“Now, it’s my time. Entertain me.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess I’ll entertain you, but why are you leaning forward so much?”
After enjoying a leisurely date by the lake with Suella, as evening arrived, we returned to the mansion, had dinner with everyone, and then, as if she had been waiting, Memoria charged at me.
She stared at me, her breath ragged. She was as excited as a child waiting for a new game.
“Stop babbling and sit here.”
“Babbling? Fine, but you haven’t told me what we’re doing…”
I tried to ask the reason for her excitement, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she patted the sofa repeatedly, and I sat down as instructed. Memoria then snuggled into my lap, and she guided my hand to rest near her stomach.
“Then, excuse me.”
“Oh, so that’s the idea.”
“Yes, I can’t do this with others.”
“It’s not that I *can’t*, but not with this much closeness.”
Because Memoria is petite, I could savor the feeling of her fitting perfectly into my arms.
However, it wasn’t childish. With just the hint of a smile on her lips and a sidelong glance, she exuded an adult allure that shouldn’t be felt from a girl’s appearance. Her imbalanced allure was strangely captivating. Her body was slender, yet it possessed a womanly softness. I could feel it through her shampoo scent after her bath. Reason kept me calm, preventing my instincts from taking over and overriding her desires.
“Heh heh, I won’t let you sleep tonight.”
“You say that, but what are you preparing?”
“If it’s a movie, it has to be popcorn. I asked Himik to prepare it.”
In front of me was a large TV, acquired through a bit of a dream. I wondered what we would watch, but it turned out to be a movie. Or perhaps this is an essential part of a home date? The way she prepared drinks and popcorn with levitation magic suggested she was prepared for a long haul. She had also prepared very high-quality cushions. I enjoyed the feel of the cushion, wishing for something similar for my office chair, and accepted the items being carried by levitation magic. It had been a while since I ate popcorn from a bucket.
“A movie, how long has it been?”
Watching a movie in itself felt like a long time ago. I recalled the last movie I saw was a fantasy romance film with Evia. I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at how busy my days had been, to the point where I couldn’t remember what I saw before that. I was certain I hadn’t been to a movie theater recently. Somehow, this mansion had an internet connection, so we had subscriptions to various services.
“For someone like you, Jiro-san, this is a special feature of movies I recommend.”
“Oh, that sounds interesting.”
However, the people who often stayed home tended to watch them. Specifically, Himik. She seemed to watch many dramas and anime, and she’d tell us about them during meals. So, it was actually surprising that Memoria would suggest a movie night at home like this. Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve watched a movie alone with Memoria. I wondered what kind of movie she would recommend.
“Hey.”
“It’s night, isn’t it? Perfect timing.”
“Have you forgotten that I belong to the Demon Lord’s Army?”
She manipulated the remote and the first movie she brought up was a famous Japanese horror film. The one where a woman emerges from a well.
“No, calmly considering it, I wondered if we would be scared watching this.”
“I don’t think it’s the kind of work you watch out of intellectual curiosity.”
The army of Instructor Fushio included ghosts, skeletons, and zombies – almost every type you’d find in a horror movie. Of course, I had fought them before. The conclusion is that I can sense their presence and defeat them normally. Considered that way.
“Oh, so this is how it unfolds.”
“I see, so Earth’s ghosts materialize in this form.”
While I was surprised, I didn’t feel scared. I tried to imagine a situation where I might lose if I had to fight such a being, but I couldn’t picture it. To be honest, I felt I could win with my bare hands even if I was almost out of magic power. Besides, it was amusing that Memoria, a vampire, would watch a horror movie. She seemed more like she should be *in* the movie.
“In conclusion, it was interesting.”
She said this as the credits rolled, reflecting on the horror movie. She hadn’t watched intently the whole time; she alternated between munching on popcorn and drinking, occasionally voicing her thoughts on the movie. It was a rather ordinary conclusion.
“Indeed.”
I felt the same. Having experienced battles where my life was on the line, my sense of fear was halved, but I could still appreciate the quality of the filmmaking.
“By the way, can you create cursed videos like that?”
“You would need to prepare several tools, but it’s possible, I suppose. However, it’s difficult to replicate perfectly, so it would be more like a replica.”
“A replica? How much can you replicate?”
“About being able to make a ghost jump out of the screen. The problem is that a ghost with enough vengeance to chase you endlessly can attack anyone indiscriminately, but it wouldn’t return to the video where it was sealed. Ghosts of that kind often have their consciousness collapsed, so they are usually fought when captured. They are typically defeated during that battle. Even if you manage to seal it well in a video, fixing such an image is difficult. At best, you could create a spell that seals a ghost and releases it when the video is viewed, but it’s ultimately a consumable.”
Inspired by its interesting nature, I casually asked if it could be recreated with magic, and after a moment’s thought, Memoria replied that it was possible. It wasn’t exactly like the video from the movie, but something similar could be done. In a way, I thought it was an amazing weapon.
“Next, this one.”
“From horror to a shark movie.”
“Yes, I’ve decided to go with a ‘scary things’ series today.”
After realizing that the curse from the Japanese horror movie could be replicated, another predictable movie appeared. A film based on Megalodon. I had been curious about it from the advertisements but hadn’t seen it.
“Before we start, are there giant sharks on this continent?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps there are if you look. However, large sharks would likely just become food for water dragons.”
“Harsh.”
Why is it that when I overlay the current reality onto the content of movies that couldn’t happen in reality, I realize that reality itself is more unrealistic? If a giant shark were attacking a ship in reality, I should feel some fear, but I just find myself thinking that underwater combat isn’t my strong suit. As the movie progresses, I should be empathizing with the characters, but instead, I find myself engaging in another form of enjoyment by placing myself in the protagonists’ shoes, thinking “I would do this here.” I wonder if my way of enjoying movies has changed considerably. But, perhaps this is also acceptable. It’s a time of holding Memoria close, stuffing popcorn into my mouth, and just watching the movie intently. The movies themselves are masterpieces, and combined with my body, which can now stay up all night, and Memoria, a nocturnal vampire, we could watch movies endlessly.
“Now, this one.”
This was the third movie. It was late into the night, and the date had changed. I looked at the title of the movie Memoria presented next.
“Zombies next.”
She had chosen another well-known one. I had expected a movie like this, where zombies spread due to a zombie virus, to come up eventually. Before I could stop the already eager Memoria, the movie started playing. The predictable plot unfolded, with allies gradually decreasing, and the means for escape being prepared.
“Jiro-san, would you break through head-on?”
“It depends on the numbers and the type of zombie. Assuming we have Ore Trees, it’s a head-on breakthrough. If my magic power is also full, there’s no need to hesitate. It might even be a good idea to activate Amaterasu or Kagutsuchi, considering the fuel efficiency, and incinerate the zombies all at once.”
“Annihilating the zombies might be good in terms of leaving no grudges behind. And Jiro-san likely wouldn’t get infected even if bitten a little.”
“Why? Surely I can’t deal with bacteria or anything like that?”
“With the blood of a Dragon Species, which has the strongest immunity, wouldn’t such viruses be ineffective?”
“Ah.”
This conversation wasn’t happening during the part of the movie where the protagonist was about to escape and the virus was explained, revealing the true mastermind. Frankly, if we were fighting zombies, bringing Instructor Fushio would guarantee a complete victory. I feel like he could easily bring the zombies under his control and command them. He might even walk away elegantly as if returning victorious. As I told Memoria, I would have to rely on physical annihilation. If I were to don fiery elemental magical armor and imbue the Ore Trees with fire magic, I should be able to prevent bacterial infections. Maintaining a magic barrier would also prevent airborne transmission.
“That’s right.”
Most importantly, dragons have such high resistance that it’s uncertain whether the zombie virus would even reproduce. I realized this wasn’t the typical post-movie review, yet I was enjoying our exchange of thoughts.
“By the way, Memoria, how would you deal with this zombie-infested space?”
“Frankly, I doubt they would react to me, a vampire. The depiction suggests they react to sight, so although I appear human, as you can see, my skin is pale, almost unnaturally so. If they judge me as a human with a poor complexion, they might attack, but I am a being whose life force is difficult to sense. So, there’s a possibility I wouldn’t be attacked at all. I might even be able to walk right past the zombies without any issue.”
“There was that possibility too.”
“Well, even if I were attacked, I would hide in the shadows and bide my time. There’s no need to fight unnecessarily, and I’m a merchant, so I don’t have the annihilation capability that you do, Jiro-san.”
“You don’t say you *can’t* win.”
“I am, after all, a long-lived species. There’s no reason for me to lose to zombies who have lost their reason and are merely rampaging.”
“That’s true.”
We seriously contemplated what we would do if we were thrown into the world of this movie. Fueled by the late hour, both Memoria and I were enjoying ourselves. It was fun to have such absurd conversations.
“Now, for the next one.”
Memoria, having seen the ending of the zombie movie, turned off the remote. I mentally predicted what would come next after a cursed horror film, a shark panic movie, and a zombie action movie.
“I believe your crisis aversion has been sufficiently stimulated, activating your survival instincts, so let’s go to the bedroom.”
However, my prediction was way off. With a mesmerized look on her face, Memoria ushered me into the bedroom with an impromptu princess carry.
Today’s word: Enjoyable late nights make you forget time.
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I am currently serializing another work: “Pandora Pandemic Panic.” The box of Pandora has been reopened, but we are fighting back with various methods in our secret base and elsewhere! Please check that one out as well!
