Chapter 27

Despair Level Omega. Despair Level Omega. Despair Level Omega.

“I’ve never seen anything like this…”

May swallowed dryly as she faced the monster—no, the pitch-black entity itself.

She had thought it was just a pitiful person captured and experimented on by the Monster Doctor, but who could have imagined it would turn into such a monstrosity?

May was doing her best to act calm, but inside, she was already completely burned out.

“I feel like I’m going to vanish…”

If exposed to that level of despair any longer, she would die.

Not metaphorically, but literally, she might just disappear.

If the other party hadn’t listened to her and calmed the despair energy, she might have really said goodbye to Emerald forever.

“Please take care of me from now on, May.”

[Hic…]

That one sentence sent shivers down her spine.

Even though the despair energy had vanished, the trembling didn’t stop.

“Is… is it over…?”

Watching Akari quietly get up and enter the room, May let out a sigh of relief.

A crimson halo that seemed to declare it would turn all hope into despair.

And eyes the same color as that halo.

The moment she recalled that inhuman gaze, her core tingled.

[What kind of monster did you bring here, Emerald…]

At this point, it was no different from having her life held hostage.

The horror was such that even if Emerald grew stronger, it was questionable whether she could handle it.

And to make matters worse, Emerald’s Hope Circuit was already damaged from fighting a Delta-level monster alone.

“No… Ruby… Sapphire…”

[Emerald…]

Watching Emerald, who had started having nightmares at some point, made her core ache.

Can’t you tell me, your partner, what kind of burden you’re carrying?

May, looking sullen, gently brushed Emerald’s cheek as she slept soundly.

***

Annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying…

That May girl sticking so close to Emerald was driving her insane.

Every time I tried to get near Emerald, she would pop out and glare at me, and that look made me lose all appetite for despair.

“Sorry, Akari. You’re going through all this trouble because of me…”

“Don’t worry about me, just get better soon, Midori.”

She said it, though it wasn’t her true feelings.

In her heart, she wished she could just lie down until she died.

‘By the way, a monster nursing a magical girl…’

She clicked her tongue inwardly.

She was getting so used to changing the wet towels that she was starting to think she might be an expert.

If other magical girls who knew about the Apocalypse saw this, they’d probably be shocked.

‘Come to think of it, do other magical girls not have memories of the Apocalypse?’

Of course, it was better for me not to have those memories, but since I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, it felt unsettling…

Even if I managed to grill Emerald, there was no guarantee that other magical girls would follow suit.

Especially Ruby.

If Ruby had memories of the Apocalypse, she’d come straight at me without a second thought.

“I must be being punished…”

“What kind of punishment?”

“The punishment for treating Akari badly…”

Why is she like this?

Being sick must have messed with her mental state too.

Or maybe it’s better to think that she’s returned to her original self.

In the original story, Emerald was a warm and radiant beauty.

‘Well, it’s still better than being suspected…’

If I could just keep May’s mouth shut, maybe I could avoid being found out.

The problem was that May wasn’t an ordinary being.

She spent all day by Emerald’s side, mumbling something, and every time she did, my heart would skip a beat, making it hard to look away.

“Akari, you’re not stuck here because of me, are you?”

“Who wouldn’t want to go out when they’re sick in bed?”

“…Sorry.”

You have a lot to be sorry for.

And the ones you should be apologizing to aren’t me, but other humans.

Like the ones I couldn’t save in the previous world.

“I’m really not cut out to be a magical girl.”

Ugh—

‘Today’s my lucky day.’

Emerald’s the type to generate despair energy when she’s self-deprecating.

May’s glare was sharp, but I wasn’t foolish enough to let the despair go to waste.

You wouldn’t detect this level of despair anyway, right?

If you could, you would have detected it when I consumed Tamako’s despair.

“By the way, Midori, aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m fine—”

Grumble—

I knew it.

I wanted to let Emerald know I was hungry, but humans are fragile creatures who could die if they don’t eat on time.

Guess I have no choice but to feed her.

Not to mention, Tamako woke up earlier saying she was hungry too…

“…I’m hungry.”

“Should I order something for you?”

“…Please.”

I shook my head as Emerald blushed and spoke.

See, trying to endure hunger while sick is making her face flush.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I subtly signaled to May, who was floating around Emerald.

‘If you make any strange noises while I’m on the phone, I won’t let it slide.’

[…I’ll stay quiet.]

“…Huh?”

Why are you answering, you idiot?

The fact that I can see May is supposed to be a secret from Emerald.

Were you trying to secretly let her know?

No way, not happening.

“Let me borrow your phone, Midori.”

“…Okay.”

A monster holding her phone.

Wondering what was inside, I turned on the screen to find a bland background with no password or pattern.

It looked like a strictly work phone.

‘So… hmm, it’s here. Looks like this world has delivery apps too.’

Since both of them are sick humans, ordering something light should be enough, right?

I didn’t need to order anything for myself since I had two servings of despair.

Even if I ordered, I’d just pretend to eat and throw it away.

‘Oh, YouTube is here too.’

Isn’t this too realistic?

Or rather, this is my first time accessing the internet in this world.

The Doctor was a very Confucian monster who would never let me hold a phone.

Tsk tsk, if only he’d given me a phone, I’d have stayed quiet.

This is why monsters are no good.

[The reality of magical girls. Are we really safe?]

[About the characteristics and peculiarities of monsters.]

[I was captured by a monster, but I saw a magical girl, so I’m lucky~]

‘…The world is the same everywhere.’

Monster filming, magical girl filming…

A video of a monster and a magical girl fighting, boasting 10 million views, gave me a sense of awe that couldn’t be felt in animations.

[Real-time: The reason Ruby escaped ㄷㄷ]

‘…Huh?’

Then, a video caught my eye.

It was about Ruby declaring her withdrawal from the Association to act independently.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this around the time she left the Association?

‘I remember she left because she was fed up with the Association’s corruption…’

The rewards for defeating monsters must have been quite substantial, but she gave it all up.

Even for a magical girl, thinking of living without money, Ruby really is a fool.

This is why kids who don’t know the ways of the world are no good.

And the ones sending those kids to fight monsters are also a problem, tsk tsk.

[You don’t look so good?]

“Ah, no, it’s just… could you not talk to me?”

[…I can’t help but talk when you’re making that face.]

If Emerald had been awake, it would have been a real disaster.

No, more importantly, what’s wrong with my face?

I opened the camera app on the phone and switched to selfie mode.

‘Hmm, I do look a bit scary…’

Thinking about magical girls must have made my expression sour.

Why did you make me think about magical girls?

This is definitely the fault of May, Emerald’s partner, who owns the phone with the YouTube video.

Punishment for ruining my mood, take it!

Squish—

[Wha—?! You, you touched me?!]

“Huh…”

Why can I touch her?

Wasn’t the setting that only magical girls can touch their partners?

May, whose cheek was pressed by my finger, jumped back in shock.

Her expression was like she’d been thrown into radioactive waste.

‘Who do you think you’re making that face at, tsk.’

A being made of hope, to me, was more disgusting than a cockroach.

Well, I had a feeling. She’d charged at me when I was elegantly consuming Emerald’s despair.

‘This means there’s a chance she’ll touch me again in the future.’

Should I just get rid of her here?

May flinched under my gaze.

Oh, why are you flinching? It was just a joke, a joke!