Faiz 16

Mari was cutting Takumi’s hair in the yard in front of Kikuchi CLeaning.

Small birds were chirping on the treetops under the clear blue sky. 

“Something happened to you, huh?” asked Takumi. 

“Huh? What makes you say that?” responded Mari with scissors still in hand. 

“I can tell by how you’re cutting my hair. What happened? Tell me.” 

“Okay.” 

After hesitation for a moment, Mari began to explain what happened the previous day, little by little. It felt suffocating for her to keep it to herself. She thought maybe she’d feel a bit better if she told Takumi. 

She talked about Masato, and about how Yuuji transformed into an Orphnoch. 

Takumi remained silent as he listened to what Mari had to say. 

What saddened Mari the most wasn’t that she found out about Yuuji’s true identity. She was sad because she found herself to be filthy. 

When she saw Yuuji transform into an Orphnoch, at first she felt shock and fear. All the memories of the time she spent with Yuuji then flashed through her eyes in an instant. 

And each one of those memories had harshly changed in color. 

Upon learning that the one she fell in love with was an Orphnoch, she found the time she spent together with him to be horribly repulsive. She wanted to completely deny the reality in front of her. 

She wanted the Orphnoch Yuuji to disappear from this world. 

That way her filthiness would be cleansed. 

“I’m just the worst, aren’t I?” continued Mari as she cut Takumi’s hair. 

“Even if Kiba’s an Orphnoch, that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly not Kiba anymore. His kindness was the real thing. But despite that, I considered myself to be disgusting for dating him… I’m a horrible person.” 

“Yeah, you are,” said Takumi. 

“Yeah…” 

“But in your case, you’re at least only a little bit horrible. The most horrible people wouldn’t even consider themselves to be horrible.” 

“You think so…?” 

“Besides, I’ve always known you to be a bit horrible since the day I met you. Why get all depressed about it now?” 

Mari felt a bit happy from Takumi’s words. He was trying his best in his own way to cheer her up. 

She flicked the old scar on Takumi’s head with her fingers. 

It looked like a small burn mark, and his hair was slightly thinner around that spot. 

Flicking that scar was Mari’s way of telling him that she was done cutting his hair. 

“Hey, Takumi, I have a favor to ask you.” 

Mari asked Takumi as he examined his haircut. 

After witnessing Yuuji’s true form, her desire to learn more about the Orphnochs grew even stronger. 

And in order to do that, there was somewhere she needed to go. 

  

The Kuwata residence she lived at when she got adopted was about three hours away by car. 

It was where she lived together with Masashi and Reiko, even if it wasn’t for that long.

The mysterious couple had vanished without a trace before Mari ever got to call them Mom and Dad, and the only thing Mari had left to remember them was the Faiz tool that was currently in her hands. 

Mari didn’t want to ever go back to the Kuwata residence. 

She was scared of returning to that ominous morning. 

The morning of that day with the harsh wind that seemingly signaled the coming of a storm, when Masashi and Reiko disappeared with only their clothes left behind in the garden. 

It was a mysterious time that felt like a single gaping hole within Mari’s life. If she were to fall into that hole, it was possible she’d never be able to return. It was possible she’d disappear just like Masashi and Reiko. But she couldn’t afford to be afraid any longer. 

Not if she wanted to solve the mysteries behind the Orphnochs and the Ryusei School. 

  

The Kuwata residence stood silently within the forest just like it did years ago. 

After getting out of the car and opening the rusted iron gates, Takumi and Mari approached the front door. What once was a well taken care of garden was now overrun with weeds. 

The blue western-style roof tiles had turned grey due to the passage of time. 

A few stray cats scattered away upon hearing their footsteps. 

It seemed that the mansion had been left untouched ever since it was deserted. 

Mari and Takumi came out to the garden that faced the mansion’s large window. 

It was where Masashi and Reiko’s clothes were found. 

Needless to say, they were no longer there. 

She felt like she could hear her child self’s voice calling out for Masashi and Reiko. 

The mansion’s window was left open and its torn curtains gently waved from the wind. 

It had been left unchanged since that day. 

Mari and Takumi headed into the house. 

The room was in just as much of a mess as it was on the incident. The sofas were torn apart, the tables were broken, and the chandelier was shattered on the floor. A large spider web stretched over the fireplace that had been unused for several years. 

Mari had been fond of that fireplace. 

She liked sitting in front of it and calmly watching the flames. 

Mari then happened to notice something glinting from within the leftover ashes. 

“What is it?” asked Takumi. 

It was a crude necklace made up of multiple soda pull tabs strung together. 

  

“Kill them… Kill them… Kill the humans…” 

A low creepy voice filled the room. It was a hoarse voice indistinguishable between man or woman. 

But it was undeniably coming from a woman’s lips. 

Her white gloves held onto her cell phone as those disturbing words repeated themselves. 

“Saya.” 

Saya jumped out of her chair in surprise upon hearing that voice. 

The cell phone in the white gloves fell onto the ground. 

Takumi and Mari stood in front of her. 

“Mari…” 

Upon saying her name, Saya’s voice returned to its usual beautiful tone. 

Lilies decorated the table, and a white picture frame could be seen next to them. 

It depicted Saya and Masato linking arms together with happy smiles on their faces. 

“I had been dating Masato ever since we graduated from Ryusei School…” 

Saya flashed a smile to Mari and began talking as if she suddenly thought of something. 

“We lived here together. You know how Masato used to have asthma, right? I healed him. By embracing him with everything I had. We truly loved each other. I know, he’s obsessed with you right now… But I know he’ll come back to me eventually…” 

Mari placed the pull tab necklace onto the table. 

“I found this in the Kuwata residence. You remember it, right? It’s the necklace I gave you. Tell me… Why was it in the Kuwata residence?” 

“I already told you, didn’t I?” 

Saya continued as if Mari should have very well known the answer to that question. 

“I was the happiest back when I was at Ryusei School. I hated having everyone leave me. I wanted us to be together forever. That’s why I killed them.” 

“Killed who?” 

Mari couldn’t believe what Saya was saying. 

“What do you mean?” 

“If I killed the foster parents, then everyone would come back to Ryusei School. Everyone would come back to my side. That’s why I killed them.” 

“Are you an Orphnoch?” Takumi’s voice was calm. 

“Yes. I’ve been one ever since I was a child.” 

“No… That can’t be right… So you’re saying that Mr. Ishibahi and Inukai and everyone else were all…” 

“I didn’t want you to know the truth behind the foster parent killings… If you found out, then Masato might’ve learned about my true identity. Masato still hasn’t realized it yet… That I’m an Orphnoch…” 

Saya then looked at Mari and chuckled softly. 

“I thought about killing you too, but I couldn’t do it. I love you, after all. Even though Masato has feelings for you, you’re still someone special to me.” 

“Tell me… How did you become an Orphnoch? What even are Orphnochs?” 

It’s the same thing as flowers blooming from seeds, said Saya. 

The flowers known as Orphnochs bloom from the seeds known as humans. 

New life is born from the broken old life. 

That’s all it is. 

“But the more beautiful the flower, the faster it wilts…” 

Saya spoke as she took off one of her white gloves. 

Her palm was covered with cracks. 

And ash silently crumbled off of it. 

“Orphnochs don’t live for very long…” 

“I got a question for you, too. Why does that Kusaka creep have the Kaixa belt?” 

“Haven’t you two ever found it strange? Why are there never any public announcements made about the Orphnochs? Have humans not noticed them around? Of course not. A large organization’s been working behind the scenes for a long time now.” 

Mari recalled Masashi and Reiko. 

If what Saya said was true, then those two might have been affiliated with that organization. 

“They’re the ones that created the Kaixa belt. It was made in order to fight the Orphnochs. And they’re looking for people who are capable of using the Kaixa belt, just like Masato.” 

“So you mean…” 

“Yes, Masato isn’t the only Kaixa out there.” 

  

Saya accompanied Takumi and Mari out to the front door. 

She behaved normally, as if simply seeing off a very good friend. 

“Come visit again, Mari.” 

The front door slowly closed in front of Saya as she waved her hand goodbye. 

After standing in place for a little while, Saya’s body changed into the Dragon Orphnoch and soon disappeared.   

 

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