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Left or Right – Part 08

The next morning, Victorique vanished abruptly under his father’s orders.

Upon learning that she was forcibly sent back to the Old World, Kazuya left home and boarded the next ship bound for that distant land. After finally locating Victorique, they embarked on a decrepit ship bound for the New World. His sister, now Ruri Mushanokouji after marriage, had relocated to Manhattan Island with her husband because of his work, but Kazuya had not been informed of their exact address. All he knew was that they had a home in Greenwich Village. With no one else to turn to, he endured the tumultuous voyage across the ocean, until finally they arrived today.

Once we arrive safely, I’ll write to Mom. I never thought we’d get swept up in such a major event right after reaching the New World.

Kazuya opened his eyes and wiped the sweat with the back of his hand.

This feels just like the days at Saint Marguerite Academy. With Victorique, one incident followed another. And during those rare moments of respite, she’d complain of boredom, urging me to dance or sing.

He cast a melancholic glance downward. “I have to save Victorique!” He nodded to himself.

He had been running up the stairs for some time now. Then, at the next landing, Kazuya stopped, staring up in disbelief.

“Not again!”

A barricade of wood obstructed the path. It seemed Coup de Grâce, ahead of them, had attempted to impede their progress by dumping it from above.

Kazuya tried to dismantle it, to scale it, teeth gritted in frustration, but to no avail. As he pounded the wall and cursed under his breath, he gazed up at the ominous, dark silhouette of the wooden barrier.

“I can’t get past this!” Weakly, he looked up. “Is this it? Is my only option to pray? No!”

Kazuya shook his head. His sweat-soaked, jet-black hair swayed. He stared defiantly into the darkness with his dark eyes.

“I’ve made it this far. I will save Victorique, no matter what!”

Turning away from the wooden blockade, Kazuya grasped the door handle, and with both hands, pushed open the heavy iron door.

The tower’s interior appeared unused and deserted. Racing through the labyrinthine corridors, Kazuya sought a path to the upper levels. He followed the same route to where the dumbwaiter stood on the lower floor, but there was none on this level. Frustrated, he pressed on.

He reached the elevator lobby. Neither lift showed signs of activity. Kazuya forced open the iron door of the left elevator with all his strength. An ominous gust of wind greeted him. He peered down to see a gaping abyss, shrouded in darkness. Above, he spotted the elevator car stopped a few floors up.

Shaking his head, Kazuya turned to the right elevator and wrenched open its door.

Below—a yawning abyss. The unnaturally warm air blowing from down below swiftly dried his sweat-soaked hair. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the elevator car stopped somewhere beneath him.

Above—the ceiling. It appeared this floor lay four or five levels below the top floor. Kazuya didn’t realize he had climbed quite high. But how could he go up the remaining floors?

Kazuya studied the thick silver metal cords swaying before him. They seemed to link the ceiling and the car below. Two cords, one on each side, gently rocking in the breeze.

He glanced up, down, then scanned his surroundings. He clammed up. He couldn’t think of any other way.

“About four or five floors high. I could use the cords…”

His eyes widened.

“But if I fell…”

He peered downward. A fall from such a height seemed unsurvivable. It looked like a bottomless chasm.

“If the cords were to snap…”

Kazuya’s gaze returned upward.

“Death.”

He grimaced. Cold sweat trickled down his brow. Echoes of his own voice and those of the individuals he had encountered reverberated in his mind.

“Don’t leave things to chance.”

“Remember. Ensure safety before you proceed.”

“I’ll pray.”

“Ever danced with Death?”

“Do not leave things to chance! It’s the golden rule.”

“Please, please be careful.”

Kazuya held his breath as he stared at the twin silver ropes swaying before him.

But… But… There’s no other choice… None…

Sweat continued to trickle down.

Finally, he said, “Amenmen, huh?” He chuckled softly. “She sucks at praying. Victorique, despite her brilliance and lineage, is quite a handful. She grows hungry easily, throws fits when bored. A hopeless princess. My enigmatic princess.”

He narrowed his jet-black eyes and took a deep breath.

“Victorique, today, I reached the New World with you.”

Their attempt to locate Ruri’s residence was thwarted by road closures, diverting them to the strange encounter with the peculiar Bon Vivant.

“But you were hungry and enticed by a blue lollipop and followed along. Do you get that? Um…”

Recollection flooded back. As they entered the shell-shaped boarding house, the Carousel, surrounded with verdant foliage, a man of large build approached, concealing food behind his back. And then, he posed a question to Victorique.

Kazuya narrowed his eyes. “Left or right?”

His gaze remained fixed on the iron cord before him.

“Victorique, you answer was…” His hands tightened with tension. “…Right.”

Sweat dripped down.

“You chose right, and got a big chocolate brownie.”

He chuckled, then raised his face.

“I have no one else to count on,” he strained.

And he leapt.

So this is the only option. There’s no other way to reach Victorique up there.

He soared nimbly. For a moment, Kazuya’s slim silhouette was suspended in the dark void leading to the abyss, a moment that seemed to stretch for eternity.

With a fierce look, Kazuya shouted, “Amenmen!”

Without hesitation, he seized the right cord and gently shut his eyes. Icy sweat poured down his back. The cord rocked violently, producing an ominous creak.

I’m gonna fall into the void, without reuniting with Victorique. I’ve made it this far.

Kazuya gritted his teeth.

“Victorique!” he cried out.

The creaking of the rope gradually subsided. Kazuya could no longer wipe the sweat streaming from his forehead. He exerted all his strength on his arms, climbing up and up the cord. The wind blew, carrying a warm, unsettling scent, inviting him to the depths of hell.

Huff, huff.

Trembling, he climbed. He ascended one floor.

His arms grew weary and started to cramp. Clenching his jaw, he progressed bit by bit, emitting soft groans. His breath escaped slowly. Little by little. His lower body grew slack from relentless climbing, hanging like dead weight. Little by little.

Among his exhausted limbs, only his arms and shoulders remained functional. And his heart. Kazuya’s heart, still beating, striving to ensure Victorique’s safety.

“Ugh!”

He was almost past the second level.

“Ah…”

A chilling heat emanated through the sealed iron door. There was a fire on this floor too.

Suppressing his fear, Kazuya continued to climb. He let out a pained groan.

“Ah!”

The left cord, swaying in the wind, snapped, coiling like a silver sea serpent. With a swish, it fell below. The broken wire hit his cheek, drawing blood. Realizing that choosing the left cord would have meant certain death, fear seized his entire body.

“…Ngh.”

There was a dull thud as the cord hit the roof of the car at the bottom of the abyss.

Kazuya trembled violently. Summoning his courage and trying to push away the fear, he muttered, “A… Amenmen!”

He climbed up to the third floor. He couldn’t tell if it was sweat or tears anymore. Kazuya continued to climb, driven by the sole desire to protect the one girl who stood by him through the storm. He didn’t care about her intellect or beauty at this point. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was Victorique.

He was almost at the fourth level. He knew his arm and shoulder muscles had long exceeded their limits. He glanced down. The dark abyss beckoned sweetly and gently, telling him to give up, to let go and find relief, telling him there was no place for poor young people like him in the new world. Kazuya shook his head and looked up, teeth clenched.

“Ngh…” Groaning, he climbed a little further.

His father’s voice echoed from afar.

“You fool! Why can’t you understand how I feel?!”

Kazuya wanted to cover his ears. He closed his eyes.

Then, he heard his mother’s voice.

“Kazuya… Kazuya?”

Followed by Victorique’s usual grumpy tone.

“Plebeian! You pumpkin-headed imbecile! Go away!”

And then, the tender voices of familiar people, people he addressed earlier but never received any response.

“My daughter is in your hands, lad.”

“Kujou, please take care of my precious student. I’m counting on you.”

“Wow, you’re on a big adventure! Just like my grandpa. Wait, where’s Victorique? Why isn’t she with you?!”

“I leave my terrifying sister in your hands, Kujou.”

Kazuya wasn’t struggling alone. For the first time, he realized that even when physically apart, he was always with the people who mattered most. He wasn’t protecting Victorique alone. Not before, not now, and certainly not in the future.

He opened his eyes. Sweat dripped from his forehead, falling into the abyss.

Putting all his strength in his shoulders and arms, Kazuya continued towards Victorique, towards the modest future they must carve in the new world, towards days of peace and joy in their—according to Victorique—ramshackle house.

The silver cord, stretching endlessly, gleamed brightly. He reached out his arm, grabbed hold, and climbed a little more.

The voices of the people on the top floor began to reach his ears. He was almost there. Just a little bit more.

Kazuya, slowly but steadily, drew closer to their happy future, to where Victorique, with her silver hair glittering like the feathers of a magical bird, awaited.