CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Chapter2

Chapter Two: When the Contents of the Cube are Exposed

"Look at your plate when you're eating! The morsels are falling off the plate!"

Fear answered yes. Again. She'd answered the same word several times already but her eyes were fixed upon the square box that was placed on the corner of the room.

"Hmmmm. I'd thought that you'd say something cliched like, 'What are those small people doing inside that box?!'."

"D-Don't take me for a fool. I know how that thing works. This box just shows a place far from here. And the power of electricity makes it possible to record the past. It's true that this is the first time I actually saw it but, uh, just like what I imagined. There wasn't much surprise with it, ahaha-haha-haha..."

She let out a false laugh while making a serious face. Her fork wandered around her plate, though it was empty. The news caster on the television said, "Good morning, everyone! Let's do our best for this day!" and fear answered, "Yes. I don't know you but I wish you luck," with unnecessary politeness.

"Hey, Fear, try this one out. I'll teach you how to operate the television."

"What is that thing?"

"Try pushing that prominent red button. Face it towards the television."

Fear recieved the remote control. She looked a bit tense as she tried to pudh the red button just as she was told.

"Wha---! The image disappeared!"

She looked astounded as she reported what happened to Haruaki. He told her to try pushing the button again.

"I-It, I mean, the image restored!"

She reported again with exactly the same expression.

"That's the On/Off button. Keep the television off when you're not using it. There are lot of other buttons but you don't have to use them. The only buttons that you could touch are the buttons with numbers written on it. "

"Are you sure it's alright? I'm gonna push it? You hear me, I'm going to!"

The channel changed to a different news program doing a report about sports. It was about the F1 Race so F1 cars passed in front of the camera. Fear, being a bit ignorant about these things, shouted "It's coming towards us! Look out!" and crouched on the floor. It was just as how Haruaki expected her to react.

"So, that's how it is. If you push the buttons, the channel would change. Whatever happens, the images won't come out from the television so you don't need to worry."

"I-I knew that! It's just that... er... yes! It's just that you have to be prepared for the unexpected! No one knows what'll happen next, uh-huh."

Fear tried pushing other buttons. Haruaki noticed that a faint pink shaded her white cheeks. She only stopped pushing different buttons when the channel switched to a weather report. Her finger went still and her eyes stared at the television in awe.

"Is that the... sea?"

Haruaki answered affirmatively and she whispered softly, her eyes still fixed on the monitor,

"...I never had a chance to see it. I didn't think that it would be so big."

Different shades were behind those eyes. There was the shade of admiration... and there was also a bit of disappointment.

"It looks a lot colder and darker than what I expected..."

"That's because there are some rain clouds over there. It's completely different in summer."

"Is that so."

"We also have that here in our town. It's on the opposite side though. You could go someday if you want to."

Fear shook her head in a vague manner. Haruaki wasn't able to decide whether it was an affirmation or a rejection.

* * *

The doorbell rang and Haruaki went to the front door carrying his bag. Konoha was waiting behind the door, smiling. Konoha usually went to school together with him when she didn't have work on student council or club activities.

"Good morning!"

"Okay, let's go."

"Hmmm... What's the meaning of this?"

"We're going to school. Didn't I tell you that we have to go to school during weekdays?"

"With her?"

"Well, yeah. We're in the same year level, after all."

Haruaki finished putting on his shoes, stood up and pointed at Fear.

"I have an order for you today. It's about your work while I'm away at school."

"...Tell me."

"First, turn the television on like I told you earlier. Watch any program that you like. When you get hungry, there are some food in the kitchen. When you feel sleepy, go sleep. That would be all. I wish you luck."

"Only that?!"

"Yeah. Hey, I'm gonna teach you household chores later so be patient for today, okay?"

Fear expanded her cheeks like a balloon. Haruaki was puzzled. He can't think of any reason why Fear would be dissatisfied with his order. Konoha peeked over the front door, smiling like a saint.

"Don't tell me you can't take care of yourself alone because you're lonely?"

"W-Why you?! Who told you that I'm lonely?! I'd be glad that there won't be any more annoyance like you two! Oh, I'm so excited. The world on the television is waiting for me now!"

"You'll be fine alone then. Great. Splendid. Well, let's go now, Haruaki-kun. To the happy place called school. TOGETHER."

"A happy place you say? Hmph! I'd bet that you'll just use those great tits of yours to flirt with him! How shameless! C'mon, go now, go! I can't wait to be alone, you know!"

"Er--- I'm kinda worried about Fear but I'll be late for school at this rate. It can't be helped. Let's go, Konoha."

They went out of the gate, towards the road. Konoha moved with light steps and Haruaki scratched his head. Fear was letting out a fierce snort as she watched their backs disappear from her vision. When she felt that they were gone, she let out a deep sigh. She sat down in front of the door. It was silent. Everything around her was unmoving. The wooden ornament above the shoe rack. The patterns on the wooden ceiling. The mirror on the wall. The Calendar besides it. She felt that the cold silence of those inanimate objects welcomed her---As if they knew that she used to be an inanimate object just like them.

She embraced her knees and slightly bowed her head. She looked at her silver hair as she observed it sliding between her knees, while she whispered with an empty voice.

"Fool... Did you really have to leave me alone...?"

* * *

He was used to taking up wierd passangers. It was natural since he worked in a place where different people come and go. He was a taxi driver stationed in front of the airport. In the past, he had black passengers who used the word FUCK in almost every sentense they used. He also had chinese people who carried imitations of popular game consoles. He even had a passengers of Japanese family who asked to be brought to a forest or swamp where no one else lived. If he were to think back about every passenger he had, it would take forever. But---This passenger was the wierdest among all the passengers he had. The driver moved his eye over the back mirror to check again at the lady passenger he picked up earlier. She was a blonde caucasian beauty who wore an elegant gown. That was normal. But, other than that, everything else about her was strange. Too strange. He wondered how she was able to board a public plane wearing THAT thing.

"I have this feeling that I am being watched."

The woman who mouthed a thin cigarette spoke in a fluent japanese while she kept her view toward the window. He wondered if the woman was intentionally ignoring the "No Smoking" sign on the glass. The woman shrugged, and faint sound of creaking metal echoed.

"Er, excuse me miss...?"

"Oh. Not you too."

Who else was she talking about? There wasn't anyone else in the taxi but them two. The driver trembled lightly as he taught about his passenger looking more ominous as the time passed by. There was still some distance from the hotel that they were heading for. The driver thought that he had to make a lighter atmosphere for both of them. After all, she was still a customer despite her eerie impression.

"You speak Japanese language very well. I've had many passengers from different countries but you're the most---"

"Wierdest passenger?"

The driver felt as if an icicle passed through his body, from his mouth out to his anus. Somehow, he was able to regain his composure and replied.

"Aside from the fact that you're the best Japanese language speaker among the passengers that I've had, you're also the, um---most beutiful ma'am."

"Hmm. I wonder if all the taxi drivers in this country are all educated about etiquette. I say it is just what you may expect from Japan, the polite country. It is indeed a great thing."

It seemed that the driver answered right. He calmed down a bit hearing the soft laughter coming from his passanger.

"It's not just a flattery ma'am, not at all."

"haha, I don't really mind if it was a flattery. My favorite author said in one of his books that 'You should bear in mind that lie is the key to every happiness, benefit, reputation, and wealth.'---It is an anti-social statement though."

"Er, never heard of it before ma'am... I suppose he's a foreign author?"

"Indeed. Duke Jonathan Alphonse Francois de Sadd is known for his anti-socialism."

After the passenger explained that to the driver, she started to laugh again. The driver wondered what was so funny.

"Did you come here to Japan for a vacation?"

"Unfortunately, no. It is about a matter concerning my work."

"I see that you're dedicated to your work ma'am. May I ask about your occupation?"

The strange beuty raised her face, looked at the driver through the back mirror, and smiled. That moment when the driver's eye met the passenger's, all the calm that he accumulated during their recent conversations vanished. Strong need to get far away as soon as possible from this passenger made the driver kick the accel hard. It was after all, just as he thought. There was no way that woman having that kind of eyes is sane. Those eyes filled with cold disdain, as if it was used to looking down upon the people around her...

"Oh, my work? I came here for a little trash-cleaning."

* * *

Few hours passed since Fear was left alone in the house. She quickly lost interest in watching television.

"Phew, I have nothing else to do... ."

It was the same word that she said yesterday. A thought suddenly came into her mind. If she was bored inside the house, She should go outside. She wore the snadals that was left on the porch and walked around the garden.

"....boring."

Fear walked around the outside of the house few times, making a wry face. The outer building of the house where Konoha was staying came into her view. The ground floor was covered with silver shutter. She thought that it was a garage or something. Her eyes went up to the second floor window, and she remebered what happened this morning.

"Er what can I say...Isn't Haruaki being a little bit biased to that cowtits? That shameless brat...I also don't like the fact that cowtits got her own proper room while I have none. Talk about being unfair. Doesn't he even think that I also have things that I wanted to do? He always say 'Don't do this' and 'Don't do that'..."

She mumbled complaints and started to walk back toward the main house---but stopped.

"Oh yeah, he didn't say that I shouldn't do THAT. Hmm, I suppose there's no problem with me doing THAT so he didn't mention anything about it. Yes, it must be so."

Fear nodded to herself. But, there was one little problem.

"So, what should I do now...?"

Fear looked up at the sky and tried to think about what she had to do. The next moment, she realized that the answer was simple. She grinned.

She looked up again at the outer building. There she saw the vast sky...and the little window on the second floor of the outer building, peeking from the corner of her eyes.

* * *