Chapter 85

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The day after reuniting with Miyano, I was in my room verifying dungeon strategy videos, but I couldn't focus on the work at all. Even though I was supposed to be watching the videos, I sometimes realized that the playback time had skipped forward by several minutes.

I thought continuing the work in this state was impossible, so I sighed and turned off the PC.

"Haa... I thought a good night's sleep would help me change my mood, but it's not working."

Leaning back in my chair, I gazed at the ceiling listlessly.

After hearing Miyano's story, it's really hard to keep a clear head. Whenever my thoughts drift, I start to overlap her story with our own situation.

With our current combat strength, we should be invincible in the lower floors. We wouldn't encounter dangerous situations unless we ran into an extremely powerful enemy or a nasty trap. ...But at the same time, I can't say it's impossible.

If we were to encounter such a situation and the worst-case scenario unfolded...

"...Sigh. I can't do any more work today. I need to change my mood and reset my thoughts, or I won't get anything done."

I shook off the worst-case scenario that flashed through my mind, straightened up from the backrest, and stood up.

"Just staying at home won't change my mood... I'll go out."

I grabbed the jacket hanging in the closet and a bag with my wallet and other small items, then left the room.

When I went down the stairs and entered the living room, my mother and father were getting ready to go out.

"Oh? Daiki, are you going out too?"

"Ah, yeah. ...Are you both going out?"

"Yes. We're going shopping with your father."

"Right. It's a rare date with just the two of us."

"Wow..."

I couldn't help but feel a bit sweet.

After hearing my father's date announcement, my mother playfully tapped his back, but her expression was happy. Well, it's good that they have a good relationship...

"Then I'll go out first. Please lock the door."

"If you're going out, should I take you? You're going by train, right?"

"It's okay. It's a rare date, so don't let me bother you. Have a good time."

"Daiki, even you..."

I ignored my mother's protest and left the living room with a light wave. I couldn't stay in that sweet atmosphere any longer.

Without a specific destination in mind, I walked to the station. Fortunately, the weather was as good as yesterday, and even just a walk was a decent mood changer...

"Well, what should I do after this...?"

Without a clear destination, I was at a loss. I started looking for something to change my mood while walking around the station.

First, I went to the corner where free local tourism information magazines were placed. In a small space near the ticket counter, there were about a dozen thin tourism pamphlets.

"Hmm... Tourism, history, historical sites, food... Nothing really catches my eye."

I picked up a pamphlet and looked at its contents, but they weren't very appealing.

It was a tourism pamphlet for my hometown, which isn't a major tourist destination. It only contained places I've been to or learned about in local history classes. I sighed softly and put the pamphlet back in its place.

I don't think I'll find anything to change my mood here.

"Hmm? What's that..."

I stopped moving as I looked up, intending to leave after giving up on finding something in the local tourism pamphlets. My eyes caught a poster on the wall.

"A movie... Come to think of it, I haven't been to the cinema in a while."

I was drawn to the posters on the wall and walked over quickly. Several B2-sized posters were displayed, advertising new movies in theaters.

Romance, suspense, comedy, action...

"An industry first! An action movie with no CG, featuring multiple explorers as stunt performers?"

My eyes stopped on one particular poster.

Against the backdrop of a collapsing, exploding building, the protagonist, who seemed to be a special forces member, was reaching out and shouting.

"Amaterasu's Dewdrop. Recover the research results from the clutches of armed terrorists who have attacked and occupied a research facility, which could determine the fate of the nation... It seems like a rather cliché plot."

The setting of the action movie isn't particularly unique.

I guess it's a movie that focuses more on the action than the story. There might also be an experimental aspect to it, like gauging audience interest and box office trends when using explorers as action movie stunt performers.

"Well, it's fine. Since I'm just trying to change my mood, it might be fun to see something I don't usually watch?"

I wouldn't normally see this kind of niche movie in a theater.

"Let's see, which theater is showing it... Ah, they're showing it there too."

Checking the theaters listed at the bottom of the poster, I saw the name of the theater I sometimes go to. After searching the theater on my phone and checking the showtimes, I found out it was scheduled to start in an hour.

I can get there in 30 minutes.

"Alright, let's go."

With my destination decided, I immediately bought a train ticket from the ticket machine. Fortunately, a train was about to arrive, so I didn't have to wait long.

I don't know what kind of movie it is, but I hope it will change my mood.

I entered a family restaurant near the movie theater and sighed while drinking a cup of coffee from the drink bar.

The stub of the movie ticket I had just seen was on the table, looking like a warning sign to me.

"The action scenes were great, though..."

That was my impression after watching the movie.

Thanks to the explorers acting as stuntmen, the action scenes were outstanding. The live-action scenes rivaled or even surpassed CG action scenes. The final fight scene between the terrorist leader and the protagonist, a high-speed melee, was so intense that cheers erupted from the audience.

However...

"I came to change my mood, but a movie with such a story... It just made me feel worse."

Thinking about the story, I couldn't help but sigh.

The main plot of the movie I saw was about a power struggle over new energy developed in Japan.

The story began when the successful development of new energy, a national project, was announced to be commercially viable. The new energy, with its low initial investment and overwhelming power generation capacity, had the potential to replace existing power generation methods. It was praised as an invention that could open a new future for humanity by moving away from a fossil fuel society. However, a major oil company, unhappy with the project's success, secretly provided funding and false information to terrorists to destroy the research data and derail the project.

"Doesn't this setting match the current situation in Japan?"

With the announcement of successful core crystal power generation, the value of fossil fuels like oil has been declining. While the value of oil in fields like chemical fibers and synthetic resins hasn't decreased, its value as the most in-demand fuel is definitely declining. The value of oil, which dominated the energy industry, is declining.

There must be entities that resent Japan for causing this situation. Perhaps an event that inspired this movie has already happened.

"Is this an alternate history, social satire, or a warning? I wonder what future of Japan the original writer of this movie saw..."

I held my head, which was aching, and sighed again while looking at the movie stub on the table.

Incidentally, the movie's ending was that the terrorist, cornered by the protagonist, blew himself up, destroying the server where the research data was stored. As a result, Japan's commercialization of new energy was significantly delayed, and Japan, which relied heavily on imported energy resources, faced unnecessary chaos and hardship.

"Come to think of it, if core crystal power generation had failed, a future like the one in this movie might have been possible."

I crushed the movie stub while drinking coffee.

I think this movie effectively depicted the impact the dungeon has had on the world in various ways.

The battle between superhuman criminals and law enforcement with similar abilities. The general public being caught up in and becoming victims of the superhumans' battles. The destruction of established interests by new technology and the ruthless conspiracies of those trying to protect those interests. The government's ineffectiveness due to lack of coordination between organizations, even when they are aware of the situation...

"Even if not to the extent of the movie, the current situation is full of problems. It's just that, being in the early stages of the dungeon's appearance, there hasn't been much major movement... Thinking about what will happen when the chaos subsides is scary."

Imagining the world situation after the chaos subsides, I shuddered slightly.

Since the appearance of the dungeon, the world has been in a strange state of calm. When Japan announced core crystal power generation, there was unrest centered around oil-producing regions, but it settled down after Japan promised technical and economic support. This is because all countries are focused on managing the dungeons that have appeared in their territories and controlling the explorers.

"In the current situation..."

"A world where dungeon-powered terrorists run rampant... It sounds like a manga."

A world where a dream-like scenario has become reality due to the appearance of the dungeon.

If this movie had been a children's animated film, it might have been a better mood changer...

I finished the remaining coffee in one gulp and stood up, looking more tired than when I entered the restaurant. The more I thought about the movie, the more mentally exhausted I became and the more depressed I felt.

After leaving the family restaurant, I aimlessly wandered the streets and eventually decided to go to a karaoke bar to cheer myself up. I thought that singing without thinking would improve my mood, but since it was the Golden Week holiday, there were many family and group customers. When I applied for a solo karaoke session at the reception, I received annoying looks, which made me even more depressed instead of cheering me up.

"Let's just sing, I guess."

I entered a room that was a bit too large for a solo user and chose a song on the remote control while waiting for my drink. It would be a bit embarrassing if a staff member came in while I was singing.

"Here you are. Here's your oolong tea."

"Thank you."

"Please take your time."

The staff member brought the drink I ordered in less than five minutes. Now I can sing without any reservations.

I sent the song I had chosen to the karaoke machine with the remote control, and the intro started immediately. The upbeat tune gradually lifted my spirits.

"Su-"

I took a deep breath and started singing, letting out the frustration that had built up in my chest, ignoring the range. No one is listening, so it doesn't matter if I'm good or bad. In the end, I sang for about two hours, releasing the frustration that had built up since yesterday. By the time I left the karaoke bar, I had a bright expression on my face.

After finishing my mood-changing karaoke session and returning home, my parents and Mika were already back and relaxing in the living room.

"I'm home."

"...Welcome back, big brother."

"Welcome back, Daiki."

In response to my return, I heard Mika's familiar voice from the sofa and my mother's voice from the kitchen. I couldn't see Mika's expression because her face was pressed into a cushion, but my mother, who appeared from the kitchen, looked relieved when she saw my face.

...Why?

"...You look much brighter than this morning."

"...Really?"

"Yes. When you left this morning, you had a very troubled expression."

...I didn't mean to show it, but it seems my mother noticed my distress.

"I had a good mood change today, so I'm fine now."

"That's good. But next time, talk to us before you get so worked up. We can at least listen to your concerns."

"That's right, Daiki. Don't keep everything to yourself."

My father, who was reading the newspaper on the sofa, also chimed in with a worried voice, joining my mother's concern.

It seems he also noticed that I was troubled.

"...Okay. I'll do that next time."

I felt a mix of regret for not talking to them and gratitude for their concern.

"Let's have dinner then. Daiki, go put your things away quickly."

"Okay."

Prompted by my mother, I left the living room with a bright mood to put away my things.

Alright, I've changed my mood, so let's get going!

Hearing a story that affects life and death can be mentally damaging, right?

The content of the movie could come out in a year, I think.