The Closing Shift Letter and Stalker Notes Guide

The closing shift letter and creepy notes play a central role in the psychological horror of The Closing Shift (閉店事件), a Japanese horror game developed and published by Chilla's Art. Released on Steam for Microsoft Windows on March 18, 2022, the game follows an unnamed young woman working the closing shift at Chilla's Coffee, a local cafe modeled similarly to a popular coffee franchise. As she performs her daily duties and handles various customers, she slowly realizes that a deranged stalker has become dangerously fixated on her, leaving behind unsettling letters and photographs as the nights progress.

The Origin of the Stalker and the First Note

The terror begins on the prologue night (Shift #1) when the protagonist leaves her apartment for work. While walking through the parking lot, she finds a dropped cellphone and returns it to a man moving in a strange, hard-to-see manner. Unbeknownst to her at the time, this simple act of kindness sparks an intense and terrifying obsession.

As the shifts progress, the stalker's presence becomes more pronounced through surveillance discoveries and direct messages left around the property:

• Drive-Through Note (Shift #3): After closing up shop and finishing cleaning tasks on the third night, a loud humming noise directs the protagonist to check the CCTV. She finds a man standing by the drive-through, but he disappears upon investigation, leaving a chilling note on the drive-through menu. The note reads:

  “The day we first met.\nYes, at Chilla's\nShe smiled at me.\nLike a flower.\nJust thinking about her makes my heart pound.\nI have never felt this way before.\nI wonder if she is putting a smile on everyone's face like she does mine.”

• Apartment Door Note (Shift #4): On the morning of the fourth shift, the protagonist finds another disturbing letter placed right next to her front door. This message confirms that the stalker is the same man whose phone she returned on the first night, and that he believes they are romantically involved:

  “I know her best.\nMaybe after your mother and father.\nI'll really be number one in time.\nShe talked to me.\nShe picked up my phone and went out of her way to give it to me.\nI knew she felt the same way I did.\nWe are in love.\nToday is our anniversary.”

Discovery of the Stalker's Lair

The true extent of the danger becomes undeniable on the final night (Shift #5). After customers like Sumika, Nana, the mother with her missing baby, and Machiko leave the shop, Machiko mentions noticing someone on the rooftop.

Investigating the roof, the protagonist discovers an opened hatch leading down into a hidden room within the coffee shop's storage area. Inside, she finds a makeshift living space featuring a blanket, food items like a milk carton and coffee cup, and numerous photographs of herself—some defaced or stabbed with a knife. She realizes the stalker has been secretly living inside the coffee shop just to stay close to her.

Endings and Confrontation

Upon discovering the truth and attempting to close the store, the protagonist faces the stalker directly. Depending on the player's choices during the escape sequence, three different conclusions unfold, none of which provide a genuinely safe outcome for the protagonist:

• Ending #1: Escaping through the storage area causes the stalker to quickly rush up and attack her with a metal pipe, likely killing her.
• Ending #2: Escaping through the vents leads outside, where she finds the corpse of Hasaku (the private investigator who previously warned her) lying in the snow. She reaches her car and drives home, only to discover the stalker hiding inside her vehicle, where he lunges at her.
• Ending #3: Escaping via the rooftop allows her to drop a cinder block onto the stalker's head. Although she reports the incident to the police, returning to the shop reveals that both the stalker and Hasaku's body have vanished, with the police dismissing her claims. Later, back in her apartment, the stalker successfully ambushes her after she investigates a ringing phone outside.

Game Controls and Mechanics

Playing through the shifts requires managing both customer service tasks and exploration using standard PC controls:

• WASD: Move the protagonist around
• Mouse: Look around
• Left Mouse Click: Interact with objects and equipment
• Tab: Open inventory
• Shift: Run
• C Button: Crouch