The Deceiving

by Jin (Shizen no Teki-P)

  Compared to that, a little chat in the park was child’s play. Assuming it really was nothing more than a chat. I had my doubts, considering she was luring me out to the park for this. Something a little awkward to bring up at home, maybe?

  Now that I thought about it, my sister had been acting a bit depressed lately.

  Usually, she was super-upbeat all the time. The “super” adjective was needed in order to fully encompass how much energy she had. Contrast that with how she was acting now, and it seemed fair to assume that the topic she wanted to discuss had something to do with her recent funk.

  She was in high school now, for one, and she mentioned that the classes were getting a lot harder for her. Maybe it’s that…but then again, why’d she want to talk to me about that? That’s more of a Dad topic.

  So some kind of nonschool issue, then. For example…

  “…Love, or something?”

  Saying it out loud to myself instantly filled me with shame.

  No way. Not my sister, of all people. She was a walking encyclopedia of boys’ comics and superhero TV series. She didn’t have time for any of that romance-type stuff. It was crazy to even consider the thought. Totally crazy…

  “Yeah. Crazy!”

  I jumped off the swings, the chains clanging in agreement with me.

  This was my sister’s business, of course. She had every right to do what she wanted with her own life. I knew that.

  But what if she’s really fallen in love with somebody?

  What if it’s just some random chump off the street? What then?

  …It’d be a bloodbath.

  The entire family would probably strip the poor guy’s bones clean in a second. Once Dad found out, in particular, it’d be hell on earth for the dude. He’d wipe the guy completely out of existence, as if he’d never been born. And I’d help, of course.

  But. One big but. If that actually happened to my sister, and she wanted to talk about it with somebody, who would she turn to? Seto would be too embarrassed to help out at all, and Kido would provide even less of a useful contribution. Assuming Dad was out of the question, there was only one family member left.

  “Me…? Ugh…Pressure’s on.”

  It was all guesswork on my part, but it seemed ominously plausible.

  The way I heard it, once you’re high-school age, it’s perfectly normal to have at least one or two boyfriends.

  …Wait, “one or two”? Over my dead body, she will!

  But there was nothing I could do to deny the possibility. It wouldn’t be strange at all to have her bound up to me and say, “Ooh, I think I found someone!”

  And she did mention that she “made a really good friend” earlier. They went to last year’s school festival together, she reported, and they played some kind of wacky target-shooting game. They were even in the same homeroom together.

  So, connect the dots, and…

  “…Him?”

  It was all guesses and imaginings, but my eyes were honed like a hunter’s gun sight against my virtual enemy. I dare him to lay a hand on my sister. Because if he ever does…

  “Heyyyy, sorry I’m late!”

  My sister bellowed her presence as she ran into the park, wearing her usual winter school uniform topped with a scarf around her neck. I’m not sure when the transition took place, but she couldn’t have looked more like a teenage girl in her prime if she tried. I tucked my theories into a drawer in my mind.

  “Hey, Sis, what’s up? You didn’t have to be in that big of a hurry.”

  “Oh, no, I didn’t want to keep you waiting, so…”

  She giggled, a little shyly. That innocence of hers was unchanged from the past, but once she reached high school, she started maturing at breathtaking speed. Maybe I was a little biased, but I didn’t think there were many girls out there as nice as she was.

  “But, hey, sorry to make you come out here outta nowhere!”

  “Oh, it’s fine. Not like you’ve ever given me a lot of notice before now. So, what’s up?”

  “Well, um…”

  Ayano seemed to have trouble getting started. I silently waited for her to continue, but she doggedly refused to open her mouth until I caved.

  “What is it?”

  “No, I mean, it’s kind of hard to say, you know? Like, I don’t know where to begin.”

  She tried her best to cover her emotions. But I could tell she was reluctant to even be here with me. The presumptions I made in my mind earlier began bubbling back to the surface.

  “Well…What? Is it that serious, or…?”

  Was it really about a guy after all? Just when it began to seriously disturb me, my sister, finally summoning up enough resolve, parted her lips.

  “…No, uh…You know. It’s about why Mom died.”

  “Bwuhh?”

  I failed to provide a coherent reply. This was a totally different direction than what I was prepared for.

  Ayano turned her eyes downward.

  “I mean, they said Mom died in landslide, right?”

  Ayaka—my new mother—worked as an archaeologist, mostly conducting her research in the field of folklore.

  Thanks to the demands of this unusual career, she was never at home all that much, usually flying off to this or that field site.

  On that fateful day, too, she was out on location with my father. Or so they told us.

  “Yeah. I heard about that, too. They were doing some kind of field research, right?”

  “Yeah. And I know that’s true, but…Hey, you wanna sit down somewhere? These shoes are still pinching me a little.”

  Ayano tapped the edge of one of her loafers against the ground. I followed her to a nearby bench.

  “But I got this…”

  Once we were both seated, she took a notebook out of her schoolbag. It wasn’t old, but heavy use had left it tattered around the edges. The front cover was neatly labeled with the title MONSTER INVESTIGATION RECORDS.

  “‘Monster’? What’s that about? …Is this Mom’s? Where’d you find something like…?”

  I reached out to take it. My sister kept it away from me.

  “Whoa! What’re you…What, I’m not allowed to read it?”

  “W-wait a minute! I’m sorry, but…”

  She held the notebook against her body. Taking a more careful look, I noticed she was shaking, tears just beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. This was absolutely not normal behavior for her.

  “Look, what’s wrong with you?! Are you feeling okay…?”

  “Nnh, sorry,” she weakly bubbled as I rubbed her back. “It’s not that. It’s just…I’m kinda scared.”

  All these unnerving things she was saying began to throw my mind into chaos. What kind of horrifying things could be written in there, anyway? If it was about a “monster,” it had to be something pretty freaky.

  My sister took two or three deep breaths to compose herself.

  “I’m sorry. I’m probably freaking you out right now. I wanted you to read this, Shuuya, but…before you do, can we talk a little bit?”

  She stared right into my eyes as she asked. From them I could feel an intensity, a sense of resolve, that was never there usually.

  “Well, sure. Anything you want, just let me know.”

  “Thanks,” she said, her face a little saddened. “Shuuya, do you remember when we used to pretend we were a bunch of superheroes with secret identities?”

  “Sure. We’d put on hoodies and pretend to fly around and stuff. We called ourselves…”

  “… The Mekakushi-dan.”

  Ayano came up with it before I did. The name brought back memories. Whenever we were together, that’s what we did—team up, form the Mekakushi-dan in our imaginations, and save the town from evil.

  “These ‘eye powers’…That was a secret shared just between the four of us. We had to hide them away from the world…so we were the Mekakushi-dan.”

  She paused, rolling her eyes a little.

  “…Kind of
a silly name, looking back on it, huh?”

  Probably, yeah. I could come up with something a lot cooler sounding now.

  Still, I liked that name. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but in a way, that was my sister taking our eyes—these things that people feared, treating them as taboos to be shunned—and hiding them from the public for me. That was what the group was for. She declared herself the leader, got us all hoodies to make it easier to hide our “eyes,” and kept us smiling the whole time through. That was our sister.

  But why’s she bringing that up now? I still had trouble sensing where this conversation was going.

  “Why’re you talking about that again? Does that have something to do with what you wanted to ask me?”

  “…Yeah.”

  Ayano took another deep breath, then slowly began to speak again.

  “Mom, you know…I think she knew about all of those ‘eye powers’ from the very start. She knew how much grief they caused everyone, too.”

  “What?! No way! I know I hid mine, at least! I had to do whatever it took to keep from getting kicked out of here…!”

  “I know. I know, Shuuya. But I had no idea…No idea that Mom was trying to save you all…from those ‘snake powers’…”

  My sister began crying. Small droplets formed on the dry ground. She didn’t try to wipe them off, clutching the notebook tightly against her chest as she let out a sob.

  “This is getting really bad…I don’t know what to do…but I think it might kill all of us…!”

  I was powerless.

  Unable to do anything for my sister as she broke down into uncontrollable sobbing.

  Unable even to understand the reality that was suddenly thrust before me.

  In fact, I really knew nothing.

  Nothing about the sad creatures this notebook called “monsters.” Nothing about the “curse” we carried within us. And nothing about my father, either…

  * * *

  What little shred of “happiness” we had remaining by that point was already rotted to pieces, beyond all repair.

  “…So I think the ‘Snake of Clearing Eyes’ that possessed Dad is trying to make his wish come true for him.”

  “His wish…?”

  “Yeah. He wants to see Mom again, one more time.”

  “Can…can he do that?”

  “Supposedly, he can, if he can create a monster in this world. That way, he can meet up with people swallowed into the other world…”

  “…Well, great, then! Can we help him out at—?”

  “No!!”

  “Huh…?”

  “…If you want to create a monster, you have to gather up a bunch of snakes to substitute for your own life. You have to form them all into one…so…”

  “You mean…our…?”

  “I want to see Mom again, too…but if everyone has to die to make that happen, then…No. Just no…!”

  “Sis…”

  “Mom worried so much about us, right up to the end. We can’t let anything like this happen…Never…!”

  “The older students you know…Those guys?”

  “Yeah. You met ’em at school, right, Shuuya? Takane and Haruka…That snake’s trying to possess both of them with the remaining snakes on the other side. I think it’s gonna try to swallow them into the other world.”

  “You mean it’s gonna kill ’em?! …But he can’t go that far! The police aren’t just gonna let that happen!”

  “I looked into it myself! While you were going to school for me, Shuuya! That snake’s already done all kinds of horrible things in Dad’s body…He’s got a ton of money. He’s got hospitals, he’s got schools, he’s got the police…And other bad guys way high up, too. They’re all helping that snake out…”

  “N-no way…”

  “So listen, Shuuya. I’m thinking about trying to make contact with that snake. I think that’s the only option we’ve got left…”

  “Huh?! We can’t! This guy who kills people on a whim like that?! What makes you think it’ll bother listening to us…?!”

  “You don’t think so? Well, I’m so stupid, maybe that’ll throw it off enough to start talking, y’know?”

  “Don’t be so dumb, Sis! If I have to lose you, too, I’d…”

  “Oh, what’re you talking about? I’m not planning on going anywhere. I’m staying right here. With all you guys. So don’t cry, all right?”

  “No…You can’t do that…I can’t live in a world without you, Sis…!”

  “It’ll be fine, okay? Look, you didn’t forget, did you, Shuuya? I’m the leader of the Mekakushi-dan! I could whip one or two of those guys, no sweat! So listen…Don’t start hating the world on me again, okay?

  “’Cause it’s gonna be a happy one for all of us pretty soon.”

  “Sis! No!!”

  * * *

  I flung the door open and flew outside.

  My sister’s hair whirled in the howling night gusts as she stood at the edge of the roof.

  Her body, completely bathed in orange, seemed fleeting to me, ready to be sucked into the sky at any moment.

  “Shuuya…!”

  She called my name, terror clear upon her face.

  “Don’t do anything like that! You said we’d be together…That you’d always be there for me!”

  The words made Ayano grimace in anguish. But she didn’t waver.

  “…If we know the plan’s not going to work, there’s no point going on with it! This way, those two students don’t have to die for good. Or our family.”

  Then she turned toward the wide-open night sky. Another step, and there would be no more resistance between her body and the ground.

  “Stop! Sis, stop!!”

  I screamed as loud as I could. But my sister neither pulled back nor turned to see me again.

  “This way, I’m taking the dead in with me.”

  As she spoke, a dark sort of haze shimmered around her for just a moment. I had seen that before. The saddest existence there was in this world.

  I thought I was going to go insane.

  From the bottom of my heart, I prayed that the next instant would never arrive. I pleaded to this world, the one I hated so much, to just stop everything.

  I don’t care who it is. Just help me. Save me…and save my sister.

  She spoke through the sobs.

  “I’m sorry, Shuuya. It’s not very cool of me as a big sister, I guess, but…I’m kind of scared.”

  Even if I ran at full speed, I wouldn’t be in time.

  Powerless, I felt something snap and tear itself apart in my mind as my sister left her body to the wind, disappearing from sight.

  “Ugh…I never thought it’d wind up like this. I’m so exasperated with these guys, I don’t know what to say.”

  “…I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Whoa, whoa, get ahold of yourself. You know full well I’m the one who let your father live, don’t you? There’s no need to go around making threats like that…Although she certainly did a great job ruining our plans. Now that we can’t gather up all the snakes, we can’t bring him his wife back. How wonderful…”

  “Just do nothing, then. Just…give me my father back, at least…!”

  “What are you, stupid? If we failed once, we’ll just try it again. From the top…Hey, I know. Why don’t you pretend to be her corpse for us? You’re good at that sort of thing, right? That way, once they find you, the other guys I have control over will just chalk it up to suicide. Having her disappear without a trace, you know…That would present a lot of lingering problems.”

  * * *

  “What the hell are you—?!”

  “Hey, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m the one allowing both you and your family to stay alive. Or would you prefer to see them dismembered before your eyes? Probably not, am I right?”

  “Ngh…hhh…”

  “Your power’s pretty useful to me, all right? Just do what I tell you to do, and I’ll make sure nothing bad happens, got it? …Got it
? You know nothing’s gonna change your destiny. No matter what you try. So unless you want an early grave for you and your family, you better watch your step.”

  “Damn it…Damn it…!”

  “All you bastards are being kept alive on the palm of my hand. Don’t forget that, you little brat.”

  TODAY, ON THE STREET

  I wonder if that girl made it back to her body.

  Not that it’d make much difference, I don’t think. At least I got to say what I wanted to say, in the end.

  After all that yapping I had to endure, during all those lunch sessions on the roof, I felt I had the right to complain at least a little to finish the process off.

  Yet, I couldn’t say how long it’s been since I talked to another person.

  For all I know, it could be the very first time.

  The fact that I’ve been able to go on and on about my personal story like this…It’s all thanks to that girl with the twisted personality, I suppose.

  It was weird, but there were bits and pieces of us that scarily resembled each other. Not that it matters much, any longer.

  The streetlights lit the nighttime path I walked at regular intervals, their dim glow filling me with an odd sense of reassurance.

  With every step, the tapping of my feet resonated pleasantly in my ears. I can’t say exactly since when, but I was starting to like nights like these.

  A pure shade of black concealed the pallid color of my own strained face.

  A rabble of needless, putrid utterances covered up the night wind for me.

  The darkness was willing to forgive even this warped, hideous heart.

  …Have I changed somewhere along the line?

  I couldn’t even tell any longer. It exasperated me.

  Not even the pain was enough to remind me of who I was. By now, I was completely unable to ascertain where the “me” was in me.

  But, I figured, there wasn’t any need to think about it any longer.

  In just a little longer, everything will be over.

  A blackness, incomparably darker even than the darkness I dwelt in, was going to crush me and all of my other powerless acquaintances.