Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 8===

"My question: you want to know the secret trick?"

"...!?"

This happened soon after Fear restarted her search and arrived in the courtyard.

This voice came from behind as though the speaker had been waiting for her. Fear hastily looked back but could not see anyone. But it was not a hallucination, Fear really did hear someone speak.

"Un Izoey... You're that girl, right? Where are you?"

"Silently ignored that question. You want to know the secret trick?"

The nerves all over Fear's body were tense due to nervousness. She clutched the Rubik's cube in her pocket and answered:

"This so-called secret trick... What is it?"

"My answer: a request to be proposed. If you are willing to agree, then us&mdash;will give up forcing researcher Ueno Kirika's repatriation, also the doll's time bomb will stop."

"What...!"

Fear was speechless but she immediately squeezed out a voice and murmured towards the air:

"What kind of joke is this? How could there be something so attractive... What the heck kind of malicious scheme are you planning?"

"So-called truth: simple and elegant. You decide it's true or not."

Her voice was exceptionally calm and composed. Fear gritted her teeth without saying a word.

What on earth was going on? What on earth was going on?

If she agreed to their request, those two will give up on Kirika? Right, then, then&mdash;the still undiscovered doll will not explode? The students will not be harmed?

No, but one could not afford to be careless. That whatever request, perhaps... Indeed, for example, if it involved doing something to Haruaki, what should she do? That would be completely unacceptable.

"My added note: no harm will come to your friends or the students. Very small request."

Fear hesitated, she felt very hesitant. The surrounding students watched her with quizzical eyes as they passed by her. Who knew how many minutes she spent standing there staring into space; suddenly, Fear realized how precious those minutes were.

There was no time. Indeed, there was no time. Not even the time to ponder over this decision&mdash;

The students in the courtyard entered her view. They had not been blown apart. They arms and legs had not been blasted into bits and scattered all over. Freshly spattered brains were not present. No one was crying while trying to pick up their internal organs. Neither was there anyone giggling while kissing their lover's shredded head&mdash;Currently, that time has not arrived yet.

She had hesitated for roughly 3600 seconds, that was all.

That number caused Fear to move her lips.

"The content of the request... I'll listen to it first."

"Yes, judo and kendo training hall please."

Then Fear did not hear any more voices. Exhaling, she began to run towards the judo and kendo training hall located in a corner of the school.

She arrived at a place that was roughly two circuits smaller than the gym. There were no events being held inside and no one could be seen in the surroundings. Naturally, this place had been locked up all day. Logically speaking, Zenon had searched here earlier but afterwards, someone trespassed and broke the lock on the entrance. Without taking her shoes off, Fear entered the training hall directly. The interior of the building was divided into the judo hall and the kendo hall. The two people were on the kendo side. They were, respectively, the dark-skinned girl and&mdash;

"Hi, you really came? I was thinking it would be uninteresting to go back to that roof, so I looked for a place where no one frequented. In the end, I could only find this place."

"Yamimagari... Pakuaki..."

Reflexively, Fear wanted to pounce but suppressed the impulse. Even if she did anything to these two right now, they probably would not reveal the final doll's location obediently.

"What's your request? What kind of deal do you plan on making with me?"

"Haha, you seem quite impatient, that makes things easier. Un Izoey, take ''that'' out."

Un Izoey proceeded to take out a certain object from the breast pocket of her lab coat. It was a small cylinder. Without the slightest mechanical hint to it, the cylinder looked rather plain and unfashionable.

Fear shifted slightly into a battle stance. See a tool that appeared in this kind of situation, she reminded herself not to get careless.

"There's not need to be so tensely on guard. This is a kaleidoscope. Do you know?"

"I don't know."

Pakuaki shrugged "Oh really?"

"Basically, it's a type of toy. Naturally, this is no ordinary toy. Inside the Lab Chief's Nation, this counts as a precious item. «Lab Chief's Room No.3»&mdash;It was originally called «The World Seen by Amelia Pitrelli»."

"...A cursed tool?"

"Indeed. The only toy possessed by Alicia who was imprisoned and persistently violated by her father from the day she was born until she died. She saw a world through this kaleidoscope and only the world in this kaleidoscope belonged to her. Looking into these everchanging patterns, she hallucinated an infinitely broad world. But after many things happened, this kaleidoscope mutated into showing vast and magnificent scenery that did not belong in this world. It produces pleasure and addiction surpassing that of narcotic drugs."

Fear scoffed and went "Hmph" nasally.

"What pleasure, isn't it just an ugly curse no matter what?"

"Indeed you are correct. Through prolonged viewing, the human user would eventually be sucked into this kaleidoscope and disappear. That is the world of Alicia Pitrelli... In other words, the hallucinatory space created from being devoured by her curse. In order to make use of that curse, I made some modifications to this Wathe."

"You said modifications?"

"Yes. Strictly speaking, this is no longer a toy because you won't see a beautiful pattern no matter how much you peer into it. However, the true nature of the curse... Namely, entry into the world inside&mdash;That's what I've modified it into. A very amazing power, right? Perhaps because the patterns are gone, the so-called world has shrunk to a very small size."

Pakuaki lightly tapped the kaleidoscope that Un Izoey had handed over.

"However, rather than modified, I think it would be more apt to describe it as suitably damaged. After all, you won't see any patterns no matter how hard you look, hence the addictive and pleasurable qualities are reduced without removing the curse completely. Apart from that, I've basically increased the safety level... In other words, while researching this Wathe, I was able to use it effectively. As for the name «Lab Chief's Room No.3»&mdash;it refers to the fact that it's a room that can be carried around personally."

Modified. Suitably damaged.

Although Fear could understand to some degree, simply the sound of those words made her feel terrified and repulsed.

"C-Could it be... You intend to toy with my body just like you did with that thing!?"

"Of course not. Although I would be interested, yes, my request is very simple. I have a special guest in this «Lab Chief's Room No.3» and there's something I'd like you to do together with this guest... Anyway, you two should meet first. It's probably faster to chat inside&mdash;Eh? Un Izoey, what's the matter?"

At this moment, Un Izoey suddenly turned her face to gaze at the kendo hall's window. Narrowing her eyes and staring in that direction for quite a while, she finally turned her face back.

"&mdash;Nothing much. My nerves overreacted, maybe."

"I hope it's that. So, Fear-in-Cube-kun, that's what's going on. If you'd like to listen to me, then please enter. I'll enter first and wait for you inside."

Pakuaki proceeded to stare at the kaleidoscope and ended up disappearing instantly. Last time when he disappeared from the roof, he probably used the kaleidoscope as well to seek refuge.

Standing in the same spot, Un Izoey presented the kaleidoscope towards Fear without saying a word. Unlike Kuroe's blank gaze, her eyes were icy-cold and completely emotionless.

Fear hesitated slightly for a moment. If she did not enter, there was no way for things to start. After all, the man had already gone inside, which meant that it was not dangerous to the extent of death on entry. Hence, Fear went "whatever" and stepped forward.

"Hmph, this kind of thing... Since you asked me to enter, I'll enter. So, how do I do it!?"

"Peer then think of going inside."

That was way too simple. Because the kaleidoscope had a hole on one side, Fear peered in from there.

But there was nothing to see except for darkness. Then just as she thought "Let me enter and have a look," in that very instant&mdash;

Her view changed.

There was a rectangular room. The ceiling glowed faintly, resulting in quite a clear view. No, that was not a ceiling but actually a mirror. A dark and unclear mirror which showed her own face looking down at herself. Upon further inspection, the floor underfoot and the two walls on the side were also mirrors, except that there was a carpet on the floor and wallpaper on the walls, hence it was not obvious. The seams shone with a mirror's brightness. Only behind her was there no wall, instead, it was occupied by darkness that resembled a black wall. Was that where she had passed through to enter this place?

&mdash;However, the problem was not behind but in front of her.

The room's situation was quite chaotic and even contained a large bookcase that would prompt someone to wonder "Even something this big can be brought inside?" Books and documents were sloppily inserted inside it. Apart from that, there were several chairs and a desk just as poorly managed as the bookcase. Considering the master of this venue, there were naturally objects such as a strange mask and tools that resembled some sort of ritual equipment. There were also many pieces of machinery of unknown purpose, large and small. Among them, one exception was a familiar device Fear had seen on television before, a proper video camera set up on a tripod.

&mdash;However, the problem was not this room but the person inside.

Pakuaki was here. Smiling, he gestured with an open palm as though he were introducing the person in the corner of the room.

"Here is the special guest, would you like to say hello first?"

The woman was wearing simple clothing similar to a hospital gown, its short hem exposing her legs beneath. Sitting on the ground, her long hair was scattered all over the floor. Like Un Izoey, she was handcuffed, but in this case, the cuffs were fulfiling their intended purpose. The woman started to cry as soon as she saw Fear&mdash;

"A-Ahhh... I... was wrong! S-S-Sorry...!"


''She was Alice Bivorio Basskreigh''.


"Okay, Fear-in-Cube-kun. Rather than a request from me, it would be better to say let's make a deal. Just as I said just now, it's very simple. Both simple and utterly simple, for you it would be effortless and easy. In other words&mdash;"

Then Pakuaki continued.

His expression was like an excited child who wanted to find out the answer to a riddle.

"&mdash;Could you please torture her?"

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