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V7 Story II – Part 03

“I knew there was only one option. You’re a handful, after all,” Mayuzumi said with a hint of ridicule. Chocolate crumbled between her teeth.

I let out a deep sigh. Shouldn’t have asked me if you already knew my answer anyway.

We found ourselves in the Mayuzumi clan garden once more. I had chosen to meet the fox, and thus had returned to this place with Mayuzumi. Stark branches of cherry blossoms loomed under the cold, wintry sky, the surrounding trees displaying a dismal appearance.

The sky was a dull gray, and staring at the dark color made me feel depressed.

“If the cherry blossoms were blooming, I could have shown them to her,” Yusuke said. “Man, I wanna go flower viewing.”

“Hmm? What’s that? Is it delicious? Is flower viewing delicious, Yusuke?”

“And why do you keep following us?”

I pinched my forehead. Yusuke and Hirugao had tagged along for some reason.

It was their fault that we were still in the garden instead of heading to the fox’s cell. As soon as we arrived at the Mayuzumi estate, Yusuke wanted to see the garden. And I had to come along for reasons unknown to me.

Mayuzumi didn’t seem to care. She said she was free until her meeting with the head of the clan.

When we traveled from Nago to Nagano, where the Mayuzumi clan’s estate was located, Yusuke and Hirugao insisted on coming along. I tried to leave them behind, but then Hirugao started crying and stuck to me, resulting in this situation.

Yusuke looked at me, pouting. “I got nothing to do, so I don’t really mind traveling. But why did Hirugao cling to you? I feel like a dad whose girl was stolen from him.”

“You know that’s not true. She’s obviously more attached to you than me.”

Hirugao was holding onto Yusuke’s arm, smiling. It was hard to believe she was sticking to me like glue earlier.

I let out a sigh. There was no point in staying like this. Although I was still hesitant, I had to act.

“Mayu-san, we should get going.”

“Hmm? Ah, right. I forgot why I brought you along. I have no plans to visit that place any time soon.”

Mayuzumi was here to talk to the clan head. I was nothing more than an extra. Still, I would’ve appreciated it if she didn’t forget all about it in just a short amount of time.

Mayuzumi clapped her hands lightly. Two women in kimonos behind her silently fell in on both sides.

“Take Yusuke-kun and the girl to the guest room. Serve them some snacks,” she ordered the much older ladies without even a glance at them. “And take Odagiri-kun to the fox.”

The air froze. The women stayed still for several seconds, then bowed at the same time.

“Understood,” they answered emotionlessly.

One approached Yusuke, while the other started walking away. She didn’t call me, nor look back.

“…Odagiri? Where are you going?” Hirugao suddenly asked.

As I turned around, I noticed the girl’s watery eyes fixed on me. She let go of Yusuke’s arm and leapt, stretching her arms out to me. But Yusuke caught her before she could reach me.

“No, no, no!” she cried as she struggled fiercely in his embrace. “I’m coming with you!”

“No, you can’t!” Yusuke scolded. “You’re just gonna bother him!”

“I’m going too! I have to! I’m going, I’m going!” She raised her voice, large tears streaming down her cheeks.

I was perplexed by her sudden outburst. I had never seen her cry or throw a tantrum whenever I left the office. She was more attached to Yusuke than she was to me. And yet, she was now acting like a child begging for candy.

“Nooo! Take me with you!”

Why was she insisting on coming with me?

I pondered over the matter, but I couldn’t take her to the fox’s den. There was no time to console her. The female servant kept walking without looking back.

I continued on. The cries grew louder behind me. But Yusuke seemed to be doing his best to hold her back. Hastening my pace, I passed through a gate set in the tiled wall surrounding the garden.

The crying gradually faded away until it eventually disappeared.

As I stepped into the mansion, a thick silence greeted me.

Not a soul was in sight in the gleaming black corridor, but I could hear an unpleasant stirring, like the buzzing of bees, coming from above. There seemed to be a gathering in the clan head’s room, which was located on the second floor.

I wondered if there was more going on besides Mayuzumi’s visit, but when I tried to ask, the figure in front of me remained stubbornly silent.

Leaving the entrance behind, we headed deeper into the mansion, away from the garden-facing corridor, where the guest room was situated. I was aware that I was now entering an area that was normally off-limits. The narrow and dim passageway was most likely used only by servants. I passed by several women, but as I went further, the number of people dwindled until there was none. Suddenly, the figure in front of me made a sharp turn to the left.

She disappeared from my view, and I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Looking around, I noticed that a part of the wall was covered with dingy, scarlet cloth that blended into the darkness. I stepped through carefully.

Lacquered walls flanked both sides of a narrow, suffocating corridor, the ceiling just high enough to barely allow an adult to pass through. As I studied the coated boards, I was reminded of the spirit world. I saw the woman already up ahead.

She vanished like a ghost again, and I hurried after her. Soon, I saw a square opening in the floor, revealing a dark staircase that spiraled down halfway. Step by step, I descended the creaking planks. Although it felt like I’d gone down a great distance, in reality, it was probably only the basement.

I saw light beyond the darkness. The staircase abruptly ended, leading me to a corridor lined with earthen walls. In the center lay a square room surrounded by a narrow path. The walls towered high all the way to the ceiling, devoid of any peepholes. I looked around and saw no sign of the woman. My fingers trailed along the walls as I ventured forward.

I went around the path until I found a wooden door. The woman was standing next to it, gaze lowered and perfectly silent. As I neared her, she bowed deeply, and for the first time, her lips moved.

“This way.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a bow.

The woman said nothing more. She remained as silent as a doll.

The door was unlocked. I pushed it, and it groaned as it opened inwards.

I clenched my hands and crossed the threshold.

Before me was a wooden cell, thick bars encasing a space with tatami mats and stacked books. Folded futons lay against the wall. The hidden area behind a wooden enclosure was probably the toilet. A padlock hung from the entrance, and in the center of the room was a randomly-placed chair.

The fox was sitting on the chair, legs crossed and resting his cheek on his hand. He looked utterly bored, engrossed in a book until suddenly, his gaze lifted.

“Who’s there?” he said. “Ah, it’s you.” His brows furrowed with displeasure.

His hair had turned white, devoid of any color. His cheeks were still sunken. He wasn’t wearing his signature mask nor carrying his blue parasol. And it gave me a severe sense of dissonance—I didn’t recognize the person before me.

Unconcerned about my discomposure, Asato went on. “I can’t believe you actually came.” His voice was still the same. “The inner workings of your mind are truly an enigma.”

“So you’re awake,” I said.

“Unfortunately. It probably would’ve been better if I’d stayed asleep,” he said sourly. “You could have satisfied your altruistic nature, and nothing would have been lost. I wouldn’t be troubled with annoying thoughts. Imagine saying, ‘I have no sense of self.’ I wouldn’t be able to say such rubbish when unconscious.”

Thud.

Asato closed the book and placed it atop the stack at his feet. He measured me with a tired gaze. I ground my teeth, anticipating what the fox might say next.

But he simply picked up the glass of water beside him and took a sip.

Silence descended. We both remained quiet for a while.