Chapter 2: A Ringing Bell Signals.
“……!”
I woke up with a start, my hand darting up to touch my head.
For a moment, I was shocked when my fingers touched something damp, but when I looked down at my hand, it was a clear liquid.
“It was…. just a dream….?”
It had been incredibly realistic.
I felt like I had had this dream many times before, reproduced perfectly each time, down to the smallest detail.
It even included sensations like specific smells and temperatures.
Right now, I felt gross; the sweat all over my body made my clothes cling to my skin.
The clear liquid on my fingers earlier had probably been my sweat, then.
I patted my body all over just to be sure, but I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
“….Huh? Wait…. What was that dream about again…?”
I remembered that it had been a realistic dream, but I had no recollection of the most important part: the actual contents of the dream. Up until a moment ago, I had remembered it being a terrible dream, but out of nowhere, the memory had slipped away from me, like particles of fine sand through a sieve.
“I think it was about, how everyone….”
Right. I remembered everyone getting separated, but what had happened after that?
Rather than a clear image or scene, only a certain phrase stuck out in my mind.
“….I guess…. that must be the reason why….”
Newspaper clippings and pages from magazine features were carelessly scattered all over my desk.
Of those, sensational headings such as “Serial Mutilation Murder Case” and “Shock of the Century” stood out with their large lettering.
I had already completely forgotten what the dream had been about. At the same time, I tried getting into a more positive mood by jumping dynamically out of bed, and shouting out loud.
“Alright!”
*
“E-ki! See ya!”
“See you tomorrow, E-ki!”
After school, while my classmates were in the midst of going to club activities, I did not head for home, but instead walked towards a place that was completely clear of people.
Every time I passed by a classmate in the halls, they would call out my name.
As I returned each and every one of their greetings, I headed for my destination.
A two-story, deteriorating wooden building. My destination was one of the rooms on the second floor.
—And so, “as usual,” I opened the door to the music room.
“Yo!”
—Apparently, for each person, there’s an answer that can score full marks in a self-analysis.
For me, E-ki, the answer to such a self-analysis would probably be “Energetic!”
Actually, even outside of a self-analysis, I was sure of that.
The energetic aura radiating from me was incredible.
In any case, I was a man with energy as his strong point!
“Oh, it’s E-ki~! Hey there!”
The one who called out my name while raising a hand in greeting was A-no.
Her skin was a little tanned, and she wore gymnastic shorts underneath her skirt to make moving around easier. Her short, trimmed hair also gave off a lively and refreshing impression.
In truth, she was a fan of retro games, or so I’d heard, but you wouldn’t be able to guess that at all from her appearance. Overall, she was a female student that gave off an impression of being a “speed type,” with her lightweight body that lacked any excess fat…. Especially around her chest area…. you know….?
“Die!”
“Uwah?!”
Suddenly, A-no aimed an incredibly sharp punch at my face.
No, seriously, I just barely dodged that one! What’s with her all of a sudden?!
“….Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”
“You’re the one that was looking at my chest while sighing and muttering, ‘Lightweight…. haa…..’!”
“….Eh?! Are you psychic?!”
“So you admit it!! Lose one life and die!”
Another lethal punch was thrown at me, barely skimming my ear.
Wait, hold on, seriously! She’s not holding back at all!
Unlike that mustachioed man in the video game, I only have one life here….!
“…..U-Uh, um, err…. Please… d-don’t fight…..”
A small figure walked up between us.
It was B-ka, looking flustered and worried.
He was smaller than A-no, and his face even more feminine than hers, but though he was timid, his charm point was his snaggletooth that peeked out whenever he smiled. Despite being so feminine in all areas, his name included, he was a male student.
Saying that he’d grow into it before long, he wore a loose uniform that he’d bought a size too big, but it was obvious that his overly-long sleeves were just another moe point in the end.
“….As I thought, in terms of being girly, it’s A-no’s loss by a landslide—”
“Dieeeeee!!”
“Again?!”
This was no good; it looked like I’d accidentally said my thoughts out loud once again.
This time, A-no’s attack hit me right in the ribs.
The pain for this one was going to come little by little.
Anyway, what’s B-ka blushing for?! What are you, a girl?!
“….Noisy as usual, I see.”
The female student that was reading in the back of the classroom shut her book and looked over at us.
Her name was C-na. With glasses that made her look studious, and straight bangs, everything about her screamed “Committee President!” Or “Prodigy!” But in reality, her grades weren’t really that good, and she read geeky magazines profusely. In other words, she was an otaku-type girl.
She was even shorter than B-ka, and if she were to stand next to me, she’d look like a pretty petite girl.
Well, height-wise, she’s on the small side, but…. when it comes to her chest and the excess fat there, she actually… had quite… a bit of it? I would say….
“Die!! Die and don’t ever choose continue!”
“You’re terrible—!”
“Again?! You too?!”
A-no attacked me for the third time, and for some reason, B-ka was hitting me as well.
Wait, hold on, this isn’t normal!
There’s never been a “continue” in life in the first place….! This isn’t the sequel of some B-grade movie…!!
And as all this went on, C-na went back to reading her book.
“Ahaha~ E-ki, you’re so funny as always~ (crunch crunch)”
I heard a slow, drawling voice say from behind me.
D-suke laughed while munching noisily on a bag of snacks.
His long hair was tied back loosely, but even then, his bangs were still long enough to cover his eyes. Since you could never see what his entire face looked like, he always gave the impression that he was spacing out.
He was taller than me, stooped over when he walked, and was usually eating some kind of snack.
…..The introduction got a little long, but basically, the five of us always gathered in this music room.
We had all just started our second year of high school.
Although we met in the music room, we weren’t part of the Brass Band Club, or even the Light Music Club.
We were actually! The Film Club!
….That said, the club had actually been on the verge of being abolished, but since it seemed interesting, I dragged the others along. Since we had only just recently revived it, we had yet to do anything in terms of club activities.
“However, it must not stay that way!”
“….Hm? What was that, all of a sudden?”
“Well, since we’re in the Film Club, it’d make the most sense for us to film a movie! And anyway, doesn’t making our own movie sound like fun?!”
“….I only joined… because…. I wanted to make movies…. you know. (crunch crunch)”
“Right, you even own a video camera!”
“…I’m interested as long as it’s horror. Also, I can help out with editing using a computer.”
“I’d expect no less from you, C-na! Oh, by the way, that horror movie I borrowed from you the other day was really scary!”
“….Ah~ I borrowed it too, but I didn’t really get the ending.”
“To have to rely on a philosophical thought experiment like Schrodinger’s Cat, the writer had to have been a third- or second-rate screenwriter at best.”
As D-suke and C-na carried on with their own separate conversation, A-no piped up.
“As long as I can do a role that’s full of energy, I’m fine with anything. I think filmmaking sounds like a lot of fun!”
“How about you, B-ka?”
“….I-I, um, if… everyone else is doing it, I’ll… help out, too….”
Just as I had expected, everyone agreed on making the movie.
The elites that I had handpicked didn’t disappoint!
“So, this is what I’ve come up with! I’ll be the director, screenwriter, and producer! And the four of you will be the cast and staff for this project…! Let’s aim to get it done by this summer! So, how’s that sound for an initial plan, guys?”
I asked, and looked around at everyone.
“Well, that depends on what kind of movie it’ll be, but…. It sounds good so far.”
“….I’m really…. looking forward to it….”
“….I think that sounds fine.”
“Okay~”
Everyone reacted like they usually would, but I could tell that they were all really excited.
“…….Now then, the premise, which you’ve all been waiting for…”
I picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote out the long title on the blackboard in big letters.
“The movie will be about us creating a new urban legend…. And as for the title, I thought it’d be best to make it sound grandiose and dramatic, so this is what I came up with!”
After I’d finished writing the title on the chalkboard, I turned to face the others and announce it.
“—The title will be Bookmark of Demise.”
“Bookmark… of Demise?”
“….Wait, isn’t that—”
“That’s right!”
I turned towards the other four, as if I had been waiting for this very moment.
“It’s a parody of the ‘Nameless Bookmark’ that’s been making headlines lately!”
“‘The Nameless Bookmark’? You mean….”
“It was also on TV today, right?”
“The Nameless Bookmark”
A series of crime confessions posted on a huge internet message board.
And the serial mutilation murders that had taken place in the real world.
The culprit still remained unfound.
The culprit is a child.
No, this crime was committed by an adult.
There are multiple culprits.
It was the actions of an emerging religious group that believed in apocalypse theories.
Every day and night, claims such as these were all over the news on TV.
The inexplicable confessions posted on the internet were tastefully written, and some critics even went as far as to comment that it had a high literary value, causing much controversy over how it wasn’t being taken seriously.
It seemed that the confessions had been deleted from the internet, but a part of the text continued to be spread among high school students via chain letters.
It was the most sensational case since the serial murder case several years ago, as well as….
—The world’s newest urban legend.
It was an urban legend being made right now, one where we could witness the moment it was revealed.
The excitement that this opportunity brought was evident from the way people talked about it.
And I was no different.
“….This seems like just the type of thing you’d like!”
A-no said, making an appalled expression.
“What, you don’t find it a good idea? Personally, I think it’s kind of romantic…”
I understood that it was reckless, certainly, and looking at it from the neighbors’ point of view, I could see why they might be worried about being out late at night.
However, to me, this case felt like something you’d seen on TV, or in a movie, or even a video game, and I felt a thrill that an audience member might feel.
As if to see what everyone else’s opinions were, I glanced over at the others.
“….I think that sounds fine.”
When I made eye contact with C-na, she replied after letting out a sigh.
“I prefer horror movies over anything, and I’m also interested in the ‘Nameless Bookmark,’ as well.”
C-na answered just as I’d expected her to.
“I’m fine with anything, horror or not~”
“….Me too… I’m not that good with horror, but… I’ll do my best….!”
After everyone expressed their consent, I looked back at A-no again.
A-no answered after sighing and throwing up her arms in defeat.
“….Sure, why not? I’m a fan of horror games too, after all~ So, what’s the plot going to be about?”
“Hehehe, I was waiting for someone to ask that….”
I adjusted my bangs a bit, and answered with full confidence.
“—I haven’t decided yet!”
Whoosh!
“Woahhh?!”
A-no’s fist nicked my cheek once again.
Hold on, did she teleport?! Eh? Wasn’t she sitting in her chair just a moment ago?!
What are you, a character from a fighting game?!
“Wh-What the hell was that for?!”
“Don’t play dumb with me! How can you sound so confident when you haven’t thought of anything?!”
A-no glared at me while criticizing my nonchalant way of speaking.
“St-Stupid! I have the theme down already! I just meant I hadn’t figured out all the details yet, and was planning to do that with all of you! Wait for people to finish talking first, would you….!”
“….The theme?”
“Yeah, like I said earlier, we’re going to create a new urban legend.”
“A new… urban legend?”
C-na, who had been silently observing our exchange up until that point, started listening attentively as soon as the topic “urban legend” was brought up.
“Basically, I wanted to start by collecting some urban legends…”
“Hm~? But that won’t really be a new urban legend then, right?”
“Hehehe…. This is where my secret strategy comes into play.”
“….Why does that sound so fishy….”
“Hold on, I’m getting to it.”
As I chuckled and held off D-suke and A-no’s questions, B-ka asked me timidly,
“S-So… how are we going to decide the plot….?”
“Right, I almost forgot.”
I lifted my face, suddenly remembering something, and took out a very simple notebook that also had a slightly old-fashioned feel to it.
“—Starting from now, I’d like everyone to collect urban legends.”
“….What?”
“This is going to be used as part of the script.”
“….I don’t really get what you’re trying to say…”
“Hehehe… Don’t worry, I’ll explain the synopsis of the work now.”
As A-no and C-na gave me questioning looks, I turned towards them and continued.
“In this movie, the four of you will play members of the ‘Occult Research Club.’ Your regular activities consist of exchanging rumors of urban legends through this notebook.”
“O-Okay…”
“And then one day, you hear of a certain rumor.”
“….Rumor?”
“That’s right.”
I gave a sideways glance to the words I’d written on the blackboard.
“A rumor about the existence of a mysterious book that holds records of every urban legend in the world, the ‘Book of Demise’…. and the ‘Bookmark of Demise’ that can be found within its pages….”
“……B-Book… of Demise?”
“In the book, each and every urban legend in the world is written down, and when the book is opened to the page the bookmark is placed on, that urban legend is said to become a reality….”
“….Okay…”
“As the four are collecting urban legends, they stumble upon this book….! And then, just as the rumors said, all the urban legends they’ve collected until now start to become real….!”
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
Everyone was turned in my direction, frozen in place.
“…….Hm?”
A-no then asked impatiently,
“……A-And then… what happens next?”
I adjusted my bangs a bit, and once more, answered with full confidence.
“—I haven’t decided yet!”
Wham!
“Not again!”
This time, A-no’s powerful punch hit me in the stomach.
Seriously, would you stop aiming for the body?!
“H-Hold on! W-We can just figure that out later!”
“What?! Do you honestly think we can shoot a whole movie without even organizing it properly?!”
“O-Of course we can….! Listen, alright?! It’s going to be done documentary style!”
“I bet you just came up with that right now! Admit it, you just haven’t decided anything yet!”
“Th-That’s not true! C-na, what do you think?”
As usual, A-no was making a big fuss out of everything. I looked over at C-na for help, who seemed like she was deep in thought.
“….I don’t think there are any problems.”
“Oh! See?! It’ll be fine!”
“Ehh?!”
A-no raised her voice in protest, but C-na paid her no mind, and muttered as if she were talking to herself.
“In that case…. My knowledge will come in handy here…. Rather than making a new urban legend completely from scratch…. If we do it by combining existing urban legends…. I see… More importantly, we’ll be able to introduce several urban legends all at once….”
“….C-na….?”
A-no called out to her with a nervous laugh, but it appeared that C-na couldn’t hear her at all.
“I don’t find it a bad idea either~ Well, we won’t know how much time it’ll take until we actually start filming. Why don’t we at least flesh out the first half a little more, and start from there~?”
As C-na continued muttering to herself, B-ka also expressed his thoughts.
“….Ah, I’d also… be happy to… make it… with everyone….”
After B-ka also modestly supported the idea, A-no finally sighed and threw up her hands in surrender.
“….Alright, I get it already. So, what should we do first?”
“Now that’s what I wanted to hear!”
Smiling, I held up the notebook from earlier, as if I’d been waiting for this moment.
“I’ll explain it one more time. In this movie, the four of you will play as members of the ‘Occult Research Club,’ and your regular activities consist of exchanging rumors of urban legends through this notebook.”
“….Okay.”
“So starting from now, I’d like the four of you to write an information exchange diary as if you were normally members of the Occult Research Club.”
“An information exchange diary? So what do you want us to write it in, exactly?”
“For example, you could start with writing, ‘Have you heard of this rumor?’ and write about urban legends. Anyway, since it’s a collection, as long as it’s occult-related, anything is fine.”
“So in other words…. We’re collecting material for the movie?”
“It’s a little complicated, but think of it as making a prop. We’ll be using it in the actual filming too, so if you could make it look it’s been written in for about two months… You can just make up the dates. Do you think it can be finished in a week?”
“Ehh?!”
As A-no raised her voice in protest again, I continued explaining.
“I want the ‘Bookmark of Demise’ to be mentioned somewhere in the material that’s collected so, and I’m also thinking of choosing whichever information looks interesting to reproduce in the movie.”
“….Well, C-na might know a lot about this stuff, but I don’t.”
“….Ufufu…. Shall I… lend you one of my magazines?”
As C-na gave a defiant smile, D-suke interrupted the two by speaking up.
“From what I understand, popular stories would be alright too, and there’s nothing wrong with gathering information from C-na, right~? Anyway, let’s work hard~”
“Ugh…. I know. ….Anyway, E-ki, aren’t you going to help?”
“But I’m the director, see! It’d be weird for me to appear when I’m not part of the story, right? So you guys are on your own!”
“That’s not fair!”
“I-It’s perfectly fair! And anyway, I have my own special part in this!”
As an unpleasant atmosphere started to brew between us again, B-ka stepped in.
“….U-Um… Please… d-don’t fight…..”
—In any case, that was how we started to make a movie together.
Although I’d half-dragged them into it, once we’d settled the plot and how we were going to do it, everyone started to actively pitch in with their own ideas.
They’re a good bunch, really.
As we discussed things about the movie, as well as chatting about a bunch of unrelated things, it soon became completely dark outside.
The darkness of night eroded away the red color of the sunset, dying it black.
It was almost as if the sky was warning us of our fate, but at that time, we were full of nothing but anticipation for the production of our movie——
Chapter 2: A Ringing Bell Signals.
“……!”
I woke up with a start, my hand darting up to touch my head.
For a moment, I was shocked when my fingers touched something damp, but when I looked down at my hand, it was a clear liquid.
“It was…. just a dream….?”
It had been incredibly realistic.
I felt like I had had this dream many times before, reproduced perfectly each time, down to the smallest detail.
It even included sensations like specific smells and temperatures.
Right now, I felt gross; the sweat all over my body made my clothes cling to my skin.
The clear liquid on my fingers earlier had probably been my sweat, then.
I patted my body all over just to be sure, but I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
“….Huh? Wait…. What was that dream about again…?”
I remembered that it had been a realistic dream, but I had no recollection of the most important part: the actual contents of the dream. Up until a moment ago, I had remembered it being a terrible dream, but out of nowhere, the memory had slipped away from me, like particles of fine sand through a sieve.
“I think it was about, how everyone….”
Right. I remembered everyone getting separated, but what had happened after that?
Rather than a clear image or scene, only a certain phrase stuck out in my mind.
“….I guess…. that must be the reason why….”
Newspaper clippings and pages from magazine features were carelessly scattered all over my desk.
Of those, sensational headings such as “Serial Mutilation Murder Case” and “Shock of the Century” stood out with their large lettering.
I had already completely forgotten what the dream had been about. At the same time, I tried getting into a more positive mood by jumping dynamically out of bed, and shouting out loud.
“Alright!”
*
“E-ki! See ya!”
“See you tomorrow, E-ki!”
After school, while my classmates were in the midst of going to club activities, I did not head for home, but instead walked towards a place that was completely clear of people.
Every time I passed by a classmate in the halls, they would call out my name.
As I returned each and every one of their greetings, I headed for my destination.
A two-story, deteriorating wooden building. My destination was one of the rooms on the second floor.
—And so, “as usual,” I opened the door to the music room.
“Yo!”
—Apparently, for each person, there’s an answer that can score full marks in a self-analysis.
For me, E-ki, the answer to such a self-analysis would probably be “Energetic!”
Actually, even outside of a self-analysis, I was sure of that.
The energetic aura radiating from me was incredible.
In any case, I was a man with energy as his strong point!
“Oh, it’s E-ki~! Hey there!”
The one who called out my name while raising a hand in greeting was A-no.
Her skin was a little tanned, and she wore gymnastic shorts underneath her skirt to make moving around easier. Her short, trimmed hair also gave off a lively and refreshing impression.
In truth, she was a fan of retro games, or so I’d heard, but you wouldn’t be able to guess that at all from her appearance. Overall, she was a female student that gave off an impression of being a “speed type,” with her lightweight body that lacked any excess fat…. Especially around her chest area…. you know….?
“Die!”
“Uwah?!”
Suddenly, A-no aimed an incredibly sharp punch at my face.
No, seriously, I just barely dodged that one! What’s with her all of a sudden?!
“….Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”
“You’re the one that was looking at my chest while sighing and muttering, ‘Lightweight…. haa…..’!”
“….Eh?! Are you psychic?!”
“So you admit it!! Lose one life and die!”
Another lethal punch was thrown at me, barely skimming my ear.
Wait, hold on, seriously! She’s not holding back at all!
Unlike that mustachioed man in the video game, I only have one life here….!
“…..U-Uh, um, err…. Please… d-don’t fight…..”
A small figure walked up between us.
It was B-ka, looking flustered and worried.
He was smaller than A-no, and his face even more feminine than hers, but though he was timid, his charm point was his snaggletooth that peeked out whenever he smiled. Despite being so feminine in all areas, his name included, he was a male student.
Saying that he’d grow into it before long, he wore a loose uniform that he’d bought a size too big, but it was obvious that his overly-long sleeves were just another moe point in the end.
“….As I thought, in terms of being girly, it’s A-no’s loss by a landslide—”
“Dieeeeee!!”
“Again?!”
This was no good; it looked like I’d accidentally said my thoughts out loud once again.
This time, A-no’s attack hit me right in the ribs.
The pain for this one was going to come little by little.
Anyway, what’s B-ka blushing for?! What are you, a girl?!
“….Noisy as usual, I see.”
The female student that was reading in the back of the classroom shut her book and looked over at us.
Her name was C-na. With glasses that made her look studious, and straight bangs, everything about her screamed “Committee President!” Or “Prodigy!” But in reality, her grades weren’t really that good, and she read geeky magazines profusely. In other words, she was an otaku-type girl.
She was even shorter than B-ka, and if she were to stand next to me, she’d look like a pretty petite girl.
Well, height-wise, she’s on the small side, but…. when it comes to her chest and the excess fat there, she actually… had quite… a bit of it? I would say….
“Die!! Die and don’t ever choose continue!”
“You’re terrible—!”
“Again?! You too?!”
A-no attacked me for the third time, and for some reason, B-ka was hitting me as well.
Wait, hold on, this isn’t normal!
There’s never been a “continue” in life in the first place….! This isn’t the sequel of some B-grade movie…!!
And as all this went on, C-na went back to reading her book.
“Ahaha~ E-ki, you’re so funny as always~ (crunch crunch)”
I heard a slow, drawling voice say from behind me.
D-suke laughed while munching noisily on a bag of snacks.
His long hair was tied back loosely, but even then, his bangs were still long enough to cover his eyes. Since you could never see what his entire face looked like, he always gave the impression that he was spacing out.
He was taller than me, stooped over when he walked, and was usually eating some kind of snack.
…..The introduction got a little long, but basically, the five of us always gathered in this music room.
We had all just started our second year of high school.
Although we met in the music room, we weren’t part of the Brass Band Club, or even the Light Music Club.
We were actually! The Film Club!
….That said, the club had actually been on the verge of being abolished, but since it seemed interesting, I dragged the others along. Since we had only just recently revived it, we had yet to do anything in terms of club activities.
“However, it must not stay that way!”
“….Hm? What was that, all of a sudden?”
“Well, since we’re in the Film Club, it’d make the most sense for us to film a movie! And anyway, doesn’t making our own movie sound like fun?!”
“….I only joined… because…. I wanted to make movies…. you know. (crunch crunch)”
“Right, you even own a video camera!”
“…I’m interested as long as it’s horror. Also, I can help out with editing using a computer.”
“I’d expect no less from you, C-na! Oh, by the way, that horror movie I borrowed from you the other day was really scary!”
“….Ah~ I borrowed it too, but I didn’t really get the ending.”
“To have to rely on a philosophical thought experiment like Schrodinger’s Cat, the writer had to have been a third- or second-rate screenwriter at best.”
As D-suke and C-na carried on with their own separate conversation, A-no piped up.
“As long as I can do a role that’s full of energy, I’m fine with anything. I think filmmaking sounds like a lot of fun!”
“How about you, B-ka?”
“….I-I, um, if… everyone else is doing it, I’ll… help out, too….”
Just as I had expected, everyone agreed on making the movie.
The elites that I had handpicked didn’t disappoint!
“So, this is what I’ve come up with! I’ll be the director, screenwriter, and producer! And the four of you will be the cast and staff for this project…! Let’s aim to get it done by this summer! So, how’s that sound for an initial plan, guys?”
I asked, and looked around at everyone.
“Well, that depends on what kind of movie it’ll be, but…. It sounds good so far.”
“….I’m really…. looking forward to it….”
“….I think that sounds fine.”
“Okay~”
Everyone reacted like they usually would, but I could tell that they were all really excited.
“…….Now then, the premise, which you’ve all been waiting for…”
I picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote out the long title on the blackboard in big letters.
“The movie will be about us creating a new urban legend…. And as for the title, I thought it’d be best to make it sound grandiose and dramatic, so this is what I came up with!”
After I’d finished writing the title on the chalkboard, I turned to face the others and announce it.
“—The title will be Bookmark of Demise.”
“Bookmark… of Demise?”
“….Wait, isn’t that—”
“That’s right!”
I turned towards the other four, as if I had been waiting for this very moment.
“It’s a parody of the ‘Nameless Bookmark’ that’s been making headlines lately!”
“‘The Nameless Bookmark’? You mean….”
“It was also on TV today, right?”
“The Nameless Bookmark”
A series of crime confessions posted on a huge internet message board.
And the serial mutilation murders that had taken place in the real world.
The culprit still remained unfound.
The culprit is a child.
No, this crime was committed by an adult.
There are multiple culprits.
It was the actions of an emerging religious group that believed in apocalypse theories.
Every day and night, claims such as these were all over the news on TV.
The inexplicable confessions posted on the internet were tastefully written, and some critics even went as far as to comment that it had a high literary value, causing much controversy over how it wasn’t being taken seriously.
It seemed that the confessions had been deleted from the internet, but a part of the text continued to be spread among high school students via chain letters.
It was the most sensational case since the serial murder case several years ago, as well as….
—The world’s newest urban legend.
It was an urban legend being made right now, one where we could witness the moment it was revealed.
The excitement that this opportunity brought was evident from the way people talked about it.
And I was no different.
“….This seems like just the type of thing you’d like!”
A-no said, making an appalled expression.
“What, you don’t find it a good idea? Personally, I think it’s kind of romantic…”
I understood that it was reckless, certainly, and looking at it from the neighbors’ point of view, I could see why they might be worried about being out late at night.
However, to me, this case felt like something you’d seen on TV, or in a movie, or even a video game, and I felt a thrill that an audience member might feel.
As if to see what everyone else’s opinions were, I glanced over at the others.
“….I think that sounds fine.”
When I made eye contact with C-na, she replied after letting out a sigh.
“I prefer horror movies over anything, and I’m also interested in the ‘Nameless Bookmark,’ as well.”
C-na answered just as I’d expected her to.
“I’m fine with anything, horror or not~”
“….Me too… I’m not that good with horror, but… I’ll do my best….!”
After everyone expressed their consent, I looked back at A-no again.
A-no answered after sighing and throwing up her arms in defeat.
“….Sure, why not? I’m a fan of horror games too, after all~ So, what’s the plot going to be about?”
“Hehehe, I was waiting for someone to ask that….”
I adjusted my bangs a bit, and answered with full confidence.
“—I haven’t decided yet!”
Whoosh!
“Woahhh?!”
A-no’s fist nicked my cheek once again.
Hold on, did she teleport?! Eh? Wasn’t she sitting in her chair just a moment ago?!
What are you, a character from a fighting game?!
“Wh-What the hell was that for?!”
“Don’t play dumb with me! How can you sound so confident when you haven’t thought of anything?!”
A-no glared at me while criticizing my nonchalant way of speaking.
“St-Stupid! I have the theme down already! I just meant I hadn’t figured out all the details yet, and was planning to do that with all of you! Wait for people to finish talking first, would you….!”
“….The theme?”
“Yeah, like I said earlier, we’re going to create a new urban legend.”
“A new… urban legend?”
C-na, who had been silently observing our exchange up until that point, started listening attentively as soon as the topic “urban legend” was brought up.
“Basically, I wanted to start by collecting some urban legends…”
“Hm~? But that won’t really be a new urban legend then, right?”
“Hehehe…. This is where my secret strategy comes into play.”
“….Why does that sound so fishy….”
“Hold on, I’m getting to it.”
As I chuckled and held off D-suke and A-no’s questions, B-ka asked me timidly,
“S-So… how are we going to decide the plot….?”
“Right, I almost forgot.”
I lifted my face, suddenly remembering something, and took out a very simple notebook that also had a slightly old-fashioned feel to it.
“—Starting from now, I’d like everyone to collect urban legends.”
“….What?”
“This is going to be used as part of the script.”
“….I don’t really get what you’re trying to say…”
“Hehehe… Don’t worry, I’ll explain the synopsis of the work now.”
As A-no and C-na gave me questioning looks, I turned towards them and continued.
“In this movie, the four of you will play members of the ‘Occult Research Club.’ Your regular activities consist of exchanging rumors of urban legends through this notebook.”
“O-Okay…”
“And then one day, you hear of a certain rumor.”
“….Rumor?”
“That’s right.”
I gave a sideways glance to the words I’d written on the blackboard.
“A rumor about the existence of a mysterious book that holds records of every urban legend in the world, the ‘Book of Demise’…. and the ‘Bookmark of Demise’ that can be found within its pages….”
“……B-Book… of Demise?”
“In the book, each and every urban legend in the world is written down, and when the book is opened to the page the bookmark is placed on, that urban legend is said to become a reality….”
“….Okay…”
“As the four are collecting urban legends, they stumble upon this book….! And then, just as the rumors said, all the urban legends they’ve collected until now start to become real….!”
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
Everyone was turned in my direction, frozen in place.
“…….Hm?”
A-no then asked impatiently,
“……A-And then… what happens next?”
I adjusted my bangs a bit, and once more, answered with full confidence.
“—I haven’t decided yet!”
Wham!
“Not again!”
This time, A-no’s powerful punch hit me in the stomach.
Seriously, would you stop aiming for the body?!
“H-Hold on! W-We can just figure that out later!”
“What?! Do you honestly think we can shoot a whole movie without even organizing it properly?!”
“O-Of course we can….! Listen, alright?! It’s going to be done documentary style!”
“I bet you just came up with that right now! Admit it, you just haven’t decided anything yet!”
“Th-That’s not true! C-na, what do you think?”
As usual, A-no was making a big fuss out of everything. I looked over at C-na for help, who seemed like she was deep in thought.
“….I don’t think there are any problems.”
“Oh! See?! It’ll be fine!”
“Ehh?!”
A-no raised her voice in protest, but C-na paid her no mind, and muttered as if she were talking to herself.
“In that case…. My knowledge will come in handy here…. Rather than making a new urban legend completely from scratch…. If we do it by combining existing urban legends…. I see… More importantly, we’ll be able to introduce several urban legends all at once….”
“….C-na….?”
A-no called out to her with a nervous laugh, but it appeared that C-na couldn’t hear her at all.
“I don’t find it a bad idea either~ Well, we won’t know how much time it’ll take until we actually start filming. Why don’t we at least flesh out the first half a little more, and start from there~?”
As C-na continued muttering to herself, B-ka also expressed his thoughts.
“….Ah, I’d also… be happy to… make it… with everyone….”
After B-ka also modestly supported the idea, A-no finally sighed and threw up her hands in surrender.
“….Alright, I get it already. So, what should we do first?”
“Now that’s what I wanted to hear!”
Smiling, I held up the notebook from earlier, as if I’d been waiting for this moment.
“I’ll explain it one more time. In this movie, the four of you will play as members of the ‘Occult Research Club,’ and your regular activities consist of exchanging rumors of urban legends through this notebook.”
“….Okay.”
“So starting from now, I’d like the four of you to write an information exchange diary as if you were normally members of the Occult Research Club.”
“An information exchange diary? So what do you want us to write it in, exactly?”
“For example, you could start with writing, ‘Have you heard of this rumor?’ and write about urban legends. Anyway, since it’s a collection, as long as it’s occult-related, anything is fine.”
“So in other words…. We’re collecting material for the movie?”
“It’s a little complicated, but think of it as making a prop. We’ll be using it in the actual filming too, so if you could make it look it’s been written in for about two months… You can just make up the dates. Do you think it can be finished in a week?”
“Ehh?!”
As A-no raised her voice in protest again, I continued explaining.
“I want the ‘Bookmark of Demise’ to be mentioned somewhere in the material that’s collected so, and I’m also thinking of choosing whichever information looks interesting to reproduce in the movie.”
“….Well, C-na might know a lot about this stuff, but I don’t.”
“….Ufufu…. Shall I… lend you one of my magazines?”
As C-na gave a defiant smile, D-suke interrupted the two by speaking up.
“From what I understand, popular stories would be alright too, and there’s nothing wrong with gathering information from C-na, right~? Anyway, let’s work hard~”
“Ugh…. I know. ….Anyway, E-ki, aren’t you going to help?”
“But I’m the director, see! It’d be weird for me to appear when I’m not part of the story, right? So you guys are on your own!”
“That’s not fair!”
“I-It’s perfectly fair! And anyway, I have my own special part in this!”
As an unpleasant atmosphere started to brew between us again, B-ka stepped in.
“….U-Um… Please… d-don’t fight…..”
—In any case, that was how we started to make a movie together.
Although I’d half-dragged them into it, once we’d settled the plot and how we were going to do it, everyone started to actively pitch in with their own ideas.
They’re a good bunch, really.
As we discussed things about the movie, as well as chatting about a bunch of unrelated things, it soon became completely dark outside.
The darkness of night eroded away the red color of the sunset, dying it black.
It was almost as if the sky was warning us of our fate, but at that time, we were full of nothing but anticipation for the production of our movie——
