Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume14 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

Nevertheless, Haruaki was unable to imagine what would come afterwards.

What would happen after Nirushaaki's defeat? What was going to happen?

Was it possible that nothing might occur?

Of course, Haruaki had been racking his brain since the previous night to reach a conclusion. If Konoha had truly lost her memory just as Un Izoey and Mummy Maker had told them, the key to recovering her memory would be the tool that Nirushaaki had used on her&mdash;«Bartolomey Oblivion». Perhaps that tool had the functionality of returning memories to normal, or destroying it would cancel the effects?

However, the mask Nirushaaki was currently wearing on her face did not match Un Izoey's description. It was not «Bartolomey Oblivion».

Then where was it&mdash;? Haruaki could not help but shudder at the thought.

What if it was no longer around...?

Such as being sent away to somewhere they could not reach. Or perhaps&mdash;What if it was already destroyed but Konoha still remained in this current state...

Haruaki trembled. The unease surfacing in a corner of his heart instantly grew vines and flourished, pressing against his chest tightly.

Haruaki decided he must do something at this time, before certain things went past the point of no return. Because they could not possibly be past the point of no return yet. There could not be no return either.

Indeed. Even if Nirushaaki were to be defeated, it did not resolve the any problems. Their goal, what they needed to retrieve, was Konoha. To bring Konoha back.

He wanted to talk to her. Crushed by pressure, panting, Haruaki felt his mind's thoughts dominated by something coercive.

&mdash;As long as... As long as I call her a few times, will she recognize me? Will she remember? That's right. Definitely. Definitely&mdash;

He moved his legs. Listening to the sounds of weapons clashing from Fear and the others that seemed so far away, he forgot the meaning these sounds represented and simply walked over to where he was supposed to be.

In other words, next to her, the one who had her arms crossed while watching with delight the source of those weapon-clashing noises.

"Kono... ha..."

Haruaki called to her, causing her to throw a sideways glance of puzzlement at him.

Oh no. I can't use this kind of voice to call her. Smile. Smile as usual, as though this is nothing special, I must smile naturally like at home, I must call her again. Then it'll definitely be fine. Because she, because she's&mdash;

"&mdash;Konoha, let's go home, shall we?"

"Thee again...? Stop addressing me with that bizarre name. Muramasa is mine appellation, brat."

For some reason, Konoha clicked her tongue, frowning and speaking without deigning a further glance. Honestly, for some unknown reason.

"Hahaha. Uh, I already know you're Muramasa."

Just as Haruaki laughed and was about to say something else, he heard an angry roar.

"What the heck!? Hey, damn shameless brat, what are you doing!?"

"I forbid my enemy to look around, distracted!"

"Wah! Kirika, Kuroe, I'm counting on you two!"

"Absolutely ridiculous&mdash;that damn Yachi, take this!"

"Haru, wait up!"

Why was everyone so frantic? Clearly this is Konoha in front of me. She can't possibly be anyone else but Konoha.

"Don't you remember, Konoha? Muramasa is the family name while Konoha is your given name, right? That's what was decided in the beginning, right? Actually, you originally said that Muramasa wasn't that great to use as a family name, but I insisted that it's the only name you shouldn't change, so in the end&mdash;"

"Sigh... Verily, such cacophony..."

After Haruaki recounted his memories, Konoha sighed deeply and shook her head gently, causing her long hair, no longer in braids, to sway lightly.

Then as though at a loss for words&mdash;

As though feeling not a care from the bottom of her heart&mdash;

"Enough. Thou wouldst not lose thy life at such a young age, forsooth, if thou wert not so foolish."

She turned her shoulder in an extremely natural movement.

Still with a face of utter boredom...

She stabbed a knifehand strike towards his chest.

(Huh?)

Haruaki thought to himself the instant just before her knife hand reached his chest. In a world of black and white as though time had stopped, he wondered: What's with Konoha? Isn't this very dangerous?

Just at that moment&mdash;

He could see black hair entangle Konoha's knife hand with lightning speed. Slightly slowing down the barehanded chop, the hair caused the attack to deviate slightly. Almost at the same time&mdash;

"Yachi!"

Haruaki felt an impact. Something struck his shoulder, causing him to stumble. Steadying himself without falling over, Haruaki looked up in puzzlement to see&mdash;

Right in front of him, Kirika's chest was being pierced by Konoha's knife hand.

Pierced absolutely beyond a doubt.

"Guh... Ah...!"

"Oh my?"

Konoha instantly sliced through Kuroe's hair that was entangling her arm but she tilted her head slightly as though unaware of having done that.

(Eh...?)

Incomprehensible. How did things come to this? This is clearly Konoha and Class Rep. Why is Class Rep bleeding nonstop from her chest and mouth? Why is Konoha's hand piercing out through Class Rep's back?

Grabbing Konoha's arm with her trembling hand, Kirika looked back at Haruaki over her shoulder.

"Absolutely... ridiculous..."

"Absolutely ridiculous indeed, little lass. Why didst thou act in this manner? 'Tis meaningless, wouldst thou not agree? I do not find him a man worth protecting. Furthermore, he is simply standing there in a daze. I can draw my sword again any time to kill him."

Kirika swallowed the blood surging up in her mouth and looked up forcefully.

"Konoha-kun&mdash;''No, Muramasa''. To think the famed... Muramasa... would kill an unarmed brat who shows absolutely no will to fight...?"

"Oh? Not bad, thy rhetoric. Then what?"

"...I beg you. Don't... kill him..."

"I have no obligation to comply. 'Tis a battlefield. Once on the battlefield, one cannot complain no matter when death arriveth. Because a farmer who had apparently intruded the battlefield by accident could very well be a ninja aiming to target the general's head. To this date, I have slaughtered countless unarmed humans who showed no will to fight. Indeed, I have no obligation to comply with thy request&mdash;"

"..."

"Hmm. ''Already dead''."

Konoha withdrew her arm, now vivid red, from Kirika's chest. Losing support, Kirika naturally fell over forward.

Haruaki's back was attacked by a certain feeling, unable to be expressed in words.

With that, Konoha took a step forward. Haruaki was still within her attack range.

Then Konoha lightly lifted up her bloodstained arm. Casually severing the hair that came flying in panic, she exhaled as though sighing.

"Goodness gracious. Indeed, I have no obligation. Bet that as it may, 'tis rare for a lass of her age to be capable of making that sort of request on a dying breath. As a tribute to her integrity, I shall agree to her request this once."

"A-Ah..."

"Hmph, an unsightly showing of trembling legs, moreover. 'Twould be nothing to boast about even if one were to kill you... Nevertheless, thou must be punished for thy cacophony earlier."

Konoha's arm moved. Not a chop&mdash;instead, her fist attacked Haruaki's bosom mercilessly. The impact was so great that he almost thought his abdomen was going to burst. Gastric juices instantly flowed up in reverse. Pain, a sense of suffocation. In order to protect the mind from these sensations that had instantly transcended the limits of toleration, the brain forcibly shut down.

"Haru!"

"Noisy and unsightly. Take him away wherever... If thou valuest thy life, never show thyself before me again, brat."

After hearing these final words&mdash;

Haruaki's consciousness slipped into total darkness.