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V6 Story IV – Part 03

In conclusion, I failed to persuade her.

I tried using force, but she was a much better fighter than I was.

Shirayuki was sitting beside me with a tense expression. Her hands were clasped tightly, her gaze downward. Her shoulders swung from side to side.

The client’s car had been running recklessly on the mountain road for a while now. The vehicle bounced up and down and occasionally scraped against tree trunks. The side mirror hit a branch, creaking. The car continued speeding along the narrow road.

A sweet woman’s voice reverberated in the car. A lively jazz tune was playing. The smell of cigarettes on the seats, mixed with the scent of chocolate, burned my chest. Shirayuki pressed her hand against her mouth, looking uncomfortable.

I tapped the back of the driver’s seat. “Excuse me, Itsuki-san. If you don’t mind.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry.”

The driver looked in the rearview mirror and turned down the volume. He opened the window, letting in a cool breeze into the car. The temperature dropped, and the stagnant air was replaced.

“Is this okay? We can stop for a bit if you want.”

“Shirayuki-san, are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded in response. The driver nodded as well and continued driving as if nothing had happened. His chestnut hair, lightly permed, swayed at the nape of his neck. His pale complexion and gentle features reminded me of a large dog. His driving, however, was wild. He pounded on the steering wheel while whistling.

I went over his profile in my mind. Ugoshi Itsuki, 25 years old. An esper. He brought a low-priority request to the Mayuzumi clan, the details of which I still didn’t know.

Itsuki suddenly slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a stop and lurched forward. He pulled out the key and opened the door. The road ahead was cut off.

“Attention, young’uns. Unfortunately, we’ll have to walk from here. Even an old man like me can handle it. I’m sure you guys will be fine.” He laughed heartily.

Mayuzumi, sitting in the passenger’s seat, opened the door grumpily. Ugoshi Itsuki was exactly the kind of person she disliked. I got out of the car too and looked around, taking in the scenery under the trees.

My breath caught. The forest was blanketed in the color of autumn.

Red and yellow piled thickly on each other, creating a complex mixture of hues. It was as if my entire field of vision was engulfed in flames. The red leaves, reflecting the sunlight, stung my eyes. I felt like I was in a whole different world.

The simple process of leaves changing colors produced a scene that was beyond imagination.

I could hear crows cawing ominously in the distance.

“Well, don’t just stand there. This way.”

Itsuki led the way, and we started walking. Mayuzumi looked at me with a frown. Before she could say anything, I lifted her body up. Walking alongside Shirayuki, I followed Itsuki.

The leaf-strewn ground was slippery, slowing me down. My arms trembled, and sweat trickled down my chin. Just as I was reaching my limit, my field of vision widened. There was a log cabin inside the forest. The white window frames, resembling sugar, and the dark brown exterior reminded me of a gingerbread house. The roof was painted red, evoking the image of jam.

But it was dotted with countless black shapes.

“Crows,” Mayuzumi murmured.

Caw.

The log cabin was infested with an overwhelming number of crows, their bodies seemingly larger than any ordinary crow. Every now and then, a fierce, animalistic energy emanated from their outstretched wings. I shuddered at the sight of the dark congregation.

It was akin to witnessing a swarm of ants, a discomforting spectacle. Their writhing forms triggered a visceral sense of disgust in me.

I felt a gentle caress on my cheek, like the touch of a woman’s finger. It was a black feather.

“Ah!”

“What’s wrong, Odagiri-kun?” Mayuzumi raised her head. “You sounded like a pigeon that got shot with a peashooter.”

The plume on her hat was swaying.

Mayuzumi, still in my arms, looked up at the log house. “How magnificent. Secretly transporting materials this deep into the mountains must have been a difficult task. I see. It’s a wonderful house for a living sacrifice.” She jumped down from my arms.

The crows all turned toward us, their synchronized movement sending a shiver down my spine. Their black eyes held clear intelligence.

Mayuzumi, however, was unfazed. She smiled at the crows. “It has the appearance of a human dwelling, but this is a birdcage, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you can tell? I want to believe that it’s because you know the Ugoshi clan’s situation, but that sounds unlikely. Ah, I can’t believe that’s the first impression you get. Must be the past coming back to haunt us. This isn’t just embarrassing, it’s disgraceful.”

Itsuki sighed and took out a cigarette. As he put it in his mouth, he noticed Mayuzumi and Shirayuki’s gaze. He shrugged and put it back in the pack.

“This is a birdcage,” he said with a sad smile. “I wanted to do something about it, but I couldn’t.”

His words made no sense to me.

Mayuzumi nodded. She turned her gaze back to the flock of crows. They stared back at her, completely still.

“And this is the result,” she said. “I see. It is odd. There’s no doubt that we’re being observed.”

“I knew it. So it wasn’t just me losing my mind. That’s great… or actually, it’s the opposite of great.”

Itsuki heaved another sigh and looked at the crows. When I saw his eyes, I frowned.

They held both sadness and clear hostility.

“Let’s not just stand around here,” Itsuki said. “This way, young’uns. The entrance is littered with poop, but don’t mind it. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

Itsuki walked away with a refreshing smile. Shirayuki tapped on Mayuzumi’s shoulder. She wrote some words on her fan and spread it out.

“You said this was a birdcage, but what is this house exactly? What is the case about?”

Mayuzumi grinned. She opened her parasol, and red bloomed on her back.

“The Ugoshi clan is a clan that uses crows, employing them for various purposes such as murder, espionage, intimidation, and corpse disposal,” Mayuzumi explained. “They should still be in demand even now, but they gave it all up. As a result of relying solely on their ability, they couldn’t move with the times and almost fell to ruin. It’s actually quite common. I know many espers who’ve gone bankrupt.” The red parasol spun.

Shirayuki nodded. Her serious expression said that this was not unusual.

The only sound was Mayuzumi’s voice. The crows didn’t cry, maintaining their eerie silence.

“Just before the Ugoshi clan fell, a past client offered help, and they entered the finance business. Their venture was successful, but they decided to seal off their abilities. Their ability was too well-known for them to survive on the surface of society. But they couldn’t abandon it entirely, so they decided to pass on the ability to only one person. It’s the same as the Mayuzumi clan. The Ugoshi clan’s ability manifests strongly in one person. And that person becomes the sacrifice.”

What did she mean by a sacrifice?

Before I could ask, Mayuzumi put on a disturbing smile. She glanced at the crows covering the roof.

“I have a question for you, Odagiri-kun. Can you live your whole life in the company of crows? In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part.”

I looked up at the crows. They were as quiet as stuffed animals. Their black, shiny beaks looked as if they were made of wax, and their beautiful and glossy feathers gave off a sinister aura.

Numbering over a hundred, they had their mouths closed, as if they were one specimen.

Something was off.

“I don’t think I can,” I answered. “Even now, those things creep me out.”

“So that’s how you feel. I wonder how the esper felt. The Ugoshi clan’s ability weakens upon contact with humans. She was forbidden from interacting with people and obligated to live alone… for the preservation of their ability. It’s like protecting a precious bird inside a cage.”

Shirayuki pressed her chest and cast her eyes down. The pain that the esper had suffered was familiar to her. When Shirayuki was chosen as the clan head, her tongue was severed. Although she took pride in her position, her life was tied to the clan.

“She’s like a princess waiting to be saved,” Mayuzumi went on. “While living in solitude, a prince, her fiancé, came to visit her. But he left her, and she died as a result.”

“She died?”

Mayuzumi nodded. The bird-crowded house was wrapped in silence.

She flashed a disturbing grin. “The esper committed suicide. The crows were left behind in a cage without a master, and…”

The crows were watching us with cold eyes.

“They may have gone mad, is the current theory.”

The red parasol twirled. A much colder shiver ran down my spine.

“The crows went mad?”

“That’s right. Those are not the eyes of animals. It’s like they’re observing humans.”

I saw Itsuki coming back from the house.

Mayuzumi glanced at him, and continued. “That’s the current case. He asked me to check on the crows because they’re acting strange. But nothing has happened yet. It’s not urgent, but he’s worried that something might happen.”

Mayuzumi twirled the parasol faster. She lowered her voice so Itsuki wouldn’t hear.

“If he’s so worried, he could just run away instead.”

The crows remained quiet. A chill ran through my entire body.