CubexCursedxCurious:Volume8 Chapter2

Chapter 2 - The Unknown Making a Wish to Him / "Jingle Bell Rock"

Part 1

"The rice is done. Should I carry the entire rice cooker over?"

"Yeah, Class Rep, thanks."

It was December 23 today. Due to being a holiday, unlike usual mornings, there was no need to watch the clock when making breakfast to make sure they got to school on time. With Kirika's help, the breakfast Haruaki made included two more portions than usual. Kirika, as well as the girl who just woke up.

"In any case, thank goodness she finally woke up... Now we can finally ask her questions."

"Yeah, but don't get careless. Her words cannot be taken as unconditional truth."

They whispered discreetly to each other while bringing trays into the living room, but only found Kuroe and Fear with no signs of Konoha and Un Izoey in the room.

"The two of them went to the toilet~"

"Right, that girl seems to be super country bumpkin. Does she even know how to use a flush toilet...? Hmph, if she has no idea, then it proves that she's on an even lower level than my past self, seeing as I was able to use the toilet correctly even back when I first arrived!"

"Well, it's not like she just left Africa two days ago..."

Just as Haruaki groaned, voices could be heard from the direction of the washroom in question—

"H-Hold it right there! Pause! Pause!"

"My question: is there a problem here?"

"Of course there is... Hey, stand still right now~!"

The footsteps reached the living room. Haruaki's rice bowl almost fell from his hand.

This was due to Un Izoey's drastic change in appearance. Since her pajama top only had the second button fastened, not only was her navel exposed, but a certain bulging area was also in quite a dangerous state. No, if one had to talk about dangerous, before mentioning her top, her lower half had already completely transcended the bounds of dangerous.

She was wearing nothing except underwear down there.

"...!"

Zoom! Konoha rushed into the living room mere seconds later, carrying what must be the pajama pants that Un Izoey had removed, using it to cover her up, trying desperately to conceal those dark-skinned thighs.

"What... on earth... are you trying to do...!?"

"My conclusion: a difference in cultural understanding. The navel should not be concealed. My explanation: wearing pants feels too restrictive, agitating."

Why was this person here so angry? Un Izoey's face seemed to be saying that in confusion with her head tilted. Konoha shuddered her entire body violently and said: "Ahhh, seriously, just when I thought one indecent element had passed, yet a new indecent element arrives...!"

In any case, Un Izoey was asked to wrap a sheet around her waist as a compromise. Although the overall effect was quite reminiscent of tribal attire, because she sat with her knee up, it was still quite dangerous in various ways. This sitting posture was not exactly polite, but that could be chalked up to differences in cultural understanding as well.

Hence, breakfast began. Since Un Izoey did not seem to know how to use chopsticks, Haruaki had prepared a fork and a spoon for her, but even then, she used them with great stiffness and unfamiliarity.

Fear and the girls would glare at Un Izoey on occasion while eating their meal in silence. Out of everyone, Kirika's gaze was the most wary. On the other hand, Kuroe's eyes, sleepy-looking as always, were the least intense.

So quiet that one could hear a pin drop, breakfast finished amidst the tense atmosphere.

"So... I'm full. Are you full yet?"

Fear glared sharply at Un Izoey.

"My confirmation: the act of eating is finished. Conclusion obtained: very tasty."

"That's the shameless brat's only good point. So, you wouldn't happen to think you can get away with a free meal, right? Since you're full now, let's cut to the chase... We have many questions for you."

"My answer: I will answer everything I can answer."

"Hmph. First of all: why did you faint in that kind of place? What happened?"

Un Izoey answered briefly without hesitation at all:

"I was attacked by the Draconians."

"What did you say...?"

Everyone gasped. They had first come into contact with the Draconians roughly half a month earlier, the organization seeking to become the "strongest." Naturally, they were reminded of a certain encountered girl.

"What did the enemy look like...? Right, was there a petite girl similar to these two in size together with a partner who had a veil on her face?"

"...? No, answer: negative. Enemy is a single swordfighter."

"A different person? That does make sense since all the weapons in that child's possession were destroyed and both her hands should have been fractured by Kaidou-sensei's attack after all. In any case, you were attacked by someone from the Draconians. As for the reason—Hmm, I think I can hazard a rough guess."

"My answer: to be correct, unknown. Simply attacked is the explanation."

"Hmph, because of your weird and unique fighting style using your legs, plus you look so conspicuous, if those Draconians learned of your existence... It's quite likely they would send someone to attack as a way to test themselves. Hah, serves you right. I hope you'll taste the same pain that I suffered."

"Defeating strong opponents to obtain corresponding experience—A notion similar to that. It almost sounds like living in an RPG world. A swordfighter character further adds to that feeling~"

"But after attacking you, it's possible that those Draconians might want to defeat me to gain experience. That can't be ruled out. So, tell us more about that swordfighter's characteristics."

Un Izoey nodded obediently.

"My answer: a girl all dressed in red clothing."

"Red clothing... Is that it? Hah, that girl sure sounds like Santa. So that's what I misrecognized."

"Santa?"

Seeing Un Izoey cocking her head in puzzlement, Fear declared proudly:

"Hmph hmph, you didn't know? Let me tell you then... Santa Claus is the mysterious elderly volunteer who goes around everywhere giving presents to all good children! I heard that he dressed in red and drives a sleigh pulled by servants like reindeer to fly in the sky!"

"Driving a sleigh to fly in the sky. I am surprised by this great surprise. What kind of skill is that?"

"Muu. I don't know the details of how it works, after all, he's the mysterious elderly volunteer. What could it be... C-Could it be an anti-gravity drive system developed by NASA? —That's what Kuroe over there suggested. Also, Santa Claus only appears once a year during Christmas. I think it's because Christmas is supposed to be a special day that allows wishes to be fulfilled... right..."

Getting even more carried away in her sense of superiority, Fear began to explain about Santa Claus and Christmas. Of course, there were quite a few inaccuracies, but Haruaki decided to simply observe them from the side with a warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart. Were he to rain on her parade, there was a possibility that Fear might find out the truth about Santa Claus.

After Fear's explanations were done, Un Izoey, who had been listening with great interest, nodded.

"I see. Truly, an unknown has become known."

"Show me your gratitude properly, country girl. However... I'm quite bothered by the idea that the enemy is a girl resembling Santa. Although she would be on the side of the hunted rather than the hunter, does this have anything to do with the 'Santa Hunter'...?"

"My question: 'Santa Hunter' is another unknown term."

"Recently, there has been a recurring incident where people in Santa suits were attacked and had their clothes stolen. Is it you, perhaps? If you're related in any way, confessing straight away here would be a wise decision!"

"No. I explain that myself who arrived in this city only yesterday is an impossible impossibility."

However, Un Izoey looked up as though she were recalling something:

"Except—the Draconian had a sack on her back. When she attacked, I saw cloth inside that looked like red clothes."

"Wait a sec. Putting aside the fact that she was wearing red clothing and looked like Santa—You said her sack contained red clothes? In that case, in other words—"

"The clothes might have been stolen from other people. In that case, this means that the Draconian is the 'Santa Hunter'! It can't be a coincidence no matter how I think about it... I've no idea why she needs to attack Santa-costumed people and take their clothes, but at least we've caught her red-handed!"

Fear shouted with excitement. In contrast, Un Izoey spoke in complete seriousness:

"My supplement: I explain that the enemy's hands were not red."

Silence and speechlessness pervaded the entire living room. Oh dear, where should one start in educating the ignorant? Just as Haruaki's group froze under this atmosphere, someone spoke as though trying to make use of this period of silence:

"Then what happened?"

Kirika glared at the dark-skinned girl and said with a tone of voice colder than anyone else's:

"Fear-kun has found a lead for the 'Santa Hunter' she has been looking for all this time, congratulations. But before that, there is something else that must be asked. Please continue to answer my next questions. Why did you come to this town? Your job should be something like Yamimagari Pakuaki's bodyguard, right? Where is that man? Has he arrived in town as well? What is your goal? Haven't we agreed already that your side will stop making moves on me and Fear-kun? Are you guys trying to go back on that? What exactly is going on? Answer me right now!"

In contrast to Kirika's emotional tone of voice, Un Izoey quietly narrowed her eyes and answered:

"No, answer: negative. The deal is effective. My visit is unrelated. The Lab Chief did not come. In this city, only I am here."

"...Who knows. Then why did he get rid of his bodyguard and you're the only one here? For what reason?"

"Order."

A simple answer. This meant that she came to cause them trouble again? Perhaps noticing the dangerous gazes from Fear and the others, Un Izoey shook her head, her gray hair swaying from side to side.

"This order has no direct relation to you. But it cannot be said to be completely unrelated."

"What do you mean? Related or unrelated? Please explain clearly."

"That's right. By this point, please stop saying anything ambiguous. What is your purpose?"

Phew~ Un Izoey exhaled, still expressionless.

"Contents of the order: deliver this letter personally to the man named Sekaibashi Gabriel."

Haruaki frowned. That strange name belonged to the superintendent of the school where they were studying at. The eccentric with the gas mask. Haruaki's father's old friend.

"A letter—Kono-san, did you find it just now?"

"Yes. This one?"

Konoha took out an envelope from her bosom, one of the articles confiscated when they were changing Un Izoey's clothes. Un Izoey stared at the letter intently and nodded.

"Muu... What business does the Lab Chief's Nation have with that deviant? What are the contents of that letter?"

"My answer: unknown. Not told to me. Not allowed to open the envelope as well. My purpose: deliver the envelope to that man. If I must supplement, I can't say there is no other purpose at all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My memory: the Lab Chief said: 'There is something you must find out.' About this research theme, it seems this answer can be found during completing this mission. In other words, a secondary purpose. But—after all, there is only one main purpose. Deliver the letter."

Hence—She straightened her back and gazing straight at Konoha, she said:

"My demand: I demand the letter returned."

"I'm very sorry but I cannot agree to your demand so easily... Ueno-san, what's your opinion?"

"If her main purpose really is to deliver the letter, then I hope she can finish her job as quickly as possible and disappear... But we can't risk endangering the superintendent just because of that. The same goes for that research theme which I find utterly unimportant from the bottom of my heart. Yachi, what do you think?"

"Eh? E-Even if you ask me... Well~ I'm thinking that if it's just to hand over the letter, it's not that much of a concern. Think about it, if they wanted to do something bad to the superintendent, there's no need to prepare a letter specifically, right? There's no bomb installed like last time either."

"Right. Based on touch, it really seems like it only contains paper. However, once we know the contents inside, we can decide if we should return this letter or not."

"Not allowed. The Lab Chief did not allow the envelope's opening."

"Do we have any obligation to listen to him?"

Konoha's question caused Un Izoey to narrow her eyes. In the next instant, Haruaki saw a certain dark-skinned object reaching out over the table. Not an arm but a leg. Turning the leg whose knee was originally drawn up, Un Izoey grabbed a fork from the dining table. Then just as she was sitting up—

"Now now, let's calm down. Kono-san, you should know that peeking at someone else's letter is very rude~"

Kuroe's hair extended swiftly, grabbing Un Izoey's ankle. However, she did not actually need to do this, because Un Izoey was already swaying uncontrollably before her hair touched the ankle.

"Wait... It's dangerous..."

Perhaps because she had not regained her physical strength yet, Un Izoey lost balance and fell sideways. Haruaki reflexively reached out and caught her in his arms. Phew, the weight in his arms turned out lighter than expected.

"Hey Haruaki, don't go near her so easily!"

"N-Now is not the time to be saying that, right?"

While retorting against Fear who had taken out her Rubik's cube, Haruaki looked at Un Izoey's face. Her eyelids were about to close and her eyes were blank and out of focus. Her lips moved slowly.

"Ooh... Ah... Must finish... Lab Chief's... order... My... mission..."

Directed towards no one, her soft murmurs entered Haruaki's ears as though she were talking in a dream. Precisely because of that, Haruaki understood. Right now, before his eyes, there were no lies nor pretense, just simple, earnest, determination—

(She's already this unsteady but still... She's way too serious for her own good.)

The girls must have heard her murmurs too. Fear and Konha pouted as they watched Un Izoey. But under this mood where there were separate issues at work, in the next instant, Haruaki found himself pulled up by his collar by Fear and the girls, forcibly dragged away from Un Izoey.

Shortly after, Un Izoey blinked forcefully. She had apparently regained a clear consciousness. Waving her hair, Kuroe sat Un Izoey down in her original seat.

After a quick glance at Fear and the others who had almost entered a combat state, Kuroe asked Un Izoey:

"...Have you calmed down? Moving recklessly is not good for your body."

"If there is a need to move, then I must move..."

Un Izoey muttered softly as though forcing her voice out.

"I want to ask you, how do you plan to hand this letter over to the superintendent? Do you know where he is? I've heard that he has quite a number of homes."

"...I give a negative answer. If I go to school, meeting is possible."

"It's not like he's often in school... Especially now that it's the winter vacation."

Haruaki scratched his head. He understood clearly why Fear and the girls were so wary, but he could not help but recall the exceedingly pure and untainted sincerity he felt from her murmurs just now.

"So... Anyway, can I first say what I think? Although she belongs to the Lab Chief's Nation and caused us a lot of trouble in the past, as you can see right now, she's quite frail and powerless. If we ditch her right now, it'll weigh on our conscience. So... As a precondition, I think we can consider letting her live here for now and taking care of her."

Fear and the girls all gave off an air of surprise as though going "Not again." Sensing the mood, Haruaki continued in trepidation:

"Then if we're really concerned about what she's handing over to the superintendent... How should I phrase this? Let's help her deliver the letter to the superintendent as an easy favor, how's that? If the delivery is done in our presence, there's less of a risk. Also, if we don't help contact the superintendent, I think she'll be spending a long time trying to get a hold of him..."

"My confirm: you say you are helping?"

"That's right. Also, excuse me for saying this, but before the letter is delivered to the superintendent's hands, I hope we can hold onto it for now. If you ask why, that's because it's likely you'll run off to find the superintendent on your own if we give the letter back to you. After we contact the superintendent, we'll return the letter to you when we go meet him together."

After pondering over something for a long time, Un Izoey silently looked up.

"My judgment: if in this case, the letter can hand over to Sekaibashi Gabriel for sure—I think, this method is the only choice."

"Hmm. Umm... Is that okay, Class Rep? Although you might not be too happy about it, the way I see it, this should be able to guarantee everyone's safety and it's the best method to resolve the incident peacefully."

"Absolutely ridiculous. Argghh, absolutely ridiculous. That 'everyone' absolutely does not need to include this girl as well, does it? But whatever. That's the kind of person you are. Since those are your considerations with that precondition in mind, perhaps your method really is the best compromise..."

Closing her eyes, Kirika exhaled forcefully. Konoha also performed virtually the same action.

"The usual excessively nice guy has entered the stage again huh... I can't be responsible for how things will turn out."

"Agreed, I'm aghast too. However, there is no other way now. And from my point of view, if we evict her from our home now, it'll be troublesome—Don't get the wrong idea, it's nothing benevolent like worrying about her recovery. This girl has other uses."

"Fear, what do you mean?"

Fear swiveled the Rubik's cube she had just taken out, producing a series of clicking noises.

"Basically, the 'Santa Hunter' incident. The culprit is the Draconian who attacked her, right? Also, it's not evident that this Draconian has given up on her. It's possible that she might come to challenge her again... When that happens, isn't that a perfect chance to catch the culprit? This girl can serve as bait."

"Bait isn't really a nice word... But true, the enemy may not have given up. We need to consider that."

"This really leaves us no choice. That means we'll need to stay home all the time while taking care of her? Meanwhile, we also need to help with handing the letter over to the superintendent as well as staying on alert against attacks from the Draconian who is likely to be the 'Santa Hunter'."

Konoha turned her highly wary gaze toward Un Izoey and continued:

"Regardless, during your stay in this home, we will monitor you continuously. Although we agree to help you, please do not misunderstand. We have not lowered our guard against you."

"Understood... Yes."

Nodding lightly, Un Izoey's head began to sway forwards and backwards unsteadily. She was probably feeling unwell again. Trying to force herself to fight in such a condition was truly reckless beyond measure.

"H-Hey, are you okay? It's not like we can contact the superintendent instantly. Besides, you can't move around in your current state, right? Go back and sleep first. I'll bring the medicine later."

"Affirmative..."

"Seriously, it'll be troublesome if you faint along the way, so let me accompany you back to the room... Kuroe-san, could you come along as well? She seems to have sweated quite a lot, so we'll need to wipe her body and help her change."

"Okay okay~ Looks like the secret exploration of a dark-skinned body is about to start again~"

Leaning against Konoha's shoulder, Un Izoey stood up with Kuroe following behind inexplicably happily. At this moment, Fear spoke towards Un Izoey's back as though she had suddenly recalled something:

"Wait. Although it's nothing important, I want to ask you a question. What is this thing in your possession?"

Saying that, she took out the metallic cube. Like the letter in Konoha's hand, this was found last night among her belongings.

Un Izoey looked as though its existence had not crossed her mind until now. Turning back for a glance, she spoke with a disinterested expression:

"My memory: perhaps it's something unintentionally taken from the Draconian last night. Cannot remember clearly what happened."

"Hmph... In that case, what's its purpose? Originally, I felt a subtle sense of closeness to it because it bears the same shape as me... But after staring at it all night, I keep feeling there's some other reason. Vaguely, I can feel that it seems to have a cursed aura. Is it a cursed tool?"

"...Probably. What object it is, this question has no clear answer. However, I seem to have heard last night's enemy say this—An object for realizing mankind's greatest wish. Concretely speaking, no doubt—"

Un Izoey half-closed her eyes as though recalling her memories.

Then she spoke quietly:

"—A cube for bringing the dead back to life."

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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