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V12 Story II – Part 03

“Asato, what the hell did you do this time?!”

I kicked open the door to Mayuzumi’s room, ready to drag him out of bed if necessary. But the room was empty, littered with junk. Asato, who had been quietly wrapped in a futon until yesterday, was nowhere to be found. The futon was neatly folded on top of the piano. What if dust got inside the instrument?

Clicking my tongue, I turned to where Asato had been sleeping. My eyes widened. There was a ceramic bear head on the floor, detached from its body. On closer inspection, I realized the bear was designed to be just a head. Beneath its charming and surreal visage lay a card.

The card was made of construction paper, apparently torn from a sketchbook discarded nearby. As usual, Asato had gone to unnecessary lengths for dramatic effect. I moved the bear and picked up the card.

Scrawled on the paper in familiar, jagged red crayon were the words: “Come to this place at 9 PM tonight. If you don’t want to come, that’s fine too.”

The note reminded me of one I’d received before, complete with a marked map. I recalled the letter the fox had sent me before stuffing a womb into my belly: “Come to this place at 7 PM tonight. Don’t tell anyone, or our friendship is over.”

Following his instructions like an idiot, I ended up in a coma, thanks to Shizuka.

Inside my belly, Uka thrashed violently. My head boiled with hatred. My vision blurred. Rage turned everything red.

I thought the fox was behaving. I shouldn’t have left him alone. What was he plotting now? As I trembled with anger, a small head peeked at the letter beside me.

The girl pointed at the map. “Oh, this is our school. Yay, the fox thought this through!”

“School?” I studied the map. “Oh!”

I knew the place. I couldn’t possibly forget about it. It was the high school where Shizuka, the fox, and I had spent our time. I lifted my gaze and turned to the girl.

My junior, apparently, was grinning with delight, clutching the iron-scented plastic bag to her chest. I stared hard at her.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “What business do you have with the fox?”

“Well, it’s nothing major. He promised to join us for something.”

She smiled sheepishly and, for some reason, proudly puffed out her chest.

“A nighttime séance!”

After passing time in the office, making various preparations, we made our way to the high school.

The schoolyard, shrouded in the darkness of night, resembled a desert. Gray, sandy soil stretched out before me.

The massive school building loomed at the edge of my vision. Despite the golden embellishments, it appeared antiquated. Its grimy, rectangular-shaped exterior brought to mind a fish tank, with students trapped in murky waters, oblivious to the absurdity of their environment. This distasteful impression was merely a product of my disdain of the school building. However, there was another reason for this association.

In my mind, the school building and water were closely linked. Whenever I closed my eyes, the sound of rain resurfaced. It always rained in my memories. Rain fell incessantly that year regardless of the season.

The library, where I often spent afternoons, would fill with humid air during heavy rain. Cold and wet, the isolated space felt like being inside a fish tank. I never thought I would return to this accursed place.

With vacant eyes, I surveyed the schoolyard, only to be interrupted by a petite figure jumping into view. The girl seemed inexplicably excited. She dashed around before abruptly stopping and turning towards me. Something stirred within the swinging plastic bag.

“Let’s hurry! We can’t be late. Everyone is gathering in the club room!” she exclaimed eagerly, pressing on.

I followed after her. I knew nothing about the séance or the contents of the plastic bag. The latter was apparently a secret. Hell, I didn’t even know the girl’s name.

She didn’t bring a case to the office; she simply went there following the fox’s instructions. In other words, she had neither reason nor need to allow me, an outsider, to accompany her.

Nevertheless, she welcomed my company and showed me the way willingly. An unusual situation given her lack of information about me. She believed, even without any basis, that I would enjoy the séance. The girl felt only one thing—sheer excitement.

As she hummed a tune, we entered the school building. She changed into indoor shoes, while I walked down the hallway in my outdoor shoes, feeling discomfort with each step.

The hollow clacking of my shoes and the girl’s awful humming echoed in the dark hallway. As we advanced, Mayuzumi’s voice played in my mind.

“If you want to go, go ahead, Odagiri-kun. You’re quite the weird one to indulge in such child’s play.”

She didn’t even look at me when she said that. She showed no interest in the fox’s invitation. She paid very little attention to the fox at all. The fox, obsessed with Mayuzumi Azaka, frequently pestered her, so she reluctantly went along with his antics.

Since the letter was addressed to me, Mayuzumi would likely not get involved. Whatever happened to me, she wouldn’t care. She would simply shrug and say I had it coming. No matter who got caught up in it or who died, Mayuzumi Azaka would undoubtedly say it had nothing to do with her.

She would assert that she was a monster, yet still only human. She was inhuman, but not a god. That she didn’t care.

I bit my lip. Mayuzumi’s judgment was sometimes correct and ruthless. I pondered her fate once again.

What should I do for her? What do I want to do?

In the meantime, we reached the ground floor’s roofed corridor, where the girl pushed open the unlocked door. Cold air flowed into the building. As I stepped into the corridor, I searched my memory. This path led to the old school building, hidden from view from the schoolyard.

The old school building was mainly used for cultural clubs. I had visited it a few times. The room of the literature club, where the fox was a member, was on the first floor. It was the only club room with an air conditioner, making it very popular, though most members had little interest in actual activities. The fox, however, consistently contributed to the club magazine. He was oddly enthusiastic about school life and participated in all events.

Back then, the fox deliberately enjoyed his adolescence. And, like drawing lots, he chose me as his friend.

Walking through this familiar place felt like being haunted by ghosts of the past. Memories were being dragged to the surface. I had approached the fox without fear, and he had reciprocated.

As ridiculous as it sounded, the fox and I were once friends who got along well.

Since his betrayal, there was one thing I had never considered. What had he thought, felt, and experienced during that time?

The fox had said that pretending to be just an ordinary human was, in its way, quite enjoyable. A statement that made me want to both yell and demand why.

In the past, I wouldn’t have had this question. My resentment would never be quelled, but the intense rage and fear didn’t last either.

I left him stranded in the spirit world without killing him, brought him back, and when he begged to be killed, I refused. And in the end, only a vague question remained.

What did life mean to him?

A life without desires is dull. Living without wishes is meaningless. The fox had once said that life was about committing to and enjoying each and every moment.

But the true feelings behind his constant lies remained a mystery. He covered himself in lies, claiming he had no desires of his own. What was he really thinking?

The fox always shrouded his real intentions. His desires were a mystery to everyone.

But come to think of it, there was one time…

“We’re here!”

A cheerful voice snapped me back to reality. Lifting my gaze, I was stunned speechless. In front of me was the literature club room. Of all places, this was our destination? I had a bad feeling about this.

Before I could stop her, the girl placed her hand on the door, and she flung it open.

Bright moonlight spilled into the dark room. It looked like a scene from a black-and-white movie.

Several students sat on chairs arranged in a circle. It was as if they were waiting for something, or someone.