Exclusive e-Book Bonus: Original Short Story "Horror Movie Viewing Party"

If someone asks what comes to mind for "summer," in the abstract sense? The classics would be the beach, pools, festivals, and fireworks shows—but haunted houses and courage tests are right up there too.

And this evening, with my parents away overnight for work, Shinomiya-san showed up at my house out of the blue. There weren't any shooting plans, so when I asked why she'd come, she just dodged the question. On top of that, she whipped up some homemade food that had me savoring every bite.

"Well, are you finally gonna tell me what you came here for, Rinoa-san?"

"Jeez, Takumi-kun, you're so impatient. Heh heh. But fine. Actually, I was thinking I wanted to watch a horror movie with you."

"...Pardon?"

"I mean, watching it alone in a pitch-dark room would be scary, right? So, Takumi-kun, watch it with me!"

"Please," Shinomiya-san said, bowing her head in plea. I was a little stunned that she'd go this far just to watch a horror flick. For that matter, I wasn't exactly immune to them either. If anything, it was a genre I'd avoided like the plague.

"Don't worry! Onee-chan said it's not that scary! It's more like a gag movie than horror!"

"Is it even a horror movie at that point?"

"It's got this Japanese horror thing where the cursed ghost from the main role gets into fistfights!"

"That sounds more like an action movie than a gag."

If that's the content, she didn't really need me there, I started to say—but before I could, Shinomiya-san grabbed my hand and dragged me to the sofa. Then, in one smooth motion, she fiddled with the recorder, and the screening began. Naturally, with the room lights turned pitch black.

"O-Oh, this is creating more atmosphere than I expected..."

"...If you knew that, why not keep the lights on?"

The moment the footage started rolling, Shinomiya-san pressed right up against my arm, clinging tight. It wasn't even a horror scene yet, but her body was already trembling faintly—would she be okay? I worried she might faint when the scary parts hit.

"N-No way! This is Onee-chan's challenge! I can't back down!"

Apparently, Alice-san had said, "Rinoa-chan's still such a kid, so horror movies must be too scary for her to watch, right?" In this case, who was the immature one? Tough call—but if I had to pick, I wished she wouldn't drag me into it. Though, if someone called it a perk, I'd have no comeback.

"Oh, right. Kinda weird timing to ask, but you're heading home after the movie, yeah? I'll walk you back."

"What are you even saying, Takumi-kun? I'm staying over tonight, obviously. Don't say weird stuff."

"No, no—the one saying weird stuff is you, Rinoa-san. You're not planning to say something like, 'I won't be able to sleep alone after the horror movie, so let's... ' are you?"

"Let me say it again: What are you talking about, Takumi-kun? That's such a given, I don't even need to say it out loud. We're sleeping in the same futon tonight, got it? You don't get a say in this, Takumi-kun!"

Shinomiya-san rattled it off at breakneck speed. To me, that felt way more horrifying—and if it was headed that way, it wasn't too late to cancel the viewing right now.

"I don't want to lose to Onee-chan. So please, Takumi-kun—keep me company tonight. If you do, just for one night—"

Her tone flipped in an instant to a melting sweetness. She tugged my arm insistently, bringing her face close to my ear, and—

"I'll be Takumi-kun's mama and spoil you lots."

"Alright, out you go—now."

We bantered like that in the midst of the movie rolling on, and in the end, I ended up watching the whole thing. My take? Just as Alicesan had previewed, the gag elements outweighed the horror by a mile.

As for whether Shinomiya-san ended up staying over, or if she followed through on becoming mama and spoiling me rotten—out of respect for everyone's honor, I'll decline to comment. If I had to answer one thing, it'd be that I was the one doing the spoiling. Being used as a body pillow isn't half bad. Aside from the sleep deprivation, that is.