Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro Series by Satoko Kiyuduki

Regularly mistaken for a boy and/or vampire, the traveler Kuro roams theland, clothed in black from head to toe, a Kuro-sized coffin on herback. Accompanied by her snarky bat friend, Sen, the mysterious duomeets all sorts of individuals en route - some good, some evil, somejust plain crazy! But Kuro never stays in one place for long, beggingthe question: What exactly is she searching for? And what exactly doesshe intend to do with that coffin?!

With Nijuku and Sanju in tow, the road winds on for Kuro and Sen. During a lull en route, Kuro takes a turn down memory lane, revisiting an unfortunate incident during her early days as a traveler that resulted in her imprisonment! One by one, the secrets surrounding Kuro and her journey with Sen are disclosed...and the fate that Kuro will suffer should her quest fail is finally revealed!

Still in search of a way to break the curse cast on her by a witch, Kuro continues on the winding road of her travels. At every turn, she and her colorful band of companions encounter the peculiar and the mysterious-a girl who lives inside the mirrors at a mansion in the woods; a wind-up woman in a dark forest; a tree that grants wishes for a price; a patchwork witch basking in the sunlight filtering through the trees... moreStill in search of a way to break the curse cast on her by a witch, Kuro continues on the winding road of her travels. At every turn, she and her colorful band of companions encounter the peculiar and the mysterious-a girl who lives inside the mirrors at a mansion in the woods; a wind-up woman in a dark forest; a tree that grants wishes for a price; a patchwork witch basking in the sunlight filtering through the trees. What curious fellows and wondrous things will Kuro's journey lead her to next? And can any of them provide Kuro with the one thing she really wants before her time runs out? less

On the trail of the witch who cursed her, Kuro has an unexpected close encounter that overwhelms her with negative emotion and sends her curse into overdrive, eating away at her body. Even as she enfolds Nijuku and Sanju in her arms, Kuro sinks away into a deep, dark abyss of memory. Will the day ever come when Kuro opens her eyes again?!

Kuro's journey continues as she searches for the witch who cursed her. Before "that time" comes, will Kuro truly be able to have her body returned to its original state? Meanwhile, the witch too stalks onward, seeking her own quarry...Is a sudden encounter in the cards?!

The witch Kuro seeks is a patchwork made from numerous women. And to her many parts, an ancient voice whispers, a ferocious, dark power in her blood and in the malaise she propagates. How does it relate to the "curse" that eats away at Kuro's body and her soul...? Kuro and her coffin journey to a phantom land...and to the beginning of it all!