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V6 Story IV – Part 10

It all happened in an instant.

Benihina fell to the ground, her black hair scattering among the red leaves. I stared at her in disbelief, failing to comprehend what had occurred.

“Benihina-san?”

A knife handle protruded from her back, the blade buried deep between her ribs. Her eyes twitched once, then froze open.

“…Huh?”

Confusion filled my head. A streak of red blood trickled down Benihina’s lips. Shirayuki jumped down from my back and spread her arms wide, shielding me.

Itsuki was standing before us, holding a knife in his left hand. He opened and closed his right hand repeatedly.

“What’s with that look?” he said with a bright smile. “You’re weird.” Standing before Benihina’s corpse, he shrugged lightly. “There was no other choice. I had to do this.”

“What do you mean?” The words escaped my mouth before I could even think.

I gazed at Benihina’s corpse once again, the girl who had spoken of Itsuki as a good person, now lying motionless. Despite surviving the madness, she was dead. The person that was mourning Akimasa just moments ago had turned into a silent corpse. She was alive. She survived.

So why…

“Why the fuck did you do that?!” I roared.

I lunged towards Itsuki with my fists, but my arm was grabbed, and I was kicked behind the knee. My vision tumbled. I was slammed onto the ground. The baby cried out. I looked up and saw Shirayuki clutching my arm tight. She was glaring at Itsuki fiercely.

“Let me go!” I cried, struggling to escape from her grasp. “I’m gonna make him pay!”

“How brave of you to confront someone with a weapon,” said a cold voice. “You too, clan head. And why would you not leave your left hand free? Cool your head down a little.”

Mayuzumi appeared from the house, a red parasol on her shoulder. She smirked and glanced at Itsuki.

“Are you satisfied?” she asked indifferently.

“Not entirely, but now I have no regrets,” Itsuki replied with a nod.

Before I could say anything, something pricked my mind.

She said the same thing before. I pictured the crow’s weary eyes. Itsuki’s eyes had the same glint in them, as though tired after living a hundred years.

Mayuzumi nodded arrogantly. “I see. Then you may rest now.”

“I think I will. I’m gonna end my life at the same cliff where she jumped. And that’ll be the end of it. If only she said that not everything was bad.”

Itsuki heaved a deep sigh. Abruptly, he turned on his heel. As if receiving a signal, he started running straight into the woods. Soon, the sound of his footsteps vanished.

Mayuzumi spun her umbrella round and round, the red color making circles.

She smiled and took out a piece of chocolate.

“It’s not you. It’s not her. No one,” she said. “Then who was it?

Crack.

Mayuzumi snapped the black feathers and smiled faintly.

There was only us left.

As dusk settled, the forest exploded with a burst of color.

The leaves were drenched in a red glow, casting the surroundings in a vivid palette.

The forest was now a red sea, its waves carrying shimmering gold. It appeared as if it were ablaze or soaked in blood, and the crow corpses piled up high only deepened the macabre impression.

Mayuzumi did not leave. She sat at the house’s entrance, nibbling on her chocolate.

I went back to the house to move the bodies. I lay Benihina and Akimasa’s corpses down next to Aoi’s and covered them with sheets. Even though I knew my thoughts couldn’t reach them anymore, I couldn’t help but say a silent prayer for their souls. Once done, I made my way back to Mayuzumi.

“Mayu-san, it’s time to go,” I said. “Shirayuki-san is injured, and I couldn’t find Itsuki anywhere. We have to inform their family.”

“You need not hurry to report to the Ugoshi clan,” Mayuzumi replied, swinging her legs. “Also, Shirayuki-kun’s wound should have healed by now. The sharpness of that fan should have aided a quick recovery.”

“But Mr. Odagiri is also injured.”

“That’s not my concern. Are you sure he didn’t get injured on purpose?” Mayuzumi scoffed.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

She stretched like a cat, her cheeks also tinged with the same deep red as the forest. Her large eyes blinked, and she rested her elbows on her knees. Sighing, she stared at the woods.

“I’m waiting,” she said.

“Waiting?”

Mayuzumi nodded slightly. She stretched her limbs, stood up, and opened the parasol on her back. The umbrella twirled and danced, repelling the crimson light.

“That’s right. I’m waiting. As boring as it is, you can’t call this the end. Even a shoddy play must have a finale, don’t you agree? It feels awkward without a stage greeting.”

But there was no one else around.

Still, Mayuzumi carried on, her words ringing out like a song.

“We were dragged into this case. And it seems they want to tell their story as well. The king has donkey ears. To confess the secrets held in your heart is an irresistible temptation.”

Mayuzumi stepped on the red leaves with a spring in her steps. Her sneer deepened.

She moved her arm, adorned with feathers. She stretched her hand out into empty space, as if inviting someone to a waltz.

“I’m all ears,” she said. “Come on out. You were the one controlling the crows, weren’t you?”

My eyes widened. No reply came from the woods. But Mayuzumi remained calm. She stopped and twirled her parasol, and soon, I heard footsteps stepping on leaves.

Crunch.

Light footsteps continued approaching. Carefully avoiding the dead crows, the person emerged from the forest, bathed in red sunlight, and took Mayuzumi’s hand.

We held our breath. Mayuzumi lifted her hand lightly to introduce the newcomer.

“Everyone here already knows who you are, but why don’t you introduce yourself anyway?”

The person gazed at us. “Thank you all very much for coming to my abode.” They bent at their waist gently and raised their face.

Moist eyes were staring at us. Her peach-colored lips curved into a modest smile.

Her features resembled that of Benihina’s.

“My name is Ugoshi Hina.” Her voice was gentle and sweet. “The present esper of the Ugoshi clan.”

“You’re alive?” I muttered.

Hina nodded slowly with a smile on her face. Her short stature and big eyes gave the impression of a young girl, but her handsome features and petite yet perfect figure indicated that she was a grown woman.

She gave a strange charm that combined fragility and elegance.

“I apologize for deceiving you,” she said. “It was all my fault. I know that. However, I had to come back to life and kill them. I hope you all understand that. You are all my witness here today.”

Hina bowed again and looked at us with big eyes that trembled with sadness. Despite her violent words, her appearance exuded a calm and immaculate gentleness.

She just calmly confessed to killing people.

“I knew you were alive since the first attack, so there’s no need to apologize,” Mayuzumi replied. “You were the only one who could use the crows to such an extent. You killed them in the order of who you wanted to kill more, am I right? You planned to kill Itsuki and Benihina, but you couldn’t make up your mind to attack them until they saw Aoi’s body. That’s why the crows were acting strange.” Her voice held a melodious tone.

Hina nodded silently in response. She neither made excuses nor denied anything.

I recalled the crows lined up outside. As soon as we discovered Aoi’s corpse, they attacked Itsuki and Benihina.

Mayuzumi twirled her parasol and continued on. “I heard you jumped off a cliff. Depending on the location, it was possible that your body hadn’t been recovered. But in reality, a flock of crows saved you at the cost of sacrificing some of them. Suicide is something that’s done secretly. You summoned spectators so you could fake it.”

Hina nodded again in response. She smiled and clasped her hands together at her chest, applauding softly in admiration.

“That is correct. Impressive,” she said. “And so, I waited for the day they would gather, the day I could kill them all. And you all happened to be here… Fate is a terrifying thing. Although, it is also because of fate that I can speak about myself like this.”

The crows’ watching eyes appeared in my mind. They were waiting for the day when all four people would gather, and when the opportunity arrived, they commenced their slaughter. I knew all that. But my mind was in chaos.

I couldn’t discern any trace of madness in the woman before me. She was of perfectly sound mind. It was both terrifying and incomprehensible.