Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 5===

The gym was being used by the drama club to present a public theatrical performance. The gym's black-out curtains were currently drawn down and the space was dark. But if she were to attempt to pierce this veil of darkness with her vision, Konoha could trust her non-human body to respond reliably to her.

There were neither a lot nor very few people in the audience. While listening to a performer's loud and clear voice, Konoha intently searched the spaces between and under the rows of seats, even every nook and cranny in the gym, but did not find any signs of the dolls. Then she circled her way to the back of the gym. Perhaps Zenon might come over to check that side later&mdash;

(Might as well, since I'm here already. After all, it's not the time to be concerned with my image.)

Making sure no one was noticing, Konoha sliced through the lock to enter the gym's storeroom. She had thought that the interior of a musty storeroom would be an appropriate hiding place, but the search ended up fruitless.

Returning to the gym, she discovered it happened to be time for the interlude. Watching the stage curtain descend slowly, she thought to herself: "I guess I should check that side as well."

Quietly, she opened the door on the side of the stage that said "Only Cast and Crew Permitted" to find the backstage area where props and costumes were kept. She rapidly swept her gaze around to search for dolls inside. There was also a strange box full of props but luckily it was a transparent chest and Konoha could verify visually that there was no doll inside.

Just as she was observing, a boy who should be part of the drama club appeared naturally and spoke to her.

"Hmm? Oh no, we'll be greatly troubled if you come running in here. This place is&mdash;"

"U-Umm&mdash;I have a friend in your club. I wanted to come here and cheer for her."

This was not a lie for Konoha really did have a good friend in the drama club. Deliberately pleading with an apologetic expression, Konoha succeeded in making the boy nod and go "I guess it can't be helped~" Under his lead, Konoha passed through a communicating passage through the back of the stage to reach another backstage area on the other side. As for searching for dolls like in the previous place&mdash;Konoha did not get a chance to do so.

"Eh, Kono-chan? Why are you here?"

"I-I came to cheer for you! The performance was so moving just now that I wanted to give you some direct encouragement!"

"Eh? Hehehe&mdash;Saying it that way makes me embarrassed~ Thank you very much!"

Dressed in a theatrical costume, the friend responded shyly. On the other hand, Konoha answered with a courteous smile and a guilty conscience.

"Hmph, you're moved that easily? That's way too cheap... I didn't miss it. You clearly made three mistakes in the performance! Firstly, you entered the stage half a second too slow! Then in the arguing scene with the heroine, the emotional expression of your dialogue&mdash;"

This sudden outburst came from a neurotic-looking and glasses-wearing male student. Judging from the color of his indoor shoes, he was an upperclassman. Konoha's friend drew her face near and whispered in Konoha's ear:

"Oh no&mdash;Our club president is a perfectionist. Seriously, he's always acting like this. A terrible guy who's completely full of himself."

"Are you listening to me!?"

Full of complaints, the club president began to mutter. The friend feigned attentiveness while she listened to his advice, but was actually ignoring him. She probably did this frequently, right?

Just at that moment, Konoha looked over to the stage. Despite thinking "It couldn't possibly be on stage, could it?", she still tried as a matter of principle&mdash;

(I can't believe it's really there! But why?)

On stage, used as a prop in a certain room, a doll was treated as part of the interior decorations and positioned inconspicuously on top of a shelf.

"&mdash;Anyway, that's that. Also... hey, how much longer are you going to dally here? I hope you won't get in the way of our performance."

"S-Sorry, I'm leaving immediately. But... Uh&mdash;By the way, the decorations on stage are really wonderful! The props are very nice! Perhaps, they're all chosen by you, the club president? I think you have excellent taste!"

The flattery plan commenced. Pushing his shining glasses up with a finger, the club president went "Hmph hmph" nasally.

"Oh... You understand? Indeed that's correct, those props were all carefully chosen by me. Actually, I was unsatisfied until the performance was about to start so it wasn't finished until thirty minutes before the opening. In any case, using these props appropriately is evidence of my extraordinary abilities."

That's why you used that thing? It's probably Pakuaki and his subordinate who deliberately placed the doll near the props, right?

Why didn't you finalize your props earlier, you incompetent fool&mdash;Konoha had only this response for him, but she refrained from say it out load.

"R-Really... Amazing... The props on stage are so awesome, I'm sure they'll be very meaningful for future remembrance."

"Hmm? Haha~ I understand what you're getting at. You want to take some of them as memorabilia after the performance? I have heard of fans doing that&mdash;But I refuse. This performance is perfect because of them. If perchance we need to perform again in a competition or something, it could very well garner the attention of schools that appreciate my genius! How could this perfection be destroyed? Hence, I refuse to part with any of the props!"

...Flattery plan, failed.

No good, this guy apparently would not back down no matter what. Furthermore, I can't wait for the performance to end. I need to take that doll immediately. Although the notion of rendering everyone here unconscious entered my mind as a vicious solution to take away the doll, I decided against it.

"Therefore, you should give up. Hey, please evict everyone who does not belong in the club. All performers gather! There's only five minutes until we start, but we still need to hold a meeting about the second half! I still have a ton of things to say!"

At this moment, Konoha's friend clapped her hands together in a pleading manner and went "Since our prez said so, I'm really sorry." However, Konoha could not return emptyhanded. Just as she looked towards the stage again, she discovered a slight gap near the top of the curtain. The gap was only several dozen centimeters wide, obviously not enough for a person to pass through&mdash;

"...I get it. Sorry for disturbing you so suddenly. Please do your best for the second half of the performance."

"Yes, thank you for your encouragement!"

Hence, Konoha left the backstage area with the club president nagging away in the background. Once she confirmed her surroundings, she instantly climbed to the top of the gym, using a ladder that led to a catwalk. On the far end of this catwalk, the lighting crew were busy chatting and did not notice her.

Konoha climbed directly to the front of the gym, closest to the stage where the curtains were still down. Exhaling&mdash;She proceeded to remove her clothes. Let's hope the lights don't suddenly turn on at this time.

The performers were supposed to start a meeting so they should not be paying any spare attention to the stage. Using this opportunity to sneak in, Konoha should be able to borrow the doll without anyone noticing.

(Ahhh~ Seriously, this is definitely not the time to be concerned with appearances, but why does it have to be like this...! But no way around it, I must gather dolls as quickly as possible. The more we gather the faster the target doll will be found&mdash;In that case, will Haruaki-kun praise me...? No no no, now is not the time to be thinking about that!)

Konoha shook her head forcefully, once again telling herself that "this cannot be helped." Then she bent down and removed her bra and panties. So chilly and it makes me feel so vulnerable. There are clearly dozens of students down below yet here I am, completely naked&mdash;This is totally a nightmare.

(...Hmm? I feel like I've forgotten something important... Whatever, now is not the time for contemplation either. Let's hurry and get what's necessary done and over with!)

Konoha looked up and judged the distance and timing visually. Then she&mdash;

(I've gone and sacrificed this much already. If you're not searching thoroughly, I'll definitely not forgive you, Fear-san!)

Konoha stepped over the railing and jumped down towards the stage. Then in midair, she transformed back into a Japanese sword&mdash;Right above the students' line of sight, she aimed for the gap in the curtains and successfully landed on stage as planned.

"...Was there a thud just now?" "Was there?"

"Hey, are you people even listening? Listen carefully, you must pay attention to the final scene in particular, the sense of separation between the two characters&mdash;"

The voices from backstage frightened Konoha into breaking out in cold sweat. However, it seemed like she was not discovered.

She happened to land below one of the tables used as part of the stage scenery. After turning back into human form, Konoha silently crawled her way to the shelves to take the doll she wanted.

(Phew~ ...If only it were placed backstage, then I wouldn't need to do this. Seriously... But with the doll finally in my hands, it's mission accomplished. Well then...)

At this moment, Konoha suddenly realized something, causing her face to go pale completely.

&mdash;H-How do I leave?

How could she have made such a blunder? An utterly contemptible blunder. She had predicted that her underwear would flutter off in front of the curtain if she were to return to her sword form midflight, hence the decision to strip naked beforehand. Up until that point, the plan could still be considered okay&mdash;But she had not considered what followed afterwards. There was no one to blame but herself for being too impetuous. Sure enough, her ambition for praise and merit proved fatal on the battlefield&mdash;

(However, now is the not time for thinking about such things! W-What should I do? How can I get out of this?)

At this moment, there were signs of human activity on both wings of the backstage. Konoha considered the strategy of simply knocking everybody unconscious, but even if she managed to leave the backstage area, there was still the audience once she returns to the gym side. Despite the dim lighting, was there really a way to climb up the ladder again to retrieve her clothes on the catwalk, right in front of dozens of students? While completely nude? Don't be silly!

"Okay, it's almost time for the curtain to rise. Everyone get to your positions! Listen carefully, keep your nerves taut!"

The club president's voice caused Konoha to feel a further surge of hateful resentment towards him.

(W-Wait a moment...!)

Panic. She could not possibly remain here in any event. Once the curtain rose to produce a nude girl's stage appearance, would that not be tantamount to bestowing the club president with the grand present of a legendary theatrical scene?

Konoha frantically searched her surroundings and found a cardboard box made to look like a safe as part of the set. The front side was modified by the addition of a plastic disc to simulate a dial and could even swing open to the side. This was only choice in sight that could serve as a hiding place... Hence, Konoha took the doll and desperately squeezed into the box.

Only seconds later, Konoha could sense the curtain rising with a squeaking sound of a winch. Too close for comfort. Then she started hearing the audience's applause, followed by sounds of actors not far from the cardboard box.

'Oh my god! How did things come to this!?'

"In other words~ Ooh, how did things end up like this~...?"

Konoha curled up her body inside the box as she agreed with the dialogue from the actors' exaggerated dialogue. Although she had temporarily averted the crisis, what should she do next? Konoha did not know if there would be a chance for the curtain to fall for a scene change, even if only for an instant. In that event, she could seize that chance to leave the stage, and... and... Right, all she needed to do was grab any outfit from backstage! Then she could proceed to retrieve her clothes. The only problem was being seen by people backstage, but that could not be helped. Looks like there was no way out of using tactics of mass unconsciousness...!

Just as she formed a plan in her mind&mdash;

'It's all your fault! If it weren't for you committing tax evasion, I wouldn't need to do this. But because I love you, I have no choice! I will take the money in this safe&mdash;'

Konoha heard horrifying lines from the play.

After involuntarily twitching fer face once, Konoha tried shifting her position lightly within the cardboard safe&mdash;There was a rustling feeling of paper over by her bottom. This was probably a stack of prop money.

(...?)

Reflexively, Konoha grabbed the plastic object protruding into the safe&mdash;the back side of the simulated dial.

"I will take the money in this safe and light it on fire for my... love...?"

Someone outside was trying to open the safe, but could not. This was only natural because Konoha was preventing it.

(I-If this were to open...!)

Let's simply omit the appearance of a nude girl popping out of the safe, etc etc. Although Konoha considered turning back into a Japanese sword, were she to transform right now, the sword would probably pierce the cardboard box instantly due to size issues. In a certain sense, that would be even more bizarre than having a naked girl jump out.

'T-That's right, the flames of love precisely!'

Probably thinking that something was stuck inside, the actor tried even harder to pull on the dial lock. Konoha desperately held on to the dial's back side to prevent the safe's door from opening. As seconds, dozens of seconds and finally minutes ticked away, the audience below the stage began to get noisy with impatience.

Oh no, but if this stalemate continued, how would things end? Were any elements present for salvaging the situation?

Impossible, the situation would only deteriorate. Finally, there was a pop as the dial she was holding was pulled off by the actor. The resulting roar of laughter from audience was probably due to the actor falling over from the force. However, this was no laughing matter for Konoha.

The safe had now turned into an ordinary cardboard box with nothing to rescue it from the fate of being opened. Once the safe's door was opened, everything would be over.
[[image:C3 05-110.jpg|thumb]]

(Ahhh... Ahhh...! I-I'll be seen!)

Fully exposed... Completely naked, her body would be fully exposed, a maiden's supple skin would be fully exposed.

Every inch of her body would be fully exposed to the dozens of students present. That would be utterly embarrassing. Even if she pleaded "Don't look, please don't look," it could not possibly work. People would certainly stare intently, the view burned deeply into their memories forever. Some might even take out their cellphones and snap photos. Good heavens, not only will I never be able to show my face again at this school, but I also won't be able to get married anymore&mdash;

In that case, I won't be able to get married anymore.

Suddenly, that sentence echoed in her mind.

Just because of this? Because of something utterly stupid like this?

No. I refuse to accept that. That kind of end result&mdash;I absolutely&mdash;absolutely&mdash;


At this moment, something seemed to break inside her mind and some sort of switch activated.


"...A-Argghhhh&mdash;!"

"Kyahhh!?"

Just as the cardboard box was about to be opened, Konoha forcefully extended her arms and legs and stood up. Secretly applying a Japanese sword's sharpness to her four limbs, she penetrated the cardboard spectacularly. Naturally, she did not poke her head out, instead using two eye holes she had made beforehand to see outside.

The actor, who was originally focused on handling this battle for the safe's opening, suddenly fell over in fright not too far away. All the other actors reacted similarly. One could hardly blame them for reacting in this manner to the sight of a woman's four limbs emerging from a safe that was supposed to be part of the set&mdash;especially given the outstanding level of exposure and voluptuousness displayed.

Members of the audience reacted independently with various comments of "Wahaha, how original!" "Wow&mdash;That's so erotic!" "Is this a comedy?" "Theater of the absurd, that's what people call this, right?" Thinking "Say whatever you want, after all, I'm just a weirdo, the cardboard box lady!" to herself, Konoha jumped down from stage, rushed over to the ladder and climbed up to the catwalk as quickly as if she were flying. After retrieving her clothes, she jumped out the nearest window&mdash;Although jumping out of a second floor window would cause an even greater commotion, like she cared!

"Ooh... Ah ooh... Fufufu, hahaha, ahahaha..."

With super speed, Konoha fled to somewhere deserted, finally stopping behind the building where the club rooms were located. But for some reason, she started to laugh drily.

"Haruaki-kun, I-I... I did it. I protected... something important...!"

Although she also felt like she had lost something else that was important in the process, Konoha decided not to delve into the matter. In any case, the doll was in her hands.

"I've already sacrificed so much, for sure... This must..."

Konoha swiftly put on her uniform and happily confirmed the doll's contents.

Naturally, it turned out to be empty.

An overflowing urge to kill, rising.