The Strange Disease of Eating Shadows

At the end of the Taisho era, affected by the domestic and international economic crisis, the prosperity created by the past foreign wars had begun to decline.

Society began to stir with unrest, radical and ambitious individuals began to make their moves, and ordinary people were also affected by these upheavals, making their lives increasingly difficult.

The further northeast we went, the stronger this restless feeling became.

On the road, you can see families selling their children to cope with the ever-increasing rice prices, and you can also see propagandists shouting war slogans and advocating for the cabinet's plan to send troops to Siberia.

In short, a clamor is gathering.

On this day, a bird flew by and passed through a desolate little town.

With the industrial development of the Tohoku region, more and more young people from the small town are flocking to big cities such as Fukushima and Sendai.

Nowadays, the people who remain here are either farmers who have lived here for generations or business people who run shops here; you rarely see any new faces.

So when the bird appeared in the town, most of the passersby looked on with curiosity, wondering why this handsome young man would come to this small village.

Especially at this time...

As soon as they entered the town, a strange feeling settled over Fei Niao's heart.

The atmosphere here is extremely oppressive, giving people a very bad feeling.

Although the shops on both sides of the road remained open as usual, and pedestrians continued to walk around as usual, people would occasionally give him a kind smile and nod.

But everyone seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray.

Those were shadows on spiritual pressure, reflecting the deep unease, anxiety, and fear in these people's hearts.

The bird didn't stop to ask questions; it simply moved forward silently, listening intently to the whispers in the streets and alleys and observing the flickering eyes of everyone.

"...Yuji too? Sigh...another one..."

"How's your shadow...?"

"I feel a bit bland today... I don't feel well..."

"Koji died last night... It's so eerie..."

These fragmented sentences, when put together, made the bird's nerves twitch slightly.

Is this city experiencing strange deaths?

Could it be a ghost?

He instinctively reached for the Nichirin Blade, but withdrew his hand before even touching the hilt.

...It has nothing to do with me.

The bird's judgment is direct and simple.

He would do whatever the Demon Slayer Corps assigned him, whatever his teacher asked him to do, whatever Rika asked him to do... and even if you count Kenichi and Shinsuke's personal matters.

But he didn't want to get involved in any other trouble.

He didn't want to get involved in whether the town was haunted or how dangerous it was until official instructions were given.

As long as the ghost doesn't block his way.

My task is in Sendai; there's no need to complicate things.

Asuka pulled the black haori that concealed the blade of her sword closer together, then searched for a general store to replenish her rations and water, intending to purchase a map of the Tohoku region.

However, as he walked down the desolate street, his gaze fell upon a relatively quiet alley, and his eyes caught sight of a small shadow huddled in a corner.

There were three or four children, the oldest being no more than eleven or twelve years old, and the youngest still needing to be carried.

They huddled in a corner piled with discarded wooden crates and miscellaneous items, their clothes tattered and their faces filthy.

Upon seeing the appearance of the homeless children, Asuka stopped in her tracks.

It wasn't just because I saw my past self in them, but more importantly because their complexions looked off.

It's like someone has drained all the blood from you, or the deathly stillness that comes with the moment of death.

Yet their eyes shone brightly, they huddled together for warmth, and the leader's voice was exceptionally loud.

This is not a pale face caused by hunger, injury, or beating.

Asuka calmed herself and used her spiritual pressure to sense the surroundings of the homeless children... Sure enough!

The afternoon sun shines into the alley, casting clear reflections on the uneven ground. Whether it's wooden boxes, stone walls, or small trees by the wall, everything is a deep, inky black.

But the shadows of these children were like cheap ink stains soaked in water, with blurred edges and so pale they almost blended into the ground.

It was as if something was continuously devouring the color of their shadows, thereby drawing their life force from these shadows.

It's a ghost!

Although the specific logic behind the actions is unclear, there is no doubt that these children have been marked by a ghost.

The bird fell silent, as if some unknown force had kept him in place, quietly watching the few stray dogs huddled together for warmth.

He turned back and walked to a stall selling coarse grain cakes, where he sat down expressionlessly.

"Boss, how's business?"

The old man selling pancakes paused for a moment, looked at the unfamiliar young man, and sighed with a forced smile, "Hey, what's there to say... it's all thanks to the villagers' patronage. Young man, are you from out of town? Hurry up and buy what you need and leave, things haven't been peaceful around here lately..."

His eyes flickered as he handed Fei Niao the flatbread and tea he had ordered.

"Hmm...what's wrong? I just heard about something about shadows?" Asuka took a bite of her biscuit, seemingly asking casually, but the old man's expression changed. He quickly looked around and said in a low voice:

"Shh! Don't speak loudly! It's really eerie! Sigh... it's this shadow, I don't know how, it just fades away on its own! And when the shadow is completely gone, the person is dead! Like a dried-up corpse..."

"Hey buddy, stop asking around, it's not good news! Listen to me, let's get going!"

The bird nodded without asking any further questions.

He paid a little extra, indicating to the owner that he should buy some food for the children in the alley next door, and then left with his share.

Next, he made similar attempts at several different stalls, and the results were all sorts of strange things.

Some say it's a rumor, others say it's because Lord Tengu is angry, and still others refuse to talk about it and will simply kick him out.

However, considering the conversations he overheard on the street, along with these fragmented pieces of information, he eventually pieced together a fairly accurate conclusion:

A strange disease is breaking out in this small town. The shadows of those afflicted will become increasingly faint, and their health will weaken as the shadows fade, until death.

The first victim was Asano Shigeru, who was half-dead in the east of town. Most of the rest were poor people or lonely men in the town, and their deaths were all the same - they seemed to have been drained dry and became dried corpses.

"That's strange. Aren't ghosts supposed to eat people? How can a ghost eat its own shadow?"

The bird didn't understand, but respected the ghost's pica.

It was still daytime, so the ghosts wouldn't come out. In order to sort things out, he decided to go to the original deceased, Asano Shigeru, to see if there were any clues.

After some somewhat difficult questioning, he finally found a small fenced yard that was almost completely overgrown with weeds.

Sunlight seemed to be scarce here; the low earthen houses were covered in a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs hung in the corners.

Half of the courtyard wall had collapsed, making it look as if it hadn't been maintained for a long time.

Is this Shigeru Asano's house?

Although it looked dilapidated, as a former homeless child who couldn't even afford shoes, Asuka had no right to comment on other people's circumstances, and silently pushed open the creaking, broken door.

A strong, foul stench, a mixture of cheap alcohol and rancid sweat, suddenly wafted out:

Broken wine bottles, scattered firewood, and unidentified filth were haphazardly spilled on the muddy ground.

A gaunt man with sunken eyes was huddled on a tattered straw mat under the eaves, clutching an empty wine bottle tightly in his hand.

His hair was greasy and matted, his clothes were tattered, and his bare arms were covered with bluish-purple bruises.

Judging from his appearance, he was clearly suffering from a severe and persistent hangover.

This is another reason why the townspeople are reluctant to talk about Shigeru Asano, his younger brother, Mori Asano.