't just been caught.
"…"
So that's what this was about.
Kanade sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache.
Without a word, he grabbed Utaha's wrist and guided her toward a seating area further away—out of the girl's line of sight.
But just as he thought he had resolved the situation—
"Although Kouhai-kun is acting all aloof," Utaha mused, her tone laced with mischief, "inside, he's secretly thrilled, right?"
Her mood had visibly improved, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.
"After all, boys are always like that," she continued, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "It doesn't matter who likes them—even if it's from another species—they'll still puff up their chests with pride, thinking they're so amazing…"
Kanade nearly choked on air.
"Excuse me?! Can you at least limit the species category?!"
Did she just lump him in with guys who'd be flattered by literally anything hitting on them?! What was he, some kind of wild animal in mating season?!
"Heh~. Just as I suspected," Utaha said, nodding to herself. "Kouhai-kun is nothing but a mindless breeding machine. My recommendation—fortunate indeed! A simple castration should solve the issue permanently."
"DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"
Kanade groaned, rubbing his temples.
Okay, fine, maybe he had felt a tiny bit happy.
But come on! He hadn't shown it at all, had he?! In fact, he had even moved further away to avoid unnecessary trouble! And yet, somehow, he was still getting attacked!
If he had known this would happen, he might as well have stayed put and enjoyed the attention properly!
Just as he saw Utaha about to open her mouth to continue her relentless teasing, he panicked.
Without thinking, he grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it straight into her mouth.
"Here, Senior. It's delicious. No need to hold back—eat more."
"Uuuu…?!"
Her eyes widened in shock as she struggled to chew, muffled complaints spilling from her stuffed mouth.
Kanade, on the other hand, strategically averted his gaze, suddenly finding the movie posters on the wall extremely interesting.
"Guuu…"
After a few agonizing seconds, Utaha finally managed to swallow the popcorn, aided by the moisture in her mouth.
She wanted to scold him—angrily, with all the righteous fury of someone who had just been force-fed against their will. But then, she suddenly realized something.
Wait…
Just now… she had been actively fed by him, right?
Without needing to "give orders," without any teasing or manipulation—it had just happened.
And that wasn't all.
He had used his entire hand to shove it into her mouth. Inevitably, his fingers had brushed against her lips.
…What an interesting development.
A devious glint flickered in her eyes as a wonderful idea popped into her head.
"My mouth is empty."
Her voice was smooth, yet layered with unmistakable threat.
"If it stays empty for too long… I might start talking again."
"???"
Kanade turned his head slowly, utterly confused.
What kind of logic was this?!
Seeing his blank expression, Utaha simply pointed to the bucket of popcorn in his arms, then pointed at her mouth.
Her message was clear: You know what to do.
Kanade narrowed his eyes. "No, but you have popcorn in your hand. Why do you need mine?"
Utaha: "…"
Okay.
Okay, she knew he was doing this on purpose.
He was trying to force her to say it, wasn't he?!
Well, she wouldn't fall for it!
"Because yours tastes better."
She said it with an absolutely straight face, as if it was the most logical statement in the world.
Kanade stared at her for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "Meaningless."
But despite his protest, he still exchanged their popcorn buckets, handing her his and taking hers in return.
"There. Happy now?"
"???"
Now it was Utaha's turn to be stunned.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
Did he just—swap the buckets?
This… This idiot! He was totally doing it on purpose!
Who does that?!
Clearly, he was trying to force her to take the initiative!
Well, she refused!
Without another word, she shoved the bucket back into his arms, then crossed her arms over her chest with a haughty snort.
"Hmph. Now I don't even have hands."
"…"
Kanade stared at her, completely speechless.
This woman.
This woman was seriously unbelievable!
After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.
"You just don't want to eat by yourself, do you? You're just lazy, aren't you?!"
Utaha's eyes twitched.
Lazy?
Was that what he thought this was about?!
Was he seriously underestimating her this much?!
Furious, she huffed and turned away, refusing to dignify his accusation with a response. If he wanted to believe that nonsense, then fine! Let him suffer!
Seeing that she wasn't going to budge, Kanade exhaled again, shaking his head in resignation.
"Fine, fine…"
Muttering under his breath, he picked up two pieces of popcorn, preparing to feed her like she was some kind of spoiled princess.
Just as he brought the pieces close to her lips—
Flick.
A soft, wet sensation brushed against his palm.
Kanade froze.
Utaha had just licked him.
She just—?!
And then, as if she had won something, she smirked at him with a playful gleam in her eyes.
"Hmph. You deserve it."
Kanade: "…"
You're such a child!
Seriously, wasn't she ashamed of herself?!
*******************
Well gang, I hope to finish this story in the coming month!! It hasn't been as well received as I expected it to be but I've been enjoying it all the same. You can suggest the next story you want from me or I can simply pull one out of a magical hat.