071. Ask Yuki to share her memories of Hazuka.

Yuki nodded and thought for a moment before speaking. "This one time about six years ago I was helping Granmama bring a basket of cantaloupe to the stand when Hazuka was actually running away from you, but not looking where she was going a ran right into me." She giggled for a moment then continued, "Cantaloupe were rolling everywhere and I got so mad I tried to throw one at her head."

"I remember," I said with a groan. "I got a black eye when Hazuka ducked and it hit me in the face instead."

"Hazuka was so worried that I’d killed you that she started crying and started confessing that it was all her fault and promised never to steal from you again," Yuki continued.

"I don’t remember that part," I sighed. Then I too laughed, "But the concussion probably had something to do with it."

"Yeah," Yuki chuckled with me. Then we were silent for a bit again before she knelt up over me and kissed my forehead. "That’s to apologize for the concussion."

I rubbed at the saliva moistened bump that was long gone, but I could still feel now that I thought about it. "Thanks." Yuki was a really nice person and I was glad she was here to help me recover from this terrible event. "I better get back home and break the news to Kouki," I said sadly. "She’s gonna be devastated."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Yuki asked supportively.

I considered it for a moment, but knew I needed to do this on my own and Yuki’s presence, no matter how supportive, would just make it awkward. "Thanks, but I think she’s gonna need what you gave me; a friendly shoulder to cry on and some private time to mourn."

"Well, I’ll just walk you home then," she said happily and stood up offering me her hand. I couldn’t refuse that and smiled thinking I’d really enjoyed my time with her. Hopefully, whatever happened in the future with the oncoming army we could find some way to survive and I could get to know her better.

Both of our clothes were a mess with Hazuka’s blood, but since I didn’t have any others available I think Yuki didn’t change either in solidarity with me. We avoided where she had died and walked back a slightly longer way, but it gave us time to talk. I explained that I was kind of out of it afterward and asked what had happened after Hazuka had died. Yuki told me Natsumi just started crying, apologizing, and puking all at once before someone took her back home, and both her grandmother and the strange monk who was cleaning the ruined temple came to look at her body before it was taken to the docks. Our small town usually committed our dead to the sea with not enough land for a real graveyard being surrounded by deep water on three sides.

"That guy just freaks me out," Yuki said shivering.

"He seems nice enough," I replied.

"Whatever, but I’m telling you he’s weird," Yuki said defiantly standing her ground. "He kept poking at Hazuka for quite a while and took a clipping of her bloody clothes. Who takes something like that?" That was bizarre, but since I was almost home I just dropped it for now. There would be plenty of time to worry about some freaky **** rituals this guy might be performing. Kouki was going to be ripping this painful scab of Hazuka’s **** open all over again to relive all the pain. As much as I wasn’t looking forward to it I knew I had to, for her sake as well as mine.

"Well…" I said as we reached the entrance to the Takahashi grounds. "Thanks again for talking with me and all you did for Hazuka." It didn’t seem anywhere near enough to truly express how grateful I was for all she had done to help me, but Yuki didn’t seem to mind.

"Any time," she smiled sorrowfully and then turned and walked back down the hill.

I was walking past the manor house for my own home when a distant cry of pain took me by surprise. I looked around, not seeing anyone and wondering if I’d imagined it, then I heard a dull slap followed by another cry and knew it had been real. I focused my ears and on hearing it a third time found that the small window to the Takahashi cellar was the source of the sounds.

It was dark, and the window was dirty, but I didn’t need much to see what was going on. Chizu, crying and naked was strapped face down over some kind of bench and behind her, Azami held a wooden paddle and was administering a beating to the tiny ****’s rear end. That alone was enough at this point to piss me off, but the fact that Azami was also decked out in some kind of kinky black leather suit that had a fake phallus sticking out from between her legs made me know that this bitch wasn’t just punishing Chizu, she was abusing her, and there was no way I was going to let her get away with it anymore.