Chapter 76

“Director Shin, I’ve brought them.”

“Good. Well done.”

The voice in my ear made me flinch.

Shrouded in a veil of darkness, the figure was invisible.

The voice was also distorted into a mechanical tone.

Who could it be? A man? Or a woman?

The atmosphere of the dim room made my heart pound.

“Dr. Lina, was it? I heard you were researching magical girls here.”

“…That’s correct.”

“Good. Then you’ll be of great help to my experiment.”

Come closer, Dr. Lina.

At the commanding tone, I reflexively—no, spasmodically—took a step forward.

The reason? Well…

Grrr…

“…”

The sound of crying from behind sent chills down my spine.

Fear crawled up my spine, whispering to follow the voice’s command.

“Remove the veil and see what lies beyond.”

As I stepped forward, I saw something massive covered in black cloth.

Staring blankly at it, a pang shot through my chest.

Even without looking inside, I felt I knew what lay beyond.

I just hoped it wasn’t true, so I turned away.

Ssshh…

“…Ah.”

“You’re the one who will complete it.”

The voice spoke.

The voice whispered.

The voice, the voice, the voice, over and over, over and over—

The voice.

“…Aya?”

Aya, inside the test tube, was looking at me.

Her gaze seemed to ask why I had come only now.

“Lies, right…?”

Her small body was riddled with tubes for injecting some unknown substance.

Her skin intermittently swelled, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Aya in the test tube was no longer recognizable as Aya.

“Wh-what have you done to her!?”

“Done what?”

The scream that tore from my throat was met with a dry, emotionless tone.

The voice seemed to ask why I was angry, as if it didn’t understand.

I should have been furious, but fear grew stronger instead.

It felt like a giant snake was coiling around my neck.

“This is what you’ve been doing all along, Doctor.”

Uuuung—

It was a verdict.

A sentence for all the things I had done.

At the same time, the machinery in the test tube began to hum with a heavy noise.

Like the wheels of despair turning, just like that.

***

Thud.

“…”

“…”

Just before moving to the next area.

I stopped, feeling a heavy weight from within.

A despair so heavy it couldn’t be compared to what lingered nearby.

A familiar yet unfamiliar sensation made my body tremble reflexively.

“Something seems to be happening inside.”

“…Are you okay?”

“Okay? I’m on the verge of humming a tune.”

Humming ‘Hmm-hmm-hmm~♪’, Akari was.

…Is she really not tense in this situation?

Well, given her behavior so far, it would be more awkward if she were tense.

I couldn’t even recall her ever being tense, so this was probably normal.

‘By the way, wasn’t it research related to magical girls?’

The despair felt too thick for it to be just about magical girls.

A level of despair that would make an ordinary person lose their mind instantly.

Even without facing it directly, my skin tingled.

“Let’s go, Akari.”

“Sure. I was curious about what’s beyond there anyway.”

We had to hurry.

Following the instinctual cry, I quickened my pace.

Faster, faster, faster—

“Ah, ah, ah, ahhh…!!!!”

“…Kuh?!”

I gasped at the sight of people collapsed all over the laboratory.

A despair incomparable to before weighed heavily on my shoulders.

I had to go. No, I couldn’t go any further.

Hesitating between the two conflicting thoughts, Akari strode forward.

“Wait…!”

“Why? Are you scared?”

Akari, imitating an old man’s scolding, opened the door to the next sector.

‘Again, acting on her own— huh?’

The moment the door opened, the despair pressing on my shoulders vanished.

As if something had devoured the despair.

“You…”

“I told you I was fine. Even said I was so happy I could hum a tune.”

“…Well, whatever.”

Despair that even a magical girl would struggle with.

And a monster that devours such despair.

I thought about scolding Akari for devouring despair on her own, but on second thought, it seemed surprisingly fine, so I kept quiet.

A magical girl and a despair-devouring monster combo…

‘…Not bad, huh?’

Besides, Akari humming was cute.

No, no. Why am I thinking like a senior?

Anyway, with the despair gone, there was nothing more to fear.

Kwaang!!

“Curs, this time I’ll definitely…”

“That doesn’t seem like Curs.”

“Huh? But the despair I felt earlier was definitely Curs.”

Staring at the shadows writhing in the darkness, I frowned.

It wasn’t Curs’ despair?

Grrrr…

“Shh— Here it comes, Garnet. You know what to do next, right?”

“I know!”

From the darkness emerged a monster, and I immediately drew my hope energy blade.

Akari seemed to have no intention of stepping in herself.

It would be strange to ask a monster to fight a monster, so I had no choice.

Leaving Akari, who was watching with interest, I stepped forward.

“I’ll finish this as quickly as possible, so just watch.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Akari’s eyes sparkled as she watched me before the battle.

That girl, she seems to enjoy watching me fight…

***

Let’s begin, everyone take your seats!

Yes~!!

‘Watching magical girls fight is always fun, isn’t it?’

Especially when the attacks aren’t aimed at me.

The magical girls I’ve met recently have all been harsh to me.

From Ruby to Sapphire, they all tried to put holes in my body.

Watching is definitely the most fun part.

Grrrrr!!!!

“Kuh?!”

Garnet’s fighting style was similar to Ruby’s, but a bit rougher.

It felt weaker in direct combat, I guess.

Come to think of it, her first attacks were usually ambushes, probably.

“You brat, you…! Ugh?!”

“Be careful, be careful.”

Tentacles were sneaking up on Garnet’s back, so I pulled them back with shadows.

Even though I was just a spectator, helping out was the right thing to do since we were together.

“Why are you making such a flustered face?”

“I, honestly thought you wouldn’t interfere.”

“Sadly, I don’t have the ability to heal humans.”

I was just a monster.

Not the kind that heals magical girls, but the kind that hunts them.

So, I couldn’t have such a convenient ability even if I wanted to.

If I had the ability to heal magical girls, I would have pushed Garnet’s back hard, yeah.

“Thanks, Akari.”

“…Ugh.”

I shivered as Garnet thanked me while cutting off the monster’s tentacles.

Instead of thanking me, fight the monster, the monster.

After catching my glare, Garnet refocused.

‘She still hasn’t noticed, huh.’

Maybe because the lab was dark, she didn’t realize the monster resembled someone.

Well, the original version was more like a monster head, so it’s understandable.

I don’t know how it ended up like this, but for a mid-boss to fall so low…

It’s not heartbreaking, but a bit funny.

Life— no, monster life is unpredictable, huh?

‘That’s what makes it fun.’

Look, even now, it’s charging at Garnet with all its might.

It’s much more aggressive than a normal monster fighting a magical girl.

Even with Garnet’s hope energy blade in front of it, it doesn’t hesitate.

Of course, it could just be my imagination.

Grru…?!

“Haaap!!”

See, it’s flinching even now, afraid its tentacles might touch me.

If its past memories were ingrained in its instincts, it wouldn’t avoid me like that.

If it were, it would have charged at me first, not Garnet.

Grrrr…

“Damn it, running away when it’s at a disadvantage!”

“That’s enough, Garnet. Your target isn’t that monster, right?”

It was to find the kidnapper of the children.

Hearing my words, Garnet glared down the hallway before finally turning her head.

Good job, good job.

“I don’t dislike obedient magical girls.”

“…Don’t pat my head.”

“Why? Feeling ashamed to have a monster pat your head?”

I smiled, and Garnet turned her head sharply.

So shy.