Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 10===

The girl who should have died suddenly stood up. From her right sleeve out extended a black belt. With similar movements like Mummy Maker's bandage, it extended forwards like a snake—wrapping itself around Peavey's arm.

"Class... Class Rep...?"

"Save your words for later! That woman still has a gun!"

But Peavey was clearly acting abnormally. She made no effort to struggle free and neither did she try to push the trigger by force—all she did was tremble as she stared at the belt that was wrapped around her arm. But there was no time to ponder why she was acting abnormally.

Kirika yelled out shrilly:

"—Fear-kun!"

In response to her shrill cry, a silver figure sprinted.

Condemning Peavey for her crimes, the girl shouted furiously:

"Mechanism No.8 crushing type, circular form: «Breaking Wheel of Francia», Curse Calling!"

The massive wheel crushed Peavey's arm that was being restrained by the black belt. Like various victims that had suffered the same torture, her arm was bent in an unbelievable direction.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Controlling the black belt, Kirika picked up the pistol that had fallen to the ground and tossed it into the distance.

Next, she aimed the front end of the black belt at Peavey herself who had fallen on her bottom. Her eyes staring wide, she focused her gaze on the waving belt before her, trembling as she shook her head:

"No... No... Don't, s-save me... Save me, help... Mummy Maker—Right, Mummy Maker, Mummy Maker, Mummy Maker! Hurry and save me—Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah...!"

Emotionally unstable, she muttered softly. Only halfway did she realize suddenly, her eyes unsteady:

"Ahhhhhh! No good, I killed her, I already killed her, it's me! No more... Comrades... None? The weapon is also... Ahhhhh... Who will save me... Ahhh... This... Belt... Ahhhhhhh!"

Shutting her eyes tightly, she rejected the swaying belt from her sight. Her behavior was akin to a child scared senseless by inescapable terror. Her body simply shook, trembling and swaying. Correct, as if unable to stop, like a swaying balancing toy—

"She must have some sort of mental trauma. Perhaps she deserves pity, but this works fine."

Kirika wrapped the belt around Peavey's neck then the leather gave off a sound of friction.

Simply rendering her unconscious—Kirika murmured as she watched Peavey's relaxed body.

"Hoo... Dear me. Seriously, somehow—absolutely ridiculous."

Haruaki observed Kirika once again. Her tone of voice and the frown on her face were the same as always. However.

The large volume of blood that gushed out earlier had disappeared at some point in time. As if demonstrating that Peavey's slice of the axe was no illusion, Kirika's clothing completely slid off her body as a result of the massive cut and her subsequent motions.

But rather than pale white skin, what those clothes covered was—a black leather outfit instead. A highly revealing and tight-fitting bondage suit with metallic spikes in various places, trimming that emphasized the curvature of the breasts, and for some reason, a zipper at the crotch.

"...Don't keep staring... It's embarrassing."

"Umm... Ah... S-Sorry. But, ummm—Also, you definitely bled just now—"

"T-That's right! I saw it with my own eyes! That woman took an axe to slice open your belly!"

Haruaki and Fear spoke in confusion. Konoha simply spoke quietly:

"That—That outfit... Is a cursed tool, right?"

Kirika looked at the sword in Hauraki's hand, sighed, and nodded as if surrendering:

"Correct. This is the Wathe known as «Gimestorante's Love». A certain sadist cursed his female slaves: 'Why do these women die so easily? Surely it'd be much more fun if they continued to live even if their eyes were gouged out and their bellies sliced open!' At the same time, these slaves cursed their fate of abuse, thereby giving birth to this thing. Due to the curse, this outfit received a taboo ability—simply stated, whoever wears this cannot die from physical injuries. It is a Wathe that provides complete healing as an automatic effect."
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"How could this be... To think there was a tool that could cause such an extraordinary phenomenon..."

"The more extraordinary the abilities granted, the more powerful the curse. Make no mistake, I do not wear this type of outfit because I like it. It started because I was forced to wear it—this outfit's curse is very simple, death occurs to whoever takes it off. Once it is worn, it must be worn for a lifetime."

"A lifetime?"

"A lifetime. Truly my tragedy."

Haruaki recalled his memories. Kirika wore thick clothing at all times. Even during PE lessons she never wore anything other than a full tracksuit. On rainy days she always held an umbrella—she was quite concerned about her clothing getting wet. Even when Konoha asked if she would like to take a bath, she refused. She was always worrying, probably fearing her secret might be carelessly revealed.

"Then there is this one called the «Tragic Black River». Its official name is much longer but that's not important. I'm forced to keep it on me for self-defense. It was originally a serial killer's favorite possession, but I have no wish of finding out how many lives this thing has taken."

As if condemning a serial killer with her gaze, Kirika waved the front end of the belt lightly.

"Ueno-san, please tell me... Who are you actually?"

Konoha's question received a sigh in response. Then as if organizing her thoughts, Kirika remained silent for a moment—

"Let me be clear, I am not your enemy. I only happened to be here today by coincidence. I apologize for hiding all sorts of things from you all, but I originally intended to keep my identity hidden and did not plan on getting involved with you—That said, I couldn't stand back and do nothing, seeing as this person from the Knights Dominion had arrived."

Kirika shook her head lightly as she spoke:

"My comrades have been monitoring this woman from the moment she entered the country. We did not plan on taking any action originally, but starting with the day when I ran into Fear by coincidence... Things changed."

"Back then, you already knew what I was?"

"Yes. Rather, I already knew when you came to the school, but I had no choice but to play along. Regarding Fear's transformations of her Rubik's Cube, I told Yachi I 'saw something unbelievable' because according to my calculations, that was how an ordinary high school student should react without prior knowledge, and pretending to have seen nothing would be very unnatural—but following Yachi to the seaside after that was purely because I was worried."

That's right, Haruaki had told her "I will explain once everything settles," but to his great surprise, she accepted it readily. If she knew everything from the start, then there was nothing to be surprised about.

"Then I decided to take some minor actions. First, I stole the card Mummy Maker had given Yachi, then I tampered with the content and with my comrades' assistance, an opportunity was found to throw it into their stronghold—Since Mummy Maker was acting alone on her own accord, taking advantage of that could create conflict in their midst... That was what I thought. But it looks like the reaction provoked was excessive."

"So the card was lost because Class Rep stole it..."

"Yes... Furthermore, I also undertook yet another operation."

Kirika looked at Haruaki with wavering eyes as if she felt guilty.

"I originally planned to kidnap you. Sorry, that was me last night."

"...What? Why?"

"The person last night... You were the one whose arm I severed?"

"Yes, Fear-kun. As for why... It's... Because I felt that it was the only way to protect you in a safe place, Yachi. Clearly, those people from the Knights Dominion were planning to kill those who stood in their way. But even if I asked you to hide, you probably wouldn't listen? Hence—I originally intended to take you to a safe place, even if it meant resorting to forceful measures. After Fear-kun and Konoha-kun defeated the people sent by the Knights, only then would I release you. After all, I couldn't expose my identity so I disguised myself as that Mummy Maker. Since her face was hidden and her weapon was similar to mine, it was a perfect coincidence."

Curling the black leather belt back to her right arm, she turned and faced Haruaki's group once more.

"Uh... It was for my sake?"

"Rather than for your sake, I felt that getting embroiled would be dangerous for you. But—It is true that I was being meddlesome. I reflected over it after I fled back home. At the time, you did not show fear and your eyes displayed determination. I also saw the way Fear-kun and Konoha-kun looked at me. Since you two were guarding Yachi so seriously, my actions were equivalent to trampling over your wishes. Completely tasteless. So I gave up... And now I would like to apologize for what happened that day."

"Hmm... I still don't quite get it, but I guess I should apologize for cutting off your arm?"

Fear frowned as she inclined her head in puzzlement. Kirika relaxed her expression slightly and said:

"Don't worry, because I'm wearing this thing, it was reattached instantly."

"I don't quite understand either... So in conclusion, what is your intention, Ueno-san?"

"R-Right... But since you're not an enemy, it's fine..."

"Goal... Eh? Well, I guess you could call it my personal intention? If you want to know what principle has driven my actions to this day..."

This time she truly smiled, the same way as she often did in the classroom.

"As the class representative, helping classmates is my duty, right? That's all."

"—Huh?" "What?" "Uh...?"

Three people. Three simultaneous questions. Kirika smiled wryly as she picked up her clothes, draped them over herself, tied up the cut open portion, and tried to cover up the highly exposing outfit beneath—but could not do so completely. Instead, she looked as if she was dressed wildly in punk rock style.

"Believe it or not, that is really the only reason. I... like you very much. Hmm, that's not right, umm... No. By liking I mean a normal relationship of classmates in school. Therefore—I wanted to help no matter what. Originally I only wanted to assist secretly, to push the situation towards a better direction."

"You didn't have to hide things, if only you told us from the start..."

"If that were possible, I'd be under a lot less stress, Yachi. I did mention a 'comrade' just now, right? I originally belonged to a certain organization. Not willingly, but this means my hands are tied in a certain sense. Although I asked a comrade to help me, it is a favor performed only at request and not without reward, similar to a debtor-creditor relationship. The organization's official stance is non-interference in the Knights Dominion's affairs, hence my actions would be frowned upon... Were they to find out about this ridiculous incident, I'll probably get scolded."

"An organization you say? Could it be—"

Fear paled and gripped her Rubik's Cube which had returned to normal. Then Kirika picked up the unconscious Peavey as she spoke:

"Don't misunderstand, my organization's stance is completely different from the Frontline Gathering Knights Dominion. That said, I find our own stance rather problematic as well... Seriously, it's not quite appropriate for a member like me to say this, but it is absolutely ridiculous..."

"What kind of stance is it...?"

"That of a 'research organization.' To 'understand' Wathes and cursed objects—this is the organization's only goal. By this point, there's no point in hiding things, so I'll be frank. The reason why I entered this school, other than to study like an ordinary person... Is partially because I was assigned a task of 'understanding.' In other words, my mission is to observe Yachi and Konoha-kun, to report on how a sword lives as it gradually lifts its curse and assimilate into human society. I simply report back that you pass your days happily, living more humanly than humans."

Perhaps unsure how to respond, Konoha remained silent.

"Fear-kun, if you were to stay here, surely you'll become a target for observation. Because not only to the Knights Dominion, you are the focal point of attention for all organizations. I will find a way to take care of this woman, but inevitably someone else, perhaps even from a different organization, will show up."

"...Even so, I... Still want to... Stay here. I know this will cause a lot of trouble..."

Fear murmured with her head bowed. Haruaki forcefully rubbed her head.

"Don't say it's trouble. Stay if you want to stay, there will always be a way."

"That's right. Besides, where else could you go? What a headache of a child you are."

"Mmm... S-Stop treating me as a child, you two! I just... Just want to lift my curse, that's all."

"I heared what you said just now. Even though I don't know if it's right or wrong—I believe your intentions are very noble in any case."

"Wow, to think the Class Rep is praising someone...! How rare...!"

"A-Absolutely ridiculous! I do praise people sometimes! Yachi, you too... Since you decided to accept Fear, then stay true to your resolve, no matter what happens."

"Speaking of trouble, tons has already happened. By now, I've already grown used to it a long time ago."

Smiling, Kirika suddenly reached towards the ground, searching amongst the remains of the destroyed Dance Time.

"Class Rep, what are you looking for?"

"Since I deceived you, though this doesn't really count as an apology, I want to tell you all about something. The type of object called Indulgence Disks."

"Oh... That woman seems to have mentioned that, I remember—"

"A device for weakening curses."

The blade in Haruaki's hand shuddered. Fear also shook her silver hair as she looked up.

"I don't know the details but it's supposed to be a precious item. The Knights Dominion tends to install it on equipment that causes severe side effects... Reportedly, it can form complicated systems in concert with the internal structure of tools that have the ability to take human form. I've also heard that Indulgence Disks have a tendency to attract one another. As for the actual truth, I have no idea. Also..."

From amongst the fragments, Kirika picked up a rectangular object that resembled a remote control. It was that object affixed to the axe's grip. Crushing the object in her hand, Kirika took out something from within and tossed it to Fear. What Fear caught was something resembling a thin card, mere millimeters thick. Its pure black surface felt similar to steel in touch. Examining closely, one could discover, with great difficulty, faint etchings resembling geometric patterns.

"The Indulgence Disks seem to be related to Fear in some way. Anyway, you can have this."

"What is going on...? I have no idea?"

"Who knows. Like I said, I don't know any details."

Carrying Peavey on her back, Kirika then picked up various articles from the ground including the handgun and started to leave.

"—I'm going back now. Just as I suspected, I shouldn't do things I'm not used to doing."

"Class Rep! Wait a minute, I still have things to talk about...!"

"Yachi, I understand how you feel, but please be considerate of my position. Indeed, I am a member of an organization... But that does not define me personally... Being forced to wear this thing, forced to do things I don't like doing... I actually hoped you would never find out. I simply wanted to pass my days in school, being a nagging and totally uncute class representative, that would have been sufficient. My greatest wish... I hope you'll forget all this by tomorrow. Then I can simply report to the higher ups, all is well—That is the kind of life I want to lead, there is nothing more to my wish."

As he watched the image of her back as she halted her steps, the tone of Kirika's voice sounded somewhat lonely.

Haruaki could understand the sincerity and resignation in her words. Hence, his answer required no deliberation.

"If you say so, I'll forget it all... Back in school, I won't say anything about it. But let me ask a question. Why did you join that kind of organization unwillingly? And what is the organization called?"

Kirika looked back. Her glare was quite severe, quite melancholy—

"Lab Chief Yamimagari Pakuaki's Nation. The ridiculous miniature garden of a nation—one that my elder brother founded."

Then she started walking about, waving as she said:

"Don't skip school tomorrow, Yachi. Because I intend to win our sandwich duel!"

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