CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter4
Chapter 4 - Music Festival / Painful Musical Movement Prompts Nostalgic Smile / "The best pain."
Part 1
"You—What rubbish are you talking about!?"
"Eh, you don't want to?"
Pakuaki was sitting on a chair backwards, his head inclined as he spoke. Fear glared furiously:
"Isn't that obvious? I-I—The only reason why I'm here is because I don't want to do that anymore!"
For lifting her curse.
For becoming more human.
Wanting neither to hurt anyone nor hear anyone's screams—
Fear felt that her feelings and the deep-rooted wish in her heart were being defiled.
Faced with Fear's fury, Pakuaki acted as though it did not concern him.
"In that case, I won't force you. But what a shame~ If only you'd do what I asked, it's a rare chance for me to give up on making Kirika come home with me. Then I'd use the remote control to stop the bomb's timer and tell you where the doll is located. After all, I won't see Kirika ever again so I'd like to have a proper farewell with her. Then next, accompanied by a "Boom!", who is going to get blown away? A boy or a girl?"
"...!"
How could such a person exist.
This man was truly the worst.
"I really don't understand. It's not like I'm asking you to torture your friends or your companions. This is the notorious 'First Matriarch' of the Bivorio Family—an enemy to you. All along, hasn't she been harming you and others? Moreover, I also know, weren't you following your own meaning of existence, using your emulated form, your own torture tool, to open up holes in her abdomen? Hence, what's different now?"
Different, this was different. In terms of significance... Absolutely... Different.
Fear clenched her fist, but for some reason, could not voice her objections.
"Furthermore—That's what she hopes."
"What did... you say?"
Fear glanced at Bivorio but her return gaze was different from before, seeming extremely helpless, as though she were afraid of something, like she would be flattened by something, as if her body was going to be drawn and quartered. Her face was covered in tears.
"...Yes, please punish me for my heavy sins. I... was wrong..."
Her handcuffs clattered as they rubbed together. Bringing her hands, which were cuffed together, to her face, she rested her forehead against her fists like a praying saint.
"...Guilt... Guilt... The sense of guilt in my heart tells me this—Accept judgment and endure suffering. Ahhh... Ahhh... People, people, people who unfortunately became the foundation of my sins, sorry, please forgive me...!"
Fear held her breath and looked back at Pakuaki.
"What did you do to this woman? Answer me!"
"I didn't do anything. Perhaps it might be related to your destruction of «Narrow Narrow Abyss»?"
That incident—It was quite possible. If that cursed cross had originally taken something away, the disappearance of the curse could result in regaining it again.
Even so, this reaction was way too weird—Hence, Fear shifted her gaze towards Bivorio again.
Her face was five centimeters away or so.
"I beg you... I beg you... I beg you... I beg you... I beg you, please punish me! I have really sinned heavily! This sin not only cannot be forgiven, but is also the retribution for cursing God, so... So, my body deserves to be gouged... Beaten... Abused! Ahhh... Ahhh!"
"Nwah!? W-Wait a minute! Calm down and don't come close! Don't grab onto me!"
"I beg you, please let me taste suffering! Please make me cry and scream loudly, please make me incontinent from pain, please remodel my stinking and ugly body, please make me experience such utter humiliation that I may never show myself in broad daylight ever again—Okay, hurry and do something to me... Anything, hurry... Hurry... Hurry... Hurry hurry hurry...!"
"S-Stop it!"
Fear felt bone-chilling terror and swung her arm with all her strength to get rid of Bivorio's grip—She ended up hitting Bivorio in the face accidentally. She was non-human, the other person was human. The strike ended up sending Bivorio collapsed on the floor, her long hair scattered messily.
"Oh no..."
Fear reflexively wanted to apologize but was taken aback by the sight. Bivorio was lying sprawled and unmoving, her naked legs sticking out from under the cloth that resembled a prisoner's uniform. Her cheek red and swollen, she looked up towards Fear—
"Ahhh... Aha... This... is it. So painful, this is the pain of deep sin... Please... Please hit me more. Hit me harder, torment me more, let me experience even more pain..."
She smiled like the Virgin Mary.
Fear could feel her own heart racing. Her own huffing and quickened breathing also sounded annoyingly loud.
"Just do it like that, do you understand now? Aren't you doing a favor by helping her fulfill her wish? Moreover, you do have reasons for doing so. Such as when Yachi Haruaki was abducted, you opened up holes in her abdomen. And now you have a reason for giving her new pain—She is the one who killed Tateoka Aiko, you know?"
Throb!
Fear felt her own heart beating again. The heart, one that she was not sure if it actually existed, was beating once again.
Fear recalled Aiko's face. Unmistakably, this was the woman who launched the knife into Aiko's chest.
The girl whose eyes were obscured by her bangs, her petite body flying collapsed on the soaking wet ground. Recalling these memories, Fear stared at Bivorio. While gazing at her, Fear posed a question to Pakuaki behind her:
"Why... Why do you want me to engage in that?"
His answer came rapidly.
"Do you really need to ask? Because I want to observe. I want to observe your torture tools, to see them in action according to their intended purpose. Of course, I will be recording it with a video camera."
So that was what the video camera was for? Pakuaki's excessive preparation made Fear burst out smiling.
Pakuaki was already telling her to hurry. Yes, there was no time left.
At this moment, Fear could hear nothing except the sound of her own breathing.
As well as Bivorio who now wanted nothing but self-punishment, pleading "Please let me suffer more pain" repeatedly.
Plus Pakuaki's soft mutterings, motivated by the desire to know, urging Fear to "Hurry up and make a decision."
This world in a mirror was very narrow. Looking up, Fear could see herself staring down, asking—
What should she do?
She could neither let the bomb explode nor allow Kirika to be taken away by Pakuaki. The way things looked right now, both monumental challenges could very well fail. However, currently presented before her eyes was a secret trick to solve all challenges.
What should she do?
—Then she made her decision.
Part 2
Thirty minutes have passed. Very well, I can't stand it anymore, my impatience has reached a critical point.
"I feel it's necessary to punish you."
"Eh... P-Punish?"
Sitting on the bed opposite to her, the boy curled up his body in surprise.
"Umm, by punish, do you mean... Why... We haven't done anything..."
"Exactly, because you haven't done anything. That girl is taking too long. So, I need to make her search more seriously... Let me state beforehand, I hate men. Do you kno why?"
"No... No idea..."
Standing in front of the boy, Oratorie smiled, bent forward and looked him in the eye.
"Didn't I tell you about the origins of this oar? In fact, my situation was pretty similar. The only reason why I obtained it was because I was thrown overboard and drifting in the sea, thinking 'Ah~ Who would have thought I'd lose my life because a man betrayed me.' At the time, I was quite far from land amidst raging waves. If this oar hadn't drifted over to me, I would have perished without a doubt. This thing is my savior. A much better partner than the creatures called men... However, I think it's fun to inflict this kind of game-like punishment once in a while."
"G-Game?"
"That's right. You're actually quite lucky, for you get to be exempt from amputation-style direct punishments. That's owing to the tender smoothness of your skin, owing to the fact that you're a cute boy who resembles a petite girl so much... Even a man-hater like me wants to play with you. Therefore—"
The boy cocked his head in puzzlement. Oratorie's fingers, the ones that were holding the wooden oar, moved one after another as though she were doing finger exercises for a musical instrument. Then—
"I will slowly... slowly and gently, abuse you."
"...Eh?"
Oratorie ended up acting with speed completely contrary to her words. Swinging the oar straight down, accompanied by the sound of slicing wind, there was the sound of cloth ripping—Then a beat later, the sound of a button bouncing its way on the floor to a corner of the room.
"Hu... Ah...?"
"I forgot to remind you, weapons are weapons. I'd advise you not to act recklessly... Ufufufu, things would be over with a direct hit, then I won't be able to torment you any further."
Only now did the boy display a frightened expression as though he finally realized what was going on. Then with trembling eyes he looked at his own body. His shirt had already been split into two by the oar that swung past his body, exposing the pristine white skin underneath.
"Next is this, like this, there we go! Hey hey hey, you're going to bleed if you move!"
"Eeek...!"
This time there were two diagonal attacks, one from the right and one from the left. Slight sounds of friction could be heard as the oar brushed past his neck. Oratorie's target was the shirt collar, moving it to the extent that the entire shirt was sliding off his shoulders. Furthermore, a few strands of hair were severed and drifting in the air due to getting swept up in the oar's high-speed motion.
The frightened boy shrank back, bowing his head tearfully. Smart of him to do so, for if he moved recklessly, it would not be surprising to knock off an ear in such circumstances.
"Sob... Sob..."
"Sorry—It must be scary, yes—But what comes next will be even more fun and terrifying! Ufufufu!"
The boy's upper body was already entirely naked: a delicate neck, collarbones that did not resemble a boy's, a flat chest lacking in musculature, pink nipples, a navel so exquisite it seemed to be man-made, and a smooth and tender lower abdomen. On closer examination, one could see a faint, straight line wound of red swelling along the center of his body.
"Oh my oh my, the first attack brushed against you. If I did it again, it would look like this..."
She pressed the oar's tip against his skin and moved it back and forth along that trail of red swelling. For the boy, there was currently nothing more scary than this oar that was stained with the blood of many victims. He groaned as his body twitched once.
"Nngg... Ooh..."
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. Does it hurt?"
"Y-Yes... It hurts... a bit..."
"Ufufu, what about over here?
The oar moved horizontally across the boy's smooth chest. Savoring the soft sensation that resembled a de-shelled egg, she slid the oar's tip over the boy's body—
"Ah! Mmm... Ah... Ummm... P-Please, could you... stop..."
"Stopping means I can't punish you. How about this, does it hurt? Hey, does it hurt?"
"Mmm! Y-Yes, it... hurts. Ahhh... No... not there... A-Ahh!"
"Ufufufu, you sound so much like a girl. Looks like this really is your first time."
Oratorie brought her face close to his neck and whispered in his ear. As for her oar, naturally it was still moving because she wished to give him more pain, she proceeded to apply more force.
"Mmm... Ah... Ouch! Huff... No more, I can't take any more of this, stop..."
"The real show hasn't even started. This is punishment, you're not allowed to resist. Ufufufu."
Wanting to see more of his frightened expressions, Oratorie wished to inflict more pain. Next, she decided to target his lower body. She tried to tear apart his pants using the same method as before, but it proved rather challenging. Let's hope it only results in a trail of red.
Just as Oratorie was thinking "Let's go let's go, this is getting more and more fun," licking her lip as she stood up...
"U-Umm... Excuse me, I'm back."
Someone was knocking at the infirmary's door, earlier than expected.
"You found him—?"
"No, umm... I'm sorry, not yet..."
Oratorie clicked her tongue disapprovingly. Well then, I'll have to show off the process of this punishment to her. Only by letting this girl watch in person will she be punished.
Hence, Oratorie stood up from the mattress and unlocked the door. Then she called the girl inside.
"I've waited a long time already. From this, I can only conclude that you have not searched seriously."
"H-How could you say that, I did search very thoroughly..."
"So, ufufufu, this is the so-called punishment. Do you want to have a look?"
Oratorie brought the girl by the bedside. As soon as she saw the boy's tragic state, she instantly froze on the spot. Panting heavily, the boy tried to pull his open shirt together in embarrassment.
Oratorie spoke to the back of the head of the girl who was possibly scared motionless:
"I was about to do something even worse. After that, although it's quite unfair to you, I will kill you both. Hence, until I have my happy fun, you must search desperately. Got that? If you get it, then hurry and return to your—"
The girl's time unfroze again. She took a deep breath, causing her shoulders to move up and down accordingly.
Next, Oratorie had expected the girl to simply turn around and look back at her, but instead, she walked over directly in a huff—
And aimed a slap towards the face.
"Hey!?"
Although her movements were very sudden, Oratorie could not possibly get caught by such an amateur attack, hence she moved her neck back and evaded.
What admirable courage. But what happened next was even more thought-provoking—Looking at the girl, only now did Oratorie realize that she looked different. The lively and chattering personality was completely gone without trace, leaving only a pair of eyes that burned extremely quietly with pure rage.
"Ahhh, seriously enough—I'm not entertaining this any further!"
She pulled off her glasses and dashed it to the floor by her feet. Completely unconcerned with the glasses' distorted frame, she glared viciously at Oratorie. Simply by removing the thick glasses, the impression she exuded was altered substantially. This was due to the exceptional beauty of her exquisite face, enough to surprise even a woman like Oratorie.
"...Sh-Shiraho... I-Is this really okay?"
The boy asked frantically, but in response, the girl simply glared straight at Oratorie.
"Yes, the act is over, Sovereignty. Even though we accepted a request, why must we tolerate things to this extent just for the sake of that human? To go so far as to tolerate someone playing with you like a toy? I cannot tolerate this no matter what. Indeed, I absolutely cannot tolerate this! Sovereignty, you too are to blame, why didn't you run away before the situation deteriorated to this point?"
"B-But, I was thinking it'd be more appropriate to tolerate until I couldn't stand it anymore."
"The issue here is that toleration has its limits! Seriously..."
In front of Oratorie who was still baffled by the situation, the girl took out her cellphone and contacted someone.
"—It's me. I am absolutely displeased now, hence the operation is terminated, human. You will come here immediately—What, the bomb still isn't found? Someone will die? That does not concern me. If you don't hurry over immediately, there will be two dead bodies here."
She ended the conversation curtly in an inexorably furious tone of voice.
Oratorie finally grasped the situation at hand.
"...You two were deceiving me?"
"Yes, indeed. If you thought I looked like a very enthusiastic, altruistic, innocent and gentle girl, then your eyes really are no better than blind, human. Wouldn't it be better to gouge those useless eyeballs that are getting in the way, so as to let woodpeckers make their home in those sockets? That would also be much more environmentally friendly."
"Your goal... was stalling for time, was it? Telling me you were searching for the boy, it was completely a lie too."
"To me it was a total waste of time. Especially on this rare occasion of the cultural festival."
Arms crossed before her chest, the girl arrogantly returned Oratorie's gaze. At this moment, Oratorie felt an urge to burst out in laughter.
"Ahaha... Amazing, I really fell for it. What painstaking arrangements, it must have been tough for you?"
"Indeed, very tough. All that human knows is how to send trouble along our way. He deserves to die."
"You really wasted a lot of my time. I have something I need to find out as soon as possible... So, I really can't forgive you two. It looks like I'll have to punish you well."
"What a coincidence, I cannot forgive you either. Because you have committed an absolutely unforgivable act, human."
The girl's glare suddenly became even sharper. Clearly the intimacy in the couple's relationship was no act.
"Judging from the way you speak, you're not human? I see, if you happen to be a transcender as amazing as the Patriarch, your confidence wouldn't come as a surprise."
"You are very right, but that applies not to me but the child behind me."
"Sh-Shiraho... Please don't say anything more, hurry and retreat behind me!"
The boy's shirt hem swayed as he caught her hand and made her step back behind him. The girl named Shiraho clutched his hand tightly as though declaring him "mine" and said:
"This child will now give you a sound beating. Prepare yourself to cry and beg for mercy."
"E-Eh~... I will try my best, b-but I don't really think that's possible. What I can do is stall for time until Haruaki and the others hurry over!"
The boy frantically shook the bag that he had grabbed at some point. Perhaps because it was not closed properly, the contents came tumbling and flying out as the bag struck the mattress.
Those were super robot toys and teddy bears—Dolls.
"Ahhhhhh, however, no matter what, I must protect Shiraho here... I hold sovereignty over every doll. Those bearing visual semblance, listen and show proof of your worship—Obey!"
The instant the boy recited his lines solemnly, the dolls suddenly stood up and sprang into action. Solemnly, they even took out boxcutters and sculpting knives from the bag.
Oratorie gripped the oar tightly. Since they had already summoned her target, there was no need for her to go looking for him. While he was hurrying his way over, she could probably make the most of this time to thoroughly punish these two for deceiving her.
"Haha... Although our organization's stance is offer love and protection to dear children like you, the Matriarch has never issued orders "forbidding combat with interlopers"... A transcender able to control dolls is quite amazing, so amazing that it gets me quite excited. Hence, once I break off your arms and legs, I'll play with you like a doll. This counts as one of the ways I show my love towards enemy Wathes!"
"Wa—! She's coming—! P-Please show mercy—!"
"You shouldn't speak like that to the enemy, Sovereignty. During times like these, you should say: 'Bring it on, swimsuit freak! Once you are defeated, I will viciously flatten you under my foot. Why don't you hyperventilate in anticipation of that like a freak! Or I'm going to do it right now, so you'd better lie down flat and wait for me there!'"
"Eh~ Isn't getting way ahead—!?"
The androgynous Wathe and the arrogant, outspoken girl.
Thinking that "rendering either one of them immobilized first would definitely be more fun," Oratorie raised her weapon and rushed right into the center of the doll army.
Part 3
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Part 4
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Part 5
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