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V7 Story IV – Part 04

Who killed Cock Robin?

I, said the sparrow.

I hated this nursery rhyme. After being toyed around with the fox and the cat over and over, I never expected to encounter another situation that reminded me of Mother Goose.

Hishigami hysterically brought us back to the reception room. He walked like he was possessed, shaking his head, bringing to mind an old dog. He was preoccupied with one thing, unable to think of anything else.

Who killed the puppet?

And why?

“It would be in the culprit’s best interests to come forward,” Hishigami said. “Anyone else won’t be harmed.”

“Don’t you hear the contradiction in your words? You’re just making it impossible for them to surrender,” Mayuzumi said, flabbergasted.

Even in a tense situation, her attitude remained the same. She was still nibbling on chocolate, taking fingers and putting them in her mouth.

“Please don’t provoke him, Mayu-san,” I begged. “It’s dangerous.”

“I don’t see the problem. It looks like this is going to take some time anyway. If I stop eating chocolate, I’ll die. Acting all meek is meaningless.” She waved the candy fingers around.

Hishigami bit his lips in frustration. Maihime was sitting down, a gentle look in her eyes, and Kugutsu was standing in front of her, serving as a shield to block the bullets.

I looked at what Hishigami was holding—a gun. It felt like standing in front of an ignited barrel of gunpowder.

He was threatening us, his trembling fingers resting on the trigger.

“Let me ask you again. Who killed my Hikari? Just come forward.”

“Your words don’t make any sense. Think about it carefully,” Mayuzumi said. “The power to the door was cut off. We couldn’t have done it. Besides, the victim was a puppet. If we go by appearance alone, it’s murder, but destruction of property is more accurate. You shouldn’t be accusing innocent people.”

“Unfortunately for you, that door didn’t have its power cut off,” Hishigami responded, ignoring most of Mayuzumi’s words. “It opens if I or a puppet enters the password. The same is true when leaving.”

Maihime smiled. “That’s right,” she added. “When you entered, Mr. Hishigami ordered a puppet to let you in. After that, she went back to preparing drinks.”

“What an inconvenient system. You could at least allow people to leave without needing the password,” Mayuzumi grumbled, leaning back on the couch and resting her elbows on the floral-patterned cushion.

I went over what I just learned. With the puppets, it was possible to enter and exit.

But they didn’t have free will. They only followed their master’s orders and didn’t listen to anyone else. Who killed the puppet?

The word “killed” didn’t seem appropriate, but both Maihime and Hishigami took the death of the puppet seriously.

I raised my head. Three puppets stood behind Hishigami, whom he had summoned. He seemed determined to protect them. Among them was the puppet with the braided hair.

But the puppet from the front garden was not around. She was still sitting in front of the door, as if waiting for someone.

Riiing.

Suddenly, there came an electronic sound. I swallowed. Sweat poured out of my body like a waterfall. Hishigami’s gaze darted toward me. And so did the gun’s muzzle.

“What was that? What do you have there?”

“My phone. Someone’s calling.”

“Give it to me. It’s not like you need it, do you?”

I took out my cellphone. It was still ringing. I thought he would smash it, but he just turned it off and threw it on the floor.

“Whoever killed Hikari will pay. I will shoot them to death.”

Declaring to attempt murder in front of the suspects was no trivial matter. He was utterly unstable, staring at us with bloodshot eyes like a rabid dog. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just started shooting randomly. Cold sweat trickled down my skin. It felt like blood was oozing out of my veins. I tried to think of a way to convince him that it wasn’t us.

“There’s no need to grieve or blame anyone, is there?” Maihime interjected in a soothing voice.

She was combing her hair. Hishigami’s eyes turned to her. She gave a serene smile, the kind a mother would give her child.

“What did you say just now, Maihime-san?”

“A puppet finds joy in being loved and eventually being destroyed. I made your puppets as playthings. A precious memento of someone important, a substitute for a child, a comfort blanket, whatever you wish to call them. They’re expensive devices. Toys for a grownup. They’re content to be loved and subsequently destroyed. So there’s no need to grieve or blame anyone,” Maihime repeated.

Hishigami took a step forward, and Kugutsu slid in front of him with surprising swiftness. The gun pointed at Maihime stopped at Kugutsu’s forehead. Hishigami glared at Kugutsu with blazing eyes, baring his teeth and growling like a dog.

“I’ll let you shoot me, but if you touch the princess, I’ll bite you to death,” Kugutsu warned.

Hishigami hesitated for a moment before pressing the gun against Kugutsu’s forehead. I tried to stand up, but stopped myself. It would be dangerous to provoke him further. He might pull the trigger.

“The most tragic fate for a puppet is to be neglected. To ignore them, let them accumulate dust and rot is inexcusable. I hate unjust treatment. Getting decapitated is not a horrible thing. I suggest you not use human values to judge them.”

Maihime, the creator of the puppets, shared her personal principles. There was no hint of condemnation in her voice. She was simply speaking like a preacher.

“Have you ever treated a puppet unjustly?” she asked.

“Never!” Hishigami yelled, clenching his teeth.

Confusion was apparent on his face. He seemed to be pondering his own words over and over, wondering if they were true. After careful consideration, he did not retract his statement.

Maihime shook her head slowly, disappointment clearly visible on her face. “That’s why I don’t like you. You’re foolish.”

Blood trickled from Hishigami’s teeth. He moved the gun away from Kugutsu and attempted to shoot Maihime. Kugutsu opened his mouth, drooling, revealing sharp canines, and lunged for Hishigami’s throat.

“Wait, Kugutsu!” Maihime ordered, and Kugutsu stopped.

He froze in an unnatural position, mouth open. His teeth were touching Hishigami’s throat. Hishigami also stopped, breathing raggedly. A trickle of crimson flowed from torn flesh.

“If you’re going to shoot me, go ahead and do it. I’m a person who expresses their desire and speaks their mind. And if I hurt someone, then I don’t mind getting hurt in return. If you say that you were hurt enough to want to kill me, please go ahead. I will preserve my dignity,” Maihime said proudly as she stood up.

She stepped forward and lifted her head high, proudly displaying her ample cleavage, as if to say “shoot me.”

“This is something even you aren’t allowed to breach, Kugutsu. It’s my own personal oath. It’s my belief. You can’t die in my place.”

Kugutsu trembled, wondering whether to close his jaw or not. He couldn’t disobey his master’s order, but if he didn’t move, Maihime would die. He was at his breaking point.

“What do you people want to do? Do you want to die, kill, or find out who the culprit is?”

A clear voice resonated throughout the room, instantly calming everything down, as if pouring water on a raging fire.

One slight mistake, and they could’ve gone out of control. Mayuzumi’s voice had a miraculous effect. Kugutsu removed his teeth from the man’s throat, and Hishigami lowered his gun.

“Do you know who the culprit is?” the artist asked. “Can you hear her bitter voice?”

“Do puppets really have souls? I don’t really care for such philosophical questions. I don’t think I can hear her voice. I doubt she held any grudge,” Mayuzumi asserted without any evidence.

She shifted her gaze to Maihime, who smiled and whirled around. Her white hair glimmered like a bride’s veil.

“Princess, where are you going?”

“I’m a puppet maker. There’s still one girl that I haven’t completely examined. You stay there, Kugutsu. There is no need to place more suspicion on us. Do as I say and wait.”

Her small figure exuded determination. She walked without Kugutsu’s help for the first time.

Even if her lungs were riddled with bullet holes, she wouldn’t utter a word of complaint. She would just collapse on the floor and perish.

Hishigami pointed the gun around, then lowered it. “Fuck.”

Maihime vanished beyond the door, traversing the corridor alone.

Her confident gait was graceful, like a bride’s procession down the aisle on her wedding day.