Mai Sakurajima’s Acting

Caught off guard by Utaha's bluntness, Kotomi's face turned beet red; she wanted to disappear into the floor. She'd spent so long trying to phrase her fear in a more graceful way, only to have Utaha see right through her and laugh.

Kotomi looked around the nearly empty theater. At least only Utaha had heard her embarrassing explanation.

"You know, Kotomi-chan, you just killed me! I'm definitely putting that line in a side story," Utaha teased, still laughing.

The tension and fear they'd been feeling during The Ring completely vanished, replaced by lighthearted cheer.

"No way," Kotomi huffed.

"I'll give you ten percent of the royalties from the next volume of Love Metronome."

"Nope! Senpai, you know me—I am always dignified and unselfish. No way can I be bribed. Gonna need more than that."

"Twenty percent—for my Pepsi buddy."

"Deal!"

And just like that, they reached a happy agreement.

But Kotomi couldn't admit she was just plain scared. She didn't want to think she was a scaredy-cat. After all, she could usually handle horror manga just fine. So why did her serotonin transporter gene sequence suddenly feel so short? She could only conclude it was because The Ring had haunted her childhood in her last life. Rewatching it now was enough to make her anxious all over again.

Trying to console herself, Kotomi added, "Actually, I was just trying to give you a quick biology lesson. I don't usually get so freaked out by horror movies," she mumbled, pressing down on her trembling legs to make them stop.

Just as she finished, a jarring sound filled the theater, followed by chilling music. On the screen, ghostly pale fingers began to twitch, lifting slowly. A woman's long black hair fell over her face, and in the distorted background, blood-red eyes glared. A twisted smile spread over bloody lips, slowly tearing open.

"That's Mai, playing Sadako…"

Even Utaha flinched at this, but she felt more awe than fear. Mai Sakurajima's acting was undeniably amazing. But this really was intense—was Kotomi going to be okay with it? Thinking to cover her friend's eyes, she glanced over, but Kotomi had already thrown herself forward, clinging tightly to Utaha's arm in terror.

Seeing Sadako, a childhood horror, had Kotomi rooted to the spot, her mind spiraling into every creepy thought she'd buried long ago. The relentless succession of nightmarish moments threatened to make her cry. She resolved then and there—never again.

Utaha was too entertained watching Kotomi cling to her for dear life. She was adorable, terrified yet somehow incredibly endearing.

"Okay, okay, no more scary stuff," Utaha murmured, wrapping a comforting hand around Kotomi's shoulder as if soothing a frightened child.

A few moments later, Kotomi managed to regain some calm, releasing Utaha's arm and attempting to discreetly wipe away a tear. But Utaha noticed, and her soft laughter bubbled up again.

"Still scared?"

Kotomi, cheeks flaming, gave a small, shame-filled nod and quietly munched on her popcorn.

As Utaha smiled over her, Kotomi resolved that one day, she would create her own terrifying stories—ones that people wouldn't be able to forget, just like The Ring.

Finally, The Ring drew to a close, the theater lights came up, and Kotomi let out a sigh of relief.

Phew… it's over, she thought, feeling her legs turn weak.

She'd narrowly avoided facing the terror of roller coasters and free-fall rides, only to be confronted with The Ring. And not just any Ring, but one starring Mai Sakurajima as Sadako. The movie was scarier than she'd expected, but Mai's outstanding performance had brought Sadako's horror to life in ways Kotomi hadn't anticipated.

"Whew, well, that was…really good, don't you think, Kotomi-chan?" Utaha asked, failing to suppress her grin.

"Yeah… really good. Mai-senpai's acting was amazing," Kotomi muttered, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.

As they exited the theater, two hours had flown by. Now, it was past 1 p.m.

Both were ravenous—Kotomi from her adrenaline-fueled digestion, and Utaha, who hadn't eaten breakfast at all.

"So, where next, Utaha-senpai?" Kotomi asked.

"Well, I wasn't planning to go anywhere specific, just wandering around. But now…I have a clear objective. How about you?"

"Same here. A very clear one."

"Oh, it seems we're thinking alike. Let's find a restaurant!"

"Yes, please!"

Hungry as they were, the choice of restaurant for lunch was quickly narrowed down to two options: a fugu (blowfish) restaurant or a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant.

Usually, dining out with another girl might lean toward fugu for the ambiance, even if it was a bit pricy. But for Kotomi and Utaha, hunger trumped sophistication. They weren't in the mood to wait—especially not the wait time a high-end fugu place would likely require.

"There's nothing like yakiniku when you're starving," Kotomi said, her stomach already growling at the thought.

"And all I can think of is skewered grilled chicken," Utaha added as they laughed, pushing open the restaurant door.

Inside, a server noticed them and hurried over. However, instead of asking how many were dining, the waitress offered a sincere apology, "Good afternoon, ladies. I'm so sorry, but all our seats are currently occupied. If you're able to wait a bit, we have a bench by the entrance."

Kotomi glanced over and saw a long bench packed with people already waiting. Even the dining area was bustling. She knew this could mean an indefinite wait.

They left the restaurant, and Utaha sighed. "It's so crowded here! Who knows how long it would take for two seats to open up."

Standing in front of the yakiniku restaurant, Utaha turned toward the fugu restaurant next door, suggesting, "It might take longer for fugu to be served, but it'll probably be faster than waiting here. What do you say? My treat."

Kotomi looked thoughtfully in the distance before sighing with a laugh, "Senpai, I think we'd better forget about fugu too."

"Why's that?"

"Well, look at the nearby theme park. Their restaurants are likely packed right now, so many people probably had the same idea as us to find lunch nearby. If the yakiniku place is packed, odds are the fugu place is too."

Utaha sighed, clearly realizing her mistake. "Oh, right. With the theme park nearby and it being lunchtime, of course, they're swamped."

Kotomi then suggested, "We could go a bit farther. I know a great place, Adshima Yakiniku, and there shouldn't be any crowds since it's not near any major attractions."

"Oh! I've heard about that one from Kisara Tendo—it's supposed to be amazing. And from what I've heard, the two ladies running the place are supposedly very beautiful too."

Kotomi laughed, nodding, "That's true—they're quite the duo."

"Isn't it a little far, though?"

"If we pick up the pace, we'll be there in about twenty minutes."

Utaha chuckled. "My, Kotomi-chan, you're certainly fit! Not all of us are ready to power walk that far, though."

"That's fine, I've got stamina to spare."

Utaha sighed, then with a wry grin remarked, "Just be careful about that stamina, or one day you'll end up learning firsthand what it's like to be out of breath."

Unwilling to trek a full twenty minutes to the BBQ place, Utaha decided to call for a taxi instead. As they settled into the backseat, Kotomi whispered, "Isn't this a little over the top? It's only twenty minutes by foot."

"Hardly. Whenever I have to walk more than fifteen minutes, I just call a taxi," Utaha replied as she subtly raised her leg, showing off her silver ankle-strap heels.

The sheer black stockings she wore accentuated her shapely legs beautifully. The delicate black material, as smooth as melted chocolate, covered her thighs and extended down to her graceful feet, where her toes looked almost temptingly sweet within the stockings.

Kotomi generally didn't care much for chocolate, but for this kind…

Maybe I should try wearing black stockings sometime?

Typically opting for white stockings, Kotomi was now intrigued by the thought of a change.

Snap!

Utaha suddenly snapped her fingers, drawing Kotomi back from her thoughts.

"My legs… Have they mesmerized you that much?" Utaha whispered playfully, leaning in close.

Flustered, Kotomi realized how lost she'd been, her cheeks going red with embarrassment. This wasn't how she wanted to be caught on their first outing together.

Utaha chuckled warmly at Kotomi's reaction, easing the mood, "No worries, really. I'm flattered that I can make my cute junior stop and stare."

"Flattered?" Kotomi asked, still flustered.

"Of course~ It's not every day that I can match up to the famous Kotomi-chan. I'm happy to know my legs can keep up." With that, Utaha lightly placed her hand on Kotomi's thigh in a mock little tease.

Utaha could hardly contain her joy; she'd long wanted to touch Kotomi's legs, but the right opportunity hadn't presented itself until now. Now that Kotomi had practically invited her, Utaha was going to savor the moment.