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V2 Story III – Part 01

I have been thinking lately.

Had I believed in gods, it would have been impossible for me to even think about invoking one.

The reason I can find hope in summoning a god is because I do not believe in a definite god. I am not foolish. I do not fancy that I can manifest a subject of faith with my own hands. At first I lamented the absence of a concrete god, but now I see that it was a blessing. To me, a god is merely an entity that I must surpass. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no god in my world. If that were the case, there would be no blasphemy in creating a new god.

Yes, the only one I am willing to call god is my ■■■■.

There’s no point in thinking about it. But I can’t help myself.

Humans are thinking beings. The day I stop thinking about **** is the day I will die. My heart, already on the brink of death, will then completely expire. I have sacrificed everything. Betrayed everyone. And at the end of it all, I will perish with nothing. But I will probably not regret it. Not even the slightest. The thought reminds me of the weight of my sins and how important ■■■ was to me. I lived only for ■■■■. Even now, I am still living. For ■■■ only…

My beloved god.

Why did you have to die?

---

Three days had passed since we returned home from the goldfish manor. In that short period of time, there had been more and more reports of bloodless bodies. The high number of deaths per day was surprising, but it was probably because accidents and deaths from illnesses, which had not been reported before, were now being covered due to the corpses being drained of blood. The cases were reported in Nago City, specifically around the area where Mayuzumi lived, generating a lot of speculation as to the cause of deaths, from a local epidemic to mutated blood-sucking mosquitoes. The vampire theory, in particular, was the most popular on the Internet. A number of urban legend-like rumors had arisen. My guess was that they would gain more traction as other theories were eliminated.

It had only been three days. How much blood had been collected?

But there was nothing that could be done. Other than the silhouettes of goldfish drifting in the sky, there was no sign of the Minase clan’s defector.

Red goldfish prancing in the skies as if swimming in water. Unreachable.

“There’s no use in killing them when we don’t know how many there are exactly, Odagiri-kun,” Mayuzumi said. “Don’t worry about it too much. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.” She was acting like this matter did not concern her.

Resting her chin in one hand, she was lying on her stomach on the sofa, chomping on a piece of chocolate, and occasionally tearing open a new one. Her hands were wrapped in expensive-looking black lace gloves, and ornaments adorned her hair. While Shirayuki was growing more and more impatient, she was still acting the same, bored, even though it was her own belly that was in danger of being ripped open.

“Is that really the case?” I asked.

“I considered having the clan head draw birds to kill the goldfish, but there’s too many, while we don’t have the numbers. We tried that once, and we got beat superbly. Finding the defector is not an option either. The Minase clan is too weak at the moment. Our only choice is to wait for the enemy to show themselves, which they’ll do once they’ve gathered enough forces.”

The situation seemed hopeless, but Mayuzumi was far from feeling pessimistic. In fact, she smiled as if having fun.

“Those Minase people have a flair for the dramatic. There are other ways to do things, but they are never satisfied unless they make full use of their abilities. Flying goldfish is too outdated. They could just set this apartment on fire and hit you from behind while you’re running away with me in your arms. Then it’s over.”

I shot her a glare. That scenario assumes I’m a complete moron.

Mayuzumi chuckled. “Sure, goldfish that multiply by consuming blood is an annoying matter, but it’s fine. Whatever happens, happens. It’s all for show anyway. Even at this stage, I don’t feel like losing.”

Whether goldfish were flying in the sky or not, Mayuzumi’s daily routine remained unchanged. She chomped on a piece of chocolate and said she was bored. While she was unconcerned, Shirayuki was growing more and more exhausted. Her frustration seemed to have reached its peak. Yukihito tended to her needs, but there was worry in her eyes.

Mayuzumi was completely ignoring Shirayuki. She did not talk to her, taking full advantage of the fact that she did not communicate using fans. She didn’t seem to do it on purpose, though, as she only talked to me and Yusuke whenever she felt like it. But Shirayuki would assume differently, because she still had not answered Mayuzumi’s question from the other day. She had not yet shared what happened to the Minase clan in the past.

Most likely to protect the clan’s reputation.

I placed a cup of green tea in front of Shirayuki, who was sitting on the sofa with her head low. She gave a slight nod, but did not move a muscle.

“Please drink it while it’s hot,” I said. “If you’d like something else to drink, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“…”

There was no reply. At this point, her state of mind was a bigger problem than the defector. Just as I was wondering what to do, I heard an unfamiliar sound. A simple electronic ringing resounded through the air. I looked around.

“Odagiri-kun,” Mayuzumi said with exasperation. “I believe that’s your phone’s ringtone.”

“…Oh, right.”

“Really? You don’t have a lot of friends, huh? Poor thing.” She said, sniffing.

Shut up. It’s none of your concern.

I looked away from her. I picked up my bag on the floor, took out my cell phone, moved to the hallway, and put it in my ear.

“Yes? It’s Odagiri.”

“Odagiri-san? It’s me, Nanase Nanami. Are you free right now?” A young voice came from the other side.

I nodded. It was the granddaughter of my landlord. My cheap apartment, the only place untouched by Mayuzumi.

It was odd for her to call in the morning. It was school hours. Then I realized it was Sunday. Perhaps Mayuzumi was right. I didn’t have many acquaintances.

“I am,” I replied. “What’s the matter? Did something happen to the landlord?”

“Um, not really. There’s a package for you, and my grandma and I can carry it, so could you come and pick it up later?’

I could picture her wondering what it was. I did not recall buying anything. And since she actually called me, there must be something else on her mind.

“I’m sorry, but did you need something else from me?”

“Y-Yeah. Something scary happened.” Her voice trembled.

Ah, made sense.

Nanami was a scaredy-cat. And for some reason she thought I was psychic.

Some time ago, there was a supernatural phenomenon in one of the apartment units. In room 204, a strange shadow appeared in the middle of the night and strangled its occupant.

When I asked Mayuzumi how to deal with the situation, she replied indifferently, “It should probably go away if you stay up all night praying. If you have the guts, go for it.”

Irked, I stayed up all night. After a bit of trouble, the oddity was dispelled, but ever since then, Nanami had been consulting me whenever something happened. I told her it was Mayuzumi’s idea, but for some reason she would not listen to me.

And today, she wanted to consult with me about something.

“Actually, the dog we were keeping at the apartment’s backyard died,” Nanami continued. “Its blood was drained. You’ve seen the news, right? Terrifying. And there’s a strange sound coming from the shed.”

“A strange sound?”

“Like a growl. It sounds scary too. Does this have anything to do with the recent strings of bloodless corpses?”

She sounded as if she were on the verge of tears. The blood being drained was most likely a goldfish’s doing. But what about the strange sound from the shed?

Did a corpse, drained of blood, or perhaps its soul, undergo some kind of transformation?

In that case, I needed to check it out.

“Okay. Just wait for me. I’ll be there.”

“Are you sure? Thank you so much. I’ll be waiting. Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t bring Mayuzumi-san. Bye.” She hung up the phone.