"Which theater are you two going to?"
"Tokyo Hot Movie Theater," Makima replied slowly.
"You guys go ahead. I have to film the movie this afternoon; I don't have time to play around."
"Since you're not coming, I'll be taking Denji with me." Makima said softly, "Let's go, Denji-kun."
"Understood, Miss Makima!"
Denji hurriedly followed behind Makima.
"Does Miss Makima have any plans for today?"
"Is there anywhere Denji wants to go?"
A hotel! A motel! Anything works! That was Denji's internal monologue, but he couldn't possibly say it out loud.
"I'll listen to Miss Makima."
Makima, I beg you, take me to either one of those! Denji thought again.
"How about from now on, we watch every single movie in the theater?"
Ten dates, nine movies—it's a common phenomenon for dates. But as long as he could go on a date with Makima, Denji would go anywhere she wanted.
"Sounds great! Watching movies with Makima."
With that, they headed to the theater. Makima bought the tickets. The first movie they watched was a comedy titled 100% Teng-Content. Everyone in the audience was laughing, with laughter erupting every two minutes—everyone except the two of them. Denji and Makima remained completely unmoved. This baffled the couple sitting nearby; if Denji hadn't occasionally turned to glance at Makima's profile, they would have assumed the theater had placed two mannequins in the seats as placeholders.
After the comedy, they sat outside the theater waiting for the second movie, briefly discussing the film. Denji gave it an "average" rating, while Makima provided a more detailed critique.
"Let's go to the next one."
They entered the theater for the second film, a tear-jerker titled A Dog's Love. Everyone in the room was sobbing uncontrollably, with a tissue consumption rate of two per second. Denji, however, felt nothing. He took a glance at Makima—she still had the same expression she'd had when they entered.
Suddenly, someone tapped Denji on the shoulder. Denji thought it was an acquaintance, but it turned out to be a man with a tear-streaked face.
"Why... why aren't you crying?"
"Uh... do I... do I have to cry?"
"It's not that you have to, but everyone who sees this movie cries. Why don't the two of you have any emotional reaction at all?"
"I don't know! Maybe something's wrong with my heart."
Denji lifted his shirt, revealing the starter cord on his chest. Seeing the cord, the man's face went pale with terror.
"Sorry... excuse me."
Without waiting for the movie to finish, he grabbed his wife and bolted for the exit.
After the second movie, Denji again gave an "average" rating. Makima remarked that she didn't like scripts that forced people to cry. Denji's stomach began to growl, so they decided to grab a meal.
Meanwhile, Arata spent his entire afternoon immersed in the production of A Nightmare on Elm Street: Part 1.
"Keep your spirits up, everyone!"
"Today is the climax of the film. Once this is shot, Part 1 can come to a perfect close."
"YEAH!!" The production team cheered in unison.
During the filming stage, Arata temporarily placed Power in the Mirror Dimension so she wouldn't cause trouble, throwing in two salmon fillets and a cat to keep her occupied. Once the film wrapped, Arata contributed high-end red wine and the pastries he'd looted the night before to celebrate.
"Director, after the first one is over, will there be a second one?" one of the male actors asked.
"Of course. I will keep filming the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and eventually, I'm taking it to Hollywood."
"Hollywood!! That's too awesome!"
"It would be great if it could make it to the big screen."
"What are you thinking?!!" A man stared at the woman speaking in shock. "If it hits the big screen and Freddy appears, he'll definitely come to kill us first. I don't want to be killed in the ways shown in the movie; that's too cruel!"
"It won't happen. A little fear from a few people won't bring anything to life. Even if Freddy were born, he'd be very weak," Arata comforted them.
"That's right, we acted in this movie, so what's there to be afraid of?" a bold woman said—she'd had the most gruesome death scene in the film.
"What if many people watch it and Freddy actually is born?"
"Don't worry. If there's any anomaly, tell me immediately, and I'll have the Public Safety Devil Hunters protect you."
"It doesn't matter. If it weren't for this movie, I don't think I could have paid off my debts in a lifetime."
"If it weren't for the Director's help, I'd have been killed by a devil long ago. Acting in a horror movie is my way of repaying the debt."
"Even though horror movies are scary, the Director offered a fee I couldn't refuse. Even if I get killed by Freddy, I think it's worth it."
"Director, if there's a sequel, I want in."
"You're already wrapped, what are you filming?"
"Right, where did the male lead who played Freddy go? His acting was amazing, and the makeup looked so real."
"He wasn't very social, so he left right after filming finished," Arata replied.
These "actors" were mostly people Arata had helped—some he'd saved from devils, others he'd hired with an offer they couldn't refuse. Most were taking the risk for the money. As for Asuka Saito, she was the lead because Arata had saved her life once before.
After chatting with the cast, Arata stood in Aki's room and called for Asuka Saito. Asuka, who was busy eating dessert, immediately entered the room, licking the flavor off her fingers. As Arata locked the door, she asked, "Arata-senpai, what is it?"
"I have a few questions for you, and you must answer truthfully."
"Arata-senpai, feel free to ask."
"Do you know the Moore family?" Arata's expression turned stern. After encountering people from the Moore family twice in a row for business, he suspected he might be under their surveillance.
"The Moore family? I don't know them." Asuka shook her head immediately.
"Did you tell anyone about me shooting this movie? We signed a non-disclosure agreement before we started filming."
"I didn't say anything." Asuka paused, her eyes unable to meet Arata's. This reaction gave her inner thoughts away instantly.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Then why can't you look me in the eye when you say that?"
"I... because I'm shy."
"Shy?" Arata grabbed Asuka's face with one hand, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
"Arata-senpai, what are you doing?"
"I dislike people who lie to me most of all. If you don't tell me, and Freddy comes looking for you, don't blame me."
"No... don't."
"Tell me."
"I really didn't tell anyone. Actually, before you found me, someone else contacted me first. They told me that Arata-senpai would be looking for me to film a movie in a few days and told me I must accept, and strictly warned me not to let you know they told me."
"Who?"
"I don't know, it sounded like Natsume something."
"Natsume!!" Hearing the name, Arata instantly thought of someone. "Is it this person?" Arata pulled out his phone and showed Asuka a photo of Noriyuki Natsume.
"He was wearing a mask and hat at the time, I couldn't see clearly."
"Alright, I see."
After getting the truth, Arata released her face. Asuka Saito was already in tears. Arata hurriedly wiped them away. "Don't cry, your senpai was just being suspicious."
"It's okay. My life was saved by you, Senpai. You can ask me to do anything. That person named Natsume didn't want me to tell you, but if Senpai really needs to know, I will always tell you."
"Stop crying, Senpai was just too scary," Arata said, pulling her into his arms to comfort her.
"Senpai, can you send me home later?"
"No problem. I'll pack some desserts for you to take too."
Asuka buried her head in Arata's chest and nodded vigorously.
Moments later, Arata walked to the door and yanked it open. The group of people who had been eavesdropping on the door tumbled forward, falling flat on their faces.
"What are you guys doing here!!!"
"Nothing, nothing!" The group scrambled to their feet, having hoped to hear something juicy from Asuka Saito, but they'd heard absolutely nothing.
"Go back for now. I'll transfer the money to your bank accounts."
"Thank you, Director!"
After they left, the movie props were all bought by Arata, so he had Power move them into the Mirror Dimension. Given that he'd bought her new chest pads and shared the salmon, Power happily agreed.
After finishing with Power, Arata drove Asuka Saito home. When they arrived at her apartment complex, Asuka invited Arata up for a cup of coffee. But Arata declined, saying, "Let's do it another day." This made Asuka blush, and she nodded immediately.
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