3 bar menu

V10 Story IV – Part 01

There’s some very bad news………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….I’m bored.

To leave things on a moderately good note, I’m thinking of tying up the entrance and exit.

---

My white breath dispersed in the air. The year had turned, but it was still cold. The spring sun was yet to arrive. With gloved hands, I grasped the doorknob.

As I opened the door, a stream of sweet air rushed out. I closed the door behind me, shutting out the winter chill.

Before me stretched a dark hallway. I proceeded to the living room as usual.

As always, the air-conditioned room looked surreal. Despite coming here every day, it felt like visiting an uncharted place. Mayuzumi’s apartment was like the inside of a candy box. It was almost hard to believe that it existed on the plane of reality.

Upon entering the living room, the lights dazzled me. Mayuzumi was lying on the leather couch.

Today, she wore an unusual outfit. Glossy silk ribbons were twirled around the sleeves of her black classical blouse. It looked like she was restrained.

She placed James Barrie’s Peter Pan face-down on the table, next to an empty cup, and slowly looked at me. Her red lips parted.

“What are you doing, Odagiri-kun? You’re quite late. Could you please prepare another cup of hot chocolate? I’m terribly thirsty.”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand, Mayu-san. I doubt drinking hot chocolate will quench your thirst, though. I wouldn’t recommend consuming too much sugar either.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you that one ‘yes’ is enough? Besides, it’s a bit late to give me that advice. Chocolate is a drug. A warning at this stage is pointless.”

Her usual banter gave me relief. Until a few days ago, Mayuzumi slept all the time out of boredom. But now, she was awake more often, occasionally picking up a book. She was exploring ways to pass the time in her own way.

A good development. I couldn’t help but hope her interest in savage entertainment would continue to wane.

I made hot chocolate in the kitchen and placed a piece of dark chocolate on a plate. I returned to the living room to find Mayuzumi arrogantly crossing her legs. She took the cup and elegantly tilted it.

Ribbons and wrapping paper were scattered around her. I picked them up one by one and arranged them on the desk. Studying the bright colors of red and gold, I nodded to myself. The quantity had indeed decreased compared to before.

I glanced at the couch. Mayuzumi was flipping through a book again. She must be desperate to keep herself occupied. Since the suspicious phone call the other day, cases had completely ceased.

People occasionally visited Mayuzumi’s office, but that pattern seemed to have finally broken. Days went by so peacefully, it was almost unbelievable. I no longer needed to worry about brutal incidents.

Oddly enough, I was sure that this would go on. Rolling my shoulders, I resumed cleaning, opening the window to replace the sweet air. The cold wind blew in relentlessly. Mayuzumi frowned.

“Odagiri-kun, could you stop?” she protested, slamming the desk. “It’s cold. You’re free to clean the place, but try not to bother others. No sane person would open the window in winter without notice.”

“I understand. Please just bear with it for a bit,” I replied with a smile.

I waited for the cold air to fill the room, then closed the window. At that moment, the phone in my breast pocket pinged. I opened it to find a message from Yusuke.

Subject: Today

Message: I’m preparing for hot pot with the girls. Drop by later, okay?

I opened the attached photo. Aya was vertically splitting a Chinese cabbage with a knife. In the background, Nanami was nibbling on senbei with a frown. They were getting along well.

A smile appeared on my face. I replied that I was looking forward to it. Days without cases were calm and monotonous. Even with Mayuzumi, time passed peacefully. There wasn’t much to do.

I meticulously polished the floor. Mayuzumi continued reading her book. After getting rid of the dust, I decided to polish the windows next.

I glanced outside. Gray clouds blanketed the sky. It would probably snow on my way back. Looking up at the colorless scenery, I exhaled.

My white breath dispersed in the air. The year had turned, but it was still cold. The spring sun was yet to arrive. With gloved hands, I grasped the doorknob.

As I opened the door, a stream of sweet air rushed out. I closed the door behind me, shutting out the winter chill.

Before me stretched a dark hallway. I proceeded to the living room as usual.

As always, the air-conditioned room looked surreal. Despite coming here every day, it felt like visiting an uncharted place. Mayuzumi’s apartment was like the inside of a candy box. It was almost hard to believe that it existed on the plane of reality.

Upon entering the living room, the lights dazzled me. Mayuzumi was lying on the leather couch.

Today, she wore a fur cape. A thick, plaid pleated skirt enveloped her slender legs. She looked warm as she nibbled on chocolate truffles.

Mayuzumi placed Heiner Müller’s Hamletmachine face-down on the table, next to an empty cup, and slowly looked at me. She let out a big yawn.

“Ah, Odagiri-kun, you’re here. I woke up early this morning. I did not notice at all. Can you make me hot chocolate?”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand, Mayu-san. It’s unusual for you to wake up early.”

I headed to the kitchen and came back with a cup.

“Didn’t anyone teach you that one ‘yes’ is enough? And that last comment was unnecessary. I’ve had a lot of things to do lately. Thanks.”

After thanking me, Mayuzumi tilted the cup. She picked up the book again, quietly flipping through the pages. However, she closed the book midway.

Suddenly, she turned on the TV. An old movie began playing. In the blurry footage, children in matching white uniforms were playing on a swing. Mayuzumi propped her elbow and started watching.

I returned to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and checked the chocolate stock. Her consumption had noticeably decreased recently. Out of curiosity, I checked the contents of the macaron box I had put away.

One pistachio macaron was missing. My breath snagged. It was hard to believe that Mayuzumi ate something other than chocolate.

I rushed out of the kitchen. Mayuzumi was watching TV with apparent interest. Her face looked serene. I swallowed the words I was about to say. Her attitude towards indulging in savage entertainment was changing.

My smile deepened. Then, my phone pinged. I opened the message.

It was from Yusuke. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

Subject: At your apartment

Message: I bumped into the clan head.

I hurriedly opened the attached image. Shirayuki was smiling shyly. I almost dropped my phone. I quickly sent back a message, asking Yusuke what was going on.

It turned out that Shirayuki wanted to see me. Surprisingly, she received permission from Minase Miyabi as well. She seemed worried about being a nuisance. I quickly responded that she was welcome to visit.

She was going shopping with Aya and Yusuke now and would be back before I got home.

Putting my phone away, I approached the table and collected the empty cup. On the TV screen, a mansion was burning. Someone in a cloak was twirling around.

Mayuzumi turned her face slowly towards me and frowned. “What are you grinning about, Odagiri-kun?” she asked suspiciously. “Frankly, it’s really creepy.”

“It’s nothing.” I turned my face away. “You must be imagining things.”

I hadn’t seen Shirayuki for a while. Although I was genuinely happy about her visit, I couldn’t keep smiling forever. If Mayuzumi learned about the circumstances, she would definitely tease me. I tightened my expression.

Then, my phone pinged again. I immediately opened the message.

Subject: Shirayuki-san

Message: Looks great on her, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?

In the attached image, Aya was smiling, with Shirayuki standing in front of her. Aya had her hand on her shoulder. White earmuffs were fitted on Shirayuki’s ears. Wrapped in a scarf, she was blushing. The lovely attire suited her perfectly.

I couldn’t help but smile again. Quickly closing my phone, I took a deep breath to calm myself, drawing in sweet air, then slowly letting it out.

My white breath dispersed in the air. The year had turned, but it was still cold. The spring sun was yet to arrive. With gloved hands, I grasped the doorknob.

As I opened the door, a stream of sweet air rushed out. I closed the door behind me, shutting out the winter chill.

Before me stretched a dark hallway. I proceeded to the living room as usual.

As always, the air-conditioned room looked surreal. Despite coming here every day, it felt like visiting an uncharted place. Mayuzumi’s apartment was like the inside of a candy box. It was almost hard to believe that it existed on the plane of reality.

Upon entering the living room, the lights dazzled me. Mayuzumi was lying on the leather couch.