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V10 Story IV – Part 07

“I hope you won’t believe only the parts you want to believe, Odagiri-kun,” the scarlet woman suddenly cut in. “Every time you felt something was wrong, you sensed my presence and occasionally crossed paths with me. Besides, a dreamlike happy ending isn’t something you can easily obtain. No one wants that.”

She waved her milky-white hand, and shadows fell on the crimson floor. She picked up one of them. In her arms, she embraced a twisted mass of flesh in the shape of a person.

“I and these spectators—these puppets—wanted some gruesome entertainment,” she continued, moving the flesh’s arms. “The cases you took that went well were boring. Still, calling all of it a mere dream is upsetting.”

The woman puffed her cheeks slightly, showing an unfitting innocent expression. She looked up at me. Her lips curled up wickedly. Then, she shifted her gaze to Mayuzumi with a proud smile.

“Your dreams were special, based on reality. However, I left out the demon, as I didn’t want trouble. Make no mistake, though. Azuma Katsumi and Morimoto Yuina are real people. Cases of hands being severed have been causing a commotion in the real world while you were asleep.”

She moved the arm of the mass of flesh left and right, then twisted and tore it off. Blood spurted out. Stroking the wound, she smiled.

“What you saw were possible scenarios that could happen if they or their associates were to come to you for a case. I used them to create your dreams. If you’re curious, after waking up, you can go see them. You might have to put in a lot more effort to get the same results, though.”

The woman smiled affectionately. Then, her eyes widened a little. She tossed the puppet away and clapped her hands once.

“Oh, but Kotori-kun’s case is different. It’s too late for her.”

What did she mean by “too late”? I glared at the woman.

“That was a dream I created based on a concluded case,” she went on. “It’s different from the previous two. You weren’t around when the mansion burned and Kotori-kun left her cage. Afterwards, I gained limbs. What will you do when you meet her?”

The woman sneered, but her expression quickly turned into one of disinterest. She jumped and straightened herself. The hem of her red kimono fluttered. Wiping her bloodied hands, she sighed.

“So, are you taking him with you, Mayuzumi Azaka?”

“I am. Unfortunately, he’s my subordinate,” Mayuzumi replied matter-of-factly.

The woman held out her hands in apparent disbelief, and her black umbrella returned. She twirled it around.

Mayuzumi, too, took hold of her parasol and twirled it.

Red and black swirled in the air. Both wore similar smiles.

“Swallowing you with him is impossible at this point, I suppose. Very well. Take him with you. His tenacity is amusing, but also somewhat boring. I can’t even pacify myself. I’ve grown tired of him.”

“Why, thank you,” Mayuzumi replied. “Personally, I think he’s something to be left alone and observed rather than broken for fun. I agree with the boring part, though. Odagiri-kun can be really stupid sometimes.”

The scarlet woman’s smile deepened. She took a few steps forward and touched Mayuzumi’s cheek with her sharp nails.

The scarlet woman and the girl in black faced each other at arm’s length.

In the next moment, their lips met. Mayuzumi and the woman exchanged a kiss, and slowly, the woman pulled away.

Mayuzumi showed no reaction, only frowned in displeasure.

Licking her lips with a wet tongue, the woman whispered sweetly. “What I truly need is not plain entertainment. But a being that can soothe me. You’ve realized it too, haven’t you? What I genuinely desire is you and only you, Mayuzumi Azaka.”

Her words sounded like a declaration of love. Mayuzumi retreated silently. The parasol twirled on her back, and space twisted.

Keeping her gaze ahead, she hissed, “Let’s go, Odagiri-kun. It’s about time you wake up.”

Space creaked to its limit. Mayuzumi turned around. She raised the parasol and brought it down with force, smashing it mercilessly on my head.

I woke up.

---

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling.

My vision was oddly blurry. My entire body ached, like it was a lump of fire. I fought to keep my consciousness from slipping away, struggling to figure out where I was.

I sensed something off. This place looked familiar, but I hadn’t been here before. When I woke up in my dream, I experienced something similar to this.

I turned my head to my bedside and locked eyes with Mayuzumi. She was nibbling on chocolate. Her dress, resembling mourning attire, accentuated her milky skin. Black lilies adorned her hair.

Small pieces of candy fell on my face with a familiar crunch, a scene eerily familiar, as if time had wound back. I let out a deep, deep sigh.

Was everything that happened until now really just a dream? Was this reality?

I took a deep breath and asked, “Mayu-san, am I actually awake now?”

“Do you know the words Butterfly Dream? I doubt you can confidently say that this is not a dream. But that’s not important. Whether this is a dream or reality, as long as no one interferes without permission, you are free. Anyway, before you start worrying, take a look beside you.”

Following her instructions, I shifted my gaze to the edge of the bed, and my breath caught.

Shirayuki, her face buried in her arms, was clutching my palm tightly with her left hand. Another familiar scene. However, her cheeks appeared more sunken than in my memories. She looked extremely exhausted, with dark circles around her eyes. I gently stroked her head.

There were significantly more IV drips on my arm, and pieces of my flesh had been sliced off. There were bloodstains on my belly. The wound must have opened a number of times. Relieved at the dull pain inside me, I gently stroked my stomach with my free hand.

I glanced out the window and saw gray. The white room felt dim. I heaved a deep sigh. Suddenly, I felt a firm grip of my other shoulder, and I nearly tumbled out of the bed.

“O-Odagiri-san!” A loud voice rocked my ears. “You’re awake! Do you know where you are?!”

I looked to my side and saw Yusuke shaking me, his eyes bloodshot. His cheeks were just as sunken as Shirayuki’s, and he appeared more exhausted than the Yuina in my dream. I stared into his eyes.

“You’re real, right?” I asked.

“Of course I am! Are you still asleep? I’m so glad you’re awake. They said there was nothing wrong with your body, but you never woke up. I was really worried…”

He burst into tears, his face contorting like a child. He rubbed his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

“What if you didn’t wake up? I’m so, so glad.”

“Sorry, Yusuke. I…”

I felt a tug on my arm. I turned to find Shirayuki looking at me. She blinked several times, and tears welled up in her large eyes. She jumped onto me, and I toppled backward.

My physical strength had deteriorated more than I thought. Shirayuki pushed me down, and she began crying out loud.

I wrapped my arms around her, held her tight. She smelled of ink. Through the warmth of her presence, I realized I had managed to return. I prayed that this wasn’t a dream.

Shirayuki still in my arms, I looked around. Unlike in my dream, Maihime and Kugutsu were not here.

Rubbing Shirayuki’s back, I turned to Mayuzumi with a question. “Mayu-san, are Kugutsu and Maihime okay?”

“Yeah, both of them are fine. They come regularly for a visit. At first, they stayed overnight. They went home for Hishigami’s surgery. Nanami-kun and Aya-kun have also visited a few times. Nanami-kun was angry, though. You might want to apologize later.”

I turned to the side and saw a pile of several get-well gifts. There was a tiger plushie roaring in anger. Yeah, I had to apologize.

Suddenly, an intense chill ran down my spine.

Why did I have my left hand?

I fearfully released my left arm from Shirayuki and lifted it up. My hand was not wrapped in bandages. My eyes were drawn to the milky, youthful skin. My slender fingers were as beautiful as a woman’s.

Was I still dreaming? Reflecting my turmoil, my stomach split slowly. The baby squirmed inside. I almost screamed from the confusion.

“That is probably a gift from her,” said a cold voice.

Cautiously, I shifted my gaze to her. Mayuzumi nodded deeply.

Unlike in my dream, she recognized the abnormality of my left hand.

“You’ve mentioned the scarlet woman before, when Yusuke lost his leg. It seems she can interfere with people’s minds and pull them into her own space,” Mayuzumi explained. She pointed at my left hand and scowled. “Exploiting the fox’s ability. Or perhaps, supplementing the body of a person whose mind she’s deeply connected with. It seems she can take and give flesh under certain conditions. Trapping a soul in a dream and owning it seems easy as long as the person is in a coma. We need to come up with some countermeasures. What a pain.” She spat the last part out.

She propped up an elbow and fell into contemplation. I moved my left hand. The female fingers were stuck to my hand. It was revolting.

It felt as if the hand of some unfamiliar creature had been attached to my arm.

“Mayu-san, wh-what should I do with this?”

“While you were in a coma, there was a suggestion to perform emergency surgery to remove it. However, it was judged that problems might arise later since it would be done without your consent. If you don’t mind, I think it’s better to amputate it. If we can prevent interference, you might be able to use it normally. The choice is yours. Cut it off, or leave it attached.”

I grabbed my own arm. It was an exceedingly cruel decision to make.

I didn’t want to amputate my hand, but I was terrified of the scarlet woman. Confusion filled my brain. But for the moment, I diverted my mind from the choices. I stared at the worried Shirayuki and Yusuke, then returned my gaze to Mayuzumi.

And then, I asked the most pressing question.

“Who was that woman? What kind of person could do all those things?!”

My voice reverberated throughout the room. Mayuzumi regarded me with cold eyes. She bit into a piece of chocolate.

“The dreamworld is a realm closely similar to the spirit world. That’s why it can be manipulated freely. The fox can do it to some extent too, but the only ones who can effortlessly control dreams to such a degree are me, and those like me.”

I frowned. What did she mean by those like her?

Answering my question, she said, “I have long thought there had to be someone at the core causing the deaths of each Mayuzumi Azaka. I couldn’t be sure, but now it all makes sense.”

Mayuzumi closed her eyes, then slowly opened them.

“She is probably the original Mayuzumi Azaka.”

The moment I heard those words, my dreams came back to me.

A knife stabbed my arm, peeling my flesh away. Armored men were eating a woman.

Gruesome pain can sometimes turn a human into a demon.

“The source of the Mayuzumi clan’s ability—the woman who was eaten alive.”

B.A.D. 10: Mayuzumi Stands at the Boundary Between Dreams and Reality