Inside Random Play.
“Miss Hoshimi, what brings you to a video store?
Are you here to rent a tape?” Cael asked.
“I’m looking for a movie called The Last Flight.
The earliest screening at the cinema is the day after tomorrow, and I don’t want to waste that much time, so I came here instead.”
After answering, Miyabi glanced at Cael and then around the store.
“Why are you here?”
“Me?
I work here now.”
“I see.”
Miyabi nodded.
Belle and Wise had both overheard the conversation between Cael and Miyabi.
Apparently, the two of them knew each other, and more importantly, Miyabi hadn’t come here because of the siblings’ illegal Proxy work.
Good.
Wise quietly breathed a sigh of relief and started toward the bathroom.
He hadn’t even washed up yet.
At the same time, he lowered his voice and said to Belle, “Looks like everything’s fine.
You can take care of Miss Hoshimi.
If she’s only here to rent a tape, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Wow, Wise.
You’re seriously abandoning me at a time like this and making me deal with an Executive Officer all by myself?
That’s cold!”
Belle indignantly grabbed Wise’s arm and refused to let him leave.
Wise had no choice but to steel himself and walk over with her.
“Good morning, Miss Hoshimi.
I’m Wise, the manager of this store, and this is my sister, Belle.
She’s also one of the managers.
You seem to already know him—this is Cael Veyne, the employee we hired yesterday.”
“Good morning.
I hope I haven’t disturbed you by coming so early.”
“Not at all.”
Belle quickly waved her hands.
“I heard you say you were looking for a movie called The Last Flight?
I know that one.
It’s a heartwarming romance.”
So the cool, untouchable Executive Officer who cut down Ethereals without hesitation actually liked romance movies?
Belle hadn’t expected that.
Belle could handle the movie recommendation from here.
Cael couldn’t help much anyway.
He’d only started working at the store yesterday and barely knew any of their movies yet.
Since there was nothing for him to do, he went back to organizing the tapes while skimming their descriptions.
He didn’t need to memorize everything right away; for now, getting a general impression of each movie would be enough.
Belle accurately pulled a tape from the wooden shelf.
It was The Last Flight.
She handed it to Miyabi.
Wise asked, “Miss Hoshimi, do you have a compatible player at home?
If not, you can watch it here.”
Miyabi thought for a moment.
“I can watch it here?”
“Of course.
If you don’t mind, we can watch it together.
Movies are more fun with a group.”
“All right.”
Miyabi nodded.
Belle led her toward the viewing room while Wise called out to Cael.
“You should come watch too.
You don’t get many chances to watch a movie with an Executive Officer.
Don’t miss it.”
Me too?
Cael paused for a moment, then smiled.
“Sure.
I’ll be right there.”
The four of them entered the viewing room together.
Calling it a viewing room made it sound more impressive than it actually was.
It was just an ordinary room with a long, soft sofa.
A television sat on a wooden cabinet, the kind of huge, bulky model that looked decades old.
It didn’t seem worn out, though.
If anything, it looked deliberately designed in a retro style.
Naturally, a video store couldn’t offer the same popcorn-and-drinks service as a cinema, but Miyabi didn’t seem to mind.
Wise brewed tea for everyone and sliced some fruit.
Belle turned on the television, inserted the tape, and pressed play.
The screen flickered with static for a moment.
Then the movie began.
The film had been produced using records preserved from the old civilization.
For the sake of the viewing experience, no one spoiled the story beforehand.
As a romance film, it opened with the warm, affectionate daily life of a couple.
The husband-to-be was Joseph, a stunt pilot.
His fiancée was Elinda.
The two became engaged, and in his excitement over the successful proposal, Joseph decided to perform an especially difficult stunt flight.
Naturally, something went wrong.
The aircraft lost control.
Elinda watched with her own eyes as the man she loved crashed in front of her.
Her desperate scream filled the screen.
The funeral took place as scheduled.
Afterward, Elinda sat alone in her room, staring blankly at the sky.
A beautifully crafted wedding ring rested between her fingers.
“Joseph…
you idiot.
What am I supposed to do without you…?”
As Elinda thought of Joseph, she slipped the ring onto her finger.
The world spun around her.
And in that instant, Elinda returned to the past.
Back to the morning of that same day.
Elinda: “I don’t care about the stunt flight.
I just want you to be safe.
Joseph, please don’t go.”
Joseph: “You still don’t trust your own fiancé?
Just wait.
I’ll even pluck a star out of the sky for you!”
Elinda: “No!
I trust you, but accidents happen.
I watched you fall right in front of me…
Joseph, please.
Don’t go!”
Again and again, Elinda watched Joseph die before her eyes in different accidents.
No matter what she did, she couldn’t stop the tragedy.
So she put on the wedding ring again and again, returning to the past each time in an attempt to save the man she loved.
But then she discovered something terrifying.
The amount of time she could rewind was getting shorter with every attempt.
Until finally…
She had only one chance left.
By that point, as a heartwarming romance, the ending was already easy enough to predict.
After countless attempts, Elinda finally succeeded in saving Joseph.
The two eventually walked into the wedding hall together.
And with that, the movie came to a perfect end.
The film lasted a little over ninety minutes.
Miyabi had watched the entire thing with complete focus.
She hadn’t taken a single sip of tea or touched any of the fruit.
It was obvious she genuinely liked the movie.
“Ugh…
it’s finally over.”
Belle leaned back against the sofa and let out a long breath.
Her eyes were still faintly red.
She sniffed, grabbed a tissue from the table, and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
“That was…
really touching.”
Her voice still carried a slight nasal tone.
“Elinda went back over and over again to save Joseph.
Even though she had to watch him die right in front of her every single time, she never gave up.
And when she only had one chance left, she still put on the ring without hesitation…”
Wise lifted his cup, took a sip of tea, and set it back down.
His expression was much calmer than Belle’s, even somewhat thoughtful.
“I think Joseph was pretty selfish.”
Belle immediately turned toward him.
“Wise!
What are you talking about?”
“Just my opinion.”
Wise continued calmly.
“He’s a stunt pilot.
He knows his job is dangerous.
He knows Elinda worries about him every day, but he still went through with that performance.
“Because he wanted to surprise his fiancée?
He never considered what the person left behind would have to endure if something went wrong.”
He paused and looked toward the television, where the end credits were still slowly scrolling.
“Every time Elinda went back, she had to watch him die all over again.
Seeing that happen once would be enough to break most people, and she went through it who knows how many times.
“But Joseph?
He doesn’t remember any of it.
Every time, he’s starting fresh, happy and confident that nothing will happen to him.”
“But he survived in the end,” Belle argued.
“Because Elinda never gave up,” Wise replied.
“Not because Joseph made the right choice.”
A slightly awkward silence settled between the siblings.
Cael sat on the other side of the sofa, holding his cup without drinking from it.
His thumb slowly traced the rim.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke in a quiet voice that nevertheless drew everyone’s attention.
“I think…
Elinda was willing to return to the past again and again because Joseph was worth it.”
Belle looked at him.
Wise did too.
“Worth it…”
Miyabi quietly repeated those words.
Without making it obvious, her gaze shifted toward Cael’s fairly handsome face.
She remembered.
She remembered that he had once said something almost identical to her.
Those words were still perfectly clear in her mind.
Because you’re Hoshimi Miyabi.
You’re worth it.
Cael had no idea what she was thinking.
He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at his blurred reflection in the tea.
“If Joseph were a terrible person, she wouldn’t have done any of that for him.
She was willing to endure all that pain, all those moments of watching him fall right in front of her while being unable to do anything…
“Because she knew the person she was trying to save was worth everything she had to go through.”
He paused, his voice growing slightly softer.
“If it were me, I’d also do everything I could to change the past for someone I loved.”
The group continued discussing their thoughts on the film.
Then Belle noticed that Miyabi had barely said anything.
“Miss Hoshimi, what about you?
What did you think of the movie?”
Belle leaned a little closer, looking at her curiously.
Miyabi thought for a moment before answering.
“It was a very good movie.”
She couldn’t personally relate to the heroine’s pain of losing the person she loved most.
But she understood and respected the determination to save someone.
Because she herself had experienced that feeling.
The difference was that in the movie, Elinda only needed to put on a ring to go back.
There was no real price to pay.
She had many chances to fail and try again.
Reality wasn’t like that.
Life didn’t allow for trial and error.
And changing something could mean paying the price with your own life.
So…
To him, was she also someone worth risking his life for?
For some reason, Miyabi felt her heartbeat quicken slightly.
She didn’t understand.
She wanted to.
It really helps the fic grow!