Volume 5 - CH 4.1

And now, the cat had gained lovely playmates.

The cat had never had anyone to play with before.

The cat did not like the girls. It did not even want to look at their faces.

By pure chance, the fox’s playmates came, and the lonely cat chose them as its playmates.

The cat has already played one game with them.

The cat, not knowing how to play, imitated the fox.

The cat was delighted, joyful, and happy.

The cat brought one last plaything, a girl.

The cat, carrying a heavy belly, thought that this would probably be its last game.

The cat had not the slightest regret.

The cat’s life had been filled with regrets, sadness, hardship.

The cat had no intention of mourning ever again.

The cat decided to open a treasured wound for its playmates.

The cat hoped they would be happy.

Cats are cats. They are not human beings.

The cat did not know what it meant to be sad.

Nor did it understand that they were not happy.

The abandoned building was decorated with flowers.

Cut flowers swayed in front of the gray walls, glistening red inside wet glass vases. The sixth floor of the abandoned building—the same one I visited during the fox incident—was adorned with oddly vibrant flowers.

Yuri was sitting by the window, spinning her chair around.

There were two office chairs on the floor. The seventh floor was sealed off. The building was scheduled for demolition, but negotiations between the Mayuzumi clan and the relatives of the original owner of the building had not been going well, so it remained as-is.

“The seventh floor and the murder scene on the ground floor have been sealed off,” Mayuzumi said. “Moreover, there should be guards here, but they’re gone. I don’t know what you did, but something this big won’t last overnight. What in the world do you want?”

Yuri stopped spinning. She looked up at the ceiling. Even I didn’t know why she was doing all this. She was manipulating me using the fox, forcing me to play her games. But the cat at the center of it all did not give a clear reason.

“I just want to play. That’s all,” she said matter-of-factly.

“That’s what I don’t get. You’re just copying the fox’s games. I’ve also considered the possibility that you and the fox are the same. Whether you get pleasure from granting people’s wishes and throwing them into the abyss. Yet the rules are lax. Rather than playing a game, you seem to just be enjoying our reactions for no reason.”

The chair creaked again. Yuri arched her back and looked up at the ceiling. I watched Mayuzumi closely, ready to summon the baby out of my belly at any moment. There was a silver gleam under her chin. A knife pressed against her skin. An expressionless man was standing beside her, leaning closer.

“So who is this?” Mayuzumi asked.

“One of the fox’s followers apparently,” the cat replied. “He wasn’t in the building the day of the incident. I peered at the fox’s memories and reached out to the people I could use, and he came. Certainly helpful.”

Yuri smiled. The man did not respond. He was simply watching Mayuzumi.

After arriving at the abandoned building, we went to the sixth floor at Yuri’s suggestion. Like the seventh floor, the sixth floor was partitioned off. The electricity was turned off, so I climbed the stairs carrying Mayuzumi.

Immediately upon entering the floor, a knife was thrust at Mayuzumi. But she didn’t seem to be bothered by it. As I studied her calm demeanor, a question sprang in my mind.

Shizuki had gone missing. But to Mayuzumi, she was nothing more than a stranger. Whether she was dead or alive did not matter to her. So why did she agree with Yuri’s suggestion and come here?

The chair creaked. Yuri stretched and stood up, moving with the nimbleness of a cat. She stroked her body slowly. Soft fingers caressed her belly.

Her abdomen was even bigger than when we were in the greenhouse.

“Whose child are you carrying?” Mayuzumi asked.

I frowned, utterly confused. The information we had gathered beforehand did not state anything about Yuri being pregnant. And I had no idea what that had to do with anything. Mayuzumi’s steely gaze gave me a bad feeling.

I felt the child in my belly stir.

Yuri shot Mayuzumi a surprised look. Her lips lifted into a satisfied smile.

“The fox’s,” she said. “Isn’t that why you followed me all the way here?”

Yuri ran her hand over the hem of her loose dress, then took it off, revealing her pale naked body. She was wearing only her underwear.

She was skinny, her ribs protruding on her skin, but her belly was swollen. It looked weird. Slender fingers glided around the bulge.

“How did you conceive the child of someone in the spirit world?” Mayuzumi asked. “Having intercourse is impossible.”

“It’s simple. Because this was my wish. I’m a monster. I must give birth to a monster.”

Yuri smiled. She said the same words before. She claimed she was a monster.

My head hurt as I watched her. The fox’s child. The words churned violently in my brain. My mind refused to understand them. I didn’t want to think about what they meant.

She conceived the fox’s child. I could only assume she was lying.

But her belly was actually enlarged.

“We can talk about this later. Right now I want to play. I don’t have much time to begin with.” She regarded Mayuzumi with unclouded eyes.

Mayuzumi responded silently. Seconds later, she nodded.

Porcelain jaw brushed against the knife. Red blood trickled down her throat.

“Very well,” she said. “But I’m not interested in your games. Why don’t you and I have a chat?”

Mayuzumi pushed the knife away. Ignoring the bewildered man, she strode forward and sat down in the chair facing Yuri.

Yuri nodded. “Good idea. I wanted to talk to you too. Sure, let’s chat. Let’s talk about trivial stuff.” She gave me a friendly look. “Except you, cutie. I hope you enjoy the show I prepared.”

I took a step forward.

“Ms. Shizuki is waiting for you,” she added.

I cursed. I turned around, opened the door, and stepped out onto the staircase landing. Two girls sat face-to-face behind me.

Just before the door closed, Yuri said, “There are no rules this time. But there will be a guide. I hope you have lots of fun.” Her words rang ominously.

I closed the door. The staircase led deeper into the darkness.

It was like descending into the abyss.

Footsteps echoed off the walls. The hallway, once fused with the spirit world, was chilly. I used my jacket to cover the sleeping Kotori, so I was left only with a shirt on. My tie was wrapped around my left hand as a first-aid treatment. Thankfully it wasn’t my dominant hand, but it was still annoying nevertheless.

I crossed my arms and walked on. Dust covered the empty corridor. There were footprints on the floor.

As I continued down the cold hallway, I heard a song from afar.

I followed the muffled voice. It was coming from one of the rooms, in an area I had not been in the last time I visited. I grabbed the doorknob. The lock was broken, but the door opened easily.

It was a conference room. A desk, chairs, and some sort of white board were left behind. Someone was sitting on the floor. The song became louder. The rhythm was a mess. It sounded as if the singer was forcing themselves to sing without knowing the original beat.

Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the sparrow.

It smelled thickly of blood.

In the corner of the room was a plastic trash can. When I looked into it, I found reddish gauze stuck to the bottom, along with a needle and thread. It seemed to have been used to stitch up a wound.

I pulled my eyes away from the gruesome sight and turned my attention to the person leaning against the wall.

The song was cut short. She lifted her head.

Cloudy eyes watched me.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Shizuki smiled weakly. There was no trace of that triumphant expression on her face.

“Thank goodness… I was told that you would come… if I just kept on singing.”

She put her hands against the wall and rose to her feet. Her legs were trembling. She looked different from the last time I saw her.

Her white blouse was stained red, and blood marred her long black skirt. Her cheeks were hollow, and there were dark circles around her eyes. Her left hand was covered with a thick leather glove. I couldn’t see inside it.

I studied her whole body. She had no major external injuries. But I was curious about her hidden left hand.

“Shizuki-san, what happened to your hand?” I asked.

Tilting her head slightly, she raised her left hand and touched mine. She rested her right hand on top.

Smiling, she grasped my palm with her right hand.

“Let’s go, Odagiri-san.” She started walking with a spring in her step. “I’m looking for something very important.”

Her shoes clicked loudly on the floor. She pulled my hand with a strange gait. She looked far from sane. Her once-beautiful dark hair smelled oily, dotted with dandruff.

“You’re coming with me, right? I can’t find it. I just can’t find it. The letter said it was here.”

She dragged me out of the dark room. Shizuki’s eyes were staring straight ahead. I had no choice but to follow her. I looked around to see if there was anything left in the room, and my eyes grew wide.

Red words were written on the white board.

Underneath the crooked letters was a drawing of a cat and a dove.

Who killed Cock Robin?

It was probably written by the cat.

This was the guide she was talking about.

Slam.

The red letters disappeared from view.

But the smell of blood lingered.