Episode 10

**Into the Darkness** (闇の中へ, *Yami no Naka e*) is the 10th episode of the Summer Time Rendering anime.

## Synopsis

Shinpei learns the truth about Ushio's death. From the video left behind by Ushio and Shadow Ushio, he believes that there are clues about the "shadow" on the mountain. There, they find the old ward of the Hishigata Clinic, which is the family home of Sou. When the three of them arrive at the old ward, they see a statue of Hiruko sitting in the clinic and a hidden door leading to an underground bunker further inside. The group tries to go deeper, but the hidden door is locked.

## Summary

Shinpei comments that Shiori's face changed when she grabbed him. He then recognize its the red floating girl from the festival. As it starts to rain, Sou is surprised that Shinpei was right. Shinpei wishes to go to the old clinic, but Sou wants they to go tomorrow as its raining and its getting dark. As Shinpei still wants to go, Sou agrees to come along.

Mio and Tokiko are hiding from the rain. Tokiko wonders if Mio will be going to the festival tomorrow, but Mio explains she doesn't have a yukata. Tokiko states she will gladly lend her one. Tokiko then wants a favor from Mio and asks her to stay with her tomorrow. A man then shows up, but seeing he isn't local, Tokiko wonders who he is. The man introduces himself as Miura from Wakayama's northern station and asks them if they knew the Kobayakawas.

After preparing, Shinpei and Sou meet to head for the mountain. Shinpei shows him that Ushio turned into a shell necklace and is on his neck. On their way to the old clinic, Sou reveals that when he was in fourth grade, he tried to sneak in the clinic as Tetsu Totsumura and his friends invited him for a test of courage. However, he wasn't able to get in as his father caught them. Since they owned the clinic, Sou didn't think much of it as it was possible for Seido to be there, but he finds it weird and wonders what his father was doing there. As they reach the clinic, Shinpei asks Ushio if she senses any shadows, but she denies and pops out. Sou tries to scold her for not being serious as she is in a swimsuit, but she states the same as he is in a baseball outfit. Shinpei explains that having clothes would get in the way of her transformations. Ushio adds that her real body is her flat shadow, so even if she wears an armor that won't protect her if her shadow get stabbed. They enter the old clinic and start looking around. Shinpei sees that the stairs for the second floor are broken and asks Ushio to check it. Sou finds a medicine cabinet and old toxic medicine, which is no longer used due to its deadly toxins. Sou then finds an old weird wood statue that is holding a fish in his left arm. That reminds him of something and they figure its like an Ebisu statue, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, God of fishing. However, Ebisu is usually depicted as an old fat guy and not as leech-like female. Shinpei searched on internet and finds that Hiruko is the first god created from Izanagi and Izanami when Japan was created, however as it was a weak child, it was put on a boat and cast out to sea. Hiruko was described as a leech-like with no arms or legs, making some interpreted that Hiruko is heteromorphic. Shinpei then realizes the wood statue is Hiruko.

On the second floor, Ushio finds a cook book and old picture book of Hishigata family. Shinpei calls Ushio and asks her to go trough a small gap in the wall. Ushio agrees after Shinpei promises her to buy her some food at the festival. Once on the other side, as its too dark for her to see, Shinpei suggests she can use her copy light to light the room. As she does, Ushio sees a key hole and guesses its a door. Shinpei calls her back, but they can't break the wall and need to look for the key. Ushio feels hungry and Shinpei takes out rice balls. As she stuffs herself, Shinpei realizes that the Hiruko statue also has a swelled stomach and it may be pregnant. Ushio reveals her scan can see inside of things, like human bones and organs, and as she scans the statue, she sees something in the statue belly. She takes a string of her hair and attempts to copy it, which ends up being a key. With it, Ushio opens the secret door and they see a tunel leading below, but Ushio warns them that she senses a presence of a Shadow down there. Sou wonders what his father is doing as there is a secret door that can only be opened with Shadow's help.

As they go down, Sou comments it looks like an old underground canal dug during the war. Shinpei guesses no one has been here since decades and this is a path only shadows use. Ushio feels the direction of the Shadow, but feels chilly and has a bad feeling. Shinpei states that Ushio should focus on protecting herself and Sou to try and protect her as well. Shinpei notes that if he dies, he will loop again, but if Ushio dies first, he may end up looping without her, and if that happens, the next time he sees her may be on the festival or never.

Heading towards the shadow, Shinpei sees a human-shaped dark stain, however, Ushio feels its quite old. Ushio then senses the shadow, which is right behind the next corner, where a rat just ran to. Shinpei goes to check and as he peeks, he sees a baby-like shadow which is missing its top half of the head, which then erases a rat. Shinpei prepares to pin it with a nailgun and throws a rock, but the shadow doesn't react, neither to the sound or the light. As he gets a bit closer, the shadow smells him out. The shadow then escapes past Shinpei, who misses with his nailgun. As it heads towards Sou, he hits it with his baseball bat, but the shadow turns to its shadow form, softening the blow and then transforms again and jumps at him. The shadow manages to pin Sou to the ground. Shinpei manages to calm himself down and then hits the shadow tree times with the nailgun, making it unable to move. Sou then throws it at Ushio, who then kills it. The group then celebrates, but a moment later, Ushio feels weird and states the first shadow she sensed is still around. As they continue, Ushio's arm starts to bleed due to the injury Mio gave her previously. She had printed a new arm, but it seems she haven't recovered from the damage. She then prints another arm to stop the bleeding.

Continuing, Sou wonders if Ushio can copy the nailgun. Shinpei states they tried and she did, but the copied machines won't work and its just imitations, until the original is erased, which will then make the copy work. Shinpei reveals his nailgun is a copy and it has benefits, like if it runs out of nails, she can just print him a new one. They hear a gunfire and then reach a natural cave. Ushio then feels they are surrounded by shadows. Multiple baby-like shadows then attack them.

## Characters

* Sou Hishigata
* Shinpei Ajiro
* Ushio Kofune
* Mio Kofune
* Tokiko Hishigata
* Miura
* Tetsu Totsumura
* Seido Hishigata