Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume2 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 5===

Wondering if the doll had been handed over to the superintendent, Shiraho came to school&mdash;The story occurred similarly as the one told by Sovereignty masquerading as Shiraho during the school search two days previously.

"Because I had no intention of going to school, I had thrown out my uniform a long time ago. Left with no choice, I slipped secretly into school to seek that child, only to find a commotion there as soon as I arrived&mdash;Then I discovered the fainted student."

"That was the first time we ran into you, right? So you instantly knew the doll was the perpetrator?"

Fear asked. Shiraho answered as she continued to stare at the tatami:

"I had once heard Sovereignty mention that there was a method to impede the curse from acting on the owner."

"What method?"

After a breath's delay&mdash;

"By stealing the feelings of love from unrelated people."

"Ah! So... That's how... I see now...!"

Konoha suddenly looked up with realization. Resting her hand against her chest, she murmured as if she figured something out:

"But... Ah yes, I think that means 'accumulated feelings of love' rather than the 'will to love.' Hence the feelings towards the loved one still linger&mdash;except with a feeling as if a hole had been opened in my heart... If one were to explain this using the concept of love as a person's source of power, then it is similar in nature to the life force necessary for living. When accumulated feelings of love are drawn out and taken away, fainting as a side effect doesn't seem so surprising now&mdash;"

"Konoha? Don't just explain things to yourself over there. If possible, please tell us too."

Haruaki's request caused Konoha to wave her hands frantically.

"Eh... Uh&mdash;! Regarding my feelings of love, please allow me to exercise my right to silence. Right now, the important point is that other people's feelings of love has a neutralizing effect on the love between Sovereignty and Shiraho&mdash;the countdown of the curse, is that right?"

Casting a disinterested glance at Konoha, Shiraho once again turned her gaze back to the tatami.

"&mdash;Correct. Different from the original activation condition, after being cursed, Sovereignty gained the ability to measure the 'love value' between her and the owner and use that as the condition for activating the Killing Organ. In other words, she is constantly absorbing the feelings of love from the owner and measuring them. Since it is absorbed gradually over time, the owner's health is unaffected. Once accumulated beyond a certain threshold, it simply activates the mechanism."

"Eh? But doesn't that mean that if you absorb feelings of love from others, you are accelerating the curse's progress instead?"

"The amount measured refers to the 'feelings of love from the owner,' foolish human. Through absorbing feelings of love from others, it temporarily confuses the curse as to the 'identity of the owner.' That's what I heard."

"Ah, now I see."

Shiraho snorted in derision and continued to explain what had happened the day before yesterday.

Since Sovereignty was responsible for causing the student to faint, Shiraho deduced that she had already escaped and all they needed to do next was meet up. A person like her from outside the school would only raise alarms if discovered, hence Shiraho decided to leave first.

At this moment, Haruaki and the rest had shown up.

Chased into the dressmaking room, the situation had been worsened by Fear asking "You must be the doll, right?" After all, only someone who knew about the situation, namely those working under the superintendent, could have asked such a question.

If these people were to find out that "Sakuramairi Shiraho herself" had appeared and that she was so strongly bonded to the doll that she came to retrieve it, they would naturally conclude that "the doll will return to Shiraho's side." In that case, even if Sovereignty returned, they might end up being separated again. Hence&mdash;

"I had no choice but to hide the fact that I am Sakuramairi Shiraho. Just as I desperately pondered how to escape&mdash;Sovereignty arrived."

"Pretending to be passing by and discovering the fainted student by chance&mdash;According to Class Rep's speculation, the uniform was obtained from the dressmaking preparation room?"

"Apparently so. Just as she happened to find the uniform and took on a female guise, she heard someone's voice about a fluttery dress, causing her to wonder if I had arrived to find her&mdash;That was what Sovereignty told me. Later on, she told me that she rushed out in order to find a way to rescue me."

Dressed in a uniform, she was struck with sudden inspiration&mdash;Shiraho said.

"If that child decided to start draining feelings of love from others, it was definitely done for the sake of staying together with me. Perhaps I was jumping to conclusions, but that was what I believed. In that case, I had to do everything I could to help her."

"So you went along with our mistake and switched identities. You pretended you were the doll..."

"Simultaneously fulfilling the dual goals of 'hiding the fact you are Sakuramairi Shiraho' and 'having the opportunity to continue absorbing feelings of love.' Now that I think about it, you really did pick a very efficient strategy. And now I understand why the stage had to be set in school&mdash;with the fake culprit attracting all the attention, the true culprit lurking in school was free to attack the unwary. Because you never attended school before, simply enrolled in name only, no one had ever seen what you looked like. That was what you took advantage of? But why did you admit yes so readily when asked if you were "only draining life force in this school'?"

In response to Kirika's question, Shiraho turned her gaze towards Konoha.

"...Because the glasses-wearing girl spoke too confidently, indeed I did waver at one point on this account. But attempting to perform absorption outside the school had several drawbacks. First of all, there would be too many witnesses. Also, since the intense feelings of love during puberty are essential to have an effect, it is far too troublesome to look for students in desolate areas out in the streets. The fact that Sovereignty is only doing this in school would likely be discovered eventually even if I hadn't confirmed it&mdash;Furthermore, admitting to it would reinforce your impression that 'I' would invade the school every day to drain life force, and as a result, keep Sovereignty safe."

"You thought quite far ahead, it must not have been easy... Speaking of not easy, you even deliberately acted as if you were unable to move your body naturally, I'm amazed you managed it."

Fear spoke helplessly. Just as she pointed out, it was all Shiraho's act to make others think she was a doll. On their way back to the Yachi residence from Shiraho's home, Haruaki was shocked to find her walking so smoothly without any impediment.

"Pretending in front of you people is not different from an acting performance. It's very simple&mdash;even though I am not actually very athletic."

Getting over the school walls did take quite a bit of effort&mdash;She added with self-deprecation. She explained that it was by pure luck that Sovereignty happened to see her from a window. Haruaki was surprised to find out that Sovereignty had moved the bronze statue down below while looking out the window from the calligraphy classroom.

"Correct, because she once mentioned she could only move dolls within her line of sight. Although that child only spotted me by chance, she was apparently trying to help me escape from school safely by taking part in your operations."

Exhale... Her sigh was filled with an air of exasperation.

"...Fundamentally, she is a good child. Both naive and gentle, she does not have the calculating mind required to deceive you proactively. Hence she never ambushed you from behind and in fear of being caught, she avoided lying as much as possible beyond the minimum required. That child only wished to save me and understand what kind of people you are&mdash;what a waste of opportunity. Had her personality been as nasty as mine, I'm sure she would have eliminated you people through forceful methods early on."

Seeing Shiraho's lips contorted in self-torment, Fear snorted dismissively:

"I already know she is a good fellow. I can at least tell she wasn't faking."

Sweeping her glance across Fear once, Shiraho continued.

Using a metaphor that only the two could understand between them, Sovereignty successfully reunited with Shiraho at her room. They then discussed how to proceed and decided to maintain their switched identities to steal feelings of love&mdash;Due to Sovereignty's gentle personality, instead of eliminating Haruaki's group, they only continued acting out the deception.

"Proceeding from there, our task was not difficult. If an incident occurred while the imposter, me, had proof of absence, perhaps you would be led to believe someone else was stealing people's feelings of love. Hence I had a message passed along to the human that was safe for me to appear before, in order to use him as my witness."

The unknown boy who passed the message to Haruaki's classmate was Sovereignty in male form. The uniform required to dress as a boy had been acquired beforeheand&mdash;Haruaki recalled the homeroom notices when the teacher reminded people to beware of theft inside the school.

"To prevent anyone from interfering with the sports ground meeting, Sovereignty was responsible for keeping watch. During that time, he spotted you."

The target of Shiraho's slanted gaze, naturally, was Konoha.

"If you were to arrive on scene, I might be captured so Sovereignty had no choice but to stop you&mdash;Afterwards, the child was convinced you saw your attacker. Because of that, she did not go to school today, deciding to stay home to plan our next move... But the result ended in what you witnessed just now. Even by absorbing other people's feelings of love to impede the curse, she was approaching her limit."

"I see now. But in actual fact, all I saw was a guy's legs..."

Konoha murmured softly. The whole room seemed to suddenly descend into silence.

After a while, Fear stood up. Walking over to Shiraho who was still sitting with her knees against her chest, Fear asked with a stern expression:

"I have something to ask you."

"...About what?"

Everything that could be explained had been said already&mdash;Shiraho looked up at Fear, conveying her thoughts with a wary expression.

"If you had already heard from her what we talked about, then you should understand that we were not trying to destroy her but to help her lift her curse. Why doesn't she want to lift her curse? Why didn't you ask her to lift her curse? She doesn't want to kill you, and neither do you want to be killed by her, right? I can't think of a single reason why the curse shouldn't be lifted. Once you transfer ownership to Haruaki, the curse will no longer have any effect, hence the curse that had been tormenting you both will disappear. Rather than stealing other people's feelings of love and experimenting with uncertain methods to extend your time, wouldn't it be better to wait for the curse to lift, gradually&mdash;"

"You said to lift the curse?"

Shiraho's gaze turned sharp. Precisely because her facial features were so fine and exquisite, she was able to express emotions more directly than anyone. Then she spoke angrily:

"...Is that so? Apparently, you are even more inferior as a tool than Sovereignty."

"W-What did you say!?"

Fear retorted, outraged. Shiraho glared in return as she forced her voice out of her throat:

"From the standpoint of Sovereignty and me&mdash;There is no distinction between curse and love! It is simply the bond that exists between us. If the curse were to be lifted or if I were to be Sovereignty's owner no longer, perhaps all that would vanish without a trace. I don't want that! You want me to treat it as just a passing dream? To relegate everything to a curse? Supposing these feelings are all due to the curse... Do you think I can simply abandon them with a simple 'Oh yeah, that's right!" Because&mdash;"

"Because, indeed, you are human."

Patting the silver-haired head lightly, Haruaki chimed in. Fear stared at him in puzzlement.

"I finally feel like I can relate to you and Sovereignty's feelings... Fear, it's like this. Human feelings cannot be explained completely with logic. And amongst various inexplicable emotions, the most representative feeling is love."

"...Really? It's so difficult to understand."

"No~ In actual fact, I don't understand either. But I simply feel it&mdash;so I can relate to Shiraho's feelings. You shouldn't be so hard on her."

Fear looked up, gazing directly into Haruaki's eyes.

Then she turned her gaze towards Shiraho, bowing her head and said:

"Since that doll 'is acting even more human' than me&mdash;perhaps I am indeed an inferior class of tool. I have so many things I don't understand. But I do want to understand them. So... If I said anything that was insensitive to your feelings, I apologize. I'm sorry."

Fear bowed. No one could have expected her to apologize humbly. Shiraho displayed slight shock but as if trying to act unfazed, she immediately resumed her poker face and turned her head away. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, she went "Hmph," took the teacup by her feet and raised it to her lips.

"Oh! Are you feeling awkward from an honest apology? You have lost to the magic of tea's charm!"

"...Ah."

Shiraho stared at the teacup. Having drank from it already, there was not much she could do but simply glare momentarily at Haruaki as he smiled, then she finished it.

"...Not tasty at all."

"That's because it cooled off already. Would you like some newly brewed tea? Just now, it felt like you were trying to say: 'You said it would be tasty and got my hopes up, but it ended up short of expectations, how disappointing.'"

"N-No thank you! Know your bounds, human!"

Thud! The empty teacup was placed on the tatami. Her cheeks seemed slightly reddened&mdash;Her true personality is more and more exposed! &mdash;Haruaki felt happy for some reason.

At this time, Shiraho suddenly looked up towards Fear.

"&mdash;Sovereignty, she..."

"Eh?"

"Sovereignty told me that Fear is a very good person and that she was really happy to be friends with her. But being forced to deceive you pained her deeply. Also&mdash;since you must be sad that the glasses-wearing one was harmed, she wished she could apologize to you."

Then Shiraho simply stopped and turned her gaze away, as if saying "Don't mistake this for any special meaning, that's simply what was said."

"I see... So that doll said something like that..."

Fear's grave expression brightened. Definitely, it was what Shiraho meant.**

"No, umm~ In my view, anything that happens to Cow Tits has nothing to do with me. In fact, I think she deserved it! Since she's already recovered, it's completely meaningless. I'm guessing her breasts are most likely filled with emergency nutrients? Hmph, to think she's secretly hoarding her stores for herself. She should share those breasts equally with the entire world!"

"Seriously, there are so many things wrong with what you said I don't even know where to begin!"

As Fear and Konoha began to quarrel, Shiraho watched the room without any personal involvement. As if trying to steer the conversation back on track, Kirika spoke:

"Okay&mdash;Yachi, how do we proceed from here? Since Sovereignty's curse is already on the verge of its absolute limit, even if she could suppress it for now, it can't go on indefinitely. Her mind will be consumed with the thought of killing Shiraho. Although Shiraho could stay here for now, it doesn't resolve the fundamental issue. After all, since Wathes maintain connections to their owners to various extents, it is likely that Sovereignty will instinctively seek out her owner's location eventually."

Indeed, their current priorities lay in deciding their next move. Just as Kirika pointed out, they did not know how long they could continuing harboring Shiraho at the Yachi residence. If this did not work, should Shiraho be sent to flee far away somewhere? No, in order to safeguard Shiraho's life, the most simple and certain solution was&mdash;

"Please do not kill her."

Shiraho pled.

Indeed, they had already promised her, so that solution was not open either.

In that case, it boiled down to severing the relationship between Shiraho and Sovereignty&mdash;Asking her to relinquish her rights of ownership was the only option left. But Shiraho was unwilling because she did not want to abandon their love.

Even if death was the price to pay, she was unwilling to change her stance.

(Then what on earth could be done...?)

An impasse. Every solution seemed to be ruled out.

Just when that seemed to be the situation&mdash;

"&mdash;I have a plan."

The silver girl spoke as she gazed into the distance.

For some unknown reason, Fear then led Shiraho out of the living room. Kirika and Konoha exchanged gazes in surprise. Then Shiraho immediately returned.

"Uh... What did you two talk about?"

"She only asked me about Sovereignty's Killing Organ. As well as whether it is possible to contact her."

"Is it possible?"

"I bought a pre-paid cellphone for her only yesterday. But since she fled to avoid killing me, she definitely won't pick up my calls. It's possible she might have thrown the phone away already."

Shiraho returned to her old spot, namely, the corner of the room. Fear arrived later than her and began gesturing from the porch.

"Kirika, Cow Tits, I've got something to tell you, come over here."

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

"Well, fine..."**

"Eh? What about me?"

As for Haruaki, Fear expressionlessly told him:

"You'll be last."

"What is this...? It feels like I'm being left out. Quite uncomfortable."

"Just sit down for now."

The three girls left the living room, leaving Haruaki alone with Shiraho in awkward silence. Adjusting his seat cushion uncomfortably and sipping tea, Haruaki endured roughly ten minutes before the three finally returned. For some reason, Kirika and Konoha narrowed their eyes seriously.

"No other way... I guess this is the only plan."

"Yes... But&mdash;"

Konoha glanced at Haruaki to examine his face while displaying a guilty conscience.

"What is going on, you two? What's the great plan&mdash;"

"Haruaki, you come over."

Fear stood in the porch as she called out. Finally my turn&mdash;Haruaki thought as he walked towards a corner of the porch.

The sun was now setting. The yard, the corridor, everything were now illuminated by a dusk-colored hue.

"What on earth is the plan? Hurry and tell me."

"Hmm... After careful consideration, I am convinced that there is only one thing you need to know."

Naturally, like the rest of the background, the diminutive girl's head of hair appeared to be golden yellow instead of silver.

The golden luster swayed lightly as Fear turned to look back as she walked in front. Then&mdash;



"I cannot tell you anything&mdash;Except this one point."

"...What?"

Haruaki was unable to understand her. However, Fear's gaze showed that she was serious.

"It's better that you don't know. Or rather, you can't be allowed to know."

"W-What are you talking about? I don't get it. Tell me, okay? There must be something I can help with!"

"Yes. You're helping simply by 'having no clue.' There's more to it, but you don't have to know."

"I can't understand what you're saying! What on earth are you&mdash;?"

Haruaki had a feeling like he was abandoned. It felt as if he was being excluded from the developing situation. Why did it have to be like this? &mdash;He really wanted to help Shiraho and Sovereignty too.

Was he really being excluded? Because he was a powerless human?

Fear smiled. Her eyes filled with sorrow&mdash;As if she was forced to give up something:

"I am a tool of torture. There is only one thing I can do."

"&mdash;Hey, you... What are you thinking? Tell me, what the heck is this!?"

Haruaki grabbed Fear by her slender shoulders. Her golden hair shook as a result.

Nevertheless, her gaze did not waver. Staring at Haruaki from an extremely close distance, she simply said a single word&mdash;

"...Sorry."

She lightly clutched Haruaki's hands on her shoulders.

For some reaon, Haruaki felt a sense of warmth from this gesture, as if she was relying on him.

Subsequently, Haruaki could not voice any further objections.

After a quick dinner, the whole group made their way towards the Sakuramairi home beneath the dark night. There was virtually no conversation during the meal and Shiraho did not eat anything.

"Konoha, how is your condition?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm roughly around 70% recovered. I don't expect any major exertion later either, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Even while they were traveling, that was all that was said. The fact that Konoha was not planning on any major exertion gave Haruaki some reassurance for now.

The whole group stopped in the clearing behind the Sakuramairi residence. There was no one else present and the trees surrounding the location prevented witnesses.

"Then what? Why have we returned here? Isn't it about time you tell me what you people are planning?"

Shiraho did not even try to hide her displeasure. Currently, only Haruaki and her were still in the dark.

Prompted by her question, Fear's silver hair danced.

"Kirika, is it time?"

"Almost. Konoha-kun."

"Yes... Though I'm not too keen on this. Haruaki-kun, umm... Lend me your hand."

As soon as Konoha gripped his hand, there was a popping sound and a momentary illusion as if her clothing exploded. In a blink of the eye, Haruaki's hand now held a Japanese sword. Sheathed in its black scabbard&mdash;the demon blade Muramasa.

"Didn't you say you didn't plan on any major exertion?"

"Well... It's a long story."

The sword spoke hesitantly. Haruaki was struck with a resigned feeling of "fine, do whatever you want." Seeing Konoha in sword form for the first time, Shiraho stared with her eyes wide.

"Okay, let's begin the explanations. Very soon, Sovereignty will be arriving here."

"Eh? Why?"

"While you were preparing dinner, I asked Kirika to call the cellphone to contact the doll. I had asked Shiraho for the number earlier."

"...She won't come. For the sake of not killing me&mdash;"

"She will. Because what I told her was: 'If you don't come, I will kill Shiraho.'"

"Wha&mdash;?"

"Apologies!"

The instant he heard Konoha's voice, Haruaki found his body moving against his will.

Twisting Shiraho's arm behind her, he pressed the sword's scabbard against her neck&mdash;

"K-Konoha! What are you doing? Stop!"

Haruaki's body was unable to move by his own will. Unable to resist. "Controlling the user's body" was the "ability" Konoha acquired after being cursed rather than the involuntary effect of her curse. Hence, even against Haruaki who was immune to curses, Konoha could still maintain control so long as she wished&mdash;

"Oh... Is that so? Ultimately, you ended up deciding that humans are inconsequential, tools. But very regrettably, even if Sovereignty came, it will simply strengthen her wish to kill me. She won't come."

Shiraho did not resist, or perhaps she understood that it was futile for an ordinary person to resist. All she did was display a derisive expression.

"She will definitely come. Even at the risk of being killed, so long as your life is being threatened, she will come... I understand that is the nature of the bond between you, isn't it?"

Fear's words were proven in mere minutes.

Making an appearance beneath the moonlit night&mdash;was the silhouette of the berserk doll.



"What are you people... Doing... To Shiraho...!"

Sovereignty's voice trembled. The doll's body was also trembling. Various parts all over its body were convulsing visibly. Soiled by drool, tears and dirt, its face displayed murderous intent brought by the curse, a sense of emptiness that transcended exhaustion, as well as pure rage&mdash;

"Exactly as what was said on the phone. We decided to destroy you to resolve the matter because it'd be too troublesome otherwise. This girl here was the bait for this purpose."

"&mdash;That's not what you promised! Didn't you say that you won't destroy Sovereignty!?"

Greatly alarmed, Shiraho began to struggle in earnest. But the human restraining her&mdash;in other words, Haruaki's body, completely refused to budge. Likewise, the Japanese sword against her throat remained immobile.

"Fear, what are... you doing? ...Konoha, hey, Konoha! Are you girls for real? Stop this joke now, I absolutely forbid it!"

Was this the case? Because there was no way to save both of them, they are making do with saving one person? For the sake of that one person, the other must be sacrificed? People's lives are not supposed to be ranked when saving them! It's not like choosing between a tool and a human! This kind of thing... This kind of thing&mdash;Absolutely&mdash;!

"Yachi, I understand how you feel, but this is the only way. Sorry!"

Kirika stood in her uniform beside Fear, the «Tragic Black River» dangling from her sleeve.

"Even you, Class Rep!? Wait a minute, are you all really okay with this? Hold on! ..."

His words landed on deaf ears.

The doll took a step forward. Its body had sprouted many sharp blades. Right hand, left hand, shins, thighs, hips, shoulders, chest&mdash;popping out like folded knives, bearing dozens of centimeters of killing intent. These were all positioned on the front side of the body, to realize the embrace of termination.
[[image:C3 02-237.jpg|thumb]]

It went without saying that Sovereignty's school uniform had been ripped open by these lustrous objects born from within. Beneath these clothes, no better than rags now, two asymmetric bulges were seen on the chest, mismatched in size for some reason.

"Destroy... me...?"

"You look quite broken already. I can see quite a few of these obscene looking things poking out. Are you going to grow more of them? Also, you can't even tell if you're male or female anymore, right? What an unsightly body you have there."

Fear sneered at Sovereignty's body. Forced to submit in a sitting position on the ground, Shiraho gnashed her teeth as though doing it in the moaning doll's stead.

"Guwuu... Ahhh, ah...!"

"Oh? You want to embrace Shiraho and the impulse to kill her is unbearable? I understand, I really do. She is very pretty, her beauty is otherworldly. Indeed, I'd like to kill her too."

"Huh...?"

"Hohoho... Ahahaha! Let me announce my name&mdash;I am the «Fear-in-Cube»!"

Fear took out the Rubik's cube and transformed it to emulate her true form. As the chain of cubes extended from her right hand, the steel cube dropped by her feet. The heavy and blunt sound effect added greatly to the dramatic entrance.

"I don't know if you've killed dozens or hundreds, but... Ha! You're still too inexperienced! I am the one who has slaughtered tens of thousands! Because I was created for the purpose of murder! The sadist capable of inflicting all forms of torture and execution! Your embrace is but child's play in my eyes. My embrace represents the scattering of human flesh, my rhythmic movements represent penetration, my peristalsis represents crushing and severing, my caress represents strangulation. Come seek my guidance, doll! I can show you ways dozens of times more effective in making people lose themselves in rapturous delight!"

"W-What is she talking about!? This girl, she&mdash;hasn't gone mad again, has she? Hey Konoha, now is not the time to be doing this! She must be stopped immediately! Give my body back to me&mdash;Konoha!"

The sword did not respond. Haruaki felt a chill down his spine as he thought&mdash;There was a reason for this show of force and explained this reluctant compromise and Fear's berserk appearance. Similar circumstances. Oh no, clearly she had endured past that! Clearly she should have overcome it! But why again&mdash;

"Konoha! Damn it, Fear, stop! Calm down!"

"Haha, how noisy on the side over there. So here is the conclusion... I will now destroy you, relishing in your destruction, then I will proceed to kill Shiraho who has outlived her usefulness! Because I am the killing tool and her beauty makes her worthy to be my victim! Whether princesses or housemaids, I have personally killed both in the past, but none of them can compare to her! Oh how I truly look forward to it, the sight of her face twisted in ugliness, tearfully screaming for mercy, dying with incontinence!"

Haruaki was rendered speechless. In contrast, the other side also turned into a tool, screaming with full force.

"Ahhh... Ahhhhhh... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Never, I will never ever let you do that! I absolutely... will not... let you... kill... Shiraho! I won't... allow&mdash;!"

Sovereignty took a great leap. Twisting in pain like a snake&mdash;

New sharp blades sprouted from the upper arms. Then between the fingers, on the flanks, arms&mdash;silver-white luster rose up successively.

A series of grinding noises could be heard.

Crish crish crish crish crish crish crish crish crish crish crish crish.

The unending noises sounded almost rhythmic. Indeed, right now in this place, performing a symphony of sounds akin to screams was&mdash;

The Killing Organ.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I won't.. let you... Won't let... you... So... You will die&mdash;&mdash;!"

"Kirika! It's coming, don't die on me!"

"Very regrettably, dying is quite difficult for me. You should be careful yourself, Fear-kun!"

Consumed with rage, the doll charged forward.

In contrast to the rusty grinding sounds, the sharp blades accompanying the song displayed no hesitation at all.



Go on and desire! What do you desire? Anything is fine.

Because in Fear's heart, the ominous and terrifying existence was no longer&mdash;

"Mechanism No.19 gouging type, spiral form: «Human-Perforator», Curse Calling!"

The cube transformed into a spinning drill. Sovereignty was already closing in head on. There was no mistaking the doll's unskilled movements for nothing but the speed of a rampaging beast. With no sense of self remaining in Sovereignty's expression, one could not help but wonder if the doll actually put in any thought before acting.

Without using any pretermined moves, Sovereignty simply swung the blades on the palms, arms and legs instinctively. Due to the haphazard nature of the attacks, Fear could not predict the blades' trajectories and could only manage by deflecting the attacks with the drill.

"Oh my, is this really okay? Compared to the the evilness of this drill, don't you find your blades completely outclassed? Why don't just give up obediently and let me drill you&mdash;Naturally, Shiraho is next after you."

"...! No... I absolutely won't allow..."

"Talk is cheap."

The doll's arm, postured as if executing a lariat, swung out along with the blades but was blocked by the drill. Immediately, the doll followed up with an attack from a knee equipped with a sharp popup blade. Fear retreated in response. Just as Sovereignty advanced in pursuit&mdash;

"Is this really okay, doll? To ignore me completely."

"Ooh&mdash;?"

A jet black belt entangled the doll's body. In order to avoid getting swept up in the fight, Kirika had kept her distance and was controlling the «Tragic Black River» from afar. Skillfully avoiding Sovereignty's blades, the belt tied up the doll's body like vines creeping over a tree. Seizing this chance while the doll's movements were stopped, Fear stepped forward, pulling back the drill in her hand&mdash;

"Sovereignty! Oh no... Stop this immediately, I beg you, please stop&mdash;!"

Shiraho screamed. Ignoring her, Fear thrust the drill forward.

However, after piercing the uniform, the drill bit halted only after embedding itself millimeters into the one-sided bosom.

"Hoho, killing in one move would be too uninteresting. So let me slowly open up holes in your body? Let's start with this breast, but seeing as it can change in size, it might be a bit pointless... Hmm, then I'll drill Shiraho's chest instead, it'll be more fun that way. Which do you prefer? Being drilled or watching others getting drilled? As for me, both are&mdash;"

"Ooh... Ah... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Crish crish crish. The organ played new music. More blades appeared from the doll's body and severed Kirika's belt, allowing Sovereignty to struggle free.

"Kirika!"

"Tsk... Don't worry, this belt can continue to extend. However&mdash;this has become a bit tricky."

Watching Sovereignty's increase in blades, Kirika murmured softly with a solemn expression. The doll stared at Fear with a hollow gaze.

"If you dare do anything to Shiraho, I won't forgive you...!"

"Tsk&mdash;Mechanism No.22 bludgeoning type, spike-ball form: «Morgenstern», Curse Calling!"

The drill transformed into an iron club. Although its tip was shorter compared to the drill's, the club looked equally menacing. Almost large enough to hide a small child was the sphere covered in spikes&mdash;namely, the morningstar.

Twisting her hips in the manner of the sport on television known as baseball, Fear swept the wrecking ball horizontally towards the doll. This occurred just as the doll was pouncing for an attack. Sovereignty blocked the spiked ball using the blades all over its body, but was blown away by the difference in weight.

Fear could hear Shiraho scream. Yes, that's right, scream and cry as much as you can!

Just as Fear was thinking that, a series of loud noises shook her eardrums. Looking in the direction where Sovereignty was sent flying, the trees that surrounded the clearing&mdash;several of them had fallen with astounding impact.

"I hold sovereignty over every doll—Those bearing visual semblance, listen and show proof of your worship. Obey. Obey. Obey!"

"...? Ah, I see, those puppet minions again!"

This was what Sovereignty had secretly done back in the dressmaking classroom back when she was taking Shiraho's identity. The manifestation of sovereignty granted by the curse. By chopping down trees here, Sovereignty forcibly created "tools resembling humans in form."

A trunk and two branches for arms, as well as lower limbs fashioned with a slice from Sovereignty's blades. Crudely designed in this manner, two wooden puppets began moving with the sound of unnatural joints.

"Tsk&mdash;"

Apparently tasked with the elimination of interlopers, their target was Kirika. While she was occupied with tying down one tree with her belt, the other one approached her. By the time she turned to evade as she realized in alarm, it was too late. The puppet closed in and pierced her shoulder with its sharp hand. As vivid red droplets fell, Kirika bit her lower lip and distanced herself.

"Class Rep...! Konoha, go over and help her, come on!"

Fear could hear Haruaki's anxious voice. Yes, you should act this way too. Just act this way.

In any case, Kirika's belt was unsuited to handling these kinds of opponents. Fear had to do something.

"Take this&mdash;!"

Fear once again swung the morningstar to smash away Sovereignty who still had not learned its lesson regarding weight. Rushing forward to support Kirika, Fear smashed the wood using the iron ball, easily wrecking the two trees that were attacking Kirika.

"Sigh~ Too easy! Too easy! Sovereignty Perfection Doll, did you really think that these puppets could help you? Do you still believe that after witnessing the power of this black iron? So ludicrous I can't even laugh out loud. Although only the strong can wield this «Morgenstern», it can be considered the amazing progenitor of sadism. With but a swing, human flesh flies and scatters with a 'smack!' I just love swinging it at the faces of beautiful women. Indeed, for a beauty like Shiraho, her face will instantly be twisted into ugliness, trite tears shall fall, spikes will bury into her snow-white skin&mdash;Smack! Ahahahahahahaha!"

"...Fear...?"

She found Haruaki furrowing his brow slightly.

Yeah&mdash;It's almost time for him to realize. But please, just a little while longer.

This was still not enough.

"Oooooh, ooooooooh, ooooooooh buwooooooyaaaaaaa!"

Faced with Sovereignty's incoming attack, Fear deliberately swung the iron ball with less force.

Letting the iron ball come to a rest on the blades of the doll's body, Fear gazed gently at the sight as she thought to herself&mdash;

Are you holding onto that thing because of a death wish? Who knows, in the next instant, it might not be an iron ball anymore!

"Mechanism No.18 stretching type, framing form: «The Duke of Exeter's Daughter» , Curse Calling!"

The wrecking ball transformed into a stable pedestal with a rectangular frame upright above it. Despite the lack of intimidating qualities like blades or spikes, it was still without a doubt a torture tool for inflicting pain.

On the top and bottom edges of the frame were what appeared to be crossbeams. Extending from the left and right ends of these beams were simply ordinary chains unlike the chain of cubes. Rattling noisily as they moved, the chains restrained Sovereignty's four limbs using the iron rings on their ends.

Then&mdash;the beams moved within the frame. The top beam was raised while the bottom one was lowered. Naturally, bound by the chains, Sovereignty's body was stretched vertically as a result.

"Ah... Ooh, gah..."

"How does the rack feel? Sovereignty Perfection Doll. On further thought, even though you're named the doll of perfection, I find your height a little too short. Let me help stretch you taller with this device&mdash;Until your arms and legs and pulled off! Ahahaha!"

Bound within the frame, suspended in midair, Sovereignty was immobilized. Moaning like a wild beast, all the doll could do was shake its body pointlessly.

The chains rattled noisily. The numerous extended sharp blades reflected the light from the starlit night. From gaps in the torn uniform, one could watch large droplets of sweat gliding down as if slowly licking the skin. Tied to the rack was Hermaphroditus<ref>'''Hermaphroditus''': a minor Greek deity of bisexuality and effeminacy. Depicted in art as a female figure with male genitals.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphroditus]</ref>&mdash;the doll who emulated him. Fear examined him seriously.

(Is now the right time?)

She had to be prudent and not misjudge the timing.

"Sovereignty... Ahhh, stop it, hurry and stop this!"

Fear confirmed the source of the voice. All in tears, Shiraho was acting more human than she had ever been.

"I beg you...! Kill me, kill me instead! I've had enough of this&mdash;so please don't kill Sovereignty! Please, I beg you... I beg you&mdash;!"

Shiraho struggled and twisted her body violently. Standing over her, Haruaki watched with an expression of mixed feelings. It went without saying, the Japanese controlling his body would not allow her to escape.

Fear slowly walked up to Sovereignty as the doll remained suspended on the rack.

"What, is this it? Is this really all you've got? Oh look, see how Shiraho is crying? How should I put this? It really arouses my desire."

"Gwuuuuu... Ahhhh... Guaaaaaaaaaah!"

Crish crish.

More came out&mdash;additional parts of the Killing Organ poked out of the doll's body. By this point, Sovereignty's appearance resembled a mountain of swords.

Sovereignty swiveled its wrists that were restrained by the iron rings, producing an unpleasant bone-scraping sound. The blades protruding from the palms made contact with the iron rings repeatedly as a result of the forceful rotations. Finally, the rings yielded to the impacts of the sharp blades. As the wrists struggled free from the iron rings, the doll recovered freedom in its upper body. Then swinging the blades wildly at the foot restraints, Sovereignty released the shackles.

"Oh wow..."

Fear exclaimed in admiration as she returned the rack to cube form and withdrew it back to her hand.

Collapsed on its knees, Sovereignty immediately stood up.

"Huff... Ooooooooooh..."

Its breathing irregular, its eyes displayed turbidity, its limbs convulsing.

It felt like Sovereignty was reaching its limits.

Then it was about time to reach a conclusion.

For this purpose, it was necessary to capture the doll like just now. Although Sovereignty had wholly lost all sense of self, the previous move should have raised its wariness. A simple trap like the one previous probably would not work again.

...No problem.

In that case, preparing a more complicated trap will do.

Preparations for that were already in place.

"Hoho, you're really trying hard. So how about I give you a chance?"

The cube on the end of the chain transformed back into the Rubik's cube. Grabbing it&mdash;Fear then tossed it far far away, over Sovereignty's head, all the way in the distance behind the doll. The piece of plastic landed on the ground with a thud.

Fear stretched out her empty hands&mdash;

"Okay, I am completely unarmed now! Come at me with everything you've got! Because you're too weak, I am taking pity on you. Don't worry, I can't possibly die from that half-baked embrace of yours. To me, your embrace is pretty much the same as an iron maiden's, amounting to a mere thirty-second of my being! Even if you can prepare thirty-two times more blades than now, I don't think you can still defeat me! Okay, let's go!"

Who knew if Sovereignty actually heard.

In any case, the doll approached after roaring like a wild beast.

What exactly is going through Sovereignty's mind? Fear suddenly wondered.

Compelled by the curse to kill Shiraho, was Sovereignty consumed with eliminating me who is obstructing the murderous act? Or perhaps, for the sake of protecting its loved one, Sovereignty could not forgive me for wanting to to harm Shiraho&mdash;

(Am I feeling jealous...)

Sovereignty was mere meters away. With just a few more steps, Fear would enter the Killing Organ's range.

And then the act of «Embrace Only Once» would be realized&mdash;the end of a love story between a doll and a human.

However.

(The one you wish to embrace shouldn't be me, right?)

Fear bent down and reached out with both hands as if in anticipation&mdash;

"Kirika, I'm entrusting my other self to you!"

"Already done!"

As indicated by their exchange&mdash;The Rubik's cube, which had been tossed far away, was thrown back after Kirika's «Tragic Black River» retrieved it. They had prepared this plan beforehand for this moment. It needed to be said that this method was completely cliched, but against an almost unconscious doll, it was more than sufficient.

The thrown toy was released from the belt and flew almost touching the ground. Catching with one hand the toy as it flew between the doll's legs, Fear swiftly activated the emulation cube with only an instant to spare. Using her foot to push the cube forward beneath Sovereignty's crotch, Fear performed a backflip using the momentum&mdash;for Sovereignty was almost close enough to be breathing down her back&mdash;and evaded the blades in this manner. Before the doll could take another step&mdash;

"Mechanism No.9 capturing type, spinning form: «Inquisitional Wheel», Curse Calling!"

The cube transformed into a massive wheel, capturing Sovereignty who was positioned just above it.

This wheel was even bigger than the «Breaking Wheel of Francia» and resembled a waterwheel in appearance. Stored in various parts of the wheel were hand and foot shackles. This was a device for making the victim one with the edge of the wheel, completely depriving the victim of all freedom. Once captured, none could escape. Beatings, trials by water or by fire, or simply draining stamina by turning the wheel, myriad possibilities could be inflicted upon the immobilized victim.

However, what needed to be done now was different from all harsh punishments in the past&mdash;

"Stop it... Stop it... Stop it! I beg you to stop, please, I am willing to do anything, everything..."

Shiraho's voice had become no different from the screams of nightmares.

Sovereignty reacted the same way as previously when captured by the rack... No, the doll struggled even more intensely. Drooling, twisting that slender waist violently, the doll tried harder to arch its back forward. The blades on the snow-white thighs rattled as they knocked against one another.

"Oooh... Oooooh...!"

"What now? Sovereignty Perfection Doll! Is this everything you've got? Is this really the very end? Is this really okay? You do know if this continues I am going to kill Shiraho, right! I will kill your most beloved woman! If you don't give it all you've got right now, Shiraho is a lost cause! And you won't be able to kill her! Shiraho will die a worthless death! Don't you hate this? You don't want this, right? Of course not!"

"No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sovereignty once again swiveled its wrists by force. But this time, the shackles were not mobile like those of the rack and were therefore most secure, able to last longer. On the other hand, one would worry that the doll's arms might break first.

Crish crish. Crish crish.

The noise continued. Most likely, it was the final&mdash;

"Then don't you be stingy! Awaken all curses in your body right now! Summon all the possibilities existing in your body for killing a certain someone! Brandish all the sharp blades hidden in your body! If you adore Shiraho and truly love her, if that is said to be the curse&mdash;then show everything to me!"

The instant these words reached the doll's ears&mdash;

Sovereignty's body struggled even more fiercely. Like a ferocious beast, or rather, one in its final death throes.

Clang&mdash;out from the position of the doll's heart, a sharp blade extended.

The Killing Organ's melody stopped.

"Is this the end?"

"Ah... Shira..."

"Is this truly the end!?"

"Oh no... Shira... ho... I'm sor..."

Seeing something shining in the corner of the eye, Fear decided it was time for the finale.

Namely&mdash;

"&mdash;Well then, my job is done here!"

Saying that, she turned around.

Then turning towards the overly well-intentioned man who always believed in and watched over her&mdash;She smiled and said:

"I'll leave the conclusion to you, Haruaki. You should already know what you have to do, right?"



Of course I know. The only one who didn't&mdash;

"...Eh?"

&mdash;Was probably Shiraho who could only emit sounds of shock.

There was no longer any need to restrain her. Probably realizing that Haruaki had figured out the situation, Konoha had already relaxed her control over his body. Their wills united as one, Haruaki sprinted at full speed towards the inquisitional wheel.

Sovereignty was still struggling, trying to get free.

All the blades hidden in the doll's body were out in full force.

The issue was simple. The method to prevent Shiraho from getting killed without destroying Sovereignty&mdash;

The only remaining option was "depriving Sovereignty of the means to kill Shiraho."

Hence, there was only one thing to be done. Since Sovereignty was already restrained, there was no need to focus too much concentration. It was as simple as cutting grass.

Gripping the black scabbard with his left hand, Haruaki slid his right hand out in the same motion.

To unsheathe the sword.

"&mdash;Sword-Kill Counter!"

A sharp gleam flashed across Sovereignty's body.

With precision fine enough to shave off hairs from the body, the numerous blades were sliced off at skin level.

With that, using Konoha's sword strikes that only destroyed weapons, Sovereignty's Killing Organ was&mdash;

Eliminated at the root without a single remnant.