09. Headphone Actor I

Headphone Actor I (ヘッドフォンアクターI Heddofon Akutā I) is the ninth chapter of the Kagerou Daze manga.

Summary

 * Kano asks Shintaro how he is feeling after the roller-coaster ride, in which the latter says that he is okay, although his face clearly states that he is not. Shintaro then thinks about the organization he was forced to join, wondering why it was made and why they know so much about their eye abilities. Seto appears behind them to hand Shintaro a bottle of water, which freaks him out.


 * The trio converse about the new members in the group. When they bring Ene up, Seto states that he thought that she was Shintaro's girlfriend from an online dating site. Kano and Seto ask if he knows where Ene came from, in which Shintaro replies that she told him that she doesn't want to talk to him about it.


 * Shintaro realizes that Ene has transferred to his sister, Momo's phone, and abruptly walks away. He questions himself on how long it's been since he had a moment to himself. Due to the racket, he was making from thinking that he was free from Ene's curse, he does not notice Marry until she raises her voice.


 * Marry points out The Great Ice Maze Labyrinth attraction to Shintaro, telling him that she wants to go inside. The latter accepts the invitation, as he imagines that if he didn't, he would be labeled as a 'pervert' for making a little girl cry. The two enter the labyrinth and Marry shivers, saying that she feels so cold that she is going to die. Shintaro worries that if Marry drops the thermos that she is holding, it would be dangerous. The young girl complies and hands him the thermos, but her hands slip and the water drenches the NEET.


 * As Shintaro dries his jersey he wonders where Marry is and guesses that she wandered to another attraction. Kido rushes to the young man, exclaiming that she lost Momo at the haunted mansion. Shintaro points out that Kido is unable to go inside by herself because she is a scaredy-cat. The NEET notices Kido listening to music through her earphones and dares to pull out one of them. She freaks out, and her expression reminds Shintaro of a newborn baby lamb.


 * The duo continues to get chased by the monsters in the haunted house until they reach the corner where Kido loses sight of Momo. The idol appears before them, a hatchet plunged onto her head. Kido faints from the fright. Shintaro senses a weird feeling and questions Kido to where Ene is. She confided that after they left the roller coaster, Ene told them that she would be following Shintaro.


 * Ene appears on Shintaro's phone, and both of them bicker about how ridiculous the latter was in the haunted house. Shintaro implies that it was time for them to head home, but the cyber girl then counters on how he promised her to play together. Ene then blackmails her master, saying that if he wasn't going to play with her, she would show his prized folder to Momo. Shintaro suddenly has a burst of energy, insisting that the game that they would play would not have any rapid movement. The girl suggests a shooting game since he was good at it. He then wonders how she knew that despite the both of them had never played against each other. Shintaro's mind wanders around until it reaches the conversation between Kano, Seto and himself. With a sorrowful face, he asks her where she came from, in which Ene replies with “It's a secret”, as she thinks about her old body, Takane.

Trivia

 * It is originally titled without a numeral.