Chapter 49

## Chapter Guide

**"Soot Talents"** (すすの能 (のう) 力 (りょく) , *Susu no Nōryoku*?) is the forty-ninth chapter of the Shadows House manga series.

## Summary

Patrick was left behind as he did not awaken a soot power while Louise, John, and Kate are brought into the "soot training room" a place for Shadows to train their powers and recycle soot used into soot coal. Susanna has the three show their powers with John and Kate having physical based powers while Louise has mental powers, being able to control Lou's loyalty and expressions. Kate manages to stuff her letter to John into his pocket during her demo only for Susanna to reveal it in her hand.

## Plot

Susanna exclaims her love for Kate, John, and Louise, rubbing them vigorously to the displeasure of everyone. Kate decides to give her letter to John, as she can't trust Louise. Meanwhile, Patrick was left behind, Ricky deducing that it is due to Patrick not having awakened a soot power which the Doll can't talk about, having been stopped by Edward after seeing John break the boulder back in the Debut, deciding that the rules of the House take priority over his personal feelings. The rest of the class separate into Dolls and Shadows, with Susanna leading the young Shadows into a large training room that recycles soot used. Susanna explains that Lord Grandfather only needs individuals who have good control over their powers, with the soot training room only open to awakened individuals to train. She goes on to explain that Shadows have different soot capacities, the amount of soot an individual can accumulate, which become uncomfortable the closer the Shadow is to their limit, and that high soot capacity individuals gain better evaluations.

Susanna attempts to show an informational board about how soot powers work but John falls asleep who she promptly wakes up with some rubbing. She asks him to stand some distance away from a wall, asking him to use his soot power to break it. He attempts this but the wall remains intact so Susanna explains that the stronger the power, the shorter the distance with John's power having a range of just under 2 metres. Louise's power is focused on the mind, being able to control Lou to become loyal and expressive on command. Louise temporarily feels upset about this but quickly dismisses it. Kate is made to pick up a pen from a cart and bring it over to a table from a distance, as her ability is weak yet precise, but fails to when distracted by John although succeeded in stuffing her letter in John's pocket. Emilico attempts to help Shaun get some snacks at the request of Susie but the Star Bearer forces her to sit, making Emilico uncomfortable.

Susanna suddenly asks Kate what she gave to John, explaining that she is more talented being a senior. Revealing Kate's letter in her hand, she asks the anxious Shadow if she is hiding something...

## Characters

1. Susanna
2. Susie
3. Shaun (Non-speaking Role)
4. Louise
5. Kate
6. Emilico
7. John
8. Lou (Non-speaking Role)
9. Patrick (Non-speaking Role)
10. Ricky
11. Billy (Background)
12. William (Background)
13. Henry (Background)
14. Hank (Background)
15. Mia (Background)
16. Sarah (Background)
17. Rosemary (Background)
18. Maryrose (Background)
19. Edward (Flashback)
20. Lord Grandfather (Pictured)