Chapter 13

“Phew…”

Finally, I can breathe a little.

As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I took in a deep breath of despair that filled the air, slowly calming myself.

Of course, this didn’t fill my stomach, but it was enough to wash away the bitter taste left by Emerald’s overwhelming hope.

“Please head to the hospital room. So, um, Akari.”

“It’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”

With a tone that was both sarcastic and not, Emerald’s face stiffened slightly.

What, was she thinking of firing a magic cannon at me or something?

“By the way, it must be disappointing that after all the trouble of dressing me up, I have to change into a hospital gown.”

But once my mouth starts running, it’s hard to stop.

If she hadn’t fed me nothing but hope, I wouldn’t have spoken to her like this.

Hmph, with a sound of annoyance, I turned and started walking toward the hospital room.

So, I guess I won’t be seeing her for a while.

“Wait a second.”

‘What now…’

But a voice stopped me.

Sighing inwardly, I turned my head to see Emerald staring at me with a determined expression.

“If you need anything, please let me know.”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Even if I asked for your despair, you wouldn’t just hand it over, would you?

Grumbling, I walked away, only to be approached by a nurse.

“Patient, I’ll guide you to your room.”

“Yes, thank you.”

There were quite a few injured people because of the monster that appeared this time.

Among them were people teetering between life and death, and the despair they emitted gave me a thrill similar to stepping on ants as a child.

Just looking at it made my eyes light up.

‘No matter how I think about it, living a normal life is out of the question.’

From the moment I woke up in Apocalypse’s body, I knew I wasn’t normal, but seeing such scenes and not feeling pity or pain meant my sense of ethics was seriously twisted.

Back in school, I was a model citizen who aced ethics class.

Well, it’s not like I’ll be taking the college entrance exam again, so it doesn’t matter now.

“Am I alone in the hospital room?”

That would be a bit boring.

Human despair is best felt up close, after all.

“No, you’ll have a friend with you.”

“…A friend?”

Did I have a friend?

Or did they capture that guy?

I blinked blankly, recalling the monster that disappeared into the doctor’s shadow submarine.

This hospital seems like a place where they capture monsters for research.

That doctor seemed a bit off too.

“Um, the name here is Tamako.”

‘…First time I’ve heard that name.’

Who the heck is that?

“Miss Midori admitted her along with you…”

Ah, I see. That magical girl with rainbow-colored eyes.

The despair energy she emitted looked delicious; I’ve always wanted to taste it.

‘Wait, isn’t now the perfect opportunity?’

If I play my cards right, maybe I can extract some despair energy.

Thanking the nurse who brought me here, I cautiously entered the hospital room.

By the way, are two people really going to use such a spacious room?

“Ugh…”

“Oh.”

Perfect timing.

A small groan escaped from Tamako, the magical girl lying as if dead.

Was she in pain, or was she having a nightmare?

“No, don’t… I don’t want to…”

“I’m enjoying it, so keep going.”

Sweating profusely, she muttered something, and the more she muttered, the more negative emotions piled up.

Yes, that’s it. Just a little more. Just a little more!

“Ugh…”

“Huu…”

And finally, when Tamako’s emotions peaked, the despair circuit inside me began to activate.

It felt like starting up a brand-new machine.

With a creaking sound, the despair circuit started spinning, and I felt my mind clearing up.

“Ahhh… Ugh.”

I crouched down, letting out an embarrassing sound.

Is this the despair of a magical girl?

Compared to what I ate at the shelter, this was just a taste. Thick despair clung to my entire body.

‘Just a little, just a little more…’

I indulged, indulged, and indulged again.

I got so close to Tamako’s face that I could almost eat it, slowly inhaling.

Ugh, it’s so addictive.

How delicious would an extract made from this despair be?

Thump, thump, thump—

“…”

Startled by the intense beating of my heart, I lifted my head.

It seemed like my heart was finally returning to a normal rhythm.

But there was one problem—

“Ugh…”

‘Even though I only had a little, I’m already like this.’

Something floated above my head. To be precise, a halo.

The ring, glowing faintly red in the dark hospital room, spun tightly as if demanding more despair.

Now that I think about it, something felt off.

If it’s Apocalypse, the halo above the twin tails is part of the identity, right?

“Huu… Calm down, calm down…”

Slowly exhaling, I stored the despair filling the despair circuit.

If I kept this up, I might really get hit by a magic cannon.

“Ugh…”

‘…Spreading the despair throughout my body seems to make it go away.’

If I were the original Apocalypse, I would’ve used this despair to kill humans and create more magical girl despair, but I had no intention of fighting magical girls.

Besides, in this state, I’d definitely get instantly killed by Emerald.

‘Well, considering the halo suddenly appeared, it’s surprisingly quiet—’

BANG!!!!!

“…You scared me.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you, sorry.”

There was no way it would end quietly.

I thought I saw her leaving the hospital, but did she sense the despair energy and rush back?

Afraid I might’ve been caught, I looked down and fidgeted.

Anyone could see I was nervous, but the dim room probably hid it.

‘Though I can see perfectly fine.’

Her expression was stiff.

Her breathing was heavy.

And her gaze was sharp.

“It seems like she’s having a nightmare.”

“…Yeah.”

Emerald’s eyes seemed to be focused solely on me, so I quickly changed the subject.

Look, the magical girl you saved is groaning in her sleep.

She even got experimented on by that evil doctor.

Focus on her, not me.

Come on. Come on!

“Akari, did anything… strange happen?”

“Strange? What kind of strange thing?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Tilting her head innocently as if she knew nothing, Emerald sighed and turned away.

…She’s clearly suspicious.

My heart raced at the thought of Emerald shouting “Transform!” at any moment.

“By the way, weren’t you leaving?”

“I’ll stay here tonight. I’m feeling uneasy.”

Her gaze seemed to say, ‘You’re the source of that unease.’

Come on, I’m not the type to go around killing people.

If I were the original Apocalypse, I’d be cutting down everyone like a walking guillotine, but I’m much more delicate, pure, and even moderate.

No joke, there’s been zero casualties, okay?

“Akari, you must be tired. Get some rest.”

“…I’m not really tired.”

Before consuming Tamako’s despair, maybe, but after a little taste, all my fatigue vanished.

I feel like I could go wild now!

And honestly, I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid I’d get hit by a magic cannon while lying here.

“…”

“…”

We stayed silent like that for a while.

Just as I was regretting not pretending to sleep, Emerald slowly spoke up.

“Akari, are you okay now?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

If Emerald had fired a magic cannon at me, I wouldn’t be okay, but since she didn’t and I even got a bit of despair, there’s no reason not to be.

It’s like living the life of a fire tribe.

A magical girl who spits out despair while sleeping? Perfect.

‘I want to take her with me when I’m discharged…’

If Tamako were by my side, I could live without worrying about despair for the rest of my life.

Gently brushing the sweat-soaked hair from her face, I looked at Tamako with desperate eyes.

I’m your life savior, so you can be my despair shuttle for life, right?

After all, a life savior is a lifelong savior.

‘But it’s not going to happen, not with her as the guardian.’

“…If you give up from the start, you won’t be disappointed.”

Half-resigned, I muttered quietly, cursing Emerald in my heart.

You get betrayed because you have expectations, Apocalypse.

You’re destined to live off the despair of ordinary humans.

Like those stray monsters wandering the streets.