Curse of Loyalty 1

Korone travelled the earth in great speed as she pursued Kuro toward where she sent him.

After today, she resolved to sever her relationship with the two.

After all, she can't bring herself to keep continuing to be friends with the two if she really did what she was planning.

But she won't coward out and will do it.

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She hated Kuro. Since the moment he caught them and 'forcefully' let them to live in the tree house.

She hated Kuro more the moment her best friend started showing interest to him. She felt lost, betrayed—even felt that her something will be taken away, again.

Looking down, making a face she never made before, the mask which covered half side of her expression was took off while her exploded emotions were complicatedly cycling inside her brain.

"Stand up." With the voice she tried her best to stable, Korone spoke.

"Can I just lie here in ground? It's cozy here." Although smile left from Kuro's face this time, he still had the leisure to joke around.

"I-I said stand up!" This only provoked her as she stepped the ground with all her might, the ground bouncing Kuro's body upward toward her.

At the same time, Korone's fist was launching toward Kuro—she expected him to dodge as the kindness inside her deliberately slowed her action in hope to give him a time to dodge her blow.

However, the Kuro at this moment, had an strange feeling. Despite the force he could feel behind the fist and the danger in it, he felt just taking it.

Expectedly, the punches Korone launched flattened Kuro's stomach and pushed it to his back—combined with her all might and the earth launching Kuro from behind, it was beyond lethality.

"Gah!" The punch hurts Kuro more than he expected.

When he noticed it, he was kneeling in the floor—he couldn't resist the urge to vomit as he threw up the special grape juice Ayame made.

"I, wh…"

Why didn't he dodge that…? Confusion filled her head and she even started worrying about Kuro seeing how painfully he sounded.

But shaking off these unnecessary thoughts, she tightened her determination as she process herself the attempt to end his life.

But why is that. Why are her body not trying to move?

Kuro who finished throwing—with a struggle, managed to bring his face upward to look at Korone who damaged him badly.

"What's wrong? You done already?" Seeing the confusion in her—the pitiful sides of her brain and heart not working together—Kuro called her out.

"No! I am not! I, I-I decided to take revenges on you!" Kuro's word were certainly effective as it brought an mysterious effect that kept Korone going forward temporarily.

Thus, she began beating Kuro more brutally.

Once Kuro were down, she would try the same trick from before—by kicking the ground, she will bring Kuro up.

If Kuro's body were in the appropriate range, she would send out an barrage of punch all over his body.

Stomach, Chest, Face, Shoulders, Hand, Thigh…

Soon there were almost no part that wasn't either bruising or bleeding. But strangely, the agony not only welled up on Kuro's face, but also on Korone's as well..

It's as if, she felt more pain than Kuro.

Soon enough, her breath were becoming more faster, messy and ragged, by the time she spoke next—she couldn't speak each word without breathing.

"I… I… why! Why don't you try to fight back!?" This one sided beating—instead of making her feel good, it made her feel even worse.

She even thought that her resolves were wrong to begin with.

At this point, insanity engulfed her as her pupils showing the uncertainty. Stepping the ground beneath her, she created an small table.

It wasn't enough to be called table as the table she made was for only one purpose—to support Kuro's arm.

Kuro's strengthless arms was laid on the table while Korone began speaking.

"I-if you don't fight back… i…I will- really do… it!" She looked at Kuro's extended arm as she asked. Knowing how Kuro was, he must have figured out her intention.

But instead of the plea to stop it—instead of the 'ask' or 'order' to stop it—Kuro painfully gave her the opposite answer she sought for.

"If that satisfies you." The smile he gave her were so terrifyingly gentle—even though faced with her unreasonable beating, the will to defense nor hatred appeared—instead, it was a harmless smile.

Even though his body is so battered... at this point, even the term of open-minded is an undervalue toward him.

Just as she thought of giving up—two crying face and the multiple sounds of laughter came inside her mind.

Shouting loudly while tightly closing her eyes—she smashed the rock she controlled.

An terrifying sound of bone breaking sounded out as Kuro's elbow bended in extremely uncomfortable way, the bone popped out from his flesh.

Next came was the sound of agony which indicated the cries of a man who is suffering an unimaginable pain.

When she heard this terrifying sound, Korone tears streamed even more faster as she closed her dog ears and covered her ears with her own hand.

Furthermore, she began tearing up more aggressively. She never felt so terrible. This pain she caused to Kuro were starting to overwhelm her.

Kneeling from the spot, she not only tried to close her ears from the sound, she closed her eyes—trying to escape from reality, unable to bear the responsibility of the action she caused, she tried to close herself from the world—Korone right now, were too terrified to look at the person she harmed once more.

In the middle of this pain that came at once and sent a huge wave of stress to his brain, Kuro noticed the person who was seemingly more suffering than himself.

10.0%

With all his might—while suppressing the pain and the urge to cry out—Kuro crawled toward Korone's side.

When he was close enough, he lifted his less damaged arm and rubbed the girl's head lovingly.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

To be honest, Kuro had no idea what he was trying to comfort about—but nevertheless, he tried.

He tried comforting the seemingly lonely girl who was crying—even though she was the one who injured him.

In his eyes, behind a person's actions, there was always a reason behind—and seeing how badly her expression is, he wanted to help her out—even if that may kill him.

That's why, he let her beat him out for an without fighting back. Because he wanted to understand this person more—because he wanted her to release her stress—but it only backfired.

'If I think about it, maybe it was me who broke her. Without considering of her feeling, I kept pushing her forward and demanded her to harm me.'

'If I had asked her to stop at some point, would she have not been in this state, crying lowly?' Kuro started thinking of an 'could be' ideal scene. If he had thought for her more and carefully looked at her hesitation more.

But there was no ifs so with the saddened expression and messy voice—he spoke.

"I am sorry." This time, he apologized for not thinking for her well. His action resulted in causing her to attempt to diverse herself from reality. The result he brought weren't to his satisfactory.

He felt that a person like Korone should be laughing and smiling happily everyday—not like today, crying like this.

Only he, should be suffering instead of anyone.

At this moment, the gate which was closing, suddenly opened up as she bounced from the spot—she couldn't listen to Kuro's one-sided blame anymore. Moreover, this incident was caused by her, the person who should be apologizing shouldn't be him, but her.

From the kneeling posture—her messy face filled with tears and snot nears to Kuro, she strongly denied what Kuro said.

"Npo! It shwoud bhe mwe who shwould apwologise! (It's me who should be apologising)" Her sentences were rather messy and her mouth wasn't moving as she wanted.

Without a time to stabilize herself, she continued.

"I hwuted fwor no rweason Kuro! (I hurted Kuro without saying a word)"

This time however, the sentences were further messy. But that made Kuro sigh in relief.

"I am glad you're back."

The happiness made him feel as if the pain subsides—he adorably pinched Korone's cheeks… the pain came back when he looked at his hand again.

The sight of his bone popping out made him feel uncomfortable, that stress he was suppressing came at once—once again, he let out an pained sound. But it was better than before.

"Ai Awm sworry (I am sorry)." Nevertheless, she cried once again—but this time, she was hugging the battered body she caused.

To this day showered by his gentleness—she noticed that she directed her hatred to wrong person.