The End of Shadow III

<Former Shadow III>

"Beautiful."

The emerald Caribbean Sea—after being fed up watching the endless fight between Garnet and Cobalt, this was healing for me. Mix red, blue, and green, and even the heart gets bleached clean.

Looking back, what were those days of struggle, being chased by numbers, really about? Status and honor are things you crave if you don’t have them, but once you get them, they turn out to be hollow. Surfing in this kind of eternal summer sea made life feel far more fulfilling.

That’s right. Even serotonin, that brain chemical, gets produced in abundance when you spend healthy days basking in the sunlight like this. I could probably earn new Karma Points this way, too.

“Looks like you’re enjoying your vacation to the fullest.”

A hard object presses against my back. In this world, it seems that guns, not musical instruments, are used as tools for assassination.

“So, Rabbid. You really managed to track me down all the way out here.”

“I don’t have many connections with government agencies like the FBI or Interpol back on Earth, so it was tough. But here, I have contacts in the underworld. Like the Mexican mafia, for example.”

As I say this, the gun is pressed deeper, digging into my latissimus dorsi.

“A violin suits you much better. Clumsy weapons that do nothing but spit out lead just aren’t your style.”

“As you know, magic doesn’t work in this world. That’s why I started by training at the shooting range. I’d figured out where you were early on, but I let you roam free for a while for that reason.”

“Let me ask before I die. Is my son Groove safe?”

“Oh? So you have parental feelings after all.”

A low chuckle rings out.

“I didn’t expect it all to come crashing down this quickly, but the title ‘Shadow III’ was never meant for a normal human life. Not letting him inherit this ridiculous business—that was my own kind of parental love. All I did was give him access rights to the MPN; I made sure he never got close to the organization’s deepest darkness.”

“I see. It’s true—the new boss removed Groove from the kill list. You wanted to make sure this kind of thing wouldn’t happen if push came to shove.”

“How did the school election turn out?”

“Lala won.”

I let out a sigh of relief at those words, but Rabbid seemed to find that puzzling.

“It’s better for that kid to suffer when he’s young and face plenty of setbacks. That’s how you grow as a person. If you’re pampered from a young age like I was, you’re headed for a bad end. Even young TV celebrities who think they’re strong-willed end up straying off the path after being spoiled by those around them.”

There’s a click. Is that the safety being engaged?

“Why won’t you shoot?”

“We may not have known each other long, but we’re still connected, aren’t we?”

With a well-groomed, fluffy paw, Rabbid pats me gently on the shoulder.

“I’ve arranged for an excellent orthopedic surgeon. You can spend your days here in peace. Shadow III will be considered dead here.”

So you’re showing mercy to a fool like me.

I took the radish-marked cigar Rabbid handed me, puffed on it, and looked up at the sky.

Salt water dripped from beneath my sunglasses. The summer sun shone brilliantly over the seas of Panama.