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Epilogue

Mayuzumi’s apartment was filled with a rich, sugary scent.

The floor was littered with ribbons and a pile of cardboard boxes.

I let out a sigh. No matter how much I cleaned, the trash just kept piling up. Combined with the packages buried in ribbons, it was a real mess. Crossing my arms, I turned to the leather couch, the source of all the clutter. There lay a lovely figure, completely at ease.

“Come on, Mayu-san. I’m not asking you to clean, but at least stop tossing wrapping paper everywhere. I’m not a walking vacuum cleaner.”

“I don’t see the problem,” she replied. “I’m going to take full advantage of you while you’re around. That said, compromise is good. If I ever started cleaning, that’d be a clear sign of the apocalypse. Just imagine it, Odagiri-kun. You wouldn’t want the world to end, would you?”

“Now you’re just being unreasonable. You can’t use the apocalypse as an excuse for your laziness.”

I picked up a light-blue ribbon. I neatly rolled it and set it on the desk. Then, I wrapped my mug in some padding and packed it into a cardboard box. The large mug, featuring a white dog, was a gift from Yuina, which Nanami had held onto for me. I added the ashtray I’d hidden in my room and sealed the box with tape.

“Mayu-san, like I said earlier, Yusuke’s coming by later on his bike to pick this up.”

“I know. He can just take it. No need to remind me.”

Nodding, I lifted my gaze. Mayuzumi Azaka lay sprawled on the leather couch, swinging her legs idly. Dressed in her usual black Gothic Lolita outfit, she looked as elegant as ever. In her hand was a piece of chocolate. She took a bite. A smile crept onto my face.

Mayuzumi Azaka was eating chocolate today too. This was a typical sight at the Mayuzumi Psychic Detective Agency.

It was all well and good, but I still wished she’d tidy up. I couldn’t help but worry about the future. With a sigh, I folded the wrapping paper and glanced at her again, shaking my head.

“Listen, Mayu-san. Even after I’m gone, could you at least try to keep things somewhat in order?”

“Oh, dear. It’ll be a hassle without someone to clean up. Maybe I should hire a housekeeper.”

“I doubt any housekeeper would stick around here.”

“That is a great point. Well, let’s just leave it to fate.”

“Do you really think that’ll work out?”

“It’ll go how it goes.”

Mayuzumi was as carefree as ever. Thinking about what lay ahead, I sighed again.

Today was the day I was finally leaving the Mayuzumi Psychic Detective Agency.

I rubbed my belly. There was nothing left inside, just a twisted scar. Uka was gone, and my stomach would never open again. I didn’t need Mayuzumi to seal it anymore. Which meant, I had no reason to stay by her side.

Mayuzumi Asato had said I was dependent on her. He wasn’t wrong. I had been clinging to her. But I needed to stop relying on others. Even though I had brought her back, I hadn’t accepted that twisted part of her. And Mayuzumi Azaka would never change.

I don’t try to understand her. She doesn’t listen to me.

She says that’s fine. I wish she would stop.

We’ll never see eye to eye. We’ll always be like parallel lines, never intersecting.

But somehow, we always stayed side by side, just far enough apart.

But it was all over now. It was time for me to walk on my own.

With no need for her to close my stomach anymore, I had no reason to work for her.

After staying with her for so long, all the while wanting to escape, Odagiri Tsutomu had decided to leave Mayuzumi Azaka’s side.

Riiing, riiing!

“Oh.”

My phone rang. I quickly pulled it from my pocket and pressed the call button, holding it to my ear. I heard chaos in the background—the clanging of metal.

“Odagiri-san? Can you hear me?” said a familiar voice.

“Yusuke? Sounds like chaos over there.”

“When do you think you’ll get here? The clan head is very excited, and the former-squirt-who’s-no-longer-a-squirt is making quite the scene. We could really use you right now.”

“I’ll be there soon. Just hang tight a bit longer. You’ve got this.”

“Roger that. Yep, yep.”

The call ended. Hearing Nanami’s voice made me smile. Shirayuki was waiting in my apartment, cooking with Nanami. While I wandered through the spirit world, Shirayuki caught up with my age. I regretted missing Nanami’s graduation ceremony, which I had promised to attend. But just being able to spend time together like this was enough.

Looking back, the chaos that erupted after my return had been overwhelming. Even now, I still blushed or paled just thinking about it. During that time, Asato set out on a journey, taking the black cat with him, and hadn’t been seen since. But I had a feeling he’d be back. He still had the key to my apartment, after all. I could imagine him showing up out of nowhere one day, perhaps having learned what fun really was and understood what he did. Or maybe he never would. Either way, something would change.

Spring was a season of change, after all. And everything around me kept moving forward.

Shirayuki often visited me, but the path ahead for us remained fraught with challenges.

I would have to accompany her to greet the Minase clan soon. Miyabi, cracking her knuckles, and Yukihito, having trained relentlessly, were waiting. I couldn’t quite understand why they had turned into the final bosses. Could I really persuade them? The more I thought about it, the more uncertain our future seemed. But we had a future, one I once thought was impossible.

Nodding to myself, I glanced around. A flash of bright color caught my eye. I couldn’t help but smile. The red parasol in the corner of the room had become little more than a decoration.

Even if Mayuzumi twirled it now, she could no longer enter the spirit world. Perhaps it was the scarlet woman’s way of rejecting everything, but Mayuzumi had lost her connection to that realm. After acquiring Uka, the scarlet woman had slammed the gate shut to all visitors. We could no longer slip through the cracks either. To return to that place, we’d need something to guide us back, something that had passed through before the gate closed.

But with the spirit world sealed, finding such a thing was nearly impossible.

Still, I couldn’t accept it. Clenching my fist tightly, I muttered under my breath, “Mayu-san, I swear I’ll never give up.”

“How annoying. You’re as stubborn as ever.”

Was Uka happy now? Did she have any regrets? I had to see her at least one more time to know. And for that, I would keep searching for a way back.

Mayuzumi glanced at my clenched fist and sighed. “Well, whatever. You saved someone who wasn’t supposed to be saved, and held onto someone you shouldn’t have,” she said gently. “It was a very stupid thing to do. You were supposed to meet a fate so terrible, death would’ve seemed like a mercy. But after all your mistakes, something changed. You managed to change something. For better or worse, Odagiri Tsutomu never gives up. That’s just the hopeless person you are. No matter what anyone says, you won’t back down, will you? So, do whatever you want. Keep fighting, and maybe someday even a fate bound tightly will unravel.”

“Yeah,” I said quietly, “I’ll fight back as much as I want.”

“Knock yourself out. Just don’t drag me into it.”

I nodded. Mayuzumi sighed again and lay down, looking bored. She opened a box of chocolates. She wouldn’t have time to laze around forever, though. She was busy overseeing the main family with Sadashita. He consulted her constantly, much to her annoyance, but she had no choice but to entertain him. It was satisfying to see her too occupied to indulge in her bad habits.

Sensing my gaze, Mayuzumi frowned and bit into a chocolate.

Crack.

The familiar sound was followed by the sweet aroma of chocolate filling the air. Taking that as my cue, I turned to leave.

I walked down the dim corridor I had passed through so many times before. It felt like a dream. As always, the air-conditioned interior felt surreal. Despite coming here nearly every day, I never got rid of the feeling of being in an unfamiliar place. Mayuzumi’s place receded behind, and the weight of it pressed on me.

At the entrance, I slipped on my shoes and paused before the door. My heart pounded in my chest.

If I wanted to, I could come back anytime. But knowing that didn’t stop me from glancing over my shoulder. The light stung my eyes. When I saw her, I couldn’t help but smile.

Mayuzumi Azaka lay sprawled on the leather couch, looking bored as ever. She was, and always would be, devilishly beautiful.

I knew I’d see her again. But somehow, I had the feeling I’d never return here on my own volition.

I gripped the doorknob firmly and squeezed hard, never looking back again.

Raising my voice, I said, “Well, then. Goodbye, Mayu-san.”

“Yeah. Goodbye, Odagiri-kun.”

I opened the door wide and stepped out into the hallway.

I walked outside, leaving Mayuzumi behind. We set out on our own separate paths in life.

And just like that, Odagiri Tsutomu and Mayuzumi Azaka parted ways with a remarkably simple goodbye.

---

The automatic doors slid shut behind me as I stepped out of Mayuzumi’s apartment building.

I looked up at the clear blue sky, and smiled.

Cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their delicate white petals dancing in the wind and brushing against my cheeks like soft rain.

Spring was in full swing. A spring in full bloom.

Standing beneath the cherry trees, I reflected on everything that had happened. I thought of the moments of despair, the people I had lost, the people I had found, the people I would need to meet again. All those who had supported me.

I pondered the days that lay ahead. As I embarked on a new path, I found myself surrounded by the very season that marked beginnings.

The nearly-blooming cherry trees have begun to shed their petals. Standing beneath the beautiful canopy of flowers, I took a deep breath and started walking, alone.

The spring in my memories quietly came to an end.

B.A.D. 13: And So, Mayuzumi Will Eat Chocolate Tomorrow Too