The movie screen flickered to life.
Grayscale images stuttered across the display, glitching like something was interfering with the projection. Colors slowly bled back in, starting with a sickly yellow tint before the full spectrum returned. But even with color restored, everything looked washed out and dated, like footage from twenty years ago.
Whoooosh...
Wind swept across the screen.
Blue sky and white clouds filled the frame before the camera panned down to reveal an entire high school campus from above.
All six audience members recognized it immediately.
"Finally! This is what a youth movie should look like," one of the younger guys muttered, unable to hold back. "Was that creepy opening just meant to mess with us?"
A few quiet laughs rippled through the small theater. They'd all been thinking the same thing, half-convinced they'd wandered into the wrong screening and ended up in one of those horror films that had been trending lately.
The camera zoomed in on the main building, a classic H-shaped structure sitting peacefully on the grounds. Courtyards, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, everything a proper school needed. Students in uniforms wandered the tree-lined paths, their cheerful voices drifting through the speakers.
Now it felt right. This matched the "Reminiscing Youth" theme they'd paid to see.
The scene shifted to inside the school building.
Warm evening sunlight poured through the windows of an empty classroom. A gentle breeze stirred the thin curtains. Sitting by the window was a girl with long black hair, her eyes focused on the book in her hands. Each time she turned a page, the soft rustle of paper was the only sound.
Obviously the female lead.
So where was the male lead?
The black-haired girl stood and left the classroom, heading to the shoe lockers near the exit. But when she opened her locker, something fell out.
A letter.
The audience knew exactly what that meant. Most of them had either received or witnessed similar confessions back in their school days. Fujibayashi Ryou had gotten plenty herself, though those stopped after she enrolled in nursing school. Kind of hard to get love letters when there weren't any boys around.
"Those were the days," Fujibayashi Ryou thought wistfully.
The girl on screen opened the envelope and read it.
Then she disappeared from frame. Still no dialogue, no voices. If not for the occasional sound effects, it could've been a silent film.
The scene changed again.
Same black-haired girl, now standing in a classroom. The camera followed her gaze across the room to a figure in the distance.
Male. Had to be the protagonist.
But they only showed his back.
Suddenly, the perspective shifted to first-person, and now they could see the girl's face clearly. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Her expression gradually shifted, disgust creeping into her eyes.
Whoooosh...
A heavy, ominous sound cut through the silence.
The camera jerked back several steps, shaky and unstable.
Had the main character just been pushed away?
Was this turning into an argument?
Before anyone could process it, the view rushed forward with a sharp, piercing screech.
THUD.
The black-haired girl collapsed.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Each impact is accompanied by sickening sounds. Red splattered across the screen. The innocent girl lay crumpled on the floor in a spreading pool of blood.
"Wait, what?"
"Did he just kill her?"
"The female lead's already dead?!"
The audience sat frozen in shock.
Kssshhh... kssshhh...
Static crackled and hissed.
"No one will find out."
"No one's going to discover this."
A raspy voice echoed through the speakers.
"Right?"
The screen suddenly filled with a single image: cold, bloodthirsty eyes staring directly at them, as if looking right at the audience in their seats.
"AHHHHH!"
"Holy shit, holy shit!"
The sudden shift, those blood-crazed eyes, it hit them like a physical blow. In the back row, the young woman had already launched herself into her boyfriend's arms, trembling.
Fujibayashi Ryou wasn't much better off. Her body moved on instinct, grabbing onto Hayato's left arm and squeezing tight. Her heart hammered against her ribs, cold sweat trickling down her back.
"H-Hayato-kun... did you... have you seen this before?" Her voice came out shaky.
How else would he have known to warn her?
Hayato just shrugged slightly.
If this was as bad as it got, they'd be lucky.
But he had a feeling this weird mission scenario was only just beginning.
"What kind of movie is this?"
"Did the theater play the wrong film?"
"I'm filing a complaint..."
Crackle... bzzzzt...
The lights flickered and the big screen went black. The entire theater plunged into darkness so complete they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces.
Only the warmth of the person next to them confirmed they weren't alone.
"Hey, what gives? Did the power go out?"
"This is ridiculous. I'm never coming to this theater again."
"I want a refund! Ten times what I paid!"
Hayato was probably the only one staying calm. He tried using his time-stop ability, but nothing changed. He attempted to stand and move, but found himself unable to leave his spot.
So this was it. Whatever weird supernatural contamination this place had, it was taking effect now.
Flash!
Blinding light exploded across his vision, so bright it hurt. Hayato squinted and raised his right hand to shield his eyes.
As his pupils adjusted and his vision refocused, he found himself looking at a classroom.
He quickly scanned the area. Standing beside him was Fujibayashi Ryou, her purple shoulder-length hair unmistakable. She still had her eyes squeezed shut, left hand raised against the harsh light, not quite recovered yet.
The other movie theater audience members were here too. Four people total: three guys and one girl.
After a moment, they all came to their senses.
"Where are we?"
"Weren't we just in the theater?"
"This is a school... why does it look familiar?"
One of them voiced what the others were starting to realize.
"Wait... I think this is... the school from the video we were watching. The classroom!"
"You're right... did we seriously get pulled into the movie or something?"
"This has to be a prank, right? Someone's messing with us?"
As the strange, oppressive atmosphere settled over them, panic began to spread.
"That's... isn't that... the main character..."
Only then did everyone notice the black-haired girl sitting quietly in the front row, first seat.
As if responding to the nervous female voice, she slowly turned around.
"You... want to kill me?"
"Huh?"
Blood covered her face. Grotesque scars twisted her features. Her mangled visage filled their vision.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Screams erupted again.
"IT'S A GHOST!"
Terror exploded through the room.
The fragile calm was shattered completely. Footsteps pounded against the floor as people ran, their screams of fear echoing through the classroom.
---
The illustration is in the comments of this chapter.