The final bell rang like a mercy kill.
Classrooms emptied in waves—shouts, laughter, the metallic clang of lockers. I packed slower than everyone else. No rush to get anywhere. Home was Seiko's place, and the idea of facing her again with fresh static clinging to me didn't exactly feel like a reward.
I slung my bag over one shoulder and stepped into the hallway.
The crowd thinned quickly. Afternoon light slanted through the windows in long golden bars, turning dust motes into tiny floating fires. Normal. Peaceful.
The static disagreed.
It wasn't spiking anymore. It had settled into a low, constant hum—like an old refrigerator in the next room. Always there. Never loud enough to panic over. Just enough to remind me I wasn't imagining things.
I took the side exit to avoid the main gate crush. The path led past the equipment shed, around the back of the gym, then out to a quiet residential street that eventually connected to the shrine road.
Fewer people. Fewer witnesses.
Better for whatever was tailing me.
I walked with my hands in my pockets, shoulders hunched against the late-afternoon chill. The city sounds faded behind me: distant train rumble, kids shouting in a nearby park, the occasional scooter buzz.
The static shifted.
Not closer. Wider. Like it was spreading out, encircling.
I stopped under a telephone pole. Looked left. Right. Nothing obvious.
A stray cat watched me from a low wall—black, one ear notched. It blinked slowly, then turned away like I wasn't worth the effort.
I kept walking.
Two blocks later, the shadow came back.
Not under the bleachers this time.
Beside me.
On the ground.
My own shadow stretched long in the slanting sun, but there was something wrong with the edges. They flickered. Not like light playing tricks. Like ink bleeding just a little too far.
I sped up.
The shadow kept pace.
Perfectly synced.
Until it wasn't.
The left arm of my shadow lifted—slowly—while my real arm stayed down.
My stomach dropped.
**Supernatural Sense – entity identified: Shadow Mimic (low-grade). Parasitic observer. Feeds on fear and prolonged eye contact with host shadow.**
The system pinged with clinical detachment.
**Threat level: minimal physical damage. High psychological annoyance.**
I stopped dead.
The shadow stopped too.
Then it grinned—wide, toothy, where my face should have been.
A voice came from nowhere and everywhere. Soft. Childlike. Mocking.
"Scared yet, borrowed boy?"
I didn't answer.
I just stared at it.
Big mistake.
The moment eye contact locked (even indirect), the static surged—cold needles behind my eyes.
The shadow giggled.
"Stay still. Let me wear you for a while."
My legs felt heavy. Not paralyzed. Just… reluctant. Like walking through knee-deep water.
I forced one step forward.
The shadow stretched, trying to wrap around my ankles.
**Echo Mimic – viable target detected. Trait: shadow manipulation (weak tethering). Copy attempt? Stamina cost estimated: 25%. Risk of backlash high.**
I gritted my teeth.
Copying a parasite sounded like a terrible idea.
But running hadn't worked last time.
I focused.
**Copy attempt initiated.**
Pain lanced up my spine—like someone had poured ice water directly into my veins.
Stamina plummeted. 25% gone in a heartbeat.
My own shadow twitched.
For one second, it detached—just a centimeter—then snapped back.
The mimic shadow recoiled. Surprised.
"Cheater," it hissed.
I didn't wait.
I bolted.
Not graceful. Not fast. Just desperate forward motion.
The shadow chased—elongating, snapping at my heels like a living whip.
I darted down an alley between two houses. Trash bins. Bicycle racks. Narrow gap.
The shadow thinned to follow.
I slammed into a wooden fence at the end—old, rotting slats.
It gave way.
I tumbled through into someone's tiny backyard garden. Tomato plants. Laundry poles. A forgotten kiddie pool half-full of rainwater.
The shadow hit the fence line and… stopped.
Like it had reached an invisible wall.
It snarled—frustrated, childlike rage—then shrank back into normal darkness.
Gone.
For now.
I lay on my back among crushed tomato vines, breathing hard, staring at the sky turning orange.
**Echo Evolution update:**
**Trait acquired – Shadow Tether Resistance (passive: minor resistance to shadow-based manipulation. +5% chance to break free from low-grade tethers).**
**Backlash applied: Stamina locked at 35/100 for 1 hour. Movement penalty: -10% speed.**
**Last pride status: Still attached. But dignity took a direct hit today.**
The system added one more line, almost gleeful:
**Note: You just got scared by your own silhouette. Peak performance, loser.**
I laughed—hoarse, exhausted.
It wasn't funny.
But it was true.
I pushed myself up slowly. Brushed dirt and tomato pulp off my blazer.
The backyard gate was unlocked. I slipped out onto the next street.
The shrine road was visible now—red torii gate in the distance, stone steps climbing toward Seiko's house.
I walked the rest of the way in silence.
No more shadows.
No more voices.
Just the hum of static, quieter now. Satisfied.
Like it had gotten what it wanted for the day.
A little fear.
A little piece of me.
I reached the front door as the sun dipped below the rooftops.
Seiko was on the engawa, smoking, watching the sky like it owed her money.
She didn't look at me.
"You smell like tomatoes and terror," she said flatly.
I winced.
"Long day."
She exhaled smoke. "They always are at first."
I stepped past her.
She spoke again, softer.
"Whatever's sniffing around you… it's not done yet."
I paused at the genkan.
"I know."
She flicked ash into the garden.
"Then don't bring it inside."
I nodded.
Slipped off my shoes.
Climbed the stairs to my room.
Closed the door.
And sat on the futon for a long time, staring at nothing.
The static was still there.
Faint.
Patient.
Waiting for tomorrow.
**End of Chapter 5**