Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume11 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 8===

"C-Class Rep, are you okay?"

"No problem. I am... going..."

Kirika could feel her stomach convulsing in pain, but still she walked over to the standby area next to the stage. This could be called the true standby area like in a drama club's public performance. Since boys were forbidden from entering, several girls were changing into the tennis wear or rhythmic gymnastic leotards of their respective clubs without worrying. Naturally, Kirika could not wear anything too sensational. Too risky.

Hence... At least in terms of what she was able&mdash;

(Only... this. Indeed... There's only... this...!)

She wanted to win, not losing to anyone. Whether Fear or Konoha. Or anyone else.

In front of him, she wanted to declare&mdash;Ueno Kirika is right here!

Hence, Kirika mustered all her willpower, abandoning the final vestiges of shame lingering in her heart&mdash;

Slowly, she fished out that object from her schoolbag.



Then Haruaki saw it.

The instant she appeared on stage, Kirika's performance was already 80% complete.

"Uh... Here is Ueno... Kirika... -san... Umm, uh, let's not bother with the trivial things! Okay, please start your performance, contestant! Okay, let's start!"

The host spoke with a little resignation, handing the microphone over to Kirika.

Kirika's face was flaming red as though on fire.

Her body kept trembling while she lifted one hand at the same time&mdash;

"M-Meow&mdash;..."

Then in a barely audible voice, she spoke the word that best matched ''the cat ears worn on her head''.

Rooted to the spot, Haruaki froze while watching this scene.

"..."

Probably everyone in the gym felt the same way.

In the next instant, Kirika rapidly dashed off the stage to escape, giving up on the remainder of the performance time.



Noisy chattering... Feeling like water gradually seeping into the ground, ripples began spreading in the gym. That Ueno-san... Class Rep... How refreshing. So surprising. But that's really something. So very cute too&mdash;The people commenting were almost all second-year students acquainted with Kirika, but purely due to the massive gap in contrast with her usual straitlaced demeanor, there were quite a few first-years and third-years praising her as well.

"Muumuu. Somehow it feels like something similar happened before... Hmm? Hey, why are you hiding? Everyone is reacting positively to you. Don't be shy, hold your head high and stick out your chest openly!"

"Ah... H-Hold on, Fear-kun, I... haven't prepared myself mentally yet... Hold on...!"

Fear was observant enough to spot Kirika hiding behind the door to the standby area by the stage and dragged her out by force. Naturally, the cat ears were already gone from Kirika's head.

"Ooh... Ah..."

Still blushing to her ears, Kirika groaned while glancing awkwardly towards Haruaki. Affected by her, Haruaki also gradually recalled certain embarrassing memories.

There was one time when Kirika visited their house. Konoha and Kuroe were absent at the time with only Fear at home. Then a strange package arrived in the mail, containing something similar to what Kirika was wearing just now&mdash;

"Ooh... Wahhhhhhh! Y-Yachi! Come over here!"

Without warning, Kirika dragged Haruaki to a corner of the standby area. Placing her arms across the sides of his cheeks with her palms against the walls, she prevented him from escaping the corner as though mugging or blackmailing him. The simple question occupying Haruaki's mind slipped out of his mouth:

"U-Umm... Class Rep, could it be that you actually remember what happened that time&mdash;"

"Which time is ''that time''!? Why don't you try explaining it clearly, absolutely ridiculous...!"

"So, basically&mdash;"

Haruaki continued to recall the situation back then. Kirika had been controlled by a set of cursed cat ears. She had sat on his lap, or squeezed into a narrow space with him or hugged him or licked him. No no, are these things supposed to be recalled? If Kirika could still remember and now she was wearing cat ears, what did that imply? So she did not remember after all? What on earth was going on&mdash;

Haruaki's mind grew more and more confused. He felt that his face was turning even redder than Kirika's.

Kirika kept gazing at him intently. Could she tell that his face was red? As though trying to make herself accept, she nodded once with a forceful attitude.

"Very well, let's just leave it at that. Tentatively... Just think of it like this for now. Looks like this was not totally meaningless. At least it achieved half of the effect I wanted. Absolutely ridiculous. No, this is not ridiculous. Oh fine, if you realized something then go head and realize it, that's what this is about. No problem, right?"

"Eh? Uh, even if you ask me if there's any problem&mdash;"

"NO. PROBLEM. RIGHT?"

Under Kirika's intimidation, Haruaki nodded repeatedly. To be honest, he had no idea what she was trying to to say.

"Very good." Kirika nodded then turned around and released Haruaki. Then she declared briefly: "I'm going to the washroom" and quickly left the standby area.

What's going on&mdash;Just as Haruaki sighed...

"Haruaki-kun."

"Oh Konoha. It's almost your turn, right?"

"That's right&mdash;So, I won't lose! Please watch me carefully!"

Haruaki was stunned by her exceptional seriousness and could only answer: "S-Sure." Konoha clenched her fist tightly and cheered for herself then carried the luggage she had prepared to the main standby area by the stage. However, she stopped walking along the way.

"But... Suddenly thinking about it calmly, what I'm doing next is..."

"Oh no! Come come come, Kono-san, wait up wait up! Hello~ Listen carefully to me~"

With lightning speed, Kuroe swiftly ran over to Konoha and started whispering in her ear:

"Kono-san, do you really understand? The most important thing is to get serious..."

"..."

"...Sense of shame... Grit your teeth... Haru's... Cough cough. Kono-san. Okay? Are you fine?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, of course I'm fine. Ahaha. Ahahaha. Ahahahaha&mdash;Victory belongs to me alone!"

Then once again, with unnecessary vigor, Konoha proceeded forward, disappearing into the side of the stage.

"...I feel like I just witnessed a very dangerous scene."

"I have this feeling too. Hey Kuroe, what did you do to Cow Tits?"

"Hmm~? Oh my~ After all, it's really a bit difficult for her without drinking alcohol. I simply helped her open the switch in her heart and soul. Yes, since Kono-san deliberately wants to do this, I don't think you guys need to worry~ Anyway, please look forward to Kono-san's grand performance next!"

For some reason, Kuroe's confident speech made Haruaki and Fear feel even more worried.



Cha~ Raccha raccha raccha~ ra~

While the lighting remained dim, a familiar melody started playing in the gym. That was&mdash;indeed, Haruaki remembered this melody being played every Sunday morning. This morning during breakfast, he had heard it coming from the television as well.

After the intro to this opening song finished, just like what was heard on television every time, the voice actress playing the protagonist would yell out the title of that anime&mdash;

"...Magical Scorching Girl☆Magical Infernon! Take this&mdash;!"<ref>魔法焦女☆まじかる・インフェルのん: the kanji for magical scorching girl(魔法焦女) is a pun that is pronounced ''mahou shoujo'' just like the usual magical girl(魔法少女).</ref>

Then while that sweet and beautiful voice was singing the theme song fluently, the spotlight hit the stage. In the next instant, jumping into that circle of light was&mdash;

"A-Ah...!"

Haruaki felt the ground shake beneath him. The world had been turned upside down. His knees lost strength. The shock was that monumental. Simply to remain standing was taking all his effort.

Illuminated under the spotlight was the female protagonist of an anime aimed towards a female demographic. A glamorous display of vivid colors, an outfit decorated with many frills and inexplicably revealing. Ahhh, clearly the costume was revealing enough already, but standing on stage, she possessed a mature figure that the actual anime protagonist could not compare with. The miniskirt felt inexorably dangerous. The thighs were salaciously exposed. Most notable were the curves of the outfit's chest portion that the anime's elementary school protagonist absolutely could not produce, resulting in deep cleavage of unparallelled destructive power, looking as though they could pop out any moment.

She&mdash;namely, Konoha, of course&mdash;

To think she would dress up in this manner, who could have expected it? Haruaki could not help but doubt if this was reality. Impossible, this must be a dream. But he could not hear the sounds of his alarm clock anywhere.

A smile was written over Konoha's face, a radiant smile that did not collapse. Spinning around, she made the trademark pose and held it still for a second. Then lip-syncing with the lyrics, she started to dance, twirling a long rod in her hands like a baton.

"That's right, Kono-san, wonderful, wonderful...! Right now, surpassing even the real thing, Kono-san is Magical Scorching Girl Infernon, hailing from the Inferno Kingdom to turn the human world into scorched earth! And that sensational body is exuding the same aura as the adult-version Infernon-sama that appeared in episode twelve! Yes yes, the performance of the scorched earth mechanism staff «Hell Flame» is also very perfect&mdash;!"

"Y-You... I knew it was you...!?"

"I'm only responsible for directing the acting. As usual, the costume is borrowed from the laundry shopkeeper."

While answering, Kuroe still panted "muhu~" and stared intently at the stage, using her cellphone to take pictures of Konoha nonstop. Haruaki shifted his gaze slightly to see the returned Kirika, Shiraho and the rest of them staring dumbfounded with their mouths gaping open while Fear was rolling about on the floor, clutching her gut silently as though saying "give me a break" while stomping the ground.

The song continued to play. Konoha also continued dancing steps that were supposed to emulate the opening completely. Her miniskirt fluttered up while she bent her knees and smiled, brandishing the magic stick that was as long as a spear. When she jumped occasionally, sweat drops could be seen scattering outwards lightly. An unexpectedly intense and dangerous dance. Haruaki felt very unsettled for some reason. Clearly a more gentle and quiet dance would do. He did not want the students below the stage to get any closer to her.

"Okay, it's time for the finale...!"

The song increased in excitement, reaching the climax. As though led by Konoha who was dancing with total immersion, the audience began to clap along with the beat like attending an idol's concert normally. The climax concluded. The outro was ending on a trailing note. In tune with the rhythm, Konoha spun and pulled the magic staff towards herself&mdash;

Just as the last note of the song was heard, Konoha maintained that pose, holding the magic staff still against her and leaning her body forward. The almost overflowing, bulging existence strongly emphasized its presence. Pressed deeply into the cleavage, the magic staff seemed to further highlight this fact. Then Konoha sat on the lower portion of the magic staff like a witch riding a broom, clamping the staff tightly between her thighs. This part of the staff was also being pressed down firmly, resulting in a very precarious state for the hem of her skirt.

After the song ended, silence descended upon the surroundings. Konoha raised one hand in this state and pointed in Haruaki's direction. Haruaki could help but get a feeling that she really was pointing accurately at him in the standby area.

Then Konoha yelled out words that were identical to the anime's trademark catchphrase.

"Your heart, I shall incinerate it to scorched blackness too♪"

This time, things really froze completely. Time stopped for several seconds in the gym.

Then the world began to turn again.

Wowwwww... The students began to raise an uproar. Some of the students applauded her genuine performance. Some students cheered and yelled as loud as they could: "Infernon~!" (Probably members of either the anime research club or the manga research club.) There were also sounds of dumbfounded snickering or bewilderment. But of course, there was also a silver-haired creature that was not only snickering but also convulsing while lying on the floor, roaring with laughter. "I'm done for! I'm dying, I'm really gonna die! Puhahahauhyahyahya!"

Konoha maintained the trademark pose, holding her position with an aura like a warrior who had just concluded a battle. Several seconds later, she exhaled. Then as though regaining her senses from a daze, she swept her gaze across the gym's interior, then opening her dainty mouth slightly, her face instantly flushed red and turned deathly pale in the next second. Immediately after that&mdash;

"H-Hya ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

With speed rivaling Kirika's just now, Konoha covered her bosom with her hands while fleeing to the side of the stage.

"Oh crap. It's very good that she finished the dance successfully but Kono-san seems to have revived her sense of shame that had forcefully been suppressed for the sake of this performance until now... Hmm, I hope this doesn't cause any deaths."

With an extremely serious expression, Kuroe quietly spoke inauspicious words.