The Allure of the Sunlit Spot
“Peace is often a blessing to the body, but a cage for the spirit,” my grandfather once growled, his voice like the rustle of dry leaves. “A nose that knows only the sweet scent of dumplings will eventually forget the sharp, bitter tang of truth. When the world is at its quietest, Tabinosuke—that is when the shadows are most famished.”
Behold the Land of the Rising Sun, Musashi Province. At its beating heart lies Nihonbashi, a theater of ten thousand footsteps and the rhythmic cries of merchants that have echoed through the ages. Just a breath away from the grand thoroughfare, ancient row houses lean shoulder to shoulder, and from their hidden alleys, the savory ghost of simmering soy sauce dances with the steam of freshly harvested rice
“...Ahh, that smells good. My stomach’s growling.”
From behind a cart, a single—no, a young boy let out a huge yawn.
His name was Tabinosuke.
He was a youth, with the heart of a boy but the burdens of a man. With his triangular ears standing erect and his tail curled tightly, he was a boy in the form of a Shiba Inu—a member of the “Inugami Clan: Dog (Ku) Tribe,” known for his deep sense of duty and loyalty, and characterized by his round, innocent eyes.
It had been nearly a few weeks since he’d arrived in this peaceful village.
His original purpose was to search for his long-lost younger sister. All he had to go on was a single hairpin—the only thing he’d been clutching when he was swept away by the raging torrent that day.
But the villagers were all kind, sharing delicious dumplings and buns with him every day. On top of that, the sunlight was perfect, and the scent of broth carried on the breeze tickled Tabinosuke’s keen nose to no end.
“No, no. I’m in the middle of a journey. If I stay too long, Grandpa will get mad at me and say, ‘Has your nose gone dull?’”
As if talking to himself, Tabinosuke carefully rearranged the furoshiki bundle on his back.
But his resolve was in vain; his eyes were glued to the gleam of the “mitarashi dango” being carried out from the teahouse next door.
“……Just one more, just one more before I head out. Yeah, that’s the plan.”
That lazy, peaceful moment was shattered just a moment later.
“――Aaaaaaah! Thief! Someone, anyone, catch him!”
A sharp scream that seemed to tear through the quiet back alley.
Tabinosuke’s ears twitched, and the hairs on his tail stood on end.
The voice belonged to Oka, a girl from the village where I was staying.
“Oka-chan!? What’s wrong!”
When Tabinosuke rushed over, Oka was slumped on the ground, tears in her eyes as she pointed into the void.
“Tabi-chan…! That precious… my precious ‘Chidori Incense Burner’…!”
Looking down, he saw that the bundle that should have been in her arms was gone.
Lifting his gaze, he saw a black shadow darting across the rooftops. It looked human, but its movements were far too fast and unnatural.
“…It’s over there! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get it back!”
Tabinosuke’s eyes shifted from their previous sleepy state to the sharp gaze of a “hunter.”
He pushed off the ground in a position almost on all fours.
His friendly Shiba Inu face faded into the background, and his stride was as light and powerful as the wind.
“Stop right there! Thief!”
The fleeing shadow. The pursuing Shiba Inu.
Their destination was the dense forest spreading out on the outskirts of the village—a place that remained dark even in broad daylight.
It was a forbidden place that the villagers feared and called the “The Forest of Lost Souls.”
