Chapter 126: Norwegian Wood!
The dark private theater was arranged like a bedroom.
Aside from the projection screen, most of the room was occupied by a large circular bed spacious enough for several people. Some rooms used soft beanbag chairs instead.
Luke turned on a candle-shaped lamp and picked up the remote control beneath the screen.
"What do you want to watch, Miko?"
He browsed through the available films while asking her.
His recent life had been neither especially busy nor truly relaxing, but it had still been a long time since he watched a movie.
Watching one with Miko sounded much better than entertaining a child or joining several troublesome adults for mahjong.
"I'm fine with anything."
Miko casually answered while drinking cola through a straw.
"Anything…"
Luke considered the movies he had once wanted to watch.
Unfortunately, he had already watched most of the interesting ones several times at home with his two maids.
Neither of them would find horror movies frightening, while Luke did not particularly enjoy romance films.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
"How about Norwegian Wood?"
He recalled the Haruki Murakami novel Hiratsuka Shizuka had once mentioned.
Luke had been too busy improving his English grades to read it, so today was the perfect opportunity to substitute the film adaptation.
Miko's gaze immediately wandered when she heard the title.
"Uh… Norwegian Wood?"
"What's wrong? Have you seen it?"
Luke asked curiously.
"I haven't watched the movie, but I've read the book…"
Miko muttered quietly.
"Oh, that's fine. Let's watch this one."
Luke searched for Norwegian Wood with the remote.
"By the way, was the book good?"
"I-it was all right… I only read a little. Mm, just a little."
Miko stared directly at the screen and answered vaguely.
She leaned forward to undo the straps of her sandals, slipped them off, and folded her legs onto the soft bed beneath her skirt.
Luke glanced at her in confusion.
He had no idea why she was behaving so awkwardly today. They had gone on plenty of dates inside their dreams.
He assumed she simply felt uncomfortable after their relationship shifted from dreams to reality and paid it little attention.
Luke started the film and selected the 4K version.
The movie gradually began.
After a short recollection, the story moved through several warm scenes beginning near a swimming pool, apparently showing the happy past shared by Watanabe and his friend.
"Should we get some popcorn?"
Before the story gained momentum, Luke asked whether Miko wanted the customary movie snack.
"I can go buy some."
The cursed building had only recently been renovated and had not officially opened, so the theater's popcorn machine had not yet been installed.
They would need to buy it elsewhere.
"That sounds nice, but wouldn't it be too much trouble?"
Miko adjusted her seated position and moved closer to him, hugging her knees before her.
"Then forget it. We already have other snacks."
A large blanket covered the soft bed and was easy to clean, so guests were allowed to eat snacks and drink beverages inside the room.
After a while, the screen showed Kizuki sealing himself inside a car and starting the engine.
Luke had not read the original novel. Watching the character move around inside the car, he reached out and tapped Miko beside him.
"What is he doing?"
"He's killing himself. He sealed the openings with tape, started the car, and used the exhaust fumes to suffocate himself."
Miko quietly explained.
"Why did he do it? Will they explain later?"
Luke asked.
"No."
Miko shook her head.
"People in this story are simply like that. They suddenly die without giving a clear reason."
Luke did not understand, but he roughly grasped the situation and returned his attention to the movie.
The story eventually reached Naoko's birthday.
Watanabe visited her residence to celebrate. Late that night, Naoko began crying uncontrollably, and Watanabe had no idea how to comfort her.
So, Watanabe simply held her in his arms before they tumbled onto the bed... and then, well...
What followed was a somewhat censored, upper-body-only scene of them making love. Though the camera never strayed below the waist, the atmosphere was still incredibly steamy.
Luke stole a glance at Miko and found her peeking back at him. Before he could say a word, she quickly averted her gaze.
In the projector's glow, he could just make out the blush on her cheeks.
"Want me to skip ahead?" Luke asked directly.
"No... I'm not a kid," Miko replied, her voice muffled as she buried her head in her knees.
She seemed genuinely unbothered by the movie's nudity, but the private theater's sound system was a bit too efficient. Watanabe's heavy breathing and Naoko's soft moans echoed throughout the entire room.
"Do you watch movies like this with your maids, Sensei?" Miko asked suddenly.
"Ah, sometimes, but not often..." Luke answered truthfully. He really didn't mind seeing minor nudity in movies; after all, he and the maids had seen similar, even more explicit, films before.
Miko nodded gently.
"Aren't you tired of sitting like that?"
Luke asked.
"Oh."
Miko gave a brief response, slipped beneath the blanket, and rested against the padded headboard.
They continued watching until the film ended.
Just as Miko had warned, the characters began dying one after another without warning.
As the final, explicit scene played, Miko's breathing grew heavier, perhaps because she was lying down. Her legs, tucked under the covers, twisted restlessly, and her toes wiggled and circled...
Of course, this might also have been due to his own restless hand.
Unlike in dreams, Miko's presence in reality could only be described as... a soft girl, soft all over her body.
Unlike the maids at home—who were top-tier young women in every way, yet sometimes felt like hugging a brick—Miko was soft all over. Even Annie, the weakest of his family members, was an athlete.
"Sensei, the movie's over," Miko murmured, resting her head on his arm.
"Yeah, we still have a couple of hours. Let's take a nap." He pulled her soft body closer, losing all interest in watching more movies or doing anything else.
Perhaps the movie was responsible, but its oppressive story had left him feeling heavy.
He had also found much of the plot confusing, yet he had no intention of reading the original novel to understand it better.
Miko quietly closed her eyes beside him.
After thinking briefly, Luke asked, "Would you like to visit my house next time?"
Without lifting her head, Miko softly answered—
"Mm."
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