I have to get away… Have to get away… Have to get away…
That single thought was on repeat as Nieno fled from the Shadow Eater. He couldn’t stop to think about anyone else. Doing that would only slow him down. He needed to get away, no matter who he had to abandon to do it. If no one was going to save him, he’d just have to save himself. If he didn’t… If he couldn’t do that, then…
I can’t be the last one to get away again…!
He had no idea how far he’d run. It wasn’t until he came to a lonely old graveyard in a deserted field that he finally allowed himself to stop and catch his breath. He found an old tree stump and collapsed onto it.
His head felt fuzzy. What had he been thinking about? It felt like…like he was about to remember something…something from a long, long time ago…
“NIENOOOOOO!!!”
Suddenly, someone grabbed his hat from behind. Finally coming back to his senses, Nieno twisted around to face the voice’s owner.
“N-N-Nozome…”
“Left me alone and saved yourself, did ya?!”
“I—I… Argh…!”
When he’d stood up, his hat had slipped off, exposing the shadowy head underneath. Nozome kept hold of the hat and glared at him.
“I… That is to say… I-I’m sorry. Truly…,” Nieno stammered.
“Hmph. Whatever. Don’t expect me to save you if you’re ever in trouble! I’ll just leave you behind like you did for me!”
“Urk…”
Nozome turned her face away, while Nieno bowed apologetically over and over again.
“I’m so sorry… Really I am… I’m a failure as your partner…,” he choked out, utterly deflated.
Nozome continued to sulk in silence for a while, then snorted. “Oh, I’m not that mad at you. I really would save myself and leave you behind given the chance, though.”
“You see? You are mad.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not! It’s just…”
“…?”
Nieno raised his head hesitantly. Nozome gazed into his shadowy face and smirked.
“You’re my partner, Nieno. You’re important to me. But there’s no one more important to me than me. It’s the same for you, right? You value your life enough that you’d leave me behind to save yourself. And knowing that… It makes me really happy!”
She smiled exuberantly, like she couldn’t keep all that happiness inside.
Nieno had no idea what to say. An unfamiliar emotion was swirling in his chest, swelling up, overflowing. What was this feeling? What did it mean?
“…”
Drip.
A drop of water fell at his feet.
“…Oh? Is it raining?”
“What do you mean? It’s a warm, sunny day. Look, there’s not a cloud in the sky.”
It was true. Above their heads, there was nothing but blue summer skies.
Until there wasn’t. Suddenly, a huge shadow fell across them.
“Huh?”
The shadow had a mouth. A mouth full of fangs, already open and bearing down on the two demons. Before either of them could react, it chomped on Nieno’s shadowy head. The black threads holding it to his body strained and came loose. Finally, the shadow monster ripped the head away and swallowed it.
“Nieno…!”
Nozome ran over to catch her partner’s body, which had now gone limp. Even without the head, it was still an adult man’s body. She wasn’t strong enough to stop it from falling. She wouldn’t be able to run away lugging this with her, either.
Nozome hesitated…but only for a moment. She’d have to leave Nieno’s body behind.
Just as she was about to get moving, somebody else appeared in front of her.
The newcomer stood between Nozome, who was still cradling Nieno’s body, and the giant shadow. It was a man wearing a black kimono and several beaded necklaces. In his hand, a bright-white light was shining.
He raised his arm in one quick movement, as if drawing a long, straight line. The light stretched out in response, reaching up toward the heavens.
The giant shadow’s stomach split open in a clean vertical cut. Countless shadows came spilling out of the opening. Some were shaped like people; others were only parts of them—legs, arms, and heads.
The man reached into the swirling mass of darkness and grabbed one shadow in particular. The others all seeped onto the ground and slithered away in different directions. They were probably returning to their owners. Back to where they belonged. The shadow creature, meanwhile, was getting smaller and smaller.
“Hey, you two.”
Finally, the shadows stopped flowing, and the man in black turned to face Nozome.
“Are you the ones who gave this to a human? You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me, you know.”
He held up the box containing the Shadow Embroidery Kit with a wry smile.
He came closer, taking the shadow he had in his other hand and placing it on Nieno’s body.
Is that Nieno’s head? He’s giving it back…? Nozome wondered.
Who was this strange man in the old-fashioned clothes? Was he a friend? An enemy? Or something else entirely? Until she was sure, Nozome couldn’t trust him completely.
“Hey. That is Nieno’s head, right? You didn’t put someone else’s on by mistake?” she asked.
“Trust me. If there’s one thing I know, it’s shadows.”
The man opened the little box and took out the needle and thread. He passed the night-black thread through the gleaming white needle, then set to work reattaching Nieno’s head to his neck. He worked quickly and skillfully.