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V12 Story IV – Part 01

“Mayu-san,” I call.

“Do you need something, Odagiri-kun?” she responds.

“Odagiri-kun,” she calls.

“Do you need something, Mayu-san?” I respond.

“You’re such an idiot,” she says.

“And you’re so heartless,” I spat back.

I call her “Mayu-san.”

She calls me “Odagiri-kun.”

Come to think of it, I’m the only one in the world who calls her “Mayu-san.”

I felt a dull pain in my stomach, and I opened my eyes. A dark ceiling loomed above.

I was lying on the couch opposite Mayuzumi’s usual spot. The sweet-smelling air made me feel like a piece of chocolate nestled in a candy box. Shaking my head, I scanned the dimness.

The living room, which had taken all afternoon to clean, was back to its usual state. The sweet smell lingered, but the wrapping paper and ribbons scattered on the floor were gone. Most had been thrown away, though some ribbons now decorated Mayuzumi’s room. Asato looked annoyed at the pale blue ones tied to the window.

I sat up and lifted my shirt. In the dim light, I saw red blood trickling down my pale abdomen.

A crack, like a fissure in an eggshell, had formed. Fortunately, Uka showed no signs of emerging further. I wiped the blood with a handkerchief and covered my stomach with my shirt before standing up.

Following a faint light, I walked towards the window. Moonlight streamed through the open curtains.

In the distance, cherry blossom branches stretched like dark silhouettes against the red night sky. Soon, these branches would bloom. When the wind blew the flowers away, would the petals that filled the sky also disappear?

The night sky, a mix of black and red, looked as sinister as guts. As I stared at the heavens, I became fully awake. I turned and looked at the opposite couch, narrowing my eyes.

Mayuzumi, who should have been there, was gone. She had disappeared somewhere.

“…Mayu-san?”

As I called her name, the door to her room creaked, slowly opening. Mayuzumi emerged, black laces swaying. She closed the door behind her with one hand.

That was the room where Asato was supposed to be sleeping. What had she been doing there?

She had changed; the negligee and snowman hat with pompoms she wore at bedtime were gone. Now she wore a skirt with a design that evoked images of spring. As she walked, she gently turned her head. Her cat-like eyes regarded me.

“Hey, Odagiri-kun. You’re up this late? Perfect timing. Make me a hot chocolate.”

Without waiting for my reply, Mayuzumi sat on the leather couch. She crossed her legs and looked up at the ceiling. The ribbons woven into her stockings rustled. I had no reason to disobey her. I quietly headed to the kitchen, heated some milk, and made hot chocolate.

Pouring myself some milk, I returned to the living room. Mayuzumi tilted her head as she saw me carrying two cups.

“Thank you,” she said. “But what’s this? You made one for yourself too. Not that I mind. You should have made yourself hot chocolate too.”

“If I drink something that sweet at this hour, I’ll gain weight and get cavities. Please make sure to brush your teeth. And what exactly were you doing?”

I handed her the cup. She took the handle adorned with a blue butterfly and shrugged. Ignoring my question, she began speaking at length.

“Brush my teeth, huh. Odagiri-kun, you’re the only one who gives me such motherly advice. I’ve always thought you had a condescending attitude towards food.”

“Of course. You have the body of an ordinary girl. I don’t want to take you to the dentist. The thought alone is horrifying.”

“An ordinary girl, huh. Indeed. But I’d like to raise a question about that.”

Is Mayuzumi Azaka truly human?

Clink.

I thought I was hearing things again. I recalled the narrator’s tale in the depths of the spirit world.

Mayuzumi took a sip of her hot chocolate and placed the cup back on the table. A disturbing smile adorned her red lips.

“You never asked before, so I saw no reason to answer. Consider it for a moment. Is there anyone in this world who can subsist solely on chocolate? Organs, flesh, bones, and blood aren’t made of sweets.”

Mayuzumi reached for the box perched on the table’s edge. Her fingers crept like insects, lifting the lid. Milky fingertips plucked out a piece. The red, heart-shaped confection glistened.

“I used to have regular meals as a child, before I assumed the mantle of Mayuzumi Azaka. But since inheriting the name, I’ve fully surrendered to my unhealthy tastes. It’s impracticable for an ordinary human to sustain such a diet. I’ve only recently come to this realization. Mayuzumi Azaka’s physique is nothing more than that of an average girl. But perhaps she’s not just an ordinary girl. Only demons can truly pacify other demons. The scarlet woman finds comfort by having someone like herself nearby, someone she can compare herself to. Evidence that her existence is not solitary. The fact that she fervently pursues me means I am closer to a demon than a human. Just like the First.”

She maintained her smile. She pressed the red heart against her lips. Crack. It snapped in half.

“By consuming a non-human, the Mayuzumi clan relinquished its humanity. And the non-human blood within me runs strong. Let me propose a hypothesis. My body is as weak as that of an ordinary girl because Mayuzumi Azaka’s body had degraded to that extent. Presumably, Mayuzumi Azaka’s body continually deteriorates due to her extremely unhealthy diet. In other words, if my diet is corrected, my body will be close to immortal. Much like your demon.”

Crack.

Mayuzumi broke off a fresh piece of chocolate, snapping the girl’s neck. While she discussed her body’s fragility stemming from her awful diet, she made no effort to abstain from sweets.

I thought back to events in the past. Each time Mayuzumi was targeted, abducted, I fought fiercely. There were instances when I genuinely believed she was dead and felt devastated. But if Mayuzumi was inherently immortal…

“Does that mean my efforts were in vain?”

“I suppose, yes. But consider this, Odagiri-kun. A Mayuzumi Azaka that doesn’t eat chocolate is not Mayuzumi Azaka. This inclination was imperative for me to remain true to myself,” she said without a hint of shame.

Crack.

Mayuzumi nibbled on a flower. She studied my frown and gave a sweet smile.

“Oh, you have a curious look on your face. I wasn’t entirely making light of things. Sometimes the difference between humans and demons lies in their nature. Because I am who I am, I chose chocolate and lost my immortality. I’ve lived as Mayuzumi Azaka, as a heartless girl. And I might die as just an ordinary girl. I have no regrets about that, though I don’t take pride in it either. It seems I’ve caused you some trouble, but do pardon me. Just think of all this as fate. It’ll make things easier.”

Mayuzumi lifted her cup once more. Turning away from the blue butterfly, she gazed out the window, studying the sky streaked with red and black with narrowed eyes.

“Tomorrow’s the day,” I said. “I’m sure it’ll turn out well.”

I had delivered the letter from Maihime to Mayuzumi. Having perused it, she now knew about Maihime’s involvement. Maihime’s puppets should be fully ready by tomorrow night.

Tomorrow will be our fateful day. Mayuzumi’s destiny—life or death—will be determined in mere hours.

I suddenly remembered the magazine in the bag. A familiar face was smiling on the cover of the renowned art publication. Hishigami Akira, the reclusive genius who had finally broken his silence and resumed his creative work, was the headline feature. It was truly wonderful to see him doing well.

Once again, I focused on tomorrow. The scarlet woman had temporarily lost her pawn. It was unclear what terrifying move she planned next. We had to take the initiative if we wanted to survive.

Mayuzumi tilted her head, still gazing at the night sky.

“I never expected the clan head and even Karakuri Maihime to come,” she said. “This will significantly reduce Uka-kun’s burden. Fate can be a strange thing. Espers usually live alone and die alone. Their graves are never visited by anyone, and not even a single flower is offered. I never thought it would become this merry,” She shrugged in disbelief, then turned her gaze back to me. “You really are an idiot, Odagiri-kun.”

“Is that really all you have to say?”

Mayuzumi snorted softly and picked up her cup again. “Of course. What else is there to say? The fact that you’ve held out this long with a demon inside you is madness itself. I can’t describe you as anything other than an idiot.”

She finished her hot chocolate and placed the empty cup carefully back on the table.

“Thanks for the drink. One thing, though, Odagiri-kun,” she said somewhat irritably. “Could you stop skimping on the chocolate when you make it? You might think you’re hiding it, but it’s completely obvious.”

“I’m doing it for your health, Mayu-san. And there’s something I want to say.” I took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. “You won’t die like an ordinary girl.”

Mayuzumi blinked repeatedly. She smiled, urging me to continue.

Staring into her lovely eyes, I spilled what was in my mind. “You’re far too heartless to be an ordinary girl. There’s no way someone like you would kick the bucket that easily.”

Mayuzumi didn’t respond. She just regarded me quietly. Eventually, her lips curled into a genuinely amused smile.

“I see, there’s certainly some truth in that. You’ve thought it through well, Odagiri-kun.”

“Right? A flawless argument if I do say so myself.”

I chuckled. And for once, she did the same.

A short amount of time passed.

The night before the decisive battle of Mayuzumi Azaka and Odagiri Tsutomu came to an end.