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V7 Story I – Part 08

“Still—”

“All right, that’s that. You can grumble all you want, but I’m not listening. You have a demon inside you, so I’m the better option. I’m taking her home with me.”

Yusuke tossed the skull in the air and caught it. He then turned to Misaki. He proffered the skull to her, but she didn’t accept it, so he placed it before her. Misaki looked away.

“All you did was insist that you knew nothing,” Mayuzumi said in a singsong voice. “It’s not a crime to turn a blind eye to something you don’t want to see.”

An endless swarm of butterflies fluttered in the air. Misaki averted her gaze from her brother’s actions.

And the result was a mansion filled with butterflies. The twisted scene was a testament to the number of lives lost, the iridescent wings a manifestation of the macabre truth.

Amidst the kaleidoscope of colors, Mayuzumi spoke sweetly, “But even if you claim ignorance, it won’t change what happened. Averting your gaze for a long time is akin to digging a hole beneath your feet. If you don’t fill the hole, you will inevitably fall in.”

Butterflies adorned her hair and clothes. She placed her parasol on her shoulder once more, drawing butterflies toward it, colorful souls of the girls perching atop.

Mayuzumi smiled softly. “There are countless corpses in this house, the result of your turning a blind eye. Even without me telling you, there would’ve come a day when you must confront the grim truth. And there’s no one else but you to figure out how to deal with it. The dead don’t come to life. You feigned ignorance, but you knew the truth long ago.”

Mayuzumi walked away, her footsteps light as a feather. Misaki was hanging her head, motionless.

Moments later, childlike sobs filled the air. Butterflies perched on Misaki’s arms, feet, head. Red, black, green, blue—bright colors surrounded her.

Butterflies fluttered and crawled over her body, as if trying to make their presence known.

---

As I opened the door to the office, I was immediately met with explosive crying.

The girl, now awake, was howling, her legs thrown out on the floor. Large tears formed a small pool on the floor.

Beside her lay an empty paper bag. She had devoured both the meat buns and Mayuzumi’s chocolate in their entirety. Mayuzumi put on a disturbing smile and fixed me with a chilling stare.

Yusuke ran over to the girl, his arms spread wide. “Now, now. Stop crying. Ugh, I’m already starting to doubt myself.” He used his sleeve to wipe away her tears and snot.

The girl blinked and stopped crying. Suddenly, she puffed out her cheeks and sank her teeth into Yusuke’s hand.

“Ouch! What is this animalistic behavior?! It’s okay, I can handle it. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Give it back, give it back! You can’t take it away from me! Give it back!”

The girl flailed about, disheveling her hair. I rushed over and held her from behind, but it did little to calm her down. She continued begging for the skull through her tears.

“Give it back! I need it! You can’t take it from me!”

We didn’t have the skull anymore. Misaki had taken it with her.

Ignoring the commotion, Mayuzumi sat elegantly on the couch, while the girl continued to wave her arms frantically.

Fed up with all the noise, Mayuzumi let out a sigh and rested her cheek in her hand. “Your ownership rights have been transferred,” she said. “Your new master is Yusuke-kun. Do you still need the skull?”

The girl abruptly stopped crying. She mechanically turned her head, her big eyes darting back and forth between me and Yusuke.

“Oh, over here. Me, me.”Yusuke raised his hand. “I’m Yusuke. And this is Odagiri.”

“Hmm? Really?” The girl cocked her head. “My new master?”

There was no trace of tears in her face. It was an inexplicable change. Baffled, I looked at Mayuzumi. She was staring at an empty box with a vengeful expression. She found leftover butterfly wings inside.

“Don’t you get it?” she said, munching on the flat piece of black-and-white chocolate. “That is your answer. The girl is a commodity. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trained to follow orders.”

Commodity. Trained to follow orders. I scowled upon hearing the disgusting words.

“Misaki-kun’s brother probably gave her the order to never leave him, no matter what,” Mayuzumi continued. “But then he died, and his body was left to rot for a long time. In danger of starving to death, the girl tried to leave, but she had her orders. Hence she made it so she stayed close.”

The flesh under the rope was decaying, and the tilted neck bone must have been strained from the weight. With a stepladder and some effort, severing the head would be possible. Before Misaki’s visit, the girl disposed of the tools she used and took the head with her, most likely.

“By carrying a part of her master with her, it would be as if she never left his side. And they all lived happily ever after. A simple answer, yet difficult to conceive. Quite smart of her to come up with a solution before she starved to death.”

Mayuzumi stroked the girl’s head. The girl sniffled happily. She didn’t seem to understand why she was being petted, but she smiled brightly anyway.

She showed no sign of guilt or remorse for cutting off a person’s head. Her smile was innocent.

“Do you get it now?” Yusuke said softly. “This is what I meant.”

A skull-like grin filled his face. The sight of his bared teeth chilled me to the bone. But the next moment, his smile vanished as if it had never been.

Yusuke turned to the girl with a gentle expression. She jumped and straightened herself.

After hesitating for a moment, she raised a hand. “Um, master.”

“Just call me Yusuke. Understand? Try saying my name.”

The girl blinked repeatedly, then nodded firmly. “Yusuke! Can I come back here? Can I stay with you and still come back?”

“You mean right here?”

Yusuke looked around the office. The girl nodded repeatedly, her hair bouncing with each bob.

I also looked around the apartment. It seemed the girl had taken a liking to the office. I didn’t know why, but she wanted to stay here. I placed a hand on her head.

“Sure,” I said. “You can come visit with Yusuke anytime. We’ll be waiting for you.”

“Really?! Yay! That’s great!”

The girl jumped up and down happily. Yusuke also smiled.

If it weren’t for my stomach, I would have considered taking care of the girl. Someone had to look after her while Yusuke went to school.

“This isn’t a playground for children, Odagiri-kun,” Mayuzumi growled.

She was lying down on the couch, chin in hand. She gave me an annoyed look. While this was Mayuzumi’s place, I didn’t think the young girl’s presence would interfere with cases.

Mayuzumi had nothing to do most of the time anyway.

“Please, Mayu-san. You’re bored most days, right? Yusuke visits frequently. One more person should be fine.”

“That’s not the problem. You get attached too easily, and one of your bad habits is being pushy out of nowhere.”

I ignored her and turned to Yusuke and the girl. Yusuke was talking to her, looking deep into her eyes. He seemed calm and stable. He hadn’t been going to school lately. I kept trying to convince him to go see his friend, but he never did. His current expression, however, seemed to be a good change.

I didn’t know what would happen to Yusuke if he lived with the girl, but I hoped it would change him, even just a little bit.

Saga Yusuke always seemed to be joking around, despite being in the pits of despair. If his situation could be even slightly improved, that would be great.

“By the way, what’s your name?” he asked.

“My name? Call me whatever you like. Any name is fine!” the girl answered with an innocent smile.

Just as I was about to ask if she had a real name, Mayuzumi interjected, “She’s a commodity. Her buyer probably names her.”

The brutal truth sent a sharp pang through my chest. The girl, on the other hand, remained unfazed, smiling in anticipation of her new name.

Yusuke folded his arms. “Hmm, a name… Odagiri-san, any suggestions? I’m absolutely terrible when it comes to naming things.”

He appeared genuinely troubled, though it was hardly a matter worth fretting over.

“I think she’d be happy if you named her,” I replied. “Just whatever comes into your mind should be fine.”

“All I got are Tarou and Jirou.”

His naming sense left much to be desired.

“How about a name inspired by a flower?” I suggested.

Mayuzumi snorted derisively. When it came to girls’ names, I couldn’t think of anything else. Yusuke stopped his groaning and began to ponder seriously. After much contemplation, his eyes snapped wide open.

His face contorted, as if he was about to cry. Silence descended, stretching on for several moments.

“Hirugao,” he muttered solemnly. “That should do.”

Yusuke tousled the girl’s hair. She beamed, apparently satisfied.

As I watched the two of them, I went over the name in my mind.

Hirugao. Japanese bindweed.

Why did he choose that name? Why did he look like he was about to cry?

I was about to ask him, when it dawned on me.

Maybe he initially thought of naming her Asagao, for morning glory.

A name that was similar to that of his deceased stepmother, Asako.

Hirugao giggled.

Her smile was as radiant as a flower.