Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 2===

Haruaki enjoyed his work. Although all he needed to prepare were easy things on the level of assorted cheese platters, crackers and sandwiches, it felt happy enough to know that other people were eating his food. This was pretty much the same as what he usually did at home.

Haruaki continued to concentrate on his work and it soon came time for his shift to end. Intending to take full advantage of the hard-earned break, he decided to take a stroll and visit the other shops in the cultural festival. Checking the shift schedule, he ended up discovering that Fear, Konoha and Kirika all happened to be approaching break time as well. Hence, deciding to invite them to go check out the other shops, he went to see how they were doing.

Taking off his white coat, Haruaki went next door. Peering in through the back door reserved for staff, he found the interior decorated like a sickroom to match the theme. The blackboard was covered up by a curtain of white cloth. The desks were also covered up with the same type of white cloth and decorated with flower vases and baskets like those used for visiting the sick. Naturally, most evocative of a hospital ward were the nurses moving around between the desks.

"Eh, Haruaki-kun?"

Still wearing the nurse uniform with her bosom almost bursting out, Konoha walked over to him, carrying a binder (actually a menu) of patients' charts.

"Hi! It's the end of the shift, I wanted to ask if you girls were free, then how about we go check out the other shops in the cultural festival?"

"Yes yes, of course! Could you please wait a short while? Once my replacement for the next shift arrives, I'll get changed instantly."

"Also, I want to check out how Fear is working. Is she doing things properly?"

"Well, sort of, however..."

Haruaki followed Konoha's gaze and immediately found the little nurse with the giant syringe on her back.

"Uh&mdash;I'd like this «Round Pill» from the menu."

"Hmm~ The round pill. I'm scared of saying this too loudly, but this is actually awesome...!"

Fear brought her face close and even snickered eerily, causing the student making the order to be frightened by the creepy atmosphere.

"You said you're scared of saying this too loudly... Th-This isn't anything illegal, is it?"

"Of course not, it's something so good it's unbearable. How should I say this? It's something that feels very soft and fluffy, like being in a dream... Or let's put it this way. I-I... I remember it starts with 'mar' and is spelt with nine or ten letters..."<!--note: the original Japanese joke uses マリフアナ(marijuana) and マシュマロ(marshmallow), commenting that they both have 5 kana-->

Marijuana&mdash;Of course not.

"...Marshmallow."

"Yes, that's the one. Thanks for your help, Kirika."

Passing behind Fear by chance, Kirika intervened to help clear up the misunderstanding. Although her stiff expression was quite concerning, she did seem to be working her hardest in the retro outfit. Feeling a bit worried, Haruaki decided to focus his attention on her longer.

"Oh, may I order?"

"...Please go ahead."

"Excuse me, I'd like a cup of water here."

"...Coming."

Seemingly glaring eyes and a poker face seemed to be Kirika's default. Perhaps she felt very embarrassed because she was unused to cosplay? But very unbelievably, the retro outfit actually matched her poker face quite well. She looked like a stern and dignified daughter hailing from a warrior family, looking after patients in an inexperienced manner.

Meanwhile, Fear was, for some reason, hard selling her suggestions to the customer from just now.

"But I still recommend this one! The «Brown Medicine»! This was added to the menu only because of my strong recommendation. It's crunchy and savory, even tastier than marshmallows. I really think you should order this and reward me with a piece as tips."

"I-I still don't get it, anyway, please get me an iced coffee first..."

"The «Chilled Black Liquid Pack» and the «Brown Medicine», right? I got it!"

"No, I didn't order any medicine! Ah~ Wait up, Miss Nurse!"

...In a certain sense, Fear turned out to be hard at work as expected.



Haruaki and the girls were casually strolling through the school building, surrounded by the noise and bustle that filled the cultural festival. Compared to the school's normal state, this would be like an alternate reality. There were many visitors in casual clothing and students in their uniforms, a yelling sandwich man, people walking about in theatrical costumes probably for publicizing the drama club, people dressed in mascot costumes that looked absolutely stifling in the heat&mdash;All these people were walking disorderly in the corridors. From outside the windows, wafted in the various aromas of sauces and baked flour.

Changed back into her uniform, Fear was directing her inquisitive gaze in all directions like a random laser.

"Nuohoh~ Amazing... The fair from a while ago was also great, but I never expected something similar would be held in school as well! Unbelievable, this is so new to me!"

"Now you know what a cultural festival is, right?"

Fear nodded solemnly with a "Yes" but then she answered in an overly forceful voice:

"No idea!"

"You still don't get it!?"

"You dummy! I said no idea exactly because I now know what a cultural festival is about. With all sorts of random things and no idea who is doing what, it's hard to describe in a single sentence... After all, it's just chaos followed by chaos, that's what's called a cultural festival! Anyway, it's all very new and fresh!"

Dressed back in her uniform like Fear and sighing in relief, Kirika also agreed with her description.

"Since it's only held once a year, it's also quite a fresh experience even for us. So Fear-kun's experience should be even more intense than ours, right?"

"Yeah, everything today has felt quite fresh, like when I first started greeting and serving customers... Fufufu, and it turns out even simpler than I imagined. In that case, working part-time jobs should be a piece of cake...!"

"Wait a minute, don't get so full of yourself just because of this. A real job is miles apart from this."

"Listen to him. Besides, today's customers are mostly students and they also know that we're not professional servers. That's why things went so smoothly... If these were real customers, a single mistake could be fatal. If you make a serious blunder, you'll either get fired instantly or face the fate of lawsuits."

"Lawsuits... I've seen those on television. Like messy divorce cases, right? Apparently you'll be forced to pay huge sums of money, so that's really troubling."

Fear frowned with worry. Haruaki smiled wryly as he thought "that's scaring her too much" to himself.

"Actually, you'll be fine as long as you don't screw up badly. To prevent screwing up in a real job, let's work hard today. By getting used to the atmosphere of working, you'll help yourself gain experience. So don't take things lightly and work seriously in your next shift. After all, this is important job training."

"That's true, practicing is important. Of course I'll work seriously. Besides, I've been very serious all along."

Despite thinking "your seriousness actually ends up making people uncomfortable~" to himself, Haruaki asked Fear as a test:

"...Do you... enjoy working?"

"Of course!"

As expected, she answered instantly. Swaying her silver hair, Fear turned her head around and displayed to Haruaki her blooming smile. She really looked quite happy and blissful, causing him to wonder "Does something that wonderful really exist in this world?"

"Because everyone keeps saying 'Thanks' to me! Although I think I'm not doing a great job in delivering the food and drink sometimes, people still thank me in spite of that. Strangers were thanking someone like me. S-Someone... like me."

"...Really? Then that's really a good reason to be happy."

Haruaki understood the hidden meaning in her pause between "someone" and "like me."  He knew that this hidden meaning consisted of words that did not need to be said. Neither were they words one would want to say. Naturally, Kirika and Konoha also understood very well.

&mdash;Someone cursed like me. A tool of torture and execution like me. Someone who only harms humans like me.

"Yes, very happy. That's why I like working... Fufu!"

Fear suddenly gulped at this time and looked towards the front, her silver hair swaying. Staring at the bustling cultural festival, she muttered:

"Really... This is so fresh. So many things I've never come across nor seen. There are still so many new things in this world&mdash;That's the message this 'cultural festival' event seems to be tell me. Looks like I'm still very ignorant. So I've renewed and adjusted my plans&mdash;In other words, 'I want to know.' Through all sorts of ways, I want to understand all sorts of things."

A pure and innocent wish. How truly delightful.

Standing behind Fear, the trio all spontaneously smiled in agreement.

But in the next second, Fear's originally calm voice suddenly turned into her usual, loud as heck voice.

"Oh, what's that? Immediately, something appears that I want to know about! Lemme see... A haunted... house. Say, Haruaki, what kind of shop is that? Hurry and tell me!"

"Yes yes yes... Rather than a shop, the inside is actually more like a maze. Then people dressed up as ghosts and monsters will jump out to frighten the customers. It's a tasteless shop for people who enjoy scary memories. That said, we don't really have the right to make that comment."

"&mdash;You have any objections to tastelessness, human?"

"Uwoah!"

Haruaki turned towards the source of the voice. A set of desks and chairs was arranged in front of the haunted house classroom. Sitting there was a female student of exceptionally exquisite beauty. Looking bored, she was resting her chin on her hand, staring at Haruaki's direction with disinterest.

"This is your class? What are you doing? Though I guess it's obvious that you're stationed at the reception."

Hearing Haruaki's response, Shiraho smiled in a manner that would inspire abject terror in the viewer.

"Since it's obvious, I should advise you not to ask, human. Such stupid behavior merely serves to highlight the fact of your stupidity, that's all, although stupid as you are, you could not possibly understand that."

Jeez, I simply felt that you might be rather unsuited to a task like doing the reception... Aren't you being excessively harsh? Oh well, this probably implies that you're getting used to being a member of your class.

"Uh&mdash; ...Anyway, how's the situation?"

"If you want to go in, I won't stop you. No matter how much emphasis they devote to cosmetics and atmosphere, it's ultimately a high school cultural festival after all. I'll feel troubled if you enter with excessive expectations."

Shiraho casually answered Konoha's question as she glanced at her watch. Then frowning, she murmured:

"Where did that Hinata wander off to... There's no time to spare until Sovereignty's break time. Seriously..." 

At this moment, a female student poked her head out of the classroom and said:

"Oh Sakuramairi-san, it's time for your shift to end&mdash;"

"Is that so? I understand. But Hinata still hasn't returned, do you know where she went?"

"No idea... After all, it's that girl we're talking about, she probably ran off somewhere to take a nap?"

"Worst of all, that's very likely what happened. Whatever, I'll rest a while inside and then go look for her. After all, given the way she's dressed, she should be found instantly."

Who could have thought that Shiraho could converse so naturally with her classmates? How novel. As this impression surfaced in the minds of Haruaki's group, Shiraho pushed her chair and stood up in front of them. However, something seemed to roll out from under the desk as a result.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Fear bent down and picked it up. It turned out to be a chibi-proportioned, super deformed plushie doll in the form of a boy wearing a black coat. Probably the protagonist of some video game? There was also a note safety-pinned to its arm. On closer examination, written on the note were the words "This is required for the event, please do not touch♪"

"Who knows which class put it here at some point in time. Truly such a bother."

"By the way, just now when I followed Kana to publicize the cafe, I remember seeing quite a few dolls identical to this one."

Kirika commented with her head cocked mildly, but Shiraho continued to speak as though she were looking at pebbles:

"Utterly meaningless without bound. If you want to take it away, I won't stop you."

"If only it were more furry and fluffy, but this kind... Let's just put it back."

Saying that, Fear placed the plushie back under the desk. Shiraho made her way towards the classroom with disinterest. Beside the exit curtain, there seemed to be an area reserved for staff. But just at this moment, the exit curtain was raised as people came out. Two female students were leaving the haunted house.

"Ahaha, that wasn't scary at all~"

"Aren't haunted houses always like this? Do people still use konjac jelly anymore? Bursting out in laughter just now, I felt so sorry for them&mdash;Hiyaaa!"

"...?"

Glaring coldly at the girl who had screamed at the sight of her face, Shiraho simply lifted the curtain in the path and entered. Rooted to the spot, the two girls looked at each other and said:

"Ah, that scared me to death...!"

"This final part was really scary. Who is that girl? She looks so much like a beautiful female ghost... If she wore white clothes inside, I'm sure little children will burst out crying from fright."

"But the scary thing is that I can't believe she's just a girl like us. This world is too unfair..."

The two girls sighed, slumped their shoulders and continued forwards. As Fear silently watched them leave&mdash;

"So... What should we do now? Let's go in for a look?"

Arms folded across her chest, Fear turned her head to motion at the haunted house with a solemn expression.

"But let's not, I guess. After hearing those two girls' review, it seems like Shiraho is the scariest. But the problem is that we're not afraid of her, so in other words, it's totally not scary inside... This is a shop for enjoying being frightened, right? In that case, isn't it meaningless for us to enter?"



Then the group basically toured the school building and experienced the cultural festival atmosphere. Outside, they observed the situation in rival cafes, browsed the flea market and took a look at the photography club's exhibition.

"Hmm, all these different kinds of shops are so interesting! If only Kuroe could come as well."

"Yeah&mdash;It was great that the beauty parlor took a day off for the sports festival, but today happens to be Sunday."

Brokenhearted over "the many customers who had to pick this day for their appointments," Kuroe was currently working hard at her shop. Naturally, had there been no appointments, she probably would have taken an unscheduled break and visited the school to have fun.

"But it can't be helped. Let's tell her all about our experiences when we get back."

"Yeah. By the way, I've been wondering for some time now, where's that aroma coming from?"

"That's the smell of crepes, right? Uh..."

"It's probably wafting in from the courtyard? Since all the stalls cooking with an open flame need to be located outside, let's go over and check it out later."

"Stalls huh... It really reminds me of the fair earlier."

The autumn temple fair held nearby earlier... Many things had happened at the time as well. Just at this moment, Haruaki suddenly recalled something.

"Wait a minute, Fear... Are you carrying any money? Last time you forgot to bring money to the fair, but you should have earned some for helping with the beauty parlor's opening, right?"

"Th-That's the first money I earned for my labors, of course I'm keeping it somewhere safe."

"You~ Clamoring about eating rice crackers all day and night... Don't keep expecting you can get cash from my wallet all the time! Please remember that my money has to take care of the family's living expenses!"

"I got it okay... Hmph hmph~ Your money~ is my money~"

"It's useless, Haruaki-kun. Clearly she doesn't understand at all. Look, she's even making up her own song!"

Conversing among themselves, Haruaki's group exited the photography club's exhibition classroom and contiued on their way.

"Are there any activities in the school building over there?"

"The special classrooms block... I remember the classrooms there. They've always been provided for the cultural clubs to use. Like for showing the film research club's videos or exhibiting the calligraphy club's works, etc."

"It feels like it's filled with an air of maniacs... And looks like there's virtually no one there."

"Maniacs would take offense to that comment, Haruaki-kun."

"I'm not really sure what's going on there, why don't we go and have a look?"

At Fear's suggestion, the group advanced through the connecting corridor and was about to enter the special classrooms block. However, they encountered an unexpected person.

The manga research club's poster had an especially cute and popular character drawn on it. A certain person was staring at it intently, rooted to the spot&mdash;

"...Zenon-san?"

"!"

The cool beauty and secretary instantly turned to face Haruaki's group with a literal "whoosh" sound. The aura she gave off seemed to be saying "the scene an instant ago was an illusion, clearly and definitely an illusion, got that?"

"Good morning, Yachi-sama, Fear-sama, Konoha-sama&mdash;and Ueno-sama."

Kirika's eyebrow twitched and then she spoke respectfully as though she were talking to a teacher:

"I didn't expect you would know my name."

"Since the superintendent stands as the highest authority in the school and I am the secretary who assists him, remembering all the faces of the entire school's teachers and students is naturally part of my job."

As only befitting of the perfect (disregarding her interests and hobbies) and beautiful secretary, what a shocking truth to discover.

"Really? I know that the superintendent and Yachi's family are acquainted on a personal level... But you really don't need to use the '-sama' honorific with my name, Houjyou-san. After all, I'm merely a student."

"&mdash;Then let me express my utmost apologies for I rarely have a chance to interact with ordinary students... Please excuse me for my poor manners, from now on, I shall call you 'Ueno-san'."

Zenon spoke as she took a light bow respectfully. Her personality was still rigid as always.

"By the way, why are you here?"

"I know! You must be like us, experiencing the surprises of the cultural festival through a tour, right? If you want to walk around with us, I have no objections."

"No, because the superintendent is out on a trip as usual, I am trying to contribute despite my meager power by patrolling the school grounds. Have you encountered any problems so far?"

"Nothing... Did something happen?"

"Currently received are the following reports: one alleged theft of personal belongings and one case of a fight involving a student from another school. Other than that, there are various sundry reports on a video voyeur, someone furtively touching girls' bottoms when walking past them, cashiers giving the wrong change, loss of an important ring, a celebrity supposedly visiting our cultural festival, sightings of a wet woman youkai, etc etc."

"...Wet woman?"

"I recall that's a youkai that emerges from bodies of water to attack humans on shores. Her hair is always dripping wet."

Despite Haruaki's group asking trivial questions, Zenon answered in full seriousness. In response to her rigorous attitude, Konoha smiled wryly and ambiguously as she spoke:

"U-Umm... So what you mean is this: although nothing major has happened, you're out patrolling just as a precaution, right? Your efforts are commendable, Zenon-san."

"Please do not say that. Even if no major problems have been reported, situations could possibly arise in deserted areas. Besides, while the superintendent is away, I am managing the school in his stead. Particularly on days like this when many outsiders enter and exit the school, one could never be too careful. That is why I am patrolling areas with few people, like here for instance&mdash;"

She stopped speaking abruptly in an unnatural manner. After surveying the surroundings, Zenon's gaze rested on a certain spot, just outside the window.

"...But truth be told, I originally did not expect anything to happen, but it looks like that thought needs to be amended."

Following her gaze, Haruaki's group was rendered speechless and holding their breaths.

Looking through the window, at the back of the school building&mdash;

A girl in her gym clothes was lying there collapsed.

Who could have done it? Why? But now was not the time for seeking answers to the various mysteries. Without saying a word, Zenon turned and started walking. Haruaki and friends also followed and rushed down the stairs.

Then Haruaki and company discovered the shocking truth.

That girl... Yes, that girl&mdash;