Murder Anniversary and the Reverse Memorial Read online

  And if that was the case, then when Kagura had tried to kill Eiri, it must not have been her desire but was probably Fuyou’s command. She seemed like a good mother, but deep down…Kyousuke felt uneasy.

  “Ho-ho. At any rate, that was a splendid fight, wasn’t it, Eiri?” Fuyou smiled brightly. “I was concerned that your skills might have grown somewhat dull after being away from us for half a year, but…I can see that was a needless fear. You are still the greatest swordsman of this age, aren’t you? If you were to succeed me as the head of House Akabane, I could also set my mind at ease and retire, but—”

  “Lady Fuyou!” Kagura raised her voice in protest. “My older sister is not the greatest swordsman! She’s rusty and blunt, or dull, like a fake sword. There’s no value in a sword that cannot cut people, after all. I will succeed House Akabane… I’ll defeat my useless older sister!”

  “…Hmph.” Eiri averted her gaze from the naked hostility in Kagura’s eye. Maintaining her rigid, formal posture, she tightly gripped her knees.

  “Oh dear.” Fuyou put her hand to her forehead. “You truly are belligerent. I wonder who you take after…? It’s good to have that spirit. Surpass your sister soon and become a great swordsman. And you too, Eiri! If you want to become a full-fledged assassin, first you must bring yourself to kill properly.”

  “…Yes, Lady Fuyou.”

  “O-okay…Mother.”

  Kagura wore a hateful expression, but Eiri had one of sadness.

  Fuyou sighed heavily at the bowing sisters.

  “My, you are on such bad terms. And you used to get along so well.”

  “……”

  Kagura’s face distorted when she heard Fuyou’s words. She said nothing, but her expression was clearly disagreeable.

  “……”

  Eiri seemed sad as she looked at her younger sister.

  Fuyou’s cheerful voice broke the gloomy atmosphere. “Well, leaving aside any sisterly rivalry… Please, enjoy your barley tea. The ice will melt.”

  “S-sure…”

  “Umm…thank you.”

  “Bottoms up…”

  “There’s not poison or anything in here, right?” Renko asked as she prepared her straw tube.

  Kyousuke and the others, who had been about to drink their barley tea, froze.

  “Certainly not!” Fuyou placed a hand over her mouth. “We Akabanes use only hereditary swords as our chosen weapons. We would never utilize poison or other such inelegant tactics.”

  Busujima frowned at the last remark, but Fuyou did not seem to notice.

  “Slandering it as ‘inelegant’…” Busujima paused his grumbling and downed his barley tea in one gulp. “…Oh, delicious! I’ve never had such tasty barley tea before.”

  “But we only used the cheap tea bags…”

  “Eh?! Oh, is that so…?”

  “Come now, Kagura! We don’t say such things in front of guests!”

  “Tee-hee. Mr. Busujima, you’re sooo uncool!”

  “Well, it seems it does not contain any sort of poison. Do you want to split mine with me, Eiri?”

  “……I’m good.”

  Despite the fact that a sword fight had just taken place, they chatted lightheartedly.

  Maybe I’m the only one who’s still afraid, Kyousuke thought as he slurped his drink uneasily.

  Fuyou smiled at him. “We’ve been quite impolite, but anyway…welcome to House Akabane, guests from Purgatorium Remedial Academy. You will be staying with us three nights and four days—is that correct? As you can see, this is a bit of a remote location, but it allows us to give you our most heartfelt reception.”

  “This way, please.”

  The woman in the Noh mask—Fuyou had summoned her again; she seemed to be a maid for House Akabane—led them through the vast estate. They had separated from Kagura and Fuyou in the guest room.

  “You must be tired from your long journey. Please relax for a while. I will call you when supper is prepared. If you should want anything at all, please help yourselves.”

  “……”

  The mother, Fuyou, had smiled the whole time, while the younger sister, Kagura, had worn a sour look. It made sense that in a house dedicated to the art of murder, each family member had her own idiosyncrasies.

  Also, there were apparently still more siblings—one older brother and two younger brothers, as well as another younger sister. Four more members of a family who would cut you as soon as they’d look at you…

  It looked like all the relatives were gathered now, and it was enough to make one’s head hurt just thinking about it.

  Eiri did not appear to be taking it well. Deep furrows had lined her brow since she’d left the reception room.

  The mood was solemn, until—

  “Whoa, amazing! There’s a courtyard here, too!”

  “How many is that now? Three? How much extra land can you have?!”

  Renko and Ayaka broke up the gloomy atmosphere with their noisy racket. The two of them traipsed along between the maid and the rest of their group, looking around here and there.

  “This mansion is really huge… Well, we came all this way, so we ought to do some exploring later, yeah?”

  “I’m in! Let’s discover some hidden rooms and stuff!”

  “Oh, that’s good, that’s good! It’s like a ninja house, yeah?”

  “Totally. With unexpected twists and turns, and secret passageways and stuff.”

  “And hidden doors and booby traps? We can take our hide-and-seek game up a notch!”

  “……”

  Renko and Ayaka paid the maid no attention.

  Kyousuke and Eiri exchanged looks.

  “…Haa,” Eiri sighed and held her temples. “Don’t those two ever worry?”

  “Not a bit. They’re acting like this is a vacation.”

  Of course Renko showed no fear, but was Ayaka really not the least bit scared? They were in the house of a famous clan of assassins, a place where anything could happen, and yet…

  “My, my. Isn’t that just fine?”

  Behind Kyousuke and the others, Busujima, who had been walking leisurely at the end of the line, redonned his straw hat. “Members of House Akabane cannot act without instructions from the family head! So why not relax and put your minds at ease? It’s important not to let your guard down, but it’s also no good being so tense all the time. And besides, you really shouldn’t have to worry. I’m keeping watch, after all.”

  As he spoke, a pink shape began to wriggle and crawl out from Busujima’s pant legs—a snake, with a triangle-shaped head and round, cute eyes.

  “…Ah.” The poisonous snake, which had geometric patterns running down its long, thin body, crawled off the veranda and moved into the courtyard. Slipping over the gravel as if it were swimming, it hid behind stone lanterns and disappeared. “I’ve set my friends loose all over this place. If there’s anything strange, they’ll notice. The Venom Opera is quietly beginning.”

  Sticking his index finger in the air with a “ta-daa,” Busujima winked. He may have been gross, but he was also extraordinarily reliable.

  Concealing and raising a veritable horde of toxic creatures on his body, then directing them with total expertise—if Busujima employed his mastery of poisons, he could probably take control of the estate with little trouble.

  “Mr. Busujima…just now, for the first time, I started to think you might be cool.”

  “…Yeah, well done. I guess you only look boring.”

  “Hey, you two, I don’t like your tone, but…well, I suppose it’s fine. This is your hard-earned summer vacation. Spread your wings and enjoy yourselves.” Busujima smiled as another creature flew out from his travel bag, flapping a pair of poisonous yellow wings.

  Kyousuke felt at least some of the tension ease out of his shoulders, but Eiri’s expression remained cloudy. She looked up at a spiderweb stuck to the ceiling. “…You can skulk around like that, but I think Mother will see through it—”

  W
hile Eiri was muttering to herself, the maid leading the way came to a stop and opened the sliding doors of two Japanese-style rooms. “These two rooms are where you will be lodging.”

  Renko and Ayaka leaped inside and shouted with joy.

  “Wah, so pretty! Isn’t this a great room? Kksshh.”

  “It’s like a high-class hotel! And it’s got a TV, too, yesss!”

  Kyousuke and the others caught up with them a moment later and peered in. Both rooms were about eight tatami mats wide, about one hundred and forty square inches, and in the center of each stood a low table, carefully set with a small teapot, teacups, tea leaves, and even tea cakes. The alcoves were decorated with ikebana flower arrangements and hanging scrolls, and televisions were installed on sets of staggered shelves. Renko and Ayaka were running back and forth through the open sliding doors that separated the rooms.

  “Wait, you can’t put your luggage in the alcove…,” Busujima grumbled as he collected his bags from where they had been strewn about the room.

  “Busujima!” Renko shouted. “How should we split up the rooms?”

  “Oooh!” Ayaka raised her hand. “I want to share a room with my big brother!”

  “I also want to share a room with Kyousuke!”

  “Not sharing a room with the teacher.”

  “……” Busujima was instantly dejected by the simultaneous rejections. He removed his straw hat. “No, no, of course the rooms will be assigned according to gender. Mr. Kamiya and I will be staying together.”

  “Eh? You’ve got your eye on Kyousuke, too, Busujima?! Th-that’s…”

  “Give it up! My big brother isn’t like that at all. And with an old man like you…I will absolutely not permit such a room division!!”

  “Is the heat messing with your brains?” Kyousuke remarked.

  “…Weren’t they messed up before?” Eiri added.

  “Begging your pardon, Miss Renko Hikawa.” The maid interrupted their heated conversation. “But your room is separate.”

  “……Eh?” Renko tilted her head in confusion. “Separate where?”

  “In a storehouse at the corner of the grounds.”

  “…Storehouse?”

  “Yes. A storage room.”

  “Storage roooooom?!” Renko grew visibly upset at the maid’s reply. “Why am I alone in a storage room? I’m human, too, you know!!”

  “Yes. I am aware.”

  “Well, then, don’t throw me in a place like that, okay?!”

  “No. Your room is in the storehouse.”

  “Why, though?! I’m telling you, I’m not some kind of inanimate object!”

  “My deepest apologies. I am simply following orders from the lady of the house. I was told only that you have unique circumstances. That is the reason for your isolation…”

  “……Grrr.”

  Renko kept silent, offering no rebuttal. When she had her limiter off, Renko was a psycho killer whose every emotion was tied to the act of murder. Someone like that could not be allowed to move about freely, so Renko could not stay together with Kyousuke and the others. While she had her mask off, she had to be carefully quarantined.

  “Kksshh…”

  Eiri clapped a hand on Renko’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” She turned to look at the maid still standing in the doorway. “Well, what about me? Can I use my own room?”

  “Please do as you like.”

  “…I see. Got it.”

  “What’s that about Eiri’s room?” Renko abruptly perked up. “What?! I want to know! Where, where? Where’s it at?!”

  “…Huh? It doesn’t matter where.”

  “I want to see it, too! Please show us, right now!”

  “No.”

  Eiri’s response was blunt.

  “Aw…”

  “Why not…?”

  “No reason.”

  “Is your room a huge mess or something?”

  “Are there things in there we wouldn’t want to see?”

  “Not really. No means no.”

  “No matter what?”

  “No.”

  “Won’t you please show us?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “…………”

  Renko and Ayaka exchanged looks and nodded.

  “In that case, let the exploration commeeeeeeeeence!”

  “Find Eiri’s roooooooooooom!”

  “Wha…?!”

  Slipping past Eiri, Renko and Ayaka flew out of the room. Renko went right, and Ayaka went left. They each ran noisily down opposite ends of the hallway.

  “Ah, really, those—Kyousuke!” Eiri, about to follow them at once, stopped in her tracks and pointed at the left-hand hallway. “You take care of your sister! I’ll catch Renko!”

  “O-okay!”

  Eiri broke into a run as soon as she had given the order, and Kyousuke followed close after her. The clamorous noise of the four students’ footsteps quickly faded.

  “…………”

  For a moment, Busujima was left alone with the maid, but she quickly bowed and wandered off.

  “…Good grief. Well, I guess I’ll just sample some tea cakes.”

  Arranging the pot and leaves, he started to prepare tea.

  “Hey, wait! Wait up, Ayaka!”

  “…Ah, big brother.” Ahead of him in the long, straight corridor, Ayaka stopped and turned to face Kyousuke, who had been chasing her breathlessly. “What’s wrong?” She tilted her head to one side in confusion.

  “Don’t ask me what’s wrong…” He balked at his sister. He followed up this chiding with a rap on the head. “You’re playing around too much, dummy. You don’t suddenly rush out of a room like that…”

  “Ah-ha-ha, sorry, sorry.” Ayaka rubbed the place he’d hit. “Eiri’s home is sooo amazing, I just got too excited.” She stuck out her tongue, then turned to look at their surroundings. They were on a veranda not too far from the guest rooms. Bamboo sunshades hung to their left, and on their right stood sliding doors that obscured other rooms.

  “It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel, but…right now we’re in someone else’s house, so you can’t be too loud. It’s a nuisance.”

  “…I’m sorry.” Ayaka nodded despondently. Her pigtails, tied up with purple checkered ribbons, drooped feebly.

  “Uh…” Kyousuke scratched the back of his head. “Besides…look, I’m worried about you. This is no ordinary mansion; it’s a crazy house filled with assassins. They’re nastier than normal murderers! Even if Mr. Busujima is here, we don’t know what could happen if you go off half-cocked to explore—”

  “Sorry for living in a crazy house.”

  The cold, emotionless voice felt like a knife in his back.

  “Hwah?!” They jumped apart and looked behind Kyousuke.

  A pair of rust-red, upturned eyes pierced Kyousuke—Kagura Akabane. Second daughter of House Akabane, and Eiri’s younger sister. Clad in scarlet Japanese-style clothing, she had a dangerous disposition. Her hostility toward outsiders was palpable.

  “Wh-when did you…?”

  They were standing right in the middle of the veranda, but until just that moment, they had neither heard the sound of footsteps nor sensed another presence. Perhaps Ayaka herself had not realized who it was—she had been hanging her head, after all—because a moment after Kyousuke’s remark, she shouted, “Ah! She’s the one who suddenly attacked Eiri, before she had the tables turned on her!”

  “……Huh?” Kagura’s eyes grew even sharper as she turned from elder to younger.

  “Eh?!” Kyousuke also turned to stare at his little sister.

  “What did you say—?”

  “What do you mean, ‘what’? You saw it, too, right, big brother? This girl slashed at Eiri with a weapon that looked like a folding fan but was easily outdone. Tee-hee. I was so surprised! Eiri’s really strong, huh? Even though you had the element of surprise, she won by a mile—”

  “Ayaka!” Kyousuke covered his little sister’s mouth,
muffling her oblivious commentary. “It’s rude to say those kinds of things!! I mean, that is how it went down, but you don’t say ‘you were easily outdone’ to someone’s face! What would you do if she came slashing at you?”

  “Wouldn’t you protect me, big brother?”

  “I-I would, but…”

  “Well, then, it’s fine. It’d be a total rout!”

  “…Of which one of us, do you think?” Kagura whispered, glaring at Ayaka.

  However, Ayaka was not to be intimidated. With a “hm-hmph,” she threw out her chest. “Isn’t it obvious? You’d be utterly defeated, of course! My big brother can’t lose to anyone, you know. If you can’t even beat Eiri, it’ll be at least a hundred years before you’re ready to take him on!”

  “Huuh?!”

  “…Oh?” Listening to Ayaka’s blunt boasts, Kagura knit her eyebrows. But then, glancing at the near-panicking Kyousuke, she laughed through her nose. “I would lose to this guy…? Hmph. Nonsense! If a lowly peon like this tried to fight my big sister, his head would go flying in two seconds—never mind a hundred years.”

  “His head would go flying in two seconds? Laaame. What a dumb line.”

  “…In your case it wouldn’t even take one second!”

  “Wanna try?”

  “Bring it—”

  “Wait a second!” Kyousuke slid his body between them. “We only just met! Let’s not start fighting already! Calm down for a minute!”

  “I am quite calm!”

  “I’m calm, big brother!”

  “…No, no.”

  Kagura’s eyes were blazing bright, while Ayaka’s were dark and cold. Both of them seemed more than ready to try to kill the other.

  Kagura’s hand rested on the iron fan tucked into her obi. Nonetheless, it was Ayaka who had snapped at her first, so as the elder, Kyousuke took it upon himself to apologize for her.

  “I apologize for my little sister. She said rude things—”

  “No way, she’s the one who was being rude!” Ayaka pointed at Kagura, if just to undermine his attempted apology. “I only spoke the truth! And then this…this person made fun of my big brother…with ‘lowly peon’ and ‘two seconds’…calling him a womanizer and a playboy.”