The Shadow Play Wizard

*This novel is 2973 characters long☆

~A Girl Tired of Reality~

The sound of raindrops hitting the asphalt made Mashiro's heart feel even heavier.
Mashiro, a second-year high school student, always stayed a step away from the liveliness of her class. When it came to group assignments, she was always the one left over, and whenever she spoke, the atmosphere would somehow become awkward. It was the same at home; even when she tried to join in the dinner table conversation, she felt as if her words were floating in mid-air for some reason.

"It would be better if I didn't exist."

That thought bound Mashiro's heart like a curse.

On her way home, flustered by the sudden rain, Mashiro took shelter under the eaves of an old shopping street. Among the shops with their rusted shutters pulled down, there was one building that looked particularly ancient. Had it once been a theater? The door, with a faded poster barely clinging to it, looked as if it hadn't been used for a long time.

But then.

With a small click, a light turned on at the entrance of the theater. A warm orange glow spread softly over the rain-drenched ground. Mashiro couldn't help but stare. On the sign, despite being covered in dust, it was clearly written:

"Shadow Play: A One-Night-Only Performance—Let Me Show You Your Shadow"

A small ripple spread through Mashiro's heart.

My shadow?
One night only?

At the mysterious invitation, she suddenly felt something stir deep in her chest. It was a place she would never normally stop at. But this rain and the words "your shadow" held Mashiro's feet in place. As if drawn in, Mashiro reached for the old wooden door. Beyond the door, which opened with a creaking sound, it was as quiet as if the hustle and bustle outside were a lie.

[Fantasy] ~The Shadow Wizard~

As Mashiro stepped into the theater, a cool air brushed against her skin. The smell of mold and a faint scent of dust. There was not a single person in the audience seats; only the stage emitted a white light. In the space dominated by silence, only Mashiro's breathing echoed.

At that moment, a shadow appeared from the back of the stage, swaying. It looked as if the shadow itself were moving with a will of its own. Clad in a black cloak, silver hair reflected the stage light and glowed faintly. An androgynous face whose gender could not be determined and eyes as deep as shadows stared at Mashiro.

"Welcome to the 'Night of Watching Shadows'."

A smooth yet low-resounding voice filled the theater. Mashiro gasped involuntarily.

"Eh...? You... who are you...?"

To Mashiro, who asked timidly, the figure slowly walked out to the center of the stage.

"I am the one who weaves shadows. My name is Erase. In this theater that opens only for tonight, I am the one who projects your shadow."

Mashiro felt that the person who called themselves Erase spoke in a detached tone, yet their words seemed to contain a mixture of kindness and pain.

"Shadows... aren't they just shadows? What's the point of watching something like that?"

Mashiro could not hide their bewilderment. Their own shadow, performing a story? It sounded like a children's fairy tale.

Erase was not moved by Mashiro's words and asked quietly.

"What has your heart decided to 'pretend never happened'?"

At those words, Mashiro gasped. Things they had pretended never happened. Things they had tried to forget. Things they didn't want anyone to notice. Several things that came to mind flashed through their head.

"............"

When Mashiro remained silent, Erase continued.

"The things you want to forget, the things you don't want noticed—they have become 'shadows' that sway at your feet."

Mashiro instinctively looked down at their feet. There, indeed, was Mashiro's own shadow, flickering under the stage lights. It was as if the shadow were trying to tell them something.

"...I, I don't have anything..."

Mashiro tried to deny it in a panic, but Erase did not let it slide and interrupted, saying,

"Then, let us raise the curtain."

As Erase slowly raised their hand, the stage lights shone even brighter. And within that light, a silhouette emerged. It was unmistakably Mashiro, as a small child.

[Shadow Play] ~The Shadows of the Heart Begin to Speak~

The silhouette of little Mashiro projected on the stage was sitting in the corner of a room, hugging their knees. Their back was hunched, making them look small, as if protecting themselves from something.

And then, a voice could be heard from that small shadow. It sounded like Mashiro's own voice from when they were young.

"If I'm a good child, no one will hate me."

"If I stay quiet, I won't be a bother."

Mashiro watched the stage, holding their breath. The silhouette girl continued to sit still in the corner of the room. Before long, the shadow began to waver little by little. It was as if emotions were surging deep within their heart.

"But when I speak, the air changes."

"Because of me, the air becomes heavy. ...It would be better if I weren't here."

Mashiro's chest tightened. That was exactly the emotion she was carrying right now. Ever since those days, she had held onto this feeling, keeping it hidden. It was the very "shadow" deep within her heart that she never wanted anyone to see.

The shadow play on stage slowly stood up. Beside the shadow of the little girl, another shadow appeared, as if snuggling up to her. It looked like a slightly older version of Mashiro. And then, that shadow spoke gently to the little Mashiro shadow.

"You are the proof that you have lived."

"There are people who are truly glad that you are here."

Those words soaked deep into the bottom of Mashiro's heart.

"I'm glad you're here"—.

She had wanted someone to say that to her. She had wished for it for so long.

Hot tears overflowed from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Mashiro covered her face with both hands. Yet, through the gaps in her tears, she kept watching the shadow play on stage. The little Mashiro shadow reached out a hand toward the other shadow snuggling beside her. And the moment their hands touched, the little Mashiro shadow seemed to smile, just a little.

That smile certainly lit a flame in Mashiro's own heart as well.

[Return] ~Quiet Dawn~

As the shadow play ended, the stage lights slowly faded away. Darkness enveloped the theater, and when the light returned, there was no one on stage. Erase's figure and those shadow puppets had vanished without a trace.

Mashiro was left all alone in the audience seats. The theater had returned to being the old, forgotten place it was before she arrived. Only the sound of rain could be heard in the distance.

Was it a dream? No, that couldn't be.

Mashiro slowly stood up and moved away from the chair she had been sitting in. She noticed that there was something in her hand.

In her palm, she was clutching a shadow puppet card.

On it was drawn Mashiro's own shadow. And that shadow was smiling, just as she had seen at the end of the play.

Clutching the card, Mashiro stepped outside the theater. The rain had completely stopped, and the eastern sky was beginning to turn white. The quiet dawn seemed to herald a new morning for Mashiro.

Inside Mashiro's heart, the heavy feeling that "it would be better if I weren't here" was gone. In its place, a warm light was glowing.

(Mashiro's inner voice)

"I didn't want to disappear. I just wanted someone to tell me that it's okay for me to be here."

Then, Mashiro looked up at the sky and whispered softly.

"Maybe I just wanted to try saying 'I want to live' instead of 'I want to disappear'!"

Mashiro's steps were much lighter than when she had arrived. She began to walk forward through the town, where new light was streaming in. Her expression held a certain light of hope.

the end……🌙✨️