CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Prologue

I. A tool changes its quality into negative direction if it continues to receive negative thoughts.

II. A tool that receives negative thoughts often affects the owner and the people around it.

III. In exchange with the negative effect it brings upon the people around it, it may show mysterious charm and function.

IV. At the end of receiving all the negative thoughts and curses from humans, an item will obtain human qualities.

Prologue:

A black cube. It was the only description for it if you'll have one look at the object. A side of its surface was about 1 meter long, and there was no Idea how the object was used. Yachi Haruaki was staring at it with a look of disbelief apperent on his face.

"Excuse me sir, can I have the sign?"

"Oh, yes, sure."

Haruaki checked the receipt. It was written in English since it was sent from abroad but the name written for the sender was just as he expected. (Another one of THOSE, you stupid old man?!), Haruaki groaned silently within himself.

"Thank you sir! Phew, I've had hard time carrying this. It was so heavy! Well, may I ask what thing this is, sir?"

"Er, you see, my father loves to collect antique objects and he's sending those objects he bought from abroad once in a while... hmmm I'm also wondering what this is!"

Haruaki tried to evade the question. It was no lie though. It was just that he wasn't sure how weird this particular object that his father sent this time. Of courese, he didn't bother to explain that to the delivery man.

After the delivery man had driven away, Haruaki looked down again at the strange box laying in front of his gate.

"What is this really? Well, it was my old man who sent it so it's got to be something troublesome for sure."

The important question was how much of a trouble it was. Haruaki cautiously touched the cube, feeling the cold sensation of a steel. It had no lid so he supposed that it was a boxed-shaped "something", rather than a box to put "something" in. He observed the surface well and noticed that there were numerous lines and curves that hinted a joint seam.

"Is it some kind of puzzle box? maybe it had to go under a certain process to activate or something...? Hmmmm, maybe I'm just thinking too much. I suppose these kind of things are the ones which doesn't have specific usage, if you think about it well. I made I up mind! It's nothing important, I'm sure. My peaceful life will go on just as it was...!"

Haruaki told himself while he played with the seams. He thought he heard a surprised wail. He stopped his movement and closed his eyes. After he calmed down, he told himself;

"...That was an auditory hallucination."

While he was trying to convince himself, the cube let out a sound of a grazing steel and a part of its surface moved. Haruaki peeked at the space visible from the part of the cube that looked like a popped-out CD tray. He saw metal parts with different shapes looking like cogs that was entangled inside. He tried to trace it with his finger but all did it was to move. Nothing had happened except for the low moan that he thought he heard.

"Oh, another auditory hallucination! That's it, uh-huh. Well, it's none of my business anyway! Since it has nothing to do with me, the best thing to do is to leave it alone!"

He avoided further inquiry for the moment. But still, it wouldn't do any good if he left the cube at the front of his gate so he brought it to the room where other objects that his father sent was being stored.

"Oh.....god....! It's so damn heavy!"

He started to walk toward the main buliding of his house. On his way, he thought heard a dissatisfied snort but of course, he decided it was another one of those auditory hallucinations.

Haruaki woke up inside his 6-tatami japanese room. He hurriedly checked the clock and it was already past 7:00 PM. It was already dark outside the window. He only planned to take a nap after carrying the black cube to the storage room but ended up sleeping until now. Maybe it was because he wasn't able to sleep well last night.

(Oh hell, my stomach's already complaining in hunger but I still haven't made anything to eat...)

He did have a housemate living in a separate building, but he was basically alone, so it was unlikely that he'd find a cooked meal. Beside, the package that his father sent came right after he came home from school, so he didn't get any chance to prepare something to eat. Haruaki got out of the bed and was thinking about the chores he was going to do when he heard faint sounds. Sound of someone's footsteps; sound of someone scavenging inside the cabinet; and finally, an unknown crunching sound.

(Could it be... Konoha?)

Haruaki looked out at the window and checked the second floor of the other building. There were two windows and one of them had lights on. That meant that his housemate was there.

His whole body tensed. This traditional Japanese house was old and wide. It was an excellent prey for burglars. Haruaki opened the sliding door and was walking silently in the hallway. The sound came from the kitchen. He killed his breath and silently walked towards the kitchen, feeling like a burglar himself.

The moonlight illuminated a small figure crouching in front of the cabinet. It also reflected a long silver hair. Observing from the figure's shadow, Haruaki decided that it was a female. Her hand was stretching alternately to her mouth and to the plastic bag she was holding. The unknown crunching sound was coming from there. His calm observation ended when he realized the amazing view in front of him. Without a thought, he shouted at the female figure, pointing his finger at her.

"A naked rice-cracker thief?!"

"Huh?"

The girl stared back at Haruaki. She had long silver hair and fair white skin, slender body and beautiful face. It was shrouded with grace and strong will, contradicting qualities playing in her expression like a trick art. A fragment of rice-cracker in her mouth fell as she, too, pointed her finger towards Haruaki and shouted,

"Wha..?! Hey! You're that impudent man from earlier!"

The girl looked down at her body and red shade crawled all over her face.

"Don't tell me your planning to play with my body again?! What a shameless man!"

She knelt down and started to throw every object that was around her; a tray, wooden plate, teapot, etc. She did it with great control. I slipped from the object that I accidentally stepped on, trying to parry the flying projectiles. objects started to pile above me.

"Ouch! h-hold on for a second! ow! If you come near me, i'll---"

The girl crossed her arms in front of her conservative breasts, her hands still holding the round shaped rice-crackers. Haruaki lost his voice as he froze up seeing the unpredictable expression on her face. The girl tensed for a moment and shouted at him.

"....I, I'll put a curse on you!"

Haruaki understood from the words she said that SHE was the box that he received this afternoon. Tension left his shoulders and he dropped them as he thought;

(I knew it. That stupid old man... He did it agin.) (He sent another Cursed Tool again!)