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V9 Story IV – Part 07

“So, just because he endured so much pain, is that supposed to make it right? There was supposed to be no making up for what he did, and now you bring it up in hopes of being forgiven?”

Yusuke had consciously crushed Maihime’s legs. Did he deserve forgiveness just because his own legs were taken against his will?

I didn’t know what to say. Hatred began to flicker in Kugutsu’s eyes. I shook my head and took a deep breath.

“What he did was unforgivable,” I said. “And I won’t ask you to forgive him.”

I clenched my right fist and used it to push Yusuke, who stood behind me. He took a step back.

“Odagiri-san,” he said. “It’s all pointless no matter what you say. If I were him, I won’t be able to forgive myself until I was dead. No matter what you say, it doesn’t change the fact that I took her legs.”

“What do you plan to do then? Just let yourself get killed? It will only hurt Kugutsu.”

I stepped forward. Mayuzumi was almost within my reach, but as long as Kugutsu held the knife, I couldn’t get any closer.

I steadied my breath. “Please think about it for a moment. Sometimes, people can feel so much regret that they think they deserve to lose their legs. There’s nothing to gain from seeking revenge. Absolutely nothing.”

Kugutsu remained quiet. A heavy silence hung over us. I glanced up at the ceiling.

There, a solid mass of darkness stirred. It felt like its round eyes met mine.

I used my arm to stop Yusuke from advancing. Then, pretending to be pushed forward by him, I inched closer to Kugutsu. Deep down, I knew that I was basically just telling him to suck it up to break the cycle of revenge. Nonetheless, I had to stop Kugutsu.

I had resolved to stop him from exacting his vengeance, no matter what he said.

As soon as I made it close enough, I took a deep breath and gave the signal.

“Whether you choose to forgive or not isn’t up to me. You’re free to hate or hold a grudge. But revenge is something I won’t allow. Besides, that person is, unfortunately, my boss. And you will hand her over.”

The last part was drowned out by countless shrieks. From above, a mass of darkness descended. The swirling blackness enveloped Kugutsu, crawling over his body.

I lunged forward, forced my injured leg to move. I grabbed Mayuzumi’s hand with my right hand and yanked her towards me, using all the strength I had in my arm to separate her from Kugutsu.

“Ahh… Aaaaaahhh!”

Kugutsu screamed. He tumbled down the walkway, overrun by a swarm of rats.

With each roll, rats hit the handrails and the floor, causing ink to scatter around.

Shirayuki had unleashed these rats. A horde that had infiltrated through ventilation ducts attacked Kugutsu. As he crushed the rats, he continued to roll around like a madman, his entire body covered in splotches.

I pushed Mayuzumi towards Yusuke. “Run! Get near the door! Shirayuki-san should be able to open it.”

“Huh? What about you?” Yusuke asked.

“I’ll stay behind for now. Go!”

Yusuke hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Mayuzumi in his arms, he bolted away.

The door creaked open, slowly widening as something strong pulled it to either side. As Yusuke and Mayuzumi leaped into the darkness, a figure in white dove in.

After crushing most of the rats, Kugutsu got to his feet. The figure in white raised their head.

Their white hair sparkled like a bridal veil. Maihime spread her arms wide.

“Stop Kugutsu,” she commanded. “It’s me! I came to get you.”

“…Princess,” Kugutsu mumbled.

He clung to the walkway’s handrail blankly. Maihime didn’t avert her gaze from him. She kept her arms wide, as if welcoming the groom.

Kugutsu’s face twisted into a frown. His expression only meant one thing.

He realized his own defeat. As soon as Maihime entered, all the arguments up until now had become meaningless. That’s why he had been trying to keep her away.

Maihime’s face was slightly scrunched up. Her tears glinted in the light.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you cry,” Kugutsu muttered.

For a moment, Kugutsu looked like he was about to cry. However, he quickly put on a calm smile. He leaned out from the handrail, reaching out his hand as if to touch Maihime.

“I made you cry, didn’t I?” he said softly.

Then, his arm lurched. He leaped, and his body floated in the air.

Maihime yelped. Kugutsu was on the verge of slipping. Before his body could clear the handrail, I rammed his shoulder, pushing him onto the walkway. My head was boiling with anger.

I pushed him onto the corridor almost as if slamming him down. My head was boiling with anger. He was staring blankly at the ceiling, unsure what was happening.

“I knew you were gonna do that, you blockhead!” I roared.

Why do these kinds of hunches always hit the mark?

Kugutsu’s eyes grew wide. Finally snapping back his senses, he started thrashing about. He shouted something at me, spit flying. His flailing arm brushed against my cheek a few times.

“Let me go, sir! Let me go!”

“Kugutsu, Kugutsu, stop it, Kugutsu!” Maihime cried desperately.

Ignoring her, he tried to stand up again. His bloodshot eyes were filled with tears. He clung to the handrail once more. I grabbed his waist, pulling him down.

Kugutsu frantically tried to jump off. I bit my lip. Was making Maihime cry such an unforgivable thing for him? Would this make Maihime happy?

“I said let me go! I…”

“You’re making absolutely no fucking sense, you son of a bitch! Calm down, Kugutsu. Don’t you…”

I glanced down at the stairs. Shirayuki rushed in through the open door. She looked up at me. Staring at her, I shouted.

“Don’t you die in front of the one you love!”

I grabbed his arm. Kugutsu let the knife slip from his hand. But in the next moment, he grabbed my left arm. He looked at me with vacant eyes. A chill crawled down my spine.

Kugutsu was smiling for some reason. “Sir,” he said in a very low voice, “you said to forgive him because the princess obtained new legs, right?”

“I didn’t say tha—”

A sharp pain shot through my left palm. Before I could comprehend what had happened, I felt a grip on my shoulder.

With tremendous strength, I was pulled backwards. Kugutsu let go of my hand easily. When I turned around, I made eye contact with Yusuke. His face was tense. He had returned after letting Mayuzumi escape.

You should stay outside!

“Odagiri-san…?” Yusuke called in a trembling voice.

His face was frozen. I quickly realized that something was wrong. He was staring intently at my left hand. I raised my arm, and it felt unusually light.

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t quite grasp what I was seeing. Something was clearly missing, but I couldn’t tell what exactly.

My left hand had been cut. Red blood flowed, dripping down the walkway. My fingers, from the ring to the thumb, were gone.

I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to put on my leather gloves.

Looking at the walkway, I saw a chunk of flesh on the floor. It didn’t seem like a part of the body. I raised my gaze, and right in front of me was Kugutsu. His right hand was drenched in blood.

A knife was jutting out from a part of his prosthetic hand. The sharp blade spun, clinking as it folded and retracted back into his hand. Finally, my brain perceived the pain.

“Ah, ah, gah… ah…”

“Princess is very kind. Why don’t you ask her to give you new fingers?” Kugutsu spat with a smile. “Ah, but the remaining fingers might get in the way. It might be better to amputate from the wrist, don’t you think? There’s also the option of having a partial replacement, like my prosthetic hand, but it’s still inferior to full replacement.”

He stomped on the chunk of flesh on the floor. My severed fingers bounced under his foot. I understood the pain and the loss firsthand.

I broke into a cold sweat all over, and my stomach twisted with intense pain. I almost wanted to burst out laughing.

This is too much, all right.

“Bastard… What the fuck are you saying?!” Yusuke barked.

“Kugutsu!” Maihime cried. “Why would you do that?!”

Feeling a sudden stir in my gut, I looked down under the walkway.

Shirayuki was holding her brush, completely frozen. She was staring absently at me. Her arm dangled limply. Her face remained frozen like a Noh mask.

I understood instantly. She was furious. Her body just couldn’t keep up with her anger. At this rate, she would hurt Kugutsu. Badly.

Yusuke, too, darted forward. If he hit Kugutsu now, our efforts would become pointless. We would go back to zero. However, I couldn’t say anything to stop them. The pain was preventing me from breathing properly. My stomach squirmed. Uka shrieked in my place.

Papa, papa, papa! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

She was reacting to my rage. Her screams were proof of my pain and hatred.

I couldn’t utter words of forgiveness. It was impossible. Why would I want to imagine someone else’s anguish? Put myself in their own shoes? What was the point when I was in pain? Then, I finally understood.

This was what Kugutsu had felt. In my tear-filled vision, he was standing with his arms outstretched.