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V13 Story IV – Part 04

“I fucking hated that look on your face!” I roared.

“What?”

“Ah, I knew it. So unreasonable. I tried so hard to smile for you, you know.”

Mayuzumi shrugged. She had an inkling that I despised that smile. If she knew, then she shouldn’t have smiled like that.

The scarlet woman looked unusually surprised. I exhaled sharply. Now that I had come this far, there was no turning back. I would say everything I needed to say.

“You always did whatever you wanted without a care in the world. I told you so many times: clean up after yourself, stop eating nothing but candy, and ditch those terrible pastimes. And look where it’s led you—into the spirit world! You lived as you pleased, and then you have the nerve to bid farewell like a know-it-all? You think that makes it all right? How selfish can you be? How little do you think of others? It’s because of you that I ended up here!”

“Well, normally, you’d think no one would come here. This is a classic case of reaping what you sow.”

“I already know that, so you don’t have to tell me! Tell me, Mayuzumi Azaka, what is fate?”

Mayuzumi smiled. The scarlet woman frowned deeply, clearly displeased. It was understandable. Mayuzumi Azaka and I were in the middle of a conversation, leaving no room for anyone else to interrupt. We were talking just like we did in the office, even in the depths of the spirit world. I poured out my bottled-up emotions, thoughts, and anger at the absurdity of it all.

To Mayuzumi Azaka.

“Fate, my foot. Destiny, my ass! You were supposed to be the last person to talk about shit like that. You were our fate. Just as I managed to change someone’s destiny, you lived your life dragging others into all kinds of mess. You toyed with people’s lives nonchalantly, pretending to know nothing. You’re an egotistic little shit. And now you talk about fate? That it’s destined so you can’t do anything about it? Why, Mayuzumi Azaka? How can someone as terrible and selfish as you so easily give in to fate?”

Mayuzumi Azaka’s lips curled. She looked at me like I was an entertaining spectacle.

That was right. I had been angry all along—angry at the Mayuzumi Azaka I knew, angry at her for acting differently, angry at her for succumbing to fate.

Angry at her for smiling like she had given up on everything.

“You were never one to just accept fate! Am I wrong? The Mayuzumi Azaka I knew would scoff at the idea. She was self-centered, arrogant, insufferable. So why now? Why are you listening to her? Fight back! Resist! Outsmart that bitch, get away, and sneer at how pointless and boring it all is. For the first time, I’m very disappointed in you.”

Anger surged from deep within me. The Mayuzumi I knew was an arrogant woman who cared for no one. So why was she bowing her head to the scarlet woman? Why was she submitting to fate?

Mayuzumi met my glare with a smile. Exasperated yet amused, she jerked her chin, urging me to continue. And so I did.

“Whatever happened, you’d be sitting there, calm as ever, eating real chocolate. Isn’t that who you are, Mayuzumi Azaka?”

She said nothing. The scarlet woman, mouth half-open, stared at me after I finished my rant. She was utterly displeased. And offended. I knew her sharp remark was coming, cold and cutting, but before she could speak, Mayuzumi snapped the chocolate between her teeth with an audible crunch.

And then, she spat it out.

“What?”

“Ah, yes, you’re right. This is disgusting. You really know how to make a fool out of people. I disappeared quietly, and I still get chastised for it.”

Mayuzumi sighed, a disturbing smile on her lips. Not a smile I particularly like or disliked—the one that always signaled trouble. She dropped the chocolate, and as the golden wrapper hit the floor, it melted into something red. The chocolate reverted to a piece of flesh. Mayuzumi crossed her legs majestically, staring down at me with disdain. Though nothing in the situation had changed, her gaze had. It was the same look she often gave me back at the office.

Her crossed legs, her poised posture. She looked down on me, as if nothing had changed, yet everything had. Her eyes, though, were different. They were the same eyes I used to see at the office. The eyes of the Mayuzumi Azaka who hadn’t yet surrendered to fate.

“If that’s what you want, Odagiri-kun, fine. This is utterly ridiculous. I’m a natural-born Mayuzumi Azaka, and Mayuzumi Azaka is fated to die. But is this really how you see me? Interesting. Very well. I’ll fight back. I’ve grown tired of the chocolate here anyway.”

She spun her parasol. Red swirled.

The scarlet woman’s arm twisted. Her eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. It was as if her pet cat had bitten her. She reached out, but by then, Mayuzumi had already leaped off her knee.

The self-indulgent girl I knew slipped from the woman’s grasp like a proud black cat.

Mayuzumi Azaka landed gracefully in front of me, her black majestic laces flaring.

She extended her porcelain hand, as if it were the most natural thing to do. And just as naturally, I took her slender fingers.

Her hand, which I hadn’t held in so long, was soft and warm.

“You’re such an idiot, Odagiri-kun.”

“I am. But you knew that all along, didn’t you?”

She smiled. I nodded.

And then, we ran.

---

“I see. So, you’ve chosen to play a foolish game of tag. Humans truly are sillier than I ever imagined.”

Her deep voice reverberated through the earth, shaking it like a quake, ripping through the sky like thunder.

I could sense the presence of the scarlet woman behind us shifting. A terrifying pressure began closing in on us.

If she got serious, there’d be no escape. But we kept running anyway. Uka clutched my right hand, Mayuzumi gripped my left, and together we sprinted blindly into the unknown. I was fleeing the land of the dead with a woman, reenacting the end of an ancient myth. Mayuzumi twirled her red parasol, turning the flesh trying to snare her into cherry blossoms that faded into nothing. Still, her ability was linked to the scarlet woman’s. She couldn’t stand a chance. But even so, Mayuzumi Azaka persevered, fighting for her identity. I squeezed both her hand and Uka’s. Uka’s nails dug into my skin.

I knew the scarlet woman didn’t have full control over the spirit world. Should she let her guard down even a little, Mayuzumi could tear her way out. Whatever came after was none of my concern. Mayuzumi could laugh, fight, and run. Let anyone call it irresponsible if they wanted. My only goal was to help her get away.

The rest was Mayuzumi Azaka’s story. And this was as far as Odagiri Tsutomu could go.

We would never see eye to eye. We would always be like parallel lines, never intersecting.

But somehow, we always stayed side by side, just far enough apart.

Now and then, we’d hold hands, and that’s how we made it this far.

But this was the last one. Everything comes to an end.

I slowly let go of her hand, and I would never hold it again.

“Is this goodbye, Odagiri-kun?”

“Yeah, it’s goodbye, Mayu-san.”

Mayuzumi understood it well. She said nothing more, only sighing at my stupid decision.

I glanced behind me. The scarlet woman had fully transformed, a demon with outstretched arms approaching. I thought of the long, agonizing years she must have endured. How terrifying it must have been. A part of me even pitied her.

Even with a demon growing inside me, I remained human.

I turned my back on Mayuzumi. Uka still clung to my left hand.

I looked at her, and she stared back at me. Her eyes, now without lids, brimmed with silent tears, falling in heavy drops. I turned fully away from Mayuzumi. Odagiri Tsutomu and Mayuzumi Azaka were parting ways here.

I faced Uka and pulled her into a tight embrace. “You can go ahead and eat me, Uka. But just for a little while, I want you to help Mayuzumi Azaka. Help her escape. That’s my last request as your father.”

Uka clung to me, pressing her cheek against mine like a child craving affection. Her tears wet my face. Her soft, raspy voice tickled my ear. I nodded. Her mouth widened. She had done a remarkable job holding back until now. Drool soaked my shirt. Her lips brushed my neck, sharp teeth nearing my throat.

But then, Uka gently closed her mouth. She hugged me tighter.

“Papa, I don’t want to eat you.”

Then, she let go of me.

“Uka?”

Her pale hand slipped away. She turned and ran. Her black hair fluttered behind her, the sky-blue dress billowing in the air.

Like a girl chasing a white rabbit, she ran with sure steps, no hesitation. Asato’s calm voice echoed in my mind, reminding me of what he’d said.

She wanted to stay human. She didn’t want to become a demon or devour her father. She just wanted to stay by his side.

Uka didn’t look back, not even at my outstretched hand. She leaped off the ground. Arms spread wide, Uka, my daughter, faced the approaching scarlet woman. Her body trembled slightly, but she took a deep breath.

Then, with steely resolve, Uka spoke to her, “I’ll go with you.”