Box of Demons

Chapter 99

I am a strange monster, a demon, that exists within a box.

Therefore, my essence does not lie in myself, but in the box.

I am the Box of Demons.

I heard many voices.

Help me! I'm not a box, I'm a person!

Pressing hard on my temples, I felt my human form becoming clearer. Press harder, even harder.

"Oh."

This is the only sound I can make.

I overheard scientists arguing with someone.

Who is it?

I tried my best to listen attentively.

This is wishful thinking.

—You won't know without experimenting.

I'm desperate.

I've been scammed.

I was deceived by that cunning and cruel scientist.

That man, Mimasaka Koshiro, was wrong after all.

I was merely material for live experiments.

There is no such thing as eternal, lasting, supreme happiness. There is only endless hell here.

Let me out, get me out of this box.

The blood vessels are also connected to the box.

The trachea is also connected to the box.

All organs are boxes powered by generators.

I've become a box.

Boxes exist to store things.

Becoming a box is meaningless in itself. Let me out, let me out, let me out of the box.

Suddenly it started shaking. The various tubes attached to its chest popped and detached.

"No problem, eternal happiness awaits us."

Shut up! I won't be fooled by you again.

The lid is open.

Mimasaka's face appeared before her eyes.

※

After the lights came back on, Natsume was seen standing there.

"Brother Xia, you—"

"Xiao Guan, what's with your expression! You look like a miner who's been buried alive! Strange, why does everyone look the same!"

"Why are you still so calm and unhurried?"

"Who's not in a hurry! I just stopped the old man from hanging himself downstairs, and I even did emergency repairs on the mess he made of the electrical wiring before I came over! I did a great job! What's wrong, Mujiro, are you hurt?"

"Shut up, you useless idiot. Where's the elevator?"

"No problem, it can move."

Kyogoku-do opened the elevator doors and led everyone inside.

The roof resembles a square stage.

The sun was setting in the west, and the bright, shining moon came out—no, it was bright and clear.

The only light source is the moon.

The moonlight shone like a spotlight.

Yangzi stood on the stage, bewildered and lost.

His expression was serene, as if the monster that had been attached to him had left.

There was a box lying on the ground near the elevator exit.

The box was filled with a large amount of liquid that was neither blood nor bodily fluid. The liquid was scattered everywhere, extending all the way to Yoko's feet.

At her feet lay the corpse of Mimasaka Koshiro.

His expression was one of utter horror.

His neck was being held tightly by Kubo Junko—no, by the remains of Kubo Junko—a sight unlike anything one would expect in this world.

Finger marks were clearly visible on Kubo's neck.

Yoko must have tightened her belt forcefully to pull it off.

That was the face of Kubo I knew. Only, less than half of Kubo's face remained.

So this is what was in the box? Kubo looks so pitiful and insignificant. I feel extremely sad. The box that contained him must have been made by his father, Hyōe.

Does Hyōe know about these things?

Mimasaka Koshiro was bitten to death by the experimental subject he had hoped would live forever.

Kubo Shunko transformed into the same shape as the girls in the box he so eagerly hoped to create, and he died.

The only surviving Yoko stood quietly under the spotlight of the moonlight.

Silence. The sound had stopped.

Kiba stopped Aoki from moving forward, then looked at Kyogoku-do.

Kyogoku-do came to Yoko's side.

“Miss Yoko, I feel a little regretful. I didn’t originally want him to die.”

Yoko smiled.

"I've caused you a lot of trouble. Perhaps there are other paths, but I've chosen this one. Although you've shown me many possible routes, please forgive me."

Then, he bowed his head deeply.

Kyogoku-do quietly stepped back, urging Kiba to take the stage.

Kiba looked at Yoko.

Yoko looked up, her expression somewhat sad.

"Mr. Kiba—excuse me, are you—alright?"

"I'm fine, this little injury is nothing."

Kiba and Yoko's eyes met; I think this was the first time since they met.

Kiba moves forward.

“My father—is dead. I killed him.”

"Yeah, I can tell. You're not hurt, are you?"

Yangzi nodded and stretched out her hands.

"Yoko Mimasaka is arrested on charges of murder and assault."

Kiba took out an arrest rope and tied Yoko up.

"You're probably better at handling arrest ropes."

"Huh?"

"You villains, surrender now!"

After saying that, Kiba smiled with his fierce expression.

I think Kiba is thinking that he'll be able to have normal conversations with Yoko from now on.

Natsuki was also present.

Masuoka stood behind him. Fukumoto, Toriguchi, and Aoki stood quietly.

Kyogoku-do looked at Mimasaka's face.

He must really hate playing this role. Because, after all, none of the stories are his own.

I wonder what Kyogoku-do's feelings were when he said goodbye to Mimasaka.

I think I can understand it to some extent. Kyogoku-do and Mimasaka are the same kind of people. Mimasaka himself entered the story, and then went to the other side early on, so my strange friend must be somewhat unwilling to accept it.

The moonlight, reflecting the sunlight, shone brightly on the corpses on the roof.

Perhaps the light of death itself won't affect any living being, but what effect will it have on these two lying corpses?

Yoko slowly stepped off the stage, accompanied by Kiba.

To escape the excessive silence, I pressed the elevator button.

Under the watchful gaze of the moon behind them.

On October 14th, the sample copy of my standalone book, "Dizziness," was completed. I took the complimentary copy up Dizziness Slope and visited Kyogoku-do.

To be honest, I've been practically a cripple for the past two weeks. It's not the incident itself that's affecting me, but rather my own behavior. I've always been this kind of person. However, during this period, Toriguchi visited me several times to report on the latest developments.

Technician Rokusuke Koda knows everything.

He knew what kind of machinery he was building, and he knew where it would be used—

Koda was well aware of the importance of Mimasaka's research, and he also admired Mimasaka Koshiro's character, considering him a genius. However, surprisingly, he was a devout follower of the Jodo sect, and therefore had long harbored strong doubts about Mimasaka's ideas.

He said he became disgusted with everything after hearing how Kanako was treated. Koda, of course, knew Kinuko in her previous life. He also quickly realized the relationship between Yoko and Kanako.