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V11 Story II – Part 03

What in the world was going on?

That thought echoed through all our minds simultaneously. Asato, unfamiliar with Yukihito, was the only one tilting his head in confusion.

Nanami furrowed her brows dramatically, crossing her arms as she mercilessly questioned Yukihito.

“Um, excuse me, Mr. Trash Bag. What on earth are you doing?”

“Uh, Yukihito-kun? Is that really you? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” asked Aya. She was unusually perceptive.

But Yukihito continued to laugh dubiously. “I see you’re all perplexed, pitiful fools. You see, I have been reborn!”

“Oh no, this is bad. He’s gone nuts. Odagiri-san, I think Yukihito’s gone off the deep end.”

Yusuke pointed at Yukihito and turned to me, like he was reporting to his father. It was clear Yukihito had gone crazy. For someone claiming to have been reborn, why hadn’t he dropped the formal language?

I suppressed all the remarks rising in my throat and raised both hands.

“Calm down, Yukihito,” I said. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I have a feeling things won’t end well if you don’t snap out of it. It will be very embarrassing for you, I think.”

“Silence! You’re the root of all this. Do you have any idea of the turmoil in my mind caused by your actions?! No! And yet you have the audacity to try to reason with me. Have you no shame?!”

This wasn’t good. As Yukihito continued his tirade, I glanced up at the ceiling. I never expected to find myself in such a situation on my way back from the office. Dealing with the fox was difficult enough, so why did it have to escalate like this? Frustration surged within me.

“That’s enough, Yukihito!” I roared. “Stop delving into my dark past any further!”

“What?” Yusuke blurted. “Is that supposed to be familiar or something?”

“There were a few incidents back in junior high!”

Yusuke recoiled, his reaction seeming a bit exaggerated.

Nanami’s gaze turned icy. Aya, for some reason, seemed excited. I turned to the last person, Asato, who remained expressionless. But eventually, he nodded silently.

Wait, what did he just understand? But before I could ask, Yukihito continued.

“Humans, witness the depths of my sorrow and rage!”

“When did you become non-human?!”

“I’m not human, though,” Aya cut in.

“And I used to be a fox,” Asato remarked.

With a determined look, Yukihito flared his black cloak, revealing a dirty white cloth sewn inside.

“Oh, it’s a bib.”

“A bib, huh?”

“It sure looks like a bib.”

“It’s not a bib!” Yukihito cried out. Tears welled up in his eyes as he glared at us.

It was the same old Yukihito. He sniffed loudly, raising his arms high.

“W-Witness my strike of fury!”

And then, he wrote the word “god” on the cloth.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted.

Yukihito jumped up. The characters on his bib continued moving.

His cloak fluttered as if caught in an unseen breeze, billowing widely. And then, an unreal, otherworldly figure materialized from within the white fabric.

The god strolled leisurely, until it was smacked down by a cushion.

“I did it, Odagiri-san!”

“Well done, Yusuke!”

The pitiful god collapsed on the floor. It hated how we were somewhat accustomed to dealing with it, but there was no helping it. When the god fled, it split into multiple parts. If Mayuzumi caught sight of it, we’d be held responsible. I looked up to see Yukihito frozen.

Yusuke cracked his knuckles. “Now, then. I don’t know what happened, but you better be prepared for what’s coming, Yukihito.”

“I-I…” Yukihito muttered quietly, tears welling up in his eyes again. Then, he brandished his pen. “It’s all your fault, Odagiri-san!”

“Me? Wait a minute, what do you mean?!”

Yukihito moved his brush at lightning speed, generating a large number of gods. One by one they fell to the floor, wriggling around, then instantly stopped moving. Without a sound, they all swarmed Yusuke’s feet.

“What the, ugh, gross! Hey, Yukihito, what are you doi—Wait, where’d he go?!”

Yukihito had disappeared. But before we could follow him, we had to deal with the gods on Yusuke’s feet. Suddenly, a rolled-up newspaper flapped at an unimaginable speed.

Whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack!

The gods were crushed by the straight blows. Clutching his ink-stained leg, Yusuke writhed in agony. Nanami swung the rolled-up newspaper. Her pigtails seemed to float.

“What on earth is this black thing?” Her voice was grave. She suddenly put on a cheerful smile and looked at me. “I feel like I’ve seen it before, but I’m not interested in this. The important thing is that it’s in my apartment building. Right, Odagiri-san?”

“G-Got it! I’ll get rid of them quick!” I shrieked.

Nanami nodded. Of all things, Aya grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping the floor. Yusuke was still writhing in pain. Asato, for some reason, faced the wall, standing stock still. It felt like a scene from a horror movie. A motionless figure with their back turned was terrifying.

“Stop that, Asato. You’re scaring me.”

Asato laughed dryly. “What’s the matter, Odagiri? I have no intention of participating in this charade,” he said, still facing the wall.

He was scared of the gods. He was Mayuzumi’s brother-in-law, all right.

A rattle came from the entrance. I turned and saw Yukihito looking this way. He shrank. Shoulders shaking, Yusuke bolted to his feet and dashed at full speed.

“You actually came back to watch?!”

“Yusuke, don’t go alone!”

I looked behind me. Aya was perplexed. Nanami stood irritably with arms akimbo. Asato sighed, settling onto a chair.

I briefly wondered what to do, then came up with the answer. Ask Nanami to call Mayuzumi and leave this place.

The fox didn’t seem inclined to flee. In that case, chasing after Yukihito was the priority. The Mayuzumi clan would pick up the fox. I just had to ask them to keep him secure, and forget about the rest.

“A non-human to possess human-like feelings is nothing but unfortunate. Non-humans can never truly become human.”

“What do you know?”

Nanami was right. The fox had never lived a normal life, but had the nerve to deem everything as pointless.

Anger welled up from the bottom of my heart. I strode toward Asato and grabbed him by the collar.

He looked up lazily at me, and sneered faintly. Did he expect to be hit again? I pulled him up. His eyes widened when he realized my intention.

“W-Wait a minute, Odagiri,” he stammered.

“You’re coming with me to help, Asato.”

I dragged him away and went after Yukihito.

Our pursuit led us to a nearby park.

It was a struggle dragging Asato, who refused to move, along with us. Catching up to Yusuke, I wiped the sweat off my forehead. For some reason, Yusuke had stopped in his tracks. His eyes were fixed on Yukihito, who was attempting to conquer the slide.

As Yukihito climbed the narrow staircase, he stepped on his oversized black cloak and tripped. Meanwhile, Yusuke stood nearby with his arms folded. Indeed, attacking him now would be unnecessarily harsh.

“All right.”

We just stood there, watching over him. Eventually, Yukihito reached the top. Looking satisfied, he struck a pose like some sort of villain. Yusuke and I exchanged glances.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Yusuke asked. “And what did you do with that guy?”

“I have no clue. If only Shirayuki were here, she’d straighten him out.”

For the past few days, Shirayuki had been either at the office or in my apartment. But she wasn’t here today.

In search of Shirayuki, Miyabi, her personal attendant, came to Nago City. From what I heard, Miyabi’s mood was beyond horrible outside their home. Shirayuki sought my advice, and I suggested she go sightseeing. Miyabi had no opportunity to go outside, and Shirayuki hadn’t seen much of the city either. I recommended they go out together.

Although she was worried about me, she agreed to it for today. Instead, she gave me something. I touched the glass vial tied around my neck since last night.

“Please hold onto this while I am gone. I made it while you were asleep.”

I recalled when Shirayuki handed it to me. As I held the vial, my eyes widened in surprise. A red goldfish swam inside, its fins fluttering gracefully. Holding her chest, Shirayuki continued.

“This is made from my blood. While creatures made from Lady Mayuzumi’s blood can last, those made from human blood require a constant supply of fresh blood to sustain themselves. However, by protecting it from the outside air like this, it can be maintained for a long time. If necessary, please release it, and it will come to me. I will come running no matter what. I am your wife and your ally. Never forget that.”

I gripped the vial tight. My chest warmed. But at the same time, I remembered Mayuzumi’s enigmatic words when I told her about this at the office.

“She’s covering all bases, Odagiri-kun. It’s about time you paid the piper, I suppose.”