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V8 Story III – Part 07

The ring sealing the door had come loose. I stumbled outside.

Stars twinkled in the clear night sky. The spectacle high above was dazzling and pure. Cold air burned my cheeks, but with each breath, the stench of decay poured into my throat.

I spoke to the corpse. “Look. We’re outside. You finally made it out.”

I gently rocked the girl’s body. Then, I suddenly realized something. The body was empty. There was nothing left inside the corpse. From the moment I stepped outside or even before that, her existence had disappeared.

I smiled. She wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Yes.

“I see… Goodnight… it’s over now,” I murmured softly, and gently.

And then the dam broke.

Thud.

The body slipped from my arms. I couldn’t hold onto her any longer and fell to my knees.

I screamed, a scream that came from the pit of my stomach. I poured out the rage, sorrow, the frustration at the absurdity of it all.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccckkk!”

I never wanted to do something like this. Everything was too late. Telling the dead that they were dead—what good would it do? She couldn’t leave this place alive. That fact wouldn’t change.

To call this salvation was simply ridiculous. I hated Yusuke.

I could see it. This was something he, burdened with the death of Hirugao, couldn’t do. But to assume that I could do it was far too cruel. I bawled my eyes out like a child, screaming with anger, even as I felt my stomach about to split open.

“Sir… What is happening?” A voice suddenly came from behind.

I looked back and saw Kugutsu staring at me in bewilderment. Maihime and Mayuzumi were behind him. They had come out after hearing all the noise. Kugutsu looked down at my feet, sniffing slightly.

“Is… Is the child you’re looking for dead?”

I didn’t answer his question.

Kugutsu quickly lowered his head. “So you found her on your own. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.” He kept her gaze down with a wounded look.

I shook my head. I couldn’t fault him for anything. Still, the words flowed out of my mouth.

“It was too late. Look at this girl. It was her soul that sealed the door. And now she’s gone… Why couldn’t she live?”

There was no point in telling him. I knew that. But I couldn’t hold it in.

I ruffled my hair. “She couldn’t leave this place alive,” I spat bitterly. “How could anyone call this salvation?”

My voice was filled with tears. Kugutsu didn’t respond. His face was tense.

Kugutsu chewed his lips. He hesitated before speaking again. “There are many things beyond saving in this world, sir. But this person—Yusuke, was it?—asked you to save someone who was beyond help. Though she couldn’t leave alive, I believe that you were able to save her.”

I clenched my fist. I didn’t need empty words of consolation. How could he say all that like he was so sure? Where was the salvation in all this?

“Are you blind?! Which part of this is salvation? Huh?!”

“Someone who’s been trapped in a nightmare for so long was able to get out!” he roared.

My ears went numb. I raised my face. Kugutsu gritted his teeth, looking at me. He took a deep breath, as if preparing to scream again. But suddenly, he continued in a calm tone.

“It is salvation for them.” His eyes were grave.

In that moment, I felt like I understood why Kugutsu adored Maihime so much. He was saved from a nightmare that was his past.

I mulled over Kugutsu’s words. He said that for someone who had been trapped in a nightmare for so long, being able to step outside was salvation.

Yusuke also called this outcome salvation. I suddenly wondered if he, too, might want to escape from the nightmare. He was seized by the death of someone close to him.

And just now, Kugutsu…

“Kugutsu, did you…”

He said someone. Someone who had been trapped in a nightmare. And it was likely that he was referring to himself too when he said those words.

“What a beautiful scene.” A cool voice sounded. “Truly wonderful.”

Maihime was standing beside us. Her white hair fluttered in the wind, and she wore her usual inscrutable smile.

“…Are you mocking us?” I hissed.

“I would never. I’m someone who’s easily misunderstood. Though it might not look it, more often than not, I genuinely mean what I say. I do find this wonderful, and…” Smiling softly, Maihime reached into her basket.

I frowned. She did not carry her things around, so why did she have a basket?

Maihime withdrew her right hand, answering my question. “Sorry for ruining the mood, but you will do what I say. Kugutsu, Mr. Odagiri, please don’t move.” She stood tall and proud.

And then, Maihime pointed the gun at us.

An incomprehensible scene unfolded before my eyes. I gaped at the gun’s muzzle.

Maihime was smiling as she pointed it toward us.

“Princess, what are you doing?”

“Don’t move, Kugutsu. Hmm, Mr. Odagiri, you seem like a nice person, so is this one better?” Maihime pressed the gun against her own temple.

I was slow to respond to her unexpected behavior.

Kugutsu trembled all over. “P-Please stop, Princess. Please lower the gun,” he pleaded. “If you’re going to shoot someone, shoot me.”

“No, Kugutsu. I have no intention of shooting you. If you don’t want me to die, give me the car key. And take Mr. Odagiri’s phone.”

“Oh, what’s this? One of those is actually mine, you know,” said a voice filled with disbelief.

Mayuzumi was twirling her parasol near the entrance. Kugutsu snatched my cellphone from my suit. The one I borrowed from Nanami had a crack on it. He tried to rush towards Maihime, but she shook her head with a smile.

“Don’t come any closer, Kugutsu. Toss them to me. And, Odagiri-san, don’t move either.”

She picked up the two cellphones and the car key. All the while, the muzzle remained embedded in her white hair. Neither Kugutsu nor I could move.

Mayuzumi shrugged her shoulders wearily. “Making threats by using yourself as a hostage, huh? It wouldn’t work with anyone other than these two.”

“I think so, too. It’s both amusing and foolish. But if it works, that’s all that matters,” Maihime said sweetly.

Kugutsu, in his confusion, raised his voice. “P-Princess, you know I would do anything you asked even without resorting to this. So why?”

In his bafflement, he posed an odd question. But it was something that even I found strange. If Maihime gave him an order, Kugutsu would do anything.

“Yes, but this time it’s different,” Maihime answered. “You will wait here, Kugutsu. Don’t follow me. Like I’ve mentioned before, I can drive. Before I met you, I drove by myself. Surprising, isn’t it? Quite fascinating.” Her tone was playful.

“Even if you lose me, Kugutsu, you can keep on living,” she continued melodiously. “People can live even after losing someone. As for Hishigami, please give him his prosthetic arm at the very least. There should be a compatible one in storage. When we left him, his spirit was significantly broken. Let’s hope he doesn’t kill himself.”

Her clear voice sent a shiver down my spine. What on earth was she saying?

Her words sounded almost like a dying wish.

“I couldn’t bear a child. That’s my only regret. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Princess… what are you…” Color drained from Kugutsu’s face.

Maihime put on a gentle, affectionate smile. Then, her face tightened, and she stood with her head raised high.

“As long as there’s someone holding a grudge against me, I have an obligation to respond. When I saw the human trafficker’s body, I understood his determination. In that case, I should comply. My pride does not allow me to run or hide. I will stick to my principles. Well, then. Farewell, everyone.”

Maihime bowed gracefully. She wore a gorgeous smile as she pressed the gun against her chest.

“I, Karakuri Maihime, am going to meet my demise.”

She sprinted away. The door closed, and the car rapidly accelerated.

And she disappeared from our sight.