Chapter 19: Horror Movie Night Mayhem

"Movie night!" Inoue declares, holding up a Blu-ray case with a gruesome-looking ghost on the cover. "The Ringing Grudge 4: Final Curses! It's supposed to be super scary!"

I know exactly why she picked this. The 'Scary Movie Strategy'. Get terrified, cling to the nearest male for comfort. It’s transparent.

"I am not easily frightened," Azuwa says, though she's already clutching a cushion a little too tightly. "But experiencing fear together can release dopamine and create bonding, which leads to happiness."

Ayumi is not having it. She wants to be the only one clinging to me tonight.

"Great idea!" Ayumi says, a little too enthusiastically. "You guys get the popcorn. I'll set up the living room to be extra spooky!"

While they are in the kitchen, Ayumi goes to work. I watch from the armchair as she ties clear fishing line to the curtains, hides a small Bluetooth speaker under the sofa right where Azuwa usually sits, and, for reasons I don't fully understand, puts a rubber mask of a goblin in the hallway closet.

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

"Creating atmosphere, Onii-chan," she winks. "If they get too scared, they'll have to leave the room, right? Then it's just us!"

The movie starts. It’s standard J-horror stuff—long silences, creepy wet hair, sudden loud noises.

Ten minutes in, during a particularly tense silent scene, Ayumi presses a button on her phone.

A bloodcurdling, agonizing scream erupts from directly underneath Azuwa's butt.

"KYAAAAA!" Azuwa launches herself vertically into the air like a startled cat, landing in a heap on the floor. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Oh wow, the surround sound is really good!" Ayumi says innocently, munching popcorn.

Five minutes later, Inoue is watching through her fingers. Ayumi subtly tugs the fishing line hidden behind the sofa. The heavy curtains near Inoue suddenly whoosh open by themselves, revealing the dark window.

"EKKK! A GHOST! THE CURTAINS MOVED!" Inoue dives headfirst under the coffee table and refuses to come out.

"Must be a draft," Ayumi says, grinning manically in the dark.

She’s winning. Azuwa is perched nervously on the edge of the sofa, refusing to sit back down, and Inoue is a trembling lump under the table.

"See, Onii-chan? It's just a movie," Ayumi says, snuggling up to my arm. "I'm not scared at all because I have you."

Just then, Hina walks down the stairs. She doesn't know about Ayumi's setup. She opens the hallway closet to get a blanket.

She sees the goblin mask Ayumi planted.

Hina doesn't scream. Hina reacts on instinct. We hear a loud WHACK followed by a bewildered "Ow!"

Hina walks into the living room, rubbing her hand. "Someone left a stupid rubber mask in the closet. I punched it. By the way, the pizza guy is here."

The tension is instantly broken. Inoue crawls out from under the table. Azuwa fixes her ruffled hair.

"Pizza?" Inoue cheers, fear forgotten immediately in the face of food. "Happiness restored!"

Ayumi deflates. "But... the scary atmosphere..."

"Nice try with the speaker, Ayumi-san," Azuwa says coldly, pulling the small device out from under the sofa cushions. "Amateur."