Character Story 3: Shadow Capturing Investigation

Scene: Landsol town square.

Kasumi
Huhu. And thus, the investigation begins, Assistant.

Kasumi
Yes, our investigation shall focus on the recent mysterious phenomenon plaguing the town, the so called Shadows.

Kasumi
It's a request from your benefactors the Sarendia Orphanage, you know?

Kasumi
"The children are afraid, so if possible I'd like you to solve this incident. Or at the very least, determine the cause of this phenomenon", they said.

Kasumi
Protecting the children's smiles—quite the job worth doing.

Kasumi
Though, regrettably... I currently understand very little about why these Shadows are appearing.

Kasumi
Even though in the time since, I'd worn my soles out from investigating every day.

Kasumi
There's never been a similar case in the past, either. Truly, an unprecedented mysterious incident.

Kasumi
I'll give you an overview of what I know.

Kasumi
Sightings of these strange beings, these Shadows, have recently been occurring solely in this town— Landsol. Whether or not we can assume that they are a species of monster is unclear.

Kasumi
They mainly appear at night, so treating them as ghosts seems to be the best way to catch a sighting.

Kasumi
Engaging them in combat seems to be an option for the brave, but there doesn't seem to be any other way to deal with them. Just as their name suggests, they are quite the shadowy beings.

Kasumi
Also, there are many cases of Shadows taking on the forms of witnesses' acquaintances.

Kasumi
At a glance they are indistinguishable; an exact copy of their outer appearance.

Kasumi
Their eyes glow with a strange light and their bodies are surrounded by a dark mist... Though their outlines seem to be indistinct at times.

Kasumi
They also seem to repeat the same actions without fail and repeat the same cryptic lines over and over.

Kasumi
The consensus is that they are beings without intelligence and incapable of thought.

Kasumi
If they were just that, frankly, they'd be harmless.

Kasumi
Their creepiness aside... There have been instances of Shadows harming humans, so they can't simply be left alone.

Kasumi
Hmm. You were also a witness. And at that time, you even fought with them, or so I've heard.

Kasumi
That prior experience... is one of the reasons I chose you to be my assistant.

Kasumi
I've only glanced at Shadows from afar, so I haven't been able to discern much about them.

Kasumi
If possible, I'd like for you to go into detail about when you made contact with those Shadows.

Kasumi
Pardon the sudden vague question, but what did you feel at the time?

Yuuki
1. I don't really know.
2. I was scared.

Option 1.

Kasumi
Well, honest, aren't you. Can't really use that as reference, though.

Kasumi
Aah, I didn't mean to put you down. Getting attacked by Shadows doesn't really leave you with a chance to observe them, after all.

Option 2.

Kasumi
I see... That actually falls in line with what other eyewitnesses have experienced.

Kasumi
The reason is unknown, but just laying eyes on a Shadow causes intense discomfort.

Kasumi
A strange feeling of dread that eats away at your core.

Kasumi
This disturbance of people's hearts is what causes the fear. There's a chance that they emit some sort of special magic, as well.

End of branches.

Kasumi
Regardless, cases of Shadows attacking humans are very rare.

Kasumi
Since they don't really have any will, they typically just move without purpose.

Kasumi
Attacks by Shadows like you experienced are the few exceptions.

Kasumi
The reason they do attack humans is unknown, but the chance of a repeat case is high, I believe.

Kasumi
Huhu. That's right, my apologies for treating you as bait but...

Kasumi
The chance of you being targeted by a Shadow... I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Kasumi
I've yet to deal with them in person, after all. I can come up with all kinds of theories in my head, but in the end they're all just armchair theories.

Kasumi
With all being that said... I'd like to defeat a Shadow and capture it, if possible.

Kasumi
Shadows usually just vanish into mist after taking damage... so it might be a bit difficult.

Kasumi
I've prepared a special magic-infused bottle. With this, I'd like to draw a Shadow in and seal it.

Kasumi
If we're able to capture one, I'll be sure to thoroughly examine it.

Kasumi
Although, I'm not sure what to do if a Shadow doesn't show up...

Kasumi
Until then, let's investigate by getting some eyewitness testimonies.

Kasumi
Time to head here and there, Assistant.

Kasumi
Ehehe. Almost seems like a date, huh...♪