CubexCursedxCurious:Volume5 Chapter5

Chapter 5 - Late Night Festival / She Does Not Wish to Know Right Now / "Enough unknown, unknown enough."

Part 1

In the beginning, Fear seemed to be oblivious of her situation.

"Haha... Ahhh~ This is the best and the worst. I... Can still take more... Bring it on..."

"Fear!"

Haruaki rushed forward. Sitting on the metal chair of thorns, Fear slowly turned her neck, her eyes gazing hazily towards him from beneath her silver hair. With that, Haruaki finally understood what was going on before his eyes. In the next second, the chair suddenly disappeared. The Rubik's cube fell and rolled on the floor, followed by Fear's petite body that fell with a thud.

Haruaki hastily picked her up in his arms, holding his breath as he saw the two colors exposed by her tattered uniform—the white of her skin and the red causing her pain respectively.

"You! How did it turn out... like this...!?"

"Ahhh... Haruaki... It's nothing really. My injuries are much more minor than they look. Not only did I hold back, but I also tensed my nerves to avoid wounding vitals... I'll be able to jump around energetically with a little rest. See, the bleeding is about to stop. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Then Fear raised two trembling fingers to make a victorious sign of "V" in order to indicate she was fine. Haruaki did not know whether she was trying to act tough or if she was telling the truth. In any case, there was no way to tell from sight, so just let it be.

"W-What I mean is how did this happen? That guy must have done something to you!"

"Mmm..."

"I'm asking you to tell me now! Tell me now!"

"...He wanted me to torture Bivorio—he wanted to see how torture tools were used in their intended function. If I did as told obediently, he will give up on Kirika and stop the bomb from exploding."

Haruaki was greatly shocked. To think Pakuaki would suggest that kind of deal. To think he would suggest such an utterly despicable deal.

"To be honest, I hesitated. But if I didn't do as told, innocent students could become victims once the bomb explodes. Apart from that, there's Kirika's matter. She would likely have to return to that guy's side. So I thought about trying it. Yes, that's right, for an instant, I really considered this: 'Bivorio is an enemy, so I'll just do as he suggests.'"

However—

Held in Haruaki's arms, Fear added these words and turned her neck lightly as though avoiding his gaze.

"But for some reason, your face suddenly surfaced in my mind. This made me feel that even though she is an enemy, if I really did it, you... Umm... Probably would become very sad. Although you're very shameless, you're very big on decency. It's not like I'm not aware of how much you've helped me, uh—Anyway, many times—"

"..."

"S-So, basically, I decided to do it this way. I said to that guy, if he wanted to see how torture tools are used, then it shouldn't matter whether the target was Bivorio or not... Hence, umm... It became like this..."

Ahhh, I get it now. Haruaki finally understood how things developed to this state.

Because Fear was acting too foolishly.

"...Didn't you consider what emotions my face might display if you did something like that?"

"I-I don't know."

Fear twisted her body again, turning her back towards Haruaki, trying to hide her face from him, trying not to see his face at the same time. To be honest, even Haruaki himself did not know the answer to his own question. Currently, what kind of face was he making?

"Didn't you consider what actions I might take?"

"M-Muu... What are you going to do...?"

Now Haruaki understood himself, hence he proceeded to do what he wanted to do.

First, he clenched his fist, straightened his elbow and raised his hand high. Then like a hammer, applying appropriate force—

He knocked hard on the silver head.

"...Niyuu!"

And again, knock!

"Nyo!"

Knock!

"Meowah!"

Fear made a strange sound like a cat as her body shook.

Haruaki prepared once more—Just as he swung his arm downwards, probably because she had finally reached the end of her patience, Fear turned back to face him and grabbed Haruaki's arm forcefully:

"W-What are you doing, I'll curse you! I never said you could do whatever you want, knocking someone else's head like mad... I've seen this on television before, it's called 'domestic violence'... or... whatever...?"

Fear's voice gradually grew quiet and finally diminished to nothing. Staring wide-eyed, she gazed straight at Haruaki. Ahhh~ Indeed, what sort of expression am I wearing right now?

"You're amazing for choosing not to torture someone else. But this kind of situation—It's not something I can accept, nor do I wish to see. I don't want to see you like this."

"Ah..."

Fear emitted something like a soft sigh then slowly released Haruaki's arm she had been gripping tightly. Bowing her head slightly, she shrank her shoulders and said:

"Umm... How should I put this... S-Sorr... Hnyowah—!"

Fear made a strange noise because Kirika suddenly hugged her tight while kneeling on the floor.

"...Sorry. Really, I'm very sorry. Fear-kun...! There's actually no need for you to do this kind of thing by yourself. Indeed, there's really no need for that. It's all my fault. Blame me and that man. Sorry..."

"Oh no, you don't need to apologize, Kirika. I didn't do it just for you, there's also the bomb. Weighing risks and benefits, I had no other choice but this."

"Fear-kun, y-you, how did you—"

"Uguu! If you hug me this tight, I can still feel some places hurting... Anyway, your collar is off now! D-Did you find the key? In that case, what about the bomb?"

While accepting Kirika's embrace, Fear's expression changed to surprise. Haruaki breathed a great sigh of relief. Judging from what he could see, Fear's earlier words were apparently not part of an effort to look tough, she probably had not suffered serious injuries... Logically speaking, the self-repair abilities of her kind should be able to handle it.

"The bomb problem is gone. Or rather, I should say that there was no bomb to begin with all along."

"W-What did you say, Cow Tits!?"

Gazing ahead with vigilance, Konoha spoke while standing. Literally, she was enveloped in a sharp aura that would slice someone open on the slightest touch.

"Most likely, his goal was to make a deal with you. In other words, from the very start, he prepared this game for the purpose of observing your torture tools from close range. By deliberately inciting a sense of crisis, you were forced to believe that a deal was the only solution."

"W-What... If that's true, then everything I did was a total waste... Damn it, I can't forgive that! I absolutely cannot forgive that kind of thing...!"

Fear tried to stand up, but even if Haruaki tried to persuade her to remain still and rest, she probably would not listen. Hence, Haruaki grabbed her arm to help support her body, at least preventing her from falling over.

"Don't say that. You really did what I hoped you wouldn't, but... Saying it was a total waste would be too harsh."

"That's right, Fear-kun. Your actions were mistaken, indeed, but to me, there were more noble than anything else. I won't allow anyone to laugh at what you did for being meaningless. It was a noble and commendable—mistake."

Kirika spoke as she supported Fear's other arm. Her words were quite contradictory but very agreeable at the same time.

"Even so, you should still be angry, right? But now is precisely the opportunity for you to get angry. Let me state for the record, I am completely not angry... Why is that? Is it because my body's condition seems to be miraculously improved today? Even seeing the red liquid flowing from your body, I am still able to endure."

Konoha spoke calmly as usual but was using some round-about manner to hide the killing intent emanating from her body.

Then Haruaki's group glared at the same target—the silent gray-haired girl and the man who was looking around inquisitively.

"Wow~ So this is what happens when «The World Seen by Alicia Pitrelli» is destroyed? Interesting. But this seems to require further investigations. No, I believe this was actually quite dangerous, we could have disappeared into the curse like past users, devoured by an infinite hallucinatory space, or even sliced into halves ourselves... Fufu, to think when one unknown turns into something known, that ends up creating new unknowns. The mysteries in this world are truly too exciting! There is still far to go along the road to conquering unknowns. And no, I'm not just saying this to sound cool."

"You...! Why did you make her do that! Do you really want to see her powers that much!?"

Haruaki accused loudly, causing Pakuaki's wavering gaze to finally turn towards his direction. Smiling, he nodded and responded:

"Indeed. Weren't you listening ot me? I want to know, want to know, desperately want to know! I want to know everything that's unknown! That's why I investigate as much as I can, that's all!"

Haruaki was prompted to recall what Kirika had told him while they were searching for the bomb. About the man who searched for unknowns as well as the genius who could not live without unknowns.

"If it doesn't involve any of these girls, I don't care, you can find as many unknowns as you want...!"

"That's right! I'm not your toy, stop adding to my troubles!"

"No, you are a toy."

Pakuaki instantly gave a simple response. Possibly because he sensed the dangerous aura hanging around Haruaki, he shrugged and said:

"Fear-in-Cube, you are a most intriguing toy. Currently speaking, you are very likely to be the 'best' toy. I'm really touched to be able to observe up close today. Thank you very very much... However, my interest in you has not ended. Just as I have investigated you all this time, I still want to continue investigating in the future. In any case, I must carefully analyze the data from today. Next, I should be able to find out many new things that were unknown in the past. About you."

"Hmph, what do you know about me?"

"Well... If my answer is: part of what you're supposed to know, as well as part of what you don't know... Does that count as a complete answer?"

"What kind of joke is that..."

Fear picked up the Rubik's cube by her feet. Haruaki originally wanted to ask her not to do anything rash but before he could speak, Pakuaki had already restrained her with his words:

"On the other hand, don't you care about what's happening not too far ahead of you? If you don't care, then I'm personally fine with it too."

Pakuaki's eyes motioned towards Bivorio who was sitting collapsed on the floor. She did not have her monocle or her nun's habit, but was still handcuffed. She was staring straight at Fear with her tear-covered face and confused eyes that displayed how lost she felt.

"Ahhh... Why won't you punish me who has sinned heavily...? Why won't you allow me to savor pain? Why won't you abuse me? Why won't you violate me? Why won't you destroy my dignity as a human and treat me like a rotten insect? Please hit like just now. Hit me viciously, like you would beat a filthy sow. Smack! Smack! Hitting..."

"W-What is the matter with her...?"

"No idea. According to that bastard there, it's probably the result of destroying Abyss."

Just as Fear answered Konoha, someone suddenly knelt down before Bivorio. No, not exactly. It was more like a subject kneeling before a king, or a believer accepting a saint's baptism—She was kneeling on both knees with her head bowed. The wet woman in a swimsuit with a parka on top.

At this moment, a slight glimmer of sanity returned to the eyes of Bivorio that were filled with her empty wishes of masochism.

"You are «Landfisher»... Oratorie Rabdulmunagh...?"

"It's been a while, Matriarch."

"You're still... alive... Thank goodness..."

Oratorie's eyes showed slight unease, perhaps in response to the sense of dissonance in Bivorio's words. However—

"I'm very sorry I wasn't able to follow your orders. Umm, I originally planned to kill as many members of the Lab Chief's Nation as possible and tried to go on a rampage using the «Tragedy Method» before detonating the bomb. However... I was careless and ended up imprisoned before I could even detonate the bomb. Then I managed to escape with great difficulty, and desperately searched for you, Matriarch—"

"Sob... Sorry..."

Bivorio wept once again, her body trembling even more intensely, acting like an ordinary girl.

Perhaps finding Bivorio's reaction too unusual, Oratorie straightened her upper body, slightly at a loss.

"W-What is with you, Matriarch? Please tell me what I should do next? I've been searching for you in order to find that out, taking action in order to locate you. If you want me to invade the Lab Chief's Nation with a bomb again, I will do so. Please let me do that. This is exactly what I can do as proof of my love for the transcendent partner who saved my life!"

"S-Sorry sorry sorry—! No, that's sin! That's sin... It is the sin I have forgotten until now! You don't need to do that sort of thing, you can't do that! If you did it, oh no~ The guilt will kill me! Even if I'm not punished, I'll die! That sort of thing, is definitely... unpardonable! Unpardonable to the point of being cursed!"

"W-What are you talking about...? You... are our... The Bivorio Family's Matriarch... No, wait, what about the Patriarch? Weren't you together? How's the Patriarch...?"

"Abyss is already dead."

The one who spoke this line was neither Bivorio nor someone in Haruaki's group.

Instead, it was someone who had suddenly started standing beside Bivorio and swung a knife forcefully to sever her handcuffs—The person in the mascot costume.

"I completely... can't understand... your meaning. Who on earth... are you...?"

Oratorie entered stance lightly as she spoke. However, the mascot did not even look at her. Furthermore, finding the mask that Un Izoey had destroyed to be a hindrance, the person pulled it off.

Haruaki remembered her. The unmasked person was very familiar. The knife-wielding, exceptionally agile, skilled in seeing through attacks, even managing to astound Konoha, that girl—

She was Nikaidou Kururi. Like Bivorio, she was a member of the Family who had disappeared without trace after the sports festival incident.

—Was she still a member of the Family? Haruaki had heard from Fear about how Abyss' destruction came about. Kururi had betrayed the family and buried her knife deep into Abyss' body.

"Kururi... -san...?"

"Should I say hello again? Hmph, that would sound so incompetent."

Her expression did not relax at all. She even muttered resentfully. Then casting a glance towards Oratorie, Kururi said:

"I was once a newly recruited member of the Family. Let me re-introduce myself—Nice to meet you, Senpai."

"...I remember earlier, Hinai mentioned something about recruiting a master knife user in this country. But I don't really get it, if you're neither a helper nor a true member of the Family, why did you dress up in such a strange manner? Also, why did you suddenly start foiling my plans?"

"Like you, I've been searching for this person."

Kururi glanced at Bivorio.

"Just like you, I have many things I want to find out, but I didn't know where she was. All I saw was that man taking her away. So I decided to find him, but my only clue was this school where she was taken away from—"

"Hmm, I get it now. Let me outline my deductions then—Seeing this cultural festival, you wondered if that bastard would invade the school and make another appearance. But if we discovered you, things would get complicated, which is why you needed to hide your face—At that moment, you came across an air-headed girl who was snoring away with a mascot costume beside her. That's how everything happened!"

Fear proudly announced her exceedingly simple deductions. Kururi looked at her and went "Ha" in a smile.

"Your answer is correct, Fear-in-Cube. Yet you remain noisy and incompetent."

"Guuu, you're the girl who remains infuriating!"

Fear bared her fangs and threatened. Haruaki marveled at how quickly she had recovered. There was nothing more worth being thankful for at the moment. However, wasn't Fear acting too energetic?

Kururi then shrugged and indifferently explained what had happened afterwards. Such as overhearing Pakuaki and Fear's conversation and guessing that Bivorio was in the kaleidoscope; how she no longer wanted to help Oratorie but made use of Haruaki's group instead; after handling Oratorie to allow Haruaki's group to leave, she escaped here while fighting Oratorie at the same time, etc.

"Oh—I still don't quite get it... So, in the end, what goal are you pursuing... Rather, the most important issue here is the Matriarch's unusual state. No no, hold on! You just said something that I can't ignore even if it were a joke—"

"Then let me repeat myself. I killed Abyss. He's already shattered into pieces."

Fear unhappily grumbled: "No wait, I dealt the fatal blow—" but Haruaki ignored her for now. His attention would be better focused on the dialogue between the two members of the Family that was causing a sinister atmosphere to rise.

"As for the reason, there are all sorts. Such as: I was bored, he deceived me for so long, I found the Family incompetent, he was a man who deserved to die, a cross deserving to be destroyed, etc. Feel free to pick any reason you like."

"—Matriarch!"

Perhaps looking for permission to kill Kururi, Oratorie gripped the oar hard and yelled. However, Bivorio simply crossed her liberated arms and hugged her own shoulders:

"Ahhh... Yes, it's completely true. Abyss is already dead... And he was steeped in sin..."

"There are two things I want to know. I've decided to ask one of them right now."

While paying attention to Oratorie's movements, Kururi emotionlessly asked Bivorio:

"Is Abyss still your most beloved? Do you hate me for killing Abyss?"

Bivorio gasped then closed her eyes and buried her face against her chest amidst her long hair. In a trembling, sobbing voice, she murmured in response.

An extremely simple—

But profound—

Answer.

"I don't know."

Instantly, Kururi crashed into Bivorio, but not to attack her. The one attacking was Oratorie who had swung the cursed oar at Bivorio.

Spinning nonstop to evade Oratorie's attack, Kururi picked up Bivorio in her arms directly. Standing before her, Oratorie rested the oar on her shoulder and giggled.

"Fufu... Ufufufu... Ufufufufu! This is the so-called—All mysteries are revealed! Although I don't know what you people are planning, but—Guha! This Matriarch is fake! You can't deceive my eyes. As the leader who founded the Family out of familial love, through familia love, for familial love—the Matriarch—she logically cannot say such words. Like a god that transcends the transcendent—the Patriarch can't possibly be killed by this kind of little lass! Fake, fake! You're—a—fake—! Fakes and imposters should be condemned and killed without mercy as quickly as possible! Ufufufufufu!"

"Tsk... Is she mad? Although she's already mad in the first place."

"Ahhh—Sorry, sorry, I don't know, I really don't understand anything anymore—If you want to kill me, please go ahead and kill me. After all, I'm steeped in sin and she is also one of my sins. If I could be killed in as agonizingly slow and torturous a manner, that would be my greatest wish of a lifetime..."

Kururi clicked her tongue impatiently.

"I won't let that happen, because I have one more thing I need to find out."

"It's my fault, it's all the fault of my heavily sinned self. Ahhh~ Who will come and hurt me...!?"

"Seriously—Could you just calm down?"

Carrying Bivorio, Kururi retreated a great distance and even threw Haruaki's side a glance for some reason—Ignoring the battle stance the quartet had entered, she walked over openly.

"By this point, I don't want to fight you at all, so just do whatever you want. But I've decided on my own to use you guys as my shield."

Literally doing as she pleased, Kururi walked to a corner of the training hall behind Haruaki's group and set Bivorio down lightly. Watching the two of them, Konoha asked:

"W-What should we do now, Haruaki-kun? She does show zero killing intent right now... But as a side note, the killing intent over there is astounding."

While they were not noticing, Oratorie had run over to a small tap in another corner of the training hall, turning the water on with her head under it. While splashing the water vigorously, she said:

"Mmm—icy cold, that feels so refreshing. So, I should calm down. Calm down and think carefully—Very well, I've decided! Although I don't know why I need to do this, I shall kill everyone present!"

A super fast decision.

Then while her red hair dripped with water creepily, Oratorie turned her head and declared:

"First. Of. All~ That fake there looks like she can be killed any time... So let me start off with Haruaki Yachi over there. Yes, it's you! I will kill you then find out the true Matriarch's whereabouts!"

...Under incomprehensible logic, Haruaki was determined to be the first prey. Haruaki really wished to convince her to reconsider.

"Don't delude yourself. You're an even worse psycho than rumored... Anyway, it looks like we need to fight that woman first."

"However—there's also a guy here whom we can't allow to escape. The freak who made us suffer in his games just to satisfy his desire for knowledge. What are we going to do, Yachi?"

You're asking me what to do? I'm probably not the one who can decide. Not me, who has neither shed a single drop of blood nor suffered any mental trauma.

Hence, Haruaki borrowed the question—

"What are we going to do, Fear?"

Fear closed her eyes lightly and murmured:

"I don't know what's correct, I don't know anything. Right, I said it this morning, Haruaki. I said that I was ignorant and wanted to find out what I am supposed to do. Or back when that guy proposed the deal to me, I asked: what should I do? What the correct answer should be, what is it?"

"How would I know?"

"But you hit me, right? Umm... Because I did something wrong, you were angry, right?"

She opened her eyes slightly, greatly resembling the way children would sneak a peek at their parents.

"That's right, because you did something wrong, I was angry. But how would I know what the right answer is? If you do wrong things in the future, I'll still get angry even if I don't know the right answer. Although I want to know the right answer as much as you do, I would still get angry."

"Mm-hm~ Why does that feel kind of unreasonable?"

"Because I'm different from that bastard research freak over there. I'm just a great idiot, that can't be helped. Compared to knowing things, there should be more important matters, right... So, it's much simpler. In other words, what I want to ask is—What do you feel should be done?"

After a moment's pause...

Giggles were emitted from Fear's throat and her silver hair began to shake.

"If it's that simple, it's easy... Yes, that's right, perhaps ignorant people can only accept things and act like an ignorant person, because it's impossible to suddenly become omniscient."

Fear opened her eyes. On further examination, she was exuding an intimidating aura of confidence. Despite the filth on her uniform and body, just as she had said earlier, all her bleeding seemed to have stopped already.

"The things I want to do are very simple—seeing Kururi and that disgusting Bivorio giving up, I won't bother with them anymore! Since Oratorie declared she'll kill Haruaki, I'll beat her up and foil her plan! And since Pakuaki did so many infuriating things, that guy needs a good beating as punishment! Haruaki, Kirika and Cow Tits, what do you guys think about this decision!?"

Naturally, none of them objected.

Now that what they had to do was decided, the next problem was how to carry it out.

"Since there's no time—Sorry but I'll decide each person's role. I'll handle Pakuaki, or rather, 'Let me be responsible for Un Izoey.'"

"Kirika, that's too reckless!"

"Th-That's right! That girl is a very powerful master—"

"There's no time for debate now. I'm probably the weakest among us, but precisely because of that, I know I must engage that girl. Since she is only here for protecting Pakuaki, in other words, she is simply a defensive threat without any intent to kill. For us, Oratorie is equally threatening, but an offensive threat. Hence, there is a clear difference in meaning... Also, we can't allow a shortage in combat power. So please, Fear-kun and Konoha-kun, please attack in full force."

Speaking as fast as machine gunfire, Kirika suddenly began to take off her uniform swiftly.

Everything. She took off all her clothes from head to toe.

"Ooh... wawah! Cl-Class Rep...?"

She took off her socks and her uniform top. Pulling the the zipper at her waist, her skirt fell down as a result. Even her shirt beneath the top was removed—Finally, all that remained was the black bondage suit.

"I-Idiot! Stop staring at me! Th-This cannot be helped, the circumstances are forcing my hand, so I have no choice here...! Th-This is also for showing my serious determination, got that!?"

"Somehow I feel like I'm on the line between getting it and not getting it—Anyway, Konoha, hurry and stop reaching out with your hand silently! Now is not the time for testing out your Immorality Breaker!"

"Seriously. Listen carefully now, you all know that I am immortal so I always have a way to take care of things. Faced with an opponent who has no intention to kill, I should be able to handle things alone. Just leave it to me."

There was no time to stop her. Extending the «Tragic Black River» to take hold of a beam on the ceiling, Kirika used it as a pivot to jump, then wobbling on unsteady footsteps, she went over the approaching Oratorie, finally landing in front of Pakuaki. Naturally, before she got there, Un Izoey had already stood in between them.

"Ahhh~ Seriously... Will she really be okay...!?"

"There's no way to stop her now. Besides, the enemy on this side is here."

Fear held up her Rubik's cube while Konoha readied her knife hand and stepped forward in a combat-ready stance.

"Damn it, I'll have to observe from the sidelines again...! Be careful of the enemy, Fear, Konoha!"

Dripping wet all over, Oratorie approached slowly, stopping when her oar was just a few steps away from Fear and Konoha. Exhaling, she cast a very gentle gaze towards the raised oar.

"Okay, let's get ready to start. On that surprising night when I was struck by that wound of a lifetime, cast into the sea known as the future, the vast view of red as I struggled desperately along the path of a new bride to reward him for his passionate heat—Fufu, you are the one who used the method of tragedy to bring about reasonable misinterpretations of cliched romances, so I will not hesitate at all... As always, we will love each other while immersed in memories of rifts, oceans, redness and heat!"

Words that started out like whispers towards a baby ended up as a forceful speech. Spinning the oar with her entire arm as one would spin a pen, she took a step forward.

"Excuse me, I'm already accustomed to this, so I won't be slipping and falling due to the water. Sorry if I've betrayed your expectations."

"I wouldn't expect that from anyone but Sovereignty. But more importantly—Speaking of getting accustomed, I can't let Haruaki-kun's eyes get accustomed to your indecent appearance. There is nothing I wish more than getting rid of you completely from my sight!"

"I agree. I really wish for those eyesores of yours to disappear faster, meat lump number one and number two. And today, I'm bearing a grudge towards the swimsuits in general, so let me take out some of my anger on you!"

"This isn't really important, but I'm curious. Which side is number one and which side is number two!?"

Fear and Konoha rushed forward simultaneously. The swimsuit woman swung her oar greatly to enter a stance, ready for battle any time. Fear engaged her first in close combat.

"Mechanism No.20 slashing type, great blade form: «A Hatchet of Lingchi»—Curse Calling!"

The sound produced was not creaking but grating. Not clicking but clacking.

The sound of the Rubik's cube turning seemed to be mixed with the noise of steel heavy, carrying killing intent. The emulated cube instantly took on an appropriate form, hence transforming into an axe for chopping humans to death.

The axe struck the oar repeatedly with a symphony of deep noises. Then face to face, the two combatants produced exceptionally violent sounds—After a moment's pause, their silver and red hair swirled up as though from the aftershock.

Both sides' weapons were clashing equally in a fight to the death, then they stopped.

At this moment, Haruaki could see the corners of Fear's mouth turning up into a smile.

"Mechanism No.3 severance type, descending form: «Guillotine»!"

The sudden transformation caused Oratorie to lose balance, but her oar had already swung out front due to her momentum with its tip clamped inside Fear's dramatic execution device.

Without any hesitation, Fear ordered the guillotine's slanted cutting edge to descend—However, she then retreated with an alarmed expression. Unbelievably, the oar, which should have been decapitated, swept past before Fear's chest.

"Tsk... I see, it has the power to pass through!"

"Ufufu, indeed you are correct. So defense is useless. Be careful. Although the Matriarch permits us to eliminate Wathes that stand in our way, destroying them too arbitrarily would anger her—By the way, you are the Fear-in-Cube that the Matriarch loves so much, right?"

Oratorie took this time to look up and down over Fear's body .

"On further inspection, you really are so small and cute... I'd really love to hold you tight and sleep together. Hmm, looks like I must forgive you after breaking off your arms and legs."

"That should be my line instead! If you want to sleep with her, be my guest, but please don't complain if anything happens to your own arms and legs!"

"How could I possibly let her so easily!? And you, what do you mean by calling me small! I'll curse you!"

Konoha pounced and starting fighting with her knife hand. On the other hand, Fear switched to another tool of torture and execution to look for an opening. Then Oratorie Rabdulmunagh prepared to unleash a wave of impacts to engulf the two girls.

Made dripping wet just like its master by the splashing water, the oar's dark stains looked as though it had been sucking blood.

Caught between the two girls, one gray-haired and dark-skinned, the man began to speak.

"I can't help but point out that this is a foolish strategy, Kirika."

"On the other hand, I disagree."

"The situation now is different from during the day. Now that the game is over, I have no reason to hesitate. I could very well use force to take you back directly—If you believe that Un Izoey has no intention to kill, you are sorely mistaken. Against any enemy who assaults me, this child will deliver fatal attacks without any hesitation at all. Moreover, for the sake of accuracy, in actual fact, it's not like you 'can't die' but 'you revive after dying.' So that is why I say your strategy is foolish, Kirika. Once you lose consciousness, it's over. In other words, I could simply give the following order: Un Izoey, kill Kirika and take her back."

This explanation treated Kirika as though she were just a specimen of local fauna. But in actual fact, Pakuaki probably treated her as just an object to be dealt with on the side.

At this moment, the dark-skinned girl moved her eyes and asked:

"My wish to confirm: Confirmation for 'Is that really okay?'"

"Of course you can, no need to hold back. She's currently wearing a Wathe that is, in a certain sense, even rarer than «The World Seen by Alicia Pitrelli». It's a Wathe that will automatically self-repair so long as there's no severe damage, unlike others that would break from damage in one spot."

"—Affirmative."

The handcuffed girl stepped forward with a gliding stride of her dark-skinned foot. However, Kirika reached out to stop Un Izoey with her left hand which did not have the «Tragic Black River» wrapped around it.

"Hmm? What's the matter, Kirika?"

"...I'd like to ask you something. That collar you placed around my neck, was it simply just for punishment? Was it really just for such a simple purpose?"

Pakuaki showed slight surprise in response to that question. Then—

"Well, disregarding the fact that it's very weak, I did have other goals in mind, yes. But if I explain it directly, it's kind of embarrassing... That is, I hope you could remember the past. I am your older brother, so it's not like I want us to be at odds. If there's an opportunity for us to make up, of course I'd want to do that... Like right now, could you be honest with your feelings, Kirika? Or perhaps, you have no recollection?"

There was a few seconds' pause after Pakuaki finished.

Kirika then nodded.

"Very well, now... I'll be honest. I remembered. I remembered those happy times in the past. That sense of isolation made me recall the loneliness I felt when waiting for my father to come home. That sense of isolation made me recall the loneliness of not having a mother. Furthermore, that sense of isolation—"

She bowed her head slightly and her shoulders trembled.

"I recall it... Back when I was lonely, my brother's... back... that I always relied on..."

Pakuaki took a deep breath. Then his eyes became very gentle and he muttered like a father:

"Come home, Kirika. Return to my side."

The trembling in Kirika's shoulders did not stop. She then tried to force words out, but her shoulders continued to tremble.

"...You really think..."

"Hmm?"

No way, she could not hold it back anymore. She could not hold back the excessive joy she was feeling.

"...Did you really think I'd say that, Yamimagari Pakuaki!? How absolutely ridiculous! Although I did remember about my father, I have no brother—On the other hand, you should reflect on what you've done to me!"

It was worthwhile to act out this sort of unfamiliar performance. Although it was so embarrassing that she felt as though her cheeks were about to burst into flames, it was terrific. Simply the sight of that man's astounded expression felt exceptionally refreshing.

Perhaps either he was bluffing or he really was that composed, Pakuaki immediately smiled wryly and said:

"You've changed, Kirika. In the past, even if you played jokes, you'd never trick people with that kind of performance."

"Perhaps I've become stupid after getting to know those people!"

Kirika suddenly extended the «Tragic Black River» towards Pakuaki. Instantly, a dark-skinned afterimage surfaced from below, severing the belt in the middle of its journey. Un Izoey's demeanor was full of belligerence, perfect.

Because Kirika had already decided what to do.

Kirika also had a role model, the silver-haired girl who had made herself all covered with bloody wounds, even though she clearly did not need to do that.

Hence, Kirika decided to act in the same manner.

To proudly make mistakes on her own volition under conditions when the right answer was unknown.

Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5

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Part 6

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Part 7

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Part 8

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