Chapter 15: Explosion

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Translator: Soafp

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“…”

“…”

Since it was a restaurant I had planned to visit after the movie, we didn't have to walk far.

We arrived at the target restaurant quickly.

Guided by a typically Indian-looking waiter, we placed our orders.

And now.

The waiter had left… and silence dominated the scene.

I hadn’t expected to have a one-on-one meal with a girl.

Well, there were topics to discuss.

But was it okay to bring up that topic?

She had been clutching her head next to me, after all.

“…Um.”

“—Um.”

“Ah.”

“…Go ahead.”

A collision of conversation. Why is it that there's such a long silence, and when it starts, our voices overlap perfectly?

“Is it okay to bring up ‘that' topic?”

“!”

It seemed that just those words were enough for mutual understanding.

Whether this would turn out well or badly, I didn't know.

“…You're not put off by it?” (Hatsune)

“Eh?”

“…”

“I think it's fine since we both watched it together.”

“…I see~!”

She seemed somewhat relieved by that.

Then Hatsune-san took a deep breath.

After that.

“I think the chance of failure was low from the start, even with the original mystery novel. Because the tricks and puzzles don't degrade even if their form changes. But why, of all things, did they hire American actors? Was it because the original characters were all white and beautiful? Or because it's a fantasy mystery, so they connected it with foreign actors? I get that, but they could have at least done it with dubbing. Why force them to speak Japanese? They probably just followed pronunciation guidelines and didn't really understand the meaning. As a result, the dialogue lacked depth, and the crucial lines had the same energy as greetings.”

I was surprised.

It seemed her mind was more filled with that than I had thought.

So, I needed to respond.

I opened the review page in my head (harsh).

First—

“According to the pre-release information, the original author had no involvement in this live-action adaptation. From that point, I had a bad feeling, but they probably struggled with the high fees for American actors and couldn't afford to hire voice actors for dubbing. In fact, the non-dialogue scenes, like the battles on moving vehicles, were quite good. Since there were only grunts and shouts, there was no awkwardness. The problem is that these scenes had no real meaning; I think the director just wanted to include them. They were probably added abruptly and aren't from the original work. Also… the time for solving the mysteries was completely cut out. It's really unfortunate, considering the author refused to attend the preview screening.”

“That, that! The sudden Hollywood-style imitation, right!? It was out of place in the flow of the story, and it was definitely just something the director wanted to do. The pacing was terrible due to the battle scenes. Too many patterns of ‘mystery-solving → angry villain battle'. They heavily promoted it as ‘Mystery x Exciting Battles', so I had a bad feeling. Clearly, most of the budget and effort went into the ‘battle' part. The biggest mystery is how the director thought this movie was good! That's why movies where the director's ego is too prominent often become failures. And they probably surrounded themselves with yes-men. No one to stop them. As a result, the budget fell short and ended up as a Z-grade film. Live-action adaptations really need the original author's input! The author boycotting the preview was definitely the right call. It's really tragic. It felt like everything was decided in a drinking party—”

“—Excuse me, mutton curry for the customer.”

“Hyaa!? Y-Yes!”

“Butter chicken curry and samosas (pastries with chicken, vegetables, etc.) for the customer.”

“Thank you.”

“Please enjoy your meal.”

From beside Hatsune-san, the waiter brought our order.

“Ah, ahaha… so embarrassing.”

“Hatsune-san, you really like movies, don't you?”

“…Yeah. I have to watch at least one movie every week to feel settled.”

“That's impressive.”

“It's not that big of a deal. Going to the cinema is a bit of a stretch for my allowance, so it's only once a month or so.”

“Yeah, it's gotten expensive lately.”

I moved the samosas to the center of the table and took out the spoons and other utensils while talking.

“…Is it okay for me to eat?”

“Eh? Yeah.”

“Yay~ I was looking forward to this. Is it really okay?”

“I'm fine with my allowance, so if you need more, just let me know.”

“You're such a bourgeois~”

“I'm in the home club.”

Well, I don't have friends (tears of blood). I had no plans. So, my part-time job went smoothly.

Part-time job friends? What's that? Is it tastier than this curry? (tears of sadness).

“Mmm… so good~”

She relaxed her face. I'm glad we came here.

And please stop with that expression; it's making me nervous (sincerely).

“This was good, but it seems like it'd be difficult to make.”

“You're planning to make it!?”

While eating Indian food and talking with Hatsune-san, I found myself unexpectedly calm despite the surprising turn of events.

…She has a soft demeanor.

That might be why even a shut-in like me can talk comfortably with her.

Perhaps I also feel a sense of camaraderie from sharing the experience of that Z-grade movie (in my own way).

“Yeah. But I need to study what spices are and all.”

“Hmm? I only know about garam masala… Mmm, this is so good. I wonder how many spices are in this.”

“Probably around ten kinds, I'd say.”

“That's a lot!?”

“Eleven, actually.”

“The owner came out!”

“T-thank you…”

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“That was delicious~!”

“Right?”

Indian curry is deep and complex.

I figured I'd go with chicken curry since I don't think I could handle lamb, but I still don't feel confident about making it.

How do they make naan so fluffy? It seems like a long road ahead.

I'll start making it as soon as I get home.

“…Service. It is on the house.”

“Eh?”

“Is it okay?”

“Here you go.”

He left a glass on the table.

It was lassi (an Indian yogurt drink).

“The service is great~”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, next is… well, about that thing~”

“○✕ Cure?”

“Yeah!”

It seems like there's still more to talk about.