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V9 Story II – Part 03

The voice echoed through the mansion, its eerie sound filling every corner of the house, seeping out through the gaps.

I looked at the shoji screen that the dog had passed through earlier and glimpsed a plump figure through the small opening.

Maybe it was searching for food. The dog was crawling pitifully around the tatami mats. Then it disappeared behind the shoji screen. I followed the unusually long rope extending from its neck.

As I examined the rope more closely, I noticed it stretched from the gap in the shoji screen to the outside. It snaked across the snowy ground, but left no visible marks on the white field.

The dog walked around the room, but cast no shadows on the shoji screen.

I closed my eyes. A hunch gradually turned into a certainty.

Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh…

The raving dog had no real effect on reality. It was a lifeless creature, a monstrosity born of the supernatural.

The animal’s form and the rope appeared blurry to my eyes, and Shirayuki couldn’t even hear its voice. But Yusuke’s fear of it was undeniable. This might not be a supernatural phenomenon visible to just anyone.

Although somewhat blurry, I could see it. I must know something about this animal.

I thought of the dog that Asako had beaten to death and the dog Yusuke had torn open. In the chaotic dream that the child devoured, I had seen the dog being savagely killed.

Now the dog’s skull was displayed in Yusuke’s room. He had ripped the dog’s belly open, split its stomach, and took out his father’s ear.

Perhaps its lingering grudge had taken a sinister form over time. I stared at the supernatural creature and moved closer.

The vague shadow drew nearer. I squinted, trying to make sense of its true nature.

The figure scuttled about, seemingly agitated about something. Then it peered through the gap. With its stubby limbs, it leaped into the snow.

The creature’s eyes locked onto me. In an instant, its form became distinct.

Human eyes met mine, and its thick lips parted. Swollen, discolored tongue jutted out, and eyeballs bulged. Its loose cheeks expanded even further, quivering. The ear that the dog bit off was missing. A long, straw rope was embedded in its throat.

It slobbered, its crushed throat quivering as it let out a strangely joyful cry.

I knew. The other end of the rope likely led to the pine tree.

Yusuke’s father, Yujirou, had hanged himself from that very tree.

“…I can’t believe it,” I muttered.

Yusuke would definitely not want to be killed by this man. Before me was the manifestation of Yujirou, who had hanged himself, transformed into a supernatural entity.

---

Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh.

Yujirou’s face twitched, forming a smile. His red, swollen face contorted grotesquely.

The corpse’s face had undergone a dreadful transformation. I found it strange that I could tell it was smiling.

Yujirou gazed at me with a delighted look. There was no reason or intellect in his expression. This Yujirou was not the man he once was; he had lost any semblance of humanity. He reminded me of not even a dog, but more like an ant.

He had become a creature that acted purely on instinct.

Yujirou bounded forward joyfully. His appearance was likely what he looked like on the verge of death: a disheveled kimono, excrement-stained feet, scratch marks on his throat, and nails clogged with flesh. His bulging eyeballs glistened with tears. I fought the urge to throw up.

Deep inside me, the baby stirred.

Hehe… Hehehe…

A voice that took amusement in the situation snapped me out of it. I turned on my heel and hurried back to the annex. Uka ate anything, likely even malevolent spirits. But I had to avoid using her too much. The only option was to run.

“Oooh, ouf!”

An excited grunt came from behind me. The rope trailing into the garden writhed. I couldn’t hear his footsteps, but Yujirou was undoubtedly chasing me. My injured leg wasn’t cooperating to increase my speed.

I forced my feverish legs to move forward. In the next instant, something grazed my ankle.

It was not the sensation of flesh but a chilling prick, like a needle. My strength drained away. I looked down to see Yujirou’s fingers clinging to my ankle. His slack face looked up at me, seemingly delighted.

I had promised Shirayuki I would call for help. I couldn’t break that promise. But did I want to show her this grotesque form of a man? Just the thought of it made my throat tighten.

As I gazed down at that horrific face, I tried to call for Uka, when something unexpected occurred.

The sky and the ground switched places.

“What the…?”

Suddenly, I was in the air, then fell back down, but instead of crashing to the ground, something caught me. I could feel pulsating muscles and firm fur under my belly.

Gwwrrroooaaahhh!

A mighty roar shook the air. My eyes opened wide.

A gray tiger was beneath me. I could smell pure ink.

“…Shirayuki-san?”

Confused, I looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.

There was only the tiger that she had created, carrying me on its back. She must have sent it to help because she was worried. I ran my hand along its back. The fur, created with ink, had a fleeting but authentic softness characteristic of a real animal. And I came to a realization.

This was what it meant to not be alone.

Even though Shirayuki wasn’t physically present, she was undoubtedly right there with me.

Rrrwwwwaaaahhh!

The tiger roared once more and swung its powerful front paws. For a brief moment, Yujirou’s grinning face wobbled. The vicious strike passed through his hideous countenance. He had no corporeal form, no flesh to cut through.

The tiger growled warily. Lowering its head, it began to slowly retreat. In the next instant, it twisted and turned. Like a gust of wind, the tiger bounded away. Snow scattered in every direction as it dashed at an unimaginable speed towards the annex, putting considerable distance between the man.

Feeling the cold wind on my face, I looked over my shoulder.

All that was left behind was a dead man crawling on the snowy ground, howling like a dog.

---

The tiger slowed down as it neared the annex and stopped abruptly in the snow.

It gave a soft growl and lowered its head, shaking its head as if telling me to dismount.

I climbed down from the tiger and noticed the snow beneath its feet was black and wet.

Turning around, I saw strange marks on the ground, like bloodstains. The tiger’s paws had entirely melted away. I gently stroked its head, and it purred like a cat, then closed its eyes.

Lying on its belly, the tiger rested its head on its paws, as still as a statue. Its belly, which touched the snow, gradually dissolved and returned into ink.

I thanked the tiger and began walking, dragging my aching leg towards the annex.

In the distance, a dog’s cry echoed. The man was no longer following me.

Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh.

The howling continued, beckoning. The dog crawled around the garden, wandering through the place it was familiar with during its lifetime. The annex was likely neglected because of this creature.

A dark shape squirmed in the distance. The figure holding the rope seemed elated. He strolled around his own property. The sight made me feel an indescribable sense of solitude.

The dog, tethered to the pine tree, continued crawling around.

No one came to pick up the man who hanged himself. Ayane and the other mansion residents had likely fled. He was the only one left, writhing in bitterness, with no one to mourn for him.

Then it hit me. “I see.”

I hobbled back to the annex.