Shadow Cicada

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Synopsis

An invisible presence creeps into the summer city—a black insect that drains the life out of its victims. Its form is visible to no one. Only those who can see it know the terror and loneliness it brings.

On a sweltering day, a high school student named Ayano finds an old man collapsed on her way to school.

Emerging from his body was a black cicada as large as a plastic bottle.

The eerie insect flew away without a sound, leaving Ayano speechless.

Though she explains the situation to the police, they naturally do not believe her, and she begins to doubt herself, wondering if it was just a hallucination.

However, a few days later, she witnesses the strange cicada again.

This time, she captures its image on her smartphone.

...But the cicada, which should have flown away, circles back and flies straight toward her—.

Characters

◆ Ayano (Female)

A high school student. One day, she encounters the death of an old man, and her daily life is turned upside down by the grotesque creature that emerged from his remains. She is the only one in this story who can see or sense the grotesque creature.

◆ Makoto (Male)

A high school student. Ayano's classmate. He is a bit of a joker but secretly has feelings for Ayano. He saves Ayano from the grotesque creature, but when it attacks again, he uses his quick wit to counter it, even while struggling with how unimaginably troublesome it is.

◆ Aunt

Ayano's aunt. She read the diary of Ayano's late grandmother and was skeptical about the descriptions of beings beyond human understanding, but upon learning that the creature Ayano encountered was the same as the one written about in the diary, she warns Ayano.

■0. News

--In the Kanto-Koshinetsu region, consecutive days of extreme heat are claiming the lives of the elderly.

Last year, the number of deaths due to heatstroke in Tokyo alone exceeded 100, and there was a series of lonely deaths among the elderly in Chiba and Saitama prefectures as well.

This year, the pace is exceeding that, and experts are sounding the alarm, stating that 'you cannot let your guard down even indoors.'

An 82-year-old man who had collapsed indoors despite having the air conditioning on was discovered after a report from a neighbor, but it was already too late.

'I don't want to be a burden to anyone'--he reportedly said that often.

Elderly people living alone are at a very high risk of their condition becoming severe.

We need a society where we can look out for one another and share information about any irregularities...

■1. Dream

I was walking in the darkness.

Where is this?

I am moving through a vague, featureless space.

I felt as if someone had whispered, so I turned toward it, but it was the same darkness as before.

I grew a little tired of walking, so I sat down.

What is that sound? The sound of insect wings?

Something is flying toward me. A hornet?

No. Something much larger than a hornet is flying straight at me.

I tried to cry out, but no voice came out.

I'm going to be attacked!

Something is chirping... fluttering.

This time, bird wings?

I opened my eyes. My whole body was drenched in sweat. It was as if I had wet myself. In fact, it wouldn't have been strange if I had—it was such a scary and terrible dream.

I changed my clothes and took a shower.

"Ayano!! Why are you taking your time in the shower?? If you don't eat quickly, you'll be late for school!"

I heard my mother's voice.

■2. Cold Air

After finishing breakfast, I tried to rush through the apartment hallway, but I stopped in my tracks.

"It's freezing! What is this?"

Even though it was midsummer, there was a chill—

I stopped, then walked slowly. Around this corner, Kayo Hongo often cleans from the morning. She is an elderly woman living alone, but she is tidy and, while sweeping with a broom, would greet me with a slow, warm voice, saying, "Good morning." Usually, that is.

However, what was there was an eerie Kayo-san, standing still with glazed-over eyes.

"Hongo... san?"

Kayo-san suddenly collapsed. I was too shocked to approach, and as I watched, I saw a large... pitch-black, cicada-like insect emerge from inside Kayo-san's body.

It didn't tear through her body like an alien in a movie; the insect emerged as if passing through Kayo-san's body.

I love horror movies, but the real thing, and a giant insect at that...

Ignoring me as I felt like throwing up, the large cicada let out a metallic screech and flew away.

I sat down on the floor.

■3. Cause of Death

I remained unable to move a short distance away from the collapsed Kayo-san. A man who was heading out to commute found us and hurriedly called the police. Kayo-san was confirmed dead at the hospital.

Naturally, I was also questioned by the police.

"Huh? A giant cicada?"

The police officer frowned at that point.

"It's been hot lately, so you must have been really shocked..."

The police officer looked at me with eyes that seemed to pity a poor soul.

"...Yes, you're right. I also... somehow... probably... must have misseen it."

In the end, Kayo Hongo's death was ruled as heart failure.

I felt a sense of unease.

It is true that the heatwave has been continuing, but Kayo-san was fine until yesterday. Besides, if it were a heart attack or something, would she really be standing there blankly like that?

I'm not a doctor, so it's just a layman's thought, but wouldn't she have sat down or collapsed from chest pain or difficulty breathing...?

■4. Aunt

I did take the day off school, but the next day, I spent my day as usual at school. Nothing changed. The world doesn't change just because one elderly person passes away.

Unless it's a more gruesome incident or accident.

Even so... no matter how shaken I was, would I really see a hallucination like that?

That pitch-black, giant cicada, about the size of a plastic bottle, definitely came out from inside Kayo-san and let out a cry.

It was too bizarre.

But there was nothing I could do. I returned to my daily life, and I tried to consciously forget about it.

I was on my way home from school. My phone rang. It was my aunt.

I wonder what it is.

My aunt is my mother's older sister, and she is the person I like the most among my relatives. She lives in the countryside, having taken over my mother's family home. We occasionally visit as a family, so we keep in touch.

She is a brisk and energetic person, but she is a reassuring person who lacks the condescending or fussy attitude often found in such people.

■5. Diary

After we finished our initial greetings, my aunt said something unexpected.

"Um... is it true that you saw a large black cicada coming out of a person?"

"I was chatting with Aki-chan (that's my mother) on the phone, and she told me about it."

"She said you've been watching too many horror movies and are saying such inappropriate things..."

Oh, why is it always like this? Is it a mother's job to insult her daughter?

"Huh? Oh... that's..."

I tried to play it off in a panic, but my aunt continued.

"Listen. I was surprised when I heard that story. I don't mean to say you're being rude or that you're crazy."

"I had read about that strange cicada story before. I wanted to let you know."

"...Huh?"

"My mother—ah, my mother. I've read the diary of the person who would be your grandmother."

My grandmother passed away when I was young, so I don't remember her well. All I remember is the kind face in her memorial portrait.

"...A diary... is it?"

"Yes, listen calmly, okay?"

■6. Black Cicada

"...The diary had many strange things written in it, and although Grandma seemed normal, I used to wonder if she was a bit eccentric."

"But when I heard from Aki-chan that Aya-chan had seen a large black cicada, I was shocked."

"Because something very similar to that was also in Grandma's diary."

"!?"

My aunt continues.

“Something strange happened when your grandfather passed away.

Grandpa didn't come back from the field, so when Grandma went to check on him, she said she felt an intense cold, even though it was midsummer.

Thinking it was odd, she found Grandpa standing alone in the field, his hoe cast aside.

Grandpa’s eyes were vacant, and he was acting strangely.

Then, he suddenly collapsed. When Grandma rushed over, she said a large, pitch-black cicada, like a bamboo tube, emerged from him and flew away.

Grandpa was dead, and it was ruled a death by illness, but it was written that Grandma never told anyone about that eerie cicada.”

■7. Shrine Maiden

“Why...”

I felt like I could understand how Grandma felt keeping it to herself, but my aunt brought up something even more unexpected.

“Grandma had a constitution that allowed her to see mysterious things since she was a child. But whenever she spoke of it, people would find her creepy and ostracize her, so she stopped telling anyone.

I was skeptical myself, but it was also written that our family line had a shrine maiden ancestor who could see mysterious things, and that this trait sometimes appears in the women of the family.

Neither Aki nor I can see or feel anything, though.”

Could it be that I inherited that constitution?

I’ve never seen anything until now, though?

But this time...

“I just felt like I should let you know.

You’re a high school student now, after all.

It’s truly a strange and unbelievable thing, but I felt it wouldn't be right not to tell you.

...Though... even though I have zero spiritual sense, I have a feeling that cicada isn't something very good.”

Since it's far away, I can't just go over there right away, and Aki-chan won't take this story seriously at all.

Aya-chan, please, no matter what, if you encounter anything strange, you must never go near it.

I'll look into this cicada more, too. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

While still confused, I thanked my aunt and hung up the phone.

My spiritual debut is going to be that creepy cicada?

Ugh...

■8. Presence

A few more days passed without incident, but on my way home from school, I happened to pass by a certain house.

I was startled. I felt that cold air. There was no mistake.

Because there were garden trees at that house, I couldn't tell where someone might be lying down.

Ah, no. I shouldn't go near it.

Just as I thought that, that large cicada flew up from between the garden trees and tried to fly high into the sky. Perhaps because it's a cicada, its flight speed wasn't that fast.

I instinctively pointed my smartphone at it and pressed the shutter.

“!”

Just when I thought the cicada would fly away, it made a sharp turn and headed straight for me.

It was completely unexpected.

A surprise attack from an insect that was too big and too suspicious.

It was that. A shock 100 times greater than when a cornered cockroach flies at your face.

Unable to move, I felt the cicada crash into my face and lost consciousness.

■9. Makoto

--Naka-san

I heard something vaguely

--Satonaka-san!!

From my chest, as I regained consciousness, that giant cicada crawled out, wriggling.

There was no pain, but... it was as disgusting as a chestburster.

I was about to lose consciousness again, but that person shook me awake.

"Sa-to-na-ka-san!!"

He didn't seem to see the cicada. I could only watch as the cicada flew away.

"...Kizaki!"

Makoto Kizaki. A classmate. He's a joker, and taking advantage of the fact that he sits nearby, he always messes with me. A simple-minded, silly boy...

But, he wasn't a guy I hated that much.

"You suddenly collapsed, so I was worried about what happened! Are you okay?"

■10. To myself as well

"Ah, thanks... I guess I was sleep-deprived."

"Sleep-deprived?"

"Eh?"

"You were acting kind of strange, you know?"

You were standing there with a dazed, vacant look in your eyes. I was wondering what on earth was wrong, and then you suddenly collapsed."

I shuddered.

Isn't that exactly the same sign as when Kayo-san and my grandfather passed away?

That cicada had possessed me.

If Makoto hadn't been there to wake me up, who knows what would have happened...

My face must have turned even paler, as Makoto seemed to panic.

"...hey? Are you okay?"

He even called an ambulance, and after a huge commotion, I went home in my father's car, who had abandoned his work to come get me.

"It's likely heatstroke."

That's what the doctor said, and since it was a situation serious enough to be taken by ambulance, even my mother didn't say a word.

I heard later that an elderly person living alone had indeed passed away in that house that felt so cold.

I checked the photos on my smartphone just in case, but the cicada was nowhere to be seen; there was only the blue sky.

■11. Delirium

The next day at school, Makoto spoke to me.

"Hey, hey!"

"You're being loud..."

"What's a 'black cicada'?"

"!?"

I hurriedly grabbed Makoto's hand and pulled him out of the classroom.

"What did you do! Makoto!!"

"Whoo! Whoo!"

The voices of those idiot boys pierced my back, but I dragged him all the way to the corner of the landing before letting go of his hand.

"You, could you see it?"

Makoto opened his mouth in a daze.

■12. Satisfaction

"What do you mean by 'could you see it'?"

"No, before you noticed, you kept muttering like you were delirious, saying 'a black cicada...' over and over, so I was wondering what this 'black cicada' was."

"...No, I was just confused, that's all."

"You said, 'Could you see it?' didn't you? What happened? When you collapsed, it was clearly not normal, right?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. I don't want people thinking I'm crazy anymore!"

"If you don't tell me the truth, I'm going to shout it out loud."

"Fine! I get it, okay!"

I told him about the strange chill I felt despite it being midsummer. About how Kayo Hongo and my grandfather had died suspicious deaths, and how a giant black cicada had appeared at the scenes.

About how, just like my grandmother, I seem to have a constitution that allows me to see strange things.

And that I had encountered the chill and the cicada once again.

It's frustrating, but I also, once again, said to Makoto,

"Thank you so much for saving my life."

I conveyed those words to him as well.

And, much to my further frustration, Makoto was wearing a look of satisfaction that couldn't have been any greater.

But he quickly turned serious.

■13. Target

"What you're saying makes sense, and in fact, I saw that strange behavior of yours too... I'm not doubting you at all..."

"But I have a feeling that situation is pretty dangerous..."

“Yeah... I know.”

That’s right. I don’t think that cicada understands how a camera works.

However, someone with the “ability to capture it” tried to chase it down.

That intention, perhaps, was conveyed.

That’s why...

“Ayano-san, you were identified as an enemy by that cicada... probably.

In the worst case, it might come back.”

I had been trying not to think about it, but hearing it said out loud made me feel depressed all over again.

“But.”

“But?”

“...I learned something from that.

Even if you get possessed by that strange cicada and lose consciousness,

if you wake up right away, you won’t die, right? Just like I woke you up.”

“Oh, right!”

“So, we just need to make sure we’re never alone.

Even if someone starts acting strange, if someone else is there, they’ll definitely wake them up, right?”

“That’s true!”

“So.”

“So?”

“We’re going to school together!”

“Huh?”

“If it were someone who didn't know the situation, they might be late to wake you up.”

Th-this guy...

“Ugh, please...”

■14. Intrusion

I had no choice but to have Makoto walk me home, and I spent the evening petting Lulu (the cat) while my mother said things like, “Oh, congratulations.”

At night, while lying in bed thinking about what I should do from now on, it seems I fell asleep before I knew it. But I woke up from the cold.

When I opened my eyes, that large cicada was on the ceiling!

Before I could even cry out, the cicada dove at me, but I dodged it. The cicada immediately changed direction and flew at me again!

“Hiss!!”

Lulu, who should have been asleep, let out a threatening hiss and pounced on the cicada!

But

Lulu passed right through the cicada's body and crashed into the bookshelf.

Huh?

For a while, the cicada flew around the room in circles, then headed toward the window.

Incredibly, the cicada passed right through the window...

I sat down on the floor.

Lulu came over, climbed onto my body, and looked into my eyes.

Thank you, Lulu... you saved me.

I said, hugging Lulu with a trembling voice.

15. Restrooms and Bathing

We were talking again on the school landing.

Our classmates looked at us with curious eyes, but I was past the point of caring about that anymore.

So that's why you were so quiet on the way to school...

Makoto sighed.

...That was a close call. I'm really glad you were there, Lulu...

Even the usually carefree Makoto seemed deeply shocked by this story.

But that's a troublesome monster... passing through walls and being immune to physical attacks is just plain unfair.

What kind of setting is that?!

...Yeah.

The tension eased a little, and I felt like crying.

If you don't even have someone you can safely share things with, you can't even cry no matter how scared or miserable you are.

Even with this carefree guy, I was truly grateful from the bottom of my heart to have someone I could talk to about this.

So, what are you doing at home now?

That situation is dangerous just by being alone, right?

What about the bathroom?

I carry Lulu and go into the bathroom. She looks annoyed, but she stays with me.

Ah, that's tough... Lulu...

I suppose I can't take a bath with Lulu, can I?

She's a smart girl, so she seems to have sensed something. She's keeping watch for me in the dressing room.

That's Lulu for you. She's too talented...

This isn't the time to be impressed!

What should I do?

I can't exactly carry Lulu around with me 24 hours a day!

I've been holding it in and not even going to the bathroom at school so I'm never alone, but...

Even then, there are times when you just can't hold it depending on how you're feeling...

Hmm, should we just live together and be together 24 hours a day?

Huh!?

Sorry! I was joking. You just looked so down.

I let out a sigh.

■16. Analysis

But let's organize what we've figured out. First, that black cicada is invisible to normal people.

That part is also unfair. Is it optical camouflage? Seriously.

Optical camouflage?

Yeah. Using protective coloration to blend in with the surroundings and become invisible.

It's something from science fiction, a technology that distorts the light that should hit you to make you look transparent.

There are even movies where transparent monsters attack using that kind of technology...

But this thing is beyond sci-fi. It's too dangerous. It can pass through walls, and physical attacks don't work on it.

...Yeah.

If it were just about Ayano-san's grandfather or Kayo-san, there might have been a possibility that these were just strange stories about premonitions of death, but

the fact that it came to Ayano-san's place specifically, twice, means this monster is clearly acting with a purpose.

It even attacks while people are sleeping, showing it knows how to properly identify an opponent's vulnerability.

Taking everything into account, for an insect, this thing seems to have high intelligence.

Ugh... Seriously, why would a cicada attack people!

I suppose humans are convenient for this monster.

Why?

I suspect that for this black cicada, humans are prey.

It doesn't seem to be directly eating flesh or sucking blood,

but it feeds on something like human 'energy.' That's just a guess, though.

That's why healthy people end up dying suddenly.

To take down prey without leaving any noticeable damage on the surface or inside the body... I think it's a troublesome predator that has evolved in many ways.

It doesn't have to be humans! Why not animals instead!

Hmm. Well, there's the matter of Lulu, isn't there?

Lulu?

Lulu sensed the cicada, didn't she?

And the fact that Lulu attacked it means that, at the very least, cats can see it.

Since animals can detect it, maybe it can't launch surprise attacks on them.

On top of that, wild creatures often travel in groups, so for this black cicada, animals might be difficult targets to deal with.

It's easier to target dull-witted humans who have lost their sensory perception, as there are many isolated individuals among them.

Communities with many lonely people are perfect hunting grounds for them.

Since their bodies are large, they probably provide a 'substantial meal' in terms of energy, too.

Like spiders or praying mantises, does this mean this cicada is a predator that treats humans as prey?

The thought made me feel even more sick.

■17. Miscalculation

We were talking while walking home from school.

Why would the cicada get so desperate just because it was photographed?

...Because it was seen?

...Probably, yes. It was seen... The cicada made a big mistake due to overconfidence.

Overconfidence?

Yeah. It should have targeted people who were more alone, with no one else around. It probably never imagined there would be someone with the 'ability to see' it, but attacking prey multiple times in crowded places was a huge blunder.

Because of that, it was discovered by a natural enemy, Ayano-san.

Why am I being labeled a natural enemy? Even though I don't have any means of counterattacking?

I don't really understand how a cicada thinks, but I wonder if it's afraid of humans coordinating with each other.

Coordinating?

Yes. Coordinating.

For the cicada, the appearance of someone with the ability to see it must have been a significant miscalculation.

It's called an alarm call; animals that move in groups use cries or similar signals to warn their companions when they spot a natural enemy.

Information sharing, right? Is it afraid of that?

I'm not such a good Samaritan that I'd go through with that so-called alarm call while being targeted by something like that, you know?!

Besides, since no one else can see it, there's no way for them to believe me!!

■18. Perfect Strategy

That's true. For now, even with a few miscalculations, that cicada's invisibility strategy is nothing short of perfect.

We aren't making any use at all of the information brought to us by people like Ayano-san.

Ayano-san's grandmother was even ostracized because of it.

If that cicada is afraid of human understanding and cooperation, I'd like to tell it that it's overestimating humanity.

I raised my voice.

Ugh!! I hate this!

He sighed.

Well, setting that aside, I wonder if even a supernatural entity has a weakness somewhere? There must be other things that don't go the way the cicada wants, too.

There's no way it's a flawless existence.

Why?

Hmm.

I can only put it broadly, but even a cicada needs food to live.

If it doesn't have food, it can't survive. Therefore, it is dependent on humans.

If it were truly invincible and immortal, it would eat all its food and the world would collapse.

Also, for creatures that overpopulate, there's the natural law where a nasty epidemic spreads and their numbers drop all at once... well, it's called an ecosystem, I suppose.

I wonder if 'ecosystem' is even a concept that applies to something like that... I can't imagine something like that dying of disease or starvation.

■19. Reinforcements

I stopped in my tracks.

Hey... Makoto?

Hmm?

It's no good...

That plan where you stay with me and wake me up when I get possessed...

Why?

Three of them, those cicadas are approaching... Since we're always together, they intend to take care of you along with me!

Damn, they have such a troublesome ability, and there's more than one of them!?

Bringing friends along is cheating!

Which way are they coming from?

They're heading this way from over there!

Ah, damn it! If that's how you want to play it, then fine! This way!

Where are you going?

20. Shopping District

We were out of breath.

In this area, there remained a shopping district that, unusually, still had constant foot traffic.

Inside the arcade, there weren't many people, but shopkeepers were there, and customers were coming and going.

Surely, it's impossible to attack this many people all at once. Where are they?

I pointed and told him.

They're perched around there in the arcade...

“Alright. Maybe I can experiment.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“If physical blows don't work, how about light?”

“Wait!”

I tried to stop him, but I wasn't in time.

Makoto pointed his smartphone camera at the cicada and flashed it repeatedly.

The cicada made a metallic sound, flapped its wings, and then went quiet.

I told Makoto about it.

“I wonder if it took damage.”

I replied.

“...It doesn't seem like it...”

“Huh?”

“Two more flew in, so now there are five!

Isn't that counterproductive?!”

“Whoa, reinforcements? And more of them?

Even so, it seems like it really hates being the center of attention... or rather, it just gets stimulated by it.”

■21. Time

How many hours had passed? We didn't know what to do, so we sat in silence in front of the shutter of a closed-down shop.

Outside the arcade, it was starting to get dark.

“Hey... what should we do?”

It's still early enough that it's fine, but

this town isn't like Shinjuku or Harajuku, where there are lots of people all night long.

Once it gets to be the middle of the night, there won't be anyone left..."

"..."

As expected, Makoto doesn't reply either.

"...Sorry, even though Makoto is getting dragged into this because of me."

"That's not true. I stuck my neck into this because I wanted to. It's not your fault, Ayano-san. Still, this is a pain. At this rate, we're getting nowhere."

Just then, my smartphone rang.

It was a call from my aunt.

■22. Folklore

"Auntie! Did you find anything out?"

"Has anything unusual happened since then?"

I explained the situation to her in a nutshell.

My aunt let out a groan.

I put it on speaker mode

so that Makoto could join in the conversation with my aunt as well.

"That's why I told you not to get close if you found anything!

What are you going to do now!"

"The other side is acting like they have nothing to lose now...

And besides, if there are five of them, there's a high possibility they'll drag not just us, but Ayano-san's parents into this too. That's why we can't move from here..."

I think the ones waiting are also just waiting for the other people to leave, but honestly, I have no idea how this cicada is going to move next...

...If only other people could see the monster, they could help me!

It really is a nasty monster!!

I felt like I was going to faint, but then I remembered.

Hey, Auntie, you didn't call me just to talk about nothing, did you?

Oh, but...

You said you were going to look into that monster. Did you find anything out?

I didn't really find anything new, but...

Anything is fine, just tell me! Hurry!

Alright. When I was looking into that strange cicada at the local archives, it appeared briefly in some old legends from this region.

■ 23. Shadow Cicada

I'll read it to you.

According to folklore, that yokai is called a 'Shadow Cicada'.

The Shadow Cicada takes the form of a large, black cicada, like a bamboo tube, and often appears during the intense heat of midsummer.

Those possessed by it have their life force drained and die suddenly.

A person possessed by a Shadow Cicada will lose consciousness, but if they can regain it quickly, the Shadow Cicada will flee.

The Shadow Cicada hides skillfully, making it difficult to see, but if you feel an abnormal chill despite it being midsummer, that is a sign that a Shadow Cicada is nearby.

However, even if you happen to spot a Shadow Cicada, you must never chase it. It is said that those who chase it are cursed and die.

Bingo!

Don't 'Bingo' me! I wish I had known sooner!

I shivered from the parts of the story that matched up, and from the cold I was feeling right now.

In fact, the cold air from the five shadow cicadas was freezing. However, it seemed like only I could feel that cold, as Makoto seemed completely fine.

Normal people can't see or feel them. With this, there's no way for normal people to defend themselves. Perhaps legends aren't always entirely correct.

"Shadow cicadas often appear where elderly people live alone. However, even if you aren't elderly, those living alone need to be very careful. Since no obvious wounds are found, victims are often thought to have died suddenly due to heat or illness."

"What's a sudden death?"

As I muttered that, Makoto said,

"It means dying unexpectedly..."

■ 24. Weakness

"I'll continue... It's thought that the 'Kappa' legend began to keep children from playing by the river and meeting with water accidents, but couldn't 'shadow cicadas' also be monsters created to teach the dangers of living in isolation and the importance of people helping each other?... that's how the explanation ends, but"

In reality, these things really exist and go around killing people, don't they? What should we do..."

"Excuse me, was there anything else written?"

"For example, weaknesses. Or things that shadow cicadas dislike."

When Makoto asked that,

"...Hmm, I wonder if something like this would work. It says that if you imitate the cry of a crow, you might be able to keep the shadow cicadas away..."

I asked my aunt why a crow, but she said nothing more was written and she didn't know.

"Please, whatever you do, don't lose hope. I pray that you can make it through this..."

After my aunt said that weakly,

I hung up the phone.

■ 25. Mimicry and Sound Effects

Makoto immediately began something like vocal exercises

"Caw! Caw!"

He began to mimic the call.

Of course, I thought people around us would look at us with strange eyes, but that wasn't the case.

They just glanced at us briefly and walked on as if nothing had happened.

For a moment, I didn't understand why, but then it hit me.

Everyone just wants to avoid getting involved in some incomprehensible trouble.

It wasn't just indifference; some young people were even filming Makoto with their smartphones.

I felt the urge to slap that young person, but I felt like I had been shown once again the fragility of humans who allow the shadow cicadas to operate in the shadows.

Unfazed by any of that, Makoto continued his mimicry for a while, but his efforts were in vain, and the shadow cicada didn't budge an inch.

"No good... Maybe it only works if you're on the level of Master Nekohachi. Well then, how about this?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"My sister is in the drama club. She does acting, of course, but she also creates and edits sound effects."

"Sound effects? Like explosion sounds?"

"Yeah, exactly. You know how you hear insect chirps or bird calls in dramas and movies, right? They can't just have those things there during filming, so they play back prepared sound effects..."

There are lots of those things on the internet as free resources... Found it! Live recording, bird calls! Crows are a classic, after all."

Makoto quickly searched, found a recording of a crow's call, and played it.

The sound of a crow's caw rang out loudly. People around us looked around. It seemed they thought a crow had wandered in for a moment.

"How is it?"

"...It flew away... It's gone..."

I broke down in tears.

■26. Streetlight

It was nearing midnight, and we were walking near the reservoir. The streetlights were illuminating the road in a lonely way.

To keep the battery from dying, we were walking while playing the sound of crow calls at intervals.

The effect was immediate; the Shadow Cicadas, which had been so persistent, were nowhere to be seen. However,

when we kept playing the "crow sound effect," we were inevitably scolded by someone from the shopping district, and we ran away. We didn't mean to interfere with business, but...

"What should we do..."

"At this hour, nothing is open... Oh, how about we stay at a love hotel? The rooms are soundproof, and we can charge our phones there."

"Are you serious! What are you saying at a time like this!"

"I'm joking! There's no way they'd let us in wearing school uniforms, right?

Besides, those places are surprisingly empty, so there's a high chance we'd get the staff involved..."

"Wait! Why? How do you know so much about that?"

"I, uh, well..."

■27. Swarm

Because we were arguing, we didn't notice the person approaching us from behind at all.

A man came from behind, snatched Makoto's smartphone, and threw it into the pond.

"You're noisy with your cawing in the middle of the night! And on top of that, you're flirting!"

"Ayano-san?"

"Yeah..."

"What's with you guys!"

The man who was picking a fight seemed to get even angrier because we were looking in the opposite direction.

“A lot! Dozens of them!!”

“Damn it, this is bad!!”

“Mister! I’m sorry!”

We ran for a while, then looked back.

The man who should have been furious was standing there silently.

“No! There are so many of them swarming that man.”

“...This way!”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

■28. Provocation

I kept running, as if being dragged along.

The speed at which the shadow cicadas fly is by no means fast.

However, with a stamina you wouldn't expect from a cicada,

the swarm of shadow cicadas persistently chased after us.

“Stupid cicadas. They’re just simply chasing us.

I suppose they aren't capable of anything sophisticated like splitting up to ambush us.

Or are they... just so excited they’ve lost their minds?”

“What are you talking about! No way. I can’t run anymore!”

“...Give me your smartphone!”

“Sound effects?”

“That might buy us some time, but it’s not a decisive blow!”

“A decisive blow? Does such a thing even exist!?”

Makoto and I were heading toward a place that looked like the hill behind the park. As we entered the area where the planted trees loomed black against the light of the streetlamps, Makoto began operating the smartphone I had handed him.

“Which direction are they in??”

“From over there!”

Makoto kept taking pictures of the swarm of shadow cicadas with the flash.

“What are you doing, provoking them even more!!!”

I tried to take the smartphone back from a frantic Makoto, but he shook me off.

The frozen air seemed to be trembling. The amplified rage of the shadow cicadas was like a rumbling of the earth.

I had seen this kind of atmosphere before. The sight I saw on TV of a swarm of locusts devouring everything in their path.

If I recall, there is a story in the Bible about a swarm of locust monsters attacking, and they were given the right by God to harm corrupt humans...

A swarm of insects capable of long-distance flight...

Perhaps the people of ancient times also felt an inescapable evil and despair in the face of an overwhelming threat flying in a swarm. Just like this...

“Come on, come on, come ooon! You cicada bastards!

Get all hot-headed and gather around!!

Wooooo! Everyone! Wake up!!!”

Makoto was kicking the trunks of nearby trees, picking up sticks and stones, and throwing them at the trees at random.

Makoto had completely broken down...

It made absolutely no sense.

I sat down on the ground.

■29. Natural Enemy

I felt as if the flying shadow cicadas had stopped for a split second.

What is this?

—Cawww!!!

The sound of a crow??

The sound of crows began to be heard from between the trees here and there.

“How about this!

What happens if I throw real crows at them instead of a recording?!”

Was this place a roost for a flock of crows?

I felt a mix of relief and disappointment.

As I thought, it only drives them away temporarily, doesn't it?

And then what... such a huge swarm...

…Huh?

“How is it? How are the shadow cicadas reacting?”

Makoto says to me as I stand there in a daze.

“They're... eating the shadow cicadas... they're devouring the ones trying to flee one after another...”

“The crows are?”

“They look exactly like crows, but they aren't crows.

After all, physical attacks shouldn't work on shadow cicadas.

Besides, they're eating such large cicadas one after another with bottomless intensity.”

“…………”

It was a scene beyond imagination. There were hundreds of crows.

While there were surely real crows among them, these black birds were catching the confused and fleeing shadow cicadas in mid-air, tearing them apart, crunching them, and swallowing them.

If the 'something' that resembled a cicada was a shadow cicada, then the 'something' that resembled a crow dancing in the sky must surely be their 'natural predator'.

The screams of the shadow cicadas and the cries of the crows continued to echo all around.

■30. Tengu

We returned home in the morning and were thoroughly scolded by both of our parents.

They asked what we had been doing out together.

This time, my father was even more furious than my mother, looking as if he were about to grab Makoto.

Father... it is ironic, but that seemingly foolish boy is the savior who risked everything to believe in me, more than anyone else, even more than you.

We were unfazed by such rage.

Compared to those terrifying beings that transcend human understanding, the nagging of parents who know nothing is merely the chirping of small birds.

After things settled down, I talked with Makoto. I asked him what those crows were. In addition, I asked how he knew that place was a crow's roost.

According to him, he had once chosen crows as the theme for his summer vacation independent research project when he was a child.

Considering that, his poor imitation of their call... I couldn't help but smile bitterly as I remembered it.

When the conversation turned to natural predators, Makoto nodded.

When I was a kid, I once helped an injured crow that couldn't fly and fed it. That's why I was interested in crows.

But one day, that crow disappeared. I was very sad.

My grandfather, who was alive at the time, told me.

'Wise crows are scouted by the Great Tengu and become Crow Tengu.'

Look, among that flock of crows far over there, isn't there one that looks a little different?'

That's a crow tengu,' he said.

Huh? That means...

■31. Lonely City

Of course, I think the injured crow must have died somewhere.

I think Grandpa told me that so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

But remembering that, I realized something.

Crows are almost always treated as ominous birds, but...

Sometimes they are worshipped as messengers of the gods. I wondered why...

I felt a chill as I listened.

Thinking about the legend that shadow cicadas hate the sound of crow calls, and all the things about crows...

...I thought that if it were a real crow, maybe there was something to it.

So, to make the shadow cicadas lose their composure, I provoked them and lured them to that place.

It was truly a gamble...

It's just a theory after the fact, but maybe the crows reacted well because so many shadow cicadas gathered.

People in the past, more than us...

—even if not as much as animals—

might have been able to sense shadow cicadas better.

It seems Ayano's ancestors were like that too, after all.

And so, they knew that animals... especially crows, were special beings.

That is, 'something unknown to us' mixed in among the crows.

I suspect you knew that there was a 'very powerful one' among them, didn't you..."

Since then, we have never encountered a Shadow Cicada again.

Were the Shadow Cicadas all eaten up, every last one of them, by those mysterious crows?

Or perhaps they are still alive, but have grown tired of us and given up.

I do not know which it is.

However, the number of people in our area who pass away in loneliness has not decreased at all.

(End)

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This work is
a piece I wrote for the ACT Scenario Club that I belong to.
Once a month, we decide on a theme and write stories for each other.

ACT Scenario Club Website