Kayako sat quietly in the corner, her expression calm and thoughtful as she watched Edward directing the latest film shoot.
For the first time in what felt like forever, her mind was clear—truly clear. She could think without the fog of hatred or the whispering echoes of the grudge that had once ruled her every thought. In fact, for the first time since she could remember, Kayako felt like herself again, not the monster molded by resentment and rage, but simply… Kayako.
And she was satisfied with this life.
After all, she no longer had to drown in her own grudges every day. She could breathe, think, and even enjoy the world around her. But what mattered most—the thing that filled her heart with gratitude—was that Toshio, her son, could finally attend school.
Once upon a time, that had been impossible.
Toshio's existence was strange—somewhere between life and death, an unnatural balance that could crumble at any moment. The curse had left its mark on him too, warping his mind so that he would sometimes fly into fits of inexplicable rage.
In that state, there was no way he could go to school like a normal child. Yet Kayako could see, from the way her son sometimes gazed longingly at children on their way to class, that he wanted to.
Now, thanks entirely to Edward, Toshio could live as a normal boy—going to school, making friends, and growing up like any other child.
For that, Kayako held deep respect for Edward.
Of course, Edward himself was completely unaware of her thoughts. He was currently focused on finishing the shooting schedule for Inner Senses. Once filming wrapped up, he planned to take a long-overdue trip with his father.
A few days earlier, his father had sent him a message out of the blue saying he suddenly wanted to travel, even mentioning the Paldea region of all places. Edward had no idea what inspired that whim, but family came first. Work could wait.
Still, before the trip, Edward needed to finish writing The Dark Knight. The thought alone gave him a headache. Fortunately, the film's story was still vivid in his memory—after all, in his previous life, The Dark Knight had been one of the most critically acclaimed movies of its time.
The film began with an unforgettable opening: a bank heist orchestrated by a group of masked robbers—all wearing clown masks. One by one, they betrayed and murdered each other, each believing that eliminating their partners meant more profit for themselves.
Unbeknownst to them, the mastermind who had set the plan in motion was among them—the Joker himself. By the end of the robbery, every thief lay dead except him. He escaped on a school bus, killing the driver as casually as taking a breath, leaving behind a chaotic scene that immediately gripped audiences.
But that robbery was merely the prologue.
The Joker's true goal wasn't money—it was Batman.
At that moment, Batman had just thwarted another group of criminals, only to encounter copycats dressed as Batman themselves. During the fight, he was bitten by dogs—an injury that would later prompt him to upgrade his suit, subtly foreshadowing future events.
The Joker, meanwhile, began his reign of terror with precision and madness. He wove together plans designed to test Gotham's moral limits—to challenge Batman, to corrupt the city's ideals, and to plunge everything into chaos.
After stealing from the mob, the Joker offered them a proposition: hire him to kill Batman. The mob leaders initially refused and one even placed a bounty on the Joker's head—but the madman escaped unscathed, walking out of a meeting full of armed criminals with only a grenade in his mouth and a smile on his face.
Before long, the mob leader who had tried to defy him wound up dead. The others, terrified yet impressed, threw their support behind him.
And thus began the Joker's true game.
While Batman hunted the mob's accountant across the globe, the Joker targeted Gotham's "White Knight"—District Attorney Harvey Dent. He knew Harvey was the city's symbol of justice, its moral backbone. So, the Joker set out to break him, piece by piece, until nothing remained but ruin and rage.
He provoked chaos throughout Gotham—assassinating judges, kidnapping officials, releasing tapes of his own taunting laughter—anything to push Batman toward breaking his one rule: no killing.
Eventually, the Joker attempted to assassinate the mayor, only to be thwarted. Commissioner Gordon faked his own death during the chaos, while Harvey publicly declared himself to be Batman to lure the Joker out.
The plan worked.
As Harvey was being transported, the Joker ambushed the convoy, firing rockets and machine guns into the armored vehicles. Batman intervened, crashing his Batpod in the process—but even then, he refused to kill. When the Joker stood in the middle of the street, daring him to run him over, Batman swerved at the last moment and was knocked unconscious.
The Joker tried to unmask him, but Gordon—alive and well—captured him first.
Of course, that too was part of the Joker's plan.
In the interrogation room, he refused to reveal Harvey's location, mocking Batman until the hero lost control and assaulted him. Finally, the Joker offered information—but twisted it. He told Batman the wrong addresses, switching Harvey's and Rachel's locations.
Batman rushed to save Rachel, only to find Harvey instead. The other building exploded, killing Rachel. Harvey survived but was horribly scarred, both physically and mentally. Thus, Gotham's White Knight was gone—replaced by Two-Face.
As Gotham plunged deeper into fear, Batman resorted to desperate measures, using sonar technology to spy on every phone in the city to track the Joker. This act blurred the lines between heroism and intrusion—between justice and tyranny.
The Joker's final test came with two ferries one filled with civilians, the other with prisoners. Each ship held a detonator linked to the other. If one pressed the button, the other would explode—but if neither did, both might die.
It was a cruel, perfect experiment in human morality.
In the end, neither side pressed the button. The Joker's belief that people were inherently evil crumbled in the face of their compassion. Batman captured him soon after.
But victory came at a cost.
Harvey, now Two-Face, sought revenge on those he held responsible for Rachel's death, even targeting Gordon's family. Batman intervened, and in the struggle, Harvey died. To preserve Harvey's image as Gotham's hero, Batman chose to take the blame for his crimes.
He became the city's silent guardian—the Dark Knight.
The Bat-Signal was destroyed, and Gotham's protector vanished into the shadows.
Edward sighed, rubbing his temples. "This script still needs a few revisions… I'll have to add more details later. What a pain."
There were several scenes he hadn't written yet—like the hospital explosion, or the aftermath of the Joker's League with the mob. But his lunch break was over. He'd have to finish filming first, then refine the script later before sending it to the studio for pre-production.
"Speed up the shoot!" he called out.
The crew immediately sprang into action. The actor playing the male lead didn't complain—just quietly adjusted his posture and got back into character.
While Edward worked, Tomie was… busy in her own way.
"Well, since the boss wants me to star in my movie, I suppose I should start warming up the audience, shouldn't I?" she mused, a mischievous smile on her lips.
The Ghost Amusement Park was packed as always, but now it buzzed with the festive atmosphere of the approaching New Year. Crowds filled every corner, laughter echoing through the eerie attractions.
Tomie's eyes lingered on the men in the crowd, and something primal flickered within her—an old, familiar desire. She wanted to play. But remembering Edward's rule of "no killing," she sighed, visibly restraining herself.
"…Fine. Maybe I'll grow a Blood Jade Tree instead," she said with a wicked grin. "That's a lovely one. Beautiful and elegant."
Just as she was about to begin, Edward suddenly appeared and pulled her aside. Tomie blinked in surprise, then flashed a teasing smile—especially after noticing Kayako nearby.
"Kayako, Tomie," Edward said, rubbing his hands together. "Tomorrow's New Year's Day. Do you have any plans?"
The two women exchanged glances.
"New Year's?" Tomie tilted her head. "This world celebrates that too?"
To her—and to Kayako as well, this world still felt alien.
"Of course," Edward chuckled. "Though it's a little different from what you're used to."
Since tomorrow was the holiday, he'd decided to give the crew the day off. That also reminded him—it was time to distribute New Year's bonuses. And what about his special employees? His ghostly ones? They deserved benefits too.
That was why he'd called Tomie and Kayako here today.
He also planned to invite the other spirits under his management— Mimiko Mizunuma, Chu Renmei, and Mary Shaw. He wasn't sure if they'd respond, but he could try.
"So, any New Year's wishes?" Edward asked, pen in hand.
(Tomie: Wants a man she can play with—(crossed out)—after being 'educated,' she says she'd like luxurious clothes and jewelry.)
Edward smiled wryly. That was perfectly in character. He had expected as much. In her original stories, Tomie always demanded expensive things—fine food, luxury items, beauty and vanity above all.
(Kayako: Wants to take Toshio to an amusement park.)
That one warmed Edward's heart. Of course, given Kayako's nature, it would have to be during the day—and he'd have to accompany them personally. But that was fine. She was, after all, a good mother.
Next, he summoned Mimiko Mizunuma.
(Mimiko Mizunuma: Wants a jar of tasty candy and some cute clothes.)
Simple enough. Edward jotted it down, then tried calling out to Mary Shaw. No response. It seemed she couldn't be reached through his summoning technique. Pity, but not unexpected.
Finally, he summoned Chu Renmei. She appeared instantly—but her gaze made Edward shiver slightly. When he asked what she wanted, she only stared in silence. With no answer forthcoming, Edward decided to simply prepare a standard gift package for her.
"Well, that takes care of the ghost staff," Edward murmured. Then his expression soured a little. "Hmm… I suppose there are also the ones from RULE#1, but honestly… I don't feel like dealing with them."
Just thinking of that bunch made him grimace. If investigator showed up, Edward wasn't sure he could resist the urge to punch him on sight.
(End of Chapter)