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V10 Story I – Part 01

Let’s talk about experiments involving a mouse.

You place a mouse in a maze. Will the mouse choose the correct path and find its way out?

There are dead ends and traps. The maze is a dangerous place for the mouse. Through trial and error, the mouse will choose the correct path. However, even if it escapes the maze, there is no reward. Ensuring the mental well-being of the mouse will be challenging. It is essential to be particularly cautious of stress-induced self-harm.

The maze torments the mouse, much like life always seems unjust to humans.

No one knows if the mouse reaching the exit is a good thing or not.

And you are kind.

You’re like a saint, magnanimous as a god.

As the observer, you will give the mouse a chance. You grab the mouse and move it a little back. Now, the mouse should be able to run with confidence. The mouse fails repeatedly, and each time, you repeat the process.

Unfortunately, people are not as charitable.

You will eventually grow tired. Everyone eventually grows tired.

Moreover, merely watching a mouse run around is, frankly speaking, boring.

So, allow me to put it out there first.

As with many events, as with human existence, this is nothing more than a vile form of entertainment.

In other words, it is nothing more than a sham.

---

As I opened the door, a stream of sweet air rushed out. The rich scent of chocolate burned my lungs.

Coughing a bit, I closed the door behind me, finding myself in front of a dark hallway.

As always, the air-conditioned room looked surreal.

In the aftermath of Hirugao’s death, I rarely dropped by the office. The sweet fragrance stirred up both nostalgia and an unsettling sense of unfamiliarity.

Mayuzumi’s apartment was like the inside of a candy box. It was almost hard to believe that it existed in the plane of reality.

I stood frozen in the corridor, lost in my thoughts. Then, a voice shattered the illusion, dispelling my reverie.

“What are you doing, Odagiri-kun?” Mayuzumi grouched. “You’re creeping me out just standing there in the corridor. If you’re coming, come quickly, will you?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming, Mayu-san.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you that one ‘yes’ is enough?”

Ignoring her comment, I made my way down the corridor. Upon entering the living room, the lights dazzled me.

Mayuzumi lay on the leather couch, her cat-like eyes staring at me.

She was buried in a mound of ribbons and wrappers. Thin paper engulfed her black figure. Red ribbons entwined around her outstretched feet, lazily swaying as she sighed.

Today, like any other day, Mayuzumi wore an outfit resembling a dress. The luxurious sleeves and a glamorous jabot suited her well. She looked like a medieval princess out of a painting.

However, the grumpy expression on her face ruined the image.

Several days had passed since I was discharged from the hospital. After receiving the bones I got from the human trafficker’s place, I returned to the apartment. Shirayuki, who had stayed with me until I was discharged, had gone back to the Minase household. I couldn’t thank her enough for helping me until the very end.

Kugutsu and Maihime too returned back to their residence. They planned to take their time discussing their relationship.

Hishigami’s surgery was a success. His mental state post-operation was apparently stable.

Yusuke, hospitalized due to fatigue, had been discharged before me. Currently spending his time in his apartment, he was voluntarily attending counseling at the Mayuzumi clan’s hospital.

Three bones were now in Yusuke’s possession: Asako, Aki, and Hirugao’s remains. The dead don’t come back to life. Despite the pain, Yusuke was determined to live on.

Individuals bearing grudges, those resented or hated, and those who offered help—all were resuming their normal lives. The cycle of revenge had been severed.

And I was back at Mayuzumi’s office, a place filled with her incessant sighs.

She appeared more bored and distressed than usual. She found nothing to entertain her during Yusuke’s case, and her discontent teetered on the brink of explosion.

However, wishing for tragic incidents was morally wrong. Turning away from the sight of her nibbling on chocolate, I looked out the window. It was late December. Branches of cherry trees were exposed to the cold wind.

It was looking to be another chilly day. It might even snow. Winter had abandoned this apartment alone.

“How about going outside, Mayu-san?” I suggested. “Taking in some cold air might clear your head a bit. The sweet air in this apartment could be taking its toll on you.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make it sound like I have a chocolate addiction. You take it lightly, Odagiri-kun, but boredom can kill. It’s like drawing out blood in small amounts.”

“So you say, but you’re still alive. I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again. You should find entertainment outside of cases, or you might seriously start to lose it.”

I picked up wrapping paper, wound a gold ribbon around my fingers, and pulled it out.

Studying my gloved left hand, I sensed something out of place. Puzzled, I opened and closed my palm.

Looking at my left hand filled my heart with dread. But I didn’t know why. Something was off, but I had no idea what was wrong.

As I absentmindedly stroked my palm, the doorbell rang. Mayuzumi slowly opened her eyes.

It was about time. I sighed and stood up.

Clients occasionally visited the office, as if mocking my wishes.

A case that Mayuzumi wanted had finally arrived.

---

“I heard a rumor from a friend at university. Um, am I at the right place?”

The client, sitting on the couch, looked around. Her gorgeous visage, framed by brown curls, bore a mix of confusion and curiosity. She picked up a teacup and took a sip.

Her lips left a pink mark. Light danced on her orange nail polish. There was nothing baleful about her.

Mayuzumi shot me a glance that said: how did she get here?

“If the rumors you heard are tied to the Mayuzumi Psychic Detective Agency, then indeed, you’re in the right place,” I replied. “What brings you here today?”

“Oh, really? I got it right? That’s great. I never expected to find a place like this. It’s like something out of television. You don’t charge an absurd fee, do you?”

“W-We can’t determine the fee until we hear your story,” I said, shrinking at her scrutinizing gaze.

I lacked detailed information about our fees. We had sent invoices before, but the amount was unknown to me. There were even cases where the client had died.

Mayuzumi did not need money. My pay was random as well. It likely depended on her mood.

“Oh, you don’t charge for consultation? You’re better than lawyers.”

The woman smiled cheerfully, while Mayuzumi’s eyebrows furrowed to their limits. She might just turn her away.

“I’m sorry, but could you please share the details of your case?” I quickly urged.

“Oh, right! Sorry. Um, I saw something terrifying,” she began in a casual tone.

Mayuzumi sighed in clear disappointment.

Undeterred, the woman’s face darkened in fear. “I saw a hand submerged in a fish tank at my friend’s house,” she said, her ample breasts swaying. “I was so, so scared. What on earth was it?”

I was bewildered. Her casual tone was at odds with her disturbing account.

A gruesome image flashed in my mind—a severed hand sinking in a fish tank, its reddish-black wound not connected to a human body.

Wasn’t this a crime?

A hand doesn’t detach itself; someone had to have severed it.

“The first time I saw it was a week ago,” she continued.

She shared a bizarre experience. A week ago, at her friend’s place, she witnessed a hand submerged in a fish tank. Shocked, she fled without a word to her friend. Thinking she was just seeing things, she visited again, and found the fish tank empty. Her friend displayed no suspicious behavior either.

“When I mustered up the courage to ask, he said the tank was empty. Then I turned to leave.”

Just as she did, she rechecked the fish tank, and saw the hand again.

Astonished, she told her friend about it. Her friend was shocked as well. They tried to retrieve the hand, but they couldn’t touch it. Again and again their fingers slipped through the pale hand.

The hand in the fish tank was not real.

And the phantom hand still lingered at the tank’s bottom.