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V8 Story III – Part 03

“Ugh…”

Bile rose to my throat. The baby inside me whimpered. Struggling to compose myself, I spat out the stomach acid that had accumulated in my mouth. I diverted my attention away from the scribbles that came to mind. The child wasn’t in this room. There was nothing more to see here.

I had to keep searching until I found the child. I left the bedroom and continued down the corridor. I found a common bathroom, a washroom, and a dry kitchen—nothing out of the ordinary. I stroked my chest in relief, but there was still no sign of the child.

Where could they be? I decided to return to the entrance.

As I returned to the corridor, just before reaching the bedroom, I abruptly stopped.

I sensed a presence in the room with the blue sheets that wasn’t there before. I cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. Someone was there. Familiar figures, one in black, the other in white.

Mayuzumi and Maihime were sitting on the bed, appearing like twin sisters.

Apparently, the bed served as a substitute for chairs. I gaped at them. Mayuzumi nibbled on chocolate, while Maihime gently stroked Kugutsu’s head.

The sight of the chocolate breaking apart triggered an unreasonable loathing in me.

I stepped forward. “Mayu-san, could you at least not eat chocolate here?”

“Oh? You appear out of nowhere, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is an unreasonable demand. Tell me—if not here, where else am I supposed to eat?” Mayuzumi answered calmly.

She wasn’t paying attention to the scribbles on the wall. Even if she knew about them, she probably wouldn’t care.

“Anywhere but here,” I pressed on. “Did you see the scribbles on the wall?”

“If you mean those, then yes, I did see them. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Isn’t this bedroom the most peaceful area in this entire house?”

“…What?” It was an unexpected response.

Mayuzumi looked up at me with clear eyes. She took another bite of the chocolate, and a hint of liquor moistened her small lips.

“You haven’t been to the left passage, have you?” she said softly and coldly.

My eyes fell on Kugutsu. Something was wrong with him. He was trembling.

“It’s all right, Kugutsu. You’re mine now. There’s nothing to be scared of. It’s fine. No one will take you away from me. Stay strong, okay?” Maihime said melodiously.

Kugutsu did not lift his head, keeping his face buried in Maihime’s lap. It was unusual to see him so scared. In the past, Mayuzumi Chihana conditioned him to think of himself as a dog.

Something connected to his trauma lay down the left passage. My stomach ached. I didn’t want to see anything else. I just wanted to get out of here.

“The front door is locked. It’s a good thing there’s no escape route, isn’t it?”

She was right. And I greatly appreciated it. I had to fulfill Yusuke’s request. Running away was not an option. I gave a nod.

I refrained from calling out to Kugutsu. He might just end up being more disorientated. I left the bedroom without a word and returned to the corridor. I passed by the empty entrance.

Clutching my aching stomach, I ventured down the left passage.

I steeled myself as I opened the plain door.

---

When I flicked on the switch, the wooden corridor I was expecting to see was nowhere to be found.

Before me stretched a hard and narrow concrete passage. The low ceiling bore down on me, designed to cause distress on whoever was passing through it.

It felt as if the temperature dropped a few degrees, but sweat beaded on my forehead. Heaven and hell. My instinct screamed at me to turn back the way I came from. But I forced my legs forward.

Evenly-spaced iron doors lined the corridor. Glancing at an open door, I furrowed my brows. The lock had been destroyed, bringing to mind the chains embedded in the walls.

What happened here? Warily, I peered inside the room. There was an uncovered toiled bowl and a bed equipped with restraints. The mattress was hard, with no pillows in sight. Severed chains dangled from the ceiling.

It felt like a prison. My mind struggled to fully comprehend it, and I found myself strangely unaffected. The scene before me seemed like a movie set, disconnected from reality.

A sour odor teased my nose, but the cold air lacked the rawness of a true stench.

No children were in sight. I shut the door and moved on to the next room. As I opened it, the purpose of the chains became clear.

At the end of those dangling chains were collars. One of the collars blocking the entrance seemed to have been brought from the adjacent room, along with its chain.

The original chains were adjustable in length. When adjusted to the shortest, the restrained person couldn’t even sit. The purpose behind it was vile. Biting my lip, I moved on to the next room.

All the interiors had the same design. Except for two rooms, the chains and collars were all twisted apart.

After checking the rooms, I ventured to a slightly farther section. I opened a larger door.

Screech.

In the darkness were four massive cages stacked atop each other. They were clearly not meant for animals. I bent down and peered inside one. As I reached out my hand towards the edge of the floor, something tangled around my fingertips.

Long, black hair. I closed my eyes and discarded it onto the floor.

This was still within the scope of my expectations. Though my stomach throbbed with a dull ache, my resolve remained intact. I was calm.

Having confirmed that all the cages were empty, I returned to the corridor and opened the large door on the opposite side.

It was a storage room. All the steel shelves had collapsed. The chains used to hang the trafficker were likely taken from here and the prisons. Chains that were too short were twisted and fastened to another chain.

The child wasn’t here either.

Leaving the storage room, I proceeded down the corridor. At the very end stood a conspicuous door.

A bronze-colored door adorned with religious motifs. I recognized the design from somewhere. It was a significantly simplified version of Rodin’s Gates of Hell. A perverse choice for an imitation.

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

I let out a sigh at the absurdity of it all. Placing my hand on the door, I peeked inside. My breath caught in my throat.

A chandelier illuminated the ceiling. The floor was covered with a plush carpet, and the sofas were draped in luxurious fur. The space was furnished with Western style furniture. A phonograph sat with a record, stopped mid-play. The opulence felt like a tasteless joke. The room’s stark contrast with the prison reinforced the notion of heaven and hell.

I looked around, and my gaze settled on the left-hand wall. A massive glass case was displayed instead of paintings.

Inside were various tools, ranging from those with evident purposes to things unimaginable for human use. I did not want to think how the knives and saws were used. A cold sweat trickled down my spine.

After buying someone, there were limited places to fully enjoy the merchandise. Some might even desire immediate consumption after a purchase, and this room was designed for that purpose. I felt my belly tear, and there came a cry.

Papa? Does it hurt?

“…Are you there?”

Gently stroking my stomach, I called out into the void. But no reply came. They might be hiding somewhere. I now understood why Yusuke couldn’t save them.

He had no idea how. In an environment like this, trusting anyone was impossible.

“If you’re here, won’t you please come out? I won’t do anything. I promise.” My voice echoed helplessly.

I crossed the room and opened the door, revealing a canopied bed. Tools were also displayed in the distasteful bedroom. I kicked away the light fixture and opened the next door.

Inside was a spacious bathroom. A lavishly decorated ceramic bathtub caught my eye. Intricate mosaic tiles adorned the floor, but the pattern was abruptly interrupted. A glass-fitted space took up half of the bathroom.

I froze, watching the bizarre scene. “…What?”