Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume15 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 8===

By the time Haruaki realized, steady breathing noises could be heard coming from behind him. For Fear, the earlier napping time must have been merely for appearances' sake.

Hearing her breathing, feeling the presence of the Indulgence Disks on the tatami floor, cursing the silent cellphone&mdash;Haruaki pondered many things, letting time slip by. Kuroe visited to check on their situation at one point, but seeing Fear sleeping soundly with her back against Haruaki's back, she left straight away with a smile.

The sun was already up. It was very bright outside the window. Normally, I'd already left for school by this time&mdash;Haruaki thought.

School. The usual scene. The scene with everyone present. Fear, Konoha, Taizou, Kana... and Kirika.

He turned his head and looked at the desk. On there was the brand-new apron Kirika had given him as a birthday present. What were her feelings when bringing the present over? Having made the deal with Pakuaki already, she had already decided to take action? What exactly was it that spurred her to go so far as to obtain it&mdash;

(I already know what it is... I am so despicable...)

Staring at that apron, he felt something similar to pain surging from the depths of his chest. Something in the center of his body seemed to be vibrating. The magnitude of the shaking became larger and larger, larger and larger.

He thought of Fear. Indulgence Disks. Powerlessness. Becoming powerless. The pros and cons of keeping in reserve temporarily.

He thought of Konoha. The feeling of being left behind. A change unlike others in the past. Gradually changing aspects as well as the relationship between him and her. Her inquiring gaze after accepting this fact.

Oscillating forwards and backwards, left and right, shaking the depths of his body, it said to him:

Take action.

"..."

Haruaki turned his body lightly, moving his back away to let the sleeping Fear lied down on the tatami floor. After looking at her sleeping face for a few seconds, he stood up but just as he was about to start walking&mdash;

"Where... are you going?"

Originally sleeping, Fear reached out and grabbed his arm.

She had gotten up on her knees, hugging his arm, she embraced it tightly against her bosom.

"In the end... I can't bear this."

"Cow Tits will be mad."

"Yeah... But even if Konoha were to cut ties with me, it's possible there's nothing I can do about that. Even so&mdash;Right now, I must take action. Otherwise..."

He swallowed and continued:

"Just like what you just said, I... won't be able to forgive myself...!"

However, Fear did not loosen her hold of his arm. Looking down, her silver-haired head seemed to be trembling slightly.

"Despite what I said yesterday... To be honest, I really agree with what Cow Tits said about not letting you out of the house. It wasn't because I had no choice but to accept her opinion&mdash;It was because I agree wholeheartedly, to the point that even if she hadn't said it, I'd have been the one to propose it."

"Fear..."

The silver hair suddenly fluttered and Fear looked up at him.

"I have no proof! But... there's an ominous feeling. This time, somehow it's different from usual. Like something huge is gonna happen. It feels like a single misstep would lead to irrevocable things..."

"But I want to find a solution before irrevocable things happened. And even if I left the house, it doesn't mean something will happen for certain."

"The issue isn't whether something will happen or not! It's that it would be too late once it happened!"

"But Class Rep has already been captured!"

He stared into Fear's serious eyes. He knew this was a parallel discussion with no consensus. She was worried about him from the bottom of her heart whereas he wanted to leave the house, driven by his own feelings and impulse. Taking precautions against unsubstantiated risk versus self-satisfaction without assured benefit, which side was correct? No idea. But even if the two of them kept staring intently into each other's eyes, they still would not know the answer.

"So... what should be done...?"

The reply to this whisper came from a completely unexpected location.

Haruaki and Fear suddenly sensed a presence, so they looked at the door&mdash;

"''Just act according to your feelings, doesn't that work~''?"

Smiling, it was "her"&mdash;Yachi Honatsu.

Neither sarcastic nor confused, he offered this suggestion with calm composure.



Honatsu had returned without them knowing. Looking around as though in wonderment, he entered Haruaki's room. Back when he placed the birthday present, he probably entered without asking as well.

"That's right, just act according to your feelings. It's not a bad thing to be ruled by your emotions."

Honatsu was speaking with perfect confidence and composure in expression and attitude while sitting down nimbly on Haruaki's desk instead of a chair. What an ill-mannered father.

At this moment, Fear regained her senses and stood up. Pointing at the Indulgence Disks on the tatami floor, she said:

"Honatsu! You finally came back. I demand an explanation from you about these!"

"These are Indulgence Disks. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do. How did you get so many?"

"You're asking how did I get so many? ...I can only answer this way: I worked very hard to collect them. I really spent tons and tons of effort~"

Seeing his father speak in such a carefree manner, Haruaki reached the end of his patience and cried out, almost in a roar:

"Pops!"

Fear jumped in fright but Honatsu simply showed a faint smile.

"What's the matter~?"

"Enough, okay? Just tell us... the whole truth. You didn't keep your promise earlier to explain everything at the superintendent's place, so now it's time for you to tell us!"

"...That was my intention in returning home. My, how distrusted I am~"

Honatsu pouted and sighed. Duh, he had no credibility remaining to speak of.

"My answer just now was not meant to gloss over things. Regarding how I obtained the Indulgence Disks... Really, all I can say is that I worked hard to gather them, expending monumental effort. Like sniffing for leads and sneaking into the Knights Dominion's vault to obtain them. Or secretly borrowing a tool installed with an Indulgence Disk while a knight was napping. It was essentially like that for most cases although there were times when I jumped through hoops and hurdles, only to find out that the Disk was actually held by someone else in a different organization. There were also instances when I bought them through black market information brokers and underground auctions."

Suddenly, Haruaki recalled what the supplier he met at Kyoto had said. 'Especially when these things have become even harder to come by in recent times'&mdash;Why was that?

''Was it because someone else was gathering Indulgence Disks from all over the world''?

"Could it be that... after sending me here, you haven't been back because..."

"Yes, because I've been all over the world to gather Indulgence Disks, although that's not the only reason. After all, I was the one who found you and sent you to this home, so I definitely need to do well on the after-sales service."

"No way..."

Haruaki had always been thinking, where on earth was he all this time and doing what. After sending Fear here, his father had spent even longer periods away from home. So during this stretch of time&mdash;He had been searching continually? From day one, his goal was gathering Indulgence Disks?

"B-But... I really find it unbelievable. You were targeting the Knights Dominion and even if there were others, that would include the Lab Chief's Nation, the Draconians, the Bivorio Family... and many others."


"Recently, new organizations have risen up, such as the Friedrich Commercial Alliance or the Reminders, etc. Although they're still small in scale, who knows how much they'll develop in the future."

"I haven't heard of them, but anyway, no matter which organization, so long as they're involved with cursed tools, they should all be quite dangerous. All of them are impossible to deal with using ordinary logic, right? And you managed to stay safe every time?"

"Ah~ Hmm, because I'm totally bad at fighting, I've always taken action secretly and sneakily. Using a game analogy, my job type would be something like a thief, explorer or tomb raider. If the enemy was a total musclehead and I couldn't find an opening for stealing, I'd give up from the start and wait before trying again. For example... Oh right, like Neto the Avenger."

That guy? Fear frowned with revulsion, although the Indulgence Disk installed in Neto's «The Paingrapher» ultimately ended up inside her.

"Hmm, so basically, you've been running all over the place to plunder Indulgence Disks like a thief... No, even if it was like that, I'm really surprised that you survived in one piece. Wouldn't it be natural if you were discovered on occasion and it turned into a fight?"

"Of course I'd run away as quickly as I could in those cases! Fleeing nonstop, nonstop, nonstop. After all, my goal is not in defeating enemies. Oh, however, if you were to ask if I survived in one piece to the very end... I can only tilt my head and say: 'Not necessarily~'"

Honatsu laughed "ahaha." In contrast, Haruaki felt inexplicable chills along his spine.

Somewhere in his mind, he was starting to realize a certain matter.

However, Honatsu simply continued:

"After I trespassed the Knights Dominion's facilities to steal things again and again, they started to get serious. Oh dear~ I felt like I had really become a world-class wanted criminal with a handsome bounty! Then I started getting pursuers following closely no matter whether I was awake or asleep. Finally, I was surrounded and backed into a corner, what a total crisis! It was so bad at the time that even leaving Europe was a challenge so I couldn't help but worry: 'Ahhh, I might never have a chance to return to this home again~' Sometimes I felt depressed while other times were better&mdash;"

"Th-Then what? How did you escape the encirclement&mdash;"

Halfway through, Fear stopped talking.

Her eyes stared wide in shock.

At the same time, Haruaki realized as well.

He guessed ''that answer''.

Before his eyes&mdash;using a face that was not his father's&mdash;his father was smiling.

''The father, who had returned to this home with a woman's appearance, was currently smiling''.

Partially closed, his eyes showed a gentle expression. Recounting facts, his voice was calm.

"From head to foot, holding nothing back at all, mindset and physical appearance included, everything was fundamentally altered... Unless the change was this completely, it would have been truly impossible to escape the encirclement, impossible to return to this home."

"No... way..."

A groan leaked out from Haruaki's mouth. His body lost balance and he stumbled.

He felt dizzy as though the world had turned upside down. Black and white. Inside and outside. He was starting to see things that had remained out of sight until now. What had he been looking at until now?

Breathing became difficult. His heart raced.

However, his father waved his hand nonchalantly and said:

"Take sex change and other plastic surgery techniques for example, advances have been rapid in recent years~ Is this what people call contemporary trends? It really saved my life~ I also took great pains to make sure my thoughts and behavior were like a woman's&mdash;Now that I think about it carefully it's quite similar to Konoha's image change in the past. Since it's become a habit by now, I actually feel uncomfortable not using a woman's tone of voice to speak. You guys may find it repugnant, but I'm really sorry~"

Out of the corner of his eye, Haruaki saw Fear clench her fist tightly. Head lowered, biting her lip, she muttered:

"...Honestly speaking, I've always found it strange."

Taking on Honatsu and Haruaki's gazes with her silver hair, Fear continued:

"About the enemies starting from day one&mdash;ever since that Peavey woman from the Knights Dominion came. For an organization that greatly wants to destroy me, their actions after that... seem way too scattered, right? Although after that, there was the knight who was Aiko's owner while Neto and Lilyhowell also made appearances, the numbers are still far too small. Plus the fact that Neto and Lilyhowell's target wasn't me, so one could say that there was only Aiko's owner alone. That's why I've always been worrying. Why is the Knights Dominion leaving me alone? Since they want to destroy me so much, why haven't they sent more knights again and again?"

"Hmmhmm, but it's nice that things have been fairly peaceful the whole time."

"Now I finally understand the reason. It must be because the Knights Dominion didn't even have the leisure to think of me. Because they were out in full force, trying to hunt down an even trickier target that they must punish with their pride at stake...!"

Fear slowly looked up and stared at Honatsu's face head on.

Honatsu smiled.

With a quiet voice under gritted teeth, Fear then said:

"You too&mdash;have been fighting. Constantly till now, you were alone."

"It's not as cool as you make it out to be, I'm just doing what I ought to do."

Of course, these words reached Haruaki's ears as well.

Yes, indeed. His father had been absent from home. So, where was he? All over the world. Due to certain reasons, due to certain extenuating circumstances, he was rushing about, all over the world&mdash;And here, Haruaki's thoughts halted.

All this time, he had believed that no amount of thinking would allow him to comprehend.

He had also believed that it was enough to know that his father had been touring the world, after all, it did not make much of a difference.

He was totally mistaken. His father had been searching for Indulgence Disks nonstop, risking his life to gather them, constantly evading pursuers from vengeful organizations. This&mdash;Wasn't this the fighting that Fear mentioned?

Did this not count as risking one's life in a persistent and solitary battle?

"Why!? Why did you go so far... Pops...?"

Haruaki took a step forward to question him and Honatsu laughed "hoho."

"Didn't I just say so? This is after-sales service. Back in that castle's secret storeroom, I asked Fear: 'Do you want to lift your curse?' I sent her to this home because she answered YES. Well then, in order to achieve her goal, I have to help her as much as possible. During this period while she's lifting her curse, how could I miss out if there were tools for restraining her power~?"

This seemed to constitute an answer, or maybe it did not. The task  was definitely not absolutely mandatory. What was his reason for going so far as to risk his own life? Why did he do this&mdash;?

Wasn't it obvious? Haruaki clenched his fist tightly, lowered his face and came to an instant revelation.

It was for them.

For Fear whose curse threatened to devour her and for the idiot son named Yachi Haruaki who was closest to her. For the two of them to live a carefree life, passing each day safely while lifting the curse&mdash;

"You're... such an idiot..."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you go so far... even sacrificing your own body... Pops..."

Haruaki was facing forward as though staring as hard as he could. Unless he did that, he would not be able to look into his father's face directly.

Even so, Honatsu's expression was still very gentle. Sitting on the desk, he was swaying his legs.

"Because I felt... If I did that, things would have better 'developments.'"

"Muu, what do you mean by that?"

Fear lightly tilted her face and asked.

"Oh dear, I haven't mentioned this? I... have a power that's similar to catching faint~ faint glimpses of 'developments.' Like this, a feeling with fuzzy images."

"Wha? I'm hearing this for the first time."

"I don't know either. What does it mean?"

Haruaki and Fear both cast an inquiring gaze. Honatsu scratched his cheek and said:

"This can only be described as 'developments.' Basically, I can predict that doing 'this' seems better or things would be bad if 'this' continued~ Something like that."

"...Does it count as a kind of fortune telling?"

"Feels a bit like it, but not too similar. Because it also allows me to know vaguely that someone probably has a cursed power... Hmm, I guess I should say that I'm particularly sensitive to the concept of 'developments'? Bluntly stated, perhaps it's just a strong sixth sense, or perhaps it's just wrong intuition that happens to develop in a good direction."

After taking a breath, he continued:

"Anyway&mdash;that's how I've been living my life, following that intuition. Like sensing the 'developments' of an ancient curse in an abandoned castle's underground section. Then going through a secret door to have a look, I found a strange cube inside."

Honatsu turned to Fear and winked. However, this action was still as repulsive as ever.

"Then... I mentioned 'developments,' didn't I? So I judged that simply sending the cube to this home was not enough. If I could collect the Indulgence Disks, I'd be able to bring happiness to everyone, so I went ahead to gather them. That's all."

Honatsu spoke with a smile as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Although Haruaki did not know the details, seeing as Honatsu claimed that he had survived till now by following this power to see "developments," it must be true. That was why he could work as a jack-of-all-trades in the field of cursed tools. Despite the superintendent's constant failures, Honatsu was still able to bring home cursed tools every time. Furthermore, he was able to find Konoha, Kuroe and Fear, bringing them back to this home.

(I see... So that's the truth...)

Many many things now made sense. Haruaki had always found his father's behavior incomprehensible and inexplicable, but for the very first time, he was able to catch a glimpse of the underlying logic and reasons.

Haruaki felt a sudden gurgle and twitching in the depths of his throat as though having some kind of fit, but he desperately suppressed it.

Fear was looking at him with worried yet relieved eyes.

Honatsu still continued to show a smiling and gentle expression.

"By the way... I think you two can now sympathize with my situation, so back to the main subject, have you decided on the answer just now? Basically, the question of going or not."

"Muu, well&mdash;"

Fear glanced sharply at Haruaki. Without any intention to back down, Haruaki looked back at her.

Seeing that, Honatsu laughed again.

"Just like I said earlier, my suggestion is this: It's not a bad thing to be ruled by your emotions. So, Haruaki, go ahead."

"...!"

"I thinking that even better developments will likely come out of this, although I don't know in particular what things will have what kind of developments."

"Hey Honatsu! What are you talking about!? Speaking so relaxed! You clearly have no idea what's going to happen!"

Fear took a great stride towards Honatsu. Tilting his head and going "hmm~", Honatsu suddenly reached out with his right hand&mdash;

"Ha!"

"Munyo!"

He caught Fear by the face. Approaching him, Fear kept struggling nonstop. Across the silver-haired head, Haruaki and Honatsu looked into each other's eyes. Honatsu's face crumpled with a wry smile. This was an expression Haruaki had never seen before. It was a little similar to the face from before he had become "her."

"Although it feels dissonant, it's not like I'm unable to speak in my original tone of voice. So just this once, I'll turn back to the way I was. Haruaki."

"...!"

The voice coming from his throat was a woman's, but the tone was a certain person's familiar way of speaking.

"Haruaki... It's fine for you to act more willfully, just like this girl here. Although you need to take on the adult's role in this home... I'm here now. Just say what you want to say and do what you want to do. To me, you and Fear are both children. Just do as you wish."

"Oh..."

For a while, the two of them stared at each other.

In the end, Honatsu turned his gaze away in embarrassment, his cheeks going red.

"Ah~ Mmm~ C-Cough, somehow it feels a bit embarrassing~"

"Normally, you should feel embarrassed when talking like a woman! Anyway, release me now, or I'll curse you!"

"Right now, could you please let us have some father-son time alone?"

Haruaki was experiencing an unbelievable feeling.

There was a hot mass in the depths of his heart seeming as though it would melt, disperse and spread out all over his entire body. With that, his body was going to move in an unprecedented manner. That was fuel. He had been injected with driving power.

Yes, truly... It was unbelievable.

He could not believe that this kind of irresponsible father had given him a push using irresponsible advice.

However&mdash;He must admit it.

Currently, he definitely felt as though someone had given his back a push. He felt that he could move forward and that he should move forward.

Hence, take action. Far better than staying in this home, take action.

"Muu... Muunnn~ ...Puha! Ah! Damn you, Haruaki, that's the gaze belonging to someone thinking malicious thoughts, right!? My opinion remains the same, no matter what this guy says, danger is danger! We don't know what will happen next. Cow Tits forbids it and I also&mdash;"

Escaping from Honatsu's grasp, Fear approached Haruaki and insisted loudly. However, Haruaki simply thought back to Honatsu's words just now.

(...Do as I wish huh?)

Perhaps. Perhaps he could do as he wished. For example, now that Konoha was no longer like an elder sister, he did not need to act like a younger brother either. Whenever she got angry, he no longer needed to back down and act timid. He could start by not following her directions.

Something akin to defiance surged in his chest.

He decided to go. Thus he would go. This was already unchangeable.

Then what after going out&mdash;If leaving the house ends up accomplishing nothing but satisfying himself, it could not be helped either.

Since his father had been fighting hard, he shall fight too. Just like his father, everyone had different ways of fighting. Perhaps there existed a way of fighting that belonged to him alone.

Just as Honatsu's battle was staying on the run after going through a sex change, meanwhile collecting Indulgence Disks on his own...

What was the battle method within Yachi Haruaki's ability?

In order to rescue Kirika, to move forward, what could he do&mdash;?



...Then Haruaki reached his conclusion.

The sense of defiance surging after hearing his father's words had guided him to the answer. Purely by following the simple direction of "do as you wish," the solution to the equation was unexpectedly found near him. In order to save her, what must be done.

(...Haha.)

At the same time, that simple sense of defiance also allowed him to find the answer to the problem that had been troubling him until now. After casting off all restraints, keeping a stance of neutrality and re-examining his own heart without being fettered by anything&mdash;In the end, he realized that there was only one sentence he needed to tell her.

The way to rescue her, and what needed to be done after saving her...

Having found the answers, all that remained was the execution.

Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps this was not correct. However, this was undoubtedly&mdash;

The most like his own style.

Haruaki grinned. Looking at Fear who was glaring at him with a frown, he said:

"Fear, since you said that something might happen, then all we need to do is prevent that something from happening, right?"

"What?"

Then Haruaki turned his gaze.

For the first time in a long while&mdash;really in a very long while&mdash;he looked at his father and tried to say something willful.

"Pops, you've got many connections in the business, right? I need a favor from you."