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V8 Story II – Part 04

Maihime did not flinch under my outburst. She regarded me with a dreamy gaze. “The Karakuri clan is descended from a living puppet and a puppet maker. Our special ability is passed down to only one child. With the exception of one puppeteer, the children of the Karakuri clan are treated as living dolls. They are sold, and if they return to the clan for certain reasons, they are either sold again or used by the puppeteer. The disparity is absolute. There are no exceptions. It’s a law of the Karakuri clan; it toys with puppets and drives people to madness. Even I am bound by those rules.” She took a deep breath, her chest heaving under her tight clothing.

Karakuri Maihime, the puppet maker with supernatural abilities, boldly added, “I don’t owe anyone an apology. Absolutely not. When that child was being sold, I made a decision. If she wanted to resent me, go ahead. I will live arrogantly. In exchange, I will not run away from any threat of death. If I was at fault, then feel free to hate me.”

Maihime closed her eyes momentarily, as if reminiscing. She turned her head to the skies. Then, she opened her eyes again.

“That was what I decided. A rule I established for myself. No one will ever twist it.”

No traces of drowsiness remained in her eyes. Absolute determination filled her features.

Maihime tilted her head, wearing a beautiful and magnificent smile. “My sister, a puppet, was destroyed. So what?”

I tried to speak several times, fury still churning within me. But the words eluded me.

Regardless of the convictions she held, the fact remained that Maihime used Hirugao. I couldn’t find the words that could penetrate her firm resolve, but I pressed her anyway.

“You came up with something not in the clan’s laws,” I said.

She acknowledged the disparity in status between herself and her sister. At the same time, she made up her mind that if her sister came to detest the clan’s laws and killed her, she would forgive. I couldn’t criticize her anymore. Instead, I asked her a different question.

“In that case, why didn’t you think that the laws were wrong?”

Why didn’t she change the root of the problem? Tears spilled down my cheeks. Maihime clasped her hands together. She waited for my next words, as if listening to a confession.

“If you could… If you could create your own rules… Why didn’t you forget about them and set Hirugao free?”

“…Do you hate me?” Maihime asked softly.

I gave no answer. It was impossible for me to cast blame upon her any more. There was no one left to vent my anger upon. All I could do was mourn Hirugao’s unjust death.

Hirugao was gone. No one could be held accountable for her death anymore.

Yusuke likely still resented Maihime anyway.

“No matter how much you grieve, I am not involved in this situation. But… yes, I was surprised. I am easily shaken, you see. This person must be that fellow who visited my home with you. I recall him being with her. I see.” Maihime gently pressed her hand against her chest and smiled faintly. “She was loved by someone. I’m glad,” she said tenderly.

I clenched my fist and struck the ground.

“Are you done talking? I, too, am against killing Hishigami.”

A calm voice disrupted the heavy silence. Mayuzumi was standing by the door.

Her red parasol resting on her shoulder, she turned around and raised her hand lightly.

“The puppet obeys Hishigami’s orders only. He planned to take us all with him. The game was just a facade. We can’t leave if we kill Hishigami.”

Mayuzumi’s words brought back a memory. The door with the PIN lock could only be opened by a puppet or Hishigami.

Recalling the nature of the game, a chill ran down my spine. If we realized that the door wouldn’t open, on top of losing parts of our bodies, the hopelessness would have been unfathomable. It was a diabolical idea. Was he really that deranged?

“Or perhaps he became desperate. He probably didn’t want to die alone,” Mayuzumi said, as if reading my thoughts.

Maihime raised her hand. “I’ve managed to stop his body fluids from leaking as much as possible,” she said melodiously. “He shouldn’t break down now.”

“Splendid job. Now, there’s something I want to ask you as his creator.”

“…What is it?” Maihime asked curiously.

There was no trace of her demeanor from our previous conversation. Her gaze appeared drowsy, like it always did.

“His transformation was sudden and drastic. Do you have any idea what could have caused it?”

“Let me think. If I had to guess, a significant event triggered it.” Maihime traced her lips with her finger. She appeared unsure. “Something that made him obsessed with the difference between humans and puppets… Ah, I have an idea.”

She nodded and cast her gaze down at Hishigami. He lay on the grass, both arms severed. He resembled a lifeless corpse.

Mayuzumi also studied Hishigami. Then, she nodded. “Ah, I get it. What a pitiful tale. Why did he have to see it indeed?”

Neither Kugutsu nor I understood what she meant.

“Excuse me,” I said. “Care to explain it to us?”

Mayuzumi closed her parasol. Red disappeared from sight. She pointed the tip of the parasol towards me.

“Odagiri-kun, Kugutsu-kun. You two will go inside the atelier.”

We exchanged glances. What could be lurking within the mansion?

Mayuzumi wore a repulsive smile on her face. What she said next I didn’t expect.

“You two will retrieve the body of Hishigami Akira.”

Upon opening the door to the atelier, a subtly radiant darkness spilled out.

Dimmed indirect lighting shone on the sculptures dotting the hallway.

Like the puppets, the sculptures were crafted in the likeness of a deceased girl. The hallway adorned with these figures resembled a foreign cemetery.

As I lowered my gaze to the olive-colored carpet, Kugutsu muttered anxiously. “Why would they need Hishigami’s body?”

“Beats me.”

Mayuzumi had given no answer. They just wanted us to quietly bring the corpse.

Kugutsu took the lead and proceeded down the hallway. The expressions on the sculptures shifted depending on the location of the light source. The face of a bronze statue’s girl contorted in anguish, prompting me to quicken my pace. I bumped into Kugutsu’s back.

He had stopped for some reason. I peered down the hallway, and my eyes grew wide.

“Sir, what do you think that is?” Kugutsu asked.

At the end of his gaze was a ghost. A pale girl was standing there.

Her attire, made of layers of translucent fabric, stirred. Only half of her body was illuminated, creating a magical sight.

It suddenly dawned on me. I recognized the short-haired girl. She was the puppet to whom Hishigami had handed the gun.

The puppet slowly lifted her face and revealed the arm she was concealing behind her back.

I was rendered speechless, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.

She was wielding an axe.

The puppet darted forward. The sound of her footsteps was muffled by the thick carpet. Silently, she charged towards us, swinging the axe. Kugutsu grabbed my arm and swiftly pulled me back.

“Watch out!”

Thud!

The axe struck the floor right at my feet. The floor seemed to be made of a sturdy material, as it withstood the impact. The puppet raised the axe once more. Kugutsu yanked me away, and we started running. I stumbled along, my feet carrying me forward.

Having lost sight of her target, the puppet swung the axe aimlessly. As we slipped past her, she suddenly turned at a sharp angle. Kugutsu leapt and sunk his teeth into her defenseless throat. He then slammed the puppet against the wall, pressing his weight on her. The puppet, still clutching the axe, toppled backward.

Creak, creak.

Kugutsu removed his jaw from the puppet’s throat. “She’s heavy and tough! Damn it!”

The puppet refused to let go of the axe. Kugutsu pressed his foot firmly onto the blade. He tried to bite the puppet’s throat once more, but stopped. He lifted his head warily.

His instinct was right on the mark. The door of a familiar room swung open farther down the hallway.

A second puppet emerged from the parlor.

I thought back to the previous case. Hishigami Akira had five puppets. Two of them had been destroyed, leaving three intact.

The puppet with the tied-up hair wielded two knives in her hands. The blades gleamed ominously.

“This is bad,” I hissed in frustration. “This was probably Hishigami’s doing.”

It was only natural for us to enter the mansion in search of medication. Hishigami must have anticipated this and instructed the puppets to eliminate intruders.

This was what his “instructions” meant. It was excessively brutal.