Ch.59Chapter 9. It Was Summer. (6)

But, had it not thought of running away?

I pondered this seriously.

That suspiciously soft giant nose could have left this apartment anytime if it wanted to. The man had left the door open, and if it could go in and out through that edge, it could have gone outside too.

Was there that much food to steal from the man’s refrigerator?

“……”

I looked at the nose trembling in the corner, not moving at all.

It doesn’t seem injured anywhere…

But that might only be how it appears on the outside. Even people can look fine externally after hitting their head, while blood might be flowing inside.

Above all, I’m not sure if it had eaten anything properly since I last saw that nose in the man’s room.

It probably hasn’t eaten well lately. The man has been spending more time at home, and because of that, I haven’t properly heard that snoring sound either.

I looked at the nose and got up from my seat.

Then I opened the door and went outside.

“Meow?”

When I entered my room, Kuro, who was sitting right in the middle of my blanket, looked up at me.

I poured a bowl of food from Kuro’s food bag that I kept in a corner of the kitchen. It wasn’t Kuro’s bowl, but a spare rice bowl I had bought.

……Let’s just consider it disposable. No matter how much I wash it, I don’t feel like using a bowl that held cat food again.

Actually, more than that, I’m not thick-skinned enough to just wash and reuse a bowl that something clearly not human has eaten from.

I wonder if there’s anyone in the world with nerves that thick.

I took that bowl and went back to room 204.

Fortunately, it looks fine on the outside. If no one opens it up, no one would know without having to fix the inside. It might negatively affect earthquake resistance and such, but I don’t think this apartment was built with earthquake design in mind anyway.

Was it even built following proper building codes in the first place?

While thinking about that absentmindedly, I opened the door and saw the nose still sniffling in the corner.

Yes, it was sniffling.

……Well, that’s natural since it’s a nose?

It seems to have emotions, but no matter how much it wriggles and moves, it’s still shaped like a “nose,” so those emotions don’t really come across properly.

I walked around the debris of building materials on the floor and placed the bowl a little distance from the nose.

Sniff sniff.

The sniffling nose, as if it had smelled food, immediately started sniffing.

After I stepped back a few steps, the nose cautiously approached the bowl.

Then it put its nostrils to the bowl, carefully smelled it, and—

Snore.

“……”

So that’s why there was a snoring sound.

The sight of it sucking in food through its giant nostrils was a bit grotesque.

If I had to compare it to something I’ve seen before, it was similar to villains doing drugs in movies. Of course, there was no $2 bill to snort with, and what it was sucking in wasn’t white powder. It’s just that the feeling was similar.

I sighed deeply and went back to my room.

Then I took out a large garbage bag from the kitchen. I grabbed a few cleaning tools and headed back to room 204.

Sniff sniff. Snore.

The nose was still eating. Maybe because it eats by sucking through its nose, it eats surprisingly slowly for its size.

While the nose was eating, I swept the floor with a broom. I put everything from the broken ceiling that could fit into the garbage bag, and just leaned the larger pieces against the wall.

I was especially careful to clean up the fluorescent light debris that could cause injury if moved carelessly.

And then…

“……Let’s just leave that.”

I muttered to myself as I looked up at the ceiling with a hole in it facing the floor.

Of course, it wasn’t just a clean hole where we fell through. The styrofoam and plywood inside were bent downward, so unless a professional came to fix it properly, it would just look extremely ugly and messy.

But we can’t call in experts when there are dismembered bodies in the refrigerator.

Moreover, as the plastic covering the ceiling was torn, the reddish-black marks beyond it were more exposed. Looking at it made me feel strange, so I lowered my gaze again.

Sniff sniff.

The nose was gradually finishing its meal.

The room wasn’t completely clean, but at least it was clean enough to sit on the floor without getting injured.

I sat down on the plastic-covered floor.

Sniff.

The nose that had finished eating moved its nostrils toward me.

……Hmm.

Looking at the nose, I tried to gauge how old it might actually be.

The nose was cut off whole… including the surrounding skin, so the nose itself was very recognizable.

So… umm.

Is it my nose? Is it similar to my nose?

Actually, I’m not sure. A person’s face needs to be seen as a whole to recognize who it is. If you just cut off a nose or mouth and ask someone to identify the person, it would be difficult. Maybe only parents could do that.

Sniff sniff.

“Ah, wait.”

The nose that had finished eating was slinking toward me, so I quickly backed away. Almost like jumping while sitting.

The nose that was approaching me stopped abruptly and trembled.

Did I hurt its feelings?

But… well, you know.

Even if a cockroach acts extremely friendly toward me, it’s a bit difficult to just accept it as a friend, right? Especially if it’s a huge cockroach with intelligence similar to a dog or cat approaching me.

But that’s not even a cockroach, it’s part of a human body.

If it had been a hand, it might have been a bit cuter. There’s that old movie… the hand in it didn’t seem that repulsive.

The nose, seemingly hurt, slumped in its place. The nose that had seemed “upright” just moments ago suddenly deflated.

Each of its actions could fall into the category of “cute.” But all those positive factors plummeted into negatives just because of its appearance.

What… should I do with this?

I can’t think of killing it anymore. I already know it’s harmless as it is.

But I can’t just accept it either.

“……”

After staying deflated for a while, the nose suddenly raised itself again. When I say “raised,” it’s not like animals with legs standing up; rather, the flesh that had collapsed like a tent without its center pole was raised back into the shape of a nose.

And then—

“……Oh.”

I got up awkwardly from my seat after seeing the nose’s appearance. I took a stance that would allow me to flee quickly in any situation.

The reason was that the nose was inflating.

The length of the nose was about the length from my elbow to my middle finger, but its actual area was larger than that. Because the nose is three-dimensional. And with the surrounding flesh attached, if one’s eyesight wasn’t very good, it might have looked like a cloth with a bulge in the middle.

So… the bulbous part of the nose, standing upright, was slowly inflating. Like a balloon being filled with air.

But imagine that balloon made of human skin, and that’s exactly it.

What is this?

Is it trying to kill me because I rejected it? Is it some kind of self-destruction?

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. I quickly looked around and picked up the sashimi knife I had dropped.

And with that knife pointed at the inflating nose, I slowly moved toward the door.

By now, the nose had almost lost its nose shape. Instead, it had become like a balloon made of human skin—

And eyes, a nose, and a mouth were drawn on it.

No, rather than “drawn,” should I say they were engraved? No, that expression doesn’t seem quite right either.

In some spy movie, there’s a scene where a spy makes a mask modeled after a person’s face for disguise, and it looked exactly like that.

To explain more intuitively, it was like putting a balloon over a person’s face and sucking out the air from inside to make it stick perfectly to that face.

And the target of that face was none other than me.

……Yes, now it’s not just a nose, but a proper face, so I can tell it’s me. I don’t want to admit it, but it seems this nose is connected to me by blood.

At first, the flesh, which looked like a Greek statue covered with skin except for its color, moved more intricately to mimic me.

I don’t know by what principle, but the eye part mimicking me became like real eyeballs, and the inside of the open mouth excellently imitated my teeth and tongue.

And the most bizarre part was the hair.

Countless parts on the head, which initially looked like hedgehog spines, kept getting longer until they became hair.

…

But that’s where it ended.

Was there not enough skin to become the rest? The nose stopped mimicking me right at the head.

Then it raised its eyeballs to meet my eyes and grinned.

Then it hopped toward me.

I should be proud of myself for not screaming and running out of there.

Strangely enough, while my emotions were screaming at me to run away, a part of my reason was thinking, ‘Well, I can do that too.’

I can create things with my blood too, right?

What Nirlas created through my blood wasn’t just “hardened blood clots.” Teeth had eyes and mouths attached, and the knife had different textures like the leather part of the handle and the different colored parts of the blade.

I could even make keys and such.

So, if someone had more of Nirlas’s power than I did, this kind of thing might be quite possible.

While I was thinking about that, the hopping head jumped into my arms.

Unintentionally, I caught and held the head.

“……”

Snip.

I had a sashimi knife in my hand. Fortunately, the knife didn’t stab the head or neck, but some of the hair got caught in the knife and was cut off.

“Eek!?”

Why is this thing making the kind of scream I would make?

While I was seriously pondering this, I felt blood dripping.

Looking at the head in my hand that resembled me, blood was flowing from where the hair was cut.

Ah, right. That’s how it was.

The hair is made of flesh too.

I carefully put the head down.

I was a bit curious. If I threw it on the floor now, would it flatten again like the nose did earlier?

While I was contemplating, the fallen hairs wriggled and quickly moved toward the head.

Then they stuck to the skin and immediately integrated.

At first, they looked like blood vessels, then gradually the color faded, and they just became skin.

“……”

What should I do with this?

The nose earlier was also something that would terrify others if they saw it. I was terrified too.

But it’s not as bad as a human head.

The nose, if it doesn’t move, might look like a distasteful decorative item.

But the head…

The skin is real skin, and the eyebrows and hair look completely real. No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like just stretched skin.

What if someone else witnesses a head like this hopping around?

No, the head isn’t the problem. Even if it crawls into some corner, the long hair trailing behind will follow later.

Who wouldn’t wet themselves if they came home and saw long, black hair climbing up the wall and into the ceiling?

I slumped to the floor as my legs gave out, and my head jumped onto my lap with a chuckle.

“……”

What… should I do with this?

No, more than that. Why is it acting like this? Doesn’t it remember that I was just trying to stab it like a well-cooked pancake?

…

But come to think of it, it’s already had that experience.

I don’t know what it was cut with, but someone had already butchered its body and put it in the refrigerator.

Maybe it mimicked me for that reason. It probably knew there was something wrong with its body.

……Wait.

I turned my gaze.

There’s a refrigerator in this room. A refrigerator probably full of what I assume are its flesh and bones.

Each cut into appropriate sizes, thoroughly wrapped in plastic wrap and stuffed in.

But…

Is it okay to do this?

I carefully considered the risks of what I was about to do.

With an extremely slim chance, the appearance this being is showing now might be a disguise. It might be pretending to be completely harmless to deceive me, and once I help it build its body, it might strangle me to death.

But thinking about it again, it was probably just considered a failure. Just like me. Otherwise, the cult wouldn’t have not used it.

Whatever the method, the ultimate plan of such cults in these kinds of novels is likely close to world destruction.

And the Kurosawa family’s cult’s final goal is clearly to summon Nirlas to this world. Just as my body was an “avatar,” this one was probably an “avatar” too.

And it failed miserably.

I carefully put down the knife.

Then I picked up the nose on my lap and placed it on the floor.

“Oh?”

Its expression, curious as to why I was doing this, evoked both grotesqueness and cuteness simultaneously.

……Right.

Whether in the form of a nose or a head, it’s a bit too repulsive to keep at home.

I sighed deeply, got up, and went to the refrigerator.

Then I opened the refrigerator wide.

“Oh!”

And as soon as I did, I heard that sound from behind.

I heard the sound of it hopping toward me. There’s a ghost story like this, I think. Maybe it was the “bouncing ghost” or something. A ghost who committed suicide by jumping, hanging upside down in the air, and bouncing around with the crown of its head hitting the floor.

“……”

Well, that wasn’t a helpful thought.

“Oh! Oh!”

While it was hopping and bouncing behind me, I seriously contemplated.

Is this… okay?

Seeing how happy it is, this body seems to be its body.

Should I give it to it?

Actually, I don’t want to touch it with my hands. While it doesn’t look particularly alive, what’s visible through the transparent wrap clearly looks like cut-up human body parts.

Given how it changes shape, its outward appearance might not matter much.

……No, maybe that’s why it looked so bizarre in the first place.

I hesitantly reached out my hand.

Right, I’ve already touched it.

I’ve squashed the nose. It’s the same body part anyway, right? It’s actually a bit better since it doesn’t look alive.

But even so, I was a bit uncomfortable grabbing an arm that branched out to the left and right in the middle, so I first grabbed what looked like the part below the calf.

A shin cut in the middle with the ankle below.

Saying it out loud makes it sound even more horrific.

I picked it up and went back to where the sashimi knife was. The head that looked exactly like me hopped after me.

I roughly tore the plastic with the sashimi knife.

“Ah.”

I might have stabbed too deep, as blood flowed from beyond the plastic. ……Can’t be helped. I sighed once more, inserted my fingers into the gap, and spread them apart.

Rip, rip, there was an unpleasant sound as the plastic that was stuck to the skin came off.

As I forcibly tore off the packaging, blood flowed onto the floor.

Fortunately, the floor was covered in plastic, so it didn’t stain anything.

And—

Lick, lick.

……My head was licking that blood with its tongue.

I tore off the plastic— Ah, I really don’t want to do this. The more I tore off the plastic, the more it looked like parts of a human corpse popping out.

“Ugh.”

Moreover, when I tore off the packaging at the joint, the ankle and toes moved vigorously as if they had been waiting.

I quickly placed it on the floor, and the foot wriggled toward where the head was.

“Kya! Kya!”

And the head, seeing that, jumped up and down with cheers.

……The sight of a human head and foot combining was not a pleasant one to watch.

It wasn’t exactly bones and joints combining; rather, it was like two well-made clay lumps being pressed together and mixed randomly, then taking shape again.

And after taking shape, a neck part formed next.

Thud.

“Kya!”

Though it seemed happy, with only the thin neck part, the head couldn’t stand straight. Watching the head roll around on its side, looking at me, made me feel incredibly strange.

Moreover, at the bottom of the neck, there was even a t-shirt attached, similar to the one I was wearing.

I tried to squat down and remove that part with my hand, despite my discomfort, but it didn’t work.

……Is this part flesh too?

I wiped my face.

Then I gritted my teeth, stood up, and made a big decision.

I checked once more that the door was locked, confirmed that the curtains were drawn at the window—

And then I took off all my clothes.

*

After that, it was a simple task.

After handling the living—corpse that looked like a person—a few times, my emotions dulled. Whether blood flowed or not, I roughly tore off the plastic with a knife and passed it to the nose as if feeding it.

However, there were parts I couldn’t adapt to.

I couldn’t get used to the sight of body parts crawling on the floor.

After creating up to the collarbone and one arm, it started moving around by using that arm to prop itself up, which made me feel really, really strange. Especially since, anatomically, the heart part hadn’t even been created yet.

Moreover, I was even naked while watching this.

……If I want to avoid problems when seen by others, I need to wear separate clothes.

Still, after the pelvis was created, my discomfort decreased dramatically. After all, people without legs do exist, right?

After everything was perfectly created down to the toes, I was impressed.

“Oah! Uah! Ooh!”

Though it still couldn’t speak properly.

…

I put my clothes back on.

Then, watching it hop around the room, I closed the refrigerator with a thud.

“Woo?”

Looking at it tilting its head while looking at the refrigerator, I shook my head.

“No.”

“Ah no?”

“No.”

“Woo.”

Seeing it mimic my expression, it seems it can imitate expressions, but it doesn’t understand exactly what emotions are shown on the face. It instinctively showed expressions like smiling, being happy, or tilting its head in curiosity, but it doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of such complex social behaviors yet.

That makes sense. It was probably dismembered not long after birth.

But for now, it doesn’t seem to have any intention of opening the refrigerator to get flesh.

……Is it satisfied with its current body?

“Wait.”

When I opened the door and went out, it tried to follow me, so I said that.

“Wai?”

“……”

Not knowing how to respond to it tilting its head, I stared at it for a while, then grabbed its shoulders and pressed them down.

But it listened. Following my force, it lowered its body and sat down. Looking at it, I pointed to the floor once more and said:

“Wait.”

Though it tilted its head, it didn’t move.

Even after I went into the corridor and closed the door, I kept looking back. Like how it didn’t leave the apartment, it doesn’t seem to have any intention of moving.

But just in case, I quickly ran to my room, opened the drawer, and grabbed any clothes. And underwear too.

……The thought of dressing it already made me sigh, but I decided to consider this one problem solved.

Yes, Kotone 2 is better than a giant nose.

……But I can’t call it Kotone 2. What should I call it?

I ran out again, opened the door to room 204.

Kotone 2 was about to come out, so I quickly pushed it inside.

And after wrestling with it for almost an hour as it kept trying to take off the clothes I put on it, I finally managed to dress it.

It’s a bit better now that it’s dressed.

Wondering what to call it:

“Koko.”

“Koko?”

“Yes. Your name is Koko.”

Though it didn’t seem to understand most of what I said.

I raised my finger and pointed at myself.

“Kotone.”

“Kotone.”

It did the same, raising its finger and pointing at itself, so I shook my head and took its hand to point at me.

“Kotone.”

“Kotone.”

It repeats like a parrot while smiling brightly. Is it fun? Maybe this is the first proper word it’s saying.

I moved its hand to point at itself this time.

And I said:

“Koko.”

“Koko.”

Yes. Your name is Koko. Koko Kurosawa.

……The name, well, I just derived it from “nose.”

Anyway, people in this country won’t know why I named it Koko.

*

“Shaark!”

“Shaark!”

“……”

So, I brought the dressed Koko into my room.

And as soon as I did, it started a standoff with Kuro.

In my opinion, this isn’t really a standoff.

It’s probably just imitating what Kuro is doing.

It mimicked front paws with its hands and hind legs with its feet. As if it had a tail, it stretched its legs and raised its buttocks, standing on all fours.

“Haark!”

“Haark!”

And it mimicked the sounds Kuro made.

Even its hair was standing up high like Kuro’s.

……It’s like a cat.

Well, it’s imitating a cat.

Though it’s an action humans absolutely can’t imitate.

“……”

I didn’t stop the two, but just looked at the distant mountains through the window.

What am I going to do with this now?

My fate.