3 bar menu

V8 Story II – Part 08

Mayuzumi casually approached Maihime from behind. “I see the manipulation,” she said softly. “Can you really do it?”

“We will use some of the bones and muscles. It’s impossible to create a perfect copy, but I can make it so that the parts he’s likely to mutilate resembles that of a human’s more closely. By increasing the amount of bleeding, it will be difficult to verify what’s inside the body. The key is to make it believable. It’s a matter of perception and assurance. If he can convince himself that he is the same as a human, that’s enough.”

Maihime turned around slowly, a gentle smile on her lips. “He felt pain from losing his arm earlier. He won’t have the courage to cut himself multiple times, beyond what his pain tolerance can handle. If he can have even a little self-affirmation, he shouldn’t be able to perform extreme self-mutilation anymore,” she declared, turning to face Hishigami again.

He was staring blankly at his missing arm. “C-Can I really become the same… Hishigami Akira…?”

“Yes, that’s right. You were originally created to be another Hishigami Akira. It should be easy for you to become the same person. But unfortunately, we don’t have enough tools here.”

She let out an affected sigh. Fear flickered across Hishigami’s face. He was leaning on Maihime like a child, placing his faith on the compass shown to him in his confused state.

“Please open the door,” Maihime said sweetly.

Hishigami nodded and, with her support, weakly stood up. Like a puppet controlled by strings, he headed towards the door, but stopped in front of the passcode input device.

“Since you can’t use your arms, you can call the puppets,” Maihime said. “But depending on the order you gave them, you might get attacked within the mansion. Once you enter, tell them to ‘gather to you’. That should cancel your previous command.”

“O-Okay… I get it.”

“That’s a good boy. It’s going to be okay. I’m very happy with your behavior.”

Maihime gave him a comforting pat on the head. Hishigami, still not in his right mind, smiled.

Watching the two, Kugutsu gritted his teeth, irritation in his face. Something was off with his eyes. His reaction was similar to a dog whose owner had found a different pet, but his eyes…

“Odagiri-kun, what are you spacing out for? We can leave. Isn’t that great?”

Mayuzumi’s voice brought me back to my senses. I turned to her. She was twirling her parasol, her languid eyes staring at me.

“Is this really okay?” I asked, watching Hishigami disappear inside the mansion.

Maihime was practically deceiving him.

Mayuzumi gave a small shrug. “Who knows? But this is much healthier than being consumed by suicidal thoughts. If he can convince himself that he was Hishigami Akira and keep on living, then I don’t see the problem. To become something you want to be is a joyous thing. Most importantly, it won’t cause trouble for us.”

I mulled it over. Both of the Hishigami Akira’s had been struggling with the difference between a human and a puppet. Even if it involved deception, if the result of Maihime’s promised surgery would help him regain himself, that would be good.

He was alone now. This time, he could finally obtain peace.

A few seconds later, the puppets received the command to gather. Hishigami returned with one of them.

Oddly enough, the anguish had vanished from his face.

---

The puppet entered the passcode, and the door slowly opened.

The winter wind rushed in. I stared at the outside in disbelief. The sky had turned black; it was already nighttime.

The summer-themed garden appeared frozen in time. The sudden intrusion of winter and night left me bewildered. The cold air numbed my lungs as snow fluttered down from the black sky, blanketing the ground in white. A grove in the distance appeared to be coated with powdered sugar.

Everything appeared dark, yet somehow blinding, creating an enchanting scene.

“It’s snowing. I never expected it to be this cold,” said Maihime in surprise as she rushed outside. Kugutsu and I followed suit.

The gate on the fence surrounding the property was left open. A car was parked against the grayish wall. Hishigami’s private ride, most likely. It was probably parked somewhere else normally, as the soft ground seemed unsuitable for parking.

Maihime wiped the window and peered inside. I craned my neck from behind to take a look. Her basket and Mayuzumi’s cellphone were on the passenger seat.

“Kugutsu,” Maihime called. “There should be something in the garden. Can you go and get it?”

“What would this something be, Princess?”

Smiling, Maihime playfully formed a gun with her fingers. Kugutsu nodded and turned back.

I just now realized that we could have used the gun when we were running around the mansion earlier. Still, I doubt a small-caliber gun could disable those puppets. Besides, we pulled through without giving them ugly injuries. Although we were the ones being attacked, I felt relieved that we didn’t kill any of them.

Kugutsu soon returned and, with the grip of the gun, broke the window. He then unlocked the door and opened it. He collected everything—the basket and cellphone, including the one I borrowed from Nanami, which was on the backseat.

Maihime took the basket, which contained several unfamiliar tools. “I will go and disable Hishigami’s sense of pain. Preparing for a major surgery takes time, so let’s move the body as well. The freezer in this mansion should allow temporary preservation of the necessary parts. Kugutsu, could you assist me?”

“Yes, Princess. Please tell me whatever you need.” Kugutsu bowed deeply.

Mayuzumi and I exchanged glances. I had rushed to Mayuzumi’s place to protect Maihime. Now she was here. It seemed wiser to take her with me to the office. I could go back to Maihime’s place to retrieve the items needed for Hishigami’s surgery. After that, I had to search for Asato and Yusuke.

“Mayu-san, I found the fox. And Yusuke…”

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

An electronic sound interrupted me. I swallowed, recalling the call about Hirugao’s death. Mayuzumi remained composed as she answered the call. As she put the cellphone to her ear, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

“Hello? Oh, it’s you. Surprising to get a call from you.”

Who was she talking to? I studied her.

Mayuzumi smiled faintly. “All right.” She removed the phone from her ear and told me a name I didn’t expect to hear. “It’s Yusuke-kun. He says he wants to talk to you.”

I quickly snatched the cellphone and pressed it to my ear. “Hello? Yusuke? Where are you right now?”

“…”

There was no response, only a heavy silence. Still, I kept calling his name. I finally got a hold of him. I was not letting the call end.

“Yusuke, can you hear me? Please come back.”

“…Please help them.” A low voice came through the phone.

I thought over what he just said. He didn’t say, ‘Please help me,’ but, ‘Please help them.’

But help who exactly?

“I searched Hirugao’s memories and came to the human trafficker’s house. If you contact Maihime, she should know. Or even Mayuzumi-san.” His voice was hollow.

Maihime was the target of his revenge. If I were to contact her, it would interfere with his plans. The fact that he didn’t even consider such a simple thing suggested considerable discomposure.

My grip on the phone tightened. “Yusuke… What happened?”

“There’s a kid there… But I’m alone… Please help them.” His voice was wet with tears, and he sounded like he was in pain. “I can’t do it alone.”

The call abruptly ended. I removed the phone from my ear and bolted into the mansion, away from the cold of winter. Maihime and Hishigami were in the summer garden, but Kugutsu was nowhere to be seen.

“Maihime-san! Do you know where the human trafficker’s house is?” I asked. “The man you sold your sister to.”

“…What?”

Maihime turned to me, puzzled. She had finished treating Hishigami and was wrapping his arm with bandages, which were probably just a prop to keep him mentally stable. He was sitting quietly in a chair.

“Is there a need for me to answer that question?” she said. “Because I don’t see it.”

“I have to go there. I got a call. He asked me to save someone from there. I have to go!”

I didn’t know what had happened, but even though Yusuke was severely broken, he still reached out to me. I had to meet his expectations. I couldn’t let him down.

“You’re going to a stranger’s place because someone asked you to? Your actions are quite baffling. Curious, even. Who asked you to do such a thing?”

Maihime regarded me with drowsy eyes. She wasn’t eager to share the human trafficker’s whereabouts. I clenched my fist, swallowing the raging emotions swirling in my chest once more.

Then, I spoke his name. “Saga Yusuke.”

Maihime’s eyes widened slightly. She seemed unusually shaken.

“Is he…”

“Yes, the boy who wants to kill you.”

My throat tightened, and I paused. Maihime looked at me gravely. I remembered Yusuke’s smile.

Taking a deep breath, I added, “The boy who loved Hirugao.”

Loved her genuinely like family.