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V7 Story II – Part 05

Once upon a time, there was a man who was raised like a dog.

The dog killed its owner before fleeing from its chains.

This all happened a while back. A woman named Mayuzumi Chihana plotted to devour the flesh of Mayuzumi Azaka. Kugutsu, who was nearly used as a pawn in her schemes, was treated by Chihana like an animal, forced to do her bidding and ordered to slay Mayuzumi Azaka. But Kugutsu ultimately turned on his master and devoured Chihana instead.

After that, he vanished, his whereabouts unknown.

Now here he was, standing before me, nestled close to an unfamiliar young girl.

They looked like a noblewoman and her butler. Kugutsu was wearing a gentle smile. Both he and I tried to speak at the same time, but the girl raised her hand to interrupt us.

She reached out to touch Kugutsu’s shoulder, and the man bent down, lifting her into his arms. He then approached me and set the girl gently down.

The girl stepped on Kugutsu’s knee and alighted, her white skirt flaring. She then curtsied elegantly like a noblewoman.

“Hello. My name is Karakuri Maihime. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She lifted her head, and looked at me with drowsy, half-lidded eyes. “It’s not a problem if you don’t know me, but I would be pleased if you kept me in mind. Being remembered is better. I dislike being forgotten.” Her voice was sweet as honey.

The girl raised one hand and pointed to Kugutsu. “And this is my Kugutsu. Do you know each other?”

“My name is Odagiri Tsutomu,” I replied. “I know Kugutsu. How are you two acquainted?”

“I find it unexpectedly irritating that you have a friend that I wasn’t aware of, Kugutsu,” she said, ignoring me. “This anger is quite surprising.” Her sweet voice belied the hint of venom in her tone.

Kugutsu bowed deeply, bending his waist to its utmost limit. “I am truly sorry, Princess,” he answered with a tinge of panic. “The good sir… Mr. Odagiri is one of the few people I owe a debt of gratitude to. I do not have any other acquaintances. I swear this will not happen again.”

“What are you talking about? It’s fine to have other acquaintances. Having friends is a joyous thing. A joy I’m not familiar with, seeing as I have no friends.” Maihime chuckled.

I studied them both. Kugutsu still had his head lowered. His manner of speech was different from before, but his facial expression and demeanor were the same. He was frantically trying to gauge his master’s mood.

Words tumbled out of my mouth. “Kugutsu, what are you doing?”

Who was this Maihime? What was Kugutsu doing all this time? I had no idea.

But why was he, who had escaped after killing his master, acting like a dog again?

“I beg your pardon,” Kugutsu murmured, bringing his face closer to me. “I hope you don’t mind this lowly dog speaking this close.”

He had reverted back to his subservient, self-deprecating manner of speaking. He cast a sidelong glance towards Maihime before continuing.

“A lot had happened after we last saw each other, and I was fortunate enough to find a good master. I will tell you more about it another time. I am in the company of Princess Maihime at the moment. I apologize.”

Kugutsu stood up straight and averted his gaze from me. I was taken aback. What did he mean by having a good master? Humans don’t need masters.

I forced my dry mouth open. “Wait, Kugutsu. I have more questions for you. Why are you even here in the Mayuzumi clan’s estate? Maihime-san, would you please give us some time to talk? We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

“Oh, you don’t know why we’re here? It’s frustrating that people don’t know as much about me. I suppose I am more irritable than I realized.”

Maihime smiled softly, but didn’t seem inclined to listen to what I had to say. Kugutsu remained stiff-backed, refusing to meet my eyes, as if under strict orders to stay still.

My anger began to boil over. If he saw himself as a human being, he would’ve been able to answer. Why would he call himself a dog?

“Listen here, Kugutsu,” I said. “You seem to still think of yourself as a dog, but—”

“There you are, Odagiri-kun.” A serene voice interrupted me.

I whirled around and saw Mayuzumi standing there, holding a closed parasol.

“I’ve been looking for you. Dashing out of the cell was fine and all, but would it kill you to go somewhere more conspicuous? A troublesome guest had arrived, complicating matters. I don’t want clan members present, so we’re taking this somewhere else. Yusuke-kun and Hirugao-kun are ready to leave. You’re the only one left.”

Mayuzumi sighed, her mood clearly worsening. There was a hint of frustration in her face, an unusual reaction from her. I recognized the attitude.

The fox was acting the same way.

My gut stirred. “What kind of troublesome guest?” I asked warily.

Mayuzumi’s lips twisted. “They want the fox,” she explained. “Mayuzumi Asato is no longer of value to the Mayuzumi clan and is harmful. His existence can only be a new source of trouble. Just when the clan was at a loss on how to deal with him, someone came along willing to buy him at a high price. Many from the main family are in agreement. Keeping him locked up requires tremendous effort. What exactly do they want to achieve, releasing the fox back into the wild? He himself is probably not pleased to be treated like a commodity.”

Buy the fox. The incomprehensible words left me confused. I had no idea what they meant.

Humans are not commodities. What were they planning to do with the fox?

Suddenly, I remembered one person who wanted him. The image of a beautiful and ominous black cat flashed through my mind. Jingu Yuri was in love with the fox. Someone else besides her wanted him?

“Unbelievable,” Mayuzumi breathed. “You were talking to her without even knowing that?”

She let out a sigh and gracefully waved her parasol, the red tip drawing an arc and pointing like a needle. I followed it and saw the girl in white at the other end.

“It’s her.”

Maihime nodded gently and smiled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

---

“Yes, I too have shame. I only turned eighteen recently. I am not mature enough to speak boldly about intimate matters without batting an eye,” Maihime said, sitting elegantly. “At the same time, it would be rude to act shameful when I’m making a request to you. I will put it subtly, so I may be able to express my desire… I want his seed.”

She was far from subtle. Kugutsu was still by her side, his expression unchanging.

We exchanged looks. Before Hirugao could ask what she meant by seed, Yusuke covered her mouth.

“Idiots, all of them,” Mayuzumi muttered under her breath, pinching her temples.

A harsh remark, but one I was inclined to agree with.

Kugutsu drove us to Maihime’s residence, located three hours away from Mayuzumi’s house. We seemed to have taken many detours. It took too long to get there, despite being located in the same prefecture.

The four-story house had a peculiar, narrow shape that gave it the appearance of a towering fortress at first glance. It rose high above the common residential area that surrounded it, a beacon of oddity amidst the desolate rural town. The houses around it were devoid of life, apparently unoccupied.

I didn’t know how Maihime’s house was perceived, but it was clearly a monument of bizarreness. People usually avoided places where espers lived.

Doubling as Maihime’s workshop, her house was filled with puppets. Even now, she was surrounded by countless puppets of all sizes, from dwarfs to giants, imitations of human bodies discarded haphazardly about the place. Light flickered against the bloodshot eyes of the giant puppet beside Kugutsu, its thick tongue lined with taste buds.

Karakuri Maihime was a puppeteer with supernatural abilities.

Apparently, she was descended from a child born between a puppeteer and a lifelike puppet, and her ancestors would share this implausible story during performances. Although the truth was uncertain, she claimed to be able to create puppets that lent credence to the legends.

She claimed that the workshop’s most expensive product was no different from a human, and to transfer her ability to the next person, she was seeking a husband.