He didn’t want to think about what this meant. But he had to.
Shadow Kurosuke had just eaten a part of his shadow. Had it been hungry? But in that case…
The people around town. Kakeru’s grandma. His parents. Ecchan and Ryou. All the people who’d lost their shadows…
“Kurosuke… Did you do that?”
The shadow wagged its tail happily. Kakeru kept his eye on it and took off his knapsack. He only ever used this big bag when he visited Grandma in the summer.
Kakeru opened it up and thrust a hand inside. He pushed past his change of clothes, toothbrush, gaming console, and the other things he’d packed. Right at the bottom, his fingers closed around a small black box. The Shadow Embroidery Kit had been in this bag all year. He opened it and took out the scissors.
Shadow Kurosuke had opened its mouth again and was advancing toward Kakeru’s shadow. Kakeru raised the scissors and swung them down at the canine shadow’s head.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Kurosuke!”
Again and again, he plunged the scissors into what had once been his friend. The shadow was torn apart by the shining white blades, gradually losing its shape. Soon enough, it was just a pile of shredded scraps on the floor. They slid away through the gaps in the porch, melting into the shadows cast by the harsh summer sun.
“Urk… I-I’m sorry…!”
Kakeru fell to his knees and sobbed, his tears splattering on the wooden boards beneath him. He’d lost Kurosuke all over again. Even worse, this time he’d been the one who sent him away. But at least it was over now.
“…Huh?”
Something moved in the corner of Kakeru’s vision. Something big.
He looked up and out into the backyard. There, he saw a giant lump of ink-dark blackness. It was so big that it stuck out of the yard and stretched all the way to the fields on the other side of the street—a mountain of living shadow.
Glancing down, Kakeru saw that it was sliding out from under the porch. Had this thing been hiding underneath the house this whole time?
“Don’t tell me…”
Could this be the shadow that ate other people’s shadows? Was this its real body? Had Shadow Kurosuke only been one small part of it? In that case, Kakeru hadn’t really defeated the shadow. It was more like he’d snipped off a tiny branch from a much larger tree. The shadow-eating shadow was still alive.
He took a breath and looked up at the monster. It didn’t seem like it was going to attack him. Instead, it started to slowly lumber away. It must have been afraid of the light-coated scissors in Kakeru’s hand.
But…there’s not a lot a little pair of scissors can do against something that huge…
Kakeru wasn’t safe yet. If that shadow changed its mind and came back, it would all be over. He and his shadow would be gobbled up without a trace.
I have to get out of here… Out of this town!
But the moment he started walking away, he heard a noise. His grandma and the others were calling his name. The Shadowless knew where he was, and they were getting closer. It seemed like the people who’d had their shadows eaten became soulless husks, controlled by that big shadow. In that case, they were probably after the scissors.
If I lose these, that thing will come back and eat my shadow, too…
He had to get away. But how? There were a lot of Shadowless, and Kakeru was only one boy. It wasn’t just the five Shadowless in the backyard he had to deal with, either. Even if he escaped, there were more of them all over town.
If I can’t run from them, then maybe…!
Kakeru came up with a crazy idea. He had no idea if it would work, but he’d have to take the risk.
He crouched down and began snipping away at his own shadow with the white scissors. Once it was no longer attached to his body, he screwed it up into a tight little ball and tied it up with the black thread from the embroidery kit.
“Ah, Kakeru.”
He shoved the shadow into his pocket right as his grandma and the other Shadowless rounded the corner and came into sight again. They looked down at his feet, where the bright sun should have cast a shadow, and smiled creepily.
“So you’ve finally lost your shadow as well.”
It had worked. The Shadowless thought he was one of them.
Ecchan and Ryou returned to their own houses. Kakeru’s parents and grandma went back inside and began watching TV and drinking tea. They still acted like empty husks of their former selves, but they weren’t trying to attack Kakeru anymore. He decided to stay with his family a little longer and pretend to be like them. He sat in front of the TV, sipping his tea, doing his best to mimic their strange, marionette-like movements.
Before long, he felt safe enough to go off on his own. First, he went to the family altar and picked up the box of matches kept there for lighting incense. Then he went into the storeroom where his grandma stored extra stock for her toy shop. There, Kakeru emptied out his knapsack and filled it with anything that could be used as a weapon against the shadow creature.
If it’s a shadow, things that make light or fire will probably work…
Ready as he’d ever be, he quickly sneaked out of the house.
Kakeru was soon heading for the edge of town. He passed several Shadowless on the way, but with his own shadow out of sight, none of them paid any attention to him.
After a while, however, that changed. The shadow in Kakeru’s pocket began to squirm around violently.
Whoa! Wh-what’s it doing?
He took it out and saw that it had struggled so much the black thread was starting to unravel. He wasn’t sure what would happen if his shadow got away from him, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be anything good. Kurosuke’s shadow had become that big monster, after all. Kakeru had to do something, and fast.
Without really thinking, he did the first thing that came to mind—he took the tiny balled-up shadow, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it. He wasn’t sure why he’d done that. It was just instinct.
A little while after eating his own shadow, it began to grow back, starting at his feet and stretching out behind him. On the one hand, it was a relief to have it back to normal. On the other…
“Oh? Hey, you still have your shadow.”
“You have a shadow? That’s no good. Come here a moment.”
“What have you got in that big backpack? Let me see it.”
The moment Kakeru’s shadow returned, the Shadowless around town all flocked toward him. They seemed to be drawn to his knapsack, where the Shadow Embroidery Kit and his weapons were.
One person was already reaching for the bag. He brushed them off and ran. Thankfully, with their jerky, awkward movements, the Shadowless weren’t that fast. Kakeru didn’t have to run very far before he was clear of them.
A little more, and I’ll be able to leave town. The bridge… The city limits… They’re just up ahead…
He sprinted with all his might for the bridge his family had crossed on the way here. When he arrived, he came to an abrupt stop. Several Shadowless townsfolk were gathered around the entrance to the bridge. Some of them must have doubled back and gone on ahead to wait for him there. He’d never be able to leave town like this.
What…what do I do?
He couldn’t just stand there. He could hear the footsteps of other Shadowless coming after him.
I’ll just have to hide somewhere for now!
He looked around and spotted a bamboo grove by the riverside. Without so much as a second thought, he ran in that direction.