At the regular's shout, Aoi summoned every ounce of strength left in her body.
She raised the hammer high and brought it down on the moss-covered stone altar. A deafening crack echoed through the basement as fractures spiderwebbed across the surface. The shadowy man let out a guttural roar, his misty form surging toward her. The icy grip on her heart tightened, choking her breath, but the regular thrust his cross forward, halting the shadow's advance for a fleeting moment.
"Aoi, keep going! Smash it completely!" he urged.
Gritting her teeth, Aoi swung the hammer again, shattering the cracked altar. Stone fragments scattered across the floor. The room quaked violently, black smoke curling from the charred marks on the walls. The shadow's cries morphed into a discordant, otherworldly wail, a chorus of voices entwined. Its voice burrowed into her mind.
"You cannot escape… This place is mine!"
Teetering on the edge of terror, Aoi raised the hammer a third time and struck. The altar crumbled into dust, and a blinding light pierced the basement, streaming in from an unseen source—dawn, somehow breaking through. The shadow writhed in agony, reaching for her, but its fingers melted into the radiance.
"Get out! Leave us alone!" Aoi screamed, pouring her last strength into obliterating the altar's remains.
The light erupted, flooding the room.
The shadow's screams faded into the distance, and Aoi's vision drowned in white. She dropped the hammer and collapsed to her knees. The regular caught her shoulder, his breath ragged.
"You did it, Aoi. It's over."
But a faint, cold sensation lingered in her chest. She glanced at the altar's ruins and saw a wisp of black mist stirring faintly—the shadow's remnant. It slithered toward her, coiling around her ankles. Aoi screamed, and the regular brandished his cross.
"It's not done! Aoi, get back!"
She scrambled backward, pressing against the wall. The mist pursued, but when it grazed the cross, it shrieked and recoiled with a piercing wail. Yet a tendril latched onto her arm, sending a jolt of icy pain through her. She clutched her arm, trembling with fear.
"It's still alive! What do we do?!"
The regular scanned the altar's debris and snatched a stone fragment from the floor. It pulsed faintly with a red glow. He shouted, "This is it—the altar's core! Destroy it!"
Aoi took the fragment with shaking hands and retrieved the hammer. The mist tightened around her, her vision dimming. But with a final surge of defiance, she smashed the hammer down. The red glow exploded, and the mist let out a scream-like wail before dissolving into nothing. Silence reclaimed the basement. Exhausted, Aoi collapsed.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying on the izakaya's counter.
Morning light streamed through the sliding door, bathing the room in warmth. Yamamoto and the regular stood over her. Tears glistened in Yamamoto's eyes, while the regular managed a weary smile.
"Aoi, you're okay! I'm so sorry…" Yamamoto's voice broke as he gripped her hand.
She sat up slowly, glancing at her arm. A faint bruise marked where the mist had touched her, but the cold sensation was gone. She offered a weak smile. "Is it really over? The shadow?"
The regular nodded. "Yeah. The moment you destroyed the core, it was done. That thing's not coming back. My dad said the core was what powered it. You did good, Aoi."
Relief washed over her. She looked outside, where the morning bustle of the city had returned, as if nothing had happened. But a sliver of unease lingered in her heart—the shadow's voice, the talk of souls bound to the shop. It felt distant, like a dream, yet the bruise's dull ache anchored her to reality.
"What about the shop, Yamamoto-san?" she asked.
He shook his head, his face grim. "I'm done. Can't keep running a place this dangerous. I'll sell it or shut it down. You don't have to come back, Aoi. Find a new job."
She nodded and stepped outside.
The morning air filled her lungs, lightening her steps. As she walked to the station, Aoi reflected on her life—university, friends, family, and the terror of this night. It had all forged her into something stronger. The bruise might never fade, but she chose to move forward.
Weeks later, Aoi started a new job at a café.
The bright space buzzed with smiling customers, free of any shadowy presence. But late at night, when she was alone, she sometimes thought she heard a faint whisper in her ear.
"We'll meet again."
Aoi ignored it, brewing coffee with a smile. She knew the truth: the shadow no longer held her.
おわり