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V12 Story I – Part 02

“I decided to become a person who could do everything by herself. But I knew it was impossible, so I became strong. I’ve lived as strong as I could, stronger than anyone else.”

“I think you really are a strong person, Nanami-san. Your strength has always been dazzling to me.”

“Of course. I never ask for much. I never make selfish demands. I don’t wish for miracles. I’m not interested in things that don’t interest me. All I want is a peaceful life. For that, I worked hard. But that’s over now. How many more days do I have to cry? Damn it!”

She wiped her face again. I bowed my head deeply to her. I was the one who destroyed her peace. Aya was a precious friend to her. And she was never coming back.

Hurting someone felt like gouging out my own chest. The pain choked me. But I forced my voice out. There was one last thing I needed to say.

“Thank you for everything. I won’t be back here for a while.”

“What? What are you saying? You lost your left arm, didn’t you? Aya died protecting you, and now you want to do what exactly?”

“As I mentioned earlier, the threat of the scarlet woman hasn’t passed. I have to find a way to change Mayuzumi’s fate. I’ve decided to fight.”

Aya died because of me. I killed Kotori, lost people, and gained an arm, yet I still couldn’t stop. I had to prevent Mayuzumi Azaka’s death. That’s what I decided. Running away was never an option. Only Mayuzumi could close my belly.

Nanami shut her mouth. I stared at her anger-filled face.

“Thank you very much for everything,” I said. My tongue struggled to move. “I’ll be taking my important belongings. If anything happens to me, you can dispose of the rest. Take care.”

I stood up. Stunned, Nanami didn’t follow me.

I stepped outside and hurried to my room. I climbed the creaking stairs, ran down the hallway, and unlocked the door to my unit.

I rummaged through the closet and took out a small box. Inside were the bones of the child I had brought back from the human trafficker’s house, which Mayuzumi had cremated. I couldn’t leave them behind. Holding the box carefully, I returned to Nanami’s place. I placed an envelope with several months of rent and the key in the mailbox.

Then, I turned on my heel and started walking.

Bam!

The door behind me burst open. Someone was running. The small footsteps stopped close behind me. As I turned around, something hit my forehead. Sparks flew in front of my eyes, and I yelped. Looking down, I saw the key I had put in the mailbox.

“Come back! Make sure you come back, Odagiri Tsutomu!” Nanami shouted.

I couldn’t believe it. Why was she saying this? She said she hated me, that she was fed up with someone as useless as me.

I lifted my gaze. Nanami stood in front of me with arms akimbo. She looked like she was angry at all the unfairness in the world.

She took a deep breath. “I’ll be waiting, so come back no matter what! This is your home!”

I was at a loss for words. Memories of times with Aya, Nanami, and Yusuke filled my mind. This place was indeed my home. Despite the twisted life I led, I had a place to return to.

I closed my half-open mouth. I couldn’t make any promises. I didn’t want my heartfelt words to become lies. I didn’t know if I could come back. Silently, I picked up the key.

Nanami, her lips tightly pressed together, said nothing. I gripped the key and turned away.

This time, I left without looking back, pressing through the flower-filled air.

To change Mayuzumi Azaka’s fate. To return home after everything’s settled. And to not run away from Nanami’s words.

---

Taking the bus and subway, I headed to Mayuzumi’s office. As I climbed the stairs and emerged above ground, I was greeted by a blood-red sky. The sky near the office was a deeper red compared to the area around my apartment.

Petals floated through the air like a swarm of butterflies. Watching the petals swirl freely, I hurried to the office. Uka, agitated by the petals, began to whimper. Calming her down, I entered the building and went up to the fifth floor where the office was located. I stopped as I got off the elevator.

Someone was standing in the outdoor hallway. A woman in a black kimono that resembled mourning clothes turned around.

A gray bird fluttered from the sleeve of her kimono. She raised her face and directed her vacant eyes at me.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Odagiri.”

Miyabi, Shirayuki’s head attendant, gave a tired smile.

I invited her inside, but she declined firmly. So we stood facing each other. An awkward silence settled between us.

Stroking her pale, gaunt cheek, Miyabi spoke, “We cannot afford to waste any more time.” Her voice was heavy with fatigue. “Let me get straight to the point. The Minase clan will be staying away from the current situation. You can no longer expect any assistance from our head, Lady Minase Shirayuki. I hope you understand.”

“I do. Please convey my thanks to Shirayuki-san,” I replied. “She had helped me many times. Without her, I would have been dead long ago.”

Miyabi swiftly raised her head. It seemed she hadn’t expected my answer. She measured me.

“Are you not angry?” she said hesitantly. “Don’t you want to call us heartless and cruel? I came here expecting you to curse us so that I could give a firm reply.”

I chuckled. “I knew it. No matter what I said, your answer would still be the same. Not that I had anything to say at all. It’s fine. I wasn’t planning on asking Shirayuki-san for help anymore. In fact, I want to thank you for pulling her out of this.”

I never intended to involve Shirayuki any further. The scarlet woman was a terrifying foe.

No matter how helpful she was, I didn’t want Shirayuki in this mess anymore. This was my selfish wish. But I wouldn’t have been able to keep her away on my own. I was grateful her clan stopped her.

Was she crying right now? Was she angry?

I had distanced myself from her in the past too. I had pleaded that I didn’t want to die in front of her, that I didn’t want to see her get hurt. At that time, Shirayuki hit me and wrote something on her fan.

“Why do you never consider that I might feel the same way?”

I knew all along. Even now, she probably felt the same. If I died somewhere away from her, she would grieve. But this time, I had to keep her away. Every time I remembered her lying on the road, my heart froze and my body trembled. I couldn’t bear to see such a sight again.

If Shirayuki died like Aya, I wouldn’t be able to go on living. I wanted her to stay safe. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t see her. I just wanted her to be happy.

Even if I knew deep down that she was probably crying.

“If I get the chance, I’ll visit her. Please allow that.”

I bowed deeply to Miyabi. She sighed. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. She seemed to be contemplating something. Was that not possible?

“I thank you once again for what you did during the incident with Lord Shiramine.” She bowed her head. “Although Lady Shirayuki’s injuries in this case are your fault… It’s also true that since meeting you, she has smiled again. While we are abandoning you and Miss Mayuzumi Azaka, we sincerely wish you the best of luck.”

I gave a silent nod. She glanced up at me and quickly raised her head. Then, she left with decisive steps, shaking off any hesitation. She looked dauntless.

Pulling my eyes away from her, I placed my hand on the office door.

A sweet scent wafted out from inside. I nearly bumped into someone.

The man who dashed out from inside stopped abruptly. I recognized his neatly combed black hair and well-fitted suit. It was Sadashita, the representative of the branch family. Before I could ask what he wanted, he bowed his head and ran off, leaving the hallway. It was like he wanted to speak to no one.

What was he doing here? Frowning, I entered the office. The air conditioning inside was perfectly controlled. The dim hallway, filled with a sweet scent, felt surreal as always.

I walked into the living room. A girl was sleeping on the leather couch.

In the bright light, covered in wrapping paper and ribbons, the girl in a black dress lay with her eyes closed.

Numerous silk ribbons entwined her slender arms and legs. She looked as if she were bound by something inescapable. A particularly bright red ribbon was tied around her neck. It was a rather tasteless outfit.

As I approached, frowning, Mayuzumi opened her eyes. She stared at me, and grinned.

“Hello, Odagiri-kun. How are you? Is your bandage intact?”

“Thanks to you, I feel terrible. But the bandage is fine, Mayu-san. How about you?”

I placed the small box on the table and sat on the couch across from her. I wore a leather glove on my newly acquired left hand. Thanks to Aya giving me her left arm, I was freed from the scarlet woman’s flesh. But the bandage was essential to prevent her interference. I had torn apart the black kimono Mayuzumi wore on the island and reused it as a new seal.