After gaining two new skills, Edward began filming his own movie, Shutter. The film itself was quite good, rich in atmosphere and filled with the right amount of horror but Edward had noticed something concerning: audiences' fear levels had been dropping recently.
Because of that, he decided that once filming was complete, he would hold off on releasing the movie for a while. Delaying a film's release, after all, was a common tactic in the industry.
Some movies delayed their release schedules simply to avoid competing head-on with major blockbusters, hoping to find a period with fewer rivals or a "golden slot" for maximum box office potential.
Of course, such opportunities were rare. Most popular films were concentrated within the same release periods, engaging in brutal clashes until the box office battlefield was littered with casualties.
The best-known of these were the National Day and Spring Festival release windows—times when nearly every major film sought to claim the spotlight. In Edward's previous life, these two periods were packed to the brim, with virtually every well-known director scheduling releases during those weeks. Following them were the summer and winter holidays, or other festive occasions, when many blockbusters also premiered.
Beyond those times, films still released every month, but their fame and popularity varied drastically. Occasionally, to ensure profitability, some theaters would even choose to show older movies.
After all, for a cinema, ticket sales were only part of the revenue—concession sales were the real money-makers. A cup of cola that cost three pokedollars outside could sell for several times that amount inside the theater, and themed popcorn combos brought in even greater profits. That was why cinema managers often preferred someone buying a ticket and actually showing up, rather than purchasing a ticket but not attending.
For Edward, however, he didn't have to worry about any of that. He might be a director, but he wasn't running a cinema—so his only concerns were box office performance and audience reception.
And so, Shutter officially began filming.
Diantha's scenes were the first to be shot. Though they had to redo several takes, the progress was surprisingly fast. Her entire role was completed within just five days. Diantha even felt a bit reluctant to finish, since she had wanted to try a few more shots for fun.
"Want to stay and watch the rest of the shoot?" Edward asked her with a smile.
Diantha had scheduled seven days off in total, so she still had two days left.
"Nah, I rarely get time off—I plan to visit some friends and relax a little," Diantha replied immediately, shaking her head. Time like this was hard to come by. Edward could understand her feelings, so he didn't stop her from leaving.
After Diantha departed, Edward continued with filming. When Shutter finally wrapped up more than a month later, Inner Senses still hadn't achieved much success at the box office, with its fear points stuck at 390,000. That disappointed Edward slightly—but it also solidified his decision to "cultivate another crop of leeks," so to speak.
"Well then, I guess it's time for a trip." Edward straightened his clothes, rubbing his hands together in excitement. He was planning to travel to the world of The Grudge or more precisely, to gather inspiration there. After all, he wanted to see how Sadako's curse would spread in modern society.
In the Pokémon world, no one really watched videotapes anymore; if people couldn't relate to that premise, the horror of Sadako's story would be greatly diminished.
"Kyu!" Q chirped excitedly it seemed to understand Edward's intentions. Edward smiled, patting its head before sitting down with Void to wait. They were waiting for Fortune, who was still busy dealing with manga-related matters.
With Batman and Superman two heroes vastly different in strength but equally handsome and righteous—appearing one after another, the comic and manga market had exploded in popularity. Supported by Edward's influence and Devon Corporation's enormous funding, Stone Comics had now spread throughout every region of the League.
Not everyone had read them, of course, but the fanbase was enormous. For example, the special limited edition Batman Collector's Version, limited to only 30,000 copies, sold for 1000 pokedollars each—a steep price, yet it sold out in record time.
Later, after consulting Edward, the comic team even released a Batman Ultimate Deluxe Edition priced at a staggering one hundred thousand pokedollars. The only perk? The buyer could participate in the filming of the Batman movie. Incredibly, someone actually bought it—a wealthy businessman who insisted on appearing in the film.
After confirming with Edward, Nolan gave the man the role of a city mayor. Considering that he had contributed five million to the production, it wasn't a bad deal—even if the role barely appeared on screen.
"These people really do have too much money," Edward muttered with an odd expression. He knew that after the story broke, there were even fans offering to invest a couple million just to play Superman.
However, Edward hadn't agreed to that—at least, not yet. After all, Superman was far too iconic. As one of the Justice League's top-tier powerhouses, his character had to be depicted with utmost care. The setting already painted him as a god among men, and Edward hadn't even introduced all the alternate-universe variants yet—like zombie Superman, or others from the multiverse.
The imagination of comic writers truly knew no bounds—the crazier their ideas, the stronger their characters became.
"Ghoul!" A strange noise sounded at the door before Fortune walked in, flashing Edward a sunny smile. Edward chuckled and patted the Pokémon's head.
"Good work," he said warmly. He was quite satisfied with Fortune—it wasn't just powerful but also extremely capable, even helping him handle business affairs now. With Fortune's assistance, Edward felt even more confident about his plan to take life easy and enjoy himself.
"Kyu~," Q called lazily, greeting Fortune. The latter returned the gesture respectfully—it was clearly a kind and principled Pokémon, which made Edward even happier.
After informing the old butler and texting his brother and father, Edward activated the Movie World Travel Voucher, selecting the world where Kayako resided. He wasn't sure if seven days would be enough to witness Sadako's killing process, but he was eager to find out.
That familiar sensation of dimensional travel enveloped him. When Edward opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the eerie, decaying grudge house, which looked even more rundown than before. Kayako and Toshio, however, seemed delighted to see him.
"Captain! That man—the one who appeared over a year ago!" Across the street, two surveillance officers were watching the house. One of them excitedly tapped his captain's shoulder upon spotting Edward.
"I see him. Calm down," the captain muttered, trembling as he pulled out his phone.
That mysterious man had finally reappeared!
Because of Edward's past visit, Tokyo's mayor had suspected the cursed house had changed somehow. In the past months, nearly hundred people had been sent inside as offerings—none had survived. So, when Edward vanished, the area was placed under constant watch. And now, seeing him again shocked them to their core.
Soon, a group of black-suited operatives arrived, while nearby residents were warned of a supposed gas leak and temporarily evacuated to hotels.
"These people are much faster this time," Edward remarked from the second floor of Kayako's room, smiling as he observed the men outside. This was exactly what he wanted—if he could get other forces to help him within seven days, he could locate Sadako much more quickly.
Based on Kayako's situation, Edward suspected that Sadako's videotape had also been sealed away.
"Do you want me to kill them?" Kayako asked impatiently, glaring at the men outside. Ever since returning here, she'd felt uneasy—only near Edward did she feel calm again.
"No need," Edward replied, stepping out with Q in his arms. "There are things I need their help with."
As soon as Edward left the house, all the agents turned their attention to him. When he emerged from the courtyard, someone quickly approached and greeted him respectfully.
"I need your help with something. You all know about Sadako, right?" Edward asked bluntly. The man hesitated briefly but nodded, and that was when Edward learned who they were—
The Tokyo Paranormal Containment Bureau.
"In 1947, Sadako Yamamura was born on Izu Ōshima, the daughter of psychic researcher Heihachirō Ikuma and clairvoyant Shizuko Yamamura," an officer explained in a calm tone inside a small, elegant office. "From a young age, she inherited her mother's powers—telekinesis and mental projection. At the age of ten, she could already make names appear using thought alone. However, she was diagnosed with a condition known as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome."
Edward frowned slightly. He knew Sadako's legend but not these medical details.
"What exactly is Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome?" he asked curiously.
"It means the person is biologically male, but possesses female physical characteristics," the officer explained helpfully.
Edward's lips twitched.
So… Sadako was actually a—
Uh…
So technically, Sadako was a man?
He couldn't help imagining how those fans from his past life—who used to call Sadako their "ghost wife"—would react if they found out.
"Sadako's mother, accused of faking her psychic powers, eventually committed suicide," the officer continued. "Her father, fearing Sadako's abilities, imprisoned her and administered drugs to suppress her growth."
"Later, she was assaulted and killed by a smallpox carrier named Nagao. Her body was dumped into a well beneath the sanitarium. From that tragedy came the cursed videotape—anyone who watched it would receive a phone call, and seven days later, die. The only known way to survive…" The officer hesitated.
"The only way," said the returning director, "is to copy the tape and show it to someone else, passing the curse on."
Edward nodded. That matched what he already knew.
Still, this was just background information. Edward had come here mainly to study Sadako firsthand—for research and inspiration.
"By the way," he asked, "when was the last recorded killing by Sadako?"
"One week ago," the director replied.
"One week ago?" Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise. In this age, playing a videotape wasn't exactly easy—but considering that some people in Japan still liked collecting and watching old media, it wasn't entirely impossible.
"Then why haven't you dealt with it yet?" he asked, stroking Q's head as it nuzzled happily against him.
"Because we can't," the director said bitterly. "Whenever we attempt to contain the videotape, it simply disappears—only to reappear somewhere else at random."
He sighed before adding, "And now, Sadako's curse has evolved. He can spread it through discs and online videos as well."
Edward raised an eyebrow. So, they really were referring to Sadako as a "he."
But this was interesting. It meant Sadako's abilities had adapted to the modern age—her curse could now spread through the internet. If it had remained limited to old videotapes, her horror factor would have been greatly reduced.
"How do you handle the online videos then?" Edward asked curiously. "Wouldn't the staff get cursed before they could delete them?"
"We process them in groups of three," the director explained. "As long as no one watches the video completely, the curse doesn't activate. So, when one person opens it and starts to get drawn in, the other two immediately execute the deletion protocol."
Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That was indeed fascinating. With how people endlessly scrolled through videos nowadays, anyone could stumble upon such a clip—
And given human nature, there would always be idiots curious enough to finish watching it.
"Can I take a look?" Edward asked, eyes gleaming with interest. "I'd like to see Sadako's current form—it'll help me design her look accurately for the film."
"…Of course," the director said after a pause. "But, Mr. Edward, I must warn you…"
(End of Chapter)