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V8 Story III – Part 01

After that incident, I came across many broken people.

This world is so harsh, and life is incredibly difficult.

As proof, twisted events keep happening here, and the broken people shattered even further. I willingly got involved with them, each time accumulating feelings of resignation within me.

I am just like them. I’m a person who clings to life even after taking others’ lives. From the moment I first met the fox, or perhaps even before that, I had deviated from the path of a normal human.

Like them, I, too, will eventually shatter even more than I am now.

There’s no way I can return to a normal life. I was not allowed to have hope. I’ve been merely trying to get through my broken world.

Yet, somehow, I found a place where I belong.

This world is so harsh, and life is incredibly difficult.

Just living is a struggle.

But even so, there were people in this world who lived earnestly. Kind and awkward individuals.

Before I knew it, I had regained some semblance of a normal life with the people I’m involved with. It was far from peaceful, but it was somewhat enjoyable.

As someone who had killed others, I believed that I should never have been able to connect with anyone.

And yet, I found myself starting to feel joy in being with someone once more.

That was perhaps my biggest blunder of all.

---

From Hishigami’s atelier, we drove for several hours. The human trafficking house lay deep in the mountains, tucked away like the Ugoshi clan’s eerie home. There was no gate along the road that led up the mountain, but people wouldn’t come here unless they had a reason to. The location had been cut off from society to hide their illicit activities.

The remote setting ensured minimal risk of being discovered, making it a perfect place for conducting their vile business.

My own thoughts made me sick. I stepped out of the car and lit a cigarette.

Above, the snow clouds gave way to a clear night sky dotted with stars. No snow, fortunately. I checked to ensure my palpitations had subsided before snuffing out the cigarette in a portable ashtray. My eyes fixed on the building before me.

The structure, all-black and flat, had a central section, where the entrance was, and two L-shaped wings on both sides, each area self-dependent. Only the central part had lights on, and I could glimpse the interior through the open door, with its wood accents and rounded edges on the stairs and pillars, creating a warm and stress-relieving atmosphere. Strangely, it reminded me of a nursery or daycare, a place meant for children.

Combining it with the words “human trafficking” was nothing short of horrific.

“Negotiations for sales often drag on,” Mayuzumi said. “Your impression isn’t far off. In fact, this place is meant to look after children. Real children with supernatural abilities sometimes take ambiguous forms, like humans or beasts. Those are already valued pretty high, while the others need some adjustments.”

I wished she stopped reading my thoughts. I turned away, attempting to ignore her.

Maihime, holding a basket, closed the car door. She tilted her head, having seemingly heard our conversation.

“Oh, so you know about it, too,” she said. “That’s surprising. Everyone in the Mayuzumi clan except one person is not an esper. You don’t have anyone you could offer for sale, do you? Except for Mr. Mayuzumi Asato, of course.”

“That’s right. The fox’s ability is far too dangerous and unique for him to be sold. But I’ve heard rumors.”

Crack.

Mayuzumi bit into a piece of chocolate, crushing the delicate candy shaped into chains.

“Due to aging, they now carefully select high-value children who can fetch high prices. Kids like Hirugao-kun, simply born from a clan of espers but with no abilities, have lower value. They need to add value to them somehow, like training them to obey orders. And that’s exhausting. Not worth the effort.”

“Mayu-san,” I hissed.

She looked at me and gave a small shrug. She took another bite of the chocolate, finishing the chain.

“Now, then. Who does Yusuke want to help and how?” she said in a singsong voice. “And what am I doing here? Care to explain, Odagiri-kun?”

“If you want to go home, just ask the Mayuzumi clan to send a car for you. It’ll take some time, though. I don’t know what happened, so I need your assistance.”

She was visibly displeased, but I had decided I would get her involved.

At Hishigami’s atelier, Maihime volunteered to guide us to the human trafficker’s house, despite the possibility of bumping into Yusuke. I tried to dissuade her, but she was stubborn. Maihime borrowed the key from Hishigami and had Kugutsu drive the car. Ultimately, I yielded, pushing the hesitant Mayuzumi into the car with us.

“I can drive,” Maihime had said. “I drove myself around until Kugutsu came. Leaving me behind is pointless. I will definitely follow you. I’m surprisingly tenacious, you see.”

I couldn’t fathom what had piqued her curiosity so intensely.

Mayuzumi gazed up at me with her cat-like eyes, suddenly breaking into a smile. “Oh well, whatever. I’m also curious about what he said. It should help stave off my boredom.”

“Please refrain from saying ominous things.”

I hoped to avoid making this a source of her amusement. A quizzical look appeared on Mayuzumi’s face. My guts stirred. Before I could ask her what was wrong, a different voice chimed in.

“Human trafficking. That sounds anything but good. It sends shivers down my spine.”

I turned to find Kugutsu, who had stepped out of the car, staring at the building. His feet were dirty from dissecting Hishigami Akira’s body with an axe. He glanced at each of us in turn.

Maihime smiled. “Now that we’re all here, shall we go in? It’s cold out here.”

Her hair tossed as she started walking toward the entrance. She was so proactive, I had to wonder what was on her mind. Trees rustled in the distance.

As we passed through the door, I thought I heard the faint voice of a child.

You’re finally here.

---

The building’s interior lay engulfed in an eerie silence. The lights were on, but there was no soul in sight.

Dust had settled on the stairs leading to the entrance, and a pair of imposing doors stood in line at the back of the spacious area. Passageways on the left and right led to simple doors connecting to the wings of the house. Looking around, Kugutsu growled low, on high alert.

“Weird. It’s too quiet,” he said. “Princess, please stay close to me.”

“I know. You’re such a worrywart. It’s very odd,” Maihime replied. “I’m sure there’s nothing to fear here.” She smiled gently.

I studied the grand doors. Behind those ornate doors likely lay a space for negotiations or private use. The human trafficker must be in one of those rooms, and I needed to confront them.

Just as I took a step forward, Mayuzumi’s skeptical voice stopped me. “Odagiri-kun. Are you actually serious?”

I turned my gaze to her, and I was rendered speechless. She was regarding me like a madman.

An unfamiliar sense of dread gripped me. I couldn’t grasp the meaning behind her look. As I stared at her, a shocking revelation dawned on me. The entrance remained wide open behind her.

I had overlooked a crucial fact.

“Oh.”

Yusuke had contacted me from the human trafficking house. After gaining Hirugao’s memories, he came to the place of origin of her horrific past. And the reason was very simple.

His car was not in the parking lot, and the house was wrapped in silence. Why did I assume that the human trafficker was still alive?

I finally understood the reason behind Mayuzumi’s expression. I had been averting my eyes from the cruel truth.

It was too late to stop Yusuke from exacting vengeance.

“Sorry. I get it. I’m sorry.”

I turned away from Mayuzumi and started walking. I stopped behind a pillar jutting from the wall and struck it, feeling no pain. My mind grappled with the inescapable truth.

Yusuke contacted me after he had already killed someone. How could I be so naïve? Be happy that he asked me for help?

Closing my eyes, I placed a hand on my aching stomach. Though I was pleased that Yusuke still trusted people, there was no time to dwell on trivial matters.

He asked me for a favor. And the fact that I had to help remained unchanged.

I punched my forehead, then opened my eyes. There was blood on my leather glove. I had no recollection of getting hurt. I swallowed and looked to the side.

The wall hidden behind the pillar was stained red. A faint handprint left by someone.

“Yu… suke?”

I looked down in shock. There were small droplets of blood scattered on the floor. I darted away, following the trail of blood until I reached the heavy door on the left, then rammed it open.

Clang!

Chains were suspended like spider webs inside the room.

“…Huh?”

The sight that greeted me defied comprehension.

The lights were broken, plunging the room in darkness. The light from the corridor cast an eerie glow upon the chains, which were embedded in the walls, floor, ceiling. Feathers from a ravaged sofa were stained red. My gaze trailed up to the source of the muddy pool of blood.

In the center of those chains hung an elderly man, like an insect caught in a spider’s web or a twisted depiction of a religious painting.

The chains bound his frail limbs, holding his body up. His flesh was constricted, and his joints dislocated. Through a tear in his clothing, I glimpsed bluish-black skin. The fatal wound seemed to be on his head, where his skull had caved in, revealing something resembling a pomegranate. He was clearly dead.

It was likely Yusuke’s doing. He had killed the human trafficker.

Still I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The chains filling the room prevented entry. I couldn’t even touch the dead man.

Choking on the smell of iron, I muttered, “What the hell happened here?”

No one answered my question.