CH 103

Chapter 14 – Feelings and answer (3)

Translator – Vodka

The students continued to chat until the Modern Japanese teacher came to the audiovisual room.

They wondered what movie they were going to be watching today, talked about where they would go after school, and other trendy stuff.

I couldn’t kill time by looking outside due to the room being cut off from its surroundings. That said, I was neither in the mood to engage in any conversation, unlike the people around me.

I dazedly gazed at the blackboard, thoughts swirling inside.

What were we going to watch today?

Last time, it was a period film.

Before that was an animated film.

The film we would watch changed with how our idiosyncratic Modern Japanese teacher was feeling on the day.

Conversely put, one could easily discern how she was feeling from the movie she decides to screen.

My guess for today is foreign history……

The heavy sliding door to the room was pushed open with force, and our Modern Japanese teacher made her way into the classroom with great vigour.

“Please be quiet! We will begin the film now.”

These were her first words upon opening her mouth.

No introduction, no explanation, nothing. She walked straight up to the projector machine and started operating on it indifferently.

Due to the teacher appearing, the classroom became quiet. I could hear voices wondering the same thing as me.

What will we watch today?

“Today, I want everyone to understand the magnificence of love! There are many poems about love in ancient writings!”

The image that was projected onto the screen was from a popular romance movie from long ago.

I have caught sight of it several times in TV commercials and heard many talk about how they have gone to watch it in the theatres.

Our Modern Japanese teacher was a newly appointed female teacher, a rare sight in our school.

I wonder if this is a case of a budding new love for our teacher here.

I tried guessing the teacher’s state of mind. As I was entertaining these thoughts, the movie started playing.

At current, we were in the middle phase of the movie.

It was at the point where the characters had all been introduced, and an explanation for the romance that had budded has been furnished.

At this point, where everyone was wondering how the story was going to develop, Kirasaka muttered from the side.

It was a mutter audible to only Shizuku and me.

“Why do they have to make it all so dramatic in movies?”

“……”

It was an abrupt and unexpected question.

With her chin resting on her hand, she seemed to be calmly analysing the movie, with an exceedingly serious expression.

“If you are looking for reality, then it should be plainer……which might be a faulty statement, but encounters in real life are not this dramatic, are they?” (Kirasaka)

“It isn’t something people look for in a movie……if it were to be exactly the same in movies as is in real life, it won’t be a valid creation.” (MC)

[TN – well, that ain’t true but oh well]

“Is that how it is……?” (Kirasaka)

That was why fantasies were popular.

Although this is an extreme example, people want things that don’t exist in reality.

After all, even mundane real-life encounters became dramatic in movies, as the people desired.

By doing so, you could attract the attention of the viewers.

Be that as it may, why am I talking about the production process of movies?

Though, it wouldn’t be anything more than my personal opinion.

Kirasaka wasn’t content with my explanation. Seemingly dissatisfied, she continued to watch the movie.

“However, it is precisely because the portrayal is different that you can’t help but admire it. “

Shizuku flashed a smile.

Words so innocent and dazzling that I had to look away from her.

Her words pricked my heart, probably because I was aware of her feelings for me.

In my situation, the hurdle of watching a romance movie next to her was too high.

Disliked however much, the scene at the park from a little while ago kept replaying in my mind.

“That is how movies are.”

I curtly replied.

Movies expressed irrationality.

Having fun watching irrational stuff is the essence of watching movies……is what I think.

However, I couldn’t form an opinion about the movie playing today, because of its genre. I wasn’t very good with romantic stuff.

All of a sudden, there would be new developments and things you’d never predict would happen at a mad pace.

Forget retort, it was more like a two-man skit.

[TN – I fail to find the exact correlation here, but he talks about ‘Manzai’, a two-man fast-paced comic skit.]

It had the world view closest to reality, yet it was somewhat unrealistic.

Perhaps, that was the reason why one couldn’t help but think about various matters while watching this kind of movies.

It must be the same for Kirasaka sitting next to me.

She seemed to be calmly analysing the movie as her line of sight didn’t depart from a certain point on the projector screen.

Another doubt seemed to have surfaced in her mind.

“Why is the protagonist that handsome?” (Kirasaka)

“That’s what is bothering you? And here I was wondering what it is that you were contemplating so seriously……”

Appointing a young and popular actor to the role of the protagonist wasn’t particularly strange.

As I was preparing to ask her what it was that had caught her eye, she elucidated the intention behind her question.

“This work should have been about an exceedingly ordinary boy falling in love with a beautiful girl that had transferred to his school, right?”

“……Certainly, it feels like that.”

The sheet of paper that had been distributed beforehand for us to write our impressions of the movie on, outlined a similar kind of plot.

Shizuku too nodded several times.

It would seem she had an interest in the doubt Kirasaka expressed. Instead of interrupting her, she kept silent.

“They say it’s an exceedingly ordinary boy, but then they go and bring out this handsome guy?……How is he ordinary?”

“‘Bring out the plain guy’, is it?”

“No, well, rather than this casting, I personally think it would have been more fitting if Shinra-kun played the protagonist.”

Since when did her image of me become that of a high school boy aspiring to be an actor?

……To sum it up, she wanted to say that I was an ordinary high school student devoid of any trait.

Sorry that I am an ordinary high school student devoid of any trait.

Making people think for a moment that she was evaluating the movie and then launching a verbal assault on me was just like Kirasaka.

I stared at her with dead-fish eyes.

“But what I most want to say is that dramatic encounters aren’t necessarily the best.”

What the……is this person a sommelier or something?

A love sommelier……

Oh, that is a cool alias.

I listened to her speak, not understanding the true meaning behind her words. Her gaze met mine head-on, seriousness apparent in it.

The reciprocated staring continued for several seconds.

After a while, she issued words that had no logical connection with the conversation up until this point.

“Let’s have lunch together.”

“Sorry?”

“Eat lunch with me.”

Why the commanding tone?

I have a feeling you were on the right path before you corrected yourself……

With a sidelong glance, she looked at the me who was perturbed at the sudden issuance of the command. Then, her attention shifted back to the movie.

……As always, this fellow does as she pleases.