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Cutting class wasn’t new to Denji.
He liked school well enough despite struggling with some classes, but he wasn’t above cutting class or ditching altogether when there were better things to do.
Getting Asa Mitaka to ditch school so they could watch a movie at his place definitely qualified.
Denji led her through a series of back alleys that he sometimes used as a shortcut between his apartment and Fourth East High. This way they could pass through virtually undetected.
The exasperated girl followed behind him, hissing out a warning under her breath, like a teacher could pop out around any corner
“We’re going to get in trouble. Do you have any idea how strict our school’s truancy policy is?”
It was all Denji could do not to laugh at the poor girl’s protest. They’d been planning this for days after all. It wasn’t like he’d just pulled her out of the hallway. And besides, she’s the one who always complained about Nayuta talking while they’re trying to watch movies. This way they could watch a movie in peace while Nayuta was still in school.
“Relax, Asa, we’re almost there! Not like anyone back there even remembers our names anyway. ‘Cept for that creep Hirofumi.”
Once the alleyway gave way to open street, Denji checked to make sure the coast was clear. There was the video rental place. It was sandwiched in between two shuddered shops on the way to his house, and it had become their go to destination for movies. It wasn’t a big chain, so there weren’t many new releases, but that was fine by them. The older movies were better and easier for two high school kids to afford.
Denji slipped inside, giving the owner a nod. Asa slid in behind him, trying her best to flatten herself against the wall.
“My turn to pick! Wanna watch The Fox and the Hound?” Denji asked without a hint of irony
“We finally get a chance to watch a movie by ourselves and you pick a kids movie?” Asa asked with crossed arms and a face that looked caught between a sneer and a smirk.
“Hey! We watched that Secret of NIMH movie you said was your favorite, and you didn’t hear me complain! And I had to read subtitles too! At least this one has a Japanese dub!”
Denji’s voice had creeped up to a sort of quiet shout, and caused the owner to look up from the poorly concealed gravure magazine he’d been reading. Asa noticed and shot Denji a glare
“Denji, you’re going to get us kicked out, or worse yet he could call the school!” She hissed. “I’m picking the movie this time. You let Nayuta veto me the last two times it was my turn to pick anyways, you owe me.” she said so matter of factly, like she wasn’t already expecting a fight.
“That’s bull and you know it! You got to pick like the first five movies we ever watched together without even askin’ me what I wanted to watch, so if anything you owe me!”
The two bickered quietly in the aisle for a bit, and Denji was having trouble keeping his voice down. Asa sighed. She wasn’t about to let him overrule her again, but getting him out of here without getting the school called on them was going to require some sacrifice on her part.
“If you let me pick the movie I want to watch, I’ll let you kiss me.” she kept her eyes everywhere but on him, and hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff
Denji however took the bait hook, line and sinker. Asa noticed the faint pink on his cheeks and darted her eyes towards a movie poster just behind his head
“You for real, Asa?” Denji asked, suddenly finding something on the pilled carpet floor really compelling
Asa had to fight the urge to let out another deep sigh. She really wasn’t for real, at least not if she could help it. She didn’t hate the idea of kissing Denji, at least not anymore, but she wanted their first kiss to be romantic and not a result of bribery. On the other hand, this might actually make him more considerate going forward. It was a toss up.
“Yes, Denji. I’ll let you kiss me. Just don’t use this as an excuse to try that pathetic arm stretch thing again. Now can we please get out of here? I already know what movie I want to watch.”
Denji just nodded so fast it looked like he might have disoriented himself a bit.
“Good. Then we’re watching this one.” She held up a VHS of ‘Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights’
Denji could tell right away he was going to have a bad time, but told himself the kiss would make it all worth it.
“Another foreign one? Don’t suppose this one has a dub, does it?”
Asa rolled her eyes.
“It doesn’t. But I’ve heard this one actually adapts the second half of the novel, which most adaptations don’t. Wuthering Heights is usually thought of as a love story, but that’s just because the first half of the book gets way more attention than the second half. It’s actually a tragic story of obsession and repeated cycles of cruelty.”
Denji looked as though he was reconsidering the whole deal just based on that description alone. He was going to really make her lay it on thick to get what she wanted this time, wasn’t he?
She stepped towards him, leaving only a few inches space between them, then looked up at him through her lashes
“Please, Denji?” she said far softer and sweeter than she usually would “I’ll even help you keep up with the subtitles if you have trouble”
Denji’s face got a bit redder at the sudden closeness and the simple act of supplication which was extra rare coming from Asa.
He scratched the back of his head, trying to avoid those damned eyes of hers. Dark blue, veiled party by some of the longest lashes he’d ever seen. For the briefest of moments he wished he didn’t notice these things. Life would be a lot easier if he didn’t.
It was his turn to sigh now. He couldn’t say no now, especially with a kiss on the line.
“Sheesh, I already said you could pick. Let’s just get out of here already.”
They rented the movie, grabbed some snacks at a nearby konbini, then made their way to Denji’s apartment.
Denji had just finished shutting Nayuta’s dogs up in the other room when he told Asa to come in from outside. Denji took his spot on the floor, while Asa slotted the tape into the vcr. She joined him on the floor, at a distance that was close, yet comfortable. A spread of snacks sat between them as the opening of the movie played.
To Denji’s credit, he was actually fairly restrained during the movie. He only asked Asa for help a few times, when the subtitles moved too fast for him to reasonably read. Asa helped explain what he didn’t catch of course. She knew reading wasn’t his strong suit. She wasn’t ready to talk about just how profoundly sad that made her, or how selfish she felt making him endure a movie with subtitles.
He was being so good regardless though. She’d considered herself something of a cinephile, but she could tell Denji was no stranger to watching tons of movies himself. Probably of varying degrees of quality. He seemed good at just sitting and absorbing it all like a sponge.
Towards the back half of the film he spoke up.
“This guy is a real asshole, isn’t he?”
He said it so matter of factly that instead of irritating Asa like unsolicited commentary normally would, this just made her snort and double over laughing. Denji started laughing too. She’d forgotten about the movie for a second and just laughed with him.
When she was finally able to refocus on the film, she couldn’t take it seriously anymore. She wasn’t mad though. To call the movie a mixed bag would be very charitable, so the laughing fit had made it more memorable if anything.
When it was over she talked about the movie being a bit of a disappointment and lamented that maybe the full novel wasn’t adaptable in a way that could do the book justice.
She looked over at Denji, who’d kept his eyes on her pretty much since the credits had started to roll.
‘Oh that’s right’ Asa thought ‘He’s probably waiting on his kiss’
Asa had started to mentally prepare herself. She inched closer little by little and she was just about to tell Denji to go ahead and get it over with so he could stop looking at her like that. But then Denji said something that caught her a bit off guard.
“Asa, thanks for doin’ this with me today. I like watching movies with ya, even if they’re pretty bad. Which this one definitely was, no offense. But you’re really good at making bad or boring stuff feel more worthwhile.”
Asa stared at him as if he’d just said the most romantic thing she’d ever heard. He could be really sweet when he wanted to be. It made her chest hurt a bit, like seeing something really really cute. She decided today wouldn’t be such a bad day for a first kiss after all.
“Would you just shut up and take your kiss already?”
Denji looked at her with pupils blown wide for a sec at the words she’d said said.
He didn’t need to be told twice.