19. The Yeti's charm

"We arrived!"

Shibata detached herself from my arm and I felt myself be alive again.

Despite the fact that her hair was a normal, inconspicuous color, Shibata's figure had attracted the attention of most passersby.

It was no wonder that people were intrigued by the person in the good graces of this devilish angel (?).

I could feel the curious gaze of both males and females all over my body, making me realize that this pairing was truly unbalanced.

Upon entering the interior of the movie theater, I could see the poster of several movies that were going to be projected.

"Are you really sure you want to pay for the movie tickets?"

"Don't worry about it, just think of it as a selfish gesture to pick the movie we're going to see."

That's a lie.

Shibata knew very well about my financial situation, so I'm sure she's trying to find any excuse to shoulder every expense of today.

That must be why she chose today's schedule and wouldn't listen to my opinion, despite always trying to make me comfortable.

"So be a good boy and wait for me here, will you?"

"Hey, wait a minute, Shib...!"

Without letting me finish my complaints, Shibata left me in front of the movie theater lobby to get in line to buy tickets for the movie we were going to see.

Not wanting to worsen the mood of the day, all I could do was raise a white flag.

I was wondering why she hadn't bought tickets in advance but I could deduce that it wasn't a newly released movie or something extremely popular.

This weirded me out for a moment since my idea of Shibata is of a girl who loves to see the romance or action genre.

It would be odd to discover she's excited about horror, but you never know.

You shouldn't judge people by their appearance.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, I decided to wait in line for another queue.

When it was my turn, I was greeted by a traditional customer service greeting.

"Good morning, what can I..."

"...?"

Is this by any chance someone new to the job?

The girl who appeared to be a middle school student had suddenly interrupted her line.

Trying to break the strange atmosphere that was being created, I tried to help her.

"... I'd like to buy some popcorn, what's available?"

"...! They're still on sale! We have...!"

Her voice was still a bit agitated, but she was getting the job done.

"A small portion of butter popcorn, please."

"... Coming right up!"

With shaky hands, I somehow received the small bag of still-warm popcorn.

"..."

"..."

... Don't tell me I have to do this too...?

"... How much do I owe you for the popcorn?"

"...! For a small portion of popcorn is..."

All red in the face, she looked like she wanted to hide under a hole, but her professional demeanor was impeccable as she was answering my questions.

... In a way, I was amazed at how she was able to work, given the extreme shyness she was showing right now.

So, I couldn't help but encourage her.

"Just do your best, okay?"

Handing over a 1000 yen bill, I hope she can at least give me the right change....

Unexpectedly, when I was about to receive the change, my extended hand was taken by the girl's soft hands.

"Um... Are you by any chance alone...?"

Clearly confused, I didn't even have time to answer that a figure I knew all too well stood in the way.

"He's here with me!"

Shibata, with a strangely annoyed tone of voice, was taking my free arm and holding it close to her body again.

... Can you not do that in front of someone I'm talking to!?

Surprised, the girl in front of me let go of my hand and Shibata took the opportunity to drag me away.

... Was it just me or was the girl rather depressed?

"I can't take my eyes off you for a second that they already have you in their sights.... Where's your indifferent attitude when it counts!?"

Shibata, irritated, was scolding me.

"... I can't have that attitude when I'm already with someone..."

"... Then why did you only get popcorn for only one person!? You give the wrong impression!"

"... I got it for the occasion and so I wouldn't get too full before lunch. But I have no issues sharing it..."

This was my strategy to get around Shibata's conditions.

If I got something for myself, then accidentally shared it with her, she couldn't pay for everything anymore... right?

Shibata's expression became strange.

She looked like she wanted to smile, but was doing her best to remain sullen.

"... You better feed me..."

This time it was me who had to force a smile.

This little devil is going to ruin me (sanity).