Volume 4 - CH 4.2

Once outside, I took the elevator to the basement. There was only one car parked in the large underground parking lot. Someone was sitting in front of a luxury car owned by Mayuzumi.

Why was he waiting here?

His animal instincts were indeed sharp.

“Oh… Hmm.”

Yusuke’s eyes widened for a moment, then he put on a nasty smile and stood up. He dusted off the buttocks of his jeans and shifted his sunglasses. He looked into my face, nodding in satisfaction.

“Ah, thank goodness,” he said. “I was afraid you’d hang yourself. But I see you’ve made it safely. That’s cool.”

Yusuke nodded several times. I didn’t even understand what he meant.

He tapped me on my shoulders. “My eyes didn’t deceive me. You’re a lot more short-fused and violent than you think you are.”

Without saying a word I opened the door and slipped into the driver’s seat. Yusuke too got in the passenger seat like it was the most natural thing to do. I grabbed his shoulder with such force that my fingers dug in deep.

Yusuke cast me a sidelong glance. A bat bag was swinging on his back, as always.

“Get off,” I said. “This time there’s no messing around.”

“I’m not messing around. What about you? Do you truly understand the situation?” he said contemptuously.

Yusuke took off his sunglasses and placed them on his palm.

There was a crack, and the sunglasses snapped in half. He let the pieces fall.

“Odagiri-san. Don’t you get it? You’re going to die soon.”

It was a future set in stone by the death of Mayuzumi.

He pointed to my belly and twirled his finger playfully. There was a thin smear of blood on my shirt. Uka hadn’t appeared yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Only Mayuzumi could heal my stomach. I remained quiet.

I didn’t say that I didn’t care. I couldn’t think about that right now.

“You’re gonna die soon anyway, so why care?” Yusuke said. “I know what you’re planning. It doesn’t matter if I tag along, does it?”

“It does. That’s why I have to do this…” I paused. The monster in my belly laughed.

“Papa,” she whispered softly.

“I have to do this with Uka alone. I don’t need you with me.”

I wasn’t bringing anyone else into this. The only one I was taking was the child.

A delighted chuckle sounded in my stomach. Yusuke’s eyes widened, and he gave a small whistle.

“I see. So you’re that pissed, huh? Ah, but please don’t misunderstand. Who says I need your permission?” His voice was terribly low.

Suddenly, I felt something pressed against my cheek. A shattered piece of the sunglasses dug into my skin.

“There’s just something I wanna check,” Yusuke said. “I live only for myself. I honestly couldn’t care less about what you say. So quit yappin’ and get moving,” he ended with a smile.

I didn’t say anything back.

After several seconds of silence, Yusuke removed the piece of sunglasses from my face and put on his seatbelt. I did the same, inserted the key, and started the engine.

I didn’t want to say anything else. We were both alone. We could never meddle with each other.

Saga Yusuke was intentionally broken.

The words “you stay behind” meant nothing to him.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I was in the process of breaking down myself. My head was clear, but it could be because I’d gone insane. Not that I mind.

This was a thousand times better than grieving alone without meaning.

I remembered what Mayuzumi said to me with a nasty smile.

“It’s easier to take drastic actions if your goal is taking revenge instead of helping others.”

I wanted to save Shirayuki. That was the only goal I had left.

But my biggest motivation was probably revenge. The mixed feelings of grief and helplessness were dispelled, leaving only pure rage.

As soon as we left the underground parking lot, I stepped hard on the gas and drove through the glaring brightness. To get to the address on the card, I just needed to drive on a familiar road for a while. I avoided the busy roads of the early morning and took the side streets instead. I took a hand off the steering wheel and touched the locket on my neck.

I should have let rage take over when the fox taunted me.

I should have forced my body to move and squeezed the fox’s throat.

I gripped the molten metal tight. It tinkled. I remembered the moment Higasa gave it to me. His concern for me made me happy. As I thought back to what he said, my eyes widened.

What did he say when he gave this to me?

Screech.

“Whoa!”

I unintentionally slammed on the brakes, stopping the car in the middle of the road. Fortunately there was no other vehicle following us. If we were on the main road, it could’ve been a disaster. I ignored Yusuke’s grumbling and pulled the locket. The chain was too tough, so I tore the locket from my neck.

With trembling hands, I touched its lid.

“Should anything happen to us, open it.”

Higasa’s words came back to me. He stabbed me in the back, deceived me with his kind words. Everything he said was a lie. He must have hated my actions, my nature.

But what if… there was more to this?

I turned the lid expectantly. The heat had warped it, so there was a chance that it wouldn’t open. But it did, with a creak.

A small key fell onto my palm.

“O-Odagiri-san, what are you doi—aaaaahhh!”

I stepped on the gas pedal, turned the steering wheel, and headed back the way we came. Upon merging onto the main road, we made our way to the next city, driving through a complex route with only my memory to guide me. Going past the speed limit, I entered a narrow side street. The side mirror flew off. As soon as we made it to a familiar place, I slammed hard on the brakes.

I threw the door open, jumped out, and dashed to the fence.

My hands touched a rusty gate. I pushed it open and entered the grounds. I ran to the front door, stepping on the verdant overgrown grass.

The small house was wrapped in silence, and with no one inhabiting it, it was starting to rot away. The furniture was beginning to gather dust. I scurried around the lovely interior, inserting the key into shelves, doors, anything with a keyhole. But none worked.

Where is it? Where the hell is it?

I breathed out and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

Then, the clock rang deeply.

I ran out into the corridor, to the sound, and saw a grandfather clock standing beside the stairs. It looked old, probably reconstructed with the house itself. It was ornamented with countless ivy décor, and inside the glass door was a golden pendulum, swinging idly.

The door had a keyhole.

With a shaking hand, I inserted the key and turned it, hoping for something.

The key turned.

And I found it.