Chapter 113: B-Movie Enthusiast (Monthly Ticket Bonus)

July 13th. Saturday. Clear skies as far as the eye can see.

Come to think of it, once vacation begins, the concept of a weekend becomes rather ambiguous. Since every day is a holiday, what difference is there between a Saturday and a Monday?

No, actually, there is a difference. To an animation enthusiast, every day of the week is entirely distinct. Especially in July, with the summer anime series airing one episode after another.

"The second episode of *Lord El-Melloi II* is on tonight. I'm really looking forward to it," Qiao Qiao said, seemingly casual, while on the subway.

This caught the attention of Hashimoto Kotone, who was standing nearby. She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Today, Qiao Qiao had asked Kotone and Asano Ariko to join him on an outing; being with the two of them left Kotone feeling both perplexed and a bit self-conscious. She was introverted by nature—not that she couldn't communicate normally, but engaging in such otaku-centric discussions as nonchalantly as Qiao Qiao or Ariko did was still quite difficult for her.

"If you ask me, *Takagi-san* tomorrow night is even more worth the wait!" Ariko, standing to Qiao Qiao's left, said excitedly.

"Ah, that's good too. This summer's new releases feel quite strong."

"I heard *Are You Lost?* is pretty good. I read the original manga; it's a great guide for survival knowledge."

"Eh, that's a 'ramen-timer' short, right? I prefer something like *The Demon Girl Next Door*, with soft and cute girls."

The two chatted about anime, leaving Kotone feeling restless. Finally, as the subway passed through Keage Station, she couldn't help but speak up.

"Um..."

"What is it, Hashimoto-san?" Ariko asked, tilting her head.

"Actually, the most anticipated show of July should be *Vinland Saga*!" Kotone said, as if a switch had been flipped, her tone incredibly earnest. "The original manga has been serialized since 2005. Unlike other series, it chose a Viking theme, and the art style is very rugged—it's undoubtedly a brilliant work! The animation studio is Wit, the same one that made that phenomenal titan anime; they must be well-versed in handling this kind of material!"

Her voice had risen in volume, drawing the attention of those around them. Realizing this, Kotone’s face flushed red, as if she were letting off steam. "I-I'm sorry," she murmured, bowing her head.

"Hashimoto-san, you really seem to research these things deeply, just like with those films before," Qiao Qiao remarked, making her look up again.

"In the past, my family was always busy, so I could only watch rented movies and anime on the VCR by myself," Kotone explained simply.

Back when she was in elementary school, the Shimogamo Shrine hadn't yet declined to its current state. Her father, a Shinto priest, was often out performing exorcisms, leaving Kotone home alone with nothing to do. Her father would rent some tapes to keep her occupied, but not being much of a film buff himself, he didn't realize that the stash included low-budget films—commonly known as B-movies.

Although low-budget, these films covered genres that appealed to audiences, such as horror, sci-fi, and gangster flicks. These movies left an indelible impression on Kotone’s young mind. She still struggled with horror films, though, often watching them through the gaps between her fingers.

There were also late-night anime during that time. Because she often stayed up waiting for her father to return home, late-night television became one of her forms of entertainment. While her peers were watching *One Piece* or *Naruto*, Kotone had already started watching titles like *The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya* or *Code Geass*. From that point on, she had embarked on the path of an otaku, never to turn back.

"Teacher, don't add strange commentary," Ariko stared at Qiao Qiao.

"Watching anime isn't anything to be ashamed of. Having your own hobby is a good thing, Hashimoto-san." Though, coming from a shrine maiden who worked as a VTuber, this statement might have lacked a bit of persuasion.

"Speaking of which, the video studio that hired us today is also filming a short movie." With two stops left, Qiao Qiao sent the details of the commission to Kotone via LINE. Originally timid about these documents, Kotone couldn't help but feel curious after hearing Qiao Qiao's description, and she tapped to open them.

"This... this is the B-movie format, isn't it?" Kotone noted after reading the synopsis.

The film they were shooting was about a film crew that, while filming a group of photography enthusiasts making a zombie movie, actually gets attacked by real zombies. They continue to film while trying to escape. It was a triple-layered meta-narrative. Beyond being a cult film, it carried a touch of "that" sort of vibe. What was even more noteworthy was that the segments featuring the photography enthusiasts were shot in a single take, which was quite a test of coordination. Even for a small video studio, their ambition was not small.

Once they finished reading the files, the train arrived at their stop. The three walked to an inn at the foot of Mount Hiei, where the video studio members were staying.

"There's an abandoned sewage treatment plant in the mountains that we discovered by chance. We thought it would make a good backdrop, so we went there to film. We didn't expect to find a corpse in the woods nearby," explained the man in glasses who met them. He was the owner of the studio and the director, Furukawa Satoshi. He spoke with a faint Kyoto accent. "Later, as we continued filming, we noticed an unexpected figure appearing in our footage."

With that, Furukawa played the video for them. Kotone was initially hesitant to watch, but as the plot was quite interesting, she soon treated it like a B-movie and began watching intently.

Qiao Qiao also watched the film carefully. It was, as expected of a low-budget production, likely to emphasize the "amateur photographer" setting; the footage and color grading carried the texture of a home video. The film was a short, lasting just over thirty minutes. The first half was the process of the enthusiasts being attacked by zombies, and the second half was the "behind-the-scenes" of how they filmed the first half. Qiao Qiao remembered a similar film; this short was likely an homage to that one.

"Right here," Furukawa said, pausing the film at the twenty-minute mark.

The scene showed a photographer holding a camera, filming the enthusiasts talking. Furukawa pointed to a corner of the screen. Kotone looked over. In the corner, a woman wearing a red dress was staring directly at the audience outside the frame.