A Wishing Shadow

”Do you know the Kokomi family? ” I looked at Shed.

”They are an extremely radical group that wants this country to gain the glory like it used to be. Anyone who knows their existence would have their lives exterminated. ”

”You know about them, how come? ”

”I was just taking a walk yesterday when I came across a room and overheard it. ”

”They come to the surface? Thats odd, they rarely do that. ” I pinched my chin and added, ”Does someone from the Kokomi family being treated here? ”

”Yeah, is something wrong, Master? ”

”Shed, have I ever told you anything about my past? ”

”Unfortunately, not. ”

”I see, Ill tell you then. In the past, I made a deal with a certain radical group, its the Kokomi family. ”

”A deal? ” Shed repeated, intrigued.

”Un, back then, I have a double personality. The Kokomi family wanted it, so they make a clone. ”

”… A clone? ” Disbelief plastered its face.

”Yeah, before the event of Golden Night happened, Tsukumogami still existed but only a few special people could have them. ”

Golden Night was an event where the old moon was turned into oblivion by a golden meteor and the latter became the new moon.

I continued as Shed didn say anything, ”The Kokomo family has a Tsukumogami that can create clones. However, it could only do so for every fifty years. ”

”Master, why does the Kokomi family wants your second personality? How did they meet you? No, perhaps, its you who catch their eyes? ”

”You
e correct. ”

”How? ”

”Im a test subject on an experiment and because of that, I get a second personality. That guy… is terrifying. ” I tried to be calm but my voice failed me. It was filled with fear.

”That guy? ” Shed seemed confused.

”I looked at my personality like another person and most of the time, he controlled my body more than I did. ”

”Whats terrifying about him? ”

”Hes a monster. ”

”A monster? ”

”I can explain it to you that well. Youll know once we meet him. Anyway, the Kokomi family is interested in how monstrous my second personality is and wants to take it by themselves.

”A clone can be controlled, after all. If they simply persuade me to join their side without doing so, my actions would be unpredictable and harder for them to control me. ”

”I see. Does that mean your second personality is subjected to being separated from you? ”

”…No, that guy is… happy. ”

”Happy? ” Shed was shocked, ”Hes going to be controlled by them, he has no will! ”

”Yeah, he knew that, but this is what he said, Im excited to know how big of a monster I will become when they couldn control me anymore. It will be the best scene ever when they show me despair. Haha, Ill feast upon it. ”

After I said that, a sinister smile, more sinister than a devil, surfaced from the bottom of my brain. My heart throbbed like crazy.

”Get away! ” I shouted. My eyes were wavering in fear.

”Master, whats wrong! ” Shed unexpectedly panicked.

”No, don ! Please, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head. Please, get out of my head! ” I repeatedly said those words at incredible speed as if they were some chant. My voice contained terror and agony. My expression warped in despair.

”Master! ” Shed shouted. Its voice forced my mind to reality.

”I– I… ” I put my hand to my sweaty forehead, ”What happened to me back then? ” I had no memories whatsoever after that sinister smile appeared. Everything just turned dark.

”You keep shouting get out of my head, over and over again. Are you sure you
e okay, Master? ”

”No, Im not okay. ” I gritted through my teeth as I felt intense, throbbing pain in my head. Not only that, I felt like the inside of my stomach slowly raising. I endure it as it came back down.

At this point, my body was sweaty. My vision was blurry and I couldn think straight. I could faint at any second.

”We should go back to the hospital. Right, Shed, can you investigate the patient from the Kokomi family? I want to know their identity. ” My voice was weak.

”Is that a wish, Master? ”

”No, its an order, ” I spoke coldly as my eyes became sharp, filled with hate. It seemed the resentment I caged towards it somehow escaped. Probably because I couldn focus.

”Yes, Im sorry. ” Shed lowered its head. Next, it separate itself from me, and went to the hospital.

With him gone, I had no shadow. I hope no one saw me as a ghost when they noticed it.

”Now then. ” I turned my head to the blond-haired girl sleeping on my shoulder.

I slowly move her head away from my shoulder and I get up. Next, I carried her on my back. Just as I was about to walk, four people appeared. They were surrounding me.

”Who are you, people? The Kokomi family? Isn the deal next year? You
e going to take away my sister when she reached twenty and then get rid of me. ”

”Kokomi family? We
e not from some third-rate organization. ”

They didn answer, so I looked at the answer myself by observing them. Perhaps the answer lies there.

They wore a high school uniform, pretty young, and there was a logo on their shoulder. That logo was a world with wings behind it. I recognize it.

”You guys are from Heiwa Institute. ”

Heiwa Institute appeared a lot in my memories. It wasn once I almost got caught by them. My criminal records were not better known. They disgust me either.

Anyway, after what I said, they gasped in shock. That concludes my answer.

”How do you know? Who are you? ” A girl with a brown ponytail looked at me warily.

Like the Kokomi Family, Heiwa Institute would exterminate people who know them. So, it was quite odd for someone who know them was still alive. In their mind, they must be thinking that Im their target in the past but managed to escape.

Strange, I thought to myself. With how Heiwa Institute work, they should know what Ive done in the past. Unless that guy deletes them.

”So thats why you erase our memories. Its because you want to escape from us. Too bad for you, the Grand Elder informed us what happened, ” explained the brown girl.

”?… ” I raised one of my brows, confused. ”Erase your memories? What are you talking about? ”

”Don play dumb! Isn that the case? You cause something terrible that people like us are sent to deal with you. ”

Well, yeah, in the past but because that guy takes control over my body. You guys should chase after him than me, I answered silently.

”I don remember doing so. There must be some misunderstanding. Besides, what organization like you want from me? Shouldn you handle the Kokomi family? A group that may be responsible for terrorist attacks? ”

”You
e more dangerous than them, you wiped out memories of all people in this world. You could create chaos and we wouldn know it! ”

”If I did, there must be something that had changed. As far as I could see, everything is still the same. Lets say I robbed a bank, and delete everyones memory of that day. The bank should notice a large sum of money is missing. ”

”You have a powerful Tsukumogami. You could make it like nothing ever happened. Enough, we won fall for your words. ”

”Then what should I do to convince you guys that I don do anything wrong? ”

”By getting killed. ”

”I see… Is there no other way? ” My eyes were unexpectedly calm. Compared of being living with the same body with a monster, this was nothing.

”No. ”

”Then I refused to be killed. ”

”So be it. ”

Right after that, they launched simultaneous attacks on me. Two girls before me came at me and bombarded me with punches. I dodged their attacks easily, their movements were slow and easy to read.

”He dodged those attacks while carrying a person? ” The brown-haired girl was shocked.

”You can hit me with those lousy movements of yours. ” My words were as calm as a spring lake.

”Don get too arrogant! ” The girls attacking me shouted furiously. They packed their punch with everything they had and thrust it towards my chest.

I moved my body to the left at the very last moment. Because they missed their punch, they create an opening. I kicked their abdomen and they were sent flying before crashing onto a tree. The latter swayed about as leaves fell like snow.

I whistled. I didn know my body was strong. There must be something that happened before I lost my memories.

At the current moment, I recovered my old memories but not all of them. Some parts were still missing.

”Hakira, Nazane! ” The brown haired-girl yelled. She just witnessed two of the best fighter in her squadron getting beaten just like that. She then turned her head from the unconscious girls to me, full of rage.

”SCUMBAG, how dare you do that to a girl? ”

”How dare you guys fight a sick person while he is carrying a girl? ” I responded.

In the next instant, the brown-haired girl and her only comrade rushed at me. They didn seem to be the combat type.

”Thats enough, retreat. ” A female voice came from the brown-haired girls headset. She immediately stopped what she was doing.

”But why, Commander? ”

”Just do it. Ill tell you the details later. ”

”… Fine. ”

I looked at them confusedly. They abruptly stopped, pick up their unconscious teammates, and left the scene without saying anything.

”What the hell just happened? ”