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V11 Story III – Part 06

Was the old man fighting back against the flowers? But I doubted a gun would be effective against them. Puzzled, I rose to my feet and grabbed Aya’s right arm. We needed to escape as quickly as possible.

The cruiser, with the helmsman still aboard, should be waiting at the pier. If we could make it there somehow… Aya shook her head. Her body was melting away by the second.

“Wait a sec.” She chuckled awkwardly. “I think it might be easier to carry me like this.”

“Don’t say things like that. Come on, stand up. I’ll help you.”

Sliding my arm under Aya’s shoulder, I helped her rise. But her legs melted away the next moment, leaving white flesh on the floor. Aya shook her head, ponytail swaying.

“Nah, I’m fine. More importantly, Odagiri, I need to ask you something.”

“What could be more important than this? We need to get to Asato. I wonder if he’s even safe.”

“…Did you really kill Mayuzumi-san?”

Her question caught me off guard. I stared at Aya wide-eyed.

Aya gazed at me intently. “Downstairs, flowers bloomed in the corridor, people started fighting, and the master said: you killed Mayuzumi Azaka. He said you were trapped on the second floor. So, Odagiri, what’s the truth? Did you kill Mayuzumi-san?”

I shook my head. I did not kill Mayuzumi. There was no reason for me to do so. A different bloodied figure flashed through my mind, accompanied by a hollow voice. I couldn’t escape from the truth.

“You really have no qualms about killing me, huh, cutie?”

“I didn’t kill Mayuzumi Azaka,” I confessed in a trembling voice. “But I did kill someone.”

Aya blinked slowly. She said nothing.

“I killed someone. I… I probably killed Kotori.”

“Kotori was the girl in the black cloak in the dining room, right? Did you kill her? How did you kill her?”

“Uka ate her. The rampage of the flowers and vines is probably the result of that.”

I raised my trembling hand, blood clinging to the leather gloves. Confusion surged within me, and acid burned my throat. I had taken countless lives before.

“Aya, what should I do?”

I never thought I’d kill someone again. Directly kill someone.

Aya remained silent. Her arm melted up to her shoulder.

“You know, Odagiri,” she said slowly. “I think you’re a hard worker and a good guy.”

What did that have to do with anything?

“But you killed Aya. You murdered my friend.”

I thought so too. If I hadn’t let go of her hand, Aya wouldn’t have died. There was no escaping that guilt. Aya looked at me steadily before taking a deep breath.

“I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. But I kept things to myself. I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t have the courage to say it. But I need to say what needs to be said now. Letting go of her doesn’t mean you killed her. You didn’t kill her.”

Aya’s cheek melted, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. But she held them back, her expression unchanged as she assured me. Her shoulders quivered. I swallowed.

But that would mean she alone gave Aya the knife.

“What are you saying? We both gave her that knife.”

“When I gave her the knife, you ran back to her. It might’ve all gone wrong after that, but still… Odagiri, you may be capable of killing someone…”

Aya reached out her hand. Her ashen flesh squirmed. She hesitated for a moment before gently stroking my cheek. Half of my face was enveloped in squishy, warm flesh. I placed my hand on hers.

Aya nodded. “You’re not even sure you killed her.” Half of her face had crumbled. “With all the chaos right now, it’s hard to tell for sure. And, if you really did kill someone, you have to face what you did. But Aya’s death is not your sin to bear. You don’t have to carry it. It’s okay. Let’s focus on surviving for now.” She smiled.

I couldn’t find the right words. Tears fell from my cheek, swallowed by her flesh. Aya slowly moved her hand. Warm flesh wiped away the tears.

“You didn’t kill Mayuzumi-san, right? Then we have to go and get her.”

“But, Aya…”

Mayu-san was dead.

Before I could say anything, her body crumbled. Eyeballs, ears, nose, lips—all fell to the floor, quivering and melting away. All that remained was pale, cold flesh.

I lifted the lump of flesh. She couldn’t answer anymore. I caressed her back and took a deep breath. I stared hard at the corridor. The rumbling from the first floor continued. I clenched my jaw and rose to my feet.

I had to go back. I had to deliver Aya to Nanami-san.

There was no time to stop. I closed my eyes, then opened them, and with shaky legs, I started walking.

Gunshots continued to reverberate from the main staircase as I made my way towards the secluded stairs leading to the storage room.

Carefully, I went down the tilted steps. As I neared the first floor, I could keenly feel the presence of life.

In the dimness, vines twisted and crimson flowers flourished. The vine-covered floor was barely walkable. The plants, squirming as if in mockery of humans, showed no signs of aggression.

As I navigated the unstable corridor, sporadic bursts of vibrant red flowers momentarily blinded me. The intermittent gunfire seemed out of place amidst the apparent calmness of the flora.

There shouldn’t be any need to attack the plants. So what was causing these sounds?

It sounded like people shooting at each other. Aya’s words played in my mind. People fighting downstairs and flowers blooming in the corridor.

People are fighting?

I couldn’t ask her for clarification now. Suppressing the questions, I quickened my pace. The sounds continued near the entrance hall.

Vines covered the windows. I peered down the corridor, and it seemed the vegetation thickened further in. The back door looked inaccessible. To leave, we needed to head towards the entrance hall where the gunshots were coming from.

I pressed onward. The flowers on the floor rustled mockingly. My first destination was the guest rooms.

I needed to find Asato and check on Mayuzumi’s room.

I paused along the way. The lights in the dining hall were on, just like earlier. Hesitantly, I turned towards it, hoping to verify Mayuzumi’s condition once more.

I stopped near the door. It didn’t look like I could get in. The dining hall, where the vines originated, had completely transformed. Vines snaked across the collapsed floor, hovering in the air. A myriad of overlapping flowers formed a distorted crimson sphere. Miraculously, the lights remained on.

The wall gleamed in gold. Someone was seated against the faint light, their white hair swaying. Asato met my gaze with hollow eyes.

“Oh, you’re still alive. You’ve got quite the luck,” he muttered disinterestedly.

I narrowed my eyes. He looked oddly haggard.

He turned his attention to the red flowers, observing the falling petals as one might gaze at cherry blossoms. His exhausted face filled me with unease. This was a side of him I had never seen before.

Today’s events surpassed anything I could have imagined. I shuffled towards him.

“What are you doing here, Asato? Let’s go. It’s not safe.”

“Could you leave me alone, Odagiri? I’m experiencing true freedom for the first time in my life. But honestly, it’s all so meaningless. Nothing seems remotely interesting anymore.”

I didn’t understand a word of what he just said. He looked at me, his lips curling cynically.

“You wouldn’t kill me even if I asked you to. If you want to leave, just go. What else do you want from me? Why don’t you just leave me here? Kill me passively. I’ve had enough of your hypocrisy. Leave me alone.”

Asato fixed me with an empty gaze. The look in his eyes sent shivers down my spine. The fox was deeply irritated about something. His mental state was deteriorating again.

His lips twisted into a sneer. “Why don’t you just run away alone? Odagiri Tsutomu, Mayuzumi Azaka’s alleged killer. I’m sure you can keep on living even if accused of murder. Or perhaps those two at the entrance are bothering you? If you wish, I could lend you a hand. What do you say?”

Extending his pale hand toward me, he made his offer with a contemptuous grin.

“I’ll grant your wish for free. I’ll kill for you. So, what will it be? This ability isn’t mine anyway. The scarlet woman will help you one way or another.”

Asato laughed maniacally. Instinctively, I backed away from him, but forced myself to stop. There was nothing to fear. I took a deep breath, exhaled, then grabbed his hand. The fox sneered. Nothing happened.

I pulled his hand firmly, dragging the bewildered Asato along with me down the corridor.

“What’s your game, Odagiri? What did you wish for when you grabbed my hand?”

“I didn’t wish for anything. You’ve already helped Aya. I’m not looking for any more favors,” I replied firmly without turning back.

We left the dining hall behind us and we made our way towards the guest rooms.

I wanted to check Mayuzumi’s room. Asato tried to shake off my grip, but I refused to let go. I didn’t want him slipping away and causing more trouble.

“I’m not leaving you behind. I know you. One day, you’ll show up again, demanding to be killed. You might as well just leave this island quietly. We’re getting out of here.”

“Ease up on the accusations, Odagiri. Why would I do something that requires effort? I have no intention of leaving this place. In due time, everything will be engulfed by crimson flowers. That will be the end for me.”

“In that case, all the more reason for you to come with me. If you want to die, then go die alone. You don’t have to tell me about it every single time. So just shut up and follow me.”

Asato said nothing back. He ground his teeth. The sound of it was grating.

“Don’t just grab my hand for no reason,” he hissed.

I had a reason, but I didn’t bother to explain.

We arrived at the guest room, and I opened the door from the side. Peeking inside, I spotted a red parasol, but Mayuzumi was nowhere to be found. Her lifeless body flashed into my mind. I thrust the parasol at the fox, then turned back. We had come this far. I proceeded to my room to gather my belongings.

Then, I froze in my tracks. Something lay in front of my door. I picked it up—a white card bearing a writing in red crayon. The ominous design was all too familiar.

I scanned the words. It sounded like a fairy tale. A mix of nostalgia and nausea washed over me at the mocking content.

Once upon a time, a girl was alone in another room. She ventured out, walked the path of red flowers, raced through the animal trail, and had her throat torn out. Helplessly, the girl perished like Little Red Riding Hood. If you wish to see, go to the dining hall. She’s waiting for you.

It bore resemblance to the text from the fox’s games. I looked over my shoulder and found Asato strangely quiet. I was still holding his hand.

“Asato, did you write this?” I asked.

“Oh, that? Hmm, interesting. Let me answer your question. No, I didn’t write it.”

“Then let me rephrase. Do you know who wrote it?”

“Hmm, I can’t tell them apart,” he said ambiguously.

I sensed what it implied but failed to understand why someone would do such a thing. There was nothing else in the corridor. After collecting my belongings, the only destination left was the entrance hall. Then, I stopped.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot.”

Feeling stupid at my own oversight, I retrieved the glass tube from my neck, unraveled the string, and peered inside at the goldfish. I watched the red fish swimming gracefully within.

I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Shirayuki-san. If you could please…”

I opened the lid of the glass tube, and the goldfish leaped out. It flicked its tail and swiftly swam away. Weaving through the vines, it broke through the window glass and vanished into the darkness at an incredible speed.

After watching it go, I continued on, holding a lump of flesh in my right hand, and the fox in my left.