V11 Story II – Part 05
Asato frowned irritably. “I won’t do anything. I’m just sitting down because Odagiri seems like he’ll chase after me if I leave the park. I really want to knock him out cold, but I don’t have paper or a pen, so I can’t prepare any binding spell. I haven’t prepared any curses either.” He glanced up at me. “You don’t mind if I sit down and rest, do you, Odagiri?”
I crossed my arms, feeling a slight sense of doubt. He was unprepared. It was odd for him to have escaped from the dungeon without anything. Did he not leave the Mayuzumi household of his own will?
Even if I voiced my question, I didn’t expect Asato to give an honest answer.
“It’s fine, but Aya was the one who brought the food,” I said. “You should thank her.”
“Can you spare me the childlike reprimands? Well, I guess it’s too much trouble to refuse. I’ll say thanks. Aya, thank you for your hard work. Seems like even monsters can be useful sometimes.”
“Huh… well, I think it’s not so much about whether I’m a monster or not,” Aya replied before I could say anything, tilting her head slightly as she started arranging the bento boxes.
Nanami’s signature fried chicken and rolled omelet were all neatly laid out. She skewered a piece of fried chicken and offered it to Asato.
“I believe thanks should be sincere, said when you truly mean it. Forcing it out feels wrong to me. Have you ever genuinely said ‘thank you’ to someone, or had it said to you?”
Asato did not respond. He ignored the fried chicken and went for a water bottle, opening it.
Nanami returned after locking the bike. “Why are you here?!” she exclaimed.
I could leave Asato to her. Then, I noticed something peculiar in the bento box. There were several charred lumps among the fried chicken.
“Hey, Aya, what’s this?”
“Oh, that? I tried making some, but I just got Nanami-san mad. Well, I don’t think it’s inedible, so I’d appreciate it if you could try it. Here you go.”
“Didn’t you cause a catastrophe last time by attempting fried chicken? Have you forgotten that nightmare?”
“Huh… Oh, sorry… Hehe, I forgot how to fry it,” Aya chuckled awkwardly, shrinking.
Unable to stay angry at her, I turned my attention to the slide. Yusuke was desperately bouncing around in front of it. He and Yukihito were arguing loudly.
“I said come down for dinner! We’ll listen to what you have to say!”
“Ugh… You wouldn’t get it even if I told you!”
“What was that?! How am I supposed to understand if you don’t talk?! Just come down already!”
“I don’t wanna! Nuh-uh! No way!”
Meanwhile, the number of gods continued to increase. Yukihito sped up his brush strokes. Yusuke, trying to climb the stairs, was engulfed by the swarm of gods.
“We can’t just watch! Are you okay, Yusuke?!”
“Guh… I’m gonna beat you up, Yukihito… Help!”
I rushed to rescue the lumpy black mass that Yusuke had become. Yukihito continued sobbing. I looked up at the sky. The crimson sky was beginning to darken. There wasn’t much time left.
Shirayuki should be back soon. I wanted to stop Yukihito before he faced a severe scolding. For that, we needed to eliminate the gods before she returned home. But how?
“…Ah, I see.”
The most efficient method came to me, one that would surely earn me a scolding. Cold sweat broke out all over me. It was apparent that I had hurt Yukihito in some way, and though I wasn’t exactly sure how, I had to take responsibility. I took out my cell phone.
“There’s no other choice.”
Bracing myself, I made the call.
And then, I summoned Mayuzumi Azaka.
“So, why did you call me here?” Mayuzumi grabbed me by the collar, shaking me vigorously back and forth.
My brain felt like it was being scrambled. It might be the first time I’ve seen Mayuzumi so upset.
Her back turned on the legion of gods, she was in a state of panic, goosebumps covering her arms. Asato watched her with arms crossed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“You’re quite a mess,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you so worked up, little sister.”
“You were pretty much the same,” I said. “You just got a little used to it.”
What was he smirking about? Asato ignored my words. Mayuzumi shook me even harder. Then, she pointed behind her with her parasol.
“Why did you call me to deal with that? I don’t get it!”
“A touch from your parasol can destroy creatures created by supernatural abilities. I wanted you to open your parasol and jump into the swarm of gods, getting rid of them all in one go.”
“When did you become such a savage, you fiend?!”
I never thought I’d be called a fiend by Mayuzumi. She slid the tip of her parasol. Avoiding the swarm of gods, she pointed at Yukihito. He jumped upon noticing her.
“And you too, Yukihito-kun! What are you doing?”
“I unleashed upon the fool a torrent of malediction accumulated over years.”
“He’s saying, ‘I’m doing this to vent my pent-up grudge against Odagiri,’” Asato said.
“How on earth did you manage to interpret that?”
Asato didn’t respond. Mayuzumi let out a sigh and crossed her arms.
“Listen,” she said icily. “The situation may be ridiculous, but I believe the Minase clan considers this a grave offense. Their clan’s abilities must not be used to inconvenience members of the general public. Does the clan head know about this?”
Yukihito froze at Mayuzumi’s accurate and calm observation. The supply of gods stopped momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Yusuke jumped onto the slide and slowly climbed up. He watched Yukihito’s reaction.
“I… Shirayuki-sama…”
“Wait… could it be… Did something happen between you and the clan head?”
Holding his brush, Yukihito stiffened completely. Weaving through the bustling gods, Yusuke approached Yukihito, and just as his hand was about to touch him, the boy exploded into tears, frantically swinging his brush.
“Waaaah!”
A change occurred in the gods. They began to jump and slide down one after another from the slide. Yusuke was engulfed in the turbid stream.
“Not agaaain!”
Swoosh!
The gods spat out Yusuke and converged, forming a mass.
The gods were changing in response to their creator’s anger. The rapidly growing black mass almost reached the top of the slide. But Yukihito, crouching down, didn’t move.
Aya bolted. “Yukihito-kun!”
“No, Aya! It’s dangerous!” I grabbed her waist.
Aya tried to free herself. “But, Odagiri, there’s something off about Yukihito!”
“That doesn’t mean you should go! If anyone’s going, it’s me!”
“I agree. You should try getting at him at least once.” Yusuke, covered in ink, returned, spraying droplets.
I nodded apologetically and tried to pull Aya back, but she wouldn’t give up. She jumped, struggling to break free from my grip.
“But Yukihito hasn’t eaten anything! He has his own portion. He’s probably getting hungry and needs to go home soon. I don’t know why he’s upset, though.” She turned to Yukihito. “Let’s go home, Yukihito! You’re probably just being stubborn, right? We’re not mad, so let’s stop this and head back!” She raised her voice as much as she could.
Yukihito, trembling like a puppy, stared at Aya and the gods. Without averting her gaze, Aya nodded vigorously. Her ponytail bobbed up and down.
Meanwhile, the gods continued their transformation. The soft black mass began to take shape. Surplus ink was absorbed, turning into a long line. A single kanji character was completed.
The colossal god rose up with a thunderous rumble.
“It got bigger,” Mayuzumi said.
“From birth to regeneration to proliferation to growth. Damn, it’s following the pattern,” Yusuke added bitterly.
The enlarged god rose slowly. Yukihito looked at it fearfully, then shifted his gaze to Aya. She returned his gaze with a gentle look.
Yukihito’s tears burst forth. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” he muttered, his face all scrunched up. “I’m hungry… I’m sorry…”
“Good boy. Let’s go back together. There’s food for you too!” Aya said brightly.
But the god was already on the move. It lifted the part corresponding to its leg and brought it down. The ground shook with a heavy thud, and the slide trembled precariously.
My grip loosened, and Aya dashed off. I quickly went after her.
“Aya, wait up! Aya!”
She tried to slip through the god’s legs, but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
The god’s foot slammed down right where Aya had been moments ago. Ink splattered everywhere. Aya’s ponytail floated momentarily.
Her eyes widened. “Th-Thanks, Odagiri. That was close.”
“You reckless idiot! If you got stepped on, you’re done!”
“I-I mean, I can just revert to normal.”
Aya chuckled awkwardly, which pissed me off. What was she saying? I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. She blinked in confusion.
“You think we’ll be fine with that?”
“I-I thought it’d be better than someone else getting stepped on, you know?”
“No, it’s not, you idiot! I don’t want you squashed, okay?! There’s still another way that doesn’t involve you getting flattened. This way!”
I grabbed Aya’s arm. We took a long path around and approached the slide from behind. Yukihito was crouching again, crying. We called out to him from behind, and he jumped and turned around.
“Yukihito, this way, jump down!”
“O-Odagiri-san… I…”
“I don’t know why you’re upset, but if it’s my fault, I’ll let you hit me. So come on!”
Yukihito nodded. He grabbed onto the slide’s iron railing, but as he climbed over, his cloak got caught, tearing the cheap fabric. He hesitated for a moment, before throwing off his cloak.
The black cloth floated in the air. He then crossed over the iron railing.
I caught Yukihito with both arms. Unable to fully suppress the impact, I almost fell backward, but Aya managed to hold me up. I would have crashed hard if she wasn’t around. Carefully, we lowered him to the ground.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I…”
“You can apologize to everyone later. I’m just relieved you’re okay.”
“Yeah, thank goodness you’re all right.”
The peaceful atmosphere, however, was shattered by the earth’s rumble.
I whirled around to find the god lumbering onward. I was utterly dumbstruck.
Mayuzumi sought shelter behind Nanami, who pushed Yusuke, who in turn pushed Asato to use as a shield. A cruel and inhuman sight. Who was the actual fiend here?
“Yukihito, can’t you do something about that?”
“Um, well… I think it’s reacting to my emotions in some way.”
Yukihito’s voice held a hint of confusion. It seemed he didn’t have direct control over the god after all. I felt utterly powerless.
Just as I pondered our next move, Mayuzumi suddenly lifted her gaze. What went on in her mind at that precise moment was beyond my comprehension.
Mayuzumi had been bored for some time now, starved of diversion. Perhaps the scarlet woman’s appearance had irked her. Either way, her pent-up frustration erupted here and now.
“How utterly annoying. Why would you drag me into this mess?! You’re dead, Odagiri-kun!”
For reasons unknown, she called out my name before delivering a swift kick to Yusuke’s back.
Yusuke tumbled, setting off a domino effect that sent Asato crashing down. The god staggered as Asato hit it face-first. Mayuzumi dashed toward its feet and brandished her closed parasol.
In one swift motion, she drove the umbrella into the god‘s foot.
Fractures radiated from the point of impact, splintering throughout the god‘s body. It began to convulse violently, and then, inexplicably, a brilliant flash erupted from within. The god detonated, showering the area with a downpour of ink. Mayuzumi quickly opened her parasol. Save for her, Nanami, Yusuke, and Asato were all drenched in ink.
They all turned their heads mechanically. Aya and I shrank.
All eyes then fixed on Yukihito.
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