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V12 Story II – Part 01

Mayuzumi Azaka has always lived on her own terms.

She never listened to anything I said.

She lived like a noble, spoiled cat. She never did anything she disliked.

She wouldn’t eat properly, wouldn’t run on her own feet, and whenever she grew bored, she sought out gruesome incidents.

No matter how many times I look back on our days together, all I feel is resentment.

She used me as a shield, stabbed me in the gut, and even exploited my anger.

She always treated me like a pawn. And I stayed by her side because I had no other choice.

That’s how it has always been. And it seemed like it would never change.

I believed that no matter where I woke up, she would be the one constant beside me, as sure as the night follows day.

Mayuzumi would always be by my side.

I don’t try to understand her. She doesn’t listen to me.

She says that’s fine. I wish she would stop.

We’ll never be in agreement. We’re like parallel lines, never crossing.

Nevertheless, we always stood close, side by side.

I don’t try to understand Mayuzumi. Mayuzumi doesn’t listen to me.

I hated her from the bottom of my heart.

Yet, I never truly despised her.

Moonlight filtered through the thin curtains of Mayuzumi’s bedroom.

Lying alone in the crisp night air, I couldn’t help but notice how unusually bright the moon seemed tonight. The heap of junk, lit by the moon’s glow, cast a bluish hue, resembling the shadow of a colossal beast. The luxurious outfits lined up against the left wall conjured images of female ghosts. The office at night seemed even more surreal than during the day. The cluttered room felt like a den of monsters, and amid the jumble of objects, I felt as though I had become one of them.

Since leaving the hospital, I had been using one of the two rooms as my bedroom. The other was occupied by Asato. Mayuzumi slept in the living room, donning a cap, lying on the leather couch. At the tip of her hat, two penguin pom-poms held fish in their beaks.

I shut out the somewhat terrifying scene. The hard floor made for uncomfortable sleeping. Normally, I would have borrowed the couch opposite Mayuzumi’s, but I didn’t want to be near her right now.

Since being discharged, I had been keeping my distance from Mayuzumi. It was a blatant attitude, even for me, but she didn’t seem to mind. I closed my eyes again. But every time I struggled to sleep, hallucinations disturbed me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to kill Mayuzumi Azaka?”

“Does anyone even care about how I feel?” I muttered quietly.

I hadn’t intended to make that choice. But I was aware that I harbored conflicting thoughts. When Mayuzumi asked me what was the point of saving her, I couldn’t give an immediate answer.

Even Mayuzumi herself, the person I was supposed to help, had made her stance clear.

Those who wish to clap, clap. Those who wish to cheer, cheer. Those who wish to cry, cry. Those who wish to laugh, laugh.

She asserted that there was no reason for anyone to mourn Mayuzumi Azaka’s death.

I hadn’t yet heard the details of Mayuzumi’s plan. We hadn’t had a proper conversation since leaving the hospital. If I chose to help her, I would have to feed Uka the demon. She said that I didn’t have to take that risk, that there were others who could close up my belly.

Mayuzumi’s message implied that if I abandoned her, my life would be secure.

“Good news, my foot.”

I was gripping my left arm. It had become a habit to touch it whenever something was troubling me. But I peeled my fingers away. Memories of my hospitalization flooded back.

A transfusion tube had been attached to my left arm. The moment I saw it, my heart raced. Blood flowed into my body through the needle piercing my left arm. It revealed to me an indisputable fact: my left arm and my body were made of the same flesh. Aya wasn’t here.

I thought I understood, but in reality, I didn’t grasp that fact well.

“I couldn’t bring her home.”

Aya was dead. Not a single bone of hers remained.

“You’ve already killed someone because of me, lost a friend, and your left arm.”

Mayuzumi’s words replayed in my ears. Indeed, by not obeying her instructions, I could have avoided killing Kotori, losing my left arm, and losing Aya. But the choice was mine. I made it.

Blaming Mayuzumi, hating her, resenting her, wouldn’t change a thing. I couldn’t put everything on her and run away.

But whether to help Mayuzumi willingly was a different matter. I would be staking not only my life but also Uka’s. Aya died protecting me. Would I turn my child next into a monster?

If I was going to go to such lengths to save Mayuzumi, I had to find that reason. Without one, risking myself and my child would only lead to regret.

It was a bit late at this point, but I had to think about what Mayuzumi Azaka really meant to me.

But my racing mind refused to calm. Right now, all I could do was sleep, so I closed my eyes. My spine protested as it met the hard floor. Tomorrow, I’ll reclaim the futon I tossed into Asato’s room.

As I pondered trivial matters, I sighed. Then, without warning, it happened.

“…Gh, ghh!”

Intense pain wracked my abdomen. My flesh was struck from within. With a sickening sound, my belly tore. Blood spilled from the tear as the hairless head of a baby emerged. My eyes widened. There was no catalyst for this event. Yet, Uka appeared.

She pushed her head out, widening the narrow gap. Her upper body emerged. While her lower half remained within my womb, she grew. Her upper body seemed to swell like rising dough. Uka bent at the waist, resting both hands on the floor. Her long black hair and chest draped over my belly. Moist eyes blinked several times. She leaned closer, tilting her head.

“…Papa?”

Was she half-asleep? Uka’s behavior stunned me. Her reaction was unprecedented. Clearly, she was undergoing a significant change. Suddenly, Uka opened her mouth.

Thick saliva overflowed from her dark mouth like honey, dripping onto my belly. Her fully-grown teeth chattered. An intense chill crawled down my spine.

Her eyes gleamed with desire. I had seen those same eyes several times before. Eyes that were filled with pure, animalistic hunger.

I had carelessly fed Uka her parent’s body. Only now did I realize the true horror of that decision.

I didn’t just accelerate her growth. I made Uka acquire a taste for her parent.

“Uka… Do you… want to eat your father?” I asked with a trembling voice.

I reached out my hand to cautiously touch Uka’s hair. Her glossy black hair was wet with blood and amniotic fluid. Uka tilted her head. Steeling myself, I caressed it.

Honestly, I was utterly terrified. But this child was not only a monster but also my child. If I disowned her, there would be no one in the world to recognize Uka’s existence.

She couldn’t leave my womb. That’s why I couldn’t abandon her.

Uka attempted to bite my arm but stopped herself. Blinking repeatedly, she looked at me, then shook her head as if waking from a dream. Then, she smiled broadly.

“…Papa? I love you.”

Uka leaned over and hugged me, giggling. Like a puppy, she pressed her head against me. I stroked her back. Confused emotions swirled in my chest.

Uka was a monster. But she was also my child. To her, I was delicious meat, and her parent. She was as innocent as a lamb, but she was mentally unstable. What could I do for her, a child on the brink of becoming a complete monster?

Just as I was about to cry out, the door to my room opened. With teary eyes, I looked up at the door. Someone was standing there. They were partially hidden in the darkness, so I couldn’t see them well. But I knew who it was.

Mayuzumi had come to close my belly.

Feeling the heat of the overflowing blood, I said, “Mayu-san, what should I do?”

The figure remained silent. They didn’t respond at all. Still, I went on.

“Why are you telling me now that there’s someone else who can close my belly? What should I do with that knowledge? Why won’t you tell me to save you?”

It would’ve been much easier if she did.

More blood spilled, and my consciousness began to fade. At this rate, I would end up back in the hospital. But I couldn’t waste any more time.

When I pleaded for them to close my belly, the figure extended their hand to me. I grabbed their large, pale palm.

And then, I lost consciousness.