The schoolyard was dark. The gates were locked. Kaito stood inside the perimeter. He had climbed the fence. It was easier than explaining why he was here.
The old cherry blossom tree stood in the corner. It was decades old. It bloomed once a year. Everyone took pictures when it bloomed.
Tonight, it was dying.
Kaito walked toward it. The grass was wet. The air smelled wrong. It smelled like rot. It smelled like old paper burning.
Kaito thought: Hunger Born.
He saw it clinging to the trunk. It was not a beast. It was a stain. A shadow that ate color. The bark was grey where it touched. The leaves were falling without wind.
Kuro said: "It is feeding."
Kaito said: "I see it."
Kuro said: "Do not cut it. The tree is the host. If you cut the stain, you cut the wood."
Kaito said: "I know."
He stepped closer. The shadow rippled. It sensed him. It did not fight. It tried to consume faster. It wanted the spirit before he could intervene.
Kaito thought: No.
