4
Imbuing the coin with the full strength of their bodies, the trio solemnly watched the table to see what would come to pass. Through the cold sensation in their finger (and tail) tips, it was clear that a presence was eager to push the coin toward the correct answer. But this time, there was no way the correct answer could be reached.
The mayonnaise kept at Roswaal Manor was a replica of the ultimate mayo-lover Subaru’s description, which Rem made every day with great care. And that mayonnaise was nibbled at each and every night by somebody—okay, by Subaru. Unable to control himself, he would sometimes sneak into the kitchen at night and snack on some of it. But he could not let his nightly escapades be revealed.
“Your shoulders are stiff, Beako. You too, Puck. What’s that muscle bump I see in your tail?”
“Well, why are your cheeks so tense? Your already hideous sneer has gotten even worse, I suppose. I’m sure even this Kokkuri fellow is cringing at the sight of it.”
“Come on, you two, we still have a chance to talk this out. Let’s be healthy and have a conversation about it like adults. I know, wanna go on a picnic?”
They all kept each other in check, but the coin still showed no signs of moving. Subaru was pressing into the coin to prevent Kokkuri from revealing the truth, and the other two were desperately trying to break his defenses. If things stayed like this much longer, he would be branded a mayo thief—
“Oh! The coin…!”
Emilia broke her vigilant silence with a shaky yelp, her eyes intensely following the coin as it began to move. But the coin was moving slowly and with such weight that it threatened to rip the paper beneath it. The coin slowly glided over the letters B E A T—naturally, Subaru was the one moving it.
Before he was unmasked, he would make somebody else take the fall to clear his name. It was the only way.
“Whoa there! Gee, I wonder who the culprit is?” he lied brazenly.
“Th-this isn’t funny! Come on, take a closer look…!” Beatrice protested, her hand glowing brightly. The next thing they knew, a gust of wind whirled around the little girl, and Subaru noticed she was putting more force into the coin.
“Beako, don’t, you wouldn’t…!”
“See? Take a closer look. It’s clearly spelling out your name…”
As Beatrice said, the coin changed course, going not to R but to S, then U, B, and A. She was clearly using magic to spite him.
“B-e-a-t-s-u-b-a?” Emilia’s face twisted in confusion as she sounded the letters out loud. But Subaru was in hot water now. In just two more letters, his name would be revealed, and his crime would be exposed.
“But this was where Kokkuri’s ash-colored cells flamed to even greater heights!” Subaru narrated.
“Y-you wouldn’t dare…!” Beatrice snarled.
With the coin hanging dangerously close to R, he somehow managed to swing it onto P and then U. He only had two more letters to go, and he was scot-free.
“B-e-a-t-s-u-b-a-p-u?”
“Okay, Kokkuri! Take us to the finish line, baby!”
“Not if I can help it, Subaru!” Puck sneered. “You let your guard down—now it’s Counter-Kokkuri time!”
“I’ll help you, Puckie! Together, we are the Kokkuri Comrades!”
Pushing into the opening in Subaru’s hasty attack, Puck slid the coin back to the letter S. Beatrice rode on his momentum, pushing Subaru into defense.
He was going to lose—or so he thought.
E N O U G H
The coin, previously held captive under the trio’s powerful pushing, spun backward with tremendous speed, sending Subaru, Beatrice, and Puck away from the table. The coin, freed from their grasp, raged on the paper, shooting over the letters to scold the trio for mocking it.
YOUR PETTY FEUD IS MAKING SOMEBODY SAD.
“M-making who sad…?”
EMILIA.
Astonished by Kokkuri’s answer, Subaru turned around. And there stood Emilia, her sad eyes beholding the three of them. Her hands were clasped at her chest like she was in prayer the whole time. She was in despair over the three for pushing the blame on each other—and Kokkuri had noticed.
REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS MOST. COMPASSION, KINDNESS, AND LOVE.
“K-Kokkuri, you’re really…”
MY WORK HERE IS DONE. EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS IS YOUR STORY TO WRITE.
Kokkuri’s kindness left Subaru speechless. Leaving those final words on the group, Kokkuri returned to the torii gate. Too quickly to be stopped. And the air in the room—transformed.
“Almighty Kokkuri…has returned home, it would seem.” Rem put into words the truth everyone already knew: The presence was gone. She touched the paper left behind on the table, laying her hand down on the torii gate and coin. “I’m so sorry. My careless question angered the Almighty Kokkuri.”
“N-no, Rem, um, you did nothing wrong,” Subaru stammered. “It was my fault for treating Kokkuri like some cheap party trick in the first place. I was really rude to Kokkuri, too.”
He was surprised by Kokkuri’s excessive friendliness, but that made him feel all the more ashamed. And so there was only one way he could best atone for his wrongdoing.
“Rem, about the mayonnaise—”
“Yes, it is a shame that we never found out who the culprit was…”
“Um, no, I didn’t mean that. The culprit was…”
Staring straight into Rem’s eyes, Subaru bowed his head in remorse. And then—
“I did it.”
“It was me.”
“I gave into temptation, I suppose.”
When the three voices overlapped, Rem widened her eyes.
“Excuse me?”
But most surprised of all were Subaru, Puck, and Beatrice. They exchanged looks, their mouths gaping. And seeing this, Emilia pinched the coin—
“Kokkuri, Kokkuri—did you know all along?”
With a faint smile on her face, she asked her question to the silent coin.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login