Stealing Spree

As more time passed the plot of the movie slowly unraveled before the two girl’s eyes.

Seeing Banjo fall in love with every woman he would encounter, Itou’s complaint grew wilder until she reached the point of closing her eyes and stopped watching it altogether.

I noticed that when her head suddenly fell onto my shoulders. She actually fell asleep from too much complaining.

If Himeko was tired because of not having enough sleep from anticipation for this day, this girl was naturally tired from the duties she had to carry out as the chosen heir of their company.

Perhaps, it’s already rare for her to also go out like this for her own leisure.

As for Himeko, she’s so engrossed with the movie that we ended up exchanging duty. She’s now holding the chips in her hand while I occasionally bring one for her to munch on.

And since Itou finished hers before she fell asleep, my left hand was already freed. Due to that, I could now also bring the canned drink for Himeko to sip.

With Itou resting her eyes while using my shoulder as her pillow and Himeko snuggling close to me while she’s engrossed in the movie on the big screen, this would look like I was dating the two of them.

Fortunately, there were no prying eyes around.

The movie continued and Banjo who ran away from home settled into a small apartment and began his new life away from his stepmother. He got into a relationship with many women and loved them all. And although it didn’t bloom into a relationship, he also got entangled with his female cousin who he met when he finally enrolled in college.

Naturally, he’s not like me who’s having multiple relationships at the same time. Well, he did two or three-timed once but that’s the extent of what he did. Moreover, he kept it a secret from them that when they found out, all three left him.

Throughout the movie, Banjo could be said to be a romantic just like Genji. Even that goal of his to become the bully was completely shelved when he met the women with whom he eventually fell in love. Nonetheless, he still kept one part of his promise to himself. To make himself a better person. He transformed from the bullied guy to a popular one who was always the talk of their neighborhood or even college.

Although he left home to live alone, he still pursued his studies while also taking numerous jobs to sustain him.

It’s actually a wonder how he still had time to be in a relationship with a woman when he’s already too busy with his work and studies.

Wait… Why do I feel like I’m seeing myself in him this way?

In a way, both Banjo and Genji’s lives were somewhat similar to what’s happening to me. However, I was actually working hard to build that future with my girls while the two’s focus wasn’t about that.

Ah, in any case. The movie continued and it came to the point that after being in and out of a relationship with at least 14 women, including a high schooler, Banjo returned home only to see his stepmother sick and only had a year to live.

Even if his father didn’t give up on her, he already found her a burden. So instead of relying on his father whose work was still important, Banjo brought his stepmother with him as they lived together for a while.

And the title of the movie was uttered by Banjo himself as he retold his stepmother what he went through when he ran away from home.

In the end, it became somewhat of a heartbreaking movie. Banjo confessed the reason why he left home and perhaps thinking that she didn’t have long to live, his stepmother accepted his reason and returned it.

The epilogue of the movie was about their life together for that last year in his stepmother’s life. And from time to time, events that were happening to them were like a repeat of what happened with Banjo with the other women he got into a relationship with.

And as the days passed by, Banjo’s stepmother grew weaker and weaker until she breathed her last at a hospital.

Himeko, who was engrossed with the movie, ended up crying silently as she watched everything unfold before her eyes.

By the time the ending scene arrived wherein Banjo was standing in front of his stepmother’s grave, promising her to be a better person like she always wished for him, my handkerchief was already too wet from Himeko’s tears that wouldn’t stop flowing.

Five minutes after the ending credits began rolling, Himeko lifted the armrest of her seat to embrace me while she’s trying to calm her tears down.

At first, she hadn’t noticed her sister comfortably sleeping at my side but when she did, she raised her gaze to look at her.

“She fell asleep. No wonder I stopped hearing her complaints.” While still a bit teary-eyed, Himeko tenderly caressed her sister’s face.

She didn’t raise a question about why Itou was using my shoulder. With Itou’s confession earlier, Himeko had surely begun thinking that Itou possibly likes me.

“She told me earlier that you’re possibly tired because of the anticipation for this day… But look at her, after complaining non-stop, she used up all her energy and just fell asleep that easily.” I tried poking Itou’s cheeks but when I saw Himeko’s bloated cheeks, I went for hers instead.

Following that, Himeko rose up to level her face with mine. Without waiting for her to move, my hand arrived at the back of her head and pushed her closer.

As our lips touched, Himeko returned it lovingly. I could feel that I was probably already higher than Haruko in her heart. This girl was striving to be better, perhaps not only for herself but also to show me that the push on the back I gave her didn’t go to waste.

Nonetheless, Haruko would still be irreplaceable for her. Without Haruko, she would probably still be hiding in her own space. Without Haruko, we wouldn’t meet and get to know each other.

Since we’re at our own corner in this theater hall, none of the customers could properly see us. Savoring this time, although I couldn’t move much or Itou’s might wake up, we satisfied ourselves with a passionate kiss that we didn’t have a chance to do earlier

Once we’re done, Himeko copied her sister and used one of my shoulders to rest her head while keeping her embrace on me.

“Ruki, I think I still need to apologize for how my sister acted… You see, she always has a strong front because she wants to impress our father. She can’t look weak or he might think she’s not up to the task handed to her… However, like me, she’s still too young to even think of grasping the whole company. At this rate, she will not be able to enjoy her youth.” Himeko started.

We’re waiting for Itou to wake up and the ending credits were still rolling so we still have this brief time to converse. Once we leave this theater house, that would be the end of our date.

“If you… if you came to like her as well… Please take care of her like how you took care of me. Ya-chan also deserved to experience what I am experiencing. Being happy with someone she truly loves.”

Himeko continued with her words and it’s full of concern for her sister. It’s fairly easy to see that the thought of Itou also liking me or just being interested in me wasn’t welcoming to her. But if it’s what Itou wanted, she wouldn’t be against it.

“This high school period can be her last chance to experience something genuine. Once she graduated, our father already planned on sending her abroad to study and prepare herself for inheriting the company. As for me, if my standing in his eyes failed to change… I will be promised to someone, someone who can bring benefits to our company.”

When she reached that last sentence, my arm that was embracing her tightened…

That shift in the topic that concerned her took me by surprise that I instantly brushed away everything she said about Itou and only focused on it.

Himeko being promised to someone…

That’s something I have to prevent.