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V12 Story IV – Part 10

“Um, Odagiri-san? Are you back?”

A familiar voice suddenly called out. The door opened, and Yusuke peeked in. I hurriedly sat up. Yusuke entered cautiously.

Sitting cross-legged, I said, “Oh, Yusuke. When did you get here? Give me a sec.”

I pulled out a cushion from the built-in closet and placed it in front of him. Yusuke sat down, folding his legs. He stared at me, seeming about to say something, then shook his head and started over.

“Maihime told me you left, so I went to the office. There was someone there, and he said you hadn’t dropped by. So I came here. Do you know them? Guy in a suit. Didn’t really like his vibe. I wonder what his deal was.”

“A guy in a suit? I have no idea who that could be.”

Someone was apparently at the office right now, but I had no clue who they might be. The fox should be in his room. I couldn’t think of anyone who would have business at the office at this point.

But I was too tired to care. I was no longer an employee of the office. Without Mayuzumi Azaka, the Mayuzumi Psychic Detective Agency had no purpose. Whoever was in there or whatever they were doing didn’t matter anymore.

Yusuke frowned. “Um… are you really okay, Odagiri-san?”

“Yeah, why do you ask? I’ve told you many times, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Do you even know what your face looks like? We were shocked too, but are you really okay with this?”

I had no idea what he was talking about. There was no mirror in the apartment, so I couldn’t check my face. Reluctantly, I stood up and started walking.

“Are you really okay with this? Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m heading to the office. I’ll be back by dinner, so just make yourself at home.”

If I stayed here, I’d just make him worry. It seemed more productive to go back to the office and check on the visitor.

Yusuke bolted upright. “W-Wait. We’re not done talking!”

I waved my hand and left. Yusuke tried to follow me, so I quickened my pace to shake him off. He kept calling after me but suddenly fell silent. It sounded like Nanami had stopped him, asking sharply what had happened. After a pause, Yusuke started explaining. I heard Nanami gasp.

Without listening further, I made for the bus stop. I caught a bus just in time and rode it to the office. On the subway, I caught a glimpse of my face in the window. It didn’t seem that bad to me.

My cheeks were sunken, and my eyes looked dull, but I figured I’d always looked like this.

I got off the subway and walked up the slope to the office. I headed to the fifth floor of the building.

The door was open. Someone had indeed come in. As I walked down the hallway, I saw that both doors to the rooms were wide open. I peeked inside and was genuinely surprised for the first time in a while.

“What?”

The rooms were completely empty. All the junk was gone. Even Asato, who should have been lying around, was nowhere to be seen. I hurriedly checked the other room. A man in a suit stood against the backdrop of the empty room.

Upon noticing me, Sadashita turned around and bowed deeply. “Mr. Odagiri, thank you for your service to Lady Azaka until the very end.”

His words were puzzling. Had I really been serving her? I wasn’t sure. But it was true we had been together until the end.

Sadashita raised his head. For some reason, he looked at me with eyes full of pity.

He averted his gaze and continued. “Lady Azaka had informed us about Lord Asato. We will vacate this apartment, but we are not heartless. We will not disregard someone who has helped the Mayuzumi clan. Here is the address of Lord Asato’s new residence. Please feel free to visit anytime. I’ve informed the gatekeeper. Since you helped his younger sister, Lord Asato will surely be delighted. We look forward to your visit.”

He handed me a high-quality card. It had an address and a map printed on it. It looked like some sort of establishment. I couldn’t help but laugh. Sadashita looked at me like I was a madman. Clearing his throat, he handed me something else.

“Please accept this as well. It’s a small token of our gratitude.”

I took the paper envelope and checked its contents. My eyes widened. It was packed with wads of cash. My vision blurred, and my body moved on its own.

I slammed the envelope into Sadashita’s face. The bills flew out, scattering in the air and landing on the floor. He remained silent, bowing his head again.

“We respect you for being with her until the end. To us, Lady Azaka was both a revered and a terrifying figure. If you’ll excuse me.”

He walked away. I said nothing. There was nothing to say. But as he passed by, I found myself shouting.

“Mayu-san…!”

Sadashita stopped. He could have just left, but he waited patiently for me to continue. I bit my lip and, with a sigh, weakly spoke.

“Mayu-san wasn’t as scary as you think.”

Sadashita said nothing. I just sensed him bowing deeply behind me.

Then, he walked down the hallway. I heard the front door open and close.

And then I was left alone in an apartment without Mayuzumi Azaka.

Just like the individual bedrooms, the living room was completely empty.

The leather couch and curtains were gone. Only the sweet smell lingered, stubbornly clinging despite many attempts to clean the place. The long-embedded scent of sweets would not come off easily.

Now, it was the only proof she had been here.

But she was no longer around. Even the sweet scent would eventually fade away.

I placed my hand on the window and opened it wide. Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.

“What’s the big idea, Odagiri-kun? Could you not open the window?”

“Mayu-san…”

I turned around, but there was no one there. Even the leather couch was gone. No one was there to complain about the open window. I started to speak but realized there was no need. I stepped out onto the balcony. The air was cold. I looked up. I could see the branches of a cherry tree in the distance. I had never stepped out here while I was at the office.

The room’s air conditioning was always perfectly controlled, so I rarely opened the window. If I had even tried to step outside, Mayuzumi would have mercilessly locked me out.

I stared at the branches spreading wide and the pale pink sky. I took a cigarette from my breast pocket and lit it, thinking of someone who was no longer here.

With the cigarette in hand, I murmured softly. “It’s a bit late, but I’d like to talk about Mayuzumi Azaka.”

About the girl I spent my time with.

Mayuzumi Azaka never mourned anyone’s death.

But if I were to cry over her death now, she wouldn’t make fun of me. She would simply shrug and tell me I was an odd one in a weary tone.

Mayuzumi Azaka was heartless, but she never mocked others’ tears.

She knew her own horridness well, and I constantly complained about it.

She often smiled. A very sinister and twisted one. Or a serene curl of her lips, like that of someone who has lived a long life.

She laughed at the dead, reveled in tragedies, and savored misfortunes.

But occasionally, she showed a crystal-clear gaze.

Like when she spoke to me under the full bloom of cherry blossoms, she would look at me with an expression not befitting a girl.

How I hated that beautiful smile of hers.

“I should have told her that back then.”

I should have said I hated her smile. That I hated her.

Come to think of it, I was the only one in the world who called her Mayu-san.

I took a deep drag and exhaled. No matter how much I thought about her, no more tears came. I had cried my heart out for her that night. There was no need for more tears.

We had walked side by side for a long time, and this was just how it ended.

“Mayuzumi Azaka’s fate…”

She said this was inevitable and called it fate. She was absolutely right.

She, who constantly mocked others’ misfortunes, deserved to be consumed by fate. In the end, everything returned to where it belonged, just as she had said. The world was made that way.

Everything falls into place. The world doesn’t change just because a heartless girl disappeared.

And even if Mayuzumi Azaka stopped eating chocolates, Odagiri Tsutomu’s life would continue.

There was no need to mourn the death of the worst, most terrible girl in the world.

After a long struggle, everything returned to where it belonged.

“An inevitable conclusion…”

All’s well that ends well.

Mayuzumi’s soft voice echoed in my mind.

I smiled faintly. I hadn’t smiled in a long time.

I took a long drag and then crushed the lit cigarette in my hand.

I will not let it end like this.

B.A.D. 12 Mayuzumi Smiles at Her Own Fate