Humanity’s Extinction Happens During Summer Vacation?!

by Tsuyoshi Fujitaka

  “It worked, eh?” the wrinkly old man asked, addressing them. “It seems there’s a real difference between those with omens and those without.”

  Dogen Kukurizaka, the island’s master, was a little old man in traditional Japanese dress.

  Don’t offend him. That was what Takashi had been told, but who would dream about joking around in the presence of someone like this? Takashi felt a sense of ambition about the man that belied his old age. He felt like he’d been thrown naked in front of some kind of savage predator.

  If this was a village of anthromorphs, then surely, this man had the power of some dangerous animal inside of him.

  “Thank you for your assistance today,” Yuri said to Dogen.

  The old man nodded placidly. “I believe you know, but I need you to stay here until tomorrow’s full moon. Is that acceptable?”

  “Yes, that should not be a problem,” Yuri agreed. “But I am curious about the people I captured...”

  “You said you wanted them dead, right? Tomorrow, they’ll be sacrificed to The Head of All. Is that acceptable? I would like as many sacrifices as possible. It’s the fulfillment of a centuries-old wish, so I want it to be done in grand style.”

  “Yes. I don’t mind that, as long as you definitely finish them.” Yuri really wanted Aiko dead as soon as possible, but she couldn’t do it herself as long as her deal with Kukurizaka was still on. She had earned permission to use the bestialization modifier vats in exchange for finding sacrifices for him.

  “Is it a sign of society’s moral decay?” the old man mused. “Truly sad. I didn’t think it would be so hard to find virgin girls for sacrifice...”

  Just finding virgins alone wouldn’t necessarily have been so hard, but Kukurizaka had put specific conditions on age and beauty. Even so, Yuri hadn’t done much in the way of looking for sacrifices. She’d just known that Aiko and the others were coming, so she’d caught them when they arrived.

  “You’ll be participating in the festival, too,” Dogen told her. “Your role won’t be anything difficult. Just be there, that’s all.”

  “I’ll be honored to be present for the revival of The Head of All!” Yuri spoke up with her usual spirited voice, as if she really felt that way.

  Takashi felt a sudden sense of unease. This man, Dogen, was not to be trusted.

  That was what Takashi’s instincts were telling him.

  ✽✽✽✽✽

  The cow-girl led Yuichi and Natsuki to her house.

  It was a row house about ten minutes’ walk from the harbor, consisting of three single-floor households linked together. It looked rather rundown on the outside; perhaps the sea wind had taken its toll.

  The girl led them to the house on the right. It was a long, narrow house, but not very large on the whole.

  The first room they passed was the kitchen, beyond which lay two rooms lined up vertically and partitioned by a sliding door. The toilet and bath facilities were in the very back.

  The group sat down at a low table in the middlemost room.

  “Okay, just relax,” the girl said while she prepared a drink in the kitchen.

  She was now fully human, and wearing Yoriko’s clothing. For some reason, she had been nearly naked before, and so she had borrowed a few things from Yoriko’s luggage. They were a little too small to fully contain her proportions, though.

  “What made you do this? Miss... um, Cowgirl?” Yuichi asked.

  “Hey, are you making fun of me? Call me Rion, Rion Takamichi.”

  “So, why are you doing this?” Yuichi asked. “You’re basically betraying your own people, right?

  “Well, I suppose. They might kill me if they find out, but I’m only alive until tomorrow either way, so I figured, whatever.” Rion said all this in a completely matter-of-fact way as she brought in glasses of cold barley tea.

  Yuichi drank his down in one gulp.

  “Besides, I’ve kind of got it bad for strong men,” she said. “It’s instinct. The animal inside me, I guess. I feel like I need to obey strong guys.” She cast a fleeting glance at Yuichi.

  “What’s happening tomorrow?” Natsuki asked as she took a sip of her tea.

  “The festival,” Rion said. “It’s the biggest since the island’s founding. The people who run this island are crazy, see, so they’re talking about human sacrifices and stuff. All the young people on the island, including us, will be sacrificed, and we’re making up what we lack by kidnapping outsiders.”

  “I guess that explains the betrayal, but don’t you care that we killed those guys?” Yuichi asked. He himself had no regrets about what they’d done, but there was something awkward about talking to the last surviving member of the group.

  “It’s not like we really knew each other,” Rion said. “The group only formed yesterday, and I guess when they die looking like monsters, it doesn’t feel fully real.”

  “What the heck is with this island?” Yuichi muttered. “Ever since we got here, it’s been one crazy thing after another...”

  “I’ll explain the whole thing,” Rion said. “Ah, but do you mind if I do it while we’re cooking?” Rion brought a hot plate from the kitchen and set it up on top of the table. “First, the people who live on this island are the ones who... hey, what are your names, anyway?”

  “I’m Yuichi Sakaki. And this is...”

  “Natsuki Takeuchi.”

  “We came to the island as a training camp for our club,” Yuichi finished.

  “I see. Yuichi and Natsuki. Well, as you saw before, this island is full of monsters, myself included.” Rion brought large quantities of beef out of the refrigerator. She turned on the hot plate and began frying it up.

  “Cannibalism?” Natsuki asked as she watched the smoke rise up from the beef.

  “Hey, now... it’s not like I’m a real cow,” Rion protested. “Anyway, moving on. Monsters have always lived on this island, but we just live like normal humans do. I went to school like any normal kid, and starting with middle school I left the island... since we only have an elementary school here. Well, I was hoping that I’d be able to leave the island behind and live like a normal person, but after I got into high school, I was called back to the island during summer break.”

  “What about your parents?” Yuichi asked.

  “They stayed on the island. I was living in a dorm. Well, I said I was a monster, but I wasn’t much of one. I could grow cow horns — that was about it. Same for the other ones. The snake guy got scales, the elephant guy could grow his nose longer, that kind of stuff.”

  “Is that why your chest is so large?” Natsuki asked flippantly.

  “Shut up! You know how much it sucked during school, being called ‘Holstein’ and stuff? Well, I guess it is connected... like, the horse guy had a horse-face even when he was in human form.”

  “Was he like a horse down there, too?” Natsuki asked interestedly.

  “How would I know?!” Rion barked back, her face crimson.

  “Takeuchi... we’re not getting anywhere. Please stop interjecting,” Yuichi said. Natsuki’s jokes were just impenetrable.

  “Anyway,” Rion snapped, “we were called back to the island, taken to the basement of the Kukurizaka house, and locked up in these tank-like things, which filled with water. I thought I was going to drown, but for some reason, I could breathe inside. But it was driving me crazy, not knowing what was going on! Then, just as I was totally about to lose it, the water drained out. The next thing I knew, I had gained the ability to turn into a cow monster. Oh, and eat up!” Rion had prepared plates and sauces.

  Yuichi began eating it without hesitation. He was too hungry to feel any sense of caution about the food.

  “Then we were taken to meet the island head, Kukurizaka, and he told us we were going to be sacrifices to The Head of All,” Rion continued. “He said we should consider it an honor. Then he put me in a group with others like me, and asked us to keep an eye on the island. He said it was training in using our full beast f
orms. I hadn’t wanted to be turned into that thing, but it was like he didn’t even seem to consider that anyone would try to defy him or run away. After all, running away wouldn’t change anything, so what would it matter? I guess that’s what I thought... and that’s when you showed up.”

  Yuichi was going through the meat with truly terrifying speed. Undaunted, Natsuki began packing it away, as well. Rion brought more from the fridge.

  “By the way, why is there so much beef in your house?” Yuichi asked.

  “Don’t tell me. The reason your parents aren’t here is...” Natsuki’s proposed.

  Chilled by the thought, Yuichi stopped eating.

  “What the hell?!” Rion exploded. “My parents are at Kukurizaka’s house, that’s all! I don’t know what they’re doing there... But anyway, the beef is kind of a last supper type of thing. We wanted to eat the most delicious stuff we could for our final meal...”

  Rion sounded a bit solemn as she said it, but Yuichi resumed eating again, with gusto.

  “Well, setting that aside, the reason I’m giving you this feast is because I was hoping you might save me,” Rion continued. “What do you think?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Ah, I mean, I doubt you’d be willing to help me escape this bizarre island just in exchange for some food, but... what?” Rion looked at Yuichi, dumbstruck. She must not have really expected him to agree to it. “You’re sure?”

  “You did feed me, after all,” Yuichi said. “If you hadn’t, I’d probably be pretty helpless right now. You helped me out. In my house, we have a rule that you always repay a good meal... well, that’s what my sister says, anyway.”

  Yuichi kept on eating. The food he ate wouldn’t be digested and turned to nutrients right away, but the more he ate, the more he felt his strength coming back to him.

  “R-Right! Keep eating, then! There’s still plenty left!” Rion cheerfully brought him more beef.

  ✽✽✽✽✽

  “Byouin-zaka no Kubi-kukuri no Ie,” Mutsuko declared. It was the title of a book, also known as The House of Hanging, by Seishi Yokomizo.

  “E...” Aiko considered, thinking over the last syllable of the phrase Mutsuko had used. “E... Emulsion! Ah...”

  In declaring a word that ended with an N, Aiko had lost the game. They were playing Word Chain, Genre Version. Someone declared a word or phrase, and the next person had to state one of their own, starting with the last player’s last syllable. The twist was that they could only use words within their assigned genres. Mutsuko’s genre had been mystery novels, while Aiko had cooking, and Yoriko had fashion.

  “Noro... if you’d give a little more thought to these things, you’d remember when a word ends in N before you say it,” Yoriko said, exasperated.

  “Yeah... the minute something comes to mind, I just want to blurt it out...” Aiko responded, self-consciously.

  Incidentally, an emulsion referred to a fusion of two liquids — such as water and oil — that normally didn’t mix. It was used to make recipes like spaghetti aglio e olio.

  “Ah, but there’s nothing to do. I wonder when Yu is gonna come save us!” Mutsuko groaned, flopping back on the tatami mats.

  Aiko was more or less keeping her calm by now, but she still couldn’t understand how Mutsuko could act so at home in a situation like this.

  “Um... are you sure he’s coming?” she asked.

  “Noro! Are you suggesting my brother would just abandon us?” Yoriko asked indignantly.

  “Of course not! But what if he just doesn’t make it in time? They said that ritual thing is tonight.” A night had passed since their initial capture.

  Anything they could use to tell time had been confiscated, so Aiko didn’t know exactly when it was, but she knew that some time had passed since breakfast. It was probably around noon by now.

  “Y’know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a captured princess, but it’s actually pretty boring,” Mutsuko complained. “There’s just nothing to do! Hey, Noro, was it like this for you when you were captured by Takeuchi?”

  “What, me? I didn’t really have time to feel bored... I woke up and I talked with Takeuchi a bit, and then Sakaki came right away...”

  Aiko had believed that Yuichi would come to save her then, but it had still been deeply moving when he actually did it. She could see why Mutsuko had such high hopes.

  “...Hmm, there’s a chance that Yu might not make it in time if we just wait,” Mutsuko declared. “So if we want to escape, we should probably do it now, huh? There’s only one guard, after all.”

  “Excuse me! I can hear you!” the guard shouted.

  There was only one guard, but he was definitely paying attention. The guards took regular shifts, so there seemed to be no chance of him getting tired and falling asleep. He had overheard Mutsuko’s rebellious comments, which would probably put him even more on the alert.

  “So what? You can’t stop us!” Mutsuko declared. “Now, to escape... I wonder how much fighting it would require, at minimum? That guy’s a definite, but if we keep it to bare minimums after that... plus, Noro probably can’t fight...” Mutsuko began rambling under her breath.

  Fight.

  Aiko probably wouldn’t be of any use in a fight. Mutsuko knew that, and so was eliminating her from the pool of potential fighters.

  But... if I used that...

  The transformation.

  Aiko still didn’t know what had really happened back then. She remembered the events, but they felt like a dream, like she had been on the outside looking in. Even so, she had used that state to briefly beat back her rampaging brother, so it was probably a combat-capable form.

  She’d probably need to drink some blood to transform. But she wasn’t sure if she could control it.

  “Noro?” Yoriko asked, looking at her in concern.

  “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking...”

  “We’ve decided how to approach this,” Yoriko said.

  “What’s the plan?” Aiko asked.

  “We’re going to escape from here and meet up with my brother,” the girl explained, as if it were nothing.

  “Huh? I’m all for that, but how do we get out?”

  “We’ll decide it with rock paper scissors!” Mutsuko thrust out her fist.

  “Huh? Decide what?” Aiko had no idea what the two sisters were plotting.

  “Who fights first!” Mutsuko explained. “Because we can’t fight for long stretches like Yu does.”

  “Don’t bother, Big Sis. I’ll go first,” Yoriko said. “It’s best if you’re the one who stays mobile to the end, right?”

  “That’s a fair point... but are you sure, Yori?”

  “If I end up immobilized, I’ll be counting on you, Noro,” Yoriko said, to Aiko’s complete bafflement.

  “Um, sure, okay...” Aiko responded, despite still being extremely confused.

  “I’d like to escape and take him out in one shot. You think I can do it?” Yoriko asked.

  “It’s about time for lunch, right? Probably so, then,” Mutsuko said.

  Aiko said nothing; Mutsuko and Yoriko seemed to know what they were doing.

  It must be lunchtime now, because the guard was walking up to the prison with trays of food. He began to pass the trays through the space beneath the bars.

  Yoriko casually approached the man.

  “Hey, mister...” Yoriko said to him, a seductive tone in her voice.

  The man hadn’t let down his guard. The minute she approached the bars, he knew he was in danger.

  But what he didn’t know was how much of a threat Yoriko really was. Had he known, he would never have let himself get that close.

  “Furukami,” Yoriko whispered.

  She planted her foot, dropped her hips, focused her strength on a single point, and launched a hand straight forward.

  Her palm burst through the bars and kept on going, straight into the man’s face.

  It was enough to send him flying. He hit the
wall with a violent crash, and then lay still.

  “Um?” Aiko watched the scene unfold in a daze.

  Even though the bars were only made of wood, Yoriko’s palm strike had still been enough to smash them and send the man outside them flying.

  “Hey! But that... that was...” Aiko stammered.

  It was a technique that Yuichi had used. A technique to focus one’s power to temporarily exceed human limits.

  “Sis... I can’t move my right arm anymore,” Yoriko complained.

  “Let me see.” Mutsuko checked Yoriko’s right arm. “Yori, you’re so lucky! It doesn’t look like a break. But yeah, I guess you won’t be able to use it for a while. Between you and me together, I bet we have about three fights left. Since we can’t do much if we immobilize our legs.”

  Aiko shuddered as she realized the meaning of this exchange. “U-Um, does that mean...”

  “Yeah. Unlike Yu, we have our limits,” Mutsuko said. “The tragedy of being born a woman! We just don’t have the same physical endurance.”

  Mutsuko looked over at Manaka and Akemi, who were staring, dumbstruck over what they’d just seen.

  “If we get out, we’ll come to save you later, so do you want to stay here?” Mutsuko asked. “You can come with us if you want, but we can’t promise to look after you.”

  “Oh, um, yes. The first thing, please...” Akemi nodded quickly.

  “Okay, let’s hurry! Stay close, okay?” Mutsuko ordered.

  Aiko and the Sakaki sisters left the prison behind, and began running to escape the mansion.

  ✽✽✽✽✽

  Yuichi woke up a little after noon.

  After dinner, Yuichi and Natsuki’s exhaustion caught up with them, and they fell fast asleep.

  “Boy, you eat a lot, and you sleep a lot. It’s kinda impressive,” said Rion. “I made lunch. You want some?”

  Rion had awakened before them and prepared lunch. Natsuki, who had been sleeping beside Yuichi, also woke up, and rubbed at her eyes.

  “Yeah. Thanks. Food would be good,” Yuichi said.

  Natsuki, for her part, just nodded wordlessly. Maybe she wasn’t a morning person.