“Don’t be mistaken—I’m not doing these things to you out of hate.
“If anything, they’re for your own good.
“Your entire being can be saved for this mere price.
“You don’t need to understand what I mean now. It will come in time.”
“In time,” she did understand—but there was still no meaning to his actions.
Everything Yodogiri said was nonsense.
But she was already losing her ability to be skeptical of his claim.
Ruri headed to her concerts, expression as fixed in place as a doll’s.
Only when she acted or sang could she actually regain control of herself.
The moment she could use her own voice to sing her songs in front of people who didn’t know about her soiled self, her inhuman nature, or the dark secrets of Yodogiri Shining Corporation.
The moment she could overwrite everything and play a different version of herself.
That moment was the only thing that supported her and kept her mind whole.
The sight of the fans who watched her with tears in their eyes helped keep her on her feet.
The fictional worlds that enveloped the characters she played helped keep her heart intact.
She refused to cross the line.
She denied her own mind’s collapse.
But that would reach a breaking point soon.
“Your father came by.
“After your mother disappeared, and he vanished, too, following the fire.
“He said, ‘Give back my daughter.’
“I think he’s realized who we are.
“So, to put it simply, well, we asked him to leave for now…
“But we’re the only ones who know where to find him. Do you understand?
“If you love your father, you can make things much, much easier for us all by playing our obedient, faithful ‘product.’”
It was simple.
She learned by coincidence that her father was dead.
She’d been trying to find information on his whereabouts by searching the Internet and eventually crossed paths with a man who went by the username Shinichi Tsukumoya, who gave her what she wanted to know for free.
That was the first step to her eventually learning the truth.
Yodogiri and his people had already murdered her father.
The “accomplices” who drank her blood had covered up everything.
All traces of the murder, all tracks of her father, even the tiniest memento of him.
She remembered screaming.
Oddly enough, she was able to calmly process that she was screaming.
Ruri Hijiribe remembered the moment—the exact instant that the monster within her was born.
It wasn’t an awakening of the blood. In fact, nothing bodily changed at all.
But there was a monster born in her mind.
It would later be hailed in the newspapers as “Hollywood,” then promptly disappear—a murderous monster bent only on revenge.
Her mind returned to the beginning.
The scene in the photograph, the moment when all this began, came to life.
That was the first day in the process of her destruction.
The day she learned that she had inhuman blood in her veins—via a conversation among strangers.
The day those strangers drank the blood flowing from her arm.
It was all absolutely insane. Like some kind of demon-summoning ritual.
But there was no demon, of course. She simply lost blood, lapped up by others to no effect.
The concept of the blood that flowed from her body, trailing into the mouths of unfamiliar men, filled her with an unbearable nausea.
This photograph was taken right in the midst of that nauseating ritual.
She decided to show it to Yuuhei, even as she felt that it would be the end of everything.
Whether he rejected her or accepted her, she would live with the decision.
He had saved her life and her heart once before—he alone was worthy of being her judge.
Whether he insulted her for being defiled or gave her kind words of pity and mercy, Ruri Hijiribe would accept anything that Yuuhei did.
“…”
He stared at the photograph in silence.
Her expression tense, Ruri began to explain, “Earlier…when I tried to tell you about my past…you said that you didn’t need to hear it.”
“I did.”
“But at this point…I think I really should tell you…”
It took all her determination to begin the discussion, but Yuuhei’s answer was not quite what she expected.
“Do you really think that telling me is going to improve the outcome?”
“Huh…?”
“I think you’re kind of shocked by this. We should wait until you calm down. When you’re rattled, it’s best not to rush into any hasty decisions.”
“…”
“My words mean nothing. Only you can overcome your past.”
They were like lines from a movie hero. In fact, he might as well have been quoting from his own past scripts—but Ruri, who’d been feeling desperate and despondent, was as stunned as if he’d dumped freezing water on her.
She stammered and hemmed as he placed the photo back on the table, facedown.
Max then decided that it was the best time to say, “Wow, you two really make a great couple. You know, we sold out of your new photo album, Miss Ruri, so why don’t we put out a combined book full of couple photos of you two?”
And then, without missing a beat, he continued directly into the topic at hand. “If you’d just told me this stuff from the start, I could’ve tried to help! Showbiz is full of secrets, my girl… You should never keep your secrets to yourself. Your secrets belong to the entire agency! That’s right—all for one! What’s yours is mine! When I first came to Japan, I didn’t know how things worked, so I took on all those vampire tabloid writers myself with a cross and stake, whoopin’ ass left and right…”
“…!”
It all sounded like a joke coming from him, but at the end, Ruri twitched and trembled.
Yuuhei put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
As usual, there was no expression on his face, but somehow, those cold doll-like eyes calmed her down.
Meanwhile, Max nodded and grunted as he slid the photo back into the envelope, not losing an ounce of his general state of agitation. “Well, if it’s real, there are options we can take. If you have any idea where this photo came from, tell me. This Jinnai Yodogiri…I heard he was bad, but this is extreme…”
“…”
“Your biggest selling point is your squeaky-clean image. What kind of idiot puts that type of talent into this niche type of adult video?!”
“…Huh?”
“It’s obvious from your expression that you’re really disgusted, not acting… I respect any woman who goes willingly into adult films as an actress, but the thought of any man who forces an unwilling subject into a film like this makes me sick! Hang on…that’s still a crime here, too, right?”
Ruri murmured, taken aback by his unexpected comment. He leaned forward and patted his agency’s prize talent on the shoulders. “It musta been hard…but it’s all right now. Yuuhei Hanejima will heal the scars you bear! And as his employer, that basically means that I will be the one who healed you. So whenever times are tough, think of my face to get through it. Then you’ll have a happy new year! That’s a new you, one step closer to the grave, a journey made in hell! Hey, that gives me an idea: Your photos should be maid and butler themed.”
He smacked a fist into his palm and continued, “Good idea. Brilliant! And Yuuhei’s sequel to Silence of the Manservants is about to be unveiled, so we can use that as a promotional tie-in. I gotta get the secretary to jot that one down! Hang on, guys. Sorry? Yes! Sorry!”
And he scrambled out of the room.
The stream-of-consciousness rambling left Ruri with her mouth aga
pe. At her side, Yuuhei said, “I think…he might actually understand the truth.”
“Huh?”
“That the picture wasn’t really from the set of a triple-X film.”
Yuuhei looked at the doorway the president left through and said reassuringly, “He might be selfish, dedicated to his greed, and an unabashed outlaw, but at least he’s a nice outlaw. I think you can trust him.
“He’s just really, tragically awkward, just like me.”
The same day, afternoon, on the street, Ikebukuro
“Mraaaow.”
A precious sound trickled from the pet carrier in Anri’s hands. Dokusonmaru was rolling on his back inside, tummy catching the light that slipped inside the case.
Mika’s face crinkled into a grin as she fawned over the cat. “Aww, you’re so cuuute! Widdle-widdle-widdle!”
She wiggled her fingers next to the bag, and the cat squirmed one paw in response.
“A lot of people talk to cats the same way they talk to babies, huh?”
“Maybe they’re pretending that it’s their own child.”
“No way, our babies will be much, much cuter!” Mika exclaimed.
For some reason, something about this mushy sentiment made Anri’s cheeks color, and she had to look away.
“The problem is that both Shinra and I are available at irregular times, due to the nature of our work. We might not be able to have someone watching the kitten at all times,” Celty had typed on her PDA. With everyone else at a loss for a solution, Anri volunteered to take the cat—and here she was now.
She owed Celty for countless kindnesses, so she wanted to make that up to her, no matter what form it took.
Shinra said that he felt satisfied with the cat in Anri’s care, while Shizuo’s group said that they could rely on someone Celty trusted—and just like that, the cat was with her.
It was all so quick and easy that Anri began to worry if it was really right for her to be responsible for an animal with so little resistance from them. Then Yuuhei said, “Dokusonmaru doesn’t take to bad people. It’s all right,” and that settled the matter.
“Man, you’re so lucky, Anri. You got to meet Yuuhei Hanejima and Ruri Hijiribe!” Mika laughed.
Anri shook her head. “They’re supposedly such famous celebrities that I got nervous and could barely say anything…”
Of course, the real reason she couldn’t speak was the strange reaction that Saika had to Ruri, but she couldn’t say that here. She just smiled sadly like she often did and said, “Thanks for hearing me out today.”
“Don’t even mention it! Seiji said you could come with us, so it’s no problem at all.”
After that, Anri split off from the couple and headed back home.
Mika asked her if she wanted to get something to eat, perhaps at a restaurant that allowed pets, but Anri didn’t want to interrupt her time with Seiji, so she took the cat and headed out into Ikebukuro.
She failed to notice the shadow who incessantly watched her progress.
Celty’s group had been naive. They assumed that the stalker would not bother with Anri, since she had no connection to Ruri.
They assumed that a stalker whose activities were outside the bounds of common sense would abide by rationality.
The price for that lack of caution was the lurker trailing Anri now.
Oddly enough, just like the time when the slasher attacked Anri half a year earlier.
However, there was one difference between this person and the slasher.
The shadow watching Anri now continued to follow, neither approaching nor falling back, and when she got to her apartment, it simply vanished without taking action.
As if satisfied with just knowing her address.
The only thing the shadowy figure did, just before disappearing, was open its flip phone and turn on the screen for a brief moment.
At that moment, Russia Sushi, Ikebukuro
“Okay, today we have new rolled sushi. Little norimaki rolled in big norimaki. Whirlpool and rolled omelet and whirlwind put to shame, you try brand-new matryoshka roll,” said Simon, proudly advertising the restaurant’s newest item, while Mika and Seiji sat at the counter, ordering a few cheap individual items for an early dinner.
Simon’s new item was an extremely narrow roll of typical norimaki sushi rolled inside of a medium-sized norimaki, which was itself the center of a large norimaki, making one giant norimaki in total. The ingredient at the center of the smallest roll was simmered seaweed, making the entire thing no more than layer upon layer of seaweed and rice, just like the traditional Russian nesting dolls.
Seiji lifted the sushi to his mouth and asked Mika, “What’s wrong? You seem down.”
“Huh? …Oh, geez! How could I be down when I’m at your side?!” She laughed hastily.
“…Is it about Sonohara?” he asked.
“…Yeah,” she admitted reluctantly, unable to deny this.
Mika looked down at her tea for a moment, then back at Seiji. “I couldn’t help but realize that she’d ask Celty for help and advice, but she wouldn’t come to me.”
No one would have told her that, but Mika was aware that Anri had been seeking advice from the dullahan. Mika likely knew this through a wiretap of some sort, but Seiji didn’t touch the topic. He looked down and dipped his head toward her.
“She’s probably being mindful of the both of us, which means that in a way, it’s my fault. Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Seiji! In fact…I was just feeling bad about it because I haven’t gone and hung out with Anri in a while, either…”
As a matter of fact, during their first year at Raira Academy, she had never once given Anri this much thought. That was because Anri had found her own place in the world: with her two new friends, Mikado and Masaomi.
As Anri grew happier and more outgoing, bit by tiny bit, Mika felt reassured in her choice to delve into love with Seiji.
She loved Seiji more than anyone in the world. But he wasn’t the only person in her heart, just the highest on the priority list.
Her feelings for him were different from the love that he once had only for Celty’s head, but she also had room in her heart for her close friend.
And then things changed for Anri.
The slasher incident caused a rift between the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves, and as a result, Masaomi Kida left Ikebukuro.
Mika noticed that this event had thrown a dark shadow over Anri’s mind. Anri did still reach out and talk to Mikado—but the last few months had grown steadily worse for her.
Despite knowing the truth through her own unique sources, Mika wasn’t able to reach out to Anri directly to discuss these things. She continued living in her love with Seiji, despite the self-loathing.
On the inside, she felt just a bit lonely. A loneliness that couldn’t be filled with Seiji’s love or hers for him.
And she wasn’t cowardly enough to use Seiji to fill the hole left by worry for her friend.
“Anri’s got the ability to look at things very objectively, even when they’re centered around her…but it also makes her feel like her own life isn’t her concern. It makes it harder to stop things in their tracks…so that she doesn’t turn away when she’s in danger.”
She sipped her tea and, for the first time in ages, said the name of a male classmate who wasn’t Seiji.
“If only Ryuugamine or Kida could act as the brakes to keep Anri in line…”
Evening, Sunshine 60 Street, Ikebukuro
“…”
Masaomi Kida was at a loss.
He stood at the intersection in front of Cinema Sunshine, watching the scenery shift around him.
It had been half a year since he’d left Ikebukuro.
He’d visited once, during the battle between the Dollars and Toramaru, but left just as quickly. It had truly been ages since he had the chance to stand around and just watch the city like this.
It hasn’t changed much. It hasn’t…right?
/> Sure, there were changes in the store decorations and advertisements, but Sunshine 60 Street was pretty much exactly as he remembered it.
If anything was different, it was the lack of the yellow scarves that temporarily flourished, bringing things back to the gang-less, peaceful appearance that had been the default state of things a year ago.
Students, office ladies, salarymen on the way home, foreign families—each passed by Masaomi, living in their own localized orbits of culture and atmosphere.
There were slightly more young people in their street clothes out on the street, owing to it being the first day of summer vacation. Girls lined up at the movie theater, indicating the strength of the latest Yuuhei Hanejima star vehicle.
…But I’ve got it bad, man. All the normal people just look like Dollars to me now.
He was back in town at least, but now he didn’t know where to start gathering information.
I guess this is when I should go and pay my respects to Kadota. But…I left off on such bad terms with him, and I never properly thanked him for saving me from that asshole Horada. It’ll be awkward to just show up and talk…but I just gotta do it. I need to settle all my old accounts…if I ever want to see Mikado and Anri again.
He slapped his cheeks to get his mind in gear and focused on his surroundings. He just needed to look for Kadota’s height or Yumasaki and Karisawa’s appearance.
At this time of day, the nerds would be at one of the big bookstores, perhaps Toranoana or Animate, checking out the latest releases.
Masaomi began looking around with that in mind, but after a few minutes, he had already spotted a familiar face. Or more accurately, a familiar outfit. And even more accurately, the man and his outfit were familiar to Masaomi, but the reverse was most likely not true at all.
Well, if I settle things one by one…the very first one might kill me. Sorry if I die, Saki.
He wiped the trickle of cold sweat from his brow and called out to the man in the bartender’s outfit walking behind his dreadlocked companion.
“Hey…Shizuo Heiwajima…”
Durarara!!, Vol. 8 Page 11
