A Crazy Feeling. 008

A jaw-dropping reply to my interrogation came. I'm marking this person as 'X'. 

"So, it's X, eh?"

"Mhm, this isn't just my guess, it's the absolute truth."

"…How are you so sure about this?"

"I witnessed it all with my own two eyes."

"So you knew the answer to this case all along?"

"Yep. But X is not aware of this…"

"This took place without X knowing it themself?"

"Yes. That too the entities within X are not grotesqueries like the other two."

I took a sip of cold water from the glass placed in front of me on the table. Gulped and then I answered back, "What do you mean by the other two?"

"There are two entities whose hearts and souls have been severely corrupted and as a result have both converted into grotesqueries." So Makkura isn't really the only one??? I didn't expect there to be only two in such states.

"Sounds harsh. What's the reason for their corruption?"

"I am not aware of it myself. Not really interested in that." Saying that, he called one of the waiters wandering about and ordered a glass of orange juice. Two, he said…

It's as if he read what's written on my face. 

"So, Denis. Should I carry out the mission I'm assigned with."

"Well…let's not go with that for now, we've got a new mission in our hands."

"Hmm, you're right. Where do you think X resides?"

"Obviously an ordinary house like an ordinary human being. Even though, they aren't really human according to us."

"Well…yeah, that's true."

"And, Miss. Do you find any of the people you're acquainted with to be strange or having some inhuman characteristics? Even the slightest, doesn't have to be major."

"Um…I don't think so. I don't know anyone like that."

"Anyone else you've come across like that?"

"Nope. None."

"I see. I still have my suspicions on you."

"I don't really care about that. Have all the suspicions you want to have on me." I said with a bland expression. Hope his suspicions and assumptions on me fades away in no time.

"Aye, hope all thou want." Makkura said faintly and I responded with a slight nod which it understood. Denis didn't notice it thankfully. 

"Hahah. You really don't seem like an element user to me nor do you seem like someone who knows any element users and their whereabouts." He said with his usual friendly-looking grin. 

"Also, why address me with such honorifics?"

"I respect all women in general."

"…Sure sure…that's your thing, can't say anything about it."

"I've mentioned this earlier, though."

"Yeah, I didn't forget." The two glasses of orange juice which were ordered by him arrived at our table. He cleared the entire glass off in one go, rose up from his seat and was planning on taking his leave. "Wait, hold on a minute." I immediately tried to stop it. 

"What's wrong? You need something?"

"Yes." I secretly had a piece of paper and a pen sitting in my pocket. I took them out and handed it over to him. "Could you please write your full name and address down here?"

"You want my address now?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Well, alright then." He wrote them down as I said. Now if you're wondering about it, I am not actually asking him for his address to visit him. I didn't know what to ask him to write down for my personal analyzing session. I needed to re-check and confirm that the handwriting on the letter which I had received on that day, during our first meeting matches with what he is writing right now.

"Here." He handed me the piece of paper. Ah-ha! This is his actual handwriting! The letter which I had received on that day was not from him, someone else must've written it, but who?

"Thank you. It's time for the both of us to head back to our respective houses."

"Yep, see you later!"

"Goodbye, for now." I hastily headed to my house and reached there by 7:00pm. Thirty minutes before the deadline, super glad. So X is the real culprit, eh? This wouldn't be so hard as I expected it to be. 

"Do not celebrate already, Keiko Marion."

"Ugh. Come on Makkura, I get the fact that searching and hunting down for X is not easy but we at least know the identity of X."

"We indeed do and I can confirm that that boy ain't lying about it."

"He doesn't look like the liar kind of type."

"Aye, I can assure thou that Denis Pub is not a liar and that nearly everything he speaks is the truth."

"That's good."

"Do thou know anything about this X?"

"Plenty. Literally someone I know enough about."

"Grahah, saw that coming."

"What's so funny here? I don't get it."

"Thou don't need to bother about that."

"Okay…if you say so."

"Coming back to topic, what kind of a person do thou describe this X to be?"

"Slightly enthusiastic. Enough energetic. Quite expressive."

"That's all? They all seem to be started with the letter 'E'"

"Intended on that one."

"X seems to be an easy one to deceive. Didn't Denis Pub mention something about X being unaware of the murder committed by them?"

"Yes. He did mention that."

"Grah, got it. The entities that reside within X's accessory aren't easy ones to deal with."

"How many of them are even there in total?"

"About twelve, just inside of that one accessory."

"Twelve?! Mine has two and X has six times the number of entities as mine?"

"Grahah, aye aye. X possesses the celestial element, meaning that X has the ability to summon all the twelve zodiacs."

"The zodiacs…hold on a minute then it makes more sense for the causes of the murder."

"Aye, precisely. I don't know much about the celestial entities personally but one thing is for sure, if X is really unaware of all of this, it wouldn't really be hard. But if X is aware of it then it wouldn't be a single bit easy."

"Right right." I heard my mom calling me downstairs for dinner, Makkura's figure slowly vanished, yet again. Today's dinner seems to be schnitzel, ah yes, one of my favorites. As soon as I grabbed the fork and knife, one in each hand, my hands started shivering. The knife and fork both immediately dropped on the table from my hands. My hands grew numb and I no longer felt like having any control over my own hands. 

"Kei, what's wrong?!" My mom grabbed both of my hands and no sooner did she let her grip go. "Ouch, your h-hands…they both feel as hot as molten iron!"

"I-I don't feel it. I don't feel my hands, I don't feel anything." I started feeling dizzy, my head started spinning and then…in no time I passed out.

The next time I woke up, I was made to lie down on the couch and I found my neighbor (whose profession is a doctor) standing beside my paralyzed body. I couldn't move any of my limbs. Even my legs and both my feet felt so numb. "A-Are you feeling alright, Kei?" My mom asked me in a concerned tone. I could see the fear and worries all over her face. They were so clear. Someone who cares this much about me…

"You don't really seem to be fine…j-just take some rest for this entire week, don't go anywhere outside, alright?"

"O-Okay mom…"

"Keiko's body temperature seems to be rising. I think she feels feverish."

"Trust me, I held both her hands and they both felt like touching molten iron."

"Hmm, I don't know about that. All I can say is that your daughter needs some rest until she fully recovers."

"Alright then, Hubert." Hubert Benson was his name. My vision was all blurry and I could barely see the ceiling fan. I blacked out completely as I felt the temperature of my body rise up and up. I stopped hearing their voices…

Makkura??? Are you perhaps the cause of any of this?

"Ahaha. Young lady, thou've got it all wrong. Makkura wouldn't be the cause of such a heated situation. Ayy, did I make a pun there? Naurrr, don't really think so but anyways, let me introduce myself. My name is Burnsmith, the entity who possesses the element of fire." Came the energetic voice but my vision was yet still pitch-black. I felt my body temperature lowering back to what it initially was. The exact body temperature as a healthy human being.

"Grragh." I huffed heavily and took deep breathes as I came back to consciousness. This is Burnsmith's doing, eh? Got it. So, it has finally awakened…I see. 

"K-Kei? How are you feeling now?" 

"All fine. No problems."

"Even if you say so, I don't think that feverish effect has gone off miraculously."

"Let me check her temperature." Mr. Benson said as he shoved the thermometer into my mouth. The temperature read as 98.6F. "Woah, just moments ago it read as 103.7F." He said with absolute shock. 

"Should she still stay in bed for the week or for at least a few upcoming days or…?"

"Just for today. Inform me on how she is feeling tomorrow." He said as he rose up from the chair he was sitting on this whole time. "I'll take my leave then. No need to take any tablets, she seems normal now…all of a sudden…" 

"A-Alright then." My mom said and soon turned to face me eye-to-eye. "You are not going anywhere outside all alone on your own, young lady. You are meant to stay home and especially in your room."

"Okay then…if you say so." Sheesh, can't believe my mom grounded me like this. She has never done this before. I decided to eat dinner in my room and finished off the cold schnitzel with haste. This shows how hungry I was. 

"Sorry about that. Caused thou a lot of trouble, didn't I? Ahah, such a long long slumber, I don't think I need to sleep here after. Oh wait, I don't require sleep, ahaha." A Phoenix-looking figure came in front of me. It looked as bright as the hot, scorching sun. 

"H-Hello Burnsmith. Is Makkura still available?" I asked as I was sweating profusely. Perhaps because of the amount of heat emitted from this majestic figure. Unlike Makkura, Burnsmith looked bright and seemed like a friendly figure. Makkura is just straight-up grotesque. 

"Ahahahaha. Nice to meet thou, Keiko Marion. Makkura is still available but we both cannot appear before thou at the same time. We can only appear one at a time."

"Ah I see. That makes fair sense." Burnsmith seems oddly friendly unlike Makkura. Are any other entities like this?

Burnsmith gave a wing to me and once said uttered, "Very nice to meet thou, Keiko Andro Marion. Happy to work with thou from now on." Just this time, uttering my full name.