Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume3 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 5===

The first task was to converge with Kuroe at the "Dan-no-ura." After all, Alice was likely to make another visit and it was necessary to inform Kuroe of the latest news. Supposing the promotion was ineffective and business was slow at the shop, they could even ask Kuroe to join in the search&mdash;These were Haruaki and his group's original plans.

In the end, they did not meet Kuroe, and the reason was&mdash;

"Hey~ lady, how are you doing?"

"Wanna have some fun together with us? We're quite free right now. I know a very nice place!"

"Ara ara, how troubling... Should I title this scene 'The Central District of Lust'?"

Before Haruaki and company could reach Kuroe, they easily discovered Alice.

The location was a cafe terrace on the way from school to the shopping street. Alice was being surrounded by a few young men. Although she was in casual clothing, the massive musical instrument case could be found beside her this time.

"Hey, isn't she acting too defenseless, drinking tea at a place like this..."

"W-What should we do?"

While they discussed, Alice had already spotted them. Ara ara&mdash;she first stared with her eyes wide open followed by a smile. Then she spoke to the men around her:

"My apologies but something urgent has come up. Please excuse me."

"No way? Hey, hey, let's go and do something fun, okay?"

"This is troubling... I know, how about this, let me give you each a present that will allow you to have fun, okay?"

"A present? No, we don't want that, you're much better... Eh?"

Alice casually took out from her shoulder bag something that could indeed be considered a present. Neither a doll, a cake, nor a bouquet of flowers, it was something much more versatile that anyone would readily accept&mdash;

Plain old cash.

Smiling generously, she grabbed a stack of ten thousand yen bills and shoved them to the men. At a glance, each person held at least ten bills in their hands.

"Woah!"

"Hey hey, is this really okay? We never said we wanted money, eh?"

"Eh? What I feel like... You seem to have more? Let me count them!"

Alice picked up the musical instrument case and successfully freed herself from the men. But instead of approaching Haruaki's group, she stopped and stood at speaking distance.

"I have a question. Could you answer truthfully?"

Fear spoke up and glared at Alice.

"Are you the one who is making things in 'my shape.'"

"I've already told you. The culprit is me."

She replied instantly without any hesitation. Haruaki and his companions were not even given time to think.

Smiling like a saint, Alice became a true "enemy" starting from this moment.

Haruaki clenched his fist tightly. Fear and Konoha simultaneously released a bone-chilling aura of rage. Rather, one might better call it murderous intent.

Yet Alice responded to all this with a smile.

"Ara ara, how terrifying."

"Stop screwing around! Why? The only one you want is me, right? Stop involving unrelated people!"

Fear snarled angrily, looking as if she was about to charge ahead. Alice went "Hmm&mdash;" and inclined her head.

"This isn't the right timing for the answer... Besides, it would be difficult to explain at this point, wouldn't it? After all, it's merely one death so far."

"What! You're going to kill more&mdash;!"

"Stop it! If you want to take me away then come at me, no one else!"

"Perhaps I might resort to that eventually. What's required for that purpose has already been delivered... But there's no need for impatience currently, so I will go with the first plan for now. Let me first finish what needs to be done."

"In other words, killing other people first...!"

"Please think back more carefully. Indeed, 'thinking' is necessary suffering&mdash;That said, from the way you look, it must be quite a challenge for you people. Well then, I shall offer you a hint."

"A hint...?"

Indeed&mdash;Alice simply nodded her head.

"The first person died yesterday. Everyone who dies subsequently will share something in common. Once you figure it out, the problem should be solved."

"What are you talking about?"

"Fufu&mdash;Please do your best. Well then, I shall excuse myself for today."

Saying that, Alice turned around and ran.

"H-Hold it right there!"

The trio hastily gave chase but Alice instantly disappeared around a corner nearby. But of course they could not give up so easily. Surveying the surroundings from an intersection ahead&mdash;

"Found her! Over there!"

"Ara ara, feel free to pursue me, but do realize it will only end in wasted effort, okay?"

Alice had stopped and was crouching down on the road ahead. Adjusting her monocle with one hand, she also loaded the musical instrument case onto her back, the one she had been carrying in her hand.

"Wasted effort? How would I know if I don't try!?"

Fear led the way and chased after Alice who had started walking again. Leaving the shopping street, they entered the nearby residential area. Passing through the public housing estate, they gradually entered an increasingly desolate area near the mountains.

"Are you okay? Haruaki-kun!"

"I-I'm okay! Don't mind me, make sure you don't lose her!"

Haruaki tried his best to appease his lungs that were suffering from the sudden marathon and gave chase again. Alice gave a quick glance behind and suddenly changed directions, starting to run up a challenging slope. Their surroundings were already giving off an air of the countryside, with lifeless red and green leaves occupying most of the view. With no signs of tall buildings anywhere, there were only scattered houses and farmland. Haruaki already knew that the northern part of Hitsutou City was quite deserted, but being confronted so directly, it was difficult to associate this sight with the train station as part of the same city.

"She's going to escape into the mountains if this continues! Cow Tits, do you sense any humans around?"

"Uh... I guess... There aren't any!"

"Then in that case! Mechanism No.8 crushing type, circular form: «Breaking Wheel of Francia», Curse Calling!"

Using her entire body strength, Fear launched the torture wheel transformed from the Rubik's cube. Pulling the chain of cubes behind it, the torture wheel smashed through tree branches along the side of the road as it flew towards Alice's back&mdash;

Alice simply leaped to the side to evade the attack, using her remaining momentum to roll to an empty spot by the roadside. This seemed to be a long abandoned farmhouse, an ancient Japanese style home built beside barren farmland. The abandoned house was tilting precariously. Its decrepit earthen walls were covered by creeping vines artistically. Alice rushed into the house.

"Gotcha! We're not gonna let you escape!"

"Prepare yourself!"

Naturally, Fear and the rest followed in pursuit&mdash;Just as they were about to step into the wide open entrance&mdash;

"Please wait a minute. I would advise you all against entering this place, yes? It is very dangerous."

Standing on rotten tatami mats, the speaker herself was smiling alone in the center of the abandoned house where dust pervaded the air.

"Hmph, you totally suck if you think you can escape with such words. Just surrender without a fuss. We won't take your life."

"...I have already given fair warning, yes?"

Sighing, Alice opened the musical instrument case and pulled out the contrabass by its neck. Fear and Konoha leaped forward simultaneously, one of them wielding the torture wheel while the other readied her hand in a karate chop&mdash;

Using the contrabass like a racquet, Alice effortlessly swept away the flying torture wheel. Immediately with the sound of wood breaking, the musical instrument cracked open.

"What a strange tactile sensation... But that's way too fragile!"

"By the way, the game ends in two minutes."

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

Konoha chopped with her hand. Alice turned her body and swung the contrabass upwards at the same time. Konoha's knife hand easily sliced through the instrument where she made contact. Looking at the severed cross section of the instrument, Konoha frowned:

"...! This is&mdash;?"

"Cow Tits, stand back! Let's destroy that first!"

Fear retrieved the torture wheel with a tug on the chain of cubes. With a series of metallic noises sounding like a spell, the block of iron instantly took on a new and violent form.

"Mechanism No.5 impaling type, upright form: «A Skewer Loved by Vlad Tepes»&mdash;Curse Calling!"

The execution stake flew like an arrow. Faced with this attack, Alice swung the almost destroyed contrabass high above her shoulder&mdash;And simply smashed it against the ground.

The sound of breakage.

These were the death cries of an elegantly curved contrabass. At the same time&mdash;

"W-What...?"

"I don't recall if I've mentioned it before? This appearance of a contrabass is merely incidental. After all, carrying something like this openly on the streets could easily cause misunderstandings with the police."

The accompanying noise also heralded the birth of the massive murder weapon Alice was carrying.

This murder weapon had a long shaft and resembled a hybrid between a spear and a hammer. On the tip of the massive block of metal, slightly rusting and filthy, there was an acute and heavy blade, resembling a butcher's cleaver. Inside the dim interior of this abandoned house, the weapon looked rather like a twisted and slender cross. Covered with dust, a cross from a destroyed church.

"Tsk... I was going to ask why it was so fragile and it turns out to be camouflage."

"Irrelevant. In that case, I shall simply destroy the contents inside... Hmm!"

Konoha groaned as a result of the bright red color dripping from Alice's hand. Did she accidentally get scratched by fragments or something during the contrabass' destruction?  Konoha narrowed her eyes and began to murmur: "Red paint... That's simply red paint..." But who knew how long she could endure.

"Ara ara, there seems to be too much naughtiness here... Anyway, there's only a minute left. This is hurting quite a bit and I'm growing tired of this."

"What are you talking about just now? Are you counting how long it will take until you're caught!?"

Lifting the strange weapon, Alice seemed to be pondering something while her hand bled, looking up at the cobweb-covered ceiling. Then she instantly recovered her usual smile, and for some reason, looked with her monocled left eye at Haruaki who was standing behind Fear. Haruaki sensed something strange from Alice's expression but the vague feeling was easily blown away by her next declaration.

"Let me say this, it is now time for this game to end. Although there's a minute left, stalling for time is proving quite a chore. My utmost apologies, please allow me to hereby end this game&mdash;You girls will be fine, right? But I wouldn't be so sure about him in the back."

Alice raised the hammer up high and swung clearly at nobody.

Instead, it was the main pillar supporting this crumbling abandoned house.

"Wha...! Fool, you don't care about what happens to you too... Damn it!"

"Haruaki-kun! Hurry and escape this place!"

Fear and Konoha forgot the enemy for this instant and turned to look at Haruaki who was the last person to enter the house. Haruaki frantically tried to leave but there was not enough time!

"'Let's smash this over and over again!' Reenactment: «How to Process Mince-Meat»!"

Accompanied by a series of noises, the massive hammer pounded the main pillar of the damaged house. Instantly, it felt like something exploded. This full powered attack sounded as if dozens of people made booming noises simultaneously&mdash;the main pillar was smashed apart almost like it exploded. Immediately, Haruaki found himself surrounded by a rumbling from all directions, as ominous as thunder.

Three steps. That was all Haruaki managed to move.

The abandoned house's entrance seemed as if it were hundreds of meters away. Fear and Konoha sounded distant as if their voices were traveling through water. Cold sweat flowed down his back. Fragments of timber kept falling down from overhead. An especially poignant crunching noise followed. As Haruaki sought the exit, he looked back as if refusing to give up.

Within his field of view&mdash;

He saw Alice's figure vanish with a "whoosh!"&mdash;


Without allowing anyone to escape, the abandoned house collapsed completely.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
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