Chapter 18

The battle between Peridot and the monster ended more anticlimactically than expected.

By gathering the power of hope from the people around, a magical blast dealt the finishing blow.

The monster, now full of holes like a donut, let out a pained groan as its final act.

Grrrrrrrr…

“I can understand that feeling, yeah.”

Getting hit directly with that level of hope, of course it would be painful.

Yeah, that’s why I avoid confronting magical girls.

Why expose yourself and get blasted when you could just quietly suck on despair?

I clicked my tongue internally at the rookie monster’s actions.

“Wow, Peridot!!”

“Thank you, Peridot!”

“I believed in you! You’re our hero!”

Is that how it is?

I swear I just saw an article trashing Peridot not too long ago.

I couldn’t help but laugh as the image of a certain ninja village popped into my head.

Well, if someone saves your life, you should be grateful. Yeah, that’s how it goes.

‘Should I head back now…’

Staying here any longer, I might suffocate from all this hope energy.

A monster dying from suffocation? What a joke.

Just as I sighed deeply and got up…

“…Ah.”

‘Crap, she saw me.’

Maybe because I was sitting too close, I immediately locked eyes with Peridot.

Up until now, Peridot’s mental state was a bit loopy, so I could’ve slipped away. But now, she was fully alert.

And she was radiating hope energy like crazy.

“W-wait! Just a second…!!”

Plan 36, Plan 36!

I quickly moved while Peridot was surrounded by people.

Ah, if only I had the ability to dive into shadows like other monsters.

Well, at least Peridot didn’t follow me.

‘Ah, I could really go for some of Tamako’s fresh despair right now…’

If you asked which despair tasted the best, Emerald’s was the most delicious.

Followed by Peridot’s.

But the problem with those two was that they’d suddenly sprinkle hope in the middle of despair.

It’s like having tar poured on your steak—better to stick with a humble kimchi stew.

“Then, the hospital is this way—”

Wait, which way was it?

I turned my head to the right, then to the left.

And then tilted my head.

‘…Where did I come from?’

Since I followed the scent of despair, I had no idea where I was.

If only I had a phone.

Hmm, I sighed, but then thought, whatever—and started walking slowly.

‘It’s not a big city anyway. If I keep walking, I’ll get there eventually.’

If it weren’t for Tamako, I probably wouldn’t have gone back to the hospital.

They say the stomach is the most dangerous hostage, and I was no exception.

With such delicious despair bubbling up every day, how could anyone resist?

Just imagining it made my mouth water.

“Uh, it’s the weird older sister!”

“You are…”

That kid from the shelter?

The world’s so small. Who knew we’d meet again like this.

I blinked at the child, who looked happy to see me.

“Your outfit isn’t weird today?”

“Mom picked this one, so it’s probably why.”

“W-well, last time’s outfit was cool too!”

Kids these days learn white lies so early.

But the kid was right—last time’s outfit was definitely weird.

Even for an experiment, those rags were a bit much…

“Oh, by the way, my mom wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

I don’t remember doing anything worth thanking.

But as the kid tugged on my sleeve, I half-heartedly followed.

The kid seemed to know the way.

Ah, right. Maybe I can ask this kid how to get to the hospital.

“Hey, do you know the way to the hospital?”

“Hospital? Which one?”

“Uh, well… I don’t know.”

“Hehe, if you don’t know, then I don’t know either!”

Come to think of it, I don’t even know the hospital’s name.

Why would I, who only seeks despair, know something like that?

If my stomach were full of despair, maybe I’d pay attention to such details.

Yeah, this is all the doctor’s fault for not filling my starving stomach.

“Ah, by the way, where is this place…”

“…Are you lost too?”

“I just lost my way for a bit!”

People call that being lost.

I thought this kid was well-educated, but maybe not.

My supposed savior turned out to be another lost soul.

“But I can probably find the way better than you!”

“I’ll trust you.”

“Your face says you don’t trust me at all, though.”

Of course, I can’t trust you.

No wonder the kid was alone without their mom.

Now I’m stuck with a human lost child.

“So, where was the last place you saw your mom?”

“Hmm… I think it was inside the mart!”

Inside the mart, huh…

“If you got separated inside, why did you come out?”

“I looked everywhere inside, but couldn’t find her, so I thought maybe she was outside.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right!”

I heard that if you get lost, it’s easier to find you if you stay put.

Maybe it’s better to take the kid back to the mart now.

Honestly, I didn’t feel like helping, but since we met at the shelter, I decided to lend a hand.

“Do you remember the way back to the mart?”

“Yeah, I do!”

That’s a relief.

Anyway, I held the kid’s hand and walked for a bit.

In the distance, the sign for ‘M Mart’ seemed to be calling us.

“Is that it over there?”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

The kid nodded excitedly.

Alright, let’s look around first, and if we can’t find her, we’ll leave the kid at the customer service desk.

Might as well ask for directions to the hospital while we’re at it.

‘By the way, is there no underground parking here?’

This is the first time I’ve seen a big mart with only above-ground parking.

Wait, this isn’t even the world I know, so I shouldn’t be so judgmental.

Anyway, the parking lot was so big that it took a while to reach the mart entrance.

“Where did you get separated?”

“Uh, near the fish section?”

The fish section… so that’d be underground, right? Usually, food sections are underground.

I turned to look at the sign and saw ‘Food Section’ written on the second floor.

Huh? It’s not underground? Wait, there’s no underground here.

‘Do people in this world die if they build something underground?’

Come to think of it, the shelter was built above ground too.

Maybe the ground here is too weak or something.

Well, that’s the humans’ problem, not mine.

Monsters only care about human despair.

“Let’s go to the second floor first, and if we can’t find your mom, we’ll head to customer service.”

“Okay, got it!”

Was the kid happy to be with me, or just relieved to be back?

The smile on the kid’s face was quite nice.

Kids really do look cute when they smile.

Though, from a monster’s perspective, crying is much more appetizing.

‘Especially when a smiling face twists into despair—’

No, no, no. Calm down. That’s not why I’m here, right?

I sighed internally as the kid looked up at me with an innocent expression.

Once the kid finds their mom, they’ll probably radiate hope again.

“How about it? Do you see her?”

“Hmm… nope!”

And so began the kid’s journey to find their mom.

From the food section on the second floor to the clothing section on the third, and even the electronics section on the fourth.

We even checked the first floor, but no sign of the kid’s mom.

‘Where on earth did she go…’

Even at the shelter, she left the kid alone, tsk.

They seemed like a close mother-daughter pair, but maybe there’s more to it.

“Hey, sis. Want some ice cream? My treat!”

“No, I’m fine—”

“My treat!”

“…Well, if you insist.”

Clearly, the kid just wanted an excuse to get some.

Honestly, I wasn’t really interested.

Human food is like weeds growing on the side of the road to a monster.

‘But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what it’s like.’

I can feel hot and cold, so maybe eating ice cream would give me a sense of what cold feels like.

I imagined the sensation of ice cream as I walked slowly.

Comparing my imagination to the real thing could be fun in its own way.