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V9 Story III – Part 04

I scanned my surroundings, but there was no trace of Maihime. It appeared that she, too, had been swallowed by the unfolding scene.

Everything crumbled, melted away, and vanished. But something remained.

“Huh? What’s happening? What is all this?”

Yusuke lay nearby, looking bewildered and disoriented.

“O-Odagiri-san? Where are we exactly? Why do I…”

Confusion was written all over Yusuke’s face. He seemed to have regained his senses. Forcefully, it seemed. A baseless speculation on my part.

Ignoring Yusuke for a moment, I turned my attention to my own arm. The cell phone had somehow transformed into a red line, coiled around my wrist, and extended into the unknown.

The radiant red was almost blinding. Eventually, someone walked along it.

“Sir? What’s going on?”

“Kugutsu? I don’t know. Where are we?”

As I tried to speak further, the cell phone cord snapped. The red line fell to the ground, squirming like a snake before abruptly stopping. It dissolved into the ground, disappearing into the darkness. From within it, a faint figure began to emerge.

Someone was lying in the center of where I, Yusuke, and Kugutsu were standing.

A beautiful woman lifted her head. She wore a luxurious kimono that brought to mind a prostitute, but her overall appearance was disheveled. She was without an obi belt, and her bare thighs were exposed.

The woman in the red fabric was nearly naked. She was clutching something against her chest.

Upon her recumbent form lay an object that appeared rather heavy.

It was a lump of flesh, covered in layers of fat and blood, attached to the woman’s body.

Upon closer examination, the shape of the flesh lump resembled that of a human. It appeared as though flesh had been molded into a doll in place of clay. The malformed mass had rudimentary arms but lacked legs.

They had been severed at their base. Blood was oozing from them.

I looked around. The world of lines had transformed into a space painted in crimson. It felt as though we had entered the interior of someone’s body. I was reminded of the walls of the spirit world.

The mass of flesh looked like it had been cut from there.

Suddenly, the woman sighed. She gazed at us with a smile.

“The cast is all here. Look at those miserable faces. You don’t need to be so shocked. I won’t eat you.”

Smiling gently, she stroked the flesh like a mother with her child. Her fingertips were stained with fat and blood. I stared at the flesh, entranced. It had a terribly distorted shape.

As I studied the incomplete shape, a question slowly emerged in my mind.

Why did the flesh lack legs?

“You probably already know the answer, Odagiri-kun,” the woman addressed me with familiarity. “I allowed an advance this time.”

An eerie chill ran down my spine. I looked at the severed part of the flesh’s leg. Red blood continued to drip.

It brought to mind Maihime’s severed legs.

“Since you said she had no legs, I gave this child’s legs. Now, no conditions were set, but I would still need them back. Look at this child. Don’t you feel sorry for them?”

Arching her glossy lips, the woman struck the puppet’s back. It seemed unlikely that the flesh possessed any sense of pain. In fact, with each blow, the flesh would squish and deform. She showed no affection to the lump of flesh. It looked like nothing more than a hastily crafted puppet, yet the woman asserted her rights as a matter of course.

She was demanding a replacement for the puppet’s legs.

“What is she saying? This person’s not making any sense to me,” Yusuke said.

“Legs, huh…” Kugutsu mumbled. “I think I get it. I wished for Lady Maihime to have legs. So there’s a price to pay. I think I might be losing my mind.”

“What? Huh? What are you talking about?”

Yusuke was baffled by Kugutsu’s words. His eyes widened, and he froze in place.

Casting him a sidelong glance, I began to grasp the situation. Maihime had obtained new legs at the expense of the woman’s mass of flesh. Normally, it was us who were supposed to provide the compensation, not the woman.

The woman wasn’t supposed to be a part of the deal; hence, she had the right to demand compensation. Kugutsu and I understood this as if it was hammered into our heads.

The woman let out a seductive chuckle and extended her blood-stained arms.

“After a careful selection, you three have gathered here. You all have a connection to the women who received new legs. I have a question for all of you.”

She licked her lips. Her gaze took in all three of us.

Then, the crimson woman posed her daring question.

“Whose legs shall I take?”

---

I pondered her words. She was asking whose legs to take.

In simpler terms, she wanted our legs as compensation.

As I understood her intentions, the fog that had clouded my mind lifted. But I wish it hadn’t. Fear gnawed at me like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.

What exactly was going on here? Confusion and panic gripped me, but my stomach didn’t hurt.

My gaze fell to my belly. Uka was strangely silent. It felt like my abdominal cavity had been emptied. My body seemed distant, as if my mind had detached from my physical self.

The sensation in my legs, however, remained vividly real. I slowly grasped that I was on the verge of losing them.

My mind was screaming warnings at me. I shouldn’t get involved in this. Sacrificing a part of my body was not a sensible choice.

I tore my gaze away from the woman. My legs trembled. Excuses filled my mind.

I had no intention of giving up my legs. The idea of losing both legs and being asked to continue living was ridiculous and unbearable. It was too great a burden. I didn’t want any part of it.

Why was I even chosen in the first place?

Kugutsu loved Maihime dearly. He was the one who made the wish for her new legs. And technically, it was Yusuke who had taken Maihime’s legs.

I was the only one without a direct connection to her. I was unrelated to this mess. I wanted to tell them that, but the words stuck in my throat. Confusion and panic tore at my chest. Suddenly, a surge of emotions swept over me, a mix of fear and disgust for the current situation and an urgent desire to escape the woman’s question.

But these emotions weren’t mine.

“Yusuke?”

“Wh-Why are you looking at me?”

The overpowering emotions emanated from Yusuke. The sensation of being flooded with someone else’s emotions was discombobulating, but then they abruptly stopped, replaced by a cold fury that pierced my chest like a needle.

Kugutsu glared at Yusuke with hollow and emotionless eyes. Overwhelmed, Yusuke took a step back. With their emotions laid bare, Kugutsu’s hatred of Yusuke intensified.

The female culprit observed the scene with a delighted smile. Her hand glided over the mass of flesh with the tenderness one might show a lover. All the while, her crimson lips remained curled up. It was clear; she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

She was studying our reactions like we were mice in a lab, and we were trapped with no means of escape. This place was under her control. Like experimental subjects, we had no choice but to confront the challenges she presented.

I studied the situation. One woman had lost her legs, a boy sought revenge on her, a man aimed to kill the boy, and me, trying to prevent them.

Who should sacrifice their legs?

A silent tension hung in the air. Kugutsu never took his eyes off Yusuke.

He showed no discomposure in response to the woman’s question. Not even distress. He merely observed Yusuke in silence, possibly weighing the option of tearing him apart depending on his reply.

Yusuke vehemently resisted the idea. However, a different emotion showed on his face. He was the one who took away Maihime’s legs. With his mind cleared, he seemed to be realizing the weight of his actions.

What do I do in this dire situation? How should I respond? I struggled to organize my thoughts. It felt like I was drowning.

I wished for a cigarette, but there was none to be had here.

Time passed, yet the situation remained unchanged. Fear radiated from Yusuke, and frustration emanated from Kugutsu. The crimson space turned into a crucible of emotions.

However, staying silent wouldn’t bring this to a conclusion. This woman likely had all the time in the world. Or she might just grow tired of observing us and take people’s legs without consent.

There was no escape. Kugutsu continued watching Yusuke, who was hanging his head low. Kugutsu clicked his tongue loudly.