Sachu woke to the faint hum of fluorescent lights.
His eyes blinked open to a sterile white ceiling, the sharp scent of disinfectant filling his nose.
"…Where…?" His voice rasped.
"You're in the school's infirmary, dummy."
The familiar voice snapped his head to the side.
Mia sat in the chair beside his bed, chin propped in her palm.
She looked like she'd been waiting a long time. Relief and annoyance clashed in her bright eyes.
"You seriously scared me back there," she huffed, puffing her cheeks. "Just collapsing in the middle of the yard… I thought—" She cut herself off, then smiled faintly. "…I'm glad you're okay."
For a moment, Sachu just lay there. His heart thudded unevenly, but the sound of her voice steadied it. Nobody had ever waited by his side before.
"…Thanks," he muttered, eyes sliding away.
Mia grinned. "You owe me now."
"…For what?"
"For keeping you alive." She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes playfully. "That makes me your life-saver. Which means…" Her grin widened. "You're my sidekick now."
"…Sidekick?"
"Exactly! From now on, you carry my books, buy me snacks, and listen to my spooky ghost theories. Deal?"
Sachu blinked at her, lost. Nobody in school had ever dared sit near him, much less tease him.
"…You're weird," he muttered.
That evening, they walked home together under the fading sunset.
Sachu kept his eyes low, his shadow stretching long across the pavement. He wasn't used to anyone walking beside him.
But Mia hummed softly, a careless tune that pushed away the silence.
Suddenly she spun around, walking backward as if it was natural.
"Hey, Sachu. Can I ask you something?"
"…What?"
"You've got problems, right?" she said bluntly. "Like, horror-novel level problems. You always look haunted… and you literally collapsed today."
Her voice softened. "…If something's wrong, you can tell me."
The words hit harder than he expected.
Whispers.
The void.
The obsidian sword waiting on his desk.
If he told her, she'd think he was insane. Or worse—she'd be dragged into it.
"…Nothing," he lied, forcing his voice steady. "I'm fine."
Mia studied him. Searching. Not accusing.
Then she smiled faintly. "…Okay."
She changed the subject with her usual energy.
"I've always loved creepy stuff," she said, her hands flying as she talked. "Ghost stories, yokai, monsters, curses—you name it. My mom says I'm addicted, but honestly?" She twirled beneath the dim sky, grinning wide. "The world's boring without it. I want to believe it's real."
Sachu glanced at her. Her eyes sparkled with wonder. Every word seemed alive.
For a moment, he forgot the weight in his chest.
But then—
Schhhhk.
The air tore open. His right hand burned.
Before he realized, the cursed sword materialized in his grasp.
Obsidian steel gleamed in the twilight, veins of shadow writhing like serpents.
"…!"
His blood froze. Why now?! In front of her?!
Mia gasped.
Not in fear—
but awe.
Her eyes widened. Her lips parted in wonder.
"No way… How did you do that …?"
"Stay back!" Sachu staggered, panic flaring. "D-Don't come near!"
But she stepped closer, her gaze burning brighter.
"You're amazing, Sachu."
The words slammed into him.
He had braced for screams, for rejection, for disgust.
Instead, she looked at him like he was treasure. "I knew it.... You where special "
She hugged herself lightly, whispering, "…I always dreamed I'd meet someone like you…"
The blade pulsed.
Later that night, Mia dragged him into the nearby forest.
"Okay!" she said, rolling her sleeves, her grin sharp in the moonlight. "If your body's rotting without that sword, then we'll test it. You're not dying on my watch."
Sachu frowned. "…Test what?"
"Simple." She pointed toward the trees. "Animals. Dangerous ones. If killing humans feeds the sword, maybe beasts can too."
"…You're not scared?"
"Of you? Not even a little."
For a long moment, Sachu just stared. All his life, people had looked at him like a freak. A monster.
But Mia's eyes held only excitement.
Trust.
"…You're crazy," he muttered.
"Maybe," she shot back with a grin. "But you need me."
The forest was alive with night sounds. Their flashlights carved through the dark. Shadows writhed around Sachu's feet, the cursed sword trembling with hunger.
It didn't take long.
A wild boar burst through the brush—massive, tusks gleaming, bristling with rage.
"Perfect." Mia smirked. "Test subject number one."
Sachu hesitated. Could this work?
The whisper returned.
Feed it…
His veins pulsed black. His body screamed.
With a sharp breath, he lunged.
He sliced forward, sending shadow slashes streaking viciously toward the beast.
Silence.
Then—warmth.
Life poured into him. His veins cleared. His bones steadied. The decay eased.
"…It worked," he whispered, stunned.
Mia whooped, fist pumping. "I knew it! See? You don't need to kill people. You can live without being a murderer."" And was it shadow power that you used...?
Her smile was blinding.
Sachu's throat tightened. "…Mia."
She tilted her head. "Hm?"
"…Thank you."
Her grin softened. "Anytime, sidekick."
That night, beneath the black canopy of the forest, the boy cursed by shadows and the girl who loved the strange stood side by side.
For Sachu, it was the first time the darkness didn't feel suffocating.
For Mia, it was the first time her dream of the supernatural came true.
Together, they hunted shadows.
Together, they began rewriting fate.