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V10 Story II – Part 02

There was a clap, and everything before me shattered into a million pieces. The scarlet woman folded like origami. A crane, small as a pebble, fell to the floor. It lost its striking hue, blending with the floor.

A dark figure stirred on the couch. Something felt off. I stared at Mayuzumi with narrowed eyes.

Mayuzumi shot me a sharp glare. “Unfortunately, Odagiri-kun, I’m allergic to prickly things.”

“Yeah, you just collapse when you see chestnuts or urchins.”

“Huh? What?”

“Um…”

I gawked around. Mayuzumi and Yusuke were right there.

Nothing seemed amiss, yet a strange unease lingered. The sago palm rested on the floor, and beside it was a woman in a pea coat. I cocked my head, studying her.

“Uh? Who are you?”

“S-Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for barging in without permission.”

She hurriedly bowed, tears welling up in her youthful face. Her soft black hair bounced. The stranger who had appeared out of nowhere kept apologizing, moving her head up and down so fast that I feared she might just damage her brain cells.

“No, um, I’m not blasting you for it or anything.”

“But if you really think about it—you don’t even have to—I’m trespassing, aren’t I? My sincerest apologies. I’ve always been stupid. Please forgive me! I’m leaving.”

She darted down the hallway, only to abruptly come to a halt. Her willowy limbs tensed like taut wires, as if her very soles had been pricked by pins. I wondered what happened.

Her legs, encased in thick stockings, had trodden on the scattered dirt.

“Ah…”

Her eyeballs rolled back, revealing the whites of her eyes. In the next moment, she crumpled right on the spot. Her long black hair was strewn across the floor. I sprinted towards her, with Yusuke following suit.

“What’s the deal with this lady?” Yusuke said.

“I don’t know… What in the world happened?”

Neither of us could make sense of it. Why did she suddenly collapse? It was as if she had witnessed something utterly horrifying.

“Her breathing seems steady. She didn’t swallow her tongue, and her head doesn’t appear injured. Let’s lay her down for the time being. Yusuke, lend me a hand.”

With Yusuke’s assistance, I hoisted her up and gently placed her on the unoccupied couch.

Mayuzumi, nonchalantly resting her cheek on her hand, observed the entire spectacle with a tinge of boredom.

“So, what’s that thing doing here?” she muttered.

Mayuzumi referred to the unconscious woman as a thing. Yusuke and I exchanged puzzled glances.

The woman was likely a client. But not one person in the office knew the reason for her visit to the office.

Large eyes slowly opened. Lips parted, and the woman drew in a deep breath.

“Wh-What happened to me?”

A few moments later, she sprang upright, colliding with me.

“Kyaa!”

“Ugh!”

Her head landed a clean hit on my jaw, and I let out a pained groan. Yusuke emerged from the kitchen, holding hot water in his hands, and stood beside the couch. Startled by the commotion, his eyes widened.

“Ah, what a tragedy. Anyway, I’m glad you’re awake. Here, take this. Um, Odagiri-san, should I fetch some ice?”

“Thank you,” the woman said. “Ow, ow, ow. I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“D-Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Get her that ice, Yusuke. I’m fine, but her head might need to be cooled.”

“Roger that. I’ll bring two,” Yusuke responded with both hands raised.

He brought wrapped ice packs and handed them over. The woman, apologizing incessantly, applied them to her head. Then, she anxiously surveyed her surroundings as she took a sip of the hot water.

The floor had already been wiped clean, but she still regarded it with a fearful gaze.

“So, why did you pass out?” Mayuzumi asked. “Or is fainting in other people’s houses some kind of pastime of yours?”

The woman jumped, her face turning pale as she glanced around. Before I could tell her that she didn’t need to answer the question, she bowed her head deeply.

“M-My name is Morimoto Yuina. I’m really sorry for the shameful display earlier. I, um, heard that this is a paranormal detective agency, and I was wondering if you could help me. I’m kinda desperate.”

Suddenly, she coughed violently. Her congested eyes blinked, revealing dark circles underneath. She stared intensely at the spot where the dirt had been, and shuddered.

“I-I’m scared of dirt. As to why…”

Coughing several times, she hesitated with her words. But she went on anyway.

“When I sleep, I hear the sound of digging dirt. L-Like someone is trying to bury a person alive.” Tears spilled from her large eyes.

Mayuzumi squinted slightly, extending a porcelain palm towards Yuina. She nodded, her eyes clear.

“Continue.”

“O-Okay!”

Like a student called by a teacher, Yuina straightened herself. She swallowed nervously.

“Whenever I go to sleep,” she began, “I hear the sound of digging dirt… persistently, morbidly, from somewhere.” She clenched her fist tight. Then, she went on rapidly, “At first, I thought it might be a prank. But there’s no place around my house where people can dig dirt. We used to have a garden, but my father destroyed it to make a garage. Yet I still hear it every night, and sometimes I can smell and feel dirt. Sometimes my clothes get dirty… I have no idea where the dirt is coming from. It feels like… It feels like I’m being buried alive, you know.”

Yuina grabbed the hot water, drinking the remaining liquid in one gulp. She wiped her wet mouth with her palm.

“At the beginning of summer, a friend referred me to a psychic,” she continued, sniffling. “But it only got worse. It went from just the sound of digging to even the sound of burying. I figured if it got worse because I visited a psychic, I should find another one to fix it. That’s why I came here. Please, help me. Or am I just going crazy?”

Yuina burst into tears. Her youthful face turned into a mess in an instant.

Mayuzumi opened her eyes and pursed her lips.

“How boring,” she concluded. With a casual wave of her hand, she lay back down.

Yuina flinched. More tears gathered in her eyes. She hastily wiped her cheeks and stood up.

“S-Sorry, it’s such a dull story… I-I’ll come back some other time.”

“Please hold on. Mayu—the chief is always like this, so there’s no point in coming back later.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll be back—I mean, I won’t come again. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll make sure not to show my face here ever again!”

I stopped Yuina as she was attempting to leave. Despite my grip on her arm, she moved her legs aimlessly. Then, she suddenly sank down, her complexion turning pallid. Her arms and legs were shaking.

“Yuina-san?”

“I-I’m sorry. I-I haven’t had much sleep lately.”

“Yeah, you’re as pale as a sheet,” Yusuke said. “How long has it been since you’ve had a good sleep?”

“If I recall correctly… It’s been about a week.”

“A-And you didn’t just collapse? Wow.”

“Well, I might have passed out. Like during lunch breaks at work. I don’t remember much then. S-So it’s not like I haven’t had a wink of sleep. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Chuckling, she rose to her feet and tottered away.

“The sound you’re hearing,” Yusuke said curiously, “you hear it when sleeping at home, right? How about staying at a hotel or something? Or maybe, and I don’t mean to be rude, you’re the cause of the problem?”

“I’ve stayed in a hotel before. At that time, I didn’t hear anything. But I get nightmares when I’m alone, and now I’m scared of that, so I end up waking up.”

“Why not stay with someone? Have a fun girls’ night at a friend’s house?”

“My friend… Well, my house is old, and they don’t want to stay with me at a hotel. Besides, I haven’t been able to pay them back for introducing me to the psychic.”

“Well, shit.” Yusuke’s shoulders sagged.

I heaved a deep sigh, and Yuina jumped. Sweat beaded on her forehead, a sign of her genuine distress. She was clearly running on fumes.

“Before dealing with an oddity,” I said, “it’s better to rest somewhere safe. If this goes on, you’ll ruin your health. Do you have work tomorrow?”

“N-No. I was told not to come to work anymore the other day, so it’s okay! If I can just sleep for a day, it would really help, but how on earth can I do that?” Yuina scrunched up her face.

How was getting fired okay exactly?

I bit my lip. She had nightmares when alone, but I couldn’t exactly stay with her for the night.

“Staying overnight at the office…”

“First, you bring in a sago palm, and now what? What exactly are you plotting?” Mayuzumi slapped the couch.

Yusuke crossed his arms in thought. “Hmm,” he mused, arching his back. “I owe you a lot, but as much as I’d like to help, unfortunately, I’m a Yusuke, not a Yuko.”

“I appreciate the thought, but the last part was not necessary.”

Yuina shrunk and nervously trotted away, but Yusuke caught her collar again. Then, my phone pinged with a message. It was from Aya.