3 bar menu

V12 Story II – Part 08

The tension in the room was as sharp as a needle. Instantly I jumped backward.

A swarm of papers sliced through the space I had just vacated, cutting into the floor like blades and leaving brutal scars. I spun around and dashed into the library. A sheet of paper grazed my side.

Black letters scattered like petals. My right foot, which came into contact with them, went numb as if stung by a venomous insect. My body felt heavy. Struggling to move, I rolled forward and dove between the library shelves.

Another fierce attack followed immediately. The bookshelf behind me was shredded. It sounded like rodents gnawing on wood. I ducked behind the next shelf, seeking cover.

The papers fluttered through the air in a mocking dance and attacked the bookshelves again. Torn pages and wood chips flew everywhere. I scrambled between the shelves as they were destroyed one by one.

Asato’s ability couldn’t grant his own wishes. This had to be magic he had mastered on his own. I had never heard of a spell with such physical power. How long had he been preparing for this? I slid under another shelf, gasping for breath.

“Stop it, Asato!” I shouted. “You want to settle things? Win or lose, only you benefit! What do we even need to settle between us now?”

The upper half of the shelf I was hiding behind was shredded. I curled up and covered my head with my arms.

Paper and wood fragments rained down on me. Speaking out was a mistake. Despite knowing my exact location, the fox didn’t seem intent on killing me instantly. He was probably waiting for my counterattack. He said we should kill each other. He wasn’t interested in a one-sided slaughter.

That must be the rule this time. I could counterattack if I brought out Uka, but I didn’t want to rely on her. Feeding the fox, who possessed supernatural powers, to Uka would definitely push her to her limit.

But how could I handle this alone?

A piece of paper brushed past me.

Swish.

“Huh?”

The paper grazed my right arm and drifted to the floor. I noticed one edge of the white rectangle was stained red. I looked at my arm. My sleeve was torn, but I felt no pain. Then blood spurted out, splashing onto my face, and delayed agony surged through me. My arm was sliced open like clay.

The fox wasn’t willing to wait long.

“…Ugh, ah…”

The pain and shock made me dizzy. But my body, accustomed to injuries, started to take care of itself. Subconsciously, I pulled off my tie and wrapped it around my right arm, using my teeth and left hand to stop the bleeding.

I took slow, steady breaths. I couldn’t afford to panic any more than this.

Papa? Papa? Are you okay? Papa, papa, hey, papa, papa?

Uka thrashed inside me, worried. Each time she asked if I was okay, pain stabbed my abdomen. At this rate, Uka might emerge again. But Mayuzumi wasn’t here right now. I couldn’t count on her help like last night. Come to think of it, her words this morning were still a mystery.

Why did she say she didn’t do anything?

“You know, Odagiri,” Asato said, “Aya’s death was silly, but it wasn’t bad at all.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Why was the fox mentioning Aya’s death? There was no ridicule in his voice. He had stopped his attack, though the papers continued to flutter around.

“The lump of flesh that wasn’t even human gained self-awareness and, in the end, considered its own death a good thing,” Asato went on, as if to himself. “It was silly and pitiful, but even if I ridiculed it, it wouldn’t care. It even had the nerve to thank me. That’s the one thing I can commend. It accepted its meaningless life without hesitation. It died saving you. I will fulfill my wish, but I’ll also respect its will. If you win, there’s a benefit for you too. So, feel free to unleash the demon. There’s no need to hesitate, Odagiri. This will finally end our endless back and forth. Will you kill the fox or not? Will you risk your life for Mayuzumi Azaka or not?”

Why did the name Mayuzumi Azaka come up?

The fox fell silent, as if waiting for my answer. What benefit would there be for me if I won? I racked my brain, trying to figure it out. Before I could find an answer, a terrifying realization struck me.

The only way for me to win was to let Uka devour the fox. Commanding her to attack but not to eat would be nearly impossible. Her appetite was dangerously close to running wild. Uka was already near her limit. Feeding her the fox would fill the nearly brimming cup to the top.

What would happen if I fed the fox to Uka and then had her devour a real demon? There would be no chance she wouldn’t exceed her limit and turn into a full demon herself.

The fox understood me. If I fed Uka the demon, I would definitely die. He knew I wouldn’t have the courage to participate in the plan if I realized this. In other words, by killing Mayuzumi Asato, I wouldn’t be able to save Mayuzumi Azaka. The fox was trying to indirectly kill Mayuzumi Azaka by making me kill him.

I glanced at the fox through the gap between the shelves. He was smirking thinly.

“Then, you’ll live the rest of your life crawling in the dirt,” he spat. “Consume others for your own sake, and say it was the right thing to do.”

His mocking smile made me feel extremely uneasy.

The fox’s obsession with Mayuzumi Azaka should have vanished the moment he admitted he was just an imitation. Yet, now, he was trying to drag Mayuzumi Azaka into his death.

Something was wrong. And how would that be respecting Aya’s will? I couldn’t see the connection. I still didn’t understand what benefit there was for me in winning.

That felt extremely strange. The fox’s behavior was different from usual.

He told me to continue living by devouring others for my sake. If I didn’t help her, Mayuzumi Azaka would be killed. If Mayuzumi Azaka was killed, I would survive.

If I let Uka eat Mayuzumi Asato, I wouldn’t be able to save Mayuzumi Azaka. If I killed Mayuzumi Asato, I would survive.

That was the benefit. By killing the fox, I wouldn’t be able to save Mayuzumi Azaka, but I would stay alive.

In other words, by letting himself be eaten, the fox was trying to indirectly let me live.

“But… why?” I muttered dumbly.

It didn’t make any sense. The fox couldn’t possibly know there was someone besides Mayuzumi who could close my belly. He assumed that if Mayuzumi Azaka died, I would die soon after. Yet, memories of last night contradicted that.

A figure was standing in front of Mayuzumi’s room. I couldn’t clearly see the face hidden in the shadow. I joined hands with them.

Mayuzumi Azaka had said that she didn’t close my belly.

“…No way.”

I didn’t understand. The fox had always involved me in his outrageous games without offering any benefits. The fox would never change, no matter what. Or so I believed.

People weren’t meant to remain stagnant. Mayuzumi Asato was experiencing some kind of change. He was tying his death to my survival. Why?

I thought back to the fox’s lies and true feelings. The words he said to me swirled in my mind.

He wanted to torment someone he hated until his last breath. He wanted someone to grant him one final wish.

Another person’s smile appeared in my mind. I thought back to her death, a death the fox said wasn’t bad at all. Grabbing my left arm, I visualized that moment in my mind. At the brink of death, she made a choice.

In her final moments, Aya chose to die for someone else.

The fox had said her death wasn’t bad. The fox.

I shook my head. “No, that’s impossible.”

Crouching, I ran under the shelves, straining to hear the fox’s movements. Doubt gnawed at my mind. The fox genuinely wanted to kill me.

Yet, he was waiting for my counterattack. Mayuzumi Asato, having fallen into the pits of despair, wanted me to kill him. If he subconsciously wanted to keep me alive by dying…

“Thank you, Asato-san.”

Could those words have changed something?