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V11 Story IV – Part 05

I dragged my body along, cradling Aya in my arms. With my left arm gone, my body felt very light.

As I reached Shirayuki, I got down on my knees to check her breathing. She wasn’t seriously hurt. With a sigh of relief, I adjusted Aya’s weight in my arms. Uka, clutching onto my waist, emitted a soft coo, but I couldn’t manage to stroke her head. My only arm was full.

Would Aya be all right? She felt too light, but I had to believe she’d pull through. She had to. She would be fine, I told myself. Over and over. She was meant to go back to Nanami-san.

As I wobbled to my feet, a question came to me. I had to focus, or I would scream from the pain.

With my mind clouded, even coherent thought seemed a challenge. But there was a pressing issue before me.

How in the world was I supposed to take Shirayuki with me?

Then, my knees buckled, and I collapsed. I needed to call for help, but I didn’t know how. We had to get out of the parking lot, but I couldn’t muster the strength to move. It felt as if I were draining away through my wound. Through my blurry vision, I noticed a red wall.

Right outside, there was a deep blue circle, spinning round and round. The remaining wall slowly dissolved, revealing two figures.

A blond young man rushed toward me. “Odagiri-san!” he shouted. “What happened? What on earth are you doing?!”

I couldn’t give a proper response. Yusuke grimaced. He quickly tied up my wound with his belt before stepping back to make a call.

As he spoke on the phone, my gaze fell upon the unexpected figure before me. Mayuzumi Asato was staring down at me, holding a navy blue parasol he must have found in his room. He regarded me with disinterest before shifting his eyes to the lump of flesh in my arms.

“How stupid. But it hardly makes a difference at this point.”

He reached into the mass. A pale arm sprouted, but the transformation stopped halfway. My eyes widened, and random sounds escaped my lips.

Aya smiled at me. “You killed someone, huh?”

She lacked the flesh to complete her body. There was only her face, left arm, and her shoulder.

She awkwardly reached out her arm, her small hand brushing against my cheek. She was already disintegrating. Drops of flesh struck the pavement. Skin peeled away from her face.

Even as she dissolved, Aya continued to speak with urgency, her palm still caressing my cheek.

“It’s not for me to say anything. You wouldn’t listen anyway, and it’s not something I can say. I… I won’t last much longer, but don’t worry about it. Just bear your own burden.” She paused. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She was talking like these were her last words. I didn’t want to hear them.

Why should I? What was the point? Aya was to return to Nanami’s side. This couldn’t be right. It was stranger than me taking a life or losing my arm. Why does she have to die here?

“Don’t say that,” I said. “Let’s go home. I’ll take you there.”

“It’s fine. Please give my regards to Nanami-san. Tell her thanks a lot. Odagiri, you’re too nice and stupid. Ever since you said I was human, I…”

Abruptly, Aya fell silent. She gazed at me with clear eyes, shook her head ever so slightly, and offered a faint smile. It seemed like she had swallowed her words, or held back a significant thought.

With an enigmatic smile, she murmured, “I forgot… hehe…”

My body went completely limp. Aya rolled to the side as I lost my ability to hold her up. I reached out desperately with my arm, but couldn’t quite touch her. My body trembled from the loss of blood. My mind was cloudy.

Aya turned away from me, her gaze fixed on Asato with unwavering determination.

“Master… I have a request,” she said softly.

Asato remained silent for a while, then sighed deeply. “You really are stupid.” He extended his hand. “Very well. I will grant your wish.”

Yusuke was saying something. Asato and Aya held hands.

Before she completely disintegrated, Aya said delightfully, “Thank you, Asato-san.”

And then, my mind went dark.

---

A sweet fragrance wafted into my nose. It wasn’t the usual floral scent mixed with metallic notes.

It was the rich aroma of chocolate. Breathing in the sweetness, I opened my eyes.

“Huh?”

I found myself lying on a leather couch. I pushed myself upright with both arms. Strangely, there were no injuries on my body. No pain, no blood loss. My left arm was intact too.

Bewildered, I glanced out of the window, and my brows knitted.

Crimson petals still swirled in the sky. It was the same sight I had witnessed before setting out to find the flower.

Was I dreaming again? Had I slipped back into the nightmare?

A profound sense of relief washed over me. Of course. That had to be the case. There was no way such things could happen in reality. Me killing someone, losing my left arm, Aya dying—none of that could possibly be real.

“You’re wrong. Look again. The color is a lot thinner now. The flower had withered. You did it, and you should be proud.”

I lifted my gaze to Mayuzumi. On the table lay the remnants of the flower she had torn apart. She was staring at me. Her white coat was speckled with fresh drops of blood.

I clutched my stomach, where a twisted scar remained. But my left arm was there. My shirt had been changed to a fresh one. I was utterly confused. What on earth had happened?

And she gave me an answer far worse than anything I could have imagined.

“That’s Aya-kun’s left arm.”

What did she just say? I stared at Mayuzumi in disbelief.

She pointed to my left arm with indifference. “It was Aya-kun’s last wish,” she continued. “She wanted to use her own flesh and blood to supplement your body. It was a close call. Without it, you wouldn’t have survived the blood loss. Don’t worry about blood types. Her flesh and blood were changed to match yours. It was all the fox’s doing. I never thought he would one day be of use like this.”

I stared dumbfoundedly at my arm. I grabbed it, putting force into it. When I tried to pull it, the base of my arm hurt.

It wouldn’t come off. Her smile flashed in my mind. My arm remained attached, unresponsive to my attempts to remove it.

“Fuck this.” Words spilled out of my mouth.

Why didn’t she use my body to supplement hers? Why did she save me? But none of these questions formed into words.

I just screamed out madly. I could hear my own ear-splitting voice.

“Fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuuuuck!”

“Calm down,” Mayuzumi said quietly. “You know screaming won’t change anything. Don’t pretend to be broken. It’s disrespectful to the woman who sacrificed herself for you.”

I fell silent. I didn’t know what to say. Tears spilled from my eyes. My chest hurt. My throat burned. Even as I wept, the rage remained.

Watching me, Mayuzumi went on, “She couldn’t maintain her body anymore. Even after she received more flesh, she would’ve only turned into a mass of flesh and a human repeatedly. She chose you over that fate. Think of it as her final will. She provided her flesh and blood to you, even as she knew she was going to die. It’s not something to feel guilty about, nor refused.”

I bit my lip. In my mind’s eye, I saw Aya holding hands with Asato. I swallowed the strings of curses I was about to unleash. There was no point in taking out my anger on the fox. Even he didn’t want to fulfill such a wish, I was sure.

I raised my trembling right hand. This time, I gently stroked my left arm, but there was no response. It was just my arm. Aya was gone. Her last smile crossed my mind.

“I forgot… hehe…”

What was she trying to say in her final moments?

“Mayuzumi-san, what happens now?” A frigid voice came from my left. “Will the scarlet woman return?”

I turned towards the wall. Yusuke was standing there, and Asato was crouched down at his feet. My eyes grew wide, but he said nothing.

Asato lazily shut his eyes. A realization dawned on me, and I hastily turned to Mayuzumi.

“Mayu-san… Shirayuki-san… Is she… Is she all right?”

“Yeah, she’s in the hospital. Don’t fret, just minor injuries. She’s hospitalized along with her fellow clan members. And regarding Yusuke’s question, you’re correct. It appears Mikage is also dead, and two cards have been dealt. The rest will surely unfold shortly. The sky won’t clear up anytime soon. The uncertain situation will continue on for a while. Now, what comes next? Will destiny only grow darker?” She was talking as if this matter didn’t concern her.

Mayuzumi’s sharp gaze drifted to the ceiling. Quietly, she stared into space. Her distant look unsettled me. Why that expression?

Shaking her head, Mayuzumi turned to me. She gracefully crossed her legs.

“There’s one more thing we need to confirm, Odagiri-kun,” she said gravely. “I’m sure you remember. How old was your child?”

Her question left me speechless. I traced my hazy memory

I had ordered Uka to eat my arm. Then, Uka walked alongside me, her arm wrapped around my waist. I recalled her gentle coo.

Without much thought, I fed Uka the flesh of her parent.

“No way…”

I glanced down at my belly. The gnarled wound remained still.

She had reverted to infancy and was currently resting peacefully.

But when she was outside, she was over fourteen years old.

B.A.D. 11 Mayuzumi Scatters Crimson Flowers