Chapter 12

Apocalypse.

The meaning contained in those five letters was beyond imagination.

Perhaps, for me now, it wouldn’t be strange to say it was everything.

“Hmm~♪ Hmm hmm~♬”

“…”

Is this person really the Apocalypse?

She introduced herself as Akari, always maintaining her own pace.

She talked more than I expected.

Yes, the problem was that she talked way too much.

“Hey, then what should I call you? I can’t just call you Emerald in public, right?”

“…Please call me Midori.”

“Oh, we share the same ‘ri’ character!”

Even a little—no, quite a bit—eccentric.

I had planned to shoot magic at her face if she made even the slightest suspicious move, but she kept showing nothing but harmless behavior.

‘…Don’t let your guard down. Even if she looks like that, she’s still a monster. If I show any weakness, I’ll be struck.’

There was no assumption that I might have mistaken her identity.

The arrow in my heart, the resonance of my soul, told me that she was indeed the Apocalypse.

“So, Midori. Where are we planning to eat?”

“We’ll arrive soon.”

Is eating really that joyful?

The person who was expressionless when we first met was now smiling brightly, and the dissonance from that difference was quite striking.

No, to be precise, I couldn’t believe that the Apocalypse was making such an expression.

‘Maybe it’s because I found her earlier than expected.’

The Apocalypse first appeared in 2206.

In fact, I found her three years before the Apocalypse was supposed to appear.

“We’re here.”

“…Here?”

In stark contrast to the expressionless face that always killed magical girls, her expressions were now incredibly varied.

This time, she looked deeply disappointed, as if something didn’t sit well with her.

Actually, her expressions weren’t that dramatic, but because they were so subtle, they stood out even more.

“Can’t you eat fish?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

Maybe a formal restaurant wasn’t her taste.

The Apocalypse, with a dark expression, hugged one arm and shook her head, saying it was nothing.

Perhaps she had a fish allergy.

I thought I had picked the most neutral place to eat, but it seems I struck out.

‘…Why am I even considering the Apocalypse’s preferences?’

Then a sudden question arose.

Is there any reason to cater to the tastes of someone who is my sworn enemy?

“Then, is it okay to eat here?”

“Yeah, sure. It doesn’t matter.”

Despite saying she didn’t like it earlier, she seemed genuinely indifferent.

A truly unpredictable person.

The unease lingering in the corner of my heart was all because of her behavior.

“This is fascinating.”

As soon as we entered the restaurant, the Apocalypse’s eyes widened as she began to look around.

Her reaction was like someone who had discovered something amazing.

If left alone, she might have wandered around every corner of the place, so I quickly found an empty spot and sat her down.

“Is this your first time in a place like this?”

“Yeah, it is. Actually, there are a lot of things I’ve never done before.”

As she said this, she naturally poured water into a cup and placed it in front of me.

…She’s incredibly polite.

Even in such simple actions, I was constantly surprised by her unpredictability.

“Here’s your grilled salmon set~”

“Thank you.”

“…Thank you.”

After a brief thanks for the food, I glanced at the Apocalypse.

She was poking at the grilled salmon with her chopsticks, looking like she had no appetite.

If I said she looked like a cat tapping at a glass bottle on the table, would that be a lie?

“Let’s eat.”

“…Let’s eat.”

Her table manners were, well, surprisingly good, considering she was poking at the salmon.

If the Apocalypse had been a creature created by the Doctor, such behavior would have been impossible.

A monster wouldn’t have taught her human manners.

‘What if I hadn’t found her there?’

Just before the Apocalypse appeared, magical girls were frequently being kidnapped, so I flew towards a place where I sensed hope energy, just in case.

I never imagined the Apocalypse would be there too.

‘Maybe she really is different.’

If I really did save the Apocalypse before she was turned into the Apocalypse, what should I do now?

My head was throbbing from the completely changed situation.

‘No, no. Think positively. Once I deal with the Doctor, it’s all over. This is the most hopeful situation so far.’

“Ugh…”

At the sound of retching, I looked up to see the Apocalypse covering her mouth, looking pale as if she might collapse at any moment.

‘Her stomach is extremely reduced—really, it’s a wonder she can even walk.’

Ah.

Suddenly, I remembered what the doctor had said and jumped up.

What if the current Apocalypse was just an ordinary person kidnapped and experimented on by the Doctor?

Am I being too harsh on her?

“Let’s go back to the hospital.”

Holding Akari’s wrist, who had tears in the corners of her eyes, I helped her up.

She followed without resistance, and I let out a deep sigh.

I needed time to sort out my thoughts.

***

I was expecting some delicious despair when she said she’d feed me, but Emerald brought me to a human restaurant and ordered food.

If I were a normal person, I might have enjoyed these things.

‘It feels like looking at animal feed or mealworms…’

If asked which side I was on, it was definitely the side that looked delicious.

Steaming white rice, miso soup, and grilled salmon with soy sauce.

These were the kinds of meals that matched my memory of ‘delicious food,’ but unfortunately, I had no appetite at all.

“Hmm…”

I picked up some rice with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.

There was no taste at all, so I tore off a piece of salmon and stuffed it in.

‘Still no taste.’

It wasn’t like the tastelessness of mint chocolate or cucumber salad, but literally, there was no taste.

All I felt in my mouth was the texture of rice and fish.

If someone asked if you could enjoy food just by texture, I wouldn’t have an answer, but thinking that what was in my mouth was like mealworms made it hard to enjoy.

‘And why is she radiating hope energy?’

“Ugh…”

What I thought were mealworms turned into real mealworms.

I wanted to spit it out immediately, but I didn’t want to look ugly, so I forced myself to swallow.

This is food torture.

I vowed never to eat with Emerald again and slowly caught my breath.

‘Magical girls’ hope is on a whole different level.’

To make a monster nauseous in an instant.

I felt like punching Emerald in the head for feeding me hope, but I knew I’d just get beaten back, so I stayed still.

…I’ll get my revenge someday. I’ll fill myself with despair energy and beat her up.

“Let’s go back to the hospital.”

After making me eat tasteless mealworms and forcing food waste into my mouth, now she says let’s go back to the hospital?

Truly, an excellent choice.

To get rid of the lingering discomfort in my mouth, I needed to eat some ordinary human despair, and just as I thought that, she suggested going back to the hospital.

‘Not like I’m messing with a human—no, a monster…’

I didn’t even have the energy to say anything.

I didn’t have the strength to shake off Emerald’s hand holding my wrist.

I came here with high expectations, but all I got was a magical girl’s hope.

‘…I’m hungry.’

I needed despair.

Fresh, rich magical girl despair.

Ugh, I should have taken that beaker from the Doctor back then.

In the end, all this was the Doctor’s fault for not feeding me on time.

‘This won’t do. If I don’t find a way, I’ll starve to death.’

Even a monster filled with despair dies beautifully, and I didn’t want to starve to death.

I thought about hitting Emerald on the back of the head, but I was too hungry to feel motivated.

Honestly, I think I understand why the original Apocalypse killed so many magical girls.

They must have been like automatic despair supply food trucks, filling you up just by breathing.