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V12 Story IV – Part 04

I remembered a crucial fact. The woman who occasionally appeared in the spirit world and reality was merely a reflection. The real body of the beautiful and bewitching woman was somewhere in the depths of the spirit world. The scarlet woman was a monster that could only breathe in the abyss. Like a deep-sea fish, she couldn’t rise to the surface on her own.

What did the woman’s true form look like? Was it identical to her reflection? No one knew the answer.

“Mayu-san!” I screamed.

The spirit world stirred. A torrent of red gushed out, viscous blood splattering onto the road. The innermost mucous membrane between the narrow walls of flesh tore open, and something peeked out.

It crawled out from the depths of the spirit world. A distorted figure dragging its body into view.

Squish, slap, squish, slap, squish, slap, squish, slap.

It crawled slowly, so sluggishly that it almost seemed pitiable.

Its hideous form gradually came into view. A horrible sight at first glance.

Squish, slap.

The woman had been devoured. Her soft flesh had been gouged out all over. Every tasty part had been eaten.

Bloodshot eyes without eyelids stared at us. Teeth showed through hollow cheeks. Her neatly severed breasts had been taken along with the meat in her chest. Her legs had been carefully stripped down to the shins.

Uneaten organs spilled out from the gaping hole in her abdomen. Coiled intestines bulged under her kimono. The fabric, caked with mud and blood, obscured any pattern, but its color was unmistakably scarlet.

Dragging the heavy cloth, the woman struggled forward.

Squish, slap, squish, slap.

She was more repulsive than anything I had ever seen. Hideous and pitiable.

Suddenly, she stopped. Her long, black hair slithered. Her mutilated face stared at us. We instantly braced ourselves. Abruptly, the woman folded her mangled legs beneath her and, spilling her entrails, placed her hands in front.

The scarlet woman bowed deeply. Then, slowly, she raised her face.

We were speechless at the grace of her movement. Tilting her head, she smiled a beautiful smile, grotesquely twisting her hole-ridden face in a refined manner. No one said a word.

We instinctively understood. We were made to understand.

How could we kill a woman who sneered even after being devoured and mangled?

This was a demon. Resentful, hateful, discarded its humanity, flashing a hideous yet lovely smile.

This was a demon. Something that couldn’t be entirely consumed.

If we tried to eat it, we would be eaten in return.

Clatter.

The woman opened her mouth. Her half-skull jaw dropped like a puppet’s.

“Come, come, behold. It’s a sight worth seeing. A tale to be told for generations.”

Spreading her arms grandly to the left and right, she delivered a speech identical to Mayuzumi’s.

“Ladies and gentlemen, gather around. Watch closely.”

No one could move. There was nothing we could do before an entity that had utterly transcended humanity. Yet, I found myself running. With a sense of surreal clarity, I sprinted desperately, weaving between the puppets and beasts towards Mayuzumi.

She remained still, staring at the scarlet woman as if watching a play. The woman’s speech continued. She stood tall, glaring down at us, and delivered her final words.

“Those who wish to clap, clap. Those who wish to cheer, cheer. Those who wish to cry, cry.”

Clap.

The woman struck her hands together. Space fragmented like a mirror shattering.

Even the area outside the door crumbled. Red flesh spread at the top and the bottom, and tumors swelled on the road, transforming into countless arms. Bloody hands grabbed Mayuzumi’s dress. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of arms surged toward her. Yet, Mayuzumi stood motionless, keeping her gaze forward.

She didn’t even glance at the arms trying to pull her away.

“Mayu-san!” I shouted, grabbing her slender hand.

At that moment, Mayuzumi looked at me.

“Odagiri-kun, you really…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. We were dragged with terrifying force. Shirayuki screamed. The puppets and beasts moved, but they couldn’t reach us in time. Only Uka managed to cling to my leg.

Papa.

I didn’t let go of Mayuzumi. I gripped her hand tight. Just before we were swallowed, I glanced back. Maihime, Kugutsu, Yusuke, Yukihito, and Shirayuki were all shouting. Behind them I saw white.

The fox was watching us sadly.

Ah, so you came too.

But I didn’t have the luxury to call out to him.

Mayuzumi and I were swallowed into the depths of the spirit world.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Hey, Odagiri-kun, did you know?

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

I’m much kinder than you think.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

I am sometimes merciful, whimsically magnanimous, and full of goodwill.

Right now, I’m only interested in what I desire. Everything else is as insignificant as a roadside pebble.

You, too, could have been a pebble had you wished for it. You should have become a pebble. Before you fell this far.

“Since there’s nothing you can do, you should have let go of her hand sooner,” the scarlet woman said sweetly.

Her face had regained its flesh, smooth and unblemished. With a theatrical gesture, she raised a delicate hand in the void.

Boom!

Her fingertips gleamed like blades. Her hand was made of flesh. Naturally, her fingers weren’t blades, but she acted as if she could cut the hand clinging to Mayuzumi. It looked like she was merely pretending, but she could genuinely sever it.

A nauseating fear made my whole body tremble. Still, I didn’t let go of Mayuzumi’s hand. Letting go would mean a lifetime of regret. But I didn’t want to lose my left hand. Aya had risked her life to give to me. It was a precious memento of her kindness.

Losing it would be worse than losing my head. As if reading my thoughts, the scarlet woman chuckled softly.

Studying my left hand, she said delightfully, “Ah, I see. In that case, I shall grant your wish.”

At that moment, a lively cheer erupted. Vulgar whistles and thunderous applause filled the air.

Horrible cries of anticipation pounded in my ears. But there was no one here but us. The red spirit world was the woman’s womb. The overwhelming cheers and countless claps were coming from the lumps of flesh. And they were also the woman’s voice and applause. The spirit world could change at will, but ultimately, there was nothing here.

To live within one’s own blood and organs. How lonely that must be. In this crazed place, losing one’s humanity was too easy.

Suddenly, the scarlet woman’s smile deepened. Lowering her arm, she gently placed her fingers on my left hand.

“I don’t appreciate that, Odagiri-kun. Patronizing compassion is a no-no. That pitying heart makes me want to devour it completely.”

She gracefully kissed the back of my hand. Slowly, she began to caress my left hand with her tongue.

A warm, wet sensation crawled up my hand. A shiver ran through my body. There was no ground here to stop my legs from shaking. As I twisted and turned, she bared her teeth.

Meow.

A voice came from the darkness. A random, high-pitched cry from a cat.

Meow.

Something small jumped onto the woman’s shoulder. A cat with sleek, black fur shivered. Sitting neatly, it looked straight at me, tilting its head.

Meow.

Golden eyes regarded me. There was no intelligence in them. But as if trying to recall something, the cat tilted its head again. The cat pushed its face forward, sniffing. Slowly, the cat brought its face closer to mine.

Then, it licked my lips.

“Yuri.”

Without responding to my voice, the cat began growling at the scarlet woman. She glanced at the cat and sighed, shrugging her shoulders. As the cat teetered on the edge, it dug its claws into her kimono. Suddenly, with a swift and firm grip, the woman grabbed the cat’s head and twisted it, as if turning a doorknob.

“Stop it!” I shouted.

The cat yowled. Its head came off easily, and my eyes widened in shock. Its neck was severed cleanly. The cat, showing no signs of pain, meowed in mild annoyance, exposing its smooth flesh.

Meow?

The woman abruptly let go. The cat’s head fell, bounced like a rubber ball, then vanished into the darkness. Its body followed, swaying side to side.

“Yuri!” I called out.

Was she okay without her head? Before I could worry further, the woman turned to face me. Uka, who had climbed up my leg, thrust her face into the woman’s.

“You…”

For some reason, the scarlet woman’s eyes grew wide. Undeterred, Uka shoved her with all her might. The woman staggered backward, and I began to fall.

My hand slipped from Mayuzumi’s. I mustn’t let go. I shouldn’t let go. But like falling into a well, my body, propelled by the force, plunged into the void.

Mayuzumi and the scarlet woman receded into the distance. My sense of balance vanished, and my sense of touch started going haywire.

The surrounding darkness felt as hard as rock, as soft as feathers, as smooth as water.

I kept falling through what felt like an eternity. Then, from somewhere far, far away, I heard the clink of a bell.