Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume2 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 6===

"I was going to wait until you got up before asking you... But now given what you said, it's really strange. The order is reversed&mdash;The doll, who was supposed to be waiting at the sports ground, attacked Konoha while I was still on my way there. And to think I was convinced you had been attacked as soon as lunch started."

"Sorry, I was in a daze until just now, so I couldn't think straight... But having slept, I started recalling the situation back then."

Konoha shrugged apologetically, but Kirika shook her head and said:

"How could we rouse a patient for questioning? This is not your fault. The key point is&mdash;At a critical moment, we have obtained an additional significant fact."

"I don't get it. So what is the conclusion?"

Fear pursed her lips. As expected, the academically excellent class representative was the reliable one instead.

"If we think about it, there are three main possibilities... One, she rushed to the scene after draining Konoha's life force. Two, the doll possesses another ability we are unaware of, which is what she used&mdash;such as controlling other puppets from a distance to absorb life force. And three&mdash;"

Kirika put up three fingers then sighed.

"She has an accomplice with the same ability to absorb life force&mdash;These are basically the possibilities."

"...!"

Haruaki gasped. Then he offered his opinion:

"The first one is kind of a stretch, right...?"

"Agreed. A tool on a doll's level doesn't really seem like it could have any kind of instantaneous transport ability. Besides, if she could do that, she would have used it from the start. That doll isn't even used to a human body yet."

"We're simply listing the possibilities. So based on the facts&mdash;I would agree with you two."

"And likewise for the second possibility. Don't forget, it was during the lunch break. It would have been impossible to walk along the classroom hallways without being seen. Whether Sovereignty herself or a remote controlled doll, both would be spotted."

"Indeed. Then that means&mdash;"

The conversation paused. Instead, only the sound of four people sipping tea with awkward expressions remained. After a while&mdash;

"Process of elimination... For the purpose of theorizing, it's not exactly a smart method."

"But the chances are quite high. We cannot ignore this possibility."

"So, who is it? Konoha, did you catch a glimpse of who did it?"

"No&mdash;As soon as someone touched my shoulder from behind, I immediately collapsed. But, well..."

She shrank her head back timidly.

"When I fell down, I think there was a boy standing next to me... I saw pants. But I could be mistaken. The person might have ran over after seeing me collapse. My consciousness was in a mess back then..."

"Hmm... A boy eh... Yachi, do you remember what those two idiots said during lunch?"

"Eh? Uh&mdash;what they talked about back then, let's see... The Chloroform Baron and also... Ah, the deceased male student's ghost&mdash;?"

"What did Kana say? There was a witness&mdash;perhaps it's not a baseless rumor."

"In other words&mdash;the doll has an accomplice mixed in the school, a boy who can absorb life force. Then what? How do we find him?"

Haruaki pondered in puzzlement. Konoha asked with trepidation:

"Somehow it seems like my impression has been accepted as fact, is that really okay...?"

"We can't simply dismiss it as a mistake, right? Besides, we don't have any other reliable information..."

"Just as Yachi said. Anyway, we can only take action based on facts and hypotheses&mdash;that said, there is still not enough information. Namely, is there anyone we could question..."

"Eh? How so?"

"Although I called the other person who drained life force an 'accomplice' but that in itself raises questions. Simply stated, when and where did Sovereignty find this accomplice? A long time ago back when she was in foreign lands, after she escaped from the antique shop, or some time in between, while she was still at the shop?"

"I see what you mean now. It's hard to imagine a former companion coming all the way to this distant island country. I don't think she could have met someone after escaping either. In that case, it must be during her time at the antique shop... After all, in a place like that, a gathering of her kind would not be surprising."

"Right, so that's why I wondered if there's someone we could question."

Of course, there was the antique shopkeeper's daughter&mdash;Shiraho.

As for the other culprit, do you have any idea? Is there another doll? No, it might not even be a doll, has anything strange disappeared from the shop as well? So many questions to confirm with her. Based on the situation, perhaps there was a need to visit Shiraho's shop. Records of what had been bought and sold, some of that should still remain in the shop.

"In other words, our plan for tomorrow involves finding Shiraho first for questioning? Then please accompany us then, Class Rep. So long as we explain you're here to help, there should be no problem."

"Of course."

With that, their plans were set. Just as Haruaki relaxed his shoulders&mdash;

Growl~

An extremely adorable sound was heard.

"It's already this late eh... That's right, eating rice crackers alone isn't quite enough. I'm about to prepare dinner, so please be patient a little while longer, Fear. Oh yeah, Class Rep, why don't you stay for dinner before you head back?"

"Wha...!"

"If you would allow it, then by all means please let me stay. This would be a great opportunity to steal some of your cooking secrets... But if you don't have enough ingredients, don't force yourself, okay? Spying on the enemy would not be worth it if it ends up incurring Fear's wrath."

"Wait... Wait a minute! Not me, it wasn't me, okay!?"

Slam! Fear got to her feet, smoldering as if she was about to combust.

"Of course, it's not your fault, Fear, just that huge stomach. Don't be so angry. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I already told you it wasn't me, okay!? Believe me. Hey, dummy! I'll curse you!"

"Oh, Konoha, you'll have to be a little patient too! I've already prepared the ingredients for your portion, the nutritious porridge I promised you. Eat it and get well soon!"

"Yeah... Yeah..."

For some reason, Konoha was red in the face, her head bowed deeply and trembling.

Just as Haruaki prepared to make his way to the kitchen, he heard something amidst Fear's continued grumbling&mdash;

"...There are still some questions in the details. Perhaps I'm over thinking things, but it doesn't make sense. I'll have to ask Shiraho properly..."

Kirika was musing to herself. Because she sounded especially serious, her words left a particularly strong impression on him.

It looked like the next day was going to be quite eventful. But enlisting Kirika's help was as good as obtaining a hundred volunteers. In any case, leaving the thinking to her would be fine. Now, what kind of tasty cooking should he come up with to energize her&mdash;

Thinking that, Haruaki put his full effort into the meal. With just a single mouthful, Kirika exclaimed "So far to go before catching up...!" Then she hung her head in despair, only moving her chopsticks in dejection.

With that, a busy day came to an end.



The next day, Shiraho did not come to school.