Kunekune (3): Anything But My Eyes

If I absolutely had to lose one body part, which one would be best? Honestly, I had no idea—but at least it couldn't be my eyes. Losing my sight meant not knowing what was happening around me. It meant my entire world plunged into total darkness.

"Ah, Ari...! Let's get somewhere with no one around first!"

"Yeah."

Ari grabbed my hand and pulled me along. First things first, we had to escape the Kunekune. Whether things were going well or not. It made sense to assess the situation away from them and come up with countermeasures if there was a problem.

With my eyes squeezed shut, I ran, letting Ari drag me along.

"There."

"There."

"There."

"There."

Ari kept announcing throughout our run whether there were any Kunekune nearby.

...I was so glad I'd brought Ari along. Without her, I really wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing.

When we got home, I'd make her favorite food. But the situation wasn't exactly positive.

...Looks like they're still chasing us.

Kunekune were tenacious monsters. With my eyes closed, I couldn't tell what was happening, but they were probably trying for a jump scare. Until I became one of them. Relentlessly.

I gritted my teeth. For now, all we could do was keep running until we escaped the village.

"There."

"There."

"There."

"There."

"Gone."

Eh...?

"Gone?"

"Yeah."

I felt a faint vibration at my fingertips. Ari must have nodded.

She wasn't the type to lie. Was it because I hadn't fallen for the jump scare? They backed off easier than expected....

"......Really gone?"

I cracked my eyes open just a sliver.

What I saw was a river flowing lazily by. The peaceful rural vibe. Trees and grass in their natural state. Just as Ari said, no sign of the Kunekune.

"Haa.... Somehow we survived....... Thanks, Ari. This is all thanks to you......"

As I said that, I turned to look at her.

And that's when I realized it. Ari was tall. Way taller than me, and probably taller than most other girls too.

And behind that tall Ari's back.

Wriggle wriggle.

Wriggle wriggle.

One Kunekune was plastered right there. Hiding behind Ari's back.

"Ah."

Ari's eyes went wide. She must not have even considered it might be on her back.

Before I could slam my eyes shut again, it shoved itself right in my face.

Shake shake.

Shake shake.

Shaking.

My vision warped. My thoughts folded in half. Language scattered, leaving only empty shells.

Arms? Legs? Ah, all there. All there, but all wrong. Bending, stretching, folding, tearing, reattaching!

"Ah, aa, aaaa? Ah...?"

Ah, so that's what humans were ultimately made for—to shake like this? Gotta shake. Shake shake shake shake—

I was shaking perfectly. Me, the cute girl, shaking away. Shake, shake, shake, shake.

Shake?

But I wonder how I look to everyone else?

Like a wriggling cute girl? Sure, cute girls can shake too. As the universe's top cute girl, whether shaking, squirming, or wriggling, I'd always be the strongest at being adorable.

But y'know, Kunekune don't look like cute girls no matter how you slice it, right?

In my increasingly fracturing mind, one hazy fact surfaced.

If I kept shaking shake shake shake shake like this, I'd gradually become one of them.

I'm the cute girl protagonist. A protagonist because I'm cute. Kunekune aren't cute girls. No way in hell they could be.

So I—couldn't become a Kunekune.

If I did, I wouldn't be a cute girl anymore.

"Hahk...."

I spat out a breath. Cough cough...!

I shook my head furiously. One, two, three, four, five.... Numbers......I can count properly.

"My name is Mayuri.... Born in 00, universe's top cute girl......"

I could say my name. I knew who I was.

"...You okay?"

Ari asked.

...I glanced around once, but no more Kunekune in sight. Satisfied with the jump scare? Or did it back off because the mental pollution didn't work on me? Who knows....

"I'm fine, Ari.... I'm okay, so......"

I let out a sigh and stroked the head of the downcast Ari.

Ari looked on the verge of tears.

"You made it back alive?"

When we returned to the temporary shelter, Geom-ma asked that.

"Heard you screaming earlier. What the hell were you even trying to do?"

"Uh, just.... Tried something."

"Ease up on the risky stuff. ...I don't get off on pushing people into corners."

Geom-ma sighed.

"If you can't solve it, just bail. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when I asked. Was just shooting the breeze since no loss if it flops."

"Got it.... I'll do what I can."

"Fine then."

With that, Geom-ma picked up her phone again, signaling total disinterest.

...This one's consistent, I'll give her that.

Anyway.

...Now I can say for sure.

I had some resistance to mental pollution. Probably another Cute Girl Mod feature.

...That line about 'playing as the cute girl protagonist.'

Doesn't that mean I'm locked in as the cute girl protagonist?

In other words, it preemptively blocks any chance of me not being a cute girl.

That's why I snapped out of the mental pollution during that panel discussion gig too.

Lots of monsters in this monster game turn you into 'no longer human,' like the Kunekune. I could probably counter those.

Not being human anymore means, put another way, not being a cute girl anymore.

But thanks to the Cute Girl Mod, I have to be the cute girl protagonist.

"...Thanks to that, I survived the Kunekune just fine."

But on the flip side, mental pollution that drives you mad while staying a cute girl probably isn't blocked...?

What a half-assed ability......

Still better than nothing, I guess. I summoned Lisa.

"Hm, that doesn't look like something I can chop up for you."

Lisa peered out the window at the Kunekune and said as much.

"Even you can't do anything, Lisa?"

"Afraid not. Everything organic in this world has potential as an ingredient, so if it were organic, I could handle it. But that? Doesn't seem like food."

"I see...?"

"Think of it like trying to cook and eat a shadow. Only the sun could manage that, right?"

If shadows were solid, I could chop them, sure, Lisa added.

Same reason why "Cute Girl Punch" didn't land either. No mod activation message.

I'd punched the Kunekune, but no damage. Basically like punching air or a shadow.

...So even Cute Girl Punch has weaknesses like this.

No, at this point, isn't it just full of weaknesses...?

Has to be close range to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trigger, takes time even if it hits to girlify the monster, and then I have to support the girlified monster afterward.

And if it can't take physical damage, the mod doesn't even apply...?

Should've just downloaded Cheat Mode instead of this damn Cute Girl Mod.

What was I thinking, starting this stupid game for glory or whatever....

"Can't we go home...?"

Ari was the one who said that.

"Mayuri getting dangerous is bad.... Can't we go home...?"

Rare for her to say something like that.

......What the hell. Why is Ari suddenly so cute...?

Is this really our king-god-tier beast girl Ari...?

You're not Ari. Whoever you are, get out of Ari's body!

...Never thought I'd live to see Ari feel responsible.

She seemed to have some weird guilt over failing to protect me.

But I didn't blame her at all. Kunekune were smarter than we thought.

Pretended to retreat, left just one hiding on Ari's back.

Of course, Ari was a bit careless too? But from the start.

I never expected that much from our literal beast girl Ari to begin with....

...Am I dissing Ari too hard?

"I'm fine, Ari. No need to worry."

"......"

"Let's try just one more time. If it doesn't work, we'll go home. Got it?"

I reassured her like that.

But Ari didn't seem convinced and stuck to me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like glue.

...Not even to the bathroom, please.

I spent the night there. Woke up refreshed, mind crystal clear. Condition top-notch. Ever since becoming a cute girl, I'd been super healthy.

Before coming to this world, my body wasn't that great. Especially my digestion....

Struggled with fried stuff. So I'd only order charcoal-grilled chicken, not crispy kinds.

But as Mayuri, I could devour crispy food no problem.

Body, mind, spirit all healthy, I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

"KyaAAAAAHHH!!!"

I put my all into it. Sensitive to sound, the Kunekune popped up from all over.

"...Their numbers are insane."

I knew it wasn't just one. And yeah, everyone in the village had fallen to them.

How many people lived here? 100? 200? That many Kunekune, then.

The wrigglers swarmed in.

Wriggle wriggle.

Wriggle wriggle.

To turn me into one of them.

They surrounded me. Shake shake. Shaking.

The moment I saw them, I knew. Gradually understanding what they were, my mind started shaking shake shake.

I bit my lower lip.

It's fine...

Shake shake, shake, shake, shake....... The whole world shaking, me shaking, gotta shake. Sanity crumbling bit by bit. Feeling myself slipping away?

Like dreaming. Like half-assed sedation during an endoscopy. Ah, ah, aaa..., ah?

Who... was I?

Mayuri.

My name's Mayuri. Cute girl protagonist.

Clinging to that faint fact, I inched toward them.

Shake shake. Vision still shaking. Body trembling. Or not trembling, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shaking? Or wriggling?

Like Kunekune. Irresistible wriggling.

Maybe because they're right in front of me. Can't stop wriggling. If they vanished from sight, maybe I could stop.

Ah, still there. Ah, aa, aaa?

Mad one second, sane the next? Teetering on the edge between cute girl and lunatic, I barely clenched my fist.

"I'm one of you."

And—swung.

Splat!

The punch connected. I was hitting a Kunekune.

It reacted.

The Kunekune that took my punch. The Kunekune wriggling even more after my punch.

I wriggled too, wriggle wriggle wriggle, and swung again.

Splat!

Hit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it again.

But why'd I punch...?

"Ah, I remember...."

What were Kunekune again? Like shadows, right?

So as a human, I can't hit shadows. Punches don't work, so guns wouldn't either? Bombs? No physical attack in this world would touch them?

Then I'd have to become a Kunekune too, right?

As one of them, I could hit them.

Of course, as the cute girl protagonist, I couldn't become a full Kunekune.

But if I let the mental pollution go to the limit? I'd be a Kunekune-like cute girl, yeah?

"......All came back."

You little shits.

You're fucked.

I swung my fist.