Concerned that Chisato’s brain seemed to be dissolving like a melting cube of butter, Takina grabbed Chisato by the wrists to stop the shaking.
“Let’s turn this around. Why are you surprised that I don’t go to the movies?”
“Because… Because, er… Takina, you know where you are, right?”
“Inside Café LycoReco.”
“No, no, a geographic location!”
“Tokyo.”
“No! I mean, yeah, but narrow it down more!”
“Sumida, a little north of Kinshicho Station.”
“That’ll do! And why are you here?”
“Because Commander Kusunoki ordered me to.”
“Er… Right…”
Takina didn’t know where the conversation was going, but even she could tell that Chisato wasn’t satisfied with her answers.
“What’s your point?” she asked.
“You see, Takina. You’re very blessed right now. You’re working at an amazing café, you get to wear a cute uniform, you have a nice, pretty girl who’s so happy to have you around for a coworker—”
“The pretty coworker’s here. What do you need?” asked Mizuki Nakahara, emerging from the staff room; she was working the late shift.
“I said ‘girl’!”
Mizuki pouted, protesting that girls were girls no matter their age, but she soon retreated. Meanwhile, Takina wished Mizuki was more committed to work and started her shift early.
“So, um, what was I saying? Oh, right. I’m your pretty coworker. You get to eat delicious food every day, you’re great at your job…”
“I would like to be given more responsibilities, though.”
“Okay, yeah, we can think about that! For starters, how about you do the cleaning all by yourself today?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know! I know, but let’s talk about that later! So on top of everything I already said, you’re living in one of the best places in the world!”
“Because there are a lot of good restaurants?”
“It’s not about the restaurants!”
Chisato looked up to the heavens in exasperation. Meanwhile, the noisy conversation attracted Kurumi. She emerged from the back of the store yawning as if she’d only just woken up, carrying her laptop. She sat at the other end of the counter, opposite Takina.
“Based on the context of the conversation thus far, I believe Chisato wanted you to realize how close we are to a bunch of theaters.”
“Yes! That’s it! Incredible! How did you know that?”
“I heard the entire conversation from my bed. That’s how loud you are.”
Mika put down a cup of hot chocolate in front of Kurumi, as if he’d anticipated she’d want it. She accepted it matter-of-factly and took a sip immediately. Then she exhaled with an ahhh.
“Did you just wake up? It’s almost sunset,” said Mika.
“I won’t let something as insignificant as the sun dictate my daily rhythm,” replied Kurumi.
Takina was watching those two when Chisato moved her face in the way, not willing to let Takina ignore her. Takina couldn’t escape Chisato’s big eyes.
“So what’s the point of you living here, Takina?”
“Like I said—”
“The point is to take advantage of all these movie theaters!”
“I disagree.”
“Being able to walk to the movies instead of having to go by train is a mega advantage! A huge quality-of-life boost! So why…? Why aren’t you going to any?!”
“I’m not sure what to say…”
“’Cause you don’t really watch movies, right?” Kitamura suggested cautiously.
Takina pushed Chisato’s angry face out of the way to reply to the student.
“I do watch movies. Chisato keeps foisting all sorts of Blu-rays on me.”
Chisato twisted her body to look at Kitamura. Her hand shot up.
“I make sure she watches some movies!” she proclaimed.
“Then something else must be stopping Takina from going to the movies,” said Yoneoka, the writer.
Chisato turned back to Takina, awaiting her answer.
“Well… For starters, it’s so expensive.”
“Don’t be st—” Chisato started, but she bit her tongue.
“Also, movies are generally about one hundred and twenty minutes long,” Takina continued. “Which is fine, but you’re supposed to arrive early and take a seat before the start of the movie, and the movie doesn’t even start when it’s supposed to because previews run first. You also have to factor in the time needed to travel to and from the theater, which adds at least another forty minutes. Altogether, you waste almost half the day on a single trip to the movies.”
“Why don’t you see it as a bargain, only two thousand yen for half a day’s worth of entertainment?”
“It doesn’t take a long time for movies to become available on streaming services or for physical copies to become available for rental. Both options are more efficient ways to see a movie—”
“You don’t get it! You just don’t get it, Takina! Argh, damn it! I’ll have to educate you! Let’s go! I’m taking you to a movie theater right now!”
“Whoa, whoa! Chisato?” Gotou asked with a smile, amused by Chisato’s impulsivity. “What about the café?”
“It’s self-service now! Get whatever you want!”
“Better think again,” muttered Kurumi, typing away on her laptop, but Chisato didn’t seem to hear.
Chisato dragged Takina out of the café…only to drag her back inside moments later. Hotheaded as she was, she realized the plan was flawed—she and Takina were still dressed in their kimono uniforms, and they didn’t have their wallets on them. Not to mention, it was highly unlikely they’d happen to arrive just as a movie was about to start.
Kurumi snorted.
“Well, that was quick. How was the movie?”
“Very funny! Kurumi, book seats for us! For any movie starting soon!”
“I knew you were going to ask, so I already looked some up. There are two movies you can make it in time for if you leave now: Revenge of the Samurai in Space and Shameless Japan: the Movie. Yeesh, these titles…”
“Oh, I’ve already seen both of those…”
“You went to see movies with those crazy titles? What made you think that’d be a good idea?”
Ignoring the question, Chisato walked over to Kurumi to look at her laptop.
“Oh, wait a sec. Isn’t Forty-Nine Golden Days in theaters now?” she asked.
“You don’t mind going later? Okay… Here, found it. It’s showing tonight at nine o’clock.”
That’d mean they could go after finishing their shifts. Takina was fine with that.
“Okay, we’ll take it! Book us seats! Next to each other!”
Ding-dong rang the bell at the front door. Takina got up from her seat and went over to greet the customer with a smile.
“Ah… Sorry, Chisato. It finishes after eleven, so minors aren’t allowed.”
“If we dress the part, they’ll never guess we’re underage!”
The newly arrived customer cleared his throat loudly, obviously trying to get Chisato’s attention. She finally noticed him and turned around…cringing as she realized her big mistake.
“I’m afraid I can’t let that slide,” the man said. It was Abe, a police detective in his late forties. He smiled wryly and scratched his head.
“Mr. Abe?! What are you doing here?!”
“I came in for a coffee… Is that not allowed?”
“Oh, no, that’s fine. It’s just that your timing couldn’t be worse… Urrrgh…”
“Ha-ha-ha! You girls were going to the movies? If you can’t get into the late showing, why not just go tomorrow?”
“When you want to see a movie, you have to go as soon as you can! You never know what life’s gonna throw at you. Never waste a chance to see a show!” Chisato frustratedly protested as Abe made his way to a counter seat. He ordered an iced coffee, which Mika started preparing right away.
“And this is another downside of movie theaters. You can’t just watch a movie when you’d like to.”
“It’s not the same, Takina. Listen, I know it’s easy to just stream movies online. Sure, the convenience is a plus, but it’s different! Not saying you shouldn’t stream movies ever, but… How do I put it…?”
“You can even watch movies on your phone if you have time to kill,” Yoneoka remarked.
“True. Where was I…? Right. Regardless of any movie’s plot, being able to watch it whenever you want means it doesn’t have as much of an impact, you know? You don’t appreciate it as much.”
“Oh, I got it,” Yoneoka said with a triumphant look on his face. “It’s just like with women! You can have a good time with an easy woman, but you won’t care about her as much.”
“I guess that’s kinda similar, but you also sound like a total sleazebag, so negative points for you.”
“Me, a sleazebag?!”
Kitamura and Gotou laughed.
“In any case, the movies just aren’t in the cards today, Chisato. Please just accept that.”
“Tsk! Fine… It’ll have to be tomorrow. Kurumi…”
“On it… You two are lucky. Tomorrow’s the last showing of that movie in Kinshicho. There’s only one showtime at five thirty.”
“That’s our only chance? Quick, book the seats!”
“You got it.”
“One for me and one for Takina! In the middle, slightly closer to the screen. That’s the best. Oh, and I have a membership, so use that. I’ll give you my number…”
“You’re so fussy, Chisato. Here, just buy them yourself.”
Kurumi handed the laptop off to Chisato, who started filling in each field on the website. Takina sighed, watching her friend type slowly, thinking how unfair it was that her schedule for the next day had been changed without her having any say. What about work? She had a shift tomorrow, too. She furtively made eye contact with Mika, who was just serving Abe’s iced coffee. His lips curled upward slightly, as if to say they’d just have to manage somehow. He had a soft spot for Chisato, and he wasn’t the only one. The regulars, too, happily condoned Chisato’s freewheeling lifestyle… Everyone was easy on her.
Feeling exhausted by it all, Takina sat down at the counter again to finish her coffee, which was starting to get cold.
The only thing bitter at Café LycoReco was the coffee.