Chapter 42

I tried to argue that I was perfectly fine, but thanks to Emerald’s strong insistence, I was half-forced into the hospital.

Oh no. My Tamako. My despair…!

Lately, I’ve been consuming the despair of magical girls so often that the despair I felt in the hospital just wasn’t enough.

Growl~

‘I’m hungry, so hungry…’

Even though Emerald brought me all sorts of things, it was still just human food.

Such things could barely fill my stomach.

Ugh, I’m hungry.

Just like a child who has already tasted fullness doesn’t want to go hungry again, I no longer wanted to just snack on the despair of humans.

‘This won’t do.’

I suddenly got up from my seat and quietly approached the window.

The time now is 2 AM. A time when all humans are deeply asleep.

‘…I should go get some late-night snacks.’

I’m not sure if there’s any left—no, there must be some.

I quietly opened the window and fell into deep thought.

There’s only one place to go.

That place is the underground laboratory I had ventured into not long ago.

“…Huh?”

Just as I was about to jump out of the window.

I squinted at a faintly visible shadow.

A human? No, it doesn’t seem like a human.

Humans wouldn’t dare roam around at such a late hour.

‘Who is that—’

As I focused my eyes on the shadow, I noticed something like a square sketchbook.

Reading the large red letters written on it slowly, my squinted eyes suddenly widened.

[Hate me once more]

“…Could that be real?”

I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak properly.

No, didn’t you run away and disappear somewhere?

Perhaps because I was too shocked, my body moved before my words.

I placed my hands on the window and flung my body out, causing the other person’s eyes to widen.

“Didn’t you abandon me?”

“Th-that was… an accident!”

“What kind of accident?”

You just disappeared with a swoosh~.

As I stared down at the head below me, the other person started to get nervous.

You were so cold when you ran away, and now what?

Hate me once more?

“J-just kidding! I was kidding! You know my heart well, Monster Girl!”

“I have a name, Akari.”

“…What kind of name is that, it doesn’t suit you at all.”

Certainly, naming a monster after light (Akari) is a bit odd.

But the funniest part is that my name wasn’t derived from light at all.

I almost told Emerald it was Apocalypse, but I caught myself and ended up with A—kari—. Could you imagine that?

“Anyway, help me, Monster Girl! No, Akari!”

“No.”

“Wh-why not?!”

The face that once looked like a mad scientist now seemed a bit more pleasant.

The sharp, intense eyes from before had lost their edge—completely drained, you could say.

With a sharp rejection, I looked down at the doctor with a smirk.

“A magical girl is coming, and you abandoned me like that, and now you’re asking for help?”

“Th-that was…”

“There’s something you need to say first, isn’t there?”

Crossing my arms, I put on a firm expression as if I wouldn’t budge.

To anyone watching, it would seem like I was the adult and he was the child, but in reality, it was the opposite, which was quite amusing.

“Sorry…”

“Louder.”

“Sorry…!”

“At least loud enough to move my heart, louder!”

“Really sorry…!!!”

Under my not-so-subtle pressure, the doctor clenched his fists, closed his eyes tightly, and shouted.

That proud doctor apologizing to me.

Honestly, I thought he would never apologize.

“Who is it at this hour!? Can’t you be quiet?!!!?!”

“Ugh, ugh…”

The doctor’s voice was quite loud.

One of the humans who heard her loud apology opened the window and started yelling.

Honestly, you’re much louder.

Anyway.

“To be scolded by a human like this… Grr, it’s infuriating. I’m so angry I could die… Sniff…”

“…Are you crying?”

No, really? ‘That’ doctor is crying? Really?

I don’t know what happened, but seeing the once vicious monster from the original story crying like this was quite—

“Sniff…”

—quite satisfying.

Yes, cry more, cry more!

A doctor crying because of a human’s scolding.

It’s something I never imagined, so I couldn’t help but smile.

“Suddenly, a crazy person barged into my lab and chased me out with murderous intent… Sniff, damn it!”

“A crazy person?”

The craziest person is right in front of me.

With that thought, I looked at the doctor, and his expression momentarily went blank.

“Eek!! I-I’m not that crazy! At least not that crazy! I didn’t become a magical girl, at least! Grr…!!”

“Did you try to become a magical girl?”

A doctor as a magical girl, that’s a bit… no, it might actually suit you?

At least in appearance, you’re no different from any other human girl.

There were quite a few people who liked the doctor for her appearance, yes.

“No, it’s just a metaphor! Tch, suddenly turning from a human into a monster and then what? ‘Shouldn’t you pay for ruining my lab?’ Tch, tch, tch!!!”

“…”

I think I know who it is.

No, it would be strange if I didn’t.

Curs, I never imagined you’d be so petty, but to think you’d go that far.

Not satisfied with just putting a hole in someone’s chest, you went after their mother and wrecked their family?

‘Well, they’re abandoned parents and an abandoned child, so it doesn’t really matter.’

“So help me, Monster Girl!”

“…Monster Girl?”

“No, Akari! Just thinking about that guy makes me so angry I could throw up all the despair I’ve eaten!”

Still not calmed down, the doctor stomped the ground hard.

Looking at the dirt ground that only left slight footprints, I chuckled.

I think I know why you came to me.

Your lab was ransacked by someone you underestimated, and you couldn’t handle it yourself, so you came to me, the most likely candidate.

“But if you’re asking for help, you need to show some sincerity, some sincerity.”

“…Sincerity? An apology isn’t enough?”

“Were you planning to just apologize and be done with it? You have no conscience.”

You don’t seem to understand the situation, but right now, you’re the one in need, right?

If you want my help, at least bring me the despair of a magical girl.

The most important part of any deal is to make sure you have what the other party wants.

‘Well, you’re a doctor, so you must have the despair of a magical girl, right?’

I didn’t sense any magical girl’s despair from the doctor.

I didn’t sense any magical girl’s despair from the doctor.

It’s important, so I said it twice.

“What do you want? If it’s within my power, I’ll do it.”

“Give me the despair of a magical girl. You took my share, and it still haunts me in my dreams!”

“Wha, that wasn’t stealing, it was mine from the start!”

“…Really?”

So you have nothing to give me?

You created me, ordered me to fight magical girls, but didn’t let me charge my despair at all?

And then you come to me for help, you fool.

You have incredible talent as a researcher, but your social skills are completely lacking. No, they’re just plain terrible.

“That’s what I mean…”

“Ah, no? You’re not abandoning me, right? I, I came all the way here… You’re not going to refuse, right? Huh? Huh?!”

“Hmmmm…”

Is there any value in a doctor without the despair of a magical girl?

The answer is no.

“I guess there’s no choice.”

“So you’ll help—”

“Our relationship ends here, Doctor.”

“Why?!”

The fact that you genuinely don’t know why is already a strikeout.

Hearing my firm rejection, the doctor started clinging to me.

It was so annoying that I shook my arm slightly, and the doctor fell to the ground weakly.

If I had human emotions, I might have felt pity, but all I feel right now is annoyance.

“I, I created you! So you should help me at least once!”

Once wasn’t enough, huh?

Looking down at the doctor who was now clinging to me out of sheer stubbornness, I sighed deeply.

It doesn’t seem like he’s going to leave easily.

It’s a good thing it’s the middle of the night; if it were daytime and Emerald saw this, it would be a disaster.

“You can just make another one like me. Why does it have to be me?”

“…I can’t.”

“…Doctor?”

At my words, the doctor hung his head and started trembling.

Hearing the faint voice, I called out to him, and the doctor suddenly looked up.

His face was a mess from crying.

“I can’t! I can’t do it! I used my Despair Core to create you! Sniff…”

“…Huh?”

Wait, what?

Um, sorry to ask, but… how are you still alive?