Chapter 86: Fujiwara Chika Walks Right Into the Trap
On Monday morning, after washing his face, Sakurai Saki got ready to go out for a jog.
The place he usually chose was Komazawa Olympic Park, not far from his apartment building—a light jog of a little over ten minutes would get him there. The park had a jogging trail reserved for pedestrians, and in the early mornings, there were often many people walking their dogs, mostly locals from nearby. This park wasn't particularly big, and aside from being able to admire the ginkgo trees in autumn, it didn't have any remarkable features.
Compared to the small park near his home, if Sakurai really wanted to see ginkgo trees, he'd probably wait until around November or December and head to Meiji Jingu Gaien. The ginkgo avenue there was very famous, stretching 300 meters long, and just one glance would make it feel like it reached straight up into the sky.
On the way to the park, as he passed through a nearby residential area, Sakurai saw quite a few elderly people who had gotten up early, watering flowers and trimming bonsai trees.
When passing a small alley, he came across several cats walking along the fences of the houses. They moved with the elegant gait typical of felines, lazily glancing at him with eyes full of proud contempt.
Compared to those carefree, leisurely-living cats, a student like Sakurai Saki clearly didn't have it that easy.
Feeling slightly irritated by the mocking looks from the cats, he stopped and gently stomped his foot.
With that motion, the shadow beneath Sakurai's feet suddenly moved swiftly. The cats on the wall still didn't seem to grasp the consequences of provoking an Esper, continuing to look at Sakurai with disinterest—one even raised its paw to lick it a few times.
Sakurai's shadow quietly crawled up the wall in an unnatural manner.
A few seconds later, it extended a hand and grabbed the shadow of one of the cats.
"Nyani~?!" /ᐠ °ㅁ° マ!!!
The cat whose shadow was snatched immediately went limp, as if all its strength had left its body, and it dropped off the wall like a mosquito getting zapped and falling to the ground.
Sakurai didn't bother catching it.
"Thud!" came the sound as the black cat hit the ground hard.
In the very next moment, the remaining cats, seemingly terrified by the scene, scattered and ran off.
Sakurai glanced at his own shadow.
The shadow beneath his feet was currently holding onto the cat's shadow, which was wildly struggling in its grasp.
With a mere thought, Sakurai released the cat's shadow. But when it tried to return to its body, it realized—it couldn't go back anymore.
This was today's ability. And this was the second time he had drawn this power, which happened to be a good opportunity to test it again.
[Today's Superpower: Shadow Extraction]
Effect: Able to extract the shadow of other living beings or manipulate his own shadow to attack enemies. Creatures who lose their shadow will lose half their soul. This ability cannot affect or harm the user themselves.
Side effect: The user's shadow can act independently. Its behavior is based on the user's own style of conduct.
"Losing half a soul, huh…" Sakurai glanced at the cat's body lying on the ground.
It had wobbled back to its feet, but its demeanor was somewhat sluggish, its eyes vacant, looking rather dumb. It had a few healed scars on its body—seemed like it hadn't been treated well in the past.
"Nyan~?" The black cat swayed as it walked, starting to move sideways like a crab.
Sakurai raised an eyebrow.
A black cat that once walked with grace—why was it now… so off-beat?
Sakurai Saki walked up behind it, picked it up, and turned it around.
"Lifeless eyes like a dead fish… looks like the impact is no joke."
Since this ability only worked on living beings, its destructive power wasn't too high. At the moment, Sakurai still couldn't extract shadows en masse. Moreover...
His own shadow didn't have the same combat capability as in real life—if he extracted too many, they would become difficult to control.
Sakurai looked down. His shadow was currently being held in a headlock by a cat.
The cat's shadow clung tightly to the head of his shadow like a Facehugger from Alien, latching on with a terrifying death grip. It was disturbingly intense—biting down with such force that it gave one the creeps. This cat… was no ordinary one, while his own shadow was so weak there was really nothing else to say.
Saki-kun shadow combat power = 1 neko-chan.
It might not even be able to beat the goose at the edge of the village.
No joke, nowadays even a high school student might not be able to take on a white goose—that terrifying creature that always targets people's calves and bites down. Most people would probably agree it's scary.
(Note: I tried it when I was little. Damn goose was terrifying.)
"..." Sakurai Saki silently observed for a few more minutes.
Then he decided to release control over the cat's shadow.
Until he gave permission, a creature whose shadow had been extracted wouldn't be able to return to its body on its own.
Sakurai's shadow peeled the cat off its head. But before it could release it, the cat's shadow began struggling violently, and within seconds — it actually escaped from the grasp of his shadow, which couldn't even defeat that goose.
Strangely, after escaping, it didn't return to its body right away. Instead, it ran along the shadows of the nearby residential area and vanished.
Maybe it was feline instinct — avoiding danger.
Sakurai looked toward the end of the alley, quietly picked up the cat's body, and walked out of that narrow alley.
A shadow couldn't stray too far from its body, so even if it ran, it wouldn't get very far.
Sakurai carried the cat to the park, placed it on a bench by the path, and then started jogging.
Along the way, quite a few young women were walking their dogs, and all of them stopped in their tracks when they saw Sakurai.
Being local residents, the real reason they walked their dogs in the park every morning came down to just one thing — to admire the dreamy face of that high school boy.
"The most handsome boy in a thousand years" — that was Sakurai Saki's title in the hearts of the onee-san, the moms, and the widows.
"Lately I heard some middle schoolers have been capturing stray cats and torturing them to death, so cruel…"
"Really? That's unbelievable!" a young woman walking her dog chatted with her friend.
Sakurai didn't care much.
Although abusing cats was a terrible thing, it had nothing to do with him.
While Sakurai was jogging — next to the bench, the black cat's shadow was staring intently at its own body. After a few seconds, it still hadn't taken any action.
It turned its head and glanced at a nearby Shiba Inu lying on the ground, then ran over to it and swiped its dark claw at the dog's shadow.
"Scratch!"
A hair-thin cut appeared on the Shiba's neck, and blood oozed out!
"Woof woof woof!!"
૮ꐦ•̀Д•́ა
Attacked for no reason, the Shiba immediately began barking like crazy!
The cat's shadow raised its paw, tilted its head, as if… puzzled.
A few seconds later, it ran to a nearby tree branch and scratched at its shadow—but there was no reaction at all.
With its limited intelligence, it couldn't comprehend why it had become like this.
But it did understand one thing — it could hurt other animals.
And that one fact alone… was enough for this grudge-holding black cat to start seeking revenge!
At that moment, Sakurai Saki had just finished a full lap around the park.
Then, he saw the cat's shadow charging straight at his own shadow.
(ಠ_ಠ)
Trying to attack me? Thinking it can hurt me?
Sorry, I'm not that weak. A sniper can be shot, a doctor can be brought down by illness, but someone with a supernatural power can't be killed by their own ability.
He controlled his shadow, lifting the small cat as it lunged toward him.
This time, Sakurai focused his full willpower, actively controlling the shadow — the once-weak shadow that couldn't even beat a goose now had its combat strength boosted to a terrifying level.
He walked over to the bench. The Shiba Inu next to it was still barking noisily.
After stuffing the cat's shadow back in, Sakurai noticed that the little black cat's eyes now held a spark of "intelligence."
It regained its senses, fur standing on end, glaring at Sakurai with narrowed eyes, and let out threatening "ssss…" sounds.
A few seconds later, it turned and ran off without looking back.
Sakurai watched the cat's retreating figure, falling into deep thought.
Shadows could hurt others, but they couldn't stray far from their bodies—unless the body was dead.
"Seems like… this isn't just a simple 'mistake.'"
In recent days, the information from the future diary—Sakurai had never once forgotten it.
What kind of mistake had he made, that led to the outcome of having to return with Chika to ensure her safety?
From the moment the cat's shadow escaped his control, Sakurai had started to doubt—could this incident itself be what brings danger to Chika?
But when he considered that a shadow couldn't stray far from its body, he dismissed the possibility.
Unless the cat was killed, its shadow couldn't truly break free from its limit.
"…Or maybe I was warned in advance, and the future has already changed?"
But — that would be a paradox.
Because the very nature of the Future Diary was merely a kind of precognitive ability. It simply delivered information into the present.
There was no such thing as a "future self."
As for himself five years from now, that's a different story — based on predictions, by then he would be able to fully control his supernatural abilities, so using them to send information to the past still made sense.
Sakurai's mind was now tangled like a knot. He looked over at the Shiba Inu tied next to the bench.
"Woof!!"
The dog was tied to the leg of the bench with a leash. Its owner didn't seem to be nearby at the moment.
Sakurai noticed a faint scratch on its neck. The bleeding had already stopped.
If that cat were to get away, with the grudge-holding nature of felines, people around him might truly be in danger.
An assassin from the shadows — just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
Fortunately, he had been prepared in advance.
Thinking that, Sakurai glanced at the still-barking dog.
Could it be that the "original development" was the dog getting angry and killing the cat? But… Shiba Inus weren't known to be aggressive…
"Whatever. Since it's been resolved, no need to overthink it. I'll just bring Chika home tomorrow."
That power — Sakurai Saki likely wouldn't be able to use it again today.
He glanced at his phone. Seeing that it was almost time, he didn't linger.
After he left, a few middle schoolers passed by the small park. They looked around, but didn't see the stray cat anywhere, revealing disappointed expressions.
...
In a place Sakurai Saki was completely unaware of—
The black cat from earlier, after running off, had dashed onto the street — and was hit by a speeding car. It collapsed, dying, by the side of the road.
At the same time—
In the shadows of a small alley beside the street...
A woman with blonde hair, full-figured, wearing a striking red evening gown, was staring intently at the scene, murmuring softly:
"Bake-neko…"
When a cat dies in immense resentment, it may resurrect and transform into a youkai, called a bake-neko — "shapeshifting cat."
However, a newborn youkai like this had nothing to do with her.
Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade let out a long yawn, looking bored.
She hadn't come to this city to play around with tiny little youkai like that.
"I wonder… if this place could be the site of my grave."
She had lived too long—so long that continuing to live no longer held meaning. After losing her purpose for existence, Kiss-Shot now found joy only in searching for death.
But as a vampire, her regenerative powers were far too strong — even sunlight, terrifying to others of her kind, couldn't harm her.
Garlic? Useless. Holy crosses? Amen.
"If only someone could kill me, that would be wonderful…"
On Kiss-Shot's flawless, fair, beautiful face, a trace of longing appeared. Then, she melted into the shadows of a nearby building, vanishing.
...
Monday morning at Shuchiin Academy always began with the weekly flag-raising ceremony. Aside from the usual speeches, there was one indispensable segment — the chorus performance of the school's traditional song.
"Hold your head high and gaze at the deep blue sky~"
"Toward the distant peak of Mount Fuji~"
"Soar up with the cool breeze~"
"Can this song reach that far~"
The singing echoed throughout the great hall.
Fujiwara Chika, the conductor in charge of the chorus, listened to the singing of the entire student body and looked extremely satisfied.
(ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡
She paid special attention to certain individuals — the members of the student council:
Kaguya-san: ( •̀ - •́ ) extremely serious.
Saki-kun: (￣ー￣) singing properly too, though his face showed no emotion.
Ishigami-kun: (* ´ ﹃｀*) slumped down, giving up on life.
President Shirogane…
At that moment, the baton in Chika's hand froze for a second — this was the first time she actually observed him closely.
And then Chika noticed something strange!
"Lip-syncing? He's lip-syncing!?"
Chika couldn't believe her eyes — the one wearing the pure gold emblem representing the 200-year legacy of Shuchiin Academy, the representative of the students, the president of the student council, was lip-syncing the school anthem!?
And even then, his expression and movements were stiff like an unoiled robot.
Shirogane: <|°_°|>
The school anthem of Shuchiin was the same from elementary to middle to high school, so almost no student didn't know it — unless they were admitted from another school.
But… it had been over a year already, and he still hadn't memorized the school song? That was just too bizarre.
Was it that he didn't want to sing? Or couldn't remember the lyrics?
Could it be that the president was cursed — "sing and you die"? Or maybe… he just didn't like singing?
As for the possibility of "can't remember the lyrics", Chika immediately dismissed it.
A guy who could rank first in the entire grade couldn't memorize the lyrics of the school anthem?
"Yakamashi!"
—
After the flag-raising ceremony ended, Fujiwara Chika sneakily rushed over to Sakurai Saki, who was getting ready to leave the auditorium. She discreetly tugged at his sleeve.
Sakurai Saki was pulled by her to a secluded corner of the hall. A few students glanced at them, but upon realizing who they were, didn't find it odd.
After all, this pair was a publicly recognized couple at the academy.
"Saki-kun! Did you notice? President Shirogane was lip-syncing just now! He wasn't actually singing!"
Chika acted all mysterious, whispering like she had just uncovered a national secret.
Sakurai Saki: (O_O)!
Yabai! If Fujiwara Chika found out that Shirogane Miyuki was tone-deaf beyond saving, she would definitely roast him mercilessly!
Thinking quickly, Saki decided — he had to protect this secret!
At least until he managed to teach that best friend of his how to sing properly.
Yesterday, Shirogane had dragged him into a whole afternoon of vocal practice, trying everything but unable to escape from his "Domain Expansion: Ear-Torturing Hell".
Saki was the type who hated giving up. Especially after investing so much effort, there was no way he could back out now. At this point, he was like a stockholder trapped in a collapsing investment — even if he had the chance to escape, he just couldn't walk away anymore.
"I refuse to believe I can't teach someone how to sing!"
ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ
To Sakurai Saki — a person with extremely high pride — this was absolutely not an obstacle that could make him quit. He was determined to teach Shirogane how to sing before Golden Week!
"Maybe the president's too stressed with studies, so he didn't want to open his mouth to sing." Sakurai Saki lied smoothly, as naturally as breathing, no different from Hayasaka Ai.
"Really?" Chika asked again, but she didn't seem to doubt Saki's words.
"Umu." Saki nodded slightly, very naturally.
I'm protecting you here, Secretary Fujiwara. You have no idea — just now, you almost stood at the very edge of an abyss. One more step, and you would have fallen into the bottomless hell of that truth...
—
After that, Monday morning passed peacefully.
Before long, it was lunchtime.
Fujiwara Chika, carrying her bento, headed to the student council room as usual — but the moment she opened the door, no one was inside.
Normally, Sakurai Saki always ate lunch in the student council room. It was rare to see him eat in the cafeteria.
Not seeing anyone in the council room, Chika decided to go to Saki's classroom to ask.
"Eh? Sakurai-san? He left with President Shirogane earlier, I think they said they were heading to the music room." A female student standing at the classroom door replied.
At that exact moment, Fujiwara Chika immediately recalled what had happened in the morning.
And then, with her characteristically quick-thinking mind, she instantly connected all the dots!
"Naruhodo! So the president isn't good at singing!"
(৻ •̀ ᗜ •́ )☝️
Chika chuckled inwardly as if she had just discovered a world-shattering secret.
After thanking the girl, Chika went straight to the music room.
—
When she reached the music room on the first floor, Chika glanced at the door — then she heard Sakurai Saki's singing from inside.
For some reason, a chill ran down her spine.
"Must be my imagination~"
After all…
"Having lunch with Saki-kun is the most important thing!"
٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-
Thinking that, Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and knocked on the door.
She had no idea at all — the door she was about to knock on wasn't just the door to the music room, but also…
The door to the collapse of her own spirit.
"Knock knock~"
The sound inside the room stopped abruptly.
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