“Uhhhhh…”
“…What’s so great about this?”
“It’s just because it’s my first time here. Dolores said the DVD room is fun. She sent a ton of texts about it…?”
“Dolores…?”
“Why do you ask?”
Suddenly, the Commander started glaring at me intensely.
No, to be precise, she was looking at me and then her gaze got slightly sharper all of a sudden.
What’s going on?
I didn’t understand the sudden change.
“Commander?”
“Ha… it’s nothing. For now… let’s go inside.”
“Uh…? Understood?”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I followed the Commander into the DVD room.
What greeted me behind the door was a huge collection of DVDs.
To be specific, DVDs crammed onto shelves like books.
Since it’s a DVD room… I guess that’s to be expected?
I had never been to a DVD room before, so I was quite surprised by the sight, and my heart raced a little more.
The inside of the DVD room, while occupied, wasn’t too bright and, aside from the counter and entrance area, all was lined with shelves, creating a fascinating atmosphere.
It felt refreshing compared to the wine bar we were at before.
Working as the Commander’s vice, I ended up in places like this for the first time.
“Hehe…”
I unknowingly felt a bit excited.
It was my first time here and I was with the Commander, which made it even better.
“…I guess we can just pick any movie. You don’t really care about the genre, right?”
“That’s correct. Anything the Commander wants… It really doesn’t matter what movie we watch… Hehe…”
“Ha… At least I’ve never watched a movie with someone who’s truly drunk.”
“I’m not drunk yet. I haven’t even had that much wine…”
“You finished a bottle by yourself in less than an hour, though.”
“Ah… um…”
Did I?
I couldn’t quite remember, but it seemed like that might be right.
I was probably so focused on preventing the Commander from drinking more that I forgot about my own limit.
But I thought it was understandable.
If the Commander was good at handling her alcohol, I wouldn’t have needed to keep an eye on her!
“First, let’s go into the room for a bit…”
“Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.”
“Ah.”
Hmm.
*
So, I entered the room alone.
Inside was cleaner than I expected, and there was no unpleasant smell.
The walls were just covered with black soundproof material… and there was a screen on one wall, while the floor looked like a bed.
What is this?
As a first-timer, I wasn’t sure, but it felt quite fascinating.
“Let’s see…”
First, I climbed onto the bed.
After all, that was the only place to go in the room, right?
The bed was spacious enough for multiple people to lie down without a problem.
I thought this was probably where we were supposed to sit or lie down… and watch a movie.
Besides the bed, there was no other space to sit.
At least that was my assumption.
“I guess I can watch from here…?”
There were cushions and a blanket, so it definitely wouldn’t be cold, and my back or waist shouldn’t ache either.
It felt just like watching a movie in a theater while lying down.
“Hmm…”
It’s quite normal.
Just because I’d had some alcohol didn’t mean I should go crazy over something like this.
I’m not stupid.
Sure, it was a bit fascinating at first, but it wasn’t serious enough to lose my mind over… right?
I thought it would be fine.
“How is it?”
“Eep!?”
“…Sorry.”
“N, no problem…”
As I was rolling around on the bed, the Commander suddenly came in behind me.
If you’re going to open the door, at least make a little noise!
“Come this way. It seems more comfortable than I thought.”
“…”
“Commander? Why aren’t you coming? Are you smelling of alcohol?”
That felt a bit off.
No matter what, sitting with a superior while smelling of alcohol… uhmm…
I casually sniffed myself just in case, but there wasn’t really any strong scent.
Instead, I could only notice Lindera’s usual body scent, different from any strong aroma.
“Ha…”
“What’s with the sigh?”
“Just watch the movie quietly. Don’t go out like that.”
“Uh… understood.”
“And… that…”
“?”
The Commander looked my way, trying to say something.
Of course, it was frustrating that she was hesitating mid-sentence.
What exactly was she trying to say that made her take so long?
“Could you pass me the blanket…?”
“Ah.”
I’d rolled around on the bed and taken the entire blanket for myself.
It was definitely something the Commander had every right to bring up.
Anyway, after we split the blanket in half, I comfortably lay on the bed.
Before long, the lights in the room slowly dimmed and the movie began.
“Oh…”
“…….”
“Now that we’re like this, I can’t help but feel a little excited. I remember the first time I took a day off with the Commander and we went out to watch a movie.”
“That happened too.”
“Back then, you were quite inexperienced compared to now. I’m really glad you’ve become such a nice person.”
Since it darkened and we were both focused on the screen, I unwittingly let that slip out.
Well, it wasn’t an incorrect statement, nor was it something unusual to say, so I didn’t think much of it.
“…Focus on the movie.”
“Got it. But what movie are we watching?”
“Uh… I asked the clerk for any movie.”
“Is that so…?”
I wondered what kind of movie they chose for us.
I wasn’t sure, but I felt a hint of anticipation.
Most movies from this world were things I didn’t know about anyway.
Though I’m not really a frequent movie watcher, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
This was the first time I was watching a movie with the Commander since our last one!
*
“KYAAAAA!!!!!!!!”
“…..”
“Eep…”
The dizziness brought on by the alcohol had completely vanished, and my mind went blank.
All thanks to the terrifying ghost showing up on the screen!
“W, why this kind of movie…?! You definitely said it would be something like this…”
“I don’t know either…”
“Yikes!!”
“…….”
“W, once this scary scene ends… then…”
“I got it, so just stay still for a moment…”
“R, really scary…!”
Without thinking, I leaned against the Commander.
But it wasn’t because I had any strange thoughts… I was genuinely terrified.
Suddenly it went silent and then a frightening ghost appeared, directly causing me to throw myself towards the Commander.
I buried my head against her chest, completely incapable of moving.
After all… I felt like if I lifted my head, something even scarier would appear.
“Gah…”
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay…”
I often saw agents getting hurt during missions, but that was entirely different.
That fear was realistic, while this was not!
Suddenly, unrealistic… bizarre things kept popping out of nowhere!
And they did that without any hints beforehand!
“I-I’m really scared… I’m not having strange thoughts or anything…”
“…I got it. Just stay like this for a bit.”
“Y-yes…”
Reluctantly, I found myself embracing the Commander… a sight I couldn’t let anyone see.
I couldn’t bring myself to look up.
After all, I’m scared of scary things.
“W, what’s up with blood pouring from every hole all of a sudden…?”
“Ugh…”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
I apologized as the Commander sighed.
After all, if she suddenly decided to abandon me because I was a bother, I might truly faint from sheer fright!
Although it was just a movie, right now, it wasn’t merely a movie!
It was truly terrifying for me!
It wasn’t an action film at all; it was just an unspeakably scary movie of ghosts with blood flowing from their eye and ear sockets, which was all I could see!
Of course, the ghost in the movie wasn’t a real ghost, but still… it felt incredibly terrifying.
“Ugh…”
“Just hang in there for a bit. The movie time isn’t that long.”
“Y-yes…”
“And…”
-Thud…
Suddenly, a hand climbed onto my back.
For a moment, I was startled, but knowing it was the Commander’s hand calmed me a bit.
Just a little bit.
“…Just relax a bit. Watching you shiver like that is a bit tiring for me too.”
“Th-thank you…”
As I said that, the Commander began to gently stroke my back.
If it were anyone else, I would’ve felt really uncomfortable, but because it was the Commander, it wasn’t as bad as expected.
In fact, it helped calm the turmoil of emotions I had just moments before.
Of course, my heart… felt like it was beating faster than before.
-AH… AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Eep…”
“…You’re okay, right?”
I knew, but every time something scary happened, I unconsciously pressed my head tighter against the Commander’s chest.
I mean, I was scared.
I thought that hiding from something like this wasn’t very manly, but there was no way around it.
I was afraid of horror movies from the start.
At this point, I didn’t care enough to feel embarrassed about it.
The real embarrassment came from being wrapped up in the Commander’s comforting arms while she stroked my back.
“Such a girl usually…”
“Q-quiet down…”
“Can I laugh?”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Pfft…”
“Y-Stop laughing…”
Was my situation funny?
Well, to be honest, it was somewhat amusing.
While the Commander’s teasing stung a bit, I was more thankful for her calming presence than anything else.
For now, I decided to let it slide.
-KHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Eep!?”
“Pfft…”
Not long ago, I felt happy from drinking… but that feeling had vanished completely.
Even though I’d finished a bottle of wine by myself, the fear I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even notice the alcohol’s effects…
“I-I swear… I’m going to get my revenge next time…”
“How?”
“Well, that’s…”
I wasn’t sure either…
My heart was racing, and the screams of people mixed with the ghostly wails from the movie completely threw my concentration off.
“Next time… I’ll let you know.”
Or maybe I was still feeling a bit buzzed from the wine…
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