Volume 6 - CH 2.5

“I heard that you invited the young lady of the Mayuzumi clan. Boy, was I surprised when I met her outside. I couldn’t help myself. I had to talk to her. What a wonderful person. So, Father, if you called for her, does that mean the rumors are true?”

The man’s voice, at first mild and smiling, turned sharp and cold.

“You’re going to die soon. As your son, I can’t help but feel sad,” he said in a voice that betrayed no hint of sadness. He was looking down at Mukai from a great height. His face turned to the side. “Where is she? Is she doing fine? Someone has to take care of her once you’re gone. I have to see her.”

“I knew it. You’re one persistent rascal,” Mukai replied nonchalantly. “Tenacity is important, but you shouldn’t touch other people’s things. It was off the table the moment you left. And even if you stay, I will still not hand her to you. Give up.”

A cold air passed between them.

“She’s a precious treasure that you’re unworthy of having.” The man’s voice was laced with irritation. “Once you’re dead, you won’t need her anymore. Are you planning to take her with you?”

“I’m not going to kill her. She will die. That is her fate. She’s inside right now. Don’t wake her up.”

I observed the two men in the heavy atmosphere. I still could only see vague clothing and the color of their faces, but this actually allowed me to sense the mood more acutely. The irritation, anger, and frustration from the man was palpable. On the other hand, Mukai, scratching his skin, seemed to think nothing of the matter.

“I may have left home, but I am still your adopted son. The clan has no heir. If you insist, the elders will allow it. Your properties will have to be distributed too. I’m just asking you to share what you don’t need after you’re gone.”

“So she’s property, huh… Then again, having others show up would be annoying. So, you came to tell me to give her to you. My answer is no. You can’t have her, you idiot.”

There was a creak. Seconds later, I realized it was the man grinding his teeth. He suddenly raised an arm, a white fist moving even higher than his face. But he brought it back down quietly.

“Why don’t we have a talk?” the man said. “You’re being too unfair right now. At least act like an actual father for once. It’s not an unreasonable request, is it?”

“It couldn’t be more unreasonable, you idiot. When was the last time you acted like my child? Well, whatever. Child or parent, it doesn’t matter. She is mine, and I am hers. I’m not giving her to anyone.”

Mukai stood up anyway. Light blue moved away from me. His face turned to the side.

“Let’s go inside,” he said. “This is not something to talk about in front of guests. Not that I will yield. You’re not leaving, are you?”

“Fine by me. Just the fact that you’re willing to talk is a notable improvement for you.”

The man smiled and started walking.

“Sorry about this,” Mukai said to me. “You’ll have to prepare your own lunch and dinner. There’s rice and bread if you want, and some pickles too. You can ask Mayuzumi for help. If she refuses, tell her that you’ll starve to death. Don’t be afraid. Conduct yourself like you’re her equal.”

A palm tapped my shoulder. A knot formed in my gut. I tried to grab the light blue, but there was a difference between my vision and the actual position of the cloth.

My hand grasped empty air.

“Mukai-san!” I called.

“Mukai.” A calm voice cut in, and I shut my mouth. “Are you fine with this?” Mayuzumi asked.

“Everything is predestined. I adopted him. That’s all there is to it,” Mukai answered nonchalantly and walked away.

A white hand waved. The man followed.

Their figures vanished into the darkness.

And then there was nothing.

I could hear the floor creaking repeatedly in the distance.

It continued for a while, and then stopped.

“No, it’s too much effort. If there’s no bread, just eat candy.”

Despite what Mukai said, Mayuzumi refused to prepare food anyway. Whether I feared her or not, she was going to have her own way. I gave up eating and instead ate the chocolate she gave me to stave off my hunger.

The candy, with its familiar smell, was so sweet that it made my heart burn.

We spent the whole day with nothing to do. No matter how much time passed, they never came out of the back room. I couldn’t even hear a sound. I wandered down the hallway to check on them, but a locked door prevented me from going any further.

“They went deeper into the house. Deeper than where we met Mukai,” Mayuzumi said. “This house is divided into three sections. The deeper you go, the more locks. They dispose of the bodies in the rear.”

The man was indeed Mukai’s adopted child.

“He couldn’t surpass Mukai no matter how much he tried, so he left the clan,” Mayuzumi continued boredly. “But I guess he couldn’t give up. He’s living with another clan with similar abilities, and is engaged in the same line of work. He must have heard that the old man was dying and came for it. To them, she is the finest woman. Too valuable to give to the dead.”

Red lips arched. I remembered the woman’s figure. Crawling on the floor, she was beautiful and captivating. I could understand the man’s fear of that body decaying.

“But that thing will only listen to him. She belongs to Mukai, and Mukai belongs to her. He has devoted more than eighty years of his life to it. Snatching her away is absurd. As weird as it sounds, Mukai and her are like a married couple. Separating them won’t be easy.”

The knot grew tighter. Night came without the inner room opening. Mayuzumi went to bed early, while I waited for them to come out. Night was deepening, and still I couldn’t hear any sound of conversation.

As I was getting more and more sleepy, the floor started creaking.

The woman was crawling, shaking her buttocks.

In my drowsy state, I thought I heard the sound coming from the ceiling.

“Mukai is dead. It was just his time.”

When he said that, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

There was only frustration and emptiness.

Before me stood a man, who had just emerged from the back. Beside him lay a white mass, the deceased wrapped in cloth. Probably Mukai. The corpse was swaddled tightly. I couldn’t tell his cause of death, but a natural one was highly implausible.

“Just to make sure, did you kill him?” I asked.

“Of course not,” the man replied casually. “My father said his time was near. That’s what happened.”

And he expected me to believe that? I was furious, but he just brushed the matter aside. He was remarkably calm.

“You killed him, didn’t you?” I insisted. “Isn’t that murder?”

Yet I couldn’t help but sense something odd. Like I was the one in the wrong.

“Are you listening? An examination of the body should reveal the truth. I can contact the police, and you—”

“Don’t you get it? As people whose job is to dispose of bodies, we cannot expect protection from the police. But in exchange, we exist beyond the realm of official authority. Do you want to try reporting Mukai’s death? They will say that he never existed, and there is no house in this location.”

He smiled, his lips curving into a crescent. Gradually, the true nature of the situation began to dawn on me. I was the one who was mistaken.

“If I killed a civilian, it could become an official case. But not when he’s the victim. We make our living by dealing with corpses. We’re not condemned for it, but we can’t complain if we get killed either.”

I swallowed. If you were killed, you could only remain silent. Conversely, if you killed, no one would condemn you.

There was no one to punish the man who killed Mukai.

“He’s right,” Mayuzumi said. “This is why many clans of espers have their own system of extrajudicial punishment. Criminals are judged by their own people. But in Mukai’s clan, members refuse to have any contact with espers. You came with the intention of killing him if negotiations fell through.”

Mayuzumi shook her head softly. Her white fingertips picked up something, probably chocolate. She popped the red lump into her mouth. It looked as if she was eating meat.

“Unless of course, you distort the facts and spread lies about his natural death to the rest of the clan,” the man said. “But Mayuzumi Azaka would never do such a thing, would she? I’m so glad pops asked you to be his caretaker.”

The man cackled, ignoring me. Even as I clenched my fists, I knew. Unlike Mayuzumi, hailing from a well-known clan, my words held no value. Even if I reported his death to normal society, I would be treated like a madman.