Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume4 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 5===

At this very moment, Konoha also halted her movements. The venom familiars continued to be born.

"Indigo Venom No.32, Name: «Unknown». Indigo Venom No.33, Name: «Tama». Indigo Venom No.34, Name: «Gregory». Indigo Venom No.35&mdash;"

Just as Konoha was thinking "It's about time to put an end to this," Aiko apparently came to the same conclusion of deciding the battle all at once. Pulling back, she continued to recite to herself.

(In any case, these numbers are truly...)

There were currently close to ten of them. Konoha did have battlefield experience, but those opponents were humans after all and were limited in how many could attack at once. But small-sized venom familiars could easily surpass those limits. Suddenly, Konoha recalled the time when Sovereignty's dolls attacked&mdash;They were quite numerous that time and really tough to handle.

"Indigo Venom No.36, Name: «Unknown». Indigo Venom No.37, Name:..."

For some reason, Aiko began to stutter this instant as though she were hesitating or perhaps troubled by something.

However, she still held her breath and continued as though she had resigned herself:

"Name&mdash;«Heinzmann Diemelgerg»!"

This time, a person appeared from her summons. Not a baby but an adult male. In spite of her surprise, Konoha suppressed her feelings.

She had already considered the possibility beforehand. Since they were targeting everyone in school, then the creation of ''gu'' poison was not limited to cats, dogs or babies. Using mostly cats and dogs up until now probably stemmed from the curse's usage efficiency and ease of control. Now that Aiko had started using a venom familiar of human form, it must be because the owner had gone mad and no longer cared about cost-effectiveness, that could only be it&mdash;

Having given birth to the blue metallic man, Aiko panted, her shoulders shaking heavily.

"...These are... all of them."

"Oh? Really? How do you plan on using them?"

"Like this."

The venom familiars swarmed in. Their numbers were so great that trying to calculate them would be a feat of strength that would slow one down.

Readying her battle stance, Konoha frowned and thought to herself:

(I can dodge them. I can evade them. But that alone won't end this&mdash;!)



&mdash;It would be bad if she made a move but ended up getting in the way. Hence, she had simply observed quietly until now.

But it finally came, the time to provide assistance.

Thinking that to herself, still on the tree, Kuroe murmured softly to herself:

"Mode: «Chaotic Tadamori» and «Penetrator Yoshimasa»."



Konoha did not take action. The venom familiars closed in from all directions.

Not moving an inch from her position, her figure disappeared into the indigo avalanche.

But at this moment, Aiko could sense a troubling presence through the indigo venom.

"...?"

Just as Aiko felt perplexed, black hair was silently extending from a nearby tree, swiftly picking up a certain object from the center of the venom familiars and tossing it over towards Aiko. The object was a Japanese sword, sheathed in a black scabbard&mdash;

"!"

In the instant of Aiko's surprise, the Japanese sword turned back into human form again. Glaring sharply, Konoha grabbed Aiko by the neck and lifted her up.

"It's over. When facing an army of overwhelming numbers, capturing the general is of utmost priority. Easier said than done, of course."

"O-Ooh..."

"Are you listening? Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway&mdash;Just surrender. In any case, make all the ''gu'' poison disappear first."

No&mdash;Aiko shook her head, prompting Konoha's face to draw near. Beneath those glasses, her pupils contracted, becoming eerily like a cat's&mdash;

"Thou shalt do well to act whilst my tone of voice remaineth gentle, venomous pot. Ancient relic reeking of Tokugawa stench, were I my past self I would have choked thee to death on the spot. Before I change my mind... Make haste and do as I say!"

No good, I can't win. There's no way to win against this person. Aiko instinctively understood.

The force strangling her throat intensified, almost preventing her from breathing. On the verge of suffocation, Aiko nodded desperately. Her mind in a daze, she withdrew the venom familiars back into her pockets. Only then did the pressure on her throat begin to ease.

"I've been really terrible today. Perhaps due to a loss of composure, I've been speaking in a rather crude manner... I must reflect properly on myself."

"...Sob... Cough... Cough cough..."

Konoha loosened her grip and Aiko fell onto the ground. So much pain. So terrifying. Failure. I clearly had no choice but to do it. Her mind could only struggle as she crawled on the cold and muddy ground. Did the rain get heavier? Or was it lighter now? Ahhh, it's lighter. Feeling moisture on her face, mistaking it for heavier rain, that was due to her tears. An unending stream of tears.

"Sob... Sob sob..."

She could see someone's feet before her. Were they that terrifying person's feet? Since they had become enemies, since she had lost, naturally, only a fate of destruction awaited her, right?

Aiko looked up in trepidation.

Standing there was not Konoha with her demonic expression.

"Ahhh... Why?"

Instead, it was a boy with an extremely troubled expression, looking too kind for his own good.

Shaking his head, sighing mournfully, he knelt down in front of Aiko.

"I still can't remember. I still can't recall any of this. Who you are, why things became like this, everything is so confusing. However..."


"I don't know why... But seeing your crying face, I get the feeling that this would make things better."


Saying that, he stuffed his hand lightly into one of Aiko's pockets.

"Uh... Let's leave it at that for now. Umm, if this constitutes sexual harassment for you, let me apologize beforehand."

The feeling of the hand in her pocket.

The embarrassed smile as he scratched his face.

The tears that continued to slide down her face.

Faced with all this, Aiko thought to herself.

Recalling those tears she had thought to be her last, back when she resolved to freeze her heart and never weep again, she thought to herself, at a loss:


Oh no&mdash;It's no good.

It's melting.