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V7 Story IV – Part 07

A cloudy eyeball was floating in the preservative solution. Mayuzumi suddenly let go, and the glass ball, with a metal thread attached to it, fell on the girl’s lap, bouncing a couple of times before coming to rest.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“These puppets have some real human body parts,” Mayuzumi explained. “I believe the stolen hands and feet were also made of human bones. Some of the other girls’ body parts had different colors, such as their shoulders and chests. All of them.”

I gazed at the puppet. I wasn’t shocked nor terrified. Realization just dawned on me.

The girls, who were modeled after the dead, were dead themselves.

Their bodies were being stolen. The culprit was collecting the real dead parts from the puppets. But who was it? As I pondered this, Maihime’s words flashed through my mind.

“Evil spirits must be dwelling there now.”

An absurd thought sprang to mind. The deceased themselves had turned into an evil spirit and was trying to reclaim its body.

“Now we know the culprit’s objective. But that doesn’t change the fact that the door won’t open. If all the keys—that is, the puppets—are destroyed, we’ll be in trouble. There may be an emergency access control system, but considering Hishigami’s current state, I doubt we can use it. Odagiri-kun.”

Mayuzumi turned to me, her fair skin reflecting the blood-red hue of her parasol.

“You should go to the door that leads deep into the atelier,” she said. “Normally, it doesn’t open. The heart of this place is dead. But if the timing is right, you might be able to learn something. And then, drag out the internal organs—the evil spirit that has been wandering there,” she concluded, as if she had a full grasp of the situation.

She spoke no more. Spurred on by her foreboding words, I moved my feet. Retracing my steps, I passed by the guest room, when a white figure crossed the hallway.

I stopped in my tracks. Immediately I stuck close to the wall and observed them.

Her short, ashen hair swayed. It was the puppet in the kitchen. She was walking as if someone had called her.

As I watched her, it hit me. The girls were probably ordered to go on about their daily routine and move when the time came. Ambiguous orders had created an unnatural situation. She didn’t look back. I followed after her as she headed deeper into the atelier.

Eventually, she reached the sealed door. Her slender fingers tapped the touch panel.

“If the timing is right, you might be able to learn something.”

Recalling Mayuzumi’s words, I went after the puppet. As I passed through the door, a dark room greeted me, dust clinging in the air. The lights in the hallway were out, the stagnant air packed like mud.

I couldn’t see the white figure. I felt my way forward. The light behind me was fading away.

Suddenly, I was grabbed by the collar.

Someone grabbed me and pulled me down. As I looked up at the ceiling, I saw a blade in the air. My eyes, which were beginning to get used to the darkness, caught the sharp outline. I instantly covered my face, preparing myself for the pain, but the person didn’t swing the weapon down. They hesitated and took a step back.

I used this opportunity to kick them in the stomach.

“Ugh…”

The low groan came from a man. My jaw dropped. I recognized his voice, but I couldn’t see his face in the darkness. I propped myself up and searched for the light switch on the wall. I knew I should run away, but I couldn’t stop the urge to check.

That voice…

As soon as I found the switch, I slammed my fist on it, illuminating the surroundings brightly.

My vision gradually returned. Color seeped into the white scenery, and a person appeared.

I stared at him, and he stared back at me, axe in hand.

“Hishigami-san!” I shouted.

His eyes widened, and he swung the axe. It wasn’t the blade, but the wooden handle that made a sound as it drew nearer. I instinctively lowered my head. As I tried to jump back, I lost my balance, and a blow came from the side. The axe just barely missed, but the point of impact made my vision go dark.

The scene before me blurred. I fixed my gaze on him. For some reason, his face contorted, like he had been punched in the face.

Why are you on the verge of tears?

Before I could ask, I fell into darkness as deep as the ocean.

---

The sound of sand grinding filled the air, its sharp and rough texture rubbing against the skin beneath my clothes.

The unpleasant air, hot and humid, was reminiscent of a sweltering summer beach. My head hurt. A lukewarm droplet splashed against my cheek. I rubbed it off, thinking it was the waves.

Half-opening my eyes, I glimpsed the dancing shadows of flames, flickering intensely. My eyes widened.

As I sat up, the pain in my head intensified. Pressing my temples, I surveyed my surroundings.

A fireplace illuminated the large room. A sea of white sand was spread out on the floor, where the heads of animals and human limbs lay. In a corner was a chaotic pile of machines whose use I was unfamiliar with, together with a cutter and a workbench. Decaying boxes revealed glimpses of various materials, while the wretched remains of sculptures, smashed and discarded, were strewn about.

It was like an underground tomb, and Hishigami was sitting alone inside, looking down at me from a plain pipe chair. Tears spilled from his eyes and hit my cheeks.

Ignoring the pain in my head, I moved my lips, forcing the words out of my gritty mouth.

“…Hishigami-san?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

Questions swirled in my mind. Why did you kill them? Were those tears all a lie? Weren’t you mourning the death of the puppets?

But right before I could bombard him with questions, I sensed something off. That wasn’t it, I realized.

The intense flames brought numerous disparities to light like an optical illusion. My heartbeat slowly started racing. Information clicked together in my mind like pieces of a puzzle.

“Who are you?” I asked.

This wasn’t the same Hishigami from before.

First of all, his clothes were different. A threadbare shirt and worn-out khaki jeans. His hair was disheveled, and he had stubble on his chin. Sand soiled his skin and nails.

Above all, his aura was different. It felt as though the same person had grown up under different circumstances, like twins or estranged siblings. In any case, he could not be the real Hishigami.

“Are you Hishigami Akira?”

Nevertheless, I voiced the question.

There was only one Hishigami Akira in this world. I was sure of it.

Seeing my confusion, he smiled. Deep wrinkles appeared around his eyes.

“Yes. I am Hishigami Akira,” he answered gravely. “No, wait.” He shook his head slowly.

With a weary smile, he said, “I’m the real Hishigami Akira.”

---

“Apologies for hitting you. I thought I grabbed a puppet, but it turned out to be a human, leaving me utterly confused. I was shocked. I thought I finally killed someone. I’m so glad you have a tough skull. It’s been years since I last encountered another human being.”

Hishigami stooped down, picking up a cup from the tray resting on the floor. He dusted off the sand within, poured tea from the pot, then handed it to me. I took a sip, allowing the cold tea to slide down my throat. A gritty sensation remained on my tongue.

“I take it you met the puppet? I’m sure you did. You’re a guest,” he muttered in a somber tone, taking a sip of tea. He grimaced, not liking the taste.

What did he mean by the puppet? I didn’t think he was referring to the girls. I went over the information I had gathered thus far.

The Hishigami Akira I initially met had a significant gap in his memory. The individual before me claimed to be the true Hishigami Akira.

“Was the Hishigami Akira we met… a puppet?” I asked.

“Indeed, he is. But now, I am the ghost of the past.”

Having finished the remaining tea, he placed the cup back on the floor. Someone must have brought the tea. Only Hishigami and the puppets resided in this mansion. I thought back to the puppet in the kitchen.

I now understood why she had refrained from washing the dishes, and what she was waiting for.

“Hold on,” I said. “You claim to be the real Hishigami Akira, but things don’t make any sense. How did it come to this? There can’t be two identical persons at once. It’s impossible.”

Genuine and fake. Human and puppet. Though one might be an imitation, they were near indistinguishable.

I knew the individual capable of creating this predicament—Karakuri Maihime, the esper puppeteer. Espers could transcend the boundaries of possibility and effortlessly defy common sense. However, she would not create such a puppet without being commissioned. Grappling with a throbbing headache, I racked my chaotic brain hard.

In essence, Hishigami Akira had willingly allowed two versions of himself to exist. And the real him was killing the girls and concealing himself within the workshop.

“Can you explain?” I said. “If you’re actually the real Hishigami Akira, you should be able to.”

Hishigami heaved a deep sigh, as if expelling his very soul. He gingerly stroked his gaunt chin, a thin layer of sweat glistening on his forehead.

Reluctantly he opened his mouth. “Where should I begin… A lot of things happened. And I mean a lot.”

And thus, he began to recount a twisted fairy tale.

“I… I wanted another me.”

But for him, this was an unmistakably real event.