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Left or Right – Part 06

The grand hall fell into silence. No words were exchanged.

One person fearfully raised their gaze towards the cake. Faces still haunted by the harrowing nightmare they just witnessed, unable to shake free.

The Tobacco Road Cake, spiraling from past to present, reached towards the heavens, narrating the courageous tale of a woman’s journey to success, culminating in the construction of this towering skyscraper. It wobbled in the wind.

Bon Vivant scratched his head. “Huh? So, Granny isn’t La Guardia? Our family history was a lie? Huh? What? What?” He cocked his head. “And if Toto was Granny’s first son, that means he’s dad’s brother from another father. He’s my uncle. But he was handed to the real La Guardia and disappeared afterwards. What happened to Toto? Wait, Toto? I know that name. Hold on… He has the same name as the man in our comics, the one who owns a general store. A coincidence, maybe?”

Dumbfounded, Mayor Emigré said, “I always believed I was the eldest son of the Bluecandy family. I worked hard to become a politician. Now I learn I had a brother? I’m the second son? So, where is Toto?”

“Oh, if you have an older brother, we must find him!” La Guardia’s wife, the actress Rosie, casually tapped him on the shoulder. “We should hire a detective. Oh, how about asking this lovely little girl? She seems sharp and good at finding people,” she suggested, pointing at Victorique.

As for the guests, they remained silent, astonished, merely observing the members of the Bluecandy family.

Victorique approached La Guardia. The gray fabric shifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of the sparkling blue dress she wore. A strand of beautiful silver hair cascaded onto the floor, while emerald green eyes flickered bewitchingly. People held their breath as they watched Victorique. An eerie silence enveloped the hall.

“La Guardia,” Victorique said. “No. Your real name is Betsy. Batty Betsy. I recall hearing that name from people gossiping on the ship. She was said to be a victim of a bizarre incident over sixty years ago in the village of Coronea, Italy. She disappeared with her baby.”

For the first time, a genuine expression crossed La Guardia’s wrinkled face. Sadness, frustration, a hint of human vulnerability. The anguish of someone robbed of something dear. But it was fleeting, quickly replaced by an eerie smile.

“I’ve long forgotten about such old events!” she replied firmly. “Do you know why, young lady? Because I was reborn sixty-five years ago today, when I passed through the blue gate. So, I consider myself sixty-five years old.”

“And how old are you really now?”

“I said I’m sixty-five! Well, that woman Betsy was thirty-five, though,” she added.

“So, you’re actually a hundred now,” Victorique murmured, disbelief evident in her voice. “In that case, let’s not dwell further on the past. Tell me, how did it feel to steal the future of an innocent girl?”

“What a nosy child you are,” La Guardia mused, her tone oddly detached. “I’ve done nothing wrong. And all the success afterward was thanks to my own abilities. That child—the real La Guardia—wouldn’t have turned out like this. I had natural talent. That’s why I was chosen as the queen of the New World. No one defies me, in the past or future. I am the queen of the New World,” she declared, surveying the room.

The guests remained silent in fear.

“You are one audacious hag,” Victorique groaned, raising her shoulders. Then, she lowered her head, and growled. “How far has Kujou climbed?”

Raising her head again, she adopted a stern, emotionless face. “I, the watchdog at the doorstep of the most rundown ramshackle house in the New World, hereby inform you, the wealthiest in New York and the legendary femina economica,” Victorique said in a deep, hoarse voice. “The girl whose future you stole is immured beneath the tower you erected. To live a new life with her lover, the fifteen-year-old La Guardia, brave and kind-hearted, boarded a ship alone. The genuine Wonder Girl, entombed and used as human sacrifice.”

Her green eyes glinted. “The Wellspring of Wisdom tells me: Grim Reaper, the one who planted the bombs and threatening our lives, is likely a descendant of the real La Guardia and Toto.”

Then, she crouched within the gray fabric, assuming a menacing pose, a wolf or dog intimidating its prey. She barked, a bark that sounded so genuine. Startled, La Guardia nearly dropped her golden pipe.

Bon Vivant stood stock still between the two, utterly bewildered. Both guests and family members kept their distance.

“But my grandma,” he murmured.

A strong gust of wind swept in through the broken window. No one spoke anymore.

And then…

“That’s right!”

Everyone jerked their heads towards the voice. The emergency exit door, previously locked from the outside, had opened, and a large figure stood in the grand hall.

The guests stirred. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

“I will never forget what happened at the blue gate!”

The man was muscular, his face concealed behind a strange, black skull mask. He wore an apron stained with old blood and riddled with bullet holes over his tailcoat, while a black cloak billowed eerily from his neck. And…

“Now is the time to exact my vengeance! Every member of the family and their associates shall meet their end!”

In his hand, he brandished a gun.

“Tonight, I, son of Toto, grandson of La Guardia, have come to avenge the injustice suffered by the real La Guardia!”

Bon Vivant yelped.

“I, Grim Reaper!”

The gun’s barrel aimed directly at La Guardia’s forehead.

Mary screamed inside the dumbwaiter.

“What’s the matter?!” Troll asked, shaking her shoulders.

“O-Oh, sorry, it’s nothing.” Mary shook her head.

The door continued opening. Kazuya carefully surveyed the surroundings first before exiting.

He turned to Troll and Mary. “It’s safe. Come!”

Mary quickly got off, then lent a hand to Troll. The trio stood straight, scanning the area. It was safe, in a way.

Flames danced in the corridor, and a heat distinct from the warmth of summer began to tint the air an orange hue.

Nodding to himself, Kazuya sprinted towards the emergency stairs, with Troll and Mary close behind. They turned a corner, and then another, until they reached a door. Kazuya exerted all his strength to open it. They were back on the dim stairs.

He looked behind and saw the pile of wood blocking their previous path. An unsurmountable mountain of hopelessness.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Kazuya led the way up the stairs, followed by Troll and Mary. Occasionally, they spun around in place in the opposite direction before resuming their climb.

“But man,” Troll groaned, “who would’ve thought Coup de Grâce was behind all this? The guests on the top floor probably have no idea. Oh, how terrifying!”

“Yeah,” Mary agreed. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I can’t believe we just went up the stairs with him knowing nothing.” She seemed somewhat deflated.

“I don’t have a full grasp of the situation either,” Kazuya said, “but we need to reach the top floor as soon as possible. What does Coup de Grâce plan to do once he reaches the top? He mentioned killing La Guardia along with everyone else.”

They climbed for some time. Eventually, Kazuya noticed the darkness on one floor and a rattling noise coming from above. Looking closer, he saw another pile of dark shadows made of wood. Was this path blocked too? Kazuya bit his lip in frustration. Just then, Mary, shining her flashlight upwards, screamed. Startled, Kazuya turned around. Mary let go of her flashlight, grabbed Kazuya’s and Troll’s collar, and pushed them down the stairs.

“It’s collapsing!” Mary cried.

“Mary, what are you—”

“I’m fine… Gyaah!”

A loud scream echoed back.

Kazuya rolled down to the next landing. “Mary!” he called out.

There was a sound of wood falling, along with Mary’s groans. Troll hurriedly got up and searched for the flashlight. When he finally found it, he handed it to Kazuya.

Kazuya darted up the stairs. Upon shining the light, he saw Mary lying face down. The wood had pinned her from the waist down. Her face was pale, and her eyes were shut tight. She was trembling.

“Mary! Stay with me!”

“A-Are you okay?!”

Troll crawled up the stairs and rushed over. Kazuya tried to lift the wood with both hands, while Troll slapped Mary’s cheek, calling her name.

Mary opened her eyes a little. “I-I don’t think I can go on,” she said weakly. “But at least you two are okay.”

“This can’t be happening. Pull yourself together!” Troll rose and helped Kazuya lift the wood, but it wouldn’t budge. “What’s happening? Tell us! Mary, what’s wrong? You were fine just a moment ago, always there to help me out. Say something!”

Mary remained silent. Kazuya tried to slide further under the lumber, grunting and panting heavily. Both men continued to call out to Mary as they struggled to lift the wood.