Volume 1 - CH 5.16

The girl was stunning.

I was lying on my stomach, cherry blossoms falling all around me. She twirled her parasol round and round.

The parasol itself resembled a flower.

Snap.

The parasol closed.

Snap.

Then it opened.

The petals on the parasol fell like raindrops. Standing under a row of cherry trees, she looked like someone straight out of a fantasy book. She was beautiful as a dream, perfect like a painting. She looked at me with languid eyes.

“Oh, I see something unusual happening,” she said.

Seeing me covered in blood, the girl twisted her lips. A cat-like grin appeared on her mouth.

Her smile was similar to Asato’s.

“I came here looking for signs of my brother, but I found something interesting.”

Smiling, she looked beautiful, but at the same time hideous.

For some reason, it reminded me of the line “There are bodies buried beneath the cherry trees.”

The girl strode toward me and peered into my face. She touched my belly, stroked the blood.

“Did you conceive a demon?”

My stomach squirmed. Something moved in the space between her fingers. I felt queasy, but there was nothing to throw up anymore. Seeing me in agony, the girl’s smile broadened.

“I see. My brother’s cup of tea. What you have inside you is someone’s emotions. At this rate, it will tear your belly open.”

Tear my belly. I immediately realized what she meant. As a matter of fact, I could feel kicking inside me. Tears formed in my eyes and fell down my cheeks. Fear gripped my heart.

I didn’t want to die.

More importantly, I just wanted to go back.

Back to days when everything was normal.

“…Shall I help you?”

What?

Twirl.

Her tone was casual as she whirled her parasol, as if she was only picking up a stray cat.

A soft smile danced on her lips.

Clothed in a black dress, she looked like a corrupted holy saint.

“I can help you, you know. You are very fascinating. I’ve never seen a case like this before. It’s worth it to keep you. It’s not every day that someone conceives a demoen. Letting you get killed for my brother’s amusement is such a waste. You should come with me. I can help you. I can’t get rid of what’s inside your belly, but I can suppress it so it does not get born.”

The girl crouched down. Pale fingers touched my abdomen, and the intense pain faded away. I looked up in disbelief.

“My seal is not perfect either. A creature made of emotions gains power by tuning into the negative emotions of others. From now on, you must not feel for anyone. Don’t sympathize with them. It’s a very, very painful way to live. Above all…” The girl looked at me with big, black eyes. “You can never leave me. You can’t stay away from me. You will protect me, work for me, and die for me.”

She still wore the same twisted smile. She was staring at me with clear and earnest eyes.

“That’s the price you need to pay,” she added. “You can climb out of hell, but only hell awaits you there anyway.”

Her red parasol spun. Round and round. She was staring at me intently, as if to say, “or you can just die like this.”

“Do you still want me to save you?”

There was silence for a moment.

Everything was still. Cherry blossoms fell. Resting the parasol on her neck, the girl smiled. Warm blood ran down between my fingers.

I couldn’t think of anything.

I was just stunned.

The girl looked beautiful.

“I…” I forced my dry tongue to move. Tears fell down my cheeks. I turned to her, pleading. “I don’t want to die.”

The girl smiled broadly. Without hesitation, she held out her pale hand.

“Then come with me.”

I lifted my bloody hand. Slowly, I reached for hers. Contrary to my expectations, the girl’s hand was soft and warm.

She squeezed my hand tight. I did the same.

“You made a promise.”

Her tone changed.

She looked at me with black eyes. I stared back at her.

Cherry blossoms drifted all around us. No. A closer look revealed them to be confettis. The strips of papers stuck to my body peeled away, starting from our hands. It was a spell to block dreamwalking. Confettis danced in the air like countless butterflies.

My chest burned. The glass ball that she gave to me glowed red, the blood inside shaking.

I stared at the cat-like eyes.

The girl gave me a mocking smile in return.

“Come now. Wake up.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Mayu-san.”

I turned to the girl. The red parasol fit her perfectly.

Mayuzumi Azaka.

She hadn’t changed.

This girl would always and forever be as stunning as a demon.

My vision shifted. I peered into the desolate concrete room from the ceiling. The girl—Mayuzumi—met my gaze, and smiled.

A man with a knife approached her. She was fixed to the chair, unable to move. Asato, with his fox mask on, watched her.

“Too late, brother. You didn’t make it,” Mayuzumi said. There was laughter in her voice. Asato’s shoulder jerked. “Once again, you didn’t make it in time.”

She thrust her hand forward. The red parasols turned in unison, as if caught by a thread. They all closed. Under the control of Mayuzumi’s fingers, the seven parasols stood on their handles. The man’s eyes widened. Yuusuke smiled, silent.

“It’s done.”

Snap.

The parasols opened in an instant. I tumbled in. Passing through the dreamworld, I slammed onto the room I’d been staring at this whole time. Crawling on the floor, I groaned in pain, spitting blood.

“…Oh?” Mayuzumi murmured in a curious tone.

Yuusuke burst out laughing, slapping his knees. Clutching my belly, I breathed in and out repeatedly.

“Oh… If I can bring you out of a dream, that means you were dying.”

How could you forget that?

Unable to utter a word, I clutched my stomach and moaned.

The monster inside me laughed.

And then started eating something.

Another nuisance appeared before me. Why would someone intrude now, on this day when my long-cherished wish would finally come true? He’s the one who dislocated my shoulder. He’s getting in the way again. Argh, stupid maggot! Why?! I’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. Behind the unconscious man was Mayuzumi Azaka, the one I’m supposed to kill. The lady… no, there’s no need to address her with respect. She was Azaka-sama’s younger sister, but she was now—no, ever since that day—an enemy of mine.

A girl in a black dress, as if attending a funeral.

She was smiling. Smiling hideously.

Like last time.

I brandished my knife and charged forward.

To make up for my past mistake, I dashed straight ahead.

On the day that Azaka-sama was to become an Azaka, an unexpected intruder appeared—a distant relative from the Mayuzumi clan. Belonging to the bottom of the ladder, she should not have been allowed to even enter the main family’s household. But now, she was staring at everyone as if she were the master of the place.

Her red parasol, similar to Azaka-sama’s dark-blue one, seared my vision. With fierce eyes like a beast, the girl grinned.

I recalled her words.

“I am the real Azaka Mayuzumi.”

What in the world was she talking about? The real Azaka-sama was before her, about to take over the name. But I couldn’t get rid of the bad feeling in my gut. There was only one Azaka-sama for me. Nonetheless, I had to admit it.

Even younger than Azaka-sama, who was ten years old, the girl was both bewitching and beautiful.

She looked just like the First that we often heard about. She was the spitting image of the first Azaka-sama.

“What are you saying?” someone uttered in confusion. “This girl right here is Azaka.”

The girl snorted. “I’m surprised you can still say that after seeing me. Head of the clan, sir. You’ve seen three generations of Mayuzumi Azaka. Surely you can tell by looking at me. I am more fitting of the name Azaka than any of them.”

The girl sneered. All eyes turned to the head of the clan. His gaze was now fixed solely at the intruder. Then, he bowed deeply.

“Azaka-sama…” the old man called in a trembling voice.

Everyone was abuzz. Amid the murmurs and the needle-sharp gazes, my Azaka-sama was sitting elegantly. On her mouth was the same brutal, beautiful, perfect smile.

“Just because the daughter of the previous Mayuzumi Azaka is a little like an Azaka doesn’t mean you should break the rules and immediately appoint her as the next Azaka. The predecessor probably talked you into it. I heard that she was obsessed with the title of Azaka. She wanted her daughter to inherit the name? How presumptuous. It’s a good thing I made it in time, but what would you have done if I hadn’t? I am Azaka. The Mayuzumi Azaka. I’ve known since I was born that this name was mine.”

The girl pressed her palm on her chest.

“The moment I was born, no one other than me should have held the Azaka name.”

The head of the clan kept his head down the whole time. Then one after another, everyone followed suit. Members of the clan bowed their heads to a girl belonging to the very bottom of the ladder. It was a very strange sight. Why were they all lowering their heads to a girl who had suddenly appeared, ignoring the real Azaka-sama? The girl indeed had the aura of an Azaka. But my Azaka-sama had already been recognized as one. There were two Azakas. Two people worthy of being Azaka. What on earth did it mean? Those with their heads up started murmuring among themselves.

Snap.

Closing her parasol, Azaka-sama stood up. The place became still and quiet.

Snap.

In response, the girl also closed her parasol and turned to Azaka-sama.

Snap.

They both opened their parasols at the same time. A red and a dark-blue flower bloomed.

“I see,” the girl said. “If I wasn’t around, you would be an Azaka. Something is wrong. It’s impossible for two girls worthy of the name Azaka to be born.”

Azaka-sama did not say anything. She just smiled softly. Suddenly, the girl’s smile grew wider, and she said something extremely rude.

“Would you mind taking your clothes off?”

Azaka-sama looked up at me, her eyes as black as the abyss.

Kill her.

That’s what her eyes said. I smashed the ceiling panel and rolled on the floor. I raised my knife at the girl with the red parasol. Just as the blade was about to reach her, she closed the parasol and thrust it into my cheek. The sharp tip gouged my cheek, digging deep into my mouth. I howled like a beast. The next moment, countless arms lunged at me. As I rolled away, staggering, I heard Azaka-sama being pinned down. Clothes being torn. And then…

“It’s a boy!” someone shouted.