Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume10 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 8===

A momentary daydream. After experiencing a feeling similar to dizziness, Kirika regained her senses.

Before her eyes was Himura collapsed. He was currently staring at her intently. Her hand was extended halfway, stopped in midair. If his wound were not examined quickly to stop the bleeding, he could very well die. Even so, her hand remained motionless.

"Arghhh... How absolutely ridiculous..."

"Class... Rep...?"

Pushed aside by her just now, Haruaki sat up and gazed at her. He must be trying to ask her why she stopped. Until that very instant, this same question had surfaced in her own mind.

However, she figured it out now. Due to that daydream, she understood everything.

Why she had suddenly stopped&mdash;That was because she felt that something was not right.

Kirika glanced at Elsie who was staring into space with a face filled with ecstasy. Although Kirika had no idea why she was like that, it did not matter because at this close range, there was nothing that Kirika could do if Elsie decided to act again. Hence, she could only take a gamble on Elsie not taking action for the next while.

"Yachi... I know the situation doesn't permit this. I also hope you won't see me as cold and heartless. However, for just a moment&mdash;Please give me some time."

"Time...?"

"Yes, give me time to confirm."

Kirika answered briefly before turning her gaze to meet Himura's eyes again. She could feel the cold from the bottom of her heart.  Indeed, she was cold and heartless after all, even in this critical moment of life and death, she was still suspicious of others, unbelievably.

However, she must suspect.

Present on scene was not only herself but Haruaki and the other girls. If anything happened as a result of a superficial, humane impulse&mdash;If she was the only one to perish, that could not be helped. But she absolutely refused to let the others get caught up in it.

Staring at the collapsed Himura, Kirika questioned:

"Before I help you up, allow me to confirm one matter&mdash;Why did you take off your mask before rushing in front of Elsie?"

Himura did not answer. Kirika continued to point out what she had found suspicious.

"If you wanted to protect me, fine. But your «Il est dans Bastille» only erases the sense of presence. It does not mean that your body disappears physically. Even if you continued to wear the mask while forcing your way between Elsie and me, her hand would still pierce your body unknowingly. As a result, it doesn't change the fact of acting as a meat shield. But why, under those urgent conditions, did you still forcibly take off the mask? If there's any reason, hurry up and tell me."

"...Ha."

Himura laughed instead.

At the same time, he swiftly took out a rectangular object from his front pocket and raised it before Kirika's eyes.

Not a weapon. From the looks of it, the object seemed to be a rectangular, wooden, photo frame but without the photo that should be kept inside it. Then feeling a terrifying chill, Kirika reflexively distanced herself from him.

Himura slowly sat up, then glancing at the thing that resembled a photo frame in his hand, he laughed as though finding something ludicrous.


"Haha... Hahaha... Really? So in the end, it still didn't work? ''Even after going this far, it still didn't work''!? Hahahahaha!"