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Makoto Naegi had been working on gaining the courage to ask his classmate, Kyoko Kirigiri, out on a date. He had been trying to ask her out for two weeks, only to find himself stumbling over his words, and excusing himself to leave in defeat. Despite being the optimist, doubt would always cross Makoto’s mind in regards to Kyoko agreeing to date him. The doubt came from the fact that he was, in his mind, an ordinary high school student, who only attended Hope’s Peak Academy through chance. With that in mind, why would an amazing person such as Kyoko, who was scouted for her detective skills, want to go out on a date with an average loser student like himself?
Then again, he was already friends with Kyoko. When they first met, Kyoko was reserved, and Makoto considered that almost heartbreaking. He saw how she never interacted with classmates, and would speak briefly during class. Kyoko was a mystery, and Makoto was determined to figure out what made her tick. When he asked her to have lunch together, that was easy. He didn’t have any ulterior motive, except to befriend her. Their first lunch together was quiet, and Makoto was shocked when she said she would like to have lunch with him the next day. Their friendship grew since then. Then, the more Makoto learned about Kyoko, the more he developed romantic feelings for her.
Today, he was determined more than ever to ask Kyoko out. He wasn’t going to let his nerves get the best of him this time. He was ready to take the bull by the horns and finally ask Kyoko out, and he wasn’t going to let himself run away this time.
“What is it, Naegi?” Kyoko asked after Makoto blocked her locker.
Makoto was breathing heavily, and his cheeks were bright pink. He wondered if maybe he should have bought flowers for her before asking her out. Maybe that would increase his chances. However, he couldn’t think about what could have been. She had yet to refuse lunch with him, so maybe she’d say yes to a date.
“I was wondering,” Makoto said meekly, “maybe if you aren’t busy tomorrow night, if you’d like to go to see a movie with me?” Makoto had trouble keeping his legs from collapsing.
Kyoko analyzed Makoto’s body language carefully. Makoto, being the open book he was, was easy for her to figure out. She was pretty sure his offer to the movies was what was making him flustered the past couple weeks. She admitted, the offer was endearing, and Makoto was rather cute when he was flustered. A small smile escaped her lips.
“I suppose I could use a night off of studying,” she said. “So, yes, I’d like to go see a movie with you, Makoto.”
Makoto gasped when he heard Kyoko accept his offer. Joy overflowed him, which could be seen on his trembling smile, and sparkling eyes.
“You will?” Makoto squeaked. “I mean, great! How about we meet outside the dormitories tomorrow night around six?”
Kyoko nodded. “I look forward to it. So what movie shall we be going to?”
Makoto’s heart thumped. He was so caught up in trying to ask Kyoko out, that he had forgotten to pick out a movie for them to see. He couldn’t tell her that, however. He needed to say something quick. “It’s a surprise!”
“I see.” Makoto couldn’t tell if Kyoko bought his fib. “Well then, I can’t wait to be surprised.” She nudged Makoto out of the way so she could put her books away in her locker. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Makoto.”
Once Kyoko was out of sight, Makoto collapsed onto the floor. He knew he needed to pick out a movie, and fast. The problem was that he had no clue what type of movie would be perfect for a first date. He felt if he found a mystery genre movie, it would be too generic for Kyoko’s tastes. If he picked a romance genre movie, perhaps things would be too awkward or that Makoto was moving too forward in their relationship. He regained his composure so he could stand up and find the one person he thought could help him out.
Makoto sat at the foot of the bed that belonged to his good friend, Sayaka Maizono. Makoto had a feeling that Sayaka would be able to help him out in his dilemma. Sayaka was a bit of a romantic herself. In fact, she said if she wasn’t focused on being an idol, she would love to go on a date with one of their classmates. Yet, she would never disclose who this person was to Makoto.
“So that’s my problem,” Makoto said after explaining to Sayaka his problem in picking out a movie for him and Kyoko to go to.
Sayaka paced back-and-forth across her room in thought. “If only Kirigiri wasn’t so closed-up,” she admitted. “If she was easy to read, then picking out a movie would be simple.”
“Exactly!” Makoto exclaimed. “What if I pick out the wrong movie? This could ruin my chances with her!”
Sayaka reached over to her desk and grabbed her cell phone. She rapidly tapped at the buttons. “Easiest way to narrow it down is to figure out what’s playing.” She stared intensely at her phone without talking to Makoto while she searched for the closest movie theater, and what they were playing. Once she found the showtimes, she studied each movie closer. Suddenly, her eyes widened in a state of an “aha” moment.
“I got it!” she hollered before she ran over and jumped on her bed. She scooted closer to Makoto to show him the contents on her phone. “Take her to a horror movie!”
“What?” Makoto shouted. “Why?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before!” Sayaka squealed. “Do you see what’s playing? Everybody has been saying this is one of the scariest movies in the decade! I bet even Kirigiri won’t be able to stay calm seeing this!”
“But why would I want to take her to something that will scare her?”
“Because as soon as something terrifying comes onto the scream, Kirigiri is going to reach over and cling onto you for comfort! It’s a for-sure way to get her closer to you!”
Makoto stared at Sayaka’s phone. The more he saw the movie she suggested, the more he began to consider her reasoning. “If you really think this will work,” he said, “then that’s what I’ll take her too!”
Sayaka patted Makoto on the back with encouragement. “Atta boy! You’ll have Kirigiri in your arms before you know it!”
Makoto stood in front of the school dormitories, nervous. He fumbled with the collar of his shirt anxiously as he waited for Kyoko to show up. She wasn’t late in any way; in fact, Makoto was early due to his nerves. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Kyoko walk out of the dorms. He took in every detail in her appearance. He noted that she wore an orchid colored sweater and dark purple skirt that almost touched her knees. She hadn’t changed the way she wore her hair; she still had it down with a single braid on the side. Makoto noted that Kyoko had to have been wearing some sort of make up, as her eyes stood out more to him than ever. He liked this casual side of Kyoko. To him, it was endearing.
“Kiri,” Makoto said happily when she walked over to him. “You-” he cut himself off, only because he wasn’t sure what exactly to say. “I mean, you look nice.”
Kyoko smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you, Naegi.”
The two walked to the movie theater in silence. Makoto began to feel uneasy with each minute of missed conversation. He was relieved the minute they made it to the movie theater, and Kyoko was still walking next to him.
“So what is this surprise movie?” Kyoko asked to break the silence as they went to purchase the tickets.
Makoto pointed to the poster sheepishly. “That one.”
Kyoko’s eyes widened. “I’ll admit, Naegi, you did surprise me. I didn’t think you were the type for scary movies.”
“I don’t mind them,” Makoto admitted after he purchased the tickets. He handed Kyoko her ticket. “I used to watch them with my little sister, Komaru.”
Kyoko looked at Makoto with suspicion. “You watched horror movies with your little sister?”
“I’m not a bad brother, honest!” Makoto exclaimed. “In fact, she would ask me to watch them with her so she wouldn’t get scared. Well, we were both scared, her more than me. The important part was I was there for her!”
Kyoko smiled once more. “I think that’s something an older sibling would do. At least, that’s what I think they’d do.”
“That’s right,” Makoto said. “You don’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“Nope,” she admitted as they stood in line for concessions. “Only child.” She stood next to Makoto as he ordered popcorn and two drinks for them. “Anyway, I hope this movie is good. Nowadays horror movies focus too much on jump scares, and take away any story.”
“I heard this is a really scary movie.”
“So am I to assume if I am frightened, you’ll be there to hold me?” she teased.
Makoto’s body stiffened and his cheeks heated up. “I-I mean if you really want me to!”
Kyoko chuckled softly. Makoto really was cute when flustered. The young couple walked into the dark movie theater. As they sat down, trailers for upcoming movies played. The theater remained silent throughout this time. The silence continued while the movie started. Makoto’s heart pounded so hard, he swore everyone in the theater could hear it. He hoped Sayaka was right about this movie being scary enough to terrify Kyoko. He really wanted Kyoko to cling onto him for comfort, even if it meant fear.
The movie started to frighten Makoto thirty minutes in. His eyes were glued on the screen as suspense filled the theater. He thought Sayaka wasn’t kidding when she told him just how scary this movie could be. He glanced over at Kyoko to see how she was doing with the movie. She showed no signs of fear. Makoto didn’t know if he should worry about the life of a fictional character in the movie, or the fact that Kyoko wasn’t finding this movie scary as much as he did! He told himself not to fret; there still was plenty of time left in the movie.
Ten more minutes into the film, and there was a jumpscare. Makoto’s body rose one foot off his seat, and he covered his mouth to keep himself from screaming in the theater. Once again, when he looked at Kyoko, there wasn’t a reaction at all from her. Makoto had no idea how she wasn’t shaking even a little bit. He started to wonder if Kyoko was some sort of superhuman.
The movie was an hour into its runtime, and the main character was in a tense chase scene avoiding the thing that was trying to murder them. The music, the camera angles, and the uncertainty of where the monster was enough to get anyone’s blood pumping. Makoto was now squirming in his seat, leaned forward slightly in anticipation. A crash of thunder struck in the scene and boomed throughout the theater. From the flash of lightning revealed the monster who jumped at the screen.
Overwhelmed by terror, Makoto lunged over, wrapped his arms around Kyoko’s body tight, and pulled her close to him. He buried his face in the sleeve of Kyoko’s shoulder to shield his eyes from the screen. He dug his fingers tight into her clothing, and probably made marks in her skin.
Kyoko flinched slightly from the sudden interaction. She had been engrossed in the movie so much, that she had completely forgotten the environment around her. She couldn’t remember the last time she watched a movie that kept her attention for so long. So when she felt Makoto huddled against her, that was the one and only time she was stunned for the entirety of the film. She looked over to see the poor boy hiding in fear. Kyoko couldn’t help but smile at Makoto, even though she felt it was wrong to be feeling joy from his pain. After all, she did like the feeling of Makoto clutched against her, even if the grip he had on her hurt a little bit.
Makoto was still clinging onto Kyoko for dear life after the credits began to roll. He had toughened up at one point so he could face the screen again, but he couldn’t keep himself from letting go of her. Once the credits flashed on screen, Makoto took a deep breath and let go of Kyoko. They walked out of the theater, Makoto embarrassed from being so scared at the movie.
“They weren’t kidding when they said this movie was one of the scariest in the decade,” Makoto muttered as they walked out of the theater.
“I’ll admit the movie did have me on my toes,” Kyoko added. “It definitely exceeded my expectations. The movie even had me scared more times than I expected.”
“You were scared?” Makoto shouted.
“Of course,” Kyoko stated. “The scary moments tied well with suspense and the story. I’m impressed the movie had my heart racing.”
“That’s impossible! You didn’t look scared at all!”
“You forget, Naegi, that I can hide how I’m feeling.”
Makoto hung his head, even more embarrassed than before. “Sorry that I grabbed you like that back there.”
“I see no reason to be sorry,” Kyoko admitted. “After all, you were terrified.”
“I-I wasn’t that scared!”
Kyoko chuckled. “The way you held onto me would say otherwise.”
Makoto began to drag his feet while they walked back to Hope’s Peak. He blew it. He screwed up his first, and possibly last date with Kyoko. He thought he could be tough throughout the movie and be Kyoko’s comfort, when it became the exact opposite. He beat himself up in his head about not being man enough to handle a scary movie. Makoto was positive that Kyoko wouldn’t want to date such a coward like him.
“So, Naegi,” Kyoko said as they walked into the dormitories. “I’m thinking the next movie we go to see should be lighthearted. A comedy, perhaps?”
Makoto’s eyes widened in shock at Kyoko’s suggestion. “Wait. You want to go out with me again?”
Kyoko looked at him with a slight smile curved on her lips. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t. I had a good time with you tonight.”
“Even though I...I was a coward?”
“Naegi, the point of a scary movie is to scare the audience,” she admitted. “Isn’t that why you chose this movie? Because you thought I’d get scared and hold onto you?”
“You knew all along?”
Her smile widened. “I had my suspicions.”
Makoto walked Kyoko to her dorm room, and silence filled the atmosphere once again. The two had reached the end of their date night, and now Makoto wondered just how he was going to say goodnight to Kyoko. He wondered if it would be too forward of him to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“So, you did have a good time, right?” Makoto asked, concerned.
“Of course I did,” Kyoko reminded him. “I can’t remember the last time I went to see a movie. That, and it was nice to spend my time with you.”
Makoto began to blush. “You did?” The pink on Makoto’s face transformed into a deep red that heated his entire body when he felt a pair of soft lips against his cheek.
“Yes, I did.”
Makoto became a stuttering mess as the cogs in his brain attempted to turn. Kyoko’s smile widened and her chuckle became a giggle at Makoto’s response. Makoto was outright adorable.
“Shall we say goodnight?” Kyoko suggested, almost teasingly while Makoto still tried to process the kiss.
“Y-Yeah!” he stuttered.
The words to bid Makoto farewell for the evening were ready to pass her lips, when another thought came to her mind. She thought about how disappointed Makoto was about not being able to comfort her at the scary parts of the movie. Perhaps she could give that to him, and in return she could continue to see that adorable flustered look of his.
“Actually, Naegi,” she said smoothly. She altered her tone of voice to try and emulate fear. “I’ll admit that movie did leave me rather terrified.”
Makoto broke out of his broken state of mind almost in an instant. “What?”
“Yes, it’s rather embarrassing how scared I really am. I’m...afraid to be alone tonight.”
Makoto had no idea his body could get any hotter, and yet it was. “What?”
“Would you mind staying with me a little longer?” she suggested.
“Of course!” Makoto blurted out. “I’ll be right there for you, Kiri! I’ll be there for you like you were there for me!” Makoto marched his way into Kyoko’s room, flustered but filled with excitement that he could comfort Kyoko in her apparent time of need.
A smirk grew on Kyoko’s lips while Makoto was facing away from her. She wasn’t scared, but Makoto didn’t need to know that.