Chapter 14

It’s frustrating, so frustrating…

I really wanted to suck up Tamako’s despair like crazy, but I knew if I did that, the halo would appear again, so I couldn’t do it.

‘How long does she plan to stay here anyway?’

She calls herself a Magical Girl. Shouldn’t she be out hunting monsters by now, huh?

Even as I tried to drop hints, Emerald remained unmoved.

It felt like she was waiting for me to turn into an Apocalypse or something.

‘…Should I just go full twin tails and crush her with despair?’

Judging from what I felt at the clothing store, it might work once or twice more.

If I combined Tamako’s despair, who was lying there in the same state as last time, I might be able to escape this place.

“Akari.”

“…”

“Akari?”

“Huh, were you calling me?”

“Is there anyone else here besides you?”

No, there isn’t. But I’m not a person, I’m a monster.

I wanted to snap back like that, but as a weak monster, it was best to just submit to strength.

Life—no, monster life—is full of ups and downs. If something bad happens now, something good will come later, right?

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

“I’m not really an interesting person, so I’m not sure if this will be a proper conversation.”

That was my way of politely saying I didn’t want to talk to her.

Of course, she didn’t care at all.

‘…Isn’t she getting too close?’

Emerald, who was slowly creeping closer to the bed I was sitting on, was way too overwhelming.

The only silver lining was that she wasn’t oozing hope.

“It’s fine. I just want to know more about you, Akari.”

“…Are you into that kind of thing?”

Wanting to know more about me? That’s obviously flirting.

Is this a confession or something?

Is Emerald actually a masochist who confesses to her enemies?

Or maybe it’s something like “know your enemy, know yourself.”

“W-what? N-no!? I just genuinely want to know more about you!”

“That just makes it sound even weirder. So please stop talking to me.”

The sight of Emerald panicking to the point of losing her usual composure was quite amusing, but right now, I just wanted to be alone.

To be precise, I wanted to be alone with Tamako, who was lying over there.

Damn it, don’t ruin my sweet despair-sucking time with Tamako!

You call yourself a Magical Girl. A Magical Girl!

“Um, I like fish!”

“I don’t. I didn’t think I disliked it, but now I do.”

Anyone would feel that way after eating that tasteless grilled salmon.

I should never eat human food again.

…Wait, no. If I don’t eat, won’t they get suspicious?

“I’m sorry about that…”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know. I couldn’t eat anything while I was trapped there.”

In that case, I’ll take the lead.

Emerald clearly thinks I was captured by the Doctor’s lab and turned into an Apocalypse.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be testing the waters like this.

“…What was it like there?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask Tamako about that?”

As for me, I didn’t know much about the lab since I came to the city right after being created.

It’s kind of funny to ask me what it was like when I was the one who blew up the lab with magic.

Don’t people usually gather information before destroying something?

How short-sighted can you be?

“I’m sorry for bringing up painful memories.”

“It’s fine. If you keep digging up painful memories, they’ll eventually dull. Though I’m not sure if they will.”

The Doctor who stole and consumed my despair essence.

And then Emerald showed up, and the Doctor abandoned me and ran away alone!

No matter how much I think about it, that scene always makes me furious.

“…I see.”

“That’s how it is.”

Emerald seemed to have realized something from my answer and fell into thought.

The room became quiet again, but honestly, this was better than talking to Emerald.

Of course, it would be best if she just left the room.

***

They say people are most flustered when someone shows the complete opposite of what they remember.

But the current situation couldn’t be explained with words like “opposite.”

“…”

A face that looked like it could disappear at any moment.

I didn’t know what she was thinking, but she was clearly recalling her time trapped in the Doctor’s lab.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such an empty expression.

‘I knew the Doctor was a terrible monster, but I underestimated him.’

The scene I saw when I raided the Doctor’s lab was beyond horrifying.

Magical Girls with their limbs cut off, floating in test tubes.

Magical Girls making beast-like sounds as their despair was sucked out through tubes connected to their heads.

Some of them even seemed to be mixed with monsters.

[Emerald, are you okay?]

“…I’m fine, May.”

May, who seemed to sense my emotional turmoil, looked at me with worried eyes.

It’s fine, really. I just realized my own shortcomings, that’s all.

‘Akari hasn’t become an Apocalypse yet.’

According to the physical examination, she’s no different from a normal person.

Her body temperature is lower than average, and her heart rate is slow, but that’s understandable.

Among the people trapped in the Doctor’s lab, those symptoms would be considered healthy.

“I’ll step out for a moment.”

“…”

“Let me know if you need anything, Akari.”

I sighed inwardly at the lack of response.

No matter how much I resolved to treat her normally, I couldn’t do it.

Every time I saw that face, disgust and suspicion welled up inside me.

No matter how much I tried to suppress it, once those emotions surfaced, they didn’t easily subside.

[Emerald, do you really suspect that child?]

“No, it’s… nothing. I’m just feeling uneasy.”

[That child, I can’t sense any hope from her. Even the child who fainted had a faint glimmer of hope…]

“…”

[Did something terrible happen to her there?]

May was right.

She seemed out of place at first, but when it came to serious conversations, she turned pessimistic.

As if her usual demeanor was just a facade to hide that side of her.

If she had just stayed silent, I could have hated her freely.

So it was you after all, Apocalypse. You haven’t changed a bit since then.

“May. What do you think about hating someone just because they look like a bad person?”

[That’s not a good thing. Of course, you have your reasons, Emerald, but judging someone based on their appearance is wrong. What matters is their inner self.]

It was all sound advice.

[But I believe in you, Emerald. I’m sure you’ll see the real her someday!]

“…I’ll try.”

How much effort would it take to cover up those blood-stained memories?

Even now, whenever I think of Akari’s face, those terrible memories keep resurfacing.

But maybe I can do it.

After all, I managed to find Akari despite all odds, so something like this should be possible.

“Thank you, May. That helped a lot.”

[Ahem, of course! I’m your partner, Emerald!]

I smiled slightly as I watched May puff out her chest proudly.

Yes, I’ll take it slow.

And I’ll start erasing those memories now.

A spark of hope began to rise from deep within my heart.

‘First, I’ll apologize.’

It’s not too late.

I’ll apologize for all the rude things I’ve done so far.

The lingering sense of rejection in my heart tightened around my throat, but I didn’t want to go back on my decision now.

Alright.

I’ve sorted out my feelings, so let’s go back in.

*Creak*

“Akari, I have something to—”

“Ugh… *cough* *cough cough*!”

“Akari!?!!”

The moment I opened the door and entered the room, I saw Akari vomiting dark red blood.

Her pale face, looking like it could disappear at any moment, made the pool of blood around her even more vivid.

“Akari, are you okay?! Akari, Akari?!”

“Ugh, *cough*, *sob*…”

“Hey! Is anyone there!? Someone, please! The patient is vomiting blood!!”

How could she be okay?

Why did I even think she would be?

Just because she looks like the Apocalypse, did I really think she was the Apocalypse?

Even if she really was the Apocalypse, the person in front of me right now is just a normal girl.

‘You said you’d save everyone.’

Am I not included in that “everyone”?

Akari’s lifeless eyes, filled with resentment, began to stare at me.

Then, the Apocalypse within those dark eyes smiled bitterly at me.

The final enemy of the Magical Girls, the Apocalypse, still existed.

In my memories—as a nightmare I could never shake off.

Even now, it continues.