Chapter 19 Moving Mannequins

Off-camera, Katori adjusted the mannequin's joints. The limbs were detachable, and with just a little force, she could pop them off easily.

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. *Such poor quality,* she thought. *Nowhere near as good as the organ mannequins I made at the abandoned school.*

Mannequins that could move on their own were part of a classic Japanese school ghost story. Although it originated decades ago, even in the Reiwa era, it remained a well-known urban legend, enduring as one of the most iconic mysteries in school folklore.

This legend had inspired Katori to create a life-like mannequin that could crawl short distances and even shoot out organ props. It was that very video, set in an abandoned school, that had launched her into popularity.

With the economy in a never-ending downward spiral, from the "Lost Decades" to now thirty, even forty years, the streaming industry had grown increasingly competitive. More and more pretty girls were joining the fray, but simply showing more skin and raising hemlines higher no longer attracted enough attention.

While her haters accused her of only using her looks, no one knew how much effort Katori put in behind the scenes.

Contrary to her "trainee shrine maiden" persona, Katori wasn't affiliated with any shrine. She was, in fact, the daughter of a small-town machinist from Wakayama Prefecture. Growing up around her father's workshop, she was raised on screws and gears.

Wakayama itself was one of Japan's lesser-known prefectures. It ranked around the middle of Japan's 47 prefectures, but when people thought of Wakayama, it was often with a blank expression: *Oh, Wakayama... Where is that again?*

By the time Katori was in high school, the struggling economy had turned Japan's lost decades into lost centuries. Her family's small business went under, leaving them bankrupt. Without the money to attend college, Katori had no choice but to leave Wakayama for Tokyo, hoping to find better opportunities.

In Tokyo, she was just another face in the crowd. Though she found a job working as a prop designer, she barely saved any money and could see her future stretching out like an endless road to nowhere.

Tokyo wasn't a city that belonged to people like her. The only practical way for Katori to stay was to find a rich husband while she was still young.

It was around that time that she reconnected with some old friends who had moved to Tokyo earlier to try their luck in streaming. After talking it over with them, she realized that being behind the camera wasn't enough. With her looks, she could become a streamer herself.

After clawing her way through the ranks, she finally gained some popularity and earned enough to start thinking about her future.

*Maybe I really can make it on my own in Tokyo...*

But now, she had another dilemma: Should she accept the confession from Komizono, the team's scriptwriter?

Komizono had been one of the people to enter the abandoned mall with her today, but they had gotten separated in the earlier chaos. He was probably with Hayama now.

Katori wasn't particularly attracted to Komizono and considered him just a friend. But he was a key member of her team, and rejecting him might cause cracks in the group's dynamic, especially when her channel was gaining traction.

Suddenly, she heard faint sounds—screams followed by what sounded like things being overturned in the distance. But when she strained to listen again, the noise was gone.

Shaking her head, Katori continued with the stream, holding her selfie stick steady.

She wandered around the clothing section of the mall, where according to the script, a scare scene should have been set up. But after circling the area several times, she still hadn't found anything.

"Takagi screwed up again," Katori muttered in frustration.

Without any choice, she nonchalantly exited the clothing section through the back door.

"I've finished exploring the clothing area, and luckily, nothing scary happened," she said in her usual sweet tone. "Should I try to find Hayama-kun now? This mall is so big, though, and I'm afraid I'll get lost… or worse, run into something terrifying…"

Katori adjusted her selfie stick to capture her face, showing the viewers a carefully crafted expression of worry and vulnerability.

Of course, it was all an act. She knew the layout of the mall like the back of her hand, having memorized the building's blueprints. She knew exactly where she was and which rooms were nearby.

As Katori walked down the hallway outside the clothing section, she passed by another mannequin standing near the door.

A comment popped up on the stream: *"Katori-chan, that mannequin looks just like the one at the entrance—its eyes are missing too."*

Katori didn't pay it much attention and kept walking. But after only a few steps, she heard a distinct *clunk* behind her—like the sound of footsteps.

"Who's there?"

She whipped around, shining her flashlight down the dark hallway. There was nothing—just the mannequin.

Thinking she might've imagined it, Katori turned and took a few more steps. This time, the footsteps were louder and clearer, echoing with each step she took.

"Hayama-kun? Komizono? Takagi? Come out now, or I'll get mad."

Katori scanned the floor and ceiling with her flashlight, but saw nothing unusual. There was nowhere for anyone to hide in the narrow hallway. Despite her normally fearless attitude, a chill crawled up her spine, and her heart pounded.

Her flashlight landed once again on the mannequin in the hallway.

*Wait… is it closer than before?*

She dismissed the thought, chalking it up to her poor depth perception in the dim lighting.

*I must be imagining things. I'm just a weak, innocent girl, after all. In a place like this, it's easy to get spooked.*

This time, Katori decided to be more cautious. She adjusted her selfie stick so the camera could capture both her and the scene behind her, ensuring that if someone was following her, the viewers would see it.

Feeling a bit more confident, she continued walking. But just as she started to relax, her chat exploded with warnings.

"RUN!!!"

"RUN!!!"

"BEHIND YOU!!!"

She glanced over her shoulder, only to see the mannequin's limbs and head contorting grotesquely, twisting with unnatural cracking sounds. Then, its head dropped forward, and the mannequin collapsed face-first onto the floor. Its limbs flailed wildly as it began crawling toward her in a twisted, horrifying manner.

An overwhelming chill surged up her spine, making her legs tremble and her scalp tingle.

And then, as if triggered by the first, more mannequins began spilling out from the back door, crawling and scuttling across the floor, racing toward Katori with terrifying speed!