For a loner, the rom-com staple of seeing a movie with a girl was undoubtedly a rare and precious event.
And my companion was none other than Yuria Ichinose.
If you polled a hundred guys who liked gyarus at our school, every single one of them would name her. She was the undisputed number one, boasting a level of popularity that was off the charts.
Yet, of all things, the movie I was about to watch with her was the busty battle anime Breast-Kyun—an erotic series that barely skirted the line of acceptability, even for a late-night broadcast.
"I’m seriously hyped to get a look at Milk-tan’s milk on the big screen," she chirped.
She was likely the only gyaru in the world who’d get this excited over her favorite character’s breast milk.
We took our seats side by side in the theater.
Surrounded by stereotypical-looking otaku, the two of us—with me in my extrovert form—stood out like sore thumbs.
"Is it just me, or do we really stick out?" she whispered.
"W-Well, yeah."
"Is that what you usually look like, Ryouta?"
Yuria spoke while nodding toward a large man in the front row who was wearing a moe T-shirt and practically panting in anticipation.
He was the quintessential anime otaku. It might have been a bit of a prejudice to say so, but the reality was that the theater was packed with guys just like him.
"I’m not quite that extreme... but yeah, I might wear a moe T-shirt every now and then."
"For real? So why didn't you wear one today?"
"T-That’s..."
I was at a loss for words.
If I told her I’d gotten all dressed up because it was my first time going out with a girl and I was in a "date" mood, she’d definitely think I was a creep. Looking back, I really had been on cloud nine leading up to this.
"Well? Why not?"
"U-Um! It’s because..."
There was only one reason I'd bothered with hair wax and perfume—flashy things that an otaku like me usually had zero business using.
"I-It's because I was going to be walking next to you."
"Because of me? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"I mean... I couldn't exactly walk around with a beauty like you while wearing some otaku shirt. And I figured it’d be embarrassing for you if my hair was a mess, too."
"..."
Yuria suddenly went quiet and stared fixedly at the screen.
Wait, did I just piss her off?
"U-Um? Ichinose?"
"Ryouta... do you actually think I’m a 'beauty'?"
"Of course I do. Don't tell me you didn't know?"
"I knew! I mean, obviously, I'm way cuter than everyone else! Of course I'm aware, but... still."
"But...?"
"I just realized that you actually think that way too, Ryouta."
What was that supposed to mean? Did she find it gross that I thought she was attractive?
"Wait! You went back to calling me 'Ichinose' again!"
"Ah, sorry... Yu-Yuria."
"Yeah, that’s better."
She nodded with satisfaction, though she looked like she was trying to hide how she really felt.
Man... Yuria definitely had a bit of a troublesome side, just like Miyama.