This exercise was created from Prompted Hearts & Grief Algorithm
Length: ~16 min audio + ~3 min read
Level (JP): Upper-beginner → Intermediate (listening with transcript)
Scene Context: Kyoko races to help her friend Nazra confront “too-perfect” Leo. The truth isn’t just infidelity, it’s surveillance.
Listen first, then read.
Why I Made This (and why it might help you)
I generated this audio serve two jobs at once:
- Listening activity: AI-generated audio you can play while walking, cooking, or commuting.
- Bilingual transcript + craft notes: learn Japanese rhythms and writing craft, side-by-side, using scenes from my own fiction.
Today’s scene— “Rom-Con” from Grief Algorithm— shows how everyday tech can turn love into leverage.
Hook: Horror without a single jump scare
A closet that smells like leather. A tidy house that feels… off.
A phone call: “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
A boyfriend who flirts using your SpO₂ and HRV.
No ghost. No monster. Just biometrics as courtship—and control. A modern horror story
Craft Note: Grounded dread
What I’m doing on the page
- Ordinary detail as fuse: stale tobacco, cicadas, gravel under tires. Every familiar note tightens the wire.
- Countdown pressure: “10 minutes.” Time becomes the antagonist.
- Authority vacuum: police arrive, shrug, and suggest counseling. The system’s limits amplify fear.
- Data as intimacy theater: Leo’s texts turn Nazra’s body signals into seductive proof—“I see you. I measure you.” That’s not romance. That’s dominion absolute.
Takeaway for writers:
If you want modern suspense to hit, pair a domestic space with a precise, invasive mechanism. Let the mechanism speak in numbers. Let the numbers feel colder than any blade.
Bilingual Listening: Short JP lines + EN shadow
Use this chunked transcript for A→B→A loop practice:
- Listen without reading.
- Read JP aloud.
- Shadow the audio (match rhythm/intonation).
- Skim EN to check meaning.
- Re-listen.
Scene Beat: The Discovery
JP: 彼のPCには、マッチングアプリのタブがいくつも開きっぱなし。メッセージは、彼女のSpO₂やHRVにまで触れていた。
EN: On his PC, tab after tab of dating apps. The messages referenced her SpO₂ and HRV.
JP: 親密さの演出に見えて、実際は監視だ。データが、口説き文句に武器化されている。
EN: It reads like intimacy, but it’s surveillance. Data, weaponized into flirtation.
Scene Beat: Authority Fails
JP: 保安官代理は言う。「民事だ」。暴力の証拠がなければ、介入は難しい。
EN: The deputies say it’s “a civil matter.” Without clear violence, they won’t intervene.
Scene Beat: The Closet
JP: クローゼットの中、革ジャケットの匂い。彼女は震える手で録画を始めた。
EN: In the closet, leather in the air. She starts recording with shaking hands.
Mini-Drill (Rhythm):
Read the bold nouns aloud three times with even stress: 監視 / 武器化 / 親密さ / 証拠. Then re-read each sentence and let those nouns carry the weight.
Micro-Glossary (core terms from the audio)
- 裏切り（うらぎり） – betrayal
- 監視（かんし） – surveillance
- 疑念（ぎねん） – suspicion, doubt
- 武器化（ぶきか） – weaponization
- 心拍変動（しんぱくへんどう, HRV） – heart rate variability
- 酸素飽和度（さんそほうわど, SpO₂） – oxygen saturation
Practice: Write one JP sentence using 監視 and one using 武器化 that fit this scene. Read them aloud, then swap 監視→観察 and feel the tone soften.
Language Patterns to Steal (from the transcript)
- Conversational fillers: 「うん」「ええ」「なるほど」 → small but vital for natural flow
- Pivot phrases: 「というと？」「なるほど」「つまり」 → keep analysis moving
- Countdown tension: 「10分で戻る」 → short, flat, terrifying
Drill:
Record yourself summarizing the scene in JP using at least two pivot phrases. Aim for 30 seconds. Re-record until it flows.
Craft Exercise (for writers; works in any language)
Prompt: Write a 150–200 word scene where a character discovers affection expressed through numbers (sleep score, step count, glucose spikes). No overt threat. Let the metrics do the unsettling.
Constraints:
- Include one ordinary smell.
- Include one sound outside the house.
- End with a line that implies a deadline.
Reflection Questions (join the comments)
- At what point does data intimacy become abuse?
- Should police treat biometric stalking like breaking and entering?
- If you were Kyoko, what single action would you take in those ten minutes?
Listen Again (then skim the full transcript)
🎧 Replay the audio once more now that you’ve read the beats.
📄 Full bilingual transcript below (for deep dives and study markup).
Full Bilingual Transcript (JP/EN, compact lines)
Credits & Links
- From: Prompted Hearts & Grief Algorithm
- Audio: NotebookLM-assisted analysis (edited by me)
- Tags: #Suspense #Tech #LanguageLearning #WritingCraft #GriefAlgorithm
If you found this useful:
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- Try reading the transcript aloud while shadowing the audio; you’ll feel the cadence lock in.