Volume 4 - CH 5.6

A goldfish emerged from the red ground, gracefully moving its fins. Then its body disintegrated, and a drop of blood fell on the ground, creating numerous glass-like ripples that instantly froze.

Suddenly the center of frozen ripples wriggled softly. Like a gouged wound, the ground spewed a large amount of red into the air. Red chunks squirmed and took shape.

A red parasol materialized. Arms and legs grew, and a perfectly-shaped face formed.

A different color blended in with the red.

It seemed like a clay doll was being colored.

A black gothic Lolita outfit stirred softly.

Mayuzumi Azaka was complete.

Her figure was faint, like it was a mere reflection of her from somewhere far.

Snap.

She munched on the chocolate in her hand and gave me a listless look.

She looked the same as she always did.

Mayuzumi Azaka never changed.

“Good work, Odagiri-kun,” she said plainly, and smiled.

I let out a long sigh. I wasn’t looking at the dead, apparently.

I stared at her cat-like grin. “You tricked me,” I groaned bitterly.

Mayuzumi nodded readily. “I did. Took you long enough to realize that. I apologize for using your emotions. But I hope you understand that this was a necessary part of the process.”

Snap.

She bit into the chocolate. While the words themselves sounded sincere, I highly doubted she felt sorry. I heaved a deep sigh. I should have realized it sooner. If I just racked my brain harder, I would’ve come to the conclusion easily.

It wouldn’t take much for Mayuzumi Azaka to die.

But Mayuzumi Asato would not kill Mayuzumi Azaka that easily.

He would first prepare numerous shows for her.

“Odagiri… sister… What’s going on here?”

Ignoring the fox, I asked, “Was that body from Haruhiro’s family?”

She had the perfect corpse to use. Flesh made in the shape of Haruhiro’s sister might not be human, but it was enough as a substitute.

As I regarded Mayuzumi’s smile, an odd sense of relief seeped into my heart. I felt angry at being tricked, but relief outweighed it.

Mayuzumi Azaka was alive.

She wasn’t dead.

“That’s right,” she answered. “It took a lot of work to transport his sister’s body out of the house and dismember it. Members of the clan helped out. It was well-made, no? Had a difficult time dressing it up in a gothic Lolita attire. Don’t give me that look, Odagiri-kun. I expected you to get mad at me. You’re throwing me off my game.”

For the first time in a while, Mayuzumi gave a frown. I kept the same expression, however—a calm one.

Come to think of it, there was one other odd thing in her apartment.

Why wasn’t the goldfish made with Mayuzumi’s blood not there?

Because she took it with her when she went into hiding.

“I needed a stronger Uka-kun to fight the white child. Like I said before, revenge won’t limit your actions. And in order to deal a serious blow to the demon-owning fox, dragging him to the spirit world was necessary. I’ve had enough of playing his stupid games. The spirit world is my realm. Once he’s here, he’s at my mercy.”

Mayuzumi flashed the fox a lovely smile. Her chocolate-covered lips twisted cruelly.

When I told her about the building, she was deep in thought. Her script must’ve been finished then.

The script where I, with a demon that could fight the white child, took Asato with me to the spirit world.

Asato’s face stiffened, and he grit his teeth hard. He glared at Mayuzumi hatefully.

“My sister,” he spat. “You show up late, and you just talk and talk. As far as I can tell, your real body isn’t here. What can you even do?”

The fox snorted, pointing at her faint figure.

He was right. Mayuzumi did not have a solid body. She seemed to be using blood to project herself into the spirit world from a different place.

She couldn’t do a thing in this situation.

Snap.

But Mayuzumi chuckled as she took another bite of her chocolate.

“Oh, you still don’t get it, do you, brother?” Her voice held genuine pity. “I am Mayuzumi Azaka, and Mayuzumi Azaka is a monster with access to the spirit world. This is my realm. You may be able to walk on its surface, but you’ve never sunk below, have you? That’s the difference between you and me. This is my domain, not yours.”

Mayuzumi smiled broadly. She finished her chocolate and let go of the wrapper. It fell to the red ground and vanished. Mayuzumi held her parasol in both hands.

“Also, I want Odagiri-kun back. Sure, he threw himself in here, but I am merciful, you see. I’ll reel him back up. Watch.”

She twirled her parasol.

The red ground beneath her feet suddenly moved, rippling gently. Every time Mayuzumi twirled her parasol, the ground pulsated and wriggled, molding itself as though to create a clay sculpture. A moment later, the bulging ground took shape.

A red parasol.

A single parasol formed at her feet. Although created from the red ground, it was solid.

The parasol wandered around and snapped open.

“Come one, come all. Take a gander,” Mayuzumi muttered. “You don’t want to miss this. If you watch, you will have a story to share for generations to come. Gather around, ladies and gentlemen.”

The red ground stirred again. It rose vertically and took the form of a parasol that stood on its leg.

Another red flower opened. Beside it, an additional parasol materialized.

“Now, watch carefully.”

Red flowers bloomed in the red world. Parasols stood abreast. One, two, three, the numbers increased. Snap. Snap. Snap. Parasols were appearing faster and faster in a spiral. Starting from Mayuzumi’s feet, they drew a red pattern on the ground resembling a whirlpool.

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

Pop.

Sounds halted.

Hundreds and thousands of parasols stood in line in the silent world. Mayuzumi held her own parasol in one hand and closed her eyes. The hem of her Gothic Lolita outfit swayed. The rose on her headdress rustled softly.

“This is Mayuzumi Azaka,” she declared.

Pop.

All the parasols closed simultaneously, then opened.

Pop.

And the world shattered.

Red waves swelled, and the walls shattered.

A rift had appeared in the spirit world, cutting through the wall of flesh. I thought I heard a woman’s scream. It was the spirit world itself letting out a shriek, echoing throughout the area like a human’s wails. A hot wind drifted through the crack that resembled a human wound.

I could see a blue sky beyond it.

It smelled like summer. Intense sunlight stung my eyes.

Someone was standing against the backdrop of summer. Pale arms beckoned me.

“It’s open. Come, Odagiri-kun.”

A familiar voice called my name. Mayuzumi Azaka was standing beyond the rift, her silhouette, wrapped in a gothic Lolita fashion, clashing with the summer sky. Her pale arms were blinding against her black attire.

I rushed toward her, then stopped, and turned around.

The red world was losing even the barest semblance of order.

Hundreds and thousands of hands jutted out from the ground, expressing their suffering in the spirit world. Arms extended, fingers craved for something, surging like waves. Screams reverberated. Numerous arms emerged from the waves, then crumbled back into flesh.

It was hell.

An arm closed in on the white child, and she bit it ferociously. Fingers grabbed her hair. One by one, twisted arms pinned down her small frame.

“…Guh… Aaaaahh!”

The child’s scream faded as she vanished between the red waves. Uka, the ground beneath her shifting violently, was cowering like a wounded animal. Her frightened eyes darted around.

“Uka!” I cried out. “Over here.”

Papa.

Uka lifted her head, tears in her eyes. She took off with both hands and feet, weaving between the waves that threatened to swallow her, then jumped into my arms. She buried her face in my clothes, crying. The broken fingers on my left hand hurt, but I held her tight anyway.

I turned back to the rift. On the other side was the real world.

I looked over my shoulder.

Asato was standing still in the sea.

His mask lay at his feet. The cord that fixed it around his head had unraveled.

Countless arms tugged at his clothes, but he didn’t move. His legs began to sink into the red flesh, but he didn’t try to escape. He just looked around vacantly. Watched the crimson world. He shifted his gaze to Mayuzumi, and the red parasol that remained in the sea.

Then he glanced at his own damaged parasol.

A deep blue.

“…I see,” he muttered nonchalantly.

He nodded with understanding. Slowly he closed his eyes, and his slim figure sank into the red ground. It seemed as if the spirit world was preying on him. Red flesh devoured the fox. My legs trembled as I watched. My head was in turmoil. Biting my lip, I moved.

“Stop, Odagiri-kun!” Mayuzumi shouted. “Do not show too much sympathy.”

I turned back around and saw Mayuzumi glaring at me with cold eyes.

“Think about what he did to you.”

Mayuzumi was right. I conceived a demon because of Asato. He ruined my life. If it weren’t for him, I would have been able to live a normal life. I could kill him countless times, and it wouldn’t be enough payback. I could tear him to pieces, but that would be nothing compared to what he did.

Still, I…

“Go, Odagiri,” said a dark voice. “I don’t want your pity.”

I looked back and met a fierce gaze boring through me.

Eyes burning with pure hatred.

“Go on and live your filthy life, crawling on all fours,” he spat bitterly. “Consume others for your own sake, and call it virtuous.”

He rejected me, clearly and unequivocally.

Then, a huge arm snatched him away, and he vanished from sight. All that remained was the fox mask.

I swallowed back a scream.

I will not call his name. I will never speak his name ever again.

I whirled around and dashed toward the rift.

Milky hands beckoned against the blue sky.

“Quickly, Odagiri-kun. It’s closing. Can’t you run a little faster?”

She sure was demanding for someone who tricked me. Typical Mayuzumi, of course.

I left my thoughts unvoiced and grabbed her hand.

She squeezed my hand back without hesitation.

Her hand was just as warm and soft as it was back then.