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V9 Story IV – Part 09

The words came out but dissipated before they made a sound. The woman’s eyes widened. She was perplexed. However, I was the one most bewildered by my straight response.

I repeated myself, and she curiously asked, “You say such strange things. You’ve always cherished peace more than anyone else. You’ve gone so far as to sacrifice your left hand just to maintain a semblance of it. Yet, despite all that, you claim you don’t want to go back?”

Going back is impossible. The current me only exists here.

I went on in a dazed state, my gaze drifting to my left hand. It was gone, and there was no way to undo it.

I closed my eyes and envisioned a poignant scene from my recent memories: Shirayuki crying, Yusuke shouting, and Maihime embracing Kugutsu. It felt as if I had witnessed this scene centuries ago, even though it had only just happened.

The person who remembered all that was right here and nowhere else. There was no point in denying them.

Even if I could go back, it wouldn’t be me; it would be someone else.

People shed tears for me.

I’m sure they can live on.

And that’s enough for me.

I…

I paused, took a deep breath and exhaled.

I believe that happiness is something you must find for yourself.

When I opened my eyes and looked up at the woman, she was wearing a frown. She looked humiliated, like she was bit by her pet dog. It made no sense. There was no reason for her to react this way.

I act according to my own will. Suddenly, I felt a strong aversion towards her.

“If you wish, I can assist you.”

I had heard similar words before. She had helped me, but she did not provide me happiness. She would never save anything other than my life.

That’s why I’ve always been able to stay true to myself, and I didn’t want to lose that now.

I don’t need you.

The woman’s expression changed completely. Darkness shrouded her face.

For a moment, a terrifying visage emerged—a bare skull with fragments of flesh clinging to it, the remaining eyeballs in their sockets twitching. Her face, bathed in blood, bore an eerie semblance to a demon. However, she swiftly reverted to her beautiful self and offered a gentle smile.

I couldn’t help but wonder. Somehow, I was aware that this woman was an eternally beautiful being.

She wasn’t human and did not age. What did I just see?

The woman applied pressure with her hand, and the fingers enveloping my hand gradually bent.

My right hand remained untouched. However, fingers dug into the exposed flesh of my left hand.

“Very well. I will respect your wishes,” she said affectionately. “Live freely to your heart’s content, Odagiri-kun. I brought you all the way here, so I will give you a small parting gift.”

Squish.

A squelch echoed in the crimson world. The remaining fingers of my left hand were crushed.

The woman squeezed my wrist as if crushing a fruit. She clenched her fist tightly, then released my hand. Then, a red mass emerged from within. It danced and swirled as it filled my hand, as if it were supplementing the missing flesh with clay.

She whispered sweetly to me as I stared with wide eyes.

“Keep having those sweet dreams.”

My vision twisted like melting candy. The crimson world crumbled away.

My soul was lifted, bent, and twisted. Then, I was thrown away.

The world disintegrated completely, leaving no trace behind, and then…

I woke up.

---

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling.

My vision was oddly blurry. My entire body ached, like it was a lump of fire. I fought to keep my consciousness from slipping away, struggling to figure out where I was.

I locked eyes with Mayuzumi, who was by my bedside. She was nibbling on chocolate. Her hair was adorned with black lilies, and her dress, resembling mourning attire, accentuated her milky skin.

Small pieces of candy fell on my face with a familiar crunch, a scene eerily familiar, as if time had wound back. Was everything that happened until now just a dream?

I took a deep breath and asked, “Mayu-san, have I been dreaming all this time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But before you dive into nonsense, why don’t you look to your side?”

Following her instructions, I shifted my gaze to the edge of the bed, and my breath caught. Shirayuki, her face buried in her arms, was clutching my palm tightly with her left hand. Her cheeks were aglow.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in its brilliance. I gaped at the clear blue sky.

There was no trace of the nightmare I had witnessed. I heaved a deep sigh. Suddenly, I felt a firm grip of my other shoulder, and I nearly tumbled out of the bed.

“Odagiri-san!” A loud voice rocked my ears. “You’re awake!”

I looked to my side and saw Yusuke. He was staring at me with an anxious expression. I couldn’t give a proper response. My head throbbed. I winced, prompting Yusuke to release his grip.

“Ah, s-sorry. I forgot you were injured.”

He placed his hand on his knee. His red, swollen eyes indicated he had been crying nonstop. He rubbed them vigorously.

“I’m so glad you’re awake. Thank goodness.”

“Yusuke…”

I felt a tug on my arm. I turned around to find Shirayuki looking at me. She blinked several times, apparently not fully awake yet, but her fingers clung to my clothes tight. Soon, tears welled up in her large eyes.

“Shirayuki-san…”

As I called her name, she embraced me tightly and began to cry out loud just like when her brother died. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around her.

I held her tight. She smelled of ink. Through the warmth of her presence, I realized I had returned. I had come back to the place I so desperately wanted to return to.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I noticed a shadow behind. Maihime and Kugutsu were sitting in the corner of the room.

Maihime took Kugutsu’s hand and stood up. She stopped by the bedside.

“I’m deeply relieved that you’re safe. Aren’t you too, Kugutsu?”

Kugutsu said nothing, his lips drawn into a tight line. In his stead, Maihime bowed deeply. Her white hair gleamed beautifully.

Mayuzumi sighed and shrugged lightly. She bit another piece of chocolate. “After you collapsed, there was quite a commotion,” she grumbled. “Maihime managed to drive you back to the hospital, but the clan was searching the hospital. The restrained medical staff were exhausted and of no help. We had to bring in new personnel for an emergency operation. You should be grateful to the head for his swift actions. On the other hand, you should apologize to me for the effort I had to spend.”

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble,” I replied in a strained voice.

Mayuzumi merely snorted in response, nibbling on a chocolate shaped like a left hand.

Shirayuki had stopped crying and was now heaving with sobs. The people involved in the recent events were gathered in the room. I looked around at them and heaved a sigh of relief.

It appeared that everything was finally over. While grudges might not vanish completely, I doubted anyone would resolve to wanton violence. Shirayuki clung to me even more tightly.

As I rubbed her back, my breath caught in my throat. Why do I still have my left hand?

I fearfully released my arm and gently let Shirayuki go. She looked perplexed, and her gaze shifted to my arm. My left hand was wrapped in pure white bandages, as if it were encased in a cocoon.

With trembling fingers, I unraveled the bandages, and bizarre white flakes fell. My left hand emerged, its skin looking as fresh and vibrant as that of a newborn.

There wasn’t a single scar on my left hand, and my fingers moved freely. I held it up against the morning sun, marveling at it. What had just happened?

It felt as if a piece of some unfamiliar creature had been attached to my arm

“Mayu-san, why do I have my fingers? What happened to my injury?” I asked in a quivering voice.

Mayuzumi inclined her head as if my question were the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. “What are you talking about? There was never an injury on that hand in the first place, was there?”

That couldn’t be right. My left hand had been taken from me. Before that, it was covered in old scars. But as I tried to remember, my mind became hazy. I looked at my left hand in confusion.

Then, I noticed another inconsistency. If my left hand was not injured, what had the emergency surgery been for? I opened and closed my mouth like a fish gasping for air, but words eluded me. Everyone stared at me with concern.

I told myself that everything was over.

My left hand was intact, and that was a good thing. Everything that I had lost had been restored. The room was bathed in the gentle morning light. There was no need to fear anymore.

I kept telling myself that it was over, trying to escape from the inexplicable unease that gnawed at me.

---

A black umbrella twirled. A woman in a luxurious kimono sat amid a crimson landscape.

The walls resembled wet internal organs, and the chair she sat on seemed like a malignant tumor. There was no one else in this bizarre realm; it was her private domain.

She crossed her legs boredly on her lonely throne. “Wishing for peace all around you and hoping for happiness for the people you know,” she said in the depths of the empty spirit world.

A sly grin crept across her lips. She threw her head back, letting her crimson kimono slip off her shoulders, revealing much of her cleavage. She stifled a laugh in sheer delight. Then, she reached her hand out into the air.

“Do you know, I wonder?” she said, as though speaking with someone.

The black umbrella continued to spin. Then, the remnants of a parasol emerged from the wall, feathers that had long since fallen apart piecing themselves back together.

Bright colors swirled together in a circle.

On closer inspection, the parasol was soaked in blood, her favored shade of crimson. She clapped her hands as she watched it twirl.

A smile played on her lips as she said, “That is exceedingly difficult to achieve, you know.” It sounded as if she was talking to someone foolish somewhere.

Snap.

The woman quietly closed her black umbrella, and she vanished. The remnants of the parasol were absorbed into the wall of flesh. There was no one in the crimson world now.

A chuckle sounded in the distance.

B.A.D. 9: Mayuzumi Merely Watches Humans Grieving