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V7 Story I – Part 07

We stood still amidst the rushing torrent. Brilliant hues created layers overhead. The bands passing over the ceiling became a giant serpent, their wings glittering like scales. The ceiling became a maelstrom of color and chaos, butterflies writhing in a mad frenzy.

Gradually, there came order, and the butterflies began to take on shapes, dividing themselves into several groups around the hook. The groups were further divided by color.

The butterflies were trying to create significant shapes.

White wings became the skin, while the black and yellow ones became the hair. Green and blue fit into the eyes, and red turned to lips and blood. Together, the butterflies combined, using their bodies like paint to create twisted images of human beings.

Hanged corpses appeared in the air like an optical illusion.

Twisted red mouths appeared to laugh at me, and eyes, like sketches on paper, mocked me with their gaze. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like I was being mocked and accused by countless corpses. I took a step back.

The baby laughed. I dashed to the door and leapt out of the room, only to be met by more hanging corpses, mocking people. The hallway outside held more of the same: lifeless bodies, human forms created by the butterflies, lined up one after another as if in some morbid parade. They filled the entire mansion.

As I stood there frozen, I realized that this insane scene had probably unfolded numerous times in the past. And there was only one escape from these countless, mocking gazes.

“He killed himself to be free from this?”

The only choice was to become a hanging corpse himself.

“This is happening because they mistook your voice for the man’s,” Mayuzumi explained in a sweet voice. “I believe these butterflies are the souls of the young girls. Just like your demon, they are rare examples of emotions taking on flesh and form. Though unlike yours, they are powerless. Every time he killed them, their numbers increased. Dozens of butterflies for each person.” Her eyes narrowed, as if appreciating a work of art.

She touched the leg of one of the human images, and a butterfly transferred to her hand. “He probably welcomed it at first. Maybe he found it amusing. There were photos of girls with their corresponding butterflies in the book. The girl’s words are proof as well.”

Fly, fly, flutter, flutter, poor thing.

The girl’s words replayed in my mind. Her eyes were blank when she said them.

Misaki’s brother’s words were not uttered with pity; instead, he took pleasure in the pitiful state of the beings he killed. The butterflies were sensitive to his words, and their resentment persisted long after. Misaki’s brother was eventually driven to the brink and took his own life.

“He probably found it amusing until this phenomenon occurred. And then he died. He couldn’t bear the sight of his own creation and killed himself. I don’t know why the girl took his skull, though I have a guess.”

The butterfly took off from Mayuzumi’s finger and returned to the bizarre human image.

Misaki probably realized that we were hiding the girl from Mayuzumi’s mention of her and the skull. But she remained silent, biting her lips, as if to suppress the urge to throw up.

Moments later, she let out a deep sigh. She shook her head, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Why do butterflies appear every time someone dies?” she muttered, confused.

“Does this house have a garden?” Mayuzumi asked abruptly.

Misaki nodded. Mayuzumi pulled a chocolate from her purse, tore off the wrapper, and ate the flower-shaped candy.

“In that case, you should go check it. There should be countless caterpillars emerging from the flowers that bloomed atop the buried corpses. It’s beautiful for an oddity. It might be repulsive, but there’s no need to be scared.”

A disturbing scene appeared in my mind: a flower blooming from a decaying body, fat caterpillars crawling on its leaves, desperately moving their short legs. They ate the leaves made from flesh to become cocoons.

And then they were reborn into beautiful butterflies.

My stomach twisted painfully, and I pressed my bleeding wound. The skull slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor with a dull thud.

The butterflies broke formation, and the human bodies began to disintegrate. The girls remembered the man’s death. Butterflies rained down like flower petals from the sky. One of them landed on Misaki’s cheek. She remained frozen, wide-eyed.

Mayuzumi turned to her with a slight shrug. “You were listening to the conversation, right? The girl you’re looking for is in my apartment. Apologies for not informing you earlier. Would you kindly take custody of her?”

There was a long silence before Misaki murmured, “No. I don’t care about her anymore.”

A red butterfly walked above her right eye. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she did not swat the butterfly away.

“I don’t care,” the woman said indifferently. “I already know everything. That girl is my brother’s possession. She can go wherever she wants. I don’t care if she cut off my brother’s head. I’ve heard enough. I’ve had enough.”

Misaki gave a small shake of her head, her lips drawn tight.

Mayuzumi shrugged and sighed. “This is a problem,” she said, munching on chocolate. “Taking her to the authorities or an orphanage would be a hassle. I suppose we can just find the seller. Espers should be able to help.”

A shiver crawled down my spine. The girl was purchased by a murderer.

I recalled her innocent smile. I couldn’t allow her to tread down the same path again.

But what should I do? I racked my brain hard. Shirayuki was there to take Sarasa and Choubi in. But right now there was only me. I had the fox to worry about, but my belly was more stable now. It would be much better than abandoning her.

Before I could speak, Yusuke raised a hand. “Can I take her in?”

“You want to take care of someone?” Mayuzumi said. “That’s surprising.”

I was at a loss for words. Him caring for the girl was an unrealistic suggestion.

“You’re just a kid!” I protested. “Don’t you have school? It’s not feasible.”

“You’re a mother, sure, but you’re not that much older than me. And I don’t want to hear that from someone with a monster in their belly. You might think you’re okay, but your stomach is bleeding. How can you be so sure that she won’t eat?”

Yusuke gestured towards my stomach. I could see my blood-stained shirt through the small gap in my suit. The wound was shallow, but the blood was thick. In terms of instability, however, Yusuke was the same.

Seeing the look on my face, Yusuke scratched his head and nodded. “I get your concern. You’re right. Someone like me can’t possibly look after others. It’s, like, mission impossible. My character’s questionable and all that.” He paused, searching for words to say. His tone turned serious. “It’s just that, unlike Sarasa and Choubi, it feels like there’s no fixing that girl. Even if I took her in, I wouldn’t have any negative influence on her. What I’m saying is, it’s too late.”

I couldn’t judge things like him, but the girl did look broken in some way. I recalled her childish behavior. Still, that wasn’t enough reason for him to take her in.

“Taking care of someone alone is a difficult task,” I said. “It would be more of a burden on you. And you can’t just abandon her along the way either. You’ll have a tough time, you know that?”

Even if I had a demon in my stomach, I still should be the one to take her in.

Yusuke put on a skeletal grin and cracked his neck. “Well, I have plenty of money, so if worse comes to worst, I’ll manage somehow. I’m already living as if I’m dead. There’s hardly anything I find fun. Better to keep broken things together to maintain peace in society.”

He stood up and grabbed the skull. He looked up at the hook, his blank gaze taking in the silver gleam. He watched the invisible corpse.

“I can’t just leave her alone. If I did that, I think I might die.” His voice was exceedingly calm, filled with profound sadness.

The hanged bodies, the abuser, the abused—all of these were linked to his wound.