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V6 Story IV – Part 12

I tried to speak, but Shirayuki stepped forward and opened her fan.

“I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?” Hina narrowed her eyes.

Keeping her head lowered, Shirayuki moved her hand, inscribing words on her fan. She lifted her face and showed it to Hina. There was sadness and pity in her eyes.

“You were taught to love your husband since childhood, weren’t you? That is why your feelings became unconditional. But was that really right?”

Hina blinked. She tilted her head like a child seeing herself in a mirror for the first time.

“Supernatural abilities sometimes bind people. I thought that my only salvation was to die in the hands of my brother. But that was not the case. I was simply blind. It was never the right choice.”

Shirayuki stared intently at Hina, who took a step back under the pressure. The brush moved, inscribing words that sounded like a scream.

“Was it impossible for you to find another way? They wanted to free you from the birdcage. Could you not have searched for your husband yourself? No. Could you not have set yourself free from everything?”

Hina shook her head softly and gazed up at the sky. A wistful smile appeared on her calm face. She raised both arms slowly, her hands empty.

“You still can…”

“Please don’t say any more.”

Hina lowered her outstretched hands. Her eyes held profound weariness and resignation. She shook her head gently. Something inside her had broken, yet she remained resolute. Like the crow that remained firm even at the moment of its death.

“It’s too late for me.”

Mayuzumi started walking, passing by Hina without a word. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a piece of chocolate.

The black feather snapped.

“It’s up to you now,” Mayuzumi said, facing the forest. “But don’t think forgiveness will come easy.”

Who was she addressing? Her words rang hollow in the woods littered with the remains of crows.

“Let’s go, Odagiri-kun.” She never looked back again.

Hina’s story had ended. There was nothing more to be said.

Mayuzumi disappeared, leaving me frozen in place, staring at Hina. I had something more to say to her, but as soon as I looked into her eyes, all the words I had vanished. I couldn’t come up with any words to criticize her or urge her to leave.

My mind wandered back to the dying crow, desperately spreading its wings even in the face of its inevitable demise.

If I said anything more, she might just break.

Shirayuki took my hand and led me out of the forest.

I heard something falling behind me. A muffled sob echoed through the trees. But we didn’t look back. We couldn’t break her pride any more than it already had been, as that would be tantamount to breaking her neck.

Dusk slowly turned to dark.

The forest, having lost its crimson hues, became nothing more than a desolate place.

I entered Itsuki’s car and twisted the key, turning on the engine. I then stepped on the gas pedal.

It struck me as odd that the key was still in the ignition. Maybe it was there all along. My memory was hazy.

My hand, clasped tightly around the steering wheel, ached. The injuries I sustained today would probably turn to scars, adding to the grotesqueness of my palm. It would be wise to hide them with gloves. Lost in random thoughts, I carefully navigated the winding mountain road.

I glanced at the rearview mirror. “Mayu-san,” I said. “What will happen to Hina-san?”

After divulging everything, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. I wondered how she would carry on, having destroyed everything with her own hands.

“That’s for her to decide,” Mayuzumi replied. “There are countless options available to her. Whether she waits or ends it all, it’s not for you to decide. But then again, you might go back to that place. I will inform the Ugoshi clan of this matter. She should come up with something before they arrive. Even now, she’s probably bombarded with choices.”

Mayuzumi licked the black feather, biting off its tip and narrowing her eyes.

As I pondered the day’s events, I clenched my jaw. Many were killed, and the killer themselves lost everything. This meaningless tragedy would never be undone.

The birdcage remained closed.

Suddenly, the sound of a fan opening shattered the silence. I looked to the side. Shirayuki, sitting in the passenger seat, was regarding me with a grim expression.

Slowing down the car, I asked, “What’s wrong, Shirayuki-san?”

“I never thought I could fall in love.”

Her words spilled forth as if she could no longer contain them.

I nodded silently, understanding that she sought no response.

“I never imagined that one day I could hold someone dear.”

Shirayuki’s gaze fell to the floor. I nodded. I couldn’t accept her feelings, but I could sense that this newfound emotion was a source of great joy.

Shirayuki closed and opened her fan, writing her final words.

“This love set me free. It is my first true emotion. Therefore, I shall continue to follow my heart, even if you say it cannot be. Even if my love is unreciprocated, this feeling shall remain a source of strength, one that will sustain and protect you.”

Shirayuki closed her fan and turned her face away from me, gazing out the window.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She seemed to have some thoughts about today’s case. She wept for the dead, and most likely for Hina.

Suddenly I found her dazzling. This world was fraught with madness, but she would not break, not succumb to insanity.

Maybe someday, her emotions would sustain her in ways she couldn’t yet imagine.

“And I would probably regret turning you down,” I murmured from the bottom of my heart.

Shirayuki turned her gaze to me.

I stepped down on the gas pedal, increasing our speed.

The car traversed the mountain road.

I could no longer hear the cawing of crows.

I sat alone in the darkening forest.

Silence enshrouded the surroundings. I couldn’t hear even a single crow.

I had poured out everything, and my heart now felt clear. The emotions I had carried alone had vanished without a trace, leaving only a hollow filled with sadness.

No voice, no worried eyes, no comforting hands would come to me. I had prepared myself for this. And yet, loneliness invaded my entire being and seeped into my lungs. If I lost my focus even a little, tears would spill out. I rubbed my eyes and bit my lip until it bled.

It hurt. If it hurt, then I had to learn, I told myself.

This was my punishment for shedding tears. I would never be allowed to cry again.

My crying would be sacrilege against the dead. How much more must I ridicule them before I was satisfied? I twisted my teeth into my lips and desperately clung to the pain. But bearing it meant I was reaching my limit. My body trembled violently. I wanted to cry like a child. The loneliness that I had longed for was now terrifying.

Until now, I had hope. An unwavering, absolute faith. I had a radiant wish, bright as the memory of my wedding day. With that, I could face any amount of coldness with joy.

I had hope that he would return home.

But that hope was crushed mercilessly.

Despair came. I was like a person who believed in heaven, only to learn that God was dead.

Nevertheless, I should have accepted it. I had to take this comical outcome, stand tall, and laugh. That was my duty. Like that crow who was faithful to me, I had no choice but to stand on trembling legs. The crow’s last moments came to mind. He endured until the very end, not wanting to show me an undignified appearance. The moment I opened my eyes, realization struck.

Ah, that’s right. He was also dead.

There was really no one left in this forest anymore.

A scream rose to my throat. Tears flowed down my cheeks. Biting my lips didn’t stop them from spilling. The pain was no help. I was racked with sorrow. If I couldn’t hear anyone’s voice right now, I felt like my heart would stop beating. Perhaps biting off my tongue would offer me relief.

That would be the most fitting end for me.

“Long time, no see, Hina.”

A voice reached my ears, as if my wish had been granted. I lifted my head in astonishment.

In the midst of the crimson forest, there stood someone who should have been dead.