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V8 Story I – Part 07

Once upon a time, the fox concocted a macabre game for us.

Utilizing the white child, he used revived corpses as part of his twisted game. These defective corpses could only become genuine by fulfilling the conditions set by the fox. He prepared numerous stages, hoping to ensnare us in his web. However, we only experienced a single installment of his games.

After bearing witness to the tragedy that befell Haruhiro and his family, we headed straight to the fox’s location.

I remembered the bloody bread knife and the corpses lined up on the tranquil dining table. The weight of Haruhiro’s tears burdened my heart. Shaking my head, I refocused my attention to the present.

“After I was banished to the spirit world, the stages I prepared were left untouched. I don’t know what happened to the pawns. This place is the setting of one of the abandoned games.”

I cast my gaze upon the corpses. Judging from the tattered remains of their clothing, one appeared to be a woman, while the other a man. The shade of the bloodstains seemed to indicate that their throats and stomachs had been mercilessly slashed. I rubbed my aching belly.

Never could I have imagined that I would be entangled in the fox’s game now.

“In that case, this is your fault,” I said. “Why won’t the door open? What conditions did you impose on these people? What did you do? Answer me, Asato.”

“…I don’t know.”

“…What?”

I furrowed my brow at his bewildering response. The expression on the fox’s face, however, remained unchanged.

He studied the corpses with cold eyes. “This place is an apartment donated by one of my followers. My memories say it was unused, but apparently it was chosen as one of the game’s stages. My memories are somewhat muddled. I entered and found myself ensnared in my own trap. Truly preposterous.”

The fox fell for his own trap? It sounded like a lie.

“Bullshit,” I said. “I’ve never heard of you having amnesia.”

“It’s understandable that you don’t know. I’ve never told anyone about it. Besides, amnesia is a bit too much. Real and impossible memories are simply mingling with each other. Maybe it’s the result of spending a long period of time in the spirit world. I even hear things sometimes.”

What exactly does he hear? Observing my perplexed expression, the fox proceeded to enlighten me.

“The sound of my own flesh being gnawed upon. The meow of a cat. Bird-in-the-cage. A woman’s laughter. There’s more.”

“…What?”

Asato responded with a casual shrug. “The spirit world is not silent. I heard all sorts of sounds in that place. Sometimes, I caught glimpses of a crimson woman. I don’t know who she is, though,” he said in a low and soft voice.

His words caused a splitting headache. An unfamiliar figure resurfaced in my mind.

A crimson woman sneering in the scarlet world. She twirled a black parasol with an air of elegance befitting a high-class courtesan. Her alluring figure, draped in kimono, was breathtakingly beautiful. However, an instinctual fear gripped me as well.

That woman was most likely a flesh-devouring entity. I should not perceive her as beautiful.

The vision vanished in an instant, leaving me bewildered. The fear had completely dissipated. I could no longer recall what had frightened me. Abandoning any attempts to retrace my memories, I redirected my focus to Asato’s words.

“Let’s get back on track, Odagiri. Currently, my memories are plagued by several implausible scenes. For instance, I have memories of you, Tsutomu Odagiri, living a married life with Miyama Shizuka.”

My breath seized. His idyllic memories starkly contrasted with reality. Even just imagining it was difficult. The child in my belly—Shizuka and my child—cried out.

Seeing my state of confusion, the fox gleefully chuckled. “I know it’s completely absurd. Such a scenario is impossible.”

“Absurd? You shut your mouth.”

“It is absurd, is it not? Or are you going to say that you loved her?”

I raised my fist, only to exert a tremendous effort to bring it back down. Hitting him would not improve our situation. Frustrated and seething with anger, I forcibly redirected my attention elsewhere.

The fox’s muddled memories were perplexing, but now was not the time to delve into it. Another issue required our immediate attention.

“How can we leave this apartment?” I asked. “Do you have any idea?”

“There are likely conditions. By listening to people’s desires, I can influence both human bodies and space. It seems this space has been designed to prevent leaving. I’m not sure of the precise mechanism, but I think a portion of the door has been transformed into the spirit world. Once we satisfy the conditions, it should return to normal.”

Suddenly the fox knitted his brows. He stared at the palm of his hand, his features twisted with anguish.

It was an incomprehensible change. For reasons unknown, Asato began muttering as if mad.

“Yes, people turn into bubbles. A girl’s womb sticks to a man’s stomach. Lifeless babies become demons. It’s likely that passing through the spirit world transmutes the human body into a form influenced by human emotions. Like replacing cells through an infinitesimally small window. The same principle applies to objects and space. I wonder why. I’m nothing but an imitation. This ability, distinct from Mayuzumi Azaka’s, is like…”

“Hey… Asato, are you all right?” I asked.

Asato did not respond. He gripped his own hair tightly, and a few wisps of white hair came loose.

In a deranged tone, he added, “It’s as if someone is handing it over to me from the spirit world.”

The fox shuddered. I couldn’t grasp what he meant. His ability was unique to him. Or was he implying that someone from the spirit world was lending him a hand?

Asato wiped the sweat from his forehead, his shoulders slumping as he collapsed onto the floor.

“It’s nothing, Odagiri. Could you please keep quiet for a moment?”

With that, he sealed his lips shut. His emaciated profile adamantly rejected any further discourse.

I abandoned the conversation and surveyed the room instead. My attention was drawn to a window concealed behind the curtain. I was reluctant to allow light in and illuminate the corpses. I opened the curtain a little and placed my hand on the window.

The window swung open easily. A clean breeze disturbed the fetid odor. The sky had transformed into a gray expanse, the sun veiled from view. The houses appeared desolate and faded.

I took a step onto the balcony, gripping the cold railing to assess the possibility of going down.

In the next instant, my vision blurred, and I nearly lost my balance. I quickly released my grip on the railing.

There was a boundary between the railing and the outside world. Jumping down, even fully prepared to fracture my bones, looked to be difficult. The vertigo would likely skew my judgment, leading to a fatal fall. Even if I were to scream, I didn’t think my voice would reach anyone.

I gave up on the idea of leaving through the balcony. Nonetheless, the fact that the window had opened must hold some significance. I studied the narrow space. By climbing onto the outdoor AC unit, I realized I could climb over the railing and move to the adjacent balcony. Setting my foot on the damaged outdoor unit, I perched myself on the railing, then grabbed the adjacent railing.

I had to exercise caution to prevent the leather gloves from slipping. I stretched out my legs and rested them on the neighboring railing. I didn’t feel dizzy. With great caution, I moved my body across. My arms creaked, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“I did it! It worked!”

I successfully moved myself to the neighboring railing. I then jumped down and landed on the adjacent balcony.

Placing my hand on the window, I opened it with a silent prayer.

Before me stretched a floor tainted in rusty red. A putrid stench wafted forth, reminiscent of an open coffin.

“…Huh?”

A similar scene unfolded before me. I thought I had returned to the same room.

I could see bloodstains where the feeble light reached. In the shadows deeper inside, two corpses sat back to back, deep cuts in their throats. Their heads dangled at peculiar angles. Bones peeked through the decaying flesh. They were undeniably dead.

I turned my face away from the dark. The white curtain beside me billowed in the wind. The fabric swelled, revealing a petite figure hiding within. A black-haired girl lifted her vacant eyes.