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V6 Story IV – Part 08

“I see. They can even do this,” Mayuzumi said delightfully, nibbling on chocolate. Candy crumbled.

A crow swooped down, slamming its wings into Itsuki’s face. He cursed and shielded his eyes as a hawk attacked the crow from behind. He grabbed the wings and slammed the crow to the floor together with the hawk.

He lifted his wounded face and reached for the door at the end of the hallway, twisting the golden doorknob.

“Follow me!” Itsuki shouted. “It should be safe in here!”

I whirled around and bolted towards Mayuzumi. I grabbed her and tumbled into the room just as the door closed, but a crow managed to slip in. With animalistic speed, Itsuki grabbed the bird’s body and twisted its neck with a jarring crack. Feathers were torn. Itsuki threw the lifeless crow to the floor.

The scent of blood filled the air, unpleasant and repulsive. The room had no windows, but instead small stained glass panes adorned the walls.

The layout was neither divine nor immaculate. Two crows were fused together in the air against the backdrop of a red and gold forest. What the bizarre composition represented, I didn’t know.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“It’s where the esper is wed,” Itsuki explained. “All they do is exchange rings while wearing a wedding dress, though. The previous occupant insisted on having it made. We just need to block this.”

Itsuki looked around frantically, searching for a way to block the stained glass, but then suddenly froze.

There were countless taps at the door. I knew what it was—the crows pecking at it. Normal crows wouldn’t be able to destroy it, but it might just be possible for them.

Benihina shrieked and cowered in terror, trembling. Itsuki turned his gaze to her, his face stiff.

“Hey, Benihina!” he shouted, his lips quivering.

Benihina jumped with a yelp. Itsuki approached her in long strides, grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her off the floor. Benihina flailed her legs about.

“You’re the one doing this, aren’t you?” Itsuki accused with a smile.

Sensing the danger, Benihina stilled. She showed no resistance.

“You’re the culprit, right?” Itsuki went on in a gentle tone. “Aoi and Akimasa are dead. Which means it can only be you.”

“N-No… It’s not me… I-I don’t… know anything… I can’t breathe…”

“Finally… I finally got you!”

“Stop!” I cried. “This isn’t the time!”

I grabbed Itsuki’s shoulder and tried to free Benihina from his grasp. He was going to strangle her to death. Itsuki turned his gaze toward me in a mechanical motion. On his face was a broken smile.

He laughed. “What are you talking about? If this isn’t the time, when is?! We’re about to be killed by this liar!”

“I’m not… lying…” Benihina pleaded, shaking her head frantically.

Itsuki lifted her higher, tightening his grip around her neck. “Then who is it?!” he roared. “Tell me, Benihina! I bet you think we killed Hina-san! Am I wrong?!”

“Stop! You’re going to kill her!”

Itsuki abruptly froze, and without any warning, he carelessly tossed Benihina’s body aside. I quickly moved to catch her. Pain lanced through my stomach, and I coughed several times. Meanwhile, Shirayuki extended her arms and stood before me.

I wondered what kind of face she was making. Itsuki’s breath caught in his throat.

Caw!

A distinct cry rang out, striking and resounding, mocking the chaos around us.

A gargantuan shadow descended on the other side of the stained glass.

Caw!

A crow the size of a child stretched its wings behind the crimson glass.

It was an aberration, far worse than any of the crows we’d seen so far. The sudden appearance of the creature startled us all, except for Mayuzumi. She alone remained composed.

“You killed Hina-san, huh?” she repeated coldly, twirling her red parasol. She rested it on her shoulder and put on an unnerving smile. “What did you mean by that?”

Itsuki scratched his head. Tears pooled in his eyes, and a single drop ran down his cheek.

“We knew,” he began, glaring at Benihina.

The king has donkey ears. He expelled the words that festered in his chest.

The dark figure beyond the stained glass remained motionless. For some inexplicable reason, the sound of knocking ceased as well. A silence pervaded, as if urging him to continue. He drew in a deep breath.

“We knew that her husband would never return.” It sounded like a confession to a priest.

Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!

The crows cried all at once. It sounded like an angry mob condemning him. But soon, the silence returned.

Benihina wriggled out of my grasp and clutched her head.

“After leaving the clan, her husband started a new family, and later perished in a fire,” Itsuki continued. “Since there was no family registry, Hina was not his legal wife. I used a crow to locate him. There was no point in waiting for him, but we never told her the truth.”

Tears cascaded down Itsuki’s face. His countenance was filled with remorse and an odd sense of relief.

I was struck with shock as I listened to Itsuki’s monologue. The logical part of my mind comprehended what had happened. Itsuki had long suspected that someone was controlling the crows. Since he used them too, he realized that someone else was doing the same. Yet, I could not fathom what he meant.

“Why…” I breathed.

Why did they not tell her the truth? Were they afraid that the esper would fall into despair?

Itsuki wiped his tears away. Benihina curled up and buried her face between her knees. Shirayuki observed the two with a mournful expression. Mayuzumi gazed up at the ceiling in silence.

“We were scared!” Itsuki replied with a laugh. “We didn’t know who her next husband would be. As long as she waited, she would belong to no one. So we decided to keep silent and comfort her without telling her the truth! And as a consequence…”

As a consequence, the esper perished. Unable to endure the agony of waiting any longer, she took her own life.

Itsuki fell to his knees. He harshly raked his fingers through his hair.

“When I gave the suggestion, you and Aoi opposed the idea!” he yelled at Benihina. “Aoi was probably pretending, but not you. You were serious. That’s why you’re doing this!”

“No… I… That’s not true…”

“What’s not true, huh?!”

Itsuki swung his arm towards her. Although he didn’t reach her, Benihina shrieked. Furious, he could very well kill her. Just as I was about stand up, Benihina shuddered and shouted back.

“I was pretending too! I’m a liar, after all!”

Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!

Innumerable crows chorused their disapproval.

My eyes widened. Benihina lifted her tear-stained face.

“If I was serious, I would have told my sister,” she went on. “I agreed with you. I genuinely agreed with your idea. It’s my fault. All mine. I didn’t help my sister. Why would I think of killing others? Why would I blame anyone else? It’s all my fault.” Benihina shook her head weakly.

Itsuki sank down on the floor with wide eyes. “Then, who is it?” he muttered in disbelief. “If it’s not you or me, then who?”

“That’s right. It’s not you. It’s not her. It’s no one in this room,” Mayuzumi said melodiously.

What she just said didn’t make any sense. There should be a mastermind controlling the crows, but no one fit the description.

Red spun round and round. The crow behind the stained glass continued to watch us.

Itsuki stared at the grotesque crow, searching for an answer. After a few moments of silence, his jaw dropped, revealing a darkness as black as the abyss.

“You should know who’s behind this by now,” Mayuzumi said.

There was a long pause. Itsuki remained silent, looking stupefied. A few moments passed before he began to tremble. A twisted laughter erupted from his mouth.

“Hahahahaha, hahahahaha, ahahahahahaha!”

Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!

Itsuki rolled around in amusement, tears streaming down his face. The knocking on the door resumed, the wood creaking louder and louder. But he ignored it and kept on twisting and turning.

“Itsuki-san! What’s wrong, Itsuki-san?!”

I rushed to his side, but he didn’t say anything. I pressed my stomach. The child cried out. I just now noticed that my belly had torn a little. I contemplated using the child to get rid of the crows. There were too many of them, but with Shirayuki’s hawks, we had a chance.