"We're home, they both took off their shoes...
"It seems like Mom and Dad are already back at home... the house is quite quiet now...
Footsteps were heard approaching, and Grandpa Fujita appeared with a wide smile on his face.
"You guys are back, huh?"
"Hey, you guys! I just bought tickets for three people to watch a movie," Fujita said excitedly, waving the tickets.
*The sound of the ticket paper rustling*
"When did you buy them?" Kazuki asked.
"This afternoon... So, which movie are we going to watch?...
"Oh, how about we watch the latest movie playing there...
"Haah, whatever you say... I'm going to take a shower first..." Kazuki went up to the second floor...
"Are you going to join us, Rin?...
"Alright, I'll join... Then I'll take a shower too...
Rin went up to the second floor...
A few minutes later...
Grandpa Fujita was waiting in the car. "Sorry for making you wait," Kazuki said as he got into the car, followed by Rin who sat in the back seat with Kazuki...
*The sound of the car door closing*
*The sound of the car engine starting*
"Okay, let's go," Fujita said while driving the car out of the garage.
During the trip, Kazuki silently observed Rin from the corner of his eye. The girl looked calm as usual, gazing out the window while occasionally playing with the ends of her hair...
An hour later...
They arrived at the cinema, which was already filled with long lines of moviegoers...
"Wow, it's so crowded," Rin commented, slightly surprised at the enthusiasm of the audience...
"Yeah, I'm also quite surprised about this... I haven't been here in a long time...
*The sound of the bustling cinema visitors*
Fujita approached the popcorn counter, which also had a long line. "Three large popcorns, please," he ordered.
*The sweet aroma of popcorn wafted in the air*
After getting their orders, the three of them entered the studio. The room was nearly full, but fortunately, they managed to get strategically located seats in the middle row...
Kazuki sat in the middle, Rin on his right side, and Fujita on his left. The lights began to dim, making the room dark. Rin was busy enjoying her popcorn...
*The sound of suspenseful opening music of the film*
The movie they were going to watch was a young love story...
Kazuki thought this story would be very boring...
"Kazuki looked at Rin... She seemed to be quite interested in the story...
Two hours later...
"The people in the cinema seemed quite sad...
Who would have thought that the girl the main character loved would die from a disease...
"In the story, it was explained that the main character and the girl had known each other since childhood... and at the end of the story, it was revealed that the girl the main character loved had been sick since childhood... and the main character had no idea she was sick...
"Rin also looked surprised about that...
For others, this story might be sad, but for Kazuki, it was just ordinary...
After that, they exited the cinema...
Who would have thought that the girl would die...
Fujita said while walking towards the car...
"How about we go have dinner somewhere?..." Fujita suggested.
"Yeah, it's up to you," Kazuki replied.
"By the way, Rin has been in the bathroom for quite a while... Yeah, you're right, she said she wouldn't be long... Kazuki, why don't you go look for her, she might be lost...
"She's already an adult; how could she possibly get lost...
Just go... Alright," Kazuki replied...
"After that, Kazuki went to look for her, and after a while, he found her... It seemed she was being bothered by a guy she didn't know...
"Oi, what are you doing?...
The guy bothering Rin looked at him and said, "Who are you?...
"I'm her boyfriend; could you please not disturb her...
Kazuki looked at him coldly...
"Oh, is that so... then I'll leave...
After that, he walked away...
"What are you waiting for? Let's go, Rin...
"You were quite brave to say that...
"What can I do? If I didn't say I was your boyfriend, he wouldn't have left...
"It seems being a pretty girl is quite troublesome, huh...
"Yeah, you're right; it really is troublesome...
"Alright, let's go now...
Rin walked beside him...
After that, they exited the place...
As Kazuki was about to head towards the car, he saw Rin suddenly stop beside him. The girl's face turned very pale, even paler. Her body trembled violently as if she had seen something terrifying.
"What happened to her? Hey, are you okay, Rin?" Kazuki asked worriedly.
No answer. Rin only held her trembling body, her eyes fixed on something behind them...
*The sound of a heartbeat getting faster...
Kazuki turned to look behind, and there... under the dim streetlight, he saw it - a dark shadow that seemed to be following them.
"Huh? Who is that?... Are they following us?...
Without thinking, Kazuki immediately pulled Rin's hand into the car. "Let's go, Fujita!" he shouted in panic.
"What's wrong with Rin, Kazuki?" Fujita asked while driving.
"It seems someone is following us," Kazuki replied, still holding Rin's cold and trembling hand.
*Kazuki wondered* "What made her so scared?...
"Who is following us?" Fujita asked worriedly.
"I don't know, but it seems that person knows Rin..."
After an hour of tension, they finally arrived home. Kazuki was still holding Rin's hand, which was reluctant to let go.
"Kazuki, is it okay to let Rin be like this?" Fujita asked anxiously.
"You just go to your room first; I'll calm her down..."
"Alright, I trust you with her..." Fujita nodded before going to his room.
*The sound of footsteps on the stairs*
*The sound of a bedroom door closing*
"Alright, you sit on this sofa for now," Kazuki guided Rin to the living room sofa. The girl sat down, but her hand still refused to let go of Kazuki's grip...
"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere," Kazuki whispered...
This is the first time I've seen her like this...
It seems something happened to her in the past...
"Slowly, Rin released her grip...
Kazuki went to the kitchen and brought her warm water... "Here, take this..."
Rin took it...
"So who was the person following us earlier?...
Kazuki sat next to her...
"I don't know him," Rin replied...
"It seems you don't want to talk about it...
"It's up to you...
"But I'll tell you one thing...
"If you keep being scared like this, you'll never be able to change... You'll remain in fear until you die...
"Forget what happened in the past and start living a new life... stop being trapped in your past...
"You don't understand me, Kazuki... from the beginning, you're a stranger to me...
So what do you know...
"I don't know if you're stupid or what...
From the start, you never told me about yourself...
How would I know about you...
"Rin just lowered her head...
"If you were in my place, you would be like this too, Kazuki; you would surely be as scared as I am now...
"Too bad, but I will not be afraid like you; no matter what happens, I will not be like you...
"From the start, you must have thought that I was the same as you; I'll tell you that you're wrong; from the start, you and I are different...
"It's almost impossible for me to feel fear towards anyone... so stop comparing me to you...
"Rin finished her warm water and started to get up from the sofa... Rin walked towards the stairs to the second floor...
"Rin stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at Kazuki...
"Kazuki, you're too arrogant...
You talk as if you can't feel fear; if you meet them, you would surely be like me, I believe that...
"After that, she went up again
and went into her room...
"Them? What does she mean by the people in the red cloaks...
What a fool; that's exactly what I've been looking for all this time... I would be happy if they could make me feel fear... Kazuki looked out the window with a vacant stare...