Murder Maiden and the Fatal Final
Page 19
“…I’m sorry,” said Kurumiya. “It seems that I misspoke.”
“Yes. There are things that I know that I don’t want to know, you see? That girl is the organization’s tool. She’s certainly not a person. I know it’s strange that the tool’s creator would put her in school as though she were a human being. Even they think so! But I—”
The voice on the other end choked up, and for a moment, an uncomfortable silence descended over them.
“Ah…it’s just…,” Kurumiya mumbled. “That is to say…I’m trying to take your side here! But you have to understand, after the first appearance of abnormalities big enough to interfere with normal operations, the higher-ups wouldn’t keep quiet. Regardless of your intentions as her creator, as of now, Renko is—”
“Hm? Sorry, I went to get a Monster Energy drink.”
“Oh, piss off.”
“I said I was sorry! You know I have a chronic condition that makes me want to act out whenever things get too serious.”
“Is that so? You’d better get to a hospital right away.”
“Ah-ha-ha! Impossible, I’m afraid. I’m busy.”
“…Hmph. Playing a game of tag with your target? Well, don’t work too hard.”
“Mmm. Right now we’re just playing hide-and-seek, though! It appears my target also has connections in the criminal underground…it’s taking more work than I expected. Well, I’m really just here as a chaperone, but it honestly does feel like a vacation. I even got you a souvenir, Hijiri dear.”
“Oh, thank you. Send it right along.”
The stuffed animal hanging from Kurumiya’s cell phone had also been a present from her friend. It was the mascot character for the melodic death metal band the Black Cat Murder, and she even had set her ringtone to play one of the band’s songs. She was very pleased with it. Kurumiya’s tastes often lined up with those of this particular friend, and she was looking forward to the delivery.
“No.”
“…………”
The meaning of this easy rejection wasn’t clear.
Perhaps sensing Kurumiya’s disappointment, the person on the other line continued quickly. “Wait, wait! I’m not going to send it. I want to deliver it in person.”
“…In person?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and after hearing your stories, I don’t want to put it off any longer. I’m coming to see you, Hijiri dear. I’ll leave my target to someone else for a while, and come back to see Renko. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“……Mmm.” It was as her friend had said. Renko’s disorder was serious; it was out of Kurumiya’s hands. She was grateful that the creator would come. “That’s right. It’ll help.”
“Yes. Since I’ll be in charge, you can relax and drink your milk. It would be good to see some growth by the time I got back.”
“…Bitch. As soon you get here, I’m taking you down.”
“Ehh?! But I was talking about Renko…heh-heh! It’s been almost half a year… I’m really looking forward to it! To seeing you and Renko, of course, but also that—Kyousuke Kamiya you mentioned. I also definitely want to meet the object of my daughter’s first love. I have so many questions! Like ‘Why did you fall for her?’ and ‘How hard did you fall?’ and ‘What do you think of Renko?’ and so on…though I doubt I’ll approve of any of his answers.” The voice was laughing but did not seem especially relaxed.
Kurumiya smiled unconsciously. She called the tool her “daughter.” Her attachment to Renko reminded Kurumiya of a doting parent.
“Well, that’s about all, so…I’m looking forward to seeing you! I’ll call again soon.”
“Sure. You’re real delicate, so take care of yourself.”
“And you’re awfully tough, Hijiri dear, so you take care as well. Bye-bye now!”
“Yeah, later.”
—Click.
The line cut off.
With a sigh, Kurumiya lowered the phone from her ear. Then, quite suddenly, she started laughing. The sun had already set, leaving the room in shadow. The only point of light was the cell phone, lying discarded on the desk.
The bright screen displayed her call history, at the top of which was a name:
REIKO HIKAWA…
Psycome 3: Murder Maiden and the
Fatal Final / End
AFTERWORD Master of Ceremonies
Hello, or should I say, “How do you do?” I am Mizuki Mizushiro.
Continuing with the theme of “Cutthroats” and “Killer Queens,” this third volume features a “Fatal Family Member.” Kyousuke’s little sister, Ayaka, who ran in the background of Volumes 1 and 2, now becomes the main story. This is liable to lead to some troubling developments, but that’s romantic comedy for you. I exercised my ingenuity so that you could laugh and enjoy, without feeling like it gets too brutal. I tried to keep the balance between “psycho” and “comedy” in mind.
Anyway, currently the Psycome promotional video is being made public! They also made background music for it—it’s just ordinary death metal vocals. The hook is a little out there. Is this really a love comedy…? If you like, please enjoy the music and stylish visuals that will leave you guessing.
Well, then. Each time the afterword is one page, so here are all the thank-yous.
To the person in charge, Ms. Gibu; the illustrator, Namanie; the designers at musicago graphics; the proofreaders; the PR team; my friends; my family; all of my relatives; everyone who had anything to do with the publication of this book; all of the readers who kindly read and support Psycome; and you, who have now picked up this book. Truly, thank you!
The next volume, which is scheduled to arrive in the winter features “the Assassins”—Eiri’s family will become the main story.
Mizuki Mizushiro
~Written while listening to Architects~
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