Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 1===

"You&mdash;What rubbish are you talking about!?"

"Eh, you don't want to?"

Pakuaki was sitting on a chair backwards, his head inclined as he spoke. Fear glared furiously:

"Isn't that obvious? I-I&mdash;The only reason why I'm here is because I don't want to do that anymore!"

For lifting her curse.

For becoming more human.

Wanting neither to hurt anyone nor hear anyone's screams&mdash;

Fear felt that her feelings and the deep-rooted wish in her heart were being defiled.

Faced with Fear's fury, Pakuaki acted as though it did not concern him.

"In that case, I won't force you. But what a shame~ If only you'd do what I asked, it's a rare chance for me to give up on making Kirika come home with me. Then I'd use the remote control to stop the bomb's timer and tell you where the doll is located. After all, I won't see Kirika ever again so I'd like to have a proper farewell with her. Then next, accompanied by a "Boom!", who is going to get blown away? A boy or a girl?"

"...!"

How could such a person exist.

This man was truly the worst.

"I really don't understand. It's not like I'm asking you to torture your friends or your companions. This is the notorious 'First Matriarch' of the Bivorio Family&mdash;an enemy to you. All along, hasn't she been harming you and others? Moreover, I also know, weren't you following your own meaning of existence, using your emulated form, your own torture tool, to open up holes in her abdomen? Hence, what's different now?"

Different, this was different. In terms of significance... Absolutely... Different.

Fear clenched her fist, but for some reason, could not voice her objections.

"Furthermore&mdash;That's what she hopes."

"What did... you say?"

Fear glanced at Bivorio but her return gaze was different from before, seeming extremely helpless, as though she were afraid of something, like she would be flattened by something, as if her body was going to be drawn and quartered. Her face was covered in tears.

"...Yes, please punish me for my heavy sins. I... was wrong..."

Her handcuffs clattered as they rubbed together. Bringing her hands, which were cuffed together, to her face, she rested her forehead against her fists like a praying saint.

"...Guilt... Guilt... The sense of guilt in my heart tells me this&mdash;Accept judgment and endure suffering. Ahhh... Ahhh... People, people, people who unfortunately became the foundation of my sins, sorry, please forgive me...!"

Fear held her breath and looked back at Pakuaki.

"What did you do to this woman? Answer me!"

"I didn't do anything. Perhaps it might be related to your destruction of «Narrow Narrow Abyss»?"

That incident&mdash;It was quite possible. If that cursed cross had originally taken something away, the disappearance of the curse could result in regaining it again.

Even so, this reaction was way too weird&mdash;Hence, Fear shifted her gaze towards Bivorio again.

Her face was five centimeters away or so.

"I beg you... I beg you... I beg you... I beg you... I beg you, please punish me! I have really sinned heavily! This sin not only cannot be forgiven, but is also the retribution for cursing God, so... So, my body deserves to be gouged... Beaten... Abused! Ahhh... Ahhh!"

"Nwah!? W-Wait a minute! Calm down and don't come close! Don't grab onto me!"

"I beg you, please let me taste suffering! Please make me cry and scream loudly, please make me incontinent from pain, please remodel my stinking and ugly body, please make me experience such utter humiliation that I may never show myself in broad daylight ever again&mdash;Okay, hurry and do something to me... Anything, hurry... Hurry... Hurry... Hurry hurry hurry...!"

"S-Stop it!"

Fear felt bone-chilling terror and swung her arm with all her strength to get rid of Bivorio's grip&mdash;She ended up hitting Bivorio in the face accidentally. She was non-human, the other person was human. The strike ended up sending Bivorio collapsed on the floor, her long hair scattered messily.

"Oh no..."

Fear reflexively wanted to apologize but was taken aback by the sight. Bivorio was lying sprawled and unmoving, her naked legs sticking out from under the cloth that resembled a prisoner's uniform. Her cheek red and swollen, she looked up towards Fear&mdash;

"Ahhh... Aha... This... is it. So painful, this is the pain of deep sin... Please... Please hit me more. Hit me harder, torment me more, let me experience even more pain..."

She smiled like the Virgin Mary.

Fear could feel her own heart racing. Her own huffing and quickened breathing also sounded annoyingly loud.

"Just do it like that, do you understand now? Aren't you doing a favor by helping her fulfill her wish? Moreover, you do have reasons for doing so. Such as when Yachi Haruaki was abducted, you opened up holes in her abdomen. And now you have a reason for giving her new pain&mdash;She is the one who killed Tateoka Aiko, you know?"

Throb!

Fear felt her own heart beating again. The heart, one that she was not sure if it actually existed, was beating once again.

Fear recalled Aiko's face. Unmistakably, this was the woman who launched the knife into Aiko's chest.

The girl whose eyes were obscured by her bangs, her petite body flying collapsed on the soaking wet ground. Recalling these memories, Fear stared at Bivorio. While gazing at her, Fear posed a question to Pakuaki behind her:

"Why... Why do you want me to engage in that?"

His answer came rapidly.

"Do you really need to ask? Because I want to observe. I want to observe your torture tools, to see them in action according to their intended purpose. Of course, I will be recording it with a video camera."

So that was what the video camera was for? Pakuaki's excessive preparation made Fear burst out smiling.

Pakuaki was already telling her to hurry. Yes, there was no time left.

At this moment, Fear could hear nothing except the sound of her own breathing.

As well as Bivorio who now wanted nothing but self-punishment, pleading "Please let me suffer more pain" repeatedly.

Plus Pakuaki's soft mutterings, motivated by the desire to know, urging Fear to "Hurry up and make a decision."

This world in a mirror was very narrow. Looking up, Fear could see herself staring down, asking&mdash;

What should she do?

She could neither let the bomb explode nor allow Kirika to be taken away by Pakuaki. The way things looked right now, both monumental challenges could very well fail. However, currently presented before her eyes was a secret trick to solve all challenges.

What should she do?


&mdash;Then she made her decision.