Chapter 14: I can’t stay sane

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“…Haa”

It was painful.

My chest felt like it was being squeezed by something.

On a Saturday afternoon.

There should have been a lot of people at this time, but the theater was only occupied by a few dozen people.

On the screen in front of me, actors in poorly-made shark costumes were fighting with swords.

The magnificent shark from the poster didn't appear until the last scene, and despite being a shark alien, they spoke Earth languages. The setting was all over the place.

And the way the shark's costume was occasionally visible beneath the disguise! This isn't a school play! Well, maybe it's an insult to school plays…

Boom!

《——END——》

The movie ended with a forceful explosion.

The only good thing was the end credits song.

They say if the ending is good, everything is good, but in this case, it exceeded its capacity by a hundredfold.

“Ugh…”

It was painful.

When reviewing a movie, you must never take your eyes off the screen for even a second.

Perhaps due to my daily studies, I had confidence in my concentration. Even so, this was tough.

“Ah… Time to go outside.”

I exited the screening room and made my way to the ticket counter.

It felt liberating. Breathing in the fresh air, I went down the escalator.

Before that hell was rejected from my mind—I needed to write that review.

---

In a café.

I jotted down everything I could remember in a notebook and then transferred it to my phone's memo app once it was organized.

“…Done.”

I realized how easy my daily studies seemed in comparison.

Reviews are not for yourself. They are for conveying something to others.

And, unlike studies, there is no right answer for reviews.

I have now come to understand how lacking I am in the ability to convey things to others.

But I'm glad I found this hobby of movie reviews.

It will surely be useful when I eventually make friends or need to explain things to others. It can be seen as improving communication skills.

“If I don't think like that, I wouldn't be able to keep going…”

Despite nearly losing my composure several times, I did my best because it was something I had decided to do.

The time in the top right corner of my phone was already 13:50.

The next movie starts at 14:10.

The ticket for the live-action film? Already purchased (prepared).

“Well then… off to the ‘hell'—”

“Where are you going~?”

“Eh?”

The moment I stood up, I heard that voice from the side.

Why are they here—

“Hatsune-san.”

“No need to be so surprised.”

It's seriously bad for my heart.

When did they get here? Have they seen me?

“Uh, just a moment ago~”

“I see, good.”

“‘Good'?”

“Ah”

“Are you writing something bad?”

“…It's okay if you see it.”

Come to think of it, there's no real harm in them seeing my notes on the shark movie.

If they take it weirdly, it's fine to show them.

A guy who's into kids' movies won't be judged for watching a shark movie.

“? Let me see… What's this?”

“It's a summary of the movie I watched earlier. Oh, spoilers—”

“…I see. I'm not going to watch that anyway, so it's fine~”

“I-I see.”

---

“My head is starting to hurt… Why are there people instead of sharks in a shark alien movie? Isn't that wrong?”

“Where did all the foreshadowing go?”

“Why did the protagonist come to Shark Planet in the first place? There's no explanation! What's the situation on Earth in this world—”

She flipped through the pages.

Her expression grew increasingly pale, as if reading a cursed grimoire.

Anyone who opened this notebook would probably lose SAN points with every page (insane level of detail).

“Well, it was a deep movie.”

“Too deep!”

It's a bit exciting.

Even though it's my own summary, I was able to share the madness of that movie.

Thank you, Shark Alien. I'll buy the DVD when it comes out and review it again.

“Well, I need to head to the next screening soon.”

“You're watching more!?”

“Yeah. The live-action adaptation of ×□.”

“Oh, isn't that the one that got heavily criticized online?”

“Yeah.”

Thanks to this, I've recovered a bit (including SAN points).

I'm motivated. I need to give an even better review next time.

“Well then—”

“I'm coming too!”

“Are you in your right mind?”

Are you in your right mind?

---

Pain. Suffering. Embarrassment.

My body was in rejection mode, and I couldn’t taste the cola in my hand.

It felt like I was sinking into a poisonous swamp, with no escape from this confined space.

[YOU'RE BEING TOO MEAN]

“Ugh…”

It wasn't the actors' fault.

But forcing Americans to speak Japanese was not right.

Why was this given the green light?

“Ah… ah…”

I ignored the small groans coming from beside me.

I have a duty to watch this movie (not really).

The acting was wooden, and the script was disjointed. The crucial tricks were solved instantly with no mystery-solving time, making it extremely unnatural.

That's right—this movie is a live-action adaptation of a ‘mystery novel' (shocking truth).

The wooden acting made an already complex story even harder to understand.

But I had to understand this.

[THE CULPRIT IS THE CULPRIT]

[Ugh (faints and falls)]

“…?”

“Ah… ahh…?”

I had a question mark above my head.

She was already nearing her limit.

I couldn't take it anymore. It was incomprehensible.

I should buy the original novel later.

For now, I'll do my best to record the dialogues and plot points later!

---

“I’m going to the bathroom~…”

“Okay.”

She usually gave off a lively and warm impression.

Yet now, she had a cold, pale face, looking out of sorts.

I wondered if she was okay…

“I should summarize this.”

I took out my phone and recorded at least the general flow of the movie.

I could catch most of the second half, so I'd probably remember it once I got home.

Since there was an original source, it had some coherence and was understandable (compared to Shark Planet) (not a wrong comparison, right?).

In fact, I was curious about the original work.

Could this be considered a successful adaptation in some way?

“…I'm back.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah~”

No.

What should I do now?

Come to think of it, this is after watching a movie with a girl. What should I do?

“…”

“…?”

Silence. There were no answers.

What do I do now (third time)?

“Ah… I'm hungry.”

“Huh?”

She muttered.

Could this mean we're going to have lunch together?

No, just a random comment—

“Gaze~”

Her downturned gaze, despite her being taller than me. Was she looking down on me?

…I was unexpectedly flustered (sign of “awakening”).

“Th-there's an Indian restaurant nearby that I wanted to go to…”

“! Let's go~!”

Since I had developed a liking for Indian cuisine, I originally planned to go there for dinner and do some research.

…Thank you, residents.

By the way.

The biggest mystery remains unresolved.

Why was Hatsune-san sitting next to me at that time, and why did she speak to me?

And why does she still want to stay with me?

Mystery.

Will this be revealed at some point, more profound than the mystery movie I just saw (thought I made a clever comment)?