3 bar menu

V12 Story I – Part 01

I’d like to tell you about Mayuzumi Azaka.

About the worst girl I’ve ever known.

Arrogant, cold-hearted, and a picky eater. She always carries a red parasol and dresses in Gothic Lolita fashion.

She laughs at death, revels in misery, and desires tragedy. And she’s always eating chocolate.

I’ll say it as many times as needed: she is the worst, most despicable creature I’ve ever known.

A monster in her actions, but just a girl in body. Incredibly powerful, yet incredibly fragile.

I’ve spent my time with this girl of contradictions.

Those days were far from wonderful. In fact, they were filled with suffering.

I lost count of how many times she pushed me into the pits of despair. Her desire for tragedy made me witness grisly incidents. I’ve genuinely wished to escape from her.

Mayuzumi Azaka’s existence is both beautiful and grotesque. She is the lowest of the low.

But back then, she actually held my hand. On that distant spring day, at the top of a hill where countless cherry blossoms swirled around.

Oh, there’s one more thing I haven’t mentioned.

She is, in every respect, devilishly lovely.

It’s a bit late, but I will tell you about Mayuzumi Azaka.

The girl I spent my time with.

---

Flower petals danced in the red sky. They looked like fluttering cherry blossoms.

But the cherry blossoms hadn’t bloomed yet. It was late February. Though the air was starting to warm, spring was still far away. It felt like winter would never end. I hunched against the cold wind blowing from the river and looked up at the sky. Even after I killed Kotori, the petals drifting through the town remained.

Day by day, their number seemed to dwindle. Yet every time I looked up, bright red seared my vision.

There were three places where the petals swirled: around Mayuzumi’s office, around the Mayuzumi clan’s main residence, and around my apartment.

I reached out with my newly gloved left hand to catch a petal fluttering in front of my nose. But I couldn’t touch the illusory red. I lifted my gaze and looked down the slope in front of me. At the bottom stood an old building. I paused along the road by the embankment.

I studied the name of the building displayed on its rain-stained wall: Maison de Nanase.

I hadn’t been away that long, but a wave of painful nostalgia hit me. Clenching my left hand tightly, I descended the slope. A lone girl was standing in front of the apartment.

It was a holiday. She was sweeping in front of the apartment, holding a broom. Her fluffy pigtails swayed. The woman who used to help her was no longer there. She was no longer anywhere.

My chest burned, and my eyes felt hot. I clenched my left hand so hard it felt like my bones would break. Every time I remembered her smile, the sorrow in my heart grew stronger.

Nanase Nanami raised her head. Upon noticing me, her eyes widened.

“Odagiri-sa—”

She cut herself off. She had realized what happened from the look on my face. Her sharp stare bore into me. I didn’t avert my eyes from hers. Eventually, Nanami nodded and shook her head.

“Come inside. We’ll talk after that.”

Hugging my left arm with my right hand and biting my lip, I nodded.

Hurting someone is always terrifying.

I had come here to make her cry, to disappoint her.

---

Nanami placed two warm cups of tea on the low table and sat in front of me.

In the landlord’s unit, we faced each other in silence. I looked around aimlessly.

The yellowed wallpaper had been patched up in places, and the faded tatami mats gave the room the feel of an old inn.

I had been here a few times, but it always felt nostalgic. I turned my gaze back to Nanami. The last time I saw her was before I took the melted Aya to the isolated island.

Aya had not returned. Nanami likely had an inkling of this.

I went straight to the point. “Aya is dead. It was my fault for dragging her into my mess. In her final moments, she asked me to convey her regards and thanks to you.”

“What do you mean? You’re not making any sense to me. Please explain in detail.”

“Well, uh…”

My breath caught in my throat. Aya’s death was far too detached from reality. The scarlet woman, Mayuzumi’s fate, the man-eating flowers—what should I hide, and what should I reveal?

I couldn’t tell an innocent young girl everything. As I hesitated, Nanami slammed her fist on the table. The teacups rattled, spilling tea.

Nanami fixed me with a sharp glare. “Tell me everything! And I mean everything!” Her eyes were filled with rage and frustration.

I acquiesced. If she wished for it, I had to tell her everything. She had the right to know what happened to her friend and what she got caught up in.

It was a long story. Even as I choked on my words, Nanami listened in silence.

I told her about Kotori’s madness, Mayuzumi’s fate, the murder I committed, and Aya’s final moments and her choice.

“So, Aya chose to become your left arm… I understand. Please give me a moment.”

After I finished speaking, Nanami let out a small breath. Folding her arms, she looked up at the ceiling.

She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. A long silence followed. Eventually, Nanami nodded.

“Thank you for waiting. I’ve come to terms with it. Yes, such things can happen. I was well aware of the strangeness in Aya’s body. I understand what happened. You’ve been through a lot too. I don’t think for a moment that it wasn’t hard for you.”

The corners of her brows twitched. She pressed her forehead.

“But,” she said softly. “I understand it’s unreasonable, but there’s just one thing, one thing I need to say.”

Nanami fell silent, waiting for my permission. If I refused, she wouldn’t say anything. But I agreed.

“Thank you,” she said.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. Her right hand swung. Something struck my face. My vision turned black, and my nose was squashed. Whatever had hit my face fell to the tatami mats with a plop.

“Aren’t you… aren’t you a man? An adult?”

Her voice was low. Still in the posture of having thrown the cushion, Nanami glared at me.

Her large eyes were filled with tears. My chest tightened, and my stomach ached. I knew she would cry. I had anticipated and prepared for it. And yet, I wanted to scream.

Aya died protecting me. Nanami would cry. She would cry more than anyone. Even so.

Even so, I never wanted Nanami to cry. I never wanted to see her tears. The next moment, Nanami’s face contorted dramatically. Clenching her fist tightly, she opened her trembling lips.

“You’re much older than I am! You could have done more, couldn’t you? So why? Why didn’t you protect Aya?!”

She grabbed the cushion again and leapt over the table, hitting me repeatedly. The physical pain was minor compared to the agony tearing through my chest.

“What’s the point in thanking me?” she cried. “It doesn’t mean anything If I can never see her again! I didn’t want to hear that!”

She threw the cushion at me again. Her clenched fist pounded on the table. Tea spilled, drenching her small hand, but she didn’t even glance at it.

“You useless, good-for-nothing idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”

Her grief-stricken cries pierced my chest like a knife. Nanami collapsed onto the table, hiding her face as she started to cry. Her small back quivered. Suppressed sobs echoed in the room.

“Ugh… uuuuh… uuuh, uuh…”

I couldn’t say anything in response. Everything she said was true. But even agreeing with her accusations wouldn’t mean anything. Aya was dead. All that remained was my left arm.

I was alive because Aya wanted me to live. It sounded like a joke. Nanami would never forgive me. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t either.

The moment I clenched my left hand, her sobbing stopped.

Still hiding her face, Nanami muttered, “When my mom and dad died in a car accident…”

My breath seized. Nanami’s parents had already passed away, but I had never heard the details.

Face on the table, she continued, “While my mom and dad were taken out of the wreckage of the rental car and suffering in the hospital, I couldn’t do anything. After the funeral, when I went to my grandma’s place, I just sat there in a daze. I hated that. Unable to come to terms with it, or even be there on their deathbed. It’s too cruel. So I…”

She lifted her head. Her eyes were red and swollen. She wiped the tears and snot from her face with her sleeve, making her cheeks even redder. Then, I realized something.

This was the first time I had ever seen Nanami cry.