Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume17 Epilogue (section)

==Outro==

She opened her eyelids. It had been a long time since her eyes captured the data of "vision." This caused her a feeling similar to dizziness.

Gradually, she grew accustomed&mdash;Slowly sitting up, turning her head, blinking her eyes.

What was this green floor in front of her called? She recalled it was something like ta... ta-ta-mi... Right, tatami.

No discomfort. Rather, she felt a slight feeling of nostalgia envelop the depths of her chest. She recalled this was known as "smell." Stimulation experienced through the sense of olfaction. The smell of tatami resembled fresh grass, it was calming.

She inhaled deeply.

The smell of tatami connected forgotten memories together with recalled memories. She slowly allowed this smell to permeate her entire body.

Hence, her mind also naturally began to connect other things together. Originally forgotten language and concepts were awakening bit by bit.

This place&mdash;a Japanese-style room whose floor was laid with tatami. She was currently in one corner, a spot elevated one level above the floor... Ahhh, she was beginning to recall what it was called. An alcove. She was currently sitting on the alcove.

This room was very familiar. However, the stains on the ceiling, the marks on the pillars, the wood grain of the alcove, something about everything felt slightly weird to her as well.

The reason&mdash;Change. Change indicative of the passage of time.

Such as new marks, never seen before, the fading of colors, or the replacement of the paper in the sliding door, turning it pure white and brand new. While she was in a state devoid of all feeling, how much time had passed exactly&mdash;? 

Her hand accidentally touched something. Looking down, she saw a small cloth resembling a handkerchief, caught on her fingertips. This stimulated an area of nostalgia in her mind. They had apparently used a similar cloth to wipe the unconscious indigo pot in the past.

Like back then&mdash;someone was probably wiping her body every day too, she thought to herself.

She lifted her hand and looked at it. Snow-white skin. Her own hand.

Something extremely warm was filling that hand, her entire body, even the inside of her chest.

It was completely unlike the curse that used to fill her interior, which had felt like cold and heavy mud. This seemed to be something opposite to a curse.

Probably due to this reason, she understood through feeling rather than logic. Since curses existed, there ought to be a warm power complementary to it. Like curses, that warm power was probably capable of unbelievable phenomena&mdash;

At the room's edge, bright light was shining in diagonally from the gap in the sliding door. It seemed to be daytime right now.

Hence, she could hear fragments of lively voices in the background.

"Hey, my tomato juice has run out..."

"...Oh no, I'm going to be late for work... Absolutely ridiculous..."

"...Hweh... Phone call, it's Kuroe..."

"Coming, coming. On a trip around the world... You should at least report back to us immediately... Where are you now...? Peru? Well, good to know that you're fine... Besides, you have a reliable bodyguard at your side, so worrying would be a waste of energy&mdash;"

Familiar voices. Ordinary, incomprehensible snippets of conversations that flew over her head but she did not mind.

"What kind of souvenir from Peru? Oh... Let me ask everyone."

"Huh? Uh, don't ask me that kind of question. It's not like I know what local specialties they have. Just tell her to decide herself, whatever's fine... Hmm, no need to put me on the phone. International calls are expensive, right? And I'm happy as long as I know she's doing well. Then I'm off to do the daily routine."

In response to that final voice she heard...

Her heart suddenly began to beat rapidly. A certain emotion overflowed in her chest all at once. It felt like something was popping out explosively.

The thud of footsteps were approaching this room.

That familiar rhythm, she could not possibly be mistaken. Who was coming here? Without needing to think, her body already understood. Her feelings understood. It was him.

Noticing now that she was completely nude, she frantically looked around and picked up the handkerchief from just now. No good, too small, and only one piece. But under the cloth were other things.

Like offerings&mdash;there was a small pile of rice crackers presented on a dish for serving refreshments.

Just as she hastily grabbed rice crackers in a panic, the sliding door opened with a clack&mdash;



The person appearing there froze in shock, staring dumbstruck at her with his mouth gaping open.

To block his view, she crossed her arms in front of her body.

While shielding her chest with two rice crackers, she yelled loudly:

"Y-You, damn you, shameless brat! N-No looking, stay away! If you come any closer, I'll&mdash;"

The catchphrase, which was supposed to follow immediately, was stuck in her throat for merely an instant.

It was a lie that she could not possibly follow through.

She experienced for the very first time.

How unbelievably happy it was to be able to lie.

A much missed voice.

An extremely happy, first lie.

As though needing lubricant to squeeze those words out of her throat, tears naturally fell while she smiled.


"I'll curse you!"




THE END
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