Now, low-level monsters were no longer a match for her.
Not long ago, when she had teamed up with Rainbow Girl on a mission, she’d been momentarily distracted and got ambushed by a monster.
But Iris hadn’t panicked; she instantly cut off the monster’s breath, leaving Rainbow Girl utterly amazed.
After learning about the existence of the Dance of Death, Rainbow Girl had diligently trained and soon was able to deal with monsters on her own.
She thanked Iris, saying it was all thanks to her, and repeatedly told her to reach out anytime she needed help.
‘I might need Rainbow Girl’s power before long.’
Since her old junk car was in the repair shop, she took public transport to the meeting place.
Pink Street, one of the busiest areas in Gyodam City, was crowded with shopping malls and entertainment, a bustling and lively place.
It was also one of the safer spots in Gyodam City, thanks to the abundance of flashy buildings and the many security personnel.
She reached the front of a building with a cinema in the middle of Pink Street.
Scanning her surroundings, she soon spotted Johannes.
Just like last time, he was wearing a suit and sunglasses.
His slicked-back, pomade-styled hair gave him a sharp impression.
He was sitting on the fountain ledge in front of the building, waiting for a friend just like others, but women passing by whispered to each other about how handsome Johannes looked.
Their cheeks were tinged with red.
“Look at that guy. He’s really good-looking. Is he a celebrity?”
“No way. Would a celebrity be standing out here alone without any bodyguards?”
“Well, you never know. Look, he’s wearing sunglasses.”
“He already looks good now, but I wonder how he’d look without those sunglasses.”
Iris perked up her ears and slowly took in Johannes’s appearance.
Perhaps it was thanks to the women’s compliments, but Johannes seemed even more handsome than usual.
‘He must really look like a celebrity to them. Well, he is pretty handsome. Even when he’s dressed sloppily, I always thought he had a nice face.’
She’d realized long ago that Johannes was good-looking.
His gloomy personality just overshadowed his looks.
But dressed up, the gloominess vanished, leaving only his tall, sturdy build and perfect features.
Thinking she was going on a date with a man handsome enough for strangers to whisper about made her unconsciously straighten her shoulders.
Even though Johannes wasn’t her boyfriend.
Iris glanced around before approaching Johannes.
He had his head down, absorbed in his phone.
Lowering her mask, she stepped in front of him.
She tapped his shoulder, and he pushed up his sunglasses, looking up with his mouth agape.
“Johannes!”
“Huh? I—Iris!”
He quickly straightened his hunched back and shot to his feet.
Johannes was quite tall, so as soon as he stood up, Iris had to look up at him.
She could feel people around sneaking glances their way.
She heard snippets like “I’m jealous,” and “Must be his girlfriend,” drift to her ears.
With a pleased smile, Iris looked over Johannes’s outfit and spoke.
“You dressed almost the same as last time. I barely recognized you at first glance.”
“Um… But people keep staring at me… Is it weird…?”
Johannes scratched the back of his neck and mumbled shyly.
This was the first time in his 22 years he’d ever walked through a bustling area in a suit and sunglasses.
James had told him he looked cool, but the stares made him uneasy.
With so many eyes on him, his mind went blank, and he couldn’t even hear people whispering about how good he looked.
That’s why he’d kept staring at his phone, just waiting for Iris to arrive.
Iris shook her head and laughed out loud at Johannes’s words.
Then she patted his broad shoulder.
“Not at all! It’s because you’re handsome. Everyone was just dazzled by you.”
“Dazzled…? R-really… Iris, do you think so too?”
What others thought didn’t matter.
What Iris thought was what mattered.
Johannes focused all his attention on her gradually widening lips.
As she tapped her lips and smiled, he thought it was cute how he cared about people’s reactions even with a face that anyone would call handsome.
“I think you’re good-looking, too. Don’t you get told that pretty often? You really do have a handsome face.”
“Oh… my face? Th-then what about the rest…?”
‘My face’—what about the rest?
Johannes fidgeted with his hands and asked.
Iris gave a wry smile at his question, remembering how she used to think of him as ‘a hopeless loser with a wasted face.’
Although her feelings for Johannes had grown considerably, she still thought he was timid and awkward.
She avoided his gaze and headed toward the building entrance.
“Hmm, let’s hurry up. The movie’s about to start.”
“What about the rest…?”
“Come on! We’ll miss the elevator.”
Iris grabbed Johannes’s hand and rushed toward the elevator.
When they reached the cinema on the twelfth floor, she stopped him from buying tickets at the counter and printed out the reserved tickets from the machine herself.
Johannes, fidgeting with his card, soon headed to the concession stand, buying popcorn, drinks, and a mountain of snacks.
It was far too much for just the two of them.
Iris clicked her tongue as she helped carry the snacks.
“This is way too much for just us two! Why’d you buy so much?”
“Well, you bought the tickets… I was going to buy them…”
“I asked you to the movies, didn’t I? And this movie’s popular—you have to reserve seats in advance. Sigh, do you think we can finish all this? The movie’s starting soon, so let’s hurry.”
The two of them, arms full and wobbling to avoid dropping anything, made their way to seats at the back of the darkened theater.
After the lights went out, Iris snacked absentmindedly, then glanced over and stifled a laugh.
Johannes was still wearing his sunglasses.
Iris nudged his side and pointed to her own eyes, but he didn’t get it and hunched his shoulders instead.
Maybe it was because Iris’s hand on his side felt strangely thrilling.
Growing impatient, Iris brought her lips close to Johannes’s ear.
“You need to take off your sunglasses. How are you going to watch the movie?”
“Ah… Ahh. R-right.”
He fumbled to remove them, but his hand slipped and left the sunglasses dangling crookedly on his face.
Iris covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Before, she might have found this awkwardness pitiful, but now she only found it cute.
Soon, the ads ended and the movie began.
While focusing on the film, Iris unconsciously reached into the popcorn bucket and flinched—her hand brushed against his warm one.
She quickly grabbed some popcorn and popped it in her mouth.
Such little moments happened over and over during the movie—hands brushing while reaching for popcorn, shoulders touching when shrinking back from scary scenes.
“Ah…”
“Eek.”
Each time, the two let out meaningless little exclamations.
As the movie went on and a frightening scene appeared, Iris buried her face in Johannes’s arm.
His face turned red as he kept his eyes fixed on the screen, but he wasn’t really watching.
He just blinked at the movie while his entire focus was on the Iris beside him.
Her breathing and the soft warmth against his arm completely distracted him from the plot.
The two and a half hours of the screening flashed by in an instant, and the movie ended.
“Johannes, it’s over. Time to get up.”
“Huh? O-oh…”
Johannes, dazed, only came to his senses when Iris tapped his shoulder.
How nice it would be if he could sit beside Iris like this forever.
Were there any movies that lasted five hours?
It ended too soon.
Out in the lobby, Iris tossed the empty popcorn bucket and snack wrappers into the trash.
Just a while ago, she’d doubted they could finish it all, but they’d cleared it with ease.
Dusting off her hands, she turned to Johannes.
“It was fun, right? These action movies are the best for relieving stress. I thought the main guy was going to die at the end—I was so sad…”
“Uh… Glad you liked it.”
Hurriedly putting his sunglasses back on, Johannes couldn’t recall a single thing about the movie.
He’d spent the whole time on edge, attuned to Iris’s every move.
Still, it was a wonderful experience.
He’d been able to feel her breathing and warmth for two and a half hours.
He glanced at his phone, pulling up the date itinerary James had sent him.
‘What did he say to do after the movie? Was it dinner next?’