Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume2 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 3===

The superintendent's office was located on the top floor of the staff block.

Almost everyone who walked here felt a sense of dizziness. There were two reasons for that. Whether the wide tables or the sofa for guests, the grandness of the furniture caused one to doubt if this was inside a school. Secondly, the walls were covered with various items—helmets from western armor, blow darts, wooden cylinders that smelled of sexual harassment<ref>'''Wooden cylinders''': probably a reference to the ''koteka''.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koteka]</ref>, etc—Completely haphazard and disorganized.

Fear's jaws gaped wide, speechless. This was the natural reaction—Haruaki thought.

"Hi, it's been a while, Haruaki-kun, and you too, Konoha-chan. You must be Fear-chan... I see."

Thud! A dart struck the very center of a dartboard hanging on the wall next to the desk. The seated person who threw the dart quietly swiveled his magnificent chair to face the arrivals.

"I am this school's superintendent, Sekaibashi Gabriel. Pleased to meet you all. I was slightly worried originally, but it looks like the uniform's size is a perfect fit. The gift was well worth the price. Oh right, let me take a picture, this is necessary. Though that said, it's a Polaroid so I can't guarantee the quality... Yes, this is good enough."

A man in an expensive looking suit. Not only was his name strange, but it also suggested a mixed racial heritage, especially given his bright hair color. Age indeterminate. He was supposed to be in his latter twenties but his exact age could not be discerned. As for why—

"Oh..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Y-You must be a freak, right? Stay there and don't move, I'm going to take care of you!"

"Hey, stop that! Using an ashtray as a murder weapon only happens in detective novels!"

As Fear was about to throw a heavy glass ashtray, Haruaki quickly reached out with both hands from behind to restrain her. Struggling, she still seemed intent on throwing the ashtray at the suspicious person before her.

Yes, describing him as suspicious was completely accurate. The man was wearing a gas mask on his face, which would not have been out of place at a biohazard battlefield or the scene of a gas leak. But no matter how displaced he was, he should not be casually sitting legs crossed in this superintendent's office.

"Oh, you're surprised by my appearance...? That's only expected for your first time, hohoho."

The man in the well-tailored suit shook his shoulders gleefully. Despite his composed and proper bearing, the laughter coming from the mask gave off a bizarre "ppffft..." kind of sound.

"Woah! See, Haruaki, this guy... This guy is scary! Come up with something, quickly!"

"Hmm—I almost forgot Class Rep's warning... Okay, don't be afraid. Even though this guy looks like that, he is a good person."

Fear finally put down the ashtray in her hand and shrank away slightly.

"B-But that mask... Definitely suspicious!"

"Even though the accusation of strangeness is laid at me, I can't help but agree. My respiratory system has been very frail since birth, so the slightest bit of dust causes a stinging sensation as if tearing my lungs apart. If I don't wear this, I would be a perpetual invalid confined within the white walls of a sickroom."

"What!? It turns out to be something like that!? I-I'm really sorry, I was too impulsive."

No big deal, I'm used to it—the superintendent shrugged. But Haruaki and Konoha glared coldly at him instead—

"I remember the explanation last time was to hide a scar on your face?"

"I was told it was for religious reasons..."

"...Hey, which one is real?"

"Eh, is that so? Whatever, don't let such trivial details bother you, hoho."

Completely untroubled by his conscience, the superintendent threw another dart at the board on the wall. This time it struck the most outer edge.

Indeed, even if he changed his tone and insisted "This is the true explanation" no one would believe him. Since he wore a gas mask at all times, to Haruaki and the rest, this was the superintendent's face.

That said, his appearances in the school were not particularly frequent. The role of the superintendent was but one of his numerous professions. He was always busy and traveling all over the world. Although no one knew what he was actually doing, the only truth Haruaki was certain of was that this man was very wealthy.

"By the way, Superintendent, do you know what my Pops is doing?"

"Not really. His phonecall earlier only asked me to take care of Fear-chan. He seemed quite busy over on his end and I was in the jungle with a bad signal, so we didn't talk for long."

"I see... What? Jungle?"

As always, he was a guy doing unknown business.

"Yes, Papua New Guinea—yes yes, I made another discovery there! This time I am very confident! Would you like to have a look?"

Suddenly without any reason, he took out a wooden mask with various colors bunched together. It looked a bit dirty with strange stains. Simply stated, it was weird. Standing up, he handed the mask over to Konoha.

"How is it? As soon as I laid my eyes on it, my intuition told me I must have found a cursed artifact, am I right this time?"

For some reason, he spoke quite happily. With no choice but to receive the mask, Konoha turned it over and over in her hands, feeling it. Suddenly, Haruaki spoke up and asked:

"I've always been curious, can you actually identify that kind of thing instantly by examining it?"

"No... How should I put it... That works for some but not others... If you want an analogy, it's like looking at the muscles of someone you meet for the first time and then exclaiming 'This person really works out, right?' ...That's the kind of feeling... Isn't it the same for you, Fear?"

"I hate agreeing with you, but yes, that's what it's like."

"Hmm... So I guessed wrong again eh... I'm really far from catching up to Honatsu-san's level..."
[[image:C3 02-038.jpg|thumb]]

The superintendent's shoulders slumped dejectedly as he took the mask back. This man seemed to love "discovering cursed tools," with a bad habit of buying on impulse any suspected object he discovered during his travels abroad. This was also one of the fundamental reasons how he became good friends with Haruaki's father.

"I guess I have no choice but to work harder and improve. Okay, Zenon-kun, could you bring the tea please. A portion for everyone please."

"&mdash;Understood."

The one who answered had been standing in a corner in complete silence until now. Her short hair contributed to her striking image as a cool beauty. Even though she was not wearing a suit, her jacket gave off a strangely arrogant impression. As for the lower part of her outfit, she was dressed in a long skirt. Whether in terms of facial expression, attitude or attire, she seemed quite unapproachable in all three areas.

This woman was the superintendent's secretary, Houjyou Zenon. Even in her employer's absence, she still managed this room dutifully. The superintendent trusted her deeply and she also seemed to be privy to the existence of cursed tools all along. Haruaki and Konoha had met her before&mdash;though they were not particular familiar. That said, she did not act particularly intimately towards the superintendent either, so it was probable that she treated family with the same attitude.

Urged by the superintendent sitting before the desk, the entire group sat down on the sofa. Soon after, Zenon returned from the room next door, deftly served tea to Haruaki and his group, handed a straw to the superintendent and returned to the corner in the room. Manipulating the bottom of the mask, the superintendent created a small opening for the straw to enter and began sipping tea.

Fear watched the scene with half-narrowed eyes while Haruaki remained unfazed, already used to the sight.

"Oh yeah, by the way." As he savored the tea, the superintendent reached towards the camera on the desk. Picking up the instant photo, he began to cut it using scissors.

"What are you doing?"

"I said just now that a photo was necessary, right? A medical history for the infirmary is supposed to be attached to the enrollment application... A health survey which requires a photo. I already prepared the application beforehand but there's nothing I could do about the photo."

"The infirmary...? I don't really think I'll have any opportunity to use that place, right?"

"I believe so too, since your body's structure is different from humans. But if you alone lack the health survey form, it'd be strange, right? This is only for plausibility... Okay, it's done. Anyway, please confirm the address as a matter of procedure."

Confirmed. Seeing the "Nothing out of the ordinary" written on the health survey along with a photo of Fear with a silly open-mouthed expression, Haruaki felt rather surreal.

"If there's no problem, please leave it there, I will ask Zenon-kun to hand it in... Also, right! I remembered another thing. Zenon-kun, please."

Then Zenon brought over from the other room something that looked like an old suitcase. It was almost big enough to fit a person and also gave off a particularly sturdy impression.

"I have a request to make of Haruaki-kun. I don't really want to oblige you as an exchange of favors&mdash;since I did help fabricate Fear-chan's paperwork, but I'd be very grateful if you could agree to my little request."

"Certainly, even though it's Pops who asked you on his own, I'm really grateful for your help. So long as I'm able to help, I'd agree to any request... So, if you're asking me, that means it's related to cursed tools, right?"

The superintendent nodded and explained that he knew an owner of an antique shop from the neighboring town. Even though it was simply the relationship between a frequent customer and a shopkeeper, due to the purchase of cursed tools, they used to gossip in the past.

"And that person seems to have brought this suitcase to me. I was away at the time and it was Zenon-kun who received it in my stead&mdash;Zenon-kun, did he leave any message?"

The secretary replied calmly:

"Nothing much. 'This is a cursed doll.' 'Surely this thing must be the cause of my daughter's lack of vigor.' 'Please deliver this to that place for safekeeping.' That's all."

"A cursed doll..."

"What a cliched item. But if that's all he said, not much can really be deduced about its past."

"Eh? You didn't try calling him to ask? Wouldn't it be better to ask first..."

The superintendent shook his head at Konoha's question.

"I did call, but he seems to have... He died on the way back after dropping this thing off..."

"...What?"

The shopkeeper was already quite elderly and had been visiting the hospital recently due to illness. Gabriel slumped his shoulders gloomily, whispering as he explained&mdash;Although he had no idea if carrying the suitcase was too much of a strain for the shopkeeper, given he was so ill, sending by post should have been a better solution, right?

The above was what the superintendent discovered when he called and heard from the relative who happened to be at the house, taking care of the estate. Of course, that person was not aware of the doll. The shopkeeper's wife was already deceased so consequently, no one knew anything about the doll.

"Eh? Wasn't a daughter mentioned in the message just now?"

"She seems to be quite difficult to get along with and she doesn't pick up the phone. She was already problematic to begin with, and now combined with the impact of her father's death... Speaking of which, is the reason why she's not coming to school really related to this doll? And to think I specially reserved a spot for her, but she never came, causing me to wonder. Now it seems to make sense."

Nonchalantly exposing his tendency to spill gossip behind others' backs, Gabriel's words clearly disqualified him as an educator. This guy is really quite a character&mdash;thought Haruaki to himself.

Back to the subject at hand, even if their information on hand was practically zero, it did not pose any huge problem for Haruaki. After all, curses did not affect Haruaki and this would not be the first time for him to be entrusted with cursed tools for safekeeping on behalf of the superintendent.

Hence, the superintendent told Haruaki: "Just shove it somewhere in storage." After Haruaki nodded in agreement, Gabriel spoke cheerfully as if trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere:

"Okay, now that things are decided, I think the actual object warrants a look. Zenon-kun, the key to this suitcase was also under your care, right? Let's open it for a view."

The secretary handed a key over to the superintendent who then unlocked the suitcase.

"Okay, what kind of doll would it be? Since it's cursed, will its appearance be frightening? Or perhaps the opposite, exquisitely beautiful? Actually, is it oriental or occidental in style&mdash;should we have a bet? In my view, I'm betting on a South American voodoo doll. What about you, Haruaki-kun?"

"Eh? Umm... Based on the impression, I feel like it's a Japanese doll."

"An ordinary marionette? Anyway, let's just hurry and open it!"

"Well, then my guess is... Chinese style?"

"Excellent, every guess is different. How about you, Zenon-kun?"

The secretary narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"I do not participate in gambles where value cannot be precalculated. Besides, since the reward has not been quantified clearly beforehand, the bet does not stand."

Even though her face remained completely expressionless, it felt like she really wanted to say "Ridiculous." The superintendent merely shrugged at her usual lack of enthusiasm.

"You're not betting no matter what?"

"Not betting no matter what."

"If you guess right, let's double your salary for the current month."

"I vote for the western doll."

An instant response. Her gaze immediately became five times brighter and even more frightening than usual.

"Great. Well then&mdash;let's open the case!"

The superintendent immediately opened the suitcase for all to see its contents.

Haruaki and the rest could not help but gasp. The interior of the suitcase completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

On the other hand, the superintendent opening the suitcase from behind could not see what was within. He seemed to be the type who liked to save fun things to the very end, standing there to prop the suitcase open with great amusement.

"So? Who won, can someone tell me?"

Foo&mdash;Zenon sighed.

"...Put in a contrived manner, it would have been me, a minute or so ago. Manipulated by desire, I have surely made a fool of myself."

"Hmm? What is going on?"

"'The bet does not stand'&mdash;that's the answer to this wager. Simply stated&mdash;"

Completely candidly, she described the contents of the suitcase.

"It's empty."



Time stood still for several seconds.

"W-Why?"

"No idea. I have not touched the suitcase except when receiving the delivery and taking it out just now... In my humble opinion, I did notice that the weight was different compared to when I first received it. I thought it was just my imagination, but..."

"In other words&mdash;there was something inside originally when the shopkeeper brought it?"

Her gaze wavering slightly, Zenon bowed her head.

"I am at fault for its loss while it was under my safekeeping. I am prepared to accept punishment."

When she looked up once again, her eyes were filled with vigor surpassing her earlier state. As if it were a matter of life and death, she asked with a nervous and serious tone of voice:

"&mdash;Will my salary be deducted?"

"Do you wish for me to do that? Even if I deduct your salary completely, it won't change the fact of the matter. Hmm... But not handing out any punishment would be irresponsible as an employer. Well then... Okay, since I happen to have the camera on hand, why don't you let me take a picture of your happy face? Make the kind of expression that would get you locked up by airport personnel as they laughed hysterically if you ever used the photo in a passport."

"Then allow me to hand in my resignation today. As for the severance payment, I simply want the privilege of swinging this fist of mine."

Expressionlessly, Zenon raised her fist beside her face. Her other hand was already holding an envelope.

"Just joking." "...Really?"

Then Zenon expressionlessly replaced the envelope titled «Resignation» back into her pocket.

Haruaki was well accustomed to these exchanges between the boss and secretary, hence he ignored them. Once again, he examined the suitcase. No matter how many times he checked, it really was empty. In other words, conceptually, it contained "nothing at all;" but in actual fact, it was a depression lined with white cloth. Based on what Zenon reported, the contents must have disappeared during the few days after she received the case. In that case&mdash;

"Hmm... What do you conclude?"

"Isn't it obvious? Unless it was stolen, then&mdash;the thing inside 'ran away by itself.'"

Clearly another troublesome incident. Haruaki's statement made Fear greatly alarmed while the superintendent rubbed his mask, his expression indeterminate.

"I see, that's possible too. I didn't even consider that. With no way to ask the shopkeeper the details, what a disaster this is."

"Well, most people wouldn't think of this possibility, right? After all, cursed tools with the ability to take on human form are not that common."

But it would not be surprising to run into one; after all, two of them were standing right here in this room.

"Indeed, if I found myself suddenly being stuffed into a case, I'd want to escape too... Hmm? But wasn't it locked?"

"Since it's a cursed tool, nothing is impossible. For example, I know a doll who could make her hair act like metal wires... Besides, there shouldn't be anything else missing, right? Since there are so many valuables in this room, but no theft had occurred&mdash;This rules out the possibility of ordinary thieves."

Listening to the exchange between Fear and Haruaki, the superintendent nodded in agreement, then rested his forehead on one hand as if pondering something.

(Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this.)

Just as Haruaki felt a sudden impulse warning his entire body to bolt out of the room&mdash;

"...Very well, there's no other way but to amend the requested task. Haruaki-kun, please find the missing doll."

"I knew it!"

"You're unwilling to do this?"

"I don't know if I should call it unwilling or too difficult..! Since the doll left by its own will, then I have no idea where to start looking!"

"True, but if the doll is left to roam free, contrary to my friend's dying wishes, wouldn't that weigh on our consciences? Besides, if the doll is not taken care of, perhaps it could cause trouble for others, right?"

"Trouble... Namely, a curse? What kind of curse is it?"

Fear interjected with an extremely serious expression.

"How would I know...? Wait a minute, the message did mention about the daughter lacking in vigor, could that be it? «Life Force Stealing» or something like that?"

"What a cliched curse for a doll. Even though it can't be the  person with the hair I mentioned, the resemblance is striking."

"I agree, Haruaki-kun."

"Who are you two talking about? I don't get it at all."

"It's not really important right now, and you'll meet her eventually anyway, Fear... Just a tangent. So, we were discussing the fact that it's not that easy to search for a doll?"

"No, you do not need to trouble yourself over this."

"Why is that?"

Haruaki had barely spoken when Fear stood up from the sofa. Arrogantly crossing her arms, she declared to the superintendent:

"&mdash;I want to resolve this incident by myself. I will search for the doll, okay?"

"Of course. All I want is the doll to be found. I won't interfere with the process."

"Wait a minute, Fear, what are you planning to do?"

Haruaki received her direct gaze in response.

"Curses must be lifted by 'helping other people,' isn't that right? I want to be free of my curse as soon as possible... That's why I want to do this. Then I'll be helping the superintendent, right?"

"Your intentions are great, but... Why do you have to go at it alone?"

"This man helped me get into school so I owe him a favor. In other words, I am the only beneficiary. You and Cow Tits do not owe him, so let me be the one to return the favor."

"Idiot, this isn't something you can handle! You not only lack common sense but also an understanding of the town's geography, right? You'll only end up getting lost."

"I-I'm not going to end up lost. I'm not a child! Don't look down on me and stop calling me an idiot! Dummy!"

"Oh really? I'd really like to quote these words of yours to yourself this morning... Without us, I guarantee a hundred percent you would have become a lost child...!"

"W-What did you say? Anyway, if I say there's no problem, there won't be a problem! I will search by myself, so you just wait at home and sip your tea leisurely!"

Unyielding and refusing to flatter or self-reflect, Fear retorted with great vigor in spirit. Perhaps because Haruaki had declared her incapable with complete certainty, she was provoked into complete defiance as a matter of pride.

At this time, Konoha tried to patch things up with an expression as if she had no choice.

"I understand how you feel, Fear, but let's discuss this on a practical level. If you insist on doing this alone, perhaps you might miss something that additional people would have found? We don't even know if three people will manage."

"How would you know if I don't try? In any case, I won't accept your assistance!"

"If you do that and end up with "I can't find it!" result, then that's not really helping, is it? We don't even have any clues as to where the doll went, you know? Going at it alone is rash and unwise."

As expected of Konoha, so reliable. Hmm&mdash;Fear began to pout as she glared at Konoha.

"Okay okay, everyone, please don't make such a serious expression, you've got to relax! Perhaps the doll only escaped five minutes before I entered the room. I came back to school and Zenon-kun went to greet me around 11am, so in all likelihood, the doll is still in the area. Besides, class is about to start soon."

This was truly optimistic and wishful thinking. This sort of optimism, one that no normal person could emulate, was rather enviable.

"In any case, I have to go abroad in the afternoon so I'll be back a week later. If only this could be resolved before then... While I'm away, Zenon-kun will act as backup and follow your orders. Don't be shy, please feel free to ask her for any sort of help."

Even if you tell us to ask her&mdash;Haruaki looked up and exchanged glances with Zenon, who nodded gracefully in acknowledgement. Haruaki frantically nodded in return&mdash;it was not as if he feared or hated her especially, but somehow he always felt nervous facing her. Zenon's usual attitude lacked friendliness. Even though she was very polite in her manners and would say "Good morning" normally when they met, her facial expression gave off the feeling like she was saying "Executing death sentence. Death to you, pig!" instead.

And now, Zenon spoke up with her usual poker face. What Haruaki heard her say was&mdash;

"''Everyone let's go meow meow in heaven and hell together today as well''!"

"Eh? I-Is Zenon-san out of her mind!?"

"''TENTERETENTERE''~♪"

"And even singing with a cheerful rhythm? I-Is this some kind of terminal disease... Eh?"

"Mmm... This is the opening theme song for «Meow Meow Paradise Hell»...!"

"&mdash;Excuse me, incoming call."

The earlier voice and music apparently came from a cellphone's ringtone. Fear, who listened with her ears perked up, was right. This was the opening theme for that animal show on television. Holding against her ear a pink cellphone from which dangled an especially cute strap, she took the call.

"Yes. Yes... No, I'll have to ask first."

Speaking softly into the phone, Zenon looked towards the superintendent.

"Hmm? Who called?"

"The infirmary&mdash;Ganon-oneesama. She says the infirmary is so hectic it's complete chaos. She hopes I could go over to help out."

"So hectic it's complete chaos. It's been so long since I last heard that expression. Go ahead and help her, but what happened?"

"Yes. She said five or six students fainted and were admitted all at once. Their lives are not in danger."

"How troubling. Was it caused by a gas leak or heat stroke? This must be handled properly."

"Well..."

In a rare moment, Zenon answered hesitantly:

"Neither heat stroke nor gas inhalation are the cause, and of course, there are no external injuries. The only commonality between the admitted students was the fact that 'all were discovered at unfrequented locations.' Other than that, the cause of fainting is unknown. According to Onee-sama's description, it's almost as if&mdash;their life force had been sucked out by a ghost or something."