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V9 Story I – Part 06

“Stop, Uka! Don’t eat that person!” I yelled, stopping Uka in her tracks.

She pouted but reluctantly turned back. As I turned my gaze, Shirayuki landed, her wooden clogs sending screws and gears flying. Large black eyes regarded me. With wide eyes, she rushed towards me and knelt down without even using her fan to say anything. Frowning, she touched the metal dog with her slender fingers.

“Shirayuki-san, what are you doing here?”

She didn’t answer. She examined the dog’s teeth silently.

I wondered if I might be dreaming or hallucinating in my confusion. After she finished her inspection, she gently removed the dog’s jaw. The pain felt dull. She looked around and tore a curtain to bandage my wounds and stop the bleeding.

She cleared away the screws on the floor with her foot, and pursing her lips, she ran her brush along the floor.

Tiger.

Ink spread like shadow puppetry, taking the shape of a tiger. Patterns were etched across its entire body. A powerful beast sprang to life in the real world, floating briefly, before its limbs pounded on the floor.

Shirayuki tried to lift me, but when she touched my shoulder, she looked bewildered.

“Shirayuki-san, my shoulders are dislocated… Ah!”

Without warning, she pushed my arm back in, and I yelped from the excruciating pain. This definitely wasn’t a dream. After fixing my left arm just as mercilessly, Shirayuki attempted to lift me again, but I stopped her. If she was real, I needed to ask her something.

“Please wait, Shirayuki-san. Could you draw a hawk with my blood?”

Shirayuki tilted her head in puzzlement. She pointed at my wound, about to say something. But I shook my head. I communicated my intent to her once more. With a furrowed brow, she nodded.

Hawk.

Wings extended from the floor like a fish’s dorsal fin. A red hawk flapped its wings. With each wingbeat, its body rose into the air. The hawk flew toward the window. A bird created with human blood was still a bird, though not entirely. The red hawk soared through the night at an extraordinary speed.

Shirayuki lifted me up once more, gently placing me on the back of the tiger while tending to my wounds.

The tiger shook its head and roared. The scent of ink wafted from beneath. When Shirayuki attempted to join, Uka jumped onto my back, causing me intense pain. She clung to me peevishly.

I looked up to see a troubled look on Shirayuki’s face. I shook my head.

“It’s fine, Shirayuki-san. There’s no need to worry about Uka.”

After some hesitation, Shirayuki nodded and pushed the tiger forward.

The beast sprinted away, leaping in a single bound, and like the wind, it plunged into the night through the window. The chilly night air brushed my cheeks. I could feel the warmth of blood pooling in my stomach as I was carried away. The silhouette of a beast fell in beside me.

I glanced over to see Shirayuki elegantly gazing ahead. Two tigers raced through the empty road. It was like a fairy tale, completely disconnected from reality.

Tears spilled down my cheeks. She looked at me and smiled, a reassuring smile that said everything would be all right.

If this was a dream, it was a beautiful one.

Upon reaching the hospital, I saw a red parasol in the night. A familiar figure was walking on the entrance ramp. Mayuzumi Azaka smiled gently upon seeing me.

“Hey, welcome back. You made it before I returned.”

She was on her way home. A driver was waiting with her luggage.

The tiger leaped powerfully. As they passed by each other, Shirayuki picked up Mayuzumi and carried her onto the tiger, leaving the red parasol behind. It all happened in an instant.

I could only watch in shock as the tiger dashed past the gaping driver, quickly breaking through the automatic doors without losing speed, then racing up to the second floor. They entered a private room, and the tiger sat down. It growled contentedly.

“Your methods are quite high-handed, clan head.”

Mayuzumi sighed as she got off the tiger. Shirayuki swiftly opened her fan. I observed their exchange absently. The driver outside, finally coming to his senses, was shouting.

Uka, out of boredom, pressed her nose to my cheek.

“Papa. Papa.”

The scent of blood and amniotic fluid filled the air. As I patted her head, my consciousness began to fade.

The thread holding me together had snapped. Usually, my body would have reached its limits right the moment the child came out. As my vision darkened, Mayuzumi turned to me and reached for my belly with her milky hand. Her lovely fingers dug into my wound.

Then, my consciousness faded away.

I saw a scene that felt like a dream. A red hawk soared through the sky. It tore through heavy clouds, rising into the night.

Beyond the ridge, the morning sun spilled over the horizon. The gray ground was covered with snow.

I was in a state of pure observation, with no physical form. I could only watch the bird with a sense of longing. The scarlet woman next to me laughed and spoke with her alluring voice.

“Wishing for peace for those around you. At least, the people you care about should be happy.”

“Do you know, I wonder?”

“Something so simple.”

The woman’s smile then faded, and I was expelled from the border between dream and reality.

I opened my eyes and found Mayuzumi gazing at me from my bedside, nibbling on chocolate. Black lilies adorned her hair, and her dress resembled mourning attire against her pale skin.

Snap.

Sweet crumbs fell onto my face. I saw the same thing when I woke up earlier. It felt like everything had been a dream, but my body ached in more places now.

Bandages were wrapped around my legs, and an IV line extended from my arm. My shoulders, though swathed in wet compress, were not bound. My whole body had undergone further treatment.

It felt like I had gone back a few hours, and much had changed. I took a deep breath.

“Mayu-san, where’s Shirayuki-san?”

“Instead of asking me, you should look to the side.”

I turned my gaze to the edge of the bed, and my breath seized.

Shirayuki was sleeping with her face buried in my bed, holding my palm with her left hand. Her right hand gripped Mayuzumi’s arm.

Mayuzumi shrugged incredulously. “After you disappeared, she suddenly arrived at the hospital for a visit. Apparently, Yukihito-kun received a message from Aya-kun that something was wrong with you. Worried, she went to the home of the Mayuzumi clan and found out about this place. When did those two even exchange contact information?” she said grumpily, munching on chocolate.

The dog’s head shattered, and she let out a sweet breath.

“When she found out you were missing, the clan head rushed around the hospital. She comforted the terrified nurse, then learned what happened from her. She also talked to the driver and found out where the Karakuri’s house was located. It turns out the Minase clan and the Karakuri clan have a close relationship. Her older brother was interested in living dolls for a while. She then brought you back safely. Which brings us here.”

Frowning, Mayuzumi raised her left arm, and Shirayuki’s right hand also went up. Even in her sleep, Shirayuki hadn’t let go of Mayuzumi’s arm.

“She’s worried about your belly, so she wanted both of us to stay. I would appreciate it if you stopped dragging me into your mess. You willingly went to see a dog, and a rabid one at that. It wasn’t a surprise you disappeared.”

Mayuzumi seemed aware of my disappearance and did nothing. I didn’t feel angry, though. I was careless. But there was one thing I couldn’t accept.

“Kugutsu is not a dog, Mayu-san. He’s human. He just hasn’t realized it yet.”

“That’s true, he’s human. But he’s also a dog. People can call themselves whatever they like. If they’ve bitten others and crawled in the dirt, then they’re a dog. It’s actually quite easy to stop being human. Like the fox, and the cat.”

Mayuzumi sneered. Her disgusting smile was almost captivating.

Suddenly, a hint of red flickered at the edge of my vision, an impossible color mixed with the pale blue sky.

A hawk landed from the open window, and I stretched my arm out. Crimson rested on the hawk’s talon. It flapped its wings, creating a rust-tinged breeze.

Mayuzumi flashed a graceful smile. “I understand now. That’s why you kept mumbling about keeping the window open. The clan head’s abilities never cease to amaze.”

I leaned in closer to the hawk, pressing my lips to its head. I then opened my mouth and crushed its head in one bite.

The hawk shattered, turning back into blood that soaked the bed crimson. I drank the blood that entered my mouth.

Uka’s mouth moved inside my stomach. Simultaneously, something else overlapped with my field of vision.

It was the scene the hawk had witnessed, experiences gained through my blood. A snow-covered mansion, an open gate, an abandoned car.

The hawk verified Yusuke’s family home and started circling. With enough information, I opened my eyes.

“I found him.”

As I tried to stand, I stopped. I gently released my hand from Shirayuki’s grip. I lowered my head to express my gratitude, removed the IV needle, and got down on the floor.

My legs throbbed with pain, but as long as I could walk, it didn’t seem like a problem. I took a suit and a pair of shoes from the shelf, changed into the blood-soaked clothes, and hurried out of the room.

The dark corridor was illuminated by the morning light streaming through the window.

Dragging my legs, I quickly made my way down the corridor.