Paranormal Activity isn't like traditional horror films. It uses a documentary-style filming approach, so the visuals and camera work aren't particularly "professional," and even feel a bit rough at times.
But after watching it, the overall sense of dread it delivers is undeniable.
That kind of fear that seeps into your skin, the unknown lurking within an ordinary life just like anyone else's… back when Ichin was a kid, after watching it, he didn't even dare step out of his room at night.
Now that he had grown up, he didn't think he would be that scared anymore. But since it had been many years since he last watched it, even Ichin wasn't sure whether it would still frighten him.
Well… now he was a little interested.
None of the others had seen Paranormal Activity before. Eriri hadn't, and neither had Haruno nor Yukino. They rarely watched horror movies in general.
Utaha was the same. She had only read a few reviews while looking for movies and felt that Paranormal Activity was quite unique, so she picked it.
Taking a sip of juice, Eriri lowered her voice a little, whether out of fear or because of the atmosphere. "So… what kind of movie is it? Have you guys seen it?"
Haruno and Yukino both shook their heads. Ichin replied, "I've seen it, but that was when I was a kid. It's pretty good. Definitely worth watching."
As the movie began, there was no longer any chance for Ichin to explain further. Utaha set down the remote and said, "Alright, let's quietly watch the movie. Of course, if you get scared and run away halfway, I won't mind~~"
Eriri shot Utaha a stubborn glare. "Hmph, like I'd run away! You should worry about yourself instead!"
The movie officially started. Ichin munched on chips, enjoying revisiting this classic he had seen before, while the other four watched it for the first time, completely unaware of what was coming.
As the plot progressed, aside from Ichin, the other four gradually stopped eating. Their eyes were glued to the big screen, occasionally swallowing nervously.
Clearly, they were all getting scared. Even Haruno was no exception.
This wasn't the kind of horror like Sadako suddenly jumping out at your face. Instead, it was a creeping fear that seemed to seep out from every corner of the screen, making one's scalp tingle.
Before they even realized it, Utaha had already grabbed Ichin's arm. Despite being scared, she still refused to look away.
On the other side, Yukino had done the same, even earlier than Utaha. As for Haruno, she hugged her younger sister. But when she noticed Yukino holding onto Ichin, she couldn't help but feel a slight bitterness, though it did ease her fear a bit.
Whether that was a good thing or not was hard to say.
The nearly ninety-minute film entered its latter half, and the girls would shudder from time to time. Sitting between Utaha and Yukino, Ichin could clearly feel their tension, even their breathing had grown a bit rapid.
Finally, when the movie ended, Utaha and Yukino both let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Leaning against Ichin's shoulder, Utaha said softly, "That was really scary… but also really good. Eriri, what do you think?"
Turning her head, Utaha realized that she had completely forgotten to observe Eriri toward the end, though she knew Eriri had been extremely tense.
But when she looked over after it ended, she found Eriri sitting there in a daze, her eyes lifeless, completely motionless.
Did she get scared that badly? Hopefully she wasn't traumatized.
Utaha immediately raised her hand and gave Eriri's shoulder a pat. The moment she did, Eriri jolted violently.
"AHH!"
Snapping back to her senses, Eriri looked around, then glanced at the credits on the screen. "It's… over?"
Utaha smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's over. So, how was the movie?"
"..." After a brief silence, Eriri said, "It… it was alright, I guess. Just that. Yeah, just that. Anyway, movie time is over, right? Time for games? I'll go to the bathroom first!"
With that, she hurriedly got up and ran out of the media room.
Watching her leave, Utaha said thoughtfully, "Don't tell me she got so scared she almost wet herself?"
Ichin chuckled. "You know that's impossible."
Haruno and Yukino both nodded. Haruno smiled and said, "But honestly, that movie was pretty scary. I didn't even dare breathe too loudly at some points. Ichin, does it have sequels?"
"It does," Ichin thought for a moment. "I think there are quite a few of them."
Hearing that, Haruno clapped her hands happily. "Then let's keep watching them later, alright? Watching horror movies once in a while feels pretty thrilling!"
"I don't mind," Ichin shrugged. He wasn't that afraid of horror movies to begin with, then looked at Utaha and Yukino. "What about you two?"
Utaha and Yukino exchanged a glance. Yukino said, "We can watch them, but let's do it during the daytime. Like today, I don't want to watch them at night."
"Same here."
As they talked, they settled on a plan to watch movies together during their free time on weekends. It really was a nice way to pass the time.
After turning off the projector, Eriri returned from the bathroom, completely back to her usual self before the movie. Excitedly, she said, "Game time! Log in, log in! Did you talk to Umiko already?"
Ichin had already turned on the computer and sat down. "Umiko's busy. She went shopping with Nene. I called Ruri instead. I'll message her, you log in first."
"No problem!"
Eriri eagerly sat down beside Ichin, put on her headset, and logged into her account.
After sending a message to Gokou Ruri, Ichin started the stream.
The stream had been announced yesterday, and since it was the weekend, many people were free. Within just two minutes of going live, a large number of viewers had already poured in.
The title of Ichin's stream was clear: Just finished a horror movie, ranking with friends, won't read chat much.
Of course, he could still glance at chat before starting the game.
After looking at a few messages, Ichin said, "A horror movie, huh? Today we watched Paranormal Activity. I'm sure quite a few of you have seen it, right?"
"Yeah, seen it, pretty old movie."
"Honestly, it's scary. I'd rather watch Ju-On."
"These atmosphere-type movies are the scariest."
Seeing that everyone's reactions were about the same, Ichin smiled in satisfaction. At that moment, Ruri came online and joined the chat channel, so Ichin stopped chatting with viewers and directly started the game.
After that, it was one ranked match after another. The afternoon wasn't long, so they paused briefly at dinner time. Eriri even stayed for dinner at Ichin's place. Then they continued playing into the night, only stopping around midnight.
...
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