CubexCursedxCurious:Volume7 Chapter3

Chapter 3 - The First Shrine Festival / "A little reckoning day"

Part 1

Clackety-clack, clackety-clackety-clack.

"Geta clogs are so fun. Yo! Ho! Ha!"

"Hey Fear, don't run so fast, you'll fall—"

In a leaping manner, the silver-haired girl rushed up the stone steps leading up to the shrine. Following behind, Haruaki called out to stop her. Wearing a hair style different from usual, the lively sounds of the girl's clogs halted as she suddenly looked back and said:

"What are you talking about? You guys are too slow! Ohoh! The scent of something tasty is drifting from above! What is up there? What if it gets sold out!? Move it, hurry and come up!"

Frequently turning her attention to the shrine's confines, Fear impatiently waved her hands and yelled towards them. This motion caused the sleeves of her refreshingly colored yukata to flutter in response.

"It won't get sold out so easily. Could you calm down a bit?"

"But it can't be helped that she's acting like this, right? Isn't it the first time for Ficchi to experience this kind of situation?"

Konoha had an exasperated expression while Kuroe was sleepy-eyed as usual. Like Fear, they were both dressed in yukatas. Furthermore, Konoha had pulled a male yukata out from who knows where, causing Haruaki, who was not used to wearing yukatas, to wear one despite having no initial intention to do so.

"Konoha is right. The stalls aren't going to run off, so we should walk slowly. After all, it's very easy to fall over when wearing geta clogs, so running is even more dangerous."

"What~? That's totally underestimating me! How could I fall over from something of this level? Let's cut the nonsense and hurry—"

Perhaps trying to drag Haruaki's hand and run forward, Fear jumped to the next stone step. Just at that moment—

—She slipped.

"Wawa?"

"Idiot, didn't I just tell you—!?"

Haruaki reflexively tried to catch Fear but he instantly realized his mistake. Similar situations had clearly happened many times before, why had he not learnt his lesson yet?

He successfully got into a position under Fear who was falling from the stone steps. In a certain sense, he had succeeded in catching her. However—

"Guah! W-Why did I end up suffering a kneeing attack on my shoulder?"

"How would I know? It's your fault for being underneath!"

"H-Haruaki-kun, it's dangerous—!"

"Lemme help as well—Heave-ho!"

"K-Kuroe-san, if you want to help support, you should be supporting Haruaki-kun's back! That side is my bottom!"

"Of course I know that."

Konoha was desperately supporting Haruaki's back while he was toppling backwards from Fear's weight while Kuroe was using her tiny hands to push against Konoha. Who knew if Kuroe was really helping in support or engaging in sexual harassment.

"So heavy! Fear, get down, I'm about to be flattened by you!"

"W-What are you talking about? I'll curse you! I'm not heavy, okay! You shameless brat—To punish your lack of delicacy, let me take this opportunity to do this!"

No sooner had she said that, sitting on Haruaki's shoulder, Fear squirmed and altered her body's direction. Straddling Haruaki's head and sitting down, she ended up completely in a piggyback position on his shoulders.

"Fufu~ Now it's okay."

"Hey, that's very dangerous! Get down now!"

"Shut up, Cow Tits. As long as this guy holds up properly, there won't be a problem."

"Yes yes yes, you need to show your ambition as a man, Haru."

"I don't really know what kind of ambition that is... But whatever, it feels like forcing her to get down here would be even more dangerous. No other way, let's continue onwards."

Carrying Fear on his shoulders in this manner, Haruaki slowly made his way up the stone steps.

The aroma entering his nostrils along the way was that of a distinctive sauce. Probably from takoyaki octopus balls or yakisoba fried noodles? Above his head, Fear's little hands were drumming on Haruaki's hair as though in sync with the drum accompaniment coming from inside the shrine. Through that rhythm, Haruaki could feel her curiosity and excitement that could not be suppressed.

Haruaki could understand more or less why she was so excited.

Indeed, it had been quite a while since he had visited a shrine festival. It had been quite a while since they went to a festival as an entire family.

(Besides, I actually didn't really want to go in the beginning. So I guess I should thank this girl.)

While moving up the stone steps, Haruaki recalled how the decision was made to visit the festival.

A nostalgic noise and bustle—However, for Fear it was the first experience of this type of noise and bustle—was lying right before their eyes.

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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Translator's Notes and References

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