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V7 Story II – Part 08

Then, voices erupted. The puppets, all silent until now, broke into laughter. Their cackling turned into a tempestuous chorus that assaulted my ears. People bent over as they laughed. The cheery but empty music had ceased, and only the malicious laughter pealed high, causing my hackles to rise. Mixing with the clamor was a soft sound that evoked sorrow.

Clatter, clatter.

The dog broke into a run, slipping out of the arms of the village girls.

Rattle, rattle.

The wheels spun faster. The dog darted through the middle of the procession at breakneck speed.

Kugutsu stood up and slammed the script down on the floor. Before I could stop him, he dashed away and grabbed the dog, hugging it to his chest. He continued running as if spurred by some mad impulse.

The moment he made it to the end of the path that the villagers had created, he leapt without hesitation and disappeared out the window. A moment later, the puppets crashed to the floor.

I didn’t hear any splash.

“Kugutsu!” I shouted as I scurried to the window.

What the hell did he do? What was he planning? My heart pounded in my chest. I looked down and saw a green pond and a garden covered with damp moss.

Kugutsu was floating in the water. Holding the puppets of both the girl and the dog, he waved at me.

He was smiling, his hair plastered on his face.

The noise produced by the puppets tumbling had drowned out the sound of splashing water.

I breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away the cold sweat. Kugutsu stood up, dripping water. He shook his body like a wet dog, then rushed to the back entrance. He didn’t seem injured.

I returned to the others. Yusuke was snoring. I looked at Hirugao. She smiled and put her index finger in front of her lips. She didn’t want to wake Yusuke.

I nodded and sat down next to her.

Several minutes later, Kugutsu came up the stairs. He had changed into a suit of a different color, but his hair was still wet. He tossed the puppets of the girl and the dog aside; they were wet and stuck together.

“I apologize for making you wait,” he said. “How was it, sir? We can’t really use this story as it is too surreal, but the part where I jump off at the end is very well-received. The more depraved they are, the more they like it. I suppose they need the thrill.”

“Do I look like someone depraved to you?” I asked in a surprisingly low voice. “I was seriously worried!”

Kugutsu quickly shook his head. Droplets of water drizzled in all directions.

“Why did you just jump out of nowhere?!” I went on, my blood boiling. He took it way too far. I didn’t care if it was all part of the play. “If you hadn’t jumped far enough, you could have gotten hurt. You should take better care of yourself! Get your act together!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I apologize. I just thought you would understand.”

My brows knitted. “Understand what?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Kugutsu nodded emphatically. His tone suddenly switched. “However, let it be known that while this tale holds significance, there is no lesson to be learned,” he recited in a low, melodious voice.

I repeated the line in my head, reversing it.

In other words, there was no lesson, but there was meaning.

“Do you know what this story means, sir? Why did the girl die? Why was she censured, loathed, and killed?”

“Ah, I get it,” Yusuke interjected. “How stupid.” He clicked his tongue.

He was awake. Kugutsu didn’t ask him for the answer. He silently waited for mine.

It only took me a moment to come to the realization.

Why did he translate the dog’s cries? How could a little dog carry a girl?

Why was the old woman surprised to see the inside of the doghouse? Why was the girl denounced and killed?

Why did Kugutsu jump down with the dog at the end?

“The dog was a metaphor for a human being,” I said. “The girl kept a person she found lying on the street as a dog. The villagers found out, denounced her, and killed her. Did I get that right?”

“Yes. That is exactly right. And the person she saved followed her and committed suicide. That’s what the story is about.”

The tale of the dog paralleled Kugutsu’s circumstances. People denounce others for keeping humans as pets. There might be love there, but it was nonetheless an immoral practice. That must be what he meant.

“And the most terrifying part of this story is the villagers,” Kugutsu declared. His dark eyes met mine. “They ruined the dog’s happiness. The dog cannot be anything but a dog. Even after escaping from an inhumane master, the dog could not become human again. So the girl loved the dog as a dog. What’s wrong with that? The girl and the dog were happy. The villagers unjustly killed the girl.” There was heat in his voice.

He had a warped way of thinking. The music, bright and empty, replayed in my ears, and the earlier play came back to mind.

The girl and the dog were indeed happy. They spent their days in peace until the old woman came along. After the mob destroyed everything, the dog fell into the pits of despair.

I wasn’t sure which was right. But the answer was obvious.

Both were not right.

“You’re wrong, Kugutsu. The girl and the dog should have lived together as a girl and a young man. Am I wrong? The villagers were, by all rights, normal. Their happiness was a mistake.”

“I beg to disagree. A person cannot be anything other than what he is already predestined to be.”

Kugutsu put on a resigned smile. The exhausted look on his face made me realize something.

He tried to see himself as not a dog, but he couldn’t.

A deafening silence descended. I looked around. The room was littered with puppets, still as corpses.

I now understood why Kugutsu showed me the play.

He tapped my shoulder with his artificial fingers. “You haven’t changed. You’re still a kind-hearted man. Even now, you’re still worried about me. That’s why I showed you the play. I am fine with the way things are,” he affirmed gently.

His moist eyes belonged to a dog that had found a happy abode.

“After I escaped from Lady Chihana… I mean, that piece of garbage, Lady Maihime helped me while I was suffering from my wounds. She showed kindness to a dog that stumbled into her property without even asking the reason for my wounds. And that’s enough for me. I am happy where I am. So… you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” Kugutsu smiled gently.

I gritted my teeth. I tried to scream, to tell him that he was wrong. He suffered from being treated as a dog by Chihana. He couldn’t possibly be happy about thinking himself to be one.

Suddenly, a bell rang.

A bell hanging from a string was swinging. The end of the string seemed to lead to the floor below. Kugutsu straightened himself and moved his head like a dog being called by its owner.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “The Princess is summoning me, so I will have to excuse myself.”

“Wait, Kugutsu. We’re not done talking!”

Kugutsu hurried away and went down the stairs.

I couldn’t go after him. His gleeful figure rejected my words.

“You know… I don’t like the way he’s broken,” Yusuke muttered.

He readily dismissed Kugutsu, no sympathy nor hesitation.

“A person can’t be anything other than what he is already predestined to be,” Hirugao murmured.

She seemed tired, but she studied the puppets with a quiet gaze. Silence returned again. I forced my feet to move and followed Kugutsu down the stairs, stumbling to the first floor.

Kugutsu was with Maihime. He was kneeling on the floor, politely offering her a spoon, which she apparently dropped.

“You really love the tale of the dog, don’t you?” Maihime said as she took the silverware.

“I do, Princess.”

Maihime patted Kugutsu’s head and cast a sleepy gaze into the air.

“I like common stories more, Kugutsu. Simple fairy tales, where people can be happy together, knights and princesses. People have grown tired of these repetitive stories, but I think they’re wonderful.”

“If that is your wish, Princess, then I will not perform the Tale of the Dog ever again.”

“Preposterous. It’s your favorite story. It’s a tale you perform. You should choose the story you like. I still don’t like it, though.” Her voice was filled with both honey and venom.

Maihime stroked Kugutsu’s head. Kugutsu pressed his forehead against her kneecap and closed his eyes happily. I stood frozen, watching him purr.

My words could never reach this scene of complete happiness.

I felt as if I had become a clown.

---

The chocolate clown shattered into pieces, its legs, arms, and head falling apart.

“Um, Mayu-san. Could you please stop eating like that?”

“Hmm? Why? I always eat like this, don’t I?”

I couldn’t tell her that I saw myself as the clown. I turned my gaze away, while Mayuzumi continued to munch on the clown’s whole body. The smell of chocolate grew stronger.

As always, the office was filled with the sweet smell of candy.

We had returned to the office after negotiations between Mayuzumi and Maihime broke down. Maihime refused to give up, and Mayuzumi would not relent.

They still hadn’t reached an agreement.

“She’s stubborn. You could even say she’s simple-minded, in a sense. There’s no point in demanding something that’s being refused to be given. I wonder what she does next. There’s only one outcome, regardless. Ah, it’s so annoying.”

Mayuzumi munched on the chocolate, then lay down. She let out a soft yawn and stretched. Mayuzumi began to relax, but my heart remained restless. I couldn’t forget what Kugutsu told me.

“Um, Mayu-san. Do you have a minute?”

“Hmm? It’s rare for you to disturb someone’s sleep. What is it?”

Mayuzumi opened her eyes slightly. I told her the tale of the dog, and she closed her eyes, as though listening to a bedtime story. I didn’t tell her anything else.

“I see. The dog is a metaphor for a human being,” Mayuzumi said softly. “Kugutsu-kun was telling you something simple. He can’t be anything but a dog, so leave him alone.” She basically repeated what Kugutsu had said.

I already knew that. What I really wanted to know was her own thoughts. Before I could ask, she turned over.

“Dogs don’t recognize themselves as dogs,” she said matter-of-factly. “I told you that before.”

She didn’t say anything more. Soon, I heard soft breathing. I clenched my fists. The leather glove was still burnt.

Cheerful but empty music played in my mind. Slowly, it faded and eventually vanished.