Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: Volume 7 Is this a date

About the Title

In Buddhism, Shuraba (修羅場) refers to the battleground between Asura and Sakra. In recent years it has come to refer to a necessary fight or challenge one must overcome in real life. The light novel "Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru" (A Shuraba between my girlfriend and childhood friend) is an example. You can find the teaser for it here. - HolyCow

Is this a date? No it's a Shuraba Flag

The next day - Friday.

By the time school dismissed, the script wasn't done yet either.

"Huh... So this is how the Great Depression feels huh... However, I strongly believe that after this test, I'll be able to grow a step further as a creator..."

Yozora said in a deep tone, as if she was worrying about something. But you're not exactly a creator are you.

Yozora appeared to be cast as the "Creator who worries about creating activities" character.

"Great Depression or whatever, don't forget that we don't have much time left. If you're going to keep people waiting like this, I might as well write it myself."

Sena said while playing her game.

"Uh... I-I know."

Yozora said uncomfortably.

☺

That night, I received an email from Yozora

Title: Me Content: I'm going to watch a movie as reference for the script you can come along if you're free. It's just a movie and it's not like it's going to be withdrawn anytime soon there's absolutely no need for me to go with others its just that if you feel like watching a movie I think it's ok for me to accompany you. If you have no interest in movies I don't mind going alone.

... Her message was beating around the bush as usual, to put it simply she wanted to invite me to watch a movie.

Since we were going to shoot a movie, it made sense that we needed references of sorts.

Then how about catching a movie tomorrow with everyone--

As if to interrupt my train of thought, Yozora sent me another email.

She must be really nervous, for that short message contained tons of errors.

Title: None Content: Pointles hole bunch pf peaple go together noneed contact

What she really meant: It's pointless for a whole bunch of people to go together. No need to contact the others.

Well something to that extent, I guess.

That's how Yozora and I went to watch a movie together the next day.

☺

The next day, 1.30 pm.

Yozora was already waiting at the meeting spot.

As usual she had a scowl on her face, as she leaned against the lamp post while crossing her arms.

...... She was wearing a jersey.

I was worried beforehand, but I never thought she would really dress as such...

There were many types of jerseys, some of them attractive. The one Yozora wore was the one she bought together with the Neighbor Club members last week at the supermarket, an absolutely toneless, pitch black jersey.

I think even Middle or High School jerseys looked trendier.

Truth to be told, it wasn't rare to occasionally spot students in cool-looking sport club jerseys, but Yozora's pitch black form really stood out in a crowd.

"... Are you planning to dress like this every time?"

"Of course."

I asked half-hopelessly half-disappointingly, to which Yozora nodded unfazedly.

"Then let's go, Kodaka"

"Haa..."

Seeing Yozora march forward determinedly, I had no choice but to sigh and follow her.

After walking fifteen minutes from the station, we reached the street the cinema was located.

There were boutiques and gift shops, bookshops and cafes - it seemed like a very wholesome street indeed.

There were no huge franchises or branch stores, only small, humble sized shop lots, each of them giving off a retro feel.

There were also shops whose windows were obscured with blinds. There weren't many pedestrians either.

I often passed by this street while taking public transport to school, but it was the first time I had ever been here on foot. I had no idea there was a cinema here either.

Yozora on the other hand, walked by me, seeming more spirited than usual.

"You usually come here?"

I asked.

"Once in a while... There's not much of a crowd here."

It seemed that she was really in a better mood, as Yozora replied cheerfully.

She can't stand crowds huh...

Compared to the hectic, bustling street where the bus station was located, it's not surprising that one would come to prefer such deserted streets instead.

Plus, it could be said that this place had a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

"So what movie are we watching today?"

"I haven't decided yet. Let's just find one that's about to start."

"Is that alright?"

"I've always decided things like this, based on instinct."

... I say, for a modern high school female student such movie standards were rare indeed.

Compared to those students who chased after commercials and had endless movie topics to talk about...

"Speaking of which, do you usually watch movies, Yozora?"

"... Maa, occasionally."

For some reason Yozora replied in a low voice, as if she was blushing.

☺

Five minutes later, we reached the cinema.

It was an old theater, completely devoid of modern traces.

From the poster near the entrance, it seemed that a movie was about to begin in a few minutes.

It was a French film whose title I had never heard of. The poster depicted a forest in the middle of autumn, a thirty-year-old-ish couple was staring at each other face to face, it was an epic... No actually, it seemed way too common.

Those two should be the main protagonists I guess, but neither of them looked too appealing.

... To be completely honest, it was definitely not my type.

I basically only watched movies on television. I preferred animated films made by the like of "Studio Ghiblika" or stunning CG films which screamed 'American Box Office Topper!'

It was a plus if the movie made me feel good afterwards.

"Hmm... The time's just right. Let's watch this then."

"... Err..."

Upon hearing Yozora decide, my face crinkled up.

"... You don't feel like watching this?"

"Ahh... Maa, how do I put this..."

As I struggled to put my thoughts in words, Yozora suggested plainly.

"How about we look for others? There's another two theaters nearby."

I shook my head.

"Nah, this is fine."

Occasionally watching something I disliked could be viewed as a challenge too.

And who knows, I might actually like it.

That was what I thought when I bought the tickets.

The inside of the cinema was as bare as I expected. All the seats were free seating, so we chose the middle seats.

We didn't buy any food or drinks.

As Yozora said, first no carbonated drinks, so sodas were eliminated; second, she didn't like orange juice or lime juice, she didn't like the flavor of oolong tea either; third, popcorn only made her thirsty, and she didn't really like it either.

... To be honest, I don't think she's suitable for cinemas.

As for me, I was initially thinking of what to buy, since this was a rare opportunity and all, but in the end I decided against it since everything was too pricey. I was never really fond of junk food anyway. Having to pay out extra for something I didn't particularly like - as the one in charge of household expenses it was an obvious no go for me.

... Maybe I'm not too suitable for cinemas myself.

The screen soon started playing a long list of movies that were to be shown. Just as I was starting to get bored and thinking "What a long list... When are they going to start..." the movie started.

Because I never read the synopsis, I never knew what kind of movie it was until it started. Now I realized it was a romance movie.

The protagonists in question were a married couple, they were aged around thirty or so and already had kids. Due to this it was hard for me, as a high school male student, to really get into the movie. Aside from the climax where his extra-marital affair was discovered by his family, the entire movie was just a plain illustration of his and her daily lives.

Due to the script being too plain, I had no idea how the protagonists were feeling, or how much they grew as characters.

It's not because I liked the shuraba that was real life, but even if it was fictitious, I hoped that there would be more easily relatable moments, or moments that made my heart beat faster in excitement or fear.

We should have watched a different movie after all...

Because reading subtitles became too much of a chore, I regrettably looked away from the screen to Yozora, who was seated next to me. For some reason, she was looking at the protagonists with eyes full of animosity.

She really hated the movie that much huh.

So even fictitious riajuu irked her that much, eh. If that was the case even entertainment media would lose their amusement value.

How long will this continue... I'm falling asleep already...

Just as I was thinking so, that happened.

By that I mean - an H-scene.

HUH...!?

Because I wasn't paying attention most the time, I didn't know how the script progressed to such a level (though even if I was paying attention I doubt I would have known). Anyway, the main protagonists were kissing deeply in the middle of the street (with moving cars on both sides too).

Then the scene abruptly changed to a room, and those scenes begun.

Because it was a normal movie and not an adult film or eroge, the depictions weren't that obvious, and the scene was also dimmed. But it was obvious that the big screen was showing a nude guy on top of a nude girl doing ero stuff to her.

It was okay if I was watching alone, but seated next to me was a girl the same age as I was - this was way too awkward!!

As I wiped cold sweat off my brow, I stole a quick glance at Yozora.

Even in the dark cinema it was obvious Yozora's face was bright red. Although her face was lowered, her eyes were still glued to the screen.

Just then, Yozora looked at me.

Our sights connected.

"... Guh!"

"~~~~~~~~///!"

The both of us hastily shifted our glances, back to the screen.

The female protagonist on the screen was moaning "Oh~~! OHHH~~~! C'est si bon~! C'est si bon~ !!!" as her huge breasts bounced up and down.

☺

After the movie ended, Yozora and I exited the cinema in silence.

... The main protagonists actually did "C'est si bon~" four times before the movie ended.

"E-er... S-so how useful was that for the script?"

"As if that could be counted as reference, idiot!!!"

I asked in order to break the silence. Yozora yelled back angrily in response.

"A movie that starts by introducing the main characters is terrible and as expected of a terrible movie the plot was terrible and the story direction was an even more terrible pile of shit and not to mention they had... L-lewd scenes..."

Yozora blushed and said.

"...M-maa, perhaps it can be used as reference by others. We're high school students, we can't use such shameless products as reference, we need to created something more wholesome, something more happy, more fulfilling befitting of a high school entertainment product!"

"T-that' right! I think so too!"

I agreed with her loudly.

Just then,

"S-speaking of which, Kodaka do you fantasize about doing those... C'est... C'est si bon things?"

Yozora lowered her head and shifted her gaze upwards looking at me, mumbling something softly.

"Huh? You were saying?"

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOTHING AT ALL!!! Alright, let's write a wholesome script!"

Yozora once again declared, as if to cover up something, to which I responded with "Yeah, do you best", or something to that extent.

☺

After that.

Yozora said "Since we're here we might as well stop by for a drink". The both of us then boarded a bus and got off at the station near the shopping district.

Why didn't we stop by some cafe near the cinema, but commute specifically to this place which was especially full of people? Mystified, I asked her, to which she replied "There's a cafe I want to personally confirm".

Based on a map, Yozora stared at a destination on her phone screen and continued walking for fifteen minutes.

We finally reached the cafe in question.

It wasn't exactly far from where we got off, but because the place was crowded, our walking speed was halved, hence we took a bit longer.

"By 'a cafe I want to personally confirm' you don't mean---"

I read the name on the sign board.

The cafe where cats reside "Kitty Heaven"

This was... The kitty cafe that was discussed a few days ago in the club room (although thinking back about it the name really sounded cool).

I stared straight at Yozora, as cold sweat trickled down her brow.

"Y-you have anything to say!?"

"No, nothing..."

"I-I'm just visiting for the sake of experiencing it!!"

Putting on a cool and prideful pose to mask her intentions, Yozora opened the door.

"Kyaa!?"

Adorable purrs sounded through the door.

"Cats--!?"

Following right behind Yozora, I could not help but let out a squeal.

"Meow~♥"

That soft, sweet sound that escaped Yozora's lips - was it my imagination? Its only my imagination right?

Putting that aside, the moment Yozora opened the door, two cats darted towards us.

There was a thin film fence erected to prevent the cats from going outside, but because it seemed easy to jump over, I hurriedly closed the door.

After changing into slippers, we proceeded forward to the front desk.

Looking at the inside of the cafe from the front desk, it was spacious indeed. The internal decorations weren't much different from that of a normal cafe, the only difference was the racks were mostly filled with cat-related books and magazines. Posters of cats adorned the walls.

Oh, and obviously the cafe was filled with cats. There were more than ten of them walking around freely.

Incredible... They really had cats inside a cafe...

There were about ten customers, some were rubbing the cats chins, some were teasing the cats with nekojarashi , and some were just sipping tea with a plate of snacks, relaxing as they would do in a normal cafe.

"Ahhh... Huh..."

"... Hey, Yozora."

"......♥"

Since Yozora appeared to have her consciousness completely stolen by the cats, I had no choice but to explain to the shop keeper.

The entry fee was a round of drinks and 600¥ per hour. Anything else incurred additional charges.

Cat toys like nekojarashi and mice plushies could be rented from the shop. Speaking of which, even nekomimi and cat tails could be rented... Was it for people to pretend they were cats, so that cats would grow closer?

When the shop keeper asked how long would we be staying, Yozora muttered something illogical like "Let's start with six hours!" I hurriedly made a correction. After placing a reservation for an hour, we entered the cafe.

The moment we sat on a sofa, a few cats immediately came close.

"Wow, surprisingly friendly..."

A black cat abruptly came by my leg and started rubbing against it.

H-how adorable, this is such a prized animal...

By the way, Yozora was already teasing two cats with a rented nekojarashi.

She had a gentle expression on her face, completely different from the scowl she always wore. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and she would occasionally let out an "Auu~~" -a genuinely happy moan from the bottom of her heart- with an expression that showed she was obviously trying hard to resist.

Yozora continued playing with the cats, completely oblivious of the fact that the coffee had arrived.

"Why not try using 'Nyaa~' to communicate with the cats? It might work you know."

I joked as I sipped my ice lemon tea.

"Ohhh, good idea!! Nyaa~♥ Nyaa~~~~~♥ Nyaa~~~~aa~~♥"

Good looking, sharp witted Mikazuki Yozora who always wore a poker face, was cold to others, distant from friends, had no friends, hated riajuus and always had a sharp retort to everything.

JUST. MEOWED. LIKE. A. CAT.

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. And then,

"Ack!? Cough cough!"

Upon hearing my coughing, caused by my iced tea entering my nostrils, Yozora finally came to her senses.

"W-what did you just make me say, idiot Kodaka!?"

Yozora, all red in the face, yelled out loud, scaring away the cats.

"Ahh..."

Yozora's face immediately went blank, turning into a (′･ ω･｀) shape.

"... So you actually like cats huh."

When the topic of a kitty cafe was brought up, I had a feeling Yozora was fond of cats, but I never thought she would be this infatuated.

"I-it's nothing much really...."

As if changing her mind mid-sentence,

"...Y-you have an opinion or something! Nobody would hate cats!"

Suddenly changing her stance.

It appears that Yozora liked cats to the extent that she was willing to discard her own embarrassment.

With an intoxicated expression,

"... Ahh why do such cute creatures exist in this world... If only the companions in 『Monkari』 weren't dogs but cats... That's right, if only they were feline beasts called 『Felynes』, I would be a full time hunter by now..."

"What does a full time hunter do anyway?"

Speaking of which, in the PSP game 『Monkari』, we could take a 『Canynes』, a race of dog-like creatures that walked on two legs, together with us as hunting companions.

... A dog is just as cute as a cat right?

"Don't you have cats at your place?"

"I stay in an apartment, we're not allowed to have pets."

Yozora replied with knitted brows.

"Ahh, I guess that's true."

"Ahh......"

Suddenly, Yozora's expression darkened.

"... Even if I wasn't living in an apartment, I could never have a cat as a pet."

"Huh, why?"

I asked, mystified. Yozora let out a melancholic smile.

"... Do you remember Night, Kodaka?"

... Upon hearing that name, I suddenly remembered.

"... Oh."

Recalling that incident, even I couldn't help but feel sad.

'Night' was the name of a friend of both Yozora -Sora- and I.

... By friend, actually I mean a cat.

Near the park Yozora and I used to go to was an abandoned temple. Night was the name of a stray cat that used to live there. One day, upon seeing it resting under a broken pillar, we decided to feed it some food. From that day on, it started to grow close to us.

Even though it was an adult cat, its size was rather petite. Its fur was as black with white spots, just like the starry night sky, hence we decided to name it "Night".

Since Kobato was allergic to fur and Yozora lived in an apartment, neither of us could bring it back home. The most we could do was sneak out food to feed it.

However, about a month later, Night suddenly disappeared.

We searched high and low for Night, but we never found it.

We had no idea what happened to Night.

It was actually quite old even though its body was small. Was it because it realized it was about to die, that's why it ran away?

Or did someone else adopt it?

Or could it be... No, back then the moment I thought of any other unpleasant possibilities, I would be reduced to a crying wreck. It's better if I forget that incident.

"...Disappearing just like that, it's saddening."

......

Faced with Yozora, who was mumbling something under her breath, I, who had too once disappeared in front of Sora, could not find anything to say.

"If it's destined to leave behind painful memories, maybe it's better if I just played with like this for a bit. I don't need too strong a bond."

Was she referring to the cats?

Yozora hurriedly made amendments.

"... Maa, I really do like cats. I dunno if you remember Kodaka... But the reason I like using Nyaagakuga equipment in 『Monkari』 is because I like cats."

"I don't remember what kind of equipment you used that day..."

Speaking of which, I remember Nyaagakuga being a huge, behemoth black cat.

In 『Monkari』, one could use skin, horns, claws etc from slain monsters to craft equipment.

"In order to craft all the equipment, I hunted more than 40 Nyaagakugas, thinking back about it sure is nostalgic..."

Yozora's eyes wandered off.

"...... No matter how you look at it, wouldn't that be considered genocide?"

Of course, my remark was swiftly ignored.

☺

After having enough fun with the cats, we left the cafe for the station.

It was already late October.

Due to this, the sky got dark quicker, and the sky was soon dyed crimson.

"Well then Kodaka, see you on Monday. Look forward to the script!"

While parting at the ticket counter, Yozora said as she smiled gently at me.

After going to the kitty cafe, Yozora seemed to be in a better mood.

"H-how do you put it, today really feels, like that."

"Like that?"

Yozora took a deep breath.

"...Like ten years ago."

Yozora said as a smile appeared on her face - her beautiful, matured face, different from ten years ago.

Seeing that smiling face, my heart beat faster.

If she wasn't in her jersey and sports attire but in a skirt or even shorts, I can't imagine... Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile.

"... Yeah true, it feels a bit like back then."

Hearing my reply, Yozora lowered her head in embarrassment as she twirled her fringe. "Umm..." she nodded.

"W-well then, see you, Kodaka."

Yozora swiftly turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, slowly disappearing into the distance.

After seeing Yozora off, I too journeyed back home.

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