Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume4 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 3===

To forget everything, how nice that would be.

If only she were no longer herself, how nice that would be&mdash;

Her mind was filled with such tumult. The home back there was such a wonderful place.

However&mdash;She could not clear her mind. Her past actions, the crimes she had committed, the fearful gaze of the puppy she was holding, the cries of the baby in her arms...

By the time she realized, she had already rushed out of that lovely home. After seeing the way he acted after waking up and the girls' troubled reactions, she discovered something. There was still a way. Knowing that, she could not suppress the motions of her body.

Running, running, running aimlessly.

But her legs began to slow down gradually.

Finally, her steps began to stumble and she switched to walking.

Amidst the unchanging scenery of the streets, her mind gradually cooled down.

&mdash;Even though she clearly had no idea where she was.

&mdash;Even though she did not even know if the method would work.

&mdash;To him and those girls who had treated her so gently, perhaps this would constitute betrayal.

&mdash;Stupid, stupid, stupid.

There was a hollow sense of despair as though she had forced herself to wake up from the dream she had always treasured. Continuing to walk with her shoulders slouching in dejection, she suddenly found herself at the river embankment from earlier. This was her third time here. The first time, she had met them. The second time, there were delicious sandwiches. But this time&mdash;there was only loneliness.

Sitting down on the embankment, she stared blankly out at the river.

Seconds then minutes passed. Listening inattentively to the sounds of the water, she listened as words of harsh reality surfaced in her mind once more.

&mdash;There's no way, it's useless.

&mdash;Give up, you're wrong. How could you possibly escape from such suffering? Crimes cannot be forgotten. Immutable things cannot be changed. Go back, go back and apologize to everyone, then&mdash;

Leaning her forehead against her drawn-up knees, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was her ritual to forget the path she was heading towards. She spent dozens of minutes breathing in and breathing out. After a cycle of this process finally ended, she had no choice but to open her eyes. She had no choice but to look up.

Then, in order to go back to that home, just as she was slowly getting up&mdash;

She heard the sound of a wheelchair.

Perhaps a curse or a blessing in disguise, or simply pure an insignificant coincidence?

Aiko thought to herself. Feeling the existence of the hand of fate stirring in her hollow heart, she wondered.

Ahhh, if the existence known as God truly existed...

Then He must surely be an existence no less deserving than tools like us&mdash;

To be cursed. Absolutely.

"...I have a request for you."

Listening to her own voice tremble so intensely, she continued to reveal the contents of her wish.

Very simple yet very difficult. That was the single wish.

"Oh? Why would you ask me?"

The bearded man asked in amusement. "Please explain." The woman in the wheelchair added.

They did not reject her. It's possible, it's definitely possible. Her wish can be fulfilled&mdash;

Hence, Aiko&mdash;

By her own initiative&mdash;

Confessed her sins.



"Mm-hmm, I see."

"Patriarch, are you really going to accept her? She's an enemy, you know!"

"Kururi, we were never attacked by this girl, yes? Besides, offering Wathes equal love is the Family's ideology. Since she has come to us in search of help, there is no reason to refuse... Rather, we should rejoice instead. If we discriminate her just because she spent a little while in the enemy camp, wouldn't that be a great pity?"

"That's... true, I guess..."

"Ara ara, indeed you are right, Abyss. However&mdash;"

"I understand. We are also currently in a difficult situation, so your wish cannot be granted for free."

He was eyeing her in an appraising kind of way. Just as Aiko trembled from his gaze, the woman in the wheelchair cocked her head and spoke to Aiko gently:

"There's no need to be nervous. We only ask you to do what is within your ability. First of all, please join our Family&mdash;Just as Abyss mentioned, we are currently in need of help. What are you capable of doing? No, before that, may I have your name please?"

"Tateoka... Aiko."

"...What about your true name?"

Aiko gasped, but she could no longer remain silent by this point. Lightly clasping her palms together, she answered&mdash;

Her name. The tool created for the purpose of cursing someone&mdash;Her name.

"The Indigo Vessel. Also&mdash;the Indigo Venom Technique."<ref>'''Indigo Venom'''(藍蠱): ''gu''(蠱) is a venom-based poison associated with minority cultures from southern China. Traditionally, ''gu'' poison is prepared by sealing several venomous creatures (centipedes, snakes, scorpions, etc) into a vessel where they devour one another, supposedly concentrating the toxins into the sole survivor. "Indigo" relates to Aiko's name where the first character Ai(藍) means "indigo."[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu_(poison)]</ref>