063. Get Kouki's help to interrogate Chizu.

"Kouki," I said and she softly and leaned in closer so no one else would hear. "I think Chizu knows something she’s not telling us."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." Then she looked around and thought for a moment. "Go tell Hazuka and I’ll talk with Yuki. Together maybe we can get the truth out of her."

"Right," I nodded and we split up, walking around the group who were all talking amongst themselves. Hazuka was just finishing a terse conversation with Setsuko so I let her finish and then waved her over. "Chizu is hiding something," I whispered.

Hazuka looked over at the quiet maid, then over to Setsuko. "You think… Setsuko did this?"

"I don’t know about that, but someone in this house did and she knows more than she’s letting on," I reasoned grimly. Hazuka pulled at her chin with her fingers thinking and looking around. "Kouki thinks so too and is talking to Yuki. If we can make a unified front to question her…"

"Way ahead of you," she grinned and circled around behind Setsuko, leaning calmly against the front of the manor house to get into position. Kouki took a little longer to convince Yuki to agree to the plan. But then things went sideways.

"No! Absolutely not!" Yuki shouted at my sister and turned her back on everyone before storming off.

All eyes turned to them and Kouki just said with a worried smile, "We'll be right back," then chased after the pink-haired girl.

"What was that about?" Setsuko growled.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Hazuka taunted the blonde as she walked up with her hands on her hips, clearly not willing to wait for the other girls to come back. "Kouki thinks you did it and was trying to get Yuki’s help to extract your confession."

"Me?" Setsuko shouted offended by even the thought of such a ridiculous idea.

"No, that’s not…" I stepped in to correct Kouki’s intent, but Setsuko wasn’t having any of it.

"Shut up little boy! Us women aren’t talking to you," she snapped venomously.

That starts to make me really mad, but then before anyone can say another word the sound of a shrill scream is heard echoing from far away. To me it’s unmistakable. "That’s Kouki!" I gasp at the girls and then turn to run towards town the way she and Yuki had left. I sprinted down the hill and only get halfway before I was close enough to see several old people lying dead in pools of blood along with those of both Yuki and my sister. Standing above then is Azami, unmistakable given her expensive and brightly colored clothing, long blonde hair, and big breasts.

"Azami!" I shouted at the top of my lungs in rage and she whipped around to face me, but it wasn’t really her. Her eyes burned orange like two torches and then with an unnatural ghostly wail she simply flew straight up into the sky and I lost sight of her in the sun and clouds.

Hazuka was the first to catch up, running and puffing for breath, "Was that Azami?"

I didn’t answer her. How could I? I just took off and kept running down the hill to see if my sister might somehow still be alive. Her short tan rob was half ripped open, leaving her underwear exposed as well as the giant vicious slash the demonic Azami had made in her gut. "Kouki!" I shouted uselessly, but couldn’t help myself.

She was still warm as I picked her up, but she was ****. Instinctively as I gathered her shoulders into my arms I kissed her, trying to **** life back into her, to keep her breathing and with me. Like a miracle, she couched and said weakly, "Kenji?"

I started crying and hugged her tight, unable to think straight. "I’m sorry. So sorry…" was all I could say. Kouki drifted away, not saying another word. After a few minutes, I could tell by how pale she was that she was gone, but still, I didn’t let her go for some time until Hazuka came and tapped me on the shoulder.

"I’m sorry, Kenji." She left it at that just resting her hand on my shoulder, then after a while added, "Yuki is dead too, and a number of others. What are we going to do?"

Yes, something had to be done. I’d somehow let that monster free, so whispered to Kouki’s unhearing ear, hoping her spirit would still hear me, "This is all my fault." Then I kissed her clammy forehead and laid her down before declaring, "I’m going to stop her… it… somehow." Then I stood and marched back toward the manor house.

"Kenji, wait... I…" Hazuka began and grabbed my arm.

I shook it off harshly. "Stay here," I snapped and then turned my attention back to the Takahashi house. I single-mindedly marched back up the hill, past the now abandoned dead body of Natsumi as the flies started crawling over her, attracted by the stench, but somehow I too was attracted by the stench of evil. I didn’t know how, but I knew the oni was this way and could feel which way it was.

Then I heard a fresh scream. "Shit!" I cursed at myself for being too slow. I should have remembered there were other people here. I kicked open Setsuko’s bedroom door and saw her blank eyes as she dropped the knife she’d held, but failed to use to defend herself with. Through her chest sprouted five long spinney fingers, over a foot long covered with her blood, and their owner standing behind her, Azami with her eyes still glowing orange.

<You’re too late Kenji,> the evil using Azami’s voice laughed as it unceremoniously dropped the already dead girl to the ground between us. Then she pounced upon me, moving faster than lightning, and placed those killer claws right against my chest.

I froze, knowing I couldn’t stop it and that if it was going to kill me it already would have. "What do you want?" I struggled to say through gritted teeth as I held still.

<You…> was all she hissed as her bladed hand traced down my clothes and to my groin. Then her fingers returned to normal, so it was just her normal hand grabbing at my manhood as it couldn’t help but grow as she fondled it through my clothes. I was at a loss of what to do or how to stop it.

Suddenly her hand whipped back, "Kenji? What the fuck are you..." Azami snapped in her normal accusatory voice again, then stopped as she took in her situation. Then she took in her surroundings, clearly confused at why she would be stroking me up, but none of that mattered the moment she saw her daughter. "Setsuko!" she screamed and collapsed into a sobbing mess, gathering up her dead offspring in her arms and holding her to her bosom. She was clearly freed of the oni’s possession, but for how long? If I was going to do anything the time had to be now while it was still safe to act.