Makima was in an excellent mood.
Who said face painting did not count as makeup?
When Cael painted her face earlier, he must have been far more focused than when he helped Asa Mitaka with her makeup.
That had to be the case.
Good.
In that situation, Makima had clearly won again.
Another victory.
To Makima, that counted as proof of love.
She silently made a decision.
She would not wash her face until the date ended.
Noon arrived.
Using the goldfish coupons they had received earlier, the two of them enjoyed a free lunch at the Little Mermaid Magic Restaurant.
Makima originally wanted to drink alcohol with the meal.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was designed for children, so alcohol was not available.
Afternoon arrived quickly.
There was not much left to do in Island Paradise.
With Makima's eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, nothing like the previous date with Asa happened. No random devils suddenly appeared to give Cael free combat practice.
After wandering around the park for a while, the time reached four in the afternoon.
Eventually, Cael brought Makima into a movie theater and found their seats.
After watching two movies, today's date would probably come to an end.
"Here, take this."
Cael reached into a shopping bag and pulled out a bottle of plum wine with an 11 percent alcohol content.
"Thank you."
Makima accepted it.
A faint warmth stirred in her chest.
Cael had remembered her earlier disappointment about not being able to drink alcohol. He bought wine while picking up snacks.
Another piece of proof.
Another win.
The movie began.
Energetic music filled the theater. Action scenes appeared one after another, mixed with perfectly timed comedic lines.
The audience laughed loudly.
The entire theater was filled with cheerful noise.
But joy and sorrow were rarely shared equally.
Especially in a world where devils existed openly.
Cael calmly ate popcorn while watching the screen. The laughter around him felt a little noisy.
He glanced sideways.
Makima showed almost no reaction either. She watched the screen with a calm expression while casually drinking the plum wine.
She drank it like it was mineral water.
The sight was strangely cute.
Cael suddenly thought he should have bought more wine.
Time passed.
The movie reached its climax and transitioned into an emotional flashback scene.
Soon the theater was filled with quiet sobbing.
Once again, Cael and Makima remained unmoved.
Even Makima's calm expression looked cute to him.
Eventually, the movie ended and the credits began rolling.
Makima turned toward him.
"What did you think of the movie, Cael?"
"It was alright," Cael replied. "Not nearly as legendary as people online claim."
"What about you?"
Makima shook her head slightly.
"The music was decent."
"But the story felt artificial."
"I would call it fairly mediocre."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Especially the emotional ending."
"It felt forced."
"Like the film was trying too hard to make people cry."
"I dislike that kind of manipulation."
"Fair enough," Cael said with a nod.
He glanced at his watch.
7:30 PM.
"There is still time for one more movie. You can pick this one."
Makima took out her phone and opened the theater schedule.
After scrolling for a moment, she held the screen toward him.
"I want to watch this one."
"It has a 3.0 rating."
She glanced at the reviews.
"According to the comments, it is extremely obscure and difficult to understand."
"Perfect," Cael replied.
In his opinion, the movies praised by the public were usually just average.
If that was the case, they might as well try the opposite and watch something terrible.
They entered the theater for the second film.
This one was almost empty.
Out of roughly four hundred seats, fewer than forty were occupied.
The screen flickered.
The movie began.
Low background music filled the room.
The color palette was dark and muted.
Many scenes appeared without clear explanation. The camera perspective shifted constantly.
Just like the reviews said.
The movie was incredibly obscure.
But Cael decided to focus anyway.
Even if something was trash, he preferred to understand what the creator was trying to say.
The poorly rated film told the story of twin brothers during a time of war.
The two brothers were born in a poor rural village.
Bandits frequently raided the area. Government soldiers extorted and abused the locals.
Life was harsh.
By the time the brothers turned fifteen, every relative they had was dead.
They only had each other.
Their days were filled with hunger. Starvation was always a real possibility.
Misfortune always seems to find those who are already suffering.
One day, the younger brother was forcibly conscripted into the army and dragged away to serve as a disposable soldier.
The older brother had no idea where he had gone.
He began searching everywhere for news of his sibling.
Fifteen years passed.
During those fifteen years, the younger brother was constantly brainwashed by his superiors.
They repeated the same promise every day.
If we win this war, you will reunite with your brother and live a peaceful life.
The younger brother believed it completely.
To end the war as quickly as possible, he fought desperately.
He killed countless enemies.
After earning several military merits, he was no longer an anonymous soldier.
Unfortunately, the outcome of war was never determined by a single person.
His faction began losing battle after battle.
Eventually the final decisive battle arrived.
They were completely defeated.
During the chaos, gunpowder exploded near the younger brother and destroyed his eyesight.
Blind and wounded, he barely escaped with his life.
After the war ended, the new government labeled him a first class war criminal.
The pain of losing his vision, combined with years of brutal combat, left him deeply traumatized.
The younger brother slowly began losing his sanity.
He knew he was dying.
The only thought stopping him from ending his life was his desire to find his brother.
He wanted to go home.
Meanwhile, the older brother had endured his own miserable life over those fifteen years.
He searched the entire country but never found a single clue about his sibling.
To afford his travels, he worked like a servant for wealthy families.
He accepted every filthy and exhausting job available.
His once straight back eventually bent under the weight of constant labor.
One day, while serving a noble household, he accidentally sneezed in front of the master.
As punishment, his tongue was cut out.
From that day onward, he could no longer speak.
Fortunately, the skills he learned during his wandering years kept him alive.
He survived.
When the civil war finally ended, the older brother eventually discovered news about the younger one.
But it came from a wanted poster on a city wall.
The poster labeled his brother as a dangerous war criminal.
The older brother gave up everything.
He returned to their childhood home.
He decided to wait there.
One day, the younger brother finally returned.
Even though the younger brother's eyes were horribly damaged, the older brother recognized him immediately.
The younger brother could not see.
But years of combat had sharpened his instincts.
He sensed someone standing nearby.
His voice trembled slightly.
"Brother?"
He spoke cautiously.
The older brother could not respond.
Instead, he bent down and gently hugged his brother around the waist.
In the next instant, a dagger stabbed forward.
The younger brother had reacted purely on instinct.
Years of paranoia during his escape had convinced him that enemies were everywhere.
Since the stranger did not answer, the man must be trying to capture him and claim the bounty.
His life no longer mattered.
But he would never allow anyone to threaten his brother.
The dagger pierced straight into the older brother's heart.
Blood splattered across the floor.
The younger brother, like a cornered beast, continued stabbing with his remaining strength.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"You filthy bastard!"
"What are you doing in my home!"
"Where is my brother!"
"What did you do to him?!"
Blood spread across the ground like a river.
Eventually the younger brother collapsed from exhaustion.
The older brother's consciousness faded as well.
Both of them fell into the growing pool of blood.
With the last strength remaining in his body, the older brother slowly lifted his hand.
He gently covered the younger brother's ears.
His throat struggled to produce sound.
"Nn... ah..."
He wanted to say something.
Do not be afraid.
Your big brother is here.
But he could not speak.
The older brother died.
The younger brother suddenly froze.
The familiar warmth covering his ears pulled his memory back more than ten years.
When bandits raided their home during childhood, the older brother would hide with him under the bed.
And every time the noise became too frightening, his brother would cover his ears like this.
Exactly like this.
"Brother?"
The younger brother whispered.
His voice trembled.
"Brother..."
The film ended there.
A single droplet fell to the floor.
Makima was crying.
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