"Then what else should I be interested in?", Aoba said, pretending to be puzzled.
"Of course, in my brilliant acting," Kazahana Koyuki said with absolute certainty.
"But if that's all, won't we be watching it in a moment anyway?", Aoba said with a laugh.
"That's not the same," Kazahana Koyuki refuted, "The me who played 'Princess Gale', and the me in the sequel, are completely different."
"And the reason I've changed like this—"
"—is because of you."
As she spoke, she looked straight at Aoba with a gaze that was incomparably serious.
Aoba was stunned for a moment, but soon came back to his senses and smiled, "If that's the case, then I'm actually kind of looking forward to it."
Kazahana Koyuki smiled too, "Because the ending has changed a bit from the original version, the director refilmed some of the earlier scenes. But it shouldn't take long before it's released."
After queuing for about ten minutes, it was finally their turn.
"Two seats on the edge, a bucket of chocolate-flavored popcorn, and two large drinks," Aoba said while pulling money out of his pocket. [T/N: Choclate flavoured? Ewww]
He placed the money in the cashier's hand and reached out to take the tickets, but the moment he lifted his head, he noticed the cashier's expression seemed a little dazed.
"Is there a problem?", Aoba reminded softly.
The cashier quickly came back to her senses and shook her head, "I'm really sorry, here are your tickets and your popcorn voucher."
Aoba actually knew this cashier. After all, he'd been here several times already.
But apparently, she hadn't recognized him. His appearance had changed quite a bit.
Smiling, he took the tickets and led Kazahana Koyuki into the theater.
"That girl looked a lot like the actress who played Princess Gale, Yukie Fujikaze," the cashier murmured to herself after watching their backs disappear.
Even though Kazahana Koyuki was in disguise, her face didn't look that different from her usual self. It was only those oversized sunglasses covering half her face that hid her identity.
But for someone who looked at the Princess Gale poster every day, the cashier had still noticed something odd.
———
They found their seats according to the tickets. It was the very last row, near the corner.
"You picked such a corner seat, I'm not even sure if you came to watch a movie or to do something shady," Aoba whispered jokingly after sitting down, noticing the slight awkwardness in the air.
"What's so interesting about this movie? As the main actress, I've reviewed every single scene in it over and over again. I can even recite all the lines by heart," That sentence from Kazahana Koyuki was practically an open admission of her real intentions.
"...", That left Aoba momentarily speechless.
If it had been Yakumo or Shizune, he might've already used genjutsu and started playing some thrilling little games.
But this was Kazahana Koyuki. He knew what she was thinking, but she wanted to marry him.
Just like Terumi Mei back then, until he could completely dispel that idea, he needed to maintain a carefully ambiguous distance.
Kazahana Koyuki saw Aoba staying quiet, so she didn't rush to say anything more either.
The two of them stared at the all-too-familiar movie, but neither of their minds was actually on it.
As the movie progressed into an action sequence, the soaring battle music briefly pulled Aoba's attention back.
But just then, the previously quiet Kazahana Koyuki suddenly reached out and clasped his hand. Her fingers interlacing tightly with his.
"Hmm?"
Aoba blinked in mild surprise but didn't say anything, he simply tightened his grip in return.
Kazahana Koyuki's lips curled up slightly. Then she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, her tone playful and teasing, "This is the corner of the theater. It's so dark around us… No one would normally notice what happens here…"
"Don't you want to do something exciting to Princess Gale?"
"Huh?"
Aoba turned his head, looking at the suddenly bold Kazahana Koyuki in confusion.
"Don't all men like this kind of thing?"
Her eyes were both clear and hazy, a strange mixture of purity and seduction. She rested her head on Aoba's shoulder, staring at the version of herself on screen.
"Like what?", Aoba asked, full of question marks.
"The beloved heroine on screen, worshiped by thousands… secretly, right before you, she…"
Kazahana Koyuki didn't finish her sentence, she just gave a charming, seductive smile.
Gulp!
Aoba raised his head to look at the screen. Up there, Kazahana Koyuki was leading her companions to defeat the Demon King, the very image of a gallant, heroic woman.
Yet here, off-screen, that same heroine, dressed in a JK school uniform, had her head resting on his shoulder, like a mischievous little witch tempting him into darkness.
He swallowed hard, unable to stop himself.
Since when had Kazahana Koyuki gotten this good at it?
"Koyuki, I think, Mmph!"
Before he could even finish, a sweet scent enveloped him, and a pair of soft, tender lips pressed against his, cutting off his words completely.
His brain stalled for a moment.
But right now, that didn't matter, thinking wasn't important. The only thing to do was the girl in front of him.
Yet Kazahana Koyuki clearly wasn't content with just that. She took Aoba's hand and guided it down onto her thigh.
Aoba's eyes widened slightly.
She was wearing silk stockings today.
The smooth texture of the fabric, the warmth and firmness of her skin beneath, it all traveled up through his nerves straight into his brain, stirring his emotions.
The two of them didn't separate until they'd reached their limit.
In the dim light, Kazahana Koyuki's lightly made-up face glowed with stunning beauty. Her eyes shimmered with tenderness as she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in a low, sultry voice:
"Aoba, that was my first kiss."
"Koyuki, you're a daimyo now. You won't regret this?"
Kazahana Koyuki didn't answer with her words but she responded with her actions instead.
"Once more."
———
When they came out of the theater, without the cover of its dim lighting, Kazahana Koyuki kept her head lowered the entire time.
Only the tips of her ears, flushed red and peeking out from her hair, betrayed her flustered state.
It seemed that even though she'd been the one aggressively taking charge earlier, she'd actually been forcing herself the whole time.
A high offense, low defense type, huh.
"Koyuki, how about we go—"
"I'm going home first! See you tomorrow, Aoba!", Before Aoba could even finish, Kazahana Koyuki blurted out those words at lightning speed and bolted off in a flash.
"Uh…"
Aoba could only smile helplessly, but he still quietly followed from behind to make sure she got home safely before leaving.
———
The next day, deep inside Konoha Prison.
Normally this place was deserted, but today it was full of people.
Aoba, Tsunade, Shizune, Uchiha Mikoto, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Naruto were all there.