Chapter 076: Strange Mission: Movie Night
It should count as a date, right!
Lin Ye couldn't help but think.
"Miss Ren, you're very beautiful."
"Thank you."
"Many men are captivated by you."
Lin Ye pointed at the many male passersby who were casting their gazes toward them, teasing with a smile.
"No... that's not true. They're not looking at me."
But the blush on her face revealed her inner shyness.
"It's lunchtime. Let's go eat."
"Okay."
Ren Nanase had no objections.
They entered the mall, which had exquisite decor. Under the bright lighting, the spacious shopping center looked clean and tidy, with a few couples strolling hand in hand around the stores.
The pairing of Lin Ye and Ren Nanase also attracted quite a bit of attention, giving off a couple vibe, but without holding hands, which made people curious about their relationship.
Ren Nanase kept her head lowered, walking beside Lin Ye, too shy to look around, as the gazes from passersby stimulated her sensitive sense of embarrassment.
They took the elevator to the third floor.
At the entrance of the restaurant, many waiters were holding flyers, greeting and welcoming customers.
"Miss Ren, do you want anything?"
Ren Nanase shook her head.
"You choose."
"How about Chinese food?"
"Sure, I like it."
A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a Chinese restaurant.
Lin Ye wanted to see what Chinese food in Japan would taste like.
"Welcome."
Lin Ye started ordering. Ren Nanase ordered mapo tofu, while Lin Ye chose sour and spicy shredded potatoes, braised pork, and a golden soup sauerkraut fish.
The dishes arrived quickly, in less than fifteen minutes.
Lin Ye tried the mapo tofu first.
"How does it taste?"
"It's okay."
It was a bit sweet, not spicy enough, but still okay.
Perhaps the mapo tofu had been localized to suit local tastes.
Ren Nanase took a piece of braised pork, but when she went for the second piece, she hesitated. Lin Ye noticed and directly said, "Go ahead! You're so thin, one piece won't hurt."
"I'm not thin. I still need to lose weight."
Lin Ye's gaze made Ren Nanase feel even more embarrassed.
"Skin and bones don't look good. Miss Ren looks fine now, really, that's the truth."
"Don't boys like girls with a slightly fuller figure?"
"It varies. I like the way you look now."
This wasn't the first time Ren Nanase had heard Lin Ye openly express his affection.
But to her, their relationship felt a bit too fast, catching her off guard.
The life-and-death bus ride had made her trust and like Lin Ye, but they had spent so little time together less than two days total that she felt uncertain and hesitant about their relationship.
At least for now, they weren't really dating.
"Lin-kun must be a master in the dating scene, having been with many girls. Otherwise, why would a regular guy be so direct with a girl?"
Many things she thought were inappropriate to say, but Lin Ye spoke openly, without any embarrassment, as if everything were completely normal.
"I've been single until now, counting from my past life."
"Haha, who believes you?"
"Really, more real than real gold."
"Don't believe it. Even if you're single in this life, your past life definitely wasn't. In your past life, you were surely a playboy, winning the hearts of many girls."
He was innocent his past life had been a normal man, completely disconnected from women.
This life, however, was different.
Because he was reborn, he decided to do things in this life that he had only dared to dream of in his past life. He lived more freely, with fewer worries and more directness.
If it upset some people, he was fine with it. If it didn't fit, it ended, and that was that.
"Really, I didn't deceive anyone in my past life, nor in this life. Hopefully, I'll win a girl's heart soon."
Lin Ye smiled and looked at Ren Nanase, making the girl sitting across from him avert her gaze. She stirred her spoon unconsciously, trying to calm her inner embarrassment.
"Let's watch a movie together later."
"Mm, okay."
Ren Nanase agreed.
Watching a movie with Lin Ye today definitely felt like a date.
...
After lunch, Lin Ye paid the bill and met up with Ren Nanase, who had already come out of the restaurant.
"Lin-kun, where are we going next?"
Ren Nanase looked at Lin Ye, who pointed ahead. She followed his gesture and was stunned.
An acquaintance.
It was Ryou Fujibayashi, whom she had just met two days ago.
Ryou Fujibayashi also noticed the gaze and spotted Ren Nanase.
She tapped her sister Kyou Fujibayashi and walked over to greet them.
The two sisters were wearing identical outfits: white T-shirts, black pleated skirts, black shoes, and white knee-high socks, giving off a youthful, vibrant look.
Both sisters had graduated from high school years ago, but wearing JK uniforms, no one suspected their identities.
The four of them gathered again.
"Are you two on a date?"
"No, no. Lin-kun isn't familiar with Chiba, and I happened to have time, so I'm just showing him around, helping him get to know Chiba."
"Is that so?"
Ryou Fujibayashi seemed skeptical, and her older sister, Kyou Fujibayashi, was even more doubtful.
She glanced at Lin Ye.
A man who dared to ask directly about "whether the sisters had any men they liked" in front of her and openly said "he was interested" Kyou Fujibayashi didn't believe he was just "looking for a guide."
He was probably just finding an excuse to ask Ren Nanase out, seeking an opportunity for something more.
She had seen men like him many times.
"Ryou, did you come out to eat too?"
"We just finished. Yesterday, we cleaned the new house, so today we came with my sister to the biggest mall in Chiba. We didn't expect to run into Ren and Lin-kun today."
Twice in a row it made them feel like there was some fate involved.
"My sister and I were planning to go watch a movie, so we won't disturb you."
Ryou Fujibayashi realized what was happening after a prompt from her sister and spoke up. But she noticed that Ren Nanase looked a bit strange.
Could it be…?
"Are you two going to watch a movie too?"
"Mm, do you know which movie you're watching?"
It turned out that they were all watching the same film.
With that, the four of them went together to the cinema.
...
In the waiting area, the four of them found seats and waited for the movie to start.
"Fifteen minutes left."
"I heard this horror movie is really good. Why don't we watch it?"
A young man was talking to the girl beside him.
"No, I don't want to! Horror movies are too scary."
"Ah, what a shame. I heard the reviews are great, and it's based on a true story."
"There's no such thing as a true-story horror movie!"
"I actually want to watch it."
"Who doesn't know your thoughts? Dream on."
The girl's shy tone made the young man show an embarrassed expression.
"No, I really just want to watch a horror movie. Really…"
"I never said you couldn't watch one."
The girl rolled her eyes at him.
"By the way, I saw in the group chat that there was a major traffic accident on the Chiba Expressway. A chain collision, and a lot of people died."
"It's true. My buddy just sent me a message. He was in the crash, but luckily he's fine."
"Thank goodness he's okay."
...
The chatter around them continued.
Lin Ye heard about the accident and searched for details on his phone. He had become sensitive to such incidents recently.
You never know when something related to the "strange game" might show up.
"Ding ding ding…"
The phone rang.
Ren Nanase answered the call.
"Mm."
"I understand."
"Okay, I'll go back to the hospital now."
Ren Nanase showed a conflicted expression, but still agreed.
"What happened?"
As soon as she ended the call, Lin Ye immediately asked, and the Fujibayashi sisters also looked at Ren Nanase.
"Well, there was a rear-end collision on the highway. The hospital is short-staffed and wants me to go back to help."
Ren Nanase looked at Lin Ye, embarrassed.
"Go ahead."
She was taken aback.
"You'll have plenty of time and chances to familiarize yourself with Chiba later. You go back to work at the hospital, and make sure to rest. Don't wear yourself out."
"Mm."
Ren Nanase nodded deeply, touched.
"Next time you rest, I'll definitely spend time with you, Lin-kun. I'll make up for leaving early today."
"Make up for it? I'm looking forward to your compensation, Ren."
The sly smile made Ren Nanase feel flustered. She immediately became shy.
"Let's not talk like that in front of everyone."
"I'll take you to the hospital."
"No, we already bought the movie tickets. If we don't go, it'll be a waste."
Ren Nanase insisted that Lin Ye stay.
Seeing how serious she was, Lin Ye accepted.
"Good luck, Ren."
Before leaving, Ryou Fujibayashi clenched her fist and cheered her on.
"Thank you."
Ren Nanase quickly walked away, leaving just Lin Ye and the Fujibayashi sisters in the waiting area.
Now, Kyou Fujibayashi was on alert, keeping a close eye on Lin Ye. She would never allow him to get close to her sister.
It was time to enter.
The queue had started, but there weren't many people.
The movie they were watching was a youth-themed film, Chasing the Youth We Lost. It told the story of the love and lives of the main characters during high school, which was particularly appealing to the Fujibayashi sisters, who had already graduated and entered society.
Lin Ye was only accompanying Ren Nanase, but now that she had left, he was essentially watching the movie with a new companion.
As they followed the crowd into the theater, Kyou Fujibayashi suddenly showed a pained expression.
"Sorry, I need to use the restroom. You two go ahead into the theater. Save me a seat in the middle."
She was subtly warning Lin Ye.
After saying that, Kyou Fujibayashi covered her stomach and headed to the restroom.
They waited a few minutes, but Kyou Fujibayashi didn't come back. Ryou Fujibayashi couldn't help but suggest.
"Lin-kun, let's go into the theater."
"Okay."
"Here, theater number 4."
They walked in.
They checked the seats and sat down one by one.
They were lucky the movie had just started.
At that moment, Lin Ye heard the system's notification sound.
[Ding!]
[Detected that a strange object infected by an eerie aura is in operation.]
[Task trigger conditions met.]
[Task announced,]
[Task name: Movie Night]
[Task type: Real-world regular type.]
[Task objective: Survive successfully.]
[Accept?]
[If no response within five seconds, the task will be automatically declined.]
A new task?
It came quite suddenly.
Based on the system's prompt, Lin Ye guessed that this task was related to the movie they were watching.
What would happen if he refused?
Lin Ye looked at Ryou Fujibayashi, who was sitting one seat away from him.
"Accept."
Lin Ye accepted the task.
He suspected that if he refused, he might not get involved in this strange incident, but others might.
If Ryou Fujibayashi got caught up in it, there was a high chance she could lose her life.
This wasn't something Lin Ye wanted, and moreover, he actually liked eerie tasks they were challenging and exciting. Since the task had already been presented, what reason did he have to refuse?
...
Lin Ye moved one seat over and sat next to Ryou Fujibayashi.
The timid girl shivered slightly and whispered,
"Lin-kun, is something wrong?"
"Mm. If something unusual happens later, don't be scared, don't run around. Stay calm."
"Okay!"
Ryou Fujibayashi didn't fully understand, but she nodded, as if she had some idea.
"I'm here, nothing will happen."
Ryou Fujibayashi nodded again to show she understood.
Lin Ye observed the situation around them. Including him and Ryou Fujibayashi, there were six viewers in total.
He wondered if anyone had already been affected by the strange occurrence, or if everyone except him and Ryou Fujibayashi had been drawn into it.
Of course, the most important thing was still the nature of this strange event.
So far, Lin Ye hadn't noticed any changes in the theater.
Meanwhile, on the large screen ahead, the movie slowly progressed. The opening had ended, and the main theme was beginning.
The screen was black-and-white, with no background music, creating a desolate atmosphere.
The audience felt a chill run down their spines.
A romance movie like this had such a bleak atmosphere? Something wasn't right!
The horror movie next door would be a better fit!
...
...
On the other side, Kyou Fujibayashi left the restroom and entered the theater, but she couldn't find her sister or Lin Ye.
"Excuse me, have you seen a girl who looks just like me, but with short hair?"
The audience shook their heads.
Kyou Fujibayashi asked several people, but no one had seen them. She sat down and waited.
"Maybe something happened, she should be back soon."
She also sent her sister a message, but got no reply.
Five minutes passed.
The message still hadn't been replied to, and her sister still hadn't appeared in the theater. Kyou Fujibayashi left the theater and called her sister.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is out of the service area."
Instantly, Kyou Fujibayashi is face turned pale.
"That bastard man…"
"What does he want with my sister?"
She regretted going to the restroom, regretted leaving her sister alone with that man!
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 20 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin