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V10 Story I – Part 03

“When did this start happening? Do you have any idea who the owner of this hand is, or the reason for its appearance? Or was there anything suspicious about the place where you bought the tank?”

“No idea. I’m not sure when Mako came over last. I can’t remember. This tank is from an emporium. They used to sell tropical fish. As for the owner of the hand… Does it matter? The fact that there’s a hand here is more important.”

Hmm? I understood the first half of what he just said, but not the second half.

Azuma shifted his gaze to the fish tank. Studying his arm, he shrugged lightly.

“This thing is here. It would be weird for me to do something about it at this point.”

“What do you mean by ‘weird’? Isn’t it weird that there’s a hand in there?”

“Is it really? I don’t think so. Losing something is unnatural. Besides, I’m not bothered by this situation at all. I mean, this hand isn’t causing any trouble—it’s just like a piece of decor. So, why are you going out of your way to deny it?”

He wasn’t making any sense to me.

Azuma inclined his head, as if seeking agreement. I was at a loss for words. The thought had crossed my mind—the hand being a décor—but I had seen many corpses before. My unconventional thoughts naturally arose from familiarity with bizarre situations.

How could Azuma accept this so easily?

“Do you not care who this hand belongs to?” I asked.

“Eh. Whether there was a body the hand was attached to or not is not important. Right now, it’s not attached to any human body. So, whether it was attached or not, it doesn’t really make a difference. Maybe it was never attached in the first place. It’s all just a minor detail. Do you, for instance, bother thinking about what happened to the branches, leaves, and roots of cut flowers? Yeah, I… Ah, yes, it’s a beautiful hand, isn’t it?”

What sounded like an incantation suddenly stopped. Azuma shifted his gaze to Mayuzumi’s hand.

Her black-painted nails sparkled like jewels. Gazing at it earnestly, Azuma continued.

“If, for instance, my arm were to suddenly disappear, I wouldn’t particularly mind. Suppose you woke up one morning and found someone’s hand by your pillow. I think it’s nonsense to be concerned about its origin. It’s like looking at chicken wings and… ah, that’s a bit different. Cut flowers are more apt. Yeah, I can’t find a better example than that.”

Azuma’s eyes flickered from Mayuzumi’s hand to my face, and he fell silent. I stared at him blankly. His bizarre words left my head numb.

“Um, so, I might scare people at times, but I mean no harm,” Azuma added awkwardly. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t feel uncomfortable. I don’t really understand what’s so strange about it myself.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. So, basically…”

I swallowed my words. I didn’t know how to continue. Mayuzumi didn’t show any particular reaction. I thought back to the words he had said earlier.

“Basically, the hand doesn’t bother you, and you have no intention of getting rid of it.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I don’t particularly feel the need to get rid of it,” he replied without hesitation.

His words were incomprehensible to me. They sounded like meaningless nonsense. A terrifying possibility suddenly crossed my mind. Abnormal incidents I had experienced in the past came flooding back. A chill ran down my spine.

Someone’s hand doesn’t separate from the body unless someone cuts it off. Why did this phantom hand appear in the first place?

“Azuma-san… Are you involved in the appearance of this hand?”

“Huh? How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

Azuma’s eyes widened, and he cocked his head curiously.

He didn’t respond to my probing gaze. He didn’t even understand that he was being suspected of a crime. I stared at the hand. Was this an oddity birthed from a real thing? But if so, there was no reason for the culprit to show it to someone. His behavior was also too natural to be faked.

“I apologize for the impolite question,” I said.

“I got it. I’ll make you some tea.”

“What do you mean by ‘got it’?!” I shouted unintentionally.

He tottered away without listening.

“I believe there was mint tea,” he said in a singsong voice. “It might help clear my head a bit. Smooth communication is important. It’s not good to scare people.”

Azuma left the room. This was apparently his own way of being nice. Was he not a bad person? It became increasingly unclear.

Sighing, I turned around. Mayuzumi was silently gazing at the fish tank. Suddenly, her lips twisted into a disturbing smile.

“The tip of a hand.”

Thwap!

Suddenly, she opened her parasol. Bright red seared my eyes. It looked as if a large flower had bloomed among the fake leaves.

Mayuzumi began twirling the parasol. The swirling red glistened eerily under the bright lights, evoking the image of a poisonous flower. Gradually, the parasol spun faster and faster.

Feeling pain in my eyes, I closed them. Why was she doing this? Anyone could see the phantom hand in the water.

What else was she trying to recreate? There was no change in the hand. But then suddenly, it began to wriggle.

The pale skin rapidly decayed. It was as if time was moving fast forward. Or perhaps time had stopped all along and it was now resuming its flow.

The hand began to rot. The skin peeled off slowly, and the flesh swelled hideously. Melted flesh detached. Water quickly became cloudy. Veins floated, and white bones appeared. The phantom hand was decaying.

I stared in astonishment at the scene.

Snap.

Mayuzumi closed the parasol. The pale hand returned to its original state.

The smooth skin remained beautiful. The hand, resembling exquisite carving, rested motionless at the bottom of the fish tank. Mayuzumi was smiling.

“Mayu-san, what was that?” I asked.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Azuma opened the door, walking in with a tray holding a glass of clear green tea. “It looks bad, but there’s green tea.”

“Welcome back,” Mayuzumi said casually. “What happened to the mint tea?”

“It was empty. Strange. I’m sure there were some. Well, whatever. I can’t be bothered with things that don’t interest me. The world is too complicated, and it’s hard to remember.”

“And you’re managing to live like this? What about food and daily necessities?” Mayuzumi pressed on, which was rather unusual for her.

Azuma roughly scratched his head. “I’m fine. When it comes to fish and meat, I somehow end up cutting and eating them. And my colleagues haven’t complained, so it doesn’t affect my work, apparently? What’s needed goes where it’s needed, and somehow I manage to do things without realizing. Hmm… Yeah, I’m fine. Probably.” He nodded hesitantly.

Mayuzumi’s smile deepened. She walked over and peered into Azuma’s tray. There were small chocolates accompanying the green tea.

“Hmm. An unusual combination. You’re quite considerate. Odagiri-kun, you should learn from him.”

“I always offer them, but no one eats them. I’d be happy if someone consumed them.”

Mayuzumi casually picked up a frog-shaped candy and put it in her mouth.

Azuma stared at her fingertips. Nodding a few times, he said, “I think your hand is better than that hand. The balance of the back of your hand and fingers is beautiful.”

“Thank you. I’m honored to hear such praise. Not that it makes me happy in the slightest. We’re leaving, Odagiri-kun.”

She started walking. Without hesitation, her black-dressed figure disappeared into the corridor. I hurriedly followed her. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Azuma waving his hand.

“Leaving already? Take care, then. I don’t like acquaintances getting hurt.” He did not seem offended by our sudden departure.

We left the house. As we stepped outside, the winter sunlight returned, the murky light casting a dull shadow over the town. I looked up at the sky.

Gray clouds shimmered from within. Mayuzumi also turned to the sky, her large eyes studying the thick clouds.

“Mayu-san, should we really have left? The client wants the phantom hand gone. Azuma-san, the owner of the fish tank, doesn’t think much of it, though.”

“What was I supposed to do? It’s not that entertaining at the moment. Why bother doing something boring?”

She looked at me quizzically. Her lips were curled into a smile.

I remembered the hand in the fish tank. Indeed, that alone wouldn’t be entertaining for Mayuzumi. But she was the one who accepted the case.

Before I could say anything, I swallowed hard. The pale flesh rapidly decayed. A cold feeling settled itself in the pit of my stomach.

Come to think of it, why did Mayuzumi take on this case?

“Mayu-san, why did that flesh decay?”

“Good question. The answer is surprisingly simple.”

She had no intention of answering. Mayuzumi doesn’t get angry with questions. However, if she didn’t feel like answering, asking was pointless. I let out a sigh.

“There’s no need to talk about it at the moment,” she said. “There’s no proof, after all. Make your own speculations, Odagiri-kun. If you don’t think, your brain will only deteriorate. Hmm, how about a metaphor like he does? The fruit is still hard. I don’t do anything as tasteless as picking it. All we have to do is wait.”

Mayuzumi smiled delightfully. She raised her index finger and pressed it against her lips.

Her red lips twisted softly. She gently released her finger and whispered, as if sharing a secret.

“That was just a foretaste.”