Mob Yandere

[Part 4/4]

Kuzu chuckles low and shows the clasp hidden under the fabric, the one that connects and opens. A triumphant look as if the mischief has succeeded. It's like they're showing how they've betrayed the scheme, smug.

She thought she could pull a trick as if she's just some sacrificial victim.

"Annoying."

"Ah...♪"

An unprovoked scolding and insults. Suddenly, the black slip tears with a sharp rip. The nails dug deep, the hand slips. Beneath the torn fabric, there's wetness, slipperiness, a raw feeling. A sticky, red droplet of liquid... like my own suppressed impulse, my anger spilling out.

...With this, all their mischief is meaningless.

"Hahhh..."

We lean forward, breaths mixing and intertwining. I look down, she looks up. An absolute top-down power dynamic. The natural order of positions. One who rules, one who should be ruled. Deep within, fiery passion is pressed against the fabric and skin.

Just that makes the flesh bag go drunkenly insane. Saliva drips from the corner of their mouth. An incoherent, muffled sound escapes. Their eyes are clouded over. Reason is broken by drunken rage. They spread their legs as if about to tear apart. Reaching out, they touch my head. Guiding themselves onto my chest. An abominable sacrificial offering, just waiting there to be surrendered.

Very well. Though humble, receiving the offerings of the faithful is my duty...

"Hey, Master! Can I eat this dorayaki!?"

"!!?"

My thoughts, which had reached the other side, are pulled back from the brink of reason and madness. Sharp eyes lock on. The little girl, who already has her hand near, grabs the dorayaki packed with sweet filling from the box──expecting Fuumi's expression.

"Eh, uh... ah, ah...?"

"Yay!!"

A sudden flare of rage. The urge to slap her cheek, to grab her hair, to stomp her stomach, to make her understand her place... immediately followed by doubts about that impulse, brushing them aside, and then, with a question mark in her tone, Fuumi bursts into delighted laughter. Chomping down on her stolen dango, her face is all blissful smiles. The venom drains away.

"I..."

Confused by the emotions that had just dominated my mind, I lags behind, glancing down at the feel in my hand, understanding the situation through layered gazes.

"...!? Is it heavy? ...Oh, sorry. Did I hurt you!?"

"Ah..."

Yanking my own body away from Kuzu's grasp, I wince at the wound now etched into my back. I hadn't meant to extend my claws that far, tearing through the black kimono to leave such a mark, and I scowl at my own carelessness.

Disguising the incomprehensible passion I had just experienced, diverting my gaze from the half-baked impulse, the searing pain, trying to act normal....

"This is... not good... Yes, first, I need to take care of this..."

"No. This much is... please be at ease. The bleeding will stop on its own."

With a hint of sarcasm, Kuzu responds to me as I finally figure out what I should have done first, gently stroking the torn flesh beneath as if it's no big deal. His caring gaze rests on the wound, then turns to me, his robustness further stoking my guilt.

...Hiding the real purpose of our morning stroll, allowing her to get hurt. Posing as an explorer, I had been silently mapping out the layout of this yashiki estate, its structure.

I had been searching for the hidden entrances and exits of this yashiki estate....

"...But still, it doesn't change the fact that it hurts, right?"

"Surely this much doesn't qualify as painful, does it? Fuumi-san would agree, wouldn't she?"

"...?"

Kuzu calls out to Fuumi, laughing off my half-hearted attempt to smooth things over, seeking her consent. Fuumi tilts her head, examining Kuzu's wound intently. The action makes me uncomfortable.

It's incredibly self-centered, but at that moment, what I truly feared deep down was my own reputation. For Fuumi, who had a master that injured a maid and had a tough time even as a child, I worried about what it would mean, how she would be seen, before anything else. I felt utterly shallow.

"Hmmm... might as well spit on it, then!"

Fuumi's declaration was truly reckless, with no hint of reservation. It seemed too light-hearted, even irresponsible.

"But hey, you're really gnawing on it? It's not going to get infected?"

"Then, Master, you wanna do it together?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lick butts together!"

"Wait, hold on a sec"

That's just plain ugly to look at. Too messy. Clean it and stop the bleeding properly. It's pitiful.

"That's right. If you're going to lick the Master's, it's only proper that the reverse is disrespectful, isn't it?"

"But, isn't both pretty disrespectful?"

I don't have a hobby of licking other people's butts, nor making them lick mine. I'm not some abnormal butt enthusiast. Or rather...

"Speaking of which, Fuumi..."

"Fuumi, I found you!"

Why is she here? ...Before I can voice my thoughts, a lively, high-pitched child's voice rings out. Turning towards the sound, I see Fuumi leading a group of other kids, all holding hands, with a smile on her face and a child in each arm. Shii's smile. Spotting us, she comes over with an even more joyful laugh.

"Master! Hello! Num num num... did you eat!?"

"So, you guys were... playing hide and seek?"

You got it! Sniffing the bento with her nose, she answers cheerfully. As for Fuumi, she tries to hide behind me, but it's a futile resistance. She hides her head, but that's all. The rest is completely visible. Hiding her head but not her butt.

"Master! Fuumi, come here!"

"Master! Fuumi, don't run away!"

"Demanding things from me, huh?"

The twin sisters are both trying to weasel their way out of it with me. The other kids who were led by Shii join in the fray... or rather, they're snatching bento in the chaos. Well, it's fine, I guess.

"I mustn't trouble Master, must I? ...And don't get the wrong idea. Everything we have belongs to Master. To make demands about buying and selling is out of the question. It's all up to Master's discretion; we have no right to insert our opinions."

"...Kuzu, medical treatment should take priority over discipline."

As usual, Kuzu's words prompt my command. Considering the reason for her injury and the lively reactions of Fuumi and the others, I can't help but frown.

"Hey, Kuzu, how about we go over there and patch you up? There's a first aid kit!"

"Come on, let's all help Kuzu out! And then we can play!"

Ignorant of our inner thoughts, the kids make their suggestion, tugging at our hands, trying to lead us away.

"Wait, wait... Fine. Kuzu, is that alright with you?"

"But Master's hand..."

"It's an order."

"...Yes."

If I give a clear command from above, Kuzu will obediently comply. I've hurt her, and she takes it without complaint, which is cruel. But she probably wouldn't accept it any other way. Conversely, she seems ready to embrace anything if it's my command.

However...

"Never thought I'd meet you all in a place like this. Are you familiar with this area?"

Knowing the location of the first aid kit suggests they've explored quite far. I wonder if they could get lost.

"...?"

"Hey, what's with that face? Did I say something strange?"

Fuumi and the others look at each other in confusion at my words. When I ask for the reason, Fuumi tilts her head and opens her mouth.

"Is this place... far?"

"Yes...?"

This time it's my turn to tilt my head. I take Fuumi's extended hand and let her lead me. I turn at the end of the path and am suddenly taken aback by the sight before me.

"Why...?"

Recognizable garden with rows of buildings. The maids cleaning notice us and smile politely and bow.

That means we've somehow returned to the starting point from which we set out in the morning.

But, considering the path I've taken and the direction I thought I was going, this shouldn't be possible.

"? Master?"

Sensing my confusion, Fuumi, holding my hand, calls out softly.

She tilts her head in wonder, appearing very puzzled, as if to say, "What are you so surprised about?"

Now I finally started to doubt this 'yashiki estate'.

Inside this 'yashiki estate', with no known exit, as if trapped inside a stomach....

Ah... It aches... It hurts... It burns...

It keeps building... it keeps swelling... it keeps flowing...

It boils over... It boils over... It boils over...

Waiting for transformation, longing, yearning...