A dark, narrow editing room.
Huge editing monitors.
One of them lit up.
On that only source of light, a blue desktop screen could be seen.
And several video icons sitting there.
They were raw variety-show recordings.
The two Field Operations Team employees, having already discussed things beforehand, moved without hesitation.
“First, we’ll check whether it really is the Darkness.”
“Yep!”
A verification step.
The hand gripping the mouse moved, and the pointer moved across the desktop….
Click.
The clicked icon spat out the footage.
The raw video that would become MBS’s Kind Karaoke Episode 26.
[Hahahahaha!]
[Wow, you’re really a great singer!]
[You flatter me.]
In the bright, colorful karaoke set, two guests and the MC could be seen laughing across a table.
It was the kind of format that had recently become popular in broadcast content aiming for WTube: a small-cast singing talk show with glamorous guests and a host who was humorous without being too aggressive.
The cheerful interior, the laughter, even the production staff’s cheers were all crisp and lively.
“There.”
The video stopped.
A passing cut of the karaoke interior.
The small dark window set into the karaoke-room door.
A man’s face was there.
Looking at the camera.
“Hoo.”
Even in the darkness, it was visible. More twisted and more noticeable than the screenshot from Episode 36 he had seen in the attached reference post.
As if trying to catch someone’s eye beyond the camera.
If anyone found this unexpectedly, it was the kind of sight that would make them freeze in terror or scream and run.
“Okay.”
But the two Field Operations Team employees quickly closed that video and clicked another.
Because they were used to it.
Click, click. The hands rapidly clicked episode files from other variety shows whose numbers ended in 6.
…But then they realized something.
“……”
“……”