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V13 Story II – Part 02

“I did. I asked the demon inside me—my child—to destroy the room.”

“I heard the demon had been dormant since you returned from the spirit world. After visiting Lord Asato, you woke it up again.” He paused. “Are you going?”

“Go where, exactly?”

“To retrieve Lady Mayuzumi.”

His spot-on guess made me groan. He had me completely figured out. I couldn’t think of any plausible excuse. I glanced back at Asato, then answered.

“Yeah, we’re going. I’m going to bring back Mayuzumi Azaka.”

“I thought so. Ever since Izanagi’s time, it’s been tradition to retrieve a woman from the land of the dead when you can’t bear her loss. But let me be clear: we cannot allow you to bring her back.”

Sadashita’s firm tone didn’t surprise me. I’d expected resistance.

I looked around. Malevolent spirits slumbered in these silent houses. It made sense that Sadashita, a reformist, would fear their reawakening if Mayuzumi returned. But Mayuzumi herself had denied being a god. Even if the elders tried to rally around her, she would turn them away. Her return wouldn’t change the fact that the main family’s power had waned and they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“If your concern is about revitalizing the main family with Mayuzumi’s return, you needn’t worry. Mayuzumi herself would refuse any such attempt. The branch family’s status won’t be shaken. We’re just bringing back a single girl, not a living deity of the Mayuzumi clan. I have no intention of stopping your reforms.”

“I appreciate that, but my main worry isn’t that. What we fear is the scarlet woman. If she returns, she’ll demand sacrifices again, and the damage will fall on us. Also… you might not like this, but…”

Sadashita trailed off, hesitating. I listened in silence, waiting for him to continue. Finally, he spoke again, his breath raspy.

“We think that the current Mayuzumi Azaka might become the final sacrifice needed to end the curse on the Mayuzumi clan. For the sake of the clan’s peace, she must remain in the spirit world forever.”

His words hit me like a blow. I understood Sadashita’s intention with shocking clarity. The scarlet woman had driven past Mayuzumi Azakas to death and dragged them into the spirit world to pacify herself. Souls toyed with by the scarlet woman quickly deteriorated. Thus, her thirst was never quenched. She longed for a demon like herself, an entity that would never tire of gazing at red flesh and smiling for all eternity.

And Sadashita hoped Mayuzumi Azaka would be that entity.

Mayuzumi’s mental strength was beyond human. Unlike the others, she might withstand endless torment. As long as she remained a captive of the scarlet woman, the Mayuzumi clan wouldn’t need to offer new sacrifices.

In other words, Sadashita was asking Mayuzumi Azaka to be the scarlet woman’s eternal plaything.

My vision blurred. The child inside me stirred. The cellphone creaked as I gripped it tightly, struggling to contain my anger.

“How… How twisted are you? You’ve got guts to say that to me.”

“With all due respect, if I must choose between one sacrifice and a hundred more, I’d choose the former. It’s our clan that would lose a girl. People can call us cruel, but outsiders don’t have the right to label us fiends. Consider the feelings of those who raise sacrifices.” He dropped his polite tone, his voice tinged with frenzied anger. “It would have been better to be bound by the existence of a living deity. Who the hell would want to raise a girl as a poor sacrifice?”

I couldn’t argue against that. I wanted to rescue Mayuzumi Azaka, but he didn’t want any more victims. We were at an impasse. Logically, his argument made sense. If keeping Mayuzumi—one person—satisfied the scarlet woman and prevented further sacrifices, it might be necessary to set aside personal feelings.

“I’m afraid that won’t work, Sadashita,” I said. “Even Mayu-san will eventually break. She can’t endure forever.”

“How can you be so sure? The current Mayuzumi Azaka is far from human. She’s closer to a demon than a person. There shouldn’t be a better plaything than her.”

“Then let me ask you this, Sadashita. Why did the first Mayuzumi Azaka break? Mayuzumi is very similar to the First. By your logic, the Mayuzumi clan should have been freed long ago.”

Sadashita’s breath caught. He should have realized this easily. He was confused in a different way than us about Mayuzumi’s death. The scarlet woman continuing to seek sacrifices meant that the First Azaka’s soul had been shattered. The current Mayuzumi Azaka was identical to the First and would likely face a similar fate. Though close to a demon, Mayuzumi was only human. She had forsaken an almost immortal body to live as a heartless girl. She would not laugh with the woman in the depths of the spirit world.

The Mayuzumi I knew never pandered to beings she didn’t like. Eventually, the scarlet woman would either grow bored with her or destroy her. I recalled the scarlet woman’s arrogant laugh. One day, she would ruthlessly destroy Mayuzumi.

But then something about it felt odd. Why did the woman seek a being who could laugh with her for eternity?

“What I seek is a demon like myself.”

“A being that can laugh while gazing at red flesh for eternity without getting bored.”

Did she really just want a toy she could break? The spirit world was too lonely a place to live in solitude.

“Even the girl I gave birth to died without taking in a single breath.”

“You wouldn’t break or go mad, would you? Won’t you come with me?”

“You make a valid point. But we still can’t let you bring Mayuzumi Azaka back. There’s no guarantee there won’t be more casualties like those from the main family. Though I doubt we could stop you from heading to the spirit world anyway. We stand little chance against Lord Asato. So be it. I don’t mind a gamble. I’ll agree on one condition.”

His unexpected response snapped me out of my thoughts. I pushed aside the scarlet woman’s voice, focusing on him. A long pause followed before Sadashita finally exhaled and continued.

“I know we’re just delaying the inevitable. But bringing her back would be an even greater act of folly. Mayuzumi Azaka could be dragged back into the spirit world, and there might be new casualties. If you insist on bringing her back, then you’ll have to pay the price. If you do, we’ll even provide you with a place connected to the spirit world. You’ll need one, won’t you?”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. If you can resolve the matter I’m proposing, we’ll show you the way.”

Sadashita was serious, but I couldn’t understand why he was making such an offer after calling my plan stupid. Confused, I held back my questions, but he continued without waiting for a response.

“Lord Asato knows where you need to go. If possible, I want you to break the new curse plaguing the Mayuzumi clan.”

Click.

The call abruptly ended. I stared blankly at the phone in my hand. It felt as if any further conversation had been shut down. Closing my eyes, I replayed his proposal. It was a very favorable offer, but his words carried an ominous and grim undertone. Should I accept it or not? I opened my eyes and turned to Asato, but before I could speak, we heard the sound of sirens. The townsfolk knew to avoid this hill, but the earlier destruction must have been alarming enough to prompt a report. The guards would handle it initially, but time was running out. We needed to leave soon. I decided to put off the discussion and started walking. This time, Asato walked beside me. He glanced at me and the phone, a knowing smile curling on his lips.

“Was that a case from Sadashita?”

“You could tell?”

“Of course. The branch family’s been struggling with a particular issue. I see… If we could enter that forbidden place, that would be great. But I warn you: it’s a grave situation.” He chuckled softly.

I frowned. Whatever this case was, Asato found it amusing, despite the gravity of his words. With a theatrical flourish, Asato spread his arms wide.

“I know where we need to go. It’s a site of a disturbing anomaly. He must want us to solve it, right? Well, why not? It’s fascinating. The fact that you and I are taking on this case… what a ridiculous day. Let’s try not to die. And like you suggested, I’ll make sure to enjoy it to the fullest, just as my sister did.”

“Don’t twist my words. I never said to enjoy this.”

“This is a rather unusual situation, Odagiri. You could even say it’s…”

Asato ignored what I said, looking up at the clear sky, seemingly pleased.

Then, with a cheerful tone, he announced, “The first and last case of Mayuzumi Asato and Odagiri Tsutomu.”