Thump thump!
Today, I couldn’t help but wake up filled with excitement. It was finally the release day of the movie “Little Magician Lumi”! Well, technically, it was supposed to be released earlier, but due to some mysterious incident, it got slightly delayed.
I had told Bora before that I wanted to watch “Little Magician Lumi” during the school vacation. The movie was originally set to release right around the time of final exams, which was cutting it close. Even if exams were easy for me, going to watch a movie during exam season felt a bit off. Plus, convincing my friends to go was another story.
But after I told Bora, something strange happened. The release date for “Little Magician Lumi” got pushed back, and the timing couldn’t have been better—it was rescheduled to the day after exams ended, right when vacation started. When I heard the news, I jumped up and down with joy.
Of course, the movie would still be in theaters for about a month after its release, but I didn’t want to risk spoilers. Watching it a bit later would just make it less exciting. Spoilers were everywhere, and reviews were flooding in. It was hard not to notice them, even if I tried to avoid them.
Anyway, the delay was a good thing for me. I grabbed Bora’s hand and stood in front of the computer, ready to book tickets for “Little Magician Lumi” on its release day. Sure, I could’ve done it alone, but watching a movie by myself felt lonely and sad. I needed at least Bora, or maybe Haru or Maru, to come along.
I asked Jiyu and Yumi, but unfortunately, they said they weren’t interested. Of course, I wasn’t about to force them—I’m not some elementary school kid who drags friends to movies against their will. But Bora had been with me through a lot, so I really hoped she’d come with me. After all, she’s the one I’ve known the longest here… So, I stared at Bora with puppy-dog eyes as she sat in front of the computer, booking the tickets.
“Bora… won’t you come watch the movie with me?”
I tried my best to sound as pitiful and whiny as possible, hoping it would work. Bora looked at me, laughed, and said, “Of course! If Hana wants to go, I’ll come with you!”
All my earlier worries instantly vanished. I had imagined going to the theater alone, holding a bucket of popcorn, watching the movie by myself. But now, I didn’t have to worry about that!
“Yay! Bora, you’re the best!”
I jumped around the room, expressing my joy with my whole body. At least I wouldn’t have to watch “Little Magician Lumi” alone! The only bummer was that Haru and Maru couldn’t come because they were busy. But as long as Bora was with me, it didn’t matter.
“Shall we book the tickets now, Hana?”
“Yep!”
I climbed onto Bora’s lap. Her thighs were soft and cushiony, like sitting on a fluffy pillow. From there, I stared at the computer monitor. It didn’t seem like the booking period had started yet, but a special homepage caught my eye. It looked like an admin-only page, something regular people couldn’t access. It felt different from the usual movie website.
But since Bora didn’t say anything, I figured it was fine. She clicked something without logging in, and suddenly, we were on the ticket booking page. Normally, when you book movie tickets, seats are already taken, right? But for “Little Magician Lumi,” a popular movie, not a single seat was booked. I was shocked. How could no one have booked tickets for such an amazing movie?
“Bora, why are all the seats empty?”
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked Bora. She laughed and said, “Well… how do I explain this…”
She seemed a bit hesitant, but soon she explained, “Hana, because you ranked first in the whole school, they’re letting you pick the best seats in the theater first!”
“Really? The theater is awesome!!”
I felt so happy. I didn’t know why being first in school meant I got to pick seats first, but hey, I wasn’t complaining!
Good is good, isn’t it? I tried to find a suitable spot on Bora’s lap. Being short, the front row was out of the question.
Even if I tilted my head back and looked up, I wouldn’t be able to see the movie theater screen. Thinking about it, I wondered what the person who designed the theater seats was thinking when they placed seats in the front row. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and unless all the seats were taken, no normal person would choose that spot. I was sure even people who were 2 meters tall would never pick the front row.
If they sat there, their height would be halved, making it hard to see the movie screen. And the seats too far to the side were also a no-go. The screen looked too skewed from there. To watch the dazzling effects of the famous Little Magician Lumi, a seat slightly above the middle seemed like the best choice.
I thought about picking the exact center seat, but with my short height, even if I sat there, I’d have to tilt my head up slightly. It was better to choose a seat a bit higher. I pointed to the seat I wanted with my finger, and Bora nodded and booked it.
“Hana, is this spot okay?”
A very appropriate and reasonable seat was booked. Some manager-only pop-up appeared, but it didn’t matter to me. I had already booked tickets for the Little Magician Lumi’s movie. Now all I had to do was wait! I didn’t plan to just sit around sucking my thumb until the day came.
Since I booked the tickets as soon as the movie was released, I planned to collect as much Little Magician Lumi merchandise as possible. It said that if you went to the movie dressed as Little Magician Lumi, you’d get a special gift. I had already collected all of Lumi’s merchandise before, so I was fully qualified to receive the gift.
At least I was ahead of the other kids. Last time, going to the theme park and getting the merchandise was a big deal. I got a transformation set that most kids couldn’t even dream of seeing. It was a limited edition item not even sold in malls!
“Hana, can you hold out until the movie starts?”
Bora seemed to be underestimating me. Did I look like some elementary school kid who couldn’t contain their excitement for the movie? I nodded and patted my chest, telling Bora to trust me.
“Bora, just trust me! I’m not the kind of kid who whines about when the movie is showing.”
Bora clapped her hands happily at my confident words. I had the heart of a proper adult, so this little trial was nothing to me.
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“Uwaaah!!!”
After Bora booked the movie tickets, I couldn’t help but go crazy lying on the bed in less than an hour. Time was moving so slowly. It felt like ten hours had passed when only one hour had gone by. I couldn’t stop my body from trembling.
If one hour was this torturous, how was I supposed to endure for several days? I barely managed to hold onto my trembling hands like a gambling addict. I had confidently told Bora to trust me, but if I started whining in less than an hour, how pathetic would I look?
I wished someone would hit my head with a hammer and send me a few days into the future. Sure, it would hurt, but if it meant skipping ahead, it wasn’t a bad option. I might even be happy when I woke up, realizing how much time had passed!
“Hiiing…”
I decided to pass the time by fiddling with my poor phone. No matter how much I got angry or whined, the movie wouldn’t start for a few more days. Yelling for it to release sooner wouldn’t work because I heard the release date was decided by the officials.
And so, I spent the day debating whether to go to Bora or not.
