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V10 Story IV – Part 04

I adjusted my grip on the gun and pointed it at him.

The fox’s eyes grew wide. But they immediately narrowed.

“I see.”

There was a note of admiration in his voice. In the depths of the spirit world, he smiled, red walls looming behind him.

With trembling hands, I took aim. I released the safety and cocked the gun. Pulling the trigger now should end all of this.

Contrary to expectations, the fox did not resist. He stared at his looming death and smiled for some reason.

“How about one last lie, then, Odagiri?”

He flashed a smile so serene it sent a shiver down my spine. My finger on the trigger quivered.

Talking was pointless. I should deal with him immediately, like cutting the cord on a guillotine. But I didn’t stop him from talking.

“Do you even realize the situation you are in?” he went on casually. “You’re like a mouse stuck in a hamster wheel, going around in the same place, wondering where it’ll end up. Not that it matters when you can’t even tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing for you.”

He paused. His voice was as flat as it could get.

“I wanted you to die because of me, for no reason at all.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around what he just said. Whether he was telling the truth or not didn’t matter now. So I gave him my answer.

“Never!”

I ignored the insatiable weariness behind his words.

Then, I presented him with the most decisive rejection.

A gunshot rang out. Loud and high. The discharge numbed my eardrums.

The fox toppled backward, blood spilling from his face. A bullet had crushed his left eye, damaging part of his brain. He weakly raised his hand. I pulled the trigger two, three times.

With each pull, the fox’s body twitched. Eventually, I ran out of bullets.

Pulling the trigger again produced no result. The lifeless body of the fox lay before me.

I looked up at the red sky and exhaled. Then, I turned around.

---

“He doesn’t know how I feel. I doubt he even knows me.”

Her voice betrayed sadness. Jingu Yuri stood with her back on the wall of the red world.

I studied her, stunned. I couldn’t comprehend what she just said.

“I wished to bear the child of the person I loved. And I wished to bring him back into the real world if I could. It was only natural, since I was in love. So, you see…”

Yuri spread her arms. She smiled happily in the dark and distorted world.

She threw her chest out like a child. For a moment, she reverted back fully to a human being.

“This isn’t a sad tale. You’re allowed to be outraged at my selfishness.”

I was left speechless, while she just smiled. I tried to say something, but no words came out. I couldn’t be angry at her, hate her, or laugh at her.

Yuri’s hair grew and took the shape of animal ears. Her long hair fused with her back, creating lustrous fur. My hands balled into tight fists.

I squeezed the words out. “I…”

My lips were plugged shut.

I smelled blood and animal scent. Yuri pressed her lips hard against mine.

Teeth gently rested on my tongue, nipping playfully.

In the next moment, sharp pain shot through my mouth. She sliced through tough muscles and swallowed without hesitation.

Hot liquid that tasted of iron filled my mouth. Yuri tore off my tongue.

My eyes shot open wide. I pushed her away, but she wouldn’t let go.

My eyes locked on to her, and I saw a cat smiling. Her head had transformed into that of an animal. There was no longer reason in her eyes.

Blood trickled down from the corner of her lips. Unbearable pain ravaged my body.

Using all my strength, I shoved her away.

---

A slim figure pitched sideways and fell to the ground.

Black hair scattered among the red leaves. Clothed in a crimson satin dress, she lay motionless. I stared at her in disbelief, failing to comprehend what had occurred.

“Benihina-san?” I called in a quivering voice.

A knife handle protruded from her back, the blade buried deep between her ribs.

“…Huh?”

A streak of red blood trickled down her lips. I turned to look at the person who stabbed Benihina.

Itsuki was standing before me, holding a knife in his left hand. He opened and closed his right hand repeatedly. A refreshing smile appeared on his gentle face. He nodded a few times.

“There was no other choice. I had to do this.”

Before I could think, I grabbed the knife lodged in Benihina’s back and pulled it free effortlessly. Blood streamed from the wound. Benihina’s body jolted. Perhaps she was still alive.

I then drove the knife into Itsuki’s chest, the blade sliding through his shirt easily. He maintained a wide smile.

Itsuki fell flat, and I exhaled sharply. My hand was stained red.

Suddenly I heard footsteps. I jumped back, turning to see Mayuzumi staring at me with a disturbing smile, a red parasol blooming behind her.

“Are you satisfied?” she asked casually.

“How… How could I be satisfied? I’m not sure what’s going on, Mayu-san. Why did I do this? What am I? Things aren’t making any sense.”

Mayuzumi twirled the parasol round and round, tracing an elegant red arc. She took out a piece of chocolate. The candy crumbled between her lips.

Crunch.

I sank down on the ground, hanging my head.

---

I raised my head and surveyed the surroundings. Curios and the like were stored inside the old storehouse.

Musty air filled my chest. Amidst the winter’s chill was a faint scent of death. The stench of excrement, flesh, and blood.

A pair of pale legs were swaying in the air. Rich gray hair hung down, and at her feet lay a fallen stepladder. Her constricted neck was broken. Blood spilled from her lips, her head swollen like a fruit. Dirty feet dangled from her slack figure. Her eyes bulged, hardly resembling her former self. I was reminded of a similar scene amidst a snowy landscape.

I let out a long breath and looked ahead. Yusuke stood silently before me, staring up at Hirugao without a single scream escaping his lips.

A diary lay discarded at his feet. He must have dropped it. The right page was stained in red, while the left bore a few words.

8ghMRQPCPc13mN3yTtdKUDNETxnRS0X2XjV0CBXv3SpLrITlx1FiwA==

It didn’t make any sense. Yusuke remained frozen. He didn’t so much as quiver.

He didn’t shed a tear, merely held onto the bat with a firm grip. He was staring at the corpse. Looking at the motionless Hirugao.

A moment later, he bared his teeth like a skull and let out a short whimper.

With the bat in hand, he turned around.

And then, he swung his arm at me.

---

Clang!

The bat crashed on the floor, slammed against the wall, hit the ceiling, then fell to the floor.

Yusuke roughly wiped away his tears. He sniveled and stamped his feet like a child throwing a tantrum.

“I can’t do anything for her anymore. Nothing matters anymore.”

“…”

“And I keep saying you’re fucking annoying!”

Yusuke lifted his left leg and brought it down on my head. My trampled face twitched.

I grabbed his ankle and pulled his foot away. I tried to say something, but I didn’t know what to tell him. Silence was all I could offer.

“…”

“I don’t care about that! I didn’t listen, I couldn’t do anything, and she’s dead, end of story! But still… I won’t let it end like this. I’m gonna kill them. There’s nothing else for me to do. And you…”

He paused abruptly. Like a switch had been flicked off, he fell silent.

Yusuke pulled his foot back, and I rose back up. Dragging my shaky legs forward, I grabbed his shoulders with both hands. It felt like my brain was leaking out of my ears.

“What is this?” I asked. “What the hell is going on? Tell me.”

The emotion vanished from Yusuke’s face. He tilted his head slightly. Then, he tilted his head to the other side, wearing a curious expression. Suddenly, he smiled.

A toothy smile that resembled a bare skull.

“Ah, whatever. Just die,” he said casually.

He raised his arm up and brought down the bat. Over and over.

My head was squashed, and I lost consciousness.