Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 69 Death Spiral

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Death Spiral

Despite Taira Sakurako’s initial destitution, unable to even support herself, she acted on a moment’s compassion and took in Yukimura Aoi. She could see that Yukimura Aoi, like herself, was an anomaly among adults. If left unattended, she would surely be devoured by those monsters, not even leaving a trace behind.

Fortunately, she found a job making Noh masks, which didn’t require her to go out, as someone would come regularly to collect the masks.

As a child, she had watched Noh theatre, back when her father wasn’t yet an alcoholic. She would often sit in front of the TV for an entire day. She longed for the actors on stage and believed that once a mask was worn, life would become so much easier.

Even after that old TV was pawned off by her father, she remained fixated on Noh theatre. She spent her last bit of savings to buy carving tools, hinoki wood, and fuel, producing a ’young woman mask.’

Its eyes were slender, its cheeks rounded, giving off an impression of gentleness and shyness. The buyer showered it with praise upon receiving it and intended to commission an entire set of Noh masks, even paying a large deposit upfront, with a promise to recommend Taira Sakurako’s craftsmanship to others.

Taira Sakurako now had money and a stable income, no longer having to fret about food and drink.

But her days were still spent frugally, saving wherever possible, only buying a futon when the winter chill set in. Yukimura Aoi would always call her stingy, saying she had so much money yet wouldn’t even buy her a new pair of shoes.

"That money can’t be touched. When mom comes back, I’ll need it to live," Taira Sakurako would always say.

She used to often send letters to her mother, but without exception, there would be no reply. She thought her mother might have been afraid of her father, just like her, so she ran away. Now she had a new home and money, she could bring her mother back, and they could all live happily together.

Taira Sakurako spent some money on a small missing person advertisement in the middle column of a third-rate newspaper.

The first missing person notice was seeking her mother, but she couldn’t remember what her mother was called, nor what she looked like, as she was too young when her mother left;

The second was to help Yukimura Aoi find her sister; she couldn’t remember her own sister’s name or what she looked like. Because she had once suffered a head injury, many things weren’t clear in her memory.

Yukimura Aoi claimed to be a ballet dancer. She had forgotten so many things, even a lot of common knowledge, her mind only remembered two things: the first was to find her sister, the second was to dance ballet.

Taira Sakurako had watched her dance, her graceful figure was like a flawless piece of art. When Yukimura Aoi danced, Taira Sakurako would subconsciously hold her breath, her soul captivated, the small ten-square-meter room became Yukimura Aoi’s stage.

But then, without exception, every time Yukimura Aoi danced to the climax, like a swan bending its neck, her spinning body would suddenly stop. She would stand there dazed, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if recalling something terrifying.

Later Taira Sakurako found out that Yukimura Aoi had hurt her head on stage.

She had risked performing a highly difficult spinning move in a competition, intending to connect 32 fouetté turns after landing, with the area of her fingertips touching the ground only a bit larger than a five-hundred-yen coin — this move was referred to in the industry as the ’Death Spiral,’ likely to cause irreversible ankle damage, thus ending her professional career.

Yukimura Aoi was lucky; she saved her ankle; but, she was also unfortunate, as her head wasn’t spared.

Taira Sakurako hugged her, softly comforting, "It’s okay, don’t be afraid. Sooner or later, you will dance on the world’s biggest stage, then everyone will be amazed by you, shocked by you, and will stand to applaud you."

"I don’t want that," Yukimura Aoi said.

"Why?" Taira Sakurako asked.

"I just want to dance for you, and for my sister. Whenever I dance, my sister smiles, and you smile too; that’s enough," Yukimura Aoi said.

"Okay. Then let’s work hard together," Taira Sakurako said.

To complete that dance required persistent practice.

Taira Sakurako couldn’t afford a ballet turner; she went out in the middle of the night, finding tiles, carving them slightly to mimic the effect of the turner; she also couldn’t afford a barre, so she used a wooden stick as a substitute.

The cold of winter and the warmth of summer passed, time revolved. By day Taira Sakurako painted masks, while Yukimura Aoi practiced beside her; at night, they went out to post missing persons’ notices, one searching for a mother, the other for a sister.

Life is bound to get better. Taira Sakurako told herself.

A beautiful woman and an adorable girl were residing in a nearly ungoverned slum. They found the strength to live amidst hardships, and peace of heart amidst turmoil. Taira Sakurako’s savings grew thicker, Yukimura Aoi’s dance moves became increasingly proficient.

On Yukimura Aoi’s birthday, Taira Sakurako gifted her a DVD camcorder. Digital products weren’t cheap, of course, but Taira Sakurako thought it was worth it because Yukimura Aoi completed a high-difficulty spin move, and she recorded the entire dance. The two of them cheered in the small room.

"Like this... press here to record..."

"Okay... stop pointing the camera at me all day..."

"Is the disk full again? I told you to save..."

"Why can these masks sell for money? I am attentively painting them, through these masks, one can see my joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness... like this stroke, it’s lighter, and why is that? Because I am thinking of something very happy..."

...

The lens turned, someone was pounding on the door outside.

Her father’s voice came, shouting: ’Come out! I know you’re in there! I saw your missing person ad! How dare you steal my money—’

Next, the lock was pried open, her father burst in, punching and kicking her. Yukimura Aoi jumped in to stop him, only to be kicked down. Her father marveled at Yukimura Aoi’s beauty, grinning maliciously: ’Don’t you want to find your mother? Here’s one right here, I’ll make her your mother now!’

Her father pinned Yukimura Aoi down on the ground. Taira Sakurako picked up the desk lamp and smashed it hard against the back of his head, hitting him four or five times until the man passed out.

This is self-defense... Taira Sakurako had read in the newspaper, this is self-defense, it’s not illegal... but she must call the police, she must call an ambulance; otherwise, her father would die at home, and she would become guilty of excessive self-defense, endangering her future by murdering this man...

She stumbled out, knocking on every door, seeking help from neighbors on this floor.

The beast poked its head out of the lair, the corridor filled with a chill, she felt a strong malevolence from those adults. The monster across the door grabbed her, dragging her into their warm little home, planning to enjoy it along with Yukimura Aoi.

Yukimura Aoi went crazy struggling, even four or five men couldn’t hold her down; she grabbed the monster’s ankle, yelling at Taira Sakurako to run. But the hallucinations in Taira Sakurako’s mind grew worse, the terrifying world outside invading her home, she panic-strickenly hid in a suitcase.

Screams and groans came from outside, she covered her ears, curled up, shivering. Suddenly, a gunshot reverberated, and the suitcase was lifted, shaking continuously. She released her hands, hearing Yukimura Aoi screaming: ’Give it back’, ’Give it back’...

The sounds faded away, as if someone was bringing her upstairs. After a moment, she suddenly felt weightless, as if in an elevator. She heard Yukimura Aoi’s nearly desperate wails, and couldn’t resist pulling open a slit, gathering courage to peek outside.

—She was plummeting down at high speed.

Taira Sakurako saw through the zipper gap, against the glaring sunlight, Yukimura Aoi leap over the railing, reaching for her with outstretched arms, diving from the high-rise building.

Their eyes met, just like in their weightless lives.

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