After welcoming Asanagi-san who arrived a little late, we sat down to watch the movie she rented while eating the dinner we each had brought.
As she had said, Asanagi-san rented a shark movie.
The title was 'Tremble in Fear! The Angel Shark!' (original title: Angel Shark)… The cover showed a man-eating shark with angel wings swooping down from the sky to attack the people below it.
"…What the hell?"
From the title alone, it screamed B-movie.
"Do you like to watch this kind of thing, Asanagi-san?"
"Nah, not really. I love mysteries and thrillers."
"Then, why did you rent this?"
Also, apparently, this movie was a new release, so the rental fee should be higher than usual.
"Well, I mean, sometimes, it's better for us to laugh our ass off at shitty movies like these rather than watching a serious one."
Outside of school, Asanagi-san had a very different vibe.
At school, she was a fairly serious student with excellent grades and athletic ability. She also tends to be the straight man within Amami-san's group.
And that same Asanagi-san, right now…
[SHAAAAA!]
[GYAAAAH!]
"Hahaha! Are you kidding me? A flying shark chomping people under the evening sun, that's gold!"
…Was sitting on the floor, stuffing her face with fries while watching the movie played with its silliness laid bare. She looked like a totally different person.
"What's wrong, Maehara? Is the plot moving too quickly for you?"
"Well, yeah. Stories aside, they sure put a lot of effort into making this movie…"
"Right? The effort they put into making something this dumb is insane."
Asanagi-san who would wear a cool smile in class, and the Asanagi-san who was cackling loudly while clapping her hands.
I'm likely the only boy lucky enough to see both sides of her. But, something was gnawing at the back of my mind…
"Ah, right, it isn't like I mind hanging out with Yuu and the other classmates, I actually like them, that's why I hang out with them so often in the first place."
"…What's with this sudden change of topic?"
"Mm? I mean, Maehara, your face looks like you are confused about something."
I wasn't sure if I should ask her about it or not, but she actually read my expression like a book, as expected of her.
"Well, your personality here and at school are really different, so I was curious…"
"I had to play that role, you see? Everyone unanimously follows Yuu, so someone has to rein them in, or else things will get messy."
The flow of the conversations in class would be, Amami-san starting things with a joke while smiling cheerfully, the rest of the classmates joining her, then when things got a little bit rowdy, Asanagi-san would butt in.
Without Asanagi-san acting as the straight man, the conversation would spiral out of control, gradually lose its momentum, and then be replaced by an awkward silence. I knew this from my experience observing the so-called 'top-caste' students from the corner of the class for quite a while now.
"I don't mind that kind of atmosphere. For me, rather than being seen as a gloomy person, I want people to see me as a cheerful person."
"But… You're pushing yourself, aren't you?"
"Well… yeah…"
After nodding, Asanagi-san sipped on her cup of Coke. Her eyes were focusing on the screen during the entire thing.
"Like I said, chatting and hanging out with Yuu and the others is fun. But, while I always try my hardest to keep up with everyone, I do feel overwhelmed at times… Following the flow of the conversation… Guiding it so the atmosphere won't become unpleasant… There were times where I would suddenly get back to my senses and went 'what the hell am I doing with my life?'"
Even though Asanagi-san seemed relaxed most of the time, she sure had a lot on her mind, huh?
That was probably why she was looking for a place she could turn to whenever she was feeling overwhelmed. A place where she could decompress without worrying about keeping up appearances.
"I know that your introduction might have been a sensitive topic, but it was Maehara's honesty that gave me the courage to reach out and become friends. I may be tired of being with the crowd at times, but I'm also not used to being alone…"
"I understand that… Though it's the opposite for me. I'm used to being alone, but that doesn't mean I love being a lone wolf."
My situation was the opposite of Asanagi-san's, but there were times when that feeling of loneliness struck me randomly while playing a game or reading manga. At that time, my mood would worsen and I'd feel depressed, thinking 'what the hell am I doing with my life?'.
"Then, I guess we are alike in one way. Though I figured that out earlier, after all, we did eat junk food together like this, while laughing at a dumb shark movie on the top of that."
"Right?"
We've only hung out together like this a few times, but I felt like I got to know her a little better.
Normally, she was a cool person who would take care of everyone, but once she threw that role away, she became a normal, cheerful girl who liked to mess around and acted a little bit sloppy.
I felt just a bit closer to her now.
"Hey, Asanagi-san."
"What is it?"
"Next time, I'm picking the movie."
"Will you get an alligator movie next?"
"…Let's not watch another animal-themed one, okay?"
The weekend passed by as me and Asanagi-san planned our next meeting.
By the way, the shark movie was decent, and actually quite funny.