Chapter 47

It was literally a hair-trigger situation.

The opponent had drawn an energy blade glowing red, and I was ready to activate the Despair Circuit at any moment.

“I don’t really want to eat humans, but…”

I was so hungry that even breathing was annoying, and the unnamed magical girl kept bothering me, making it unbearable.

Ah, I didn’t want it to come to this.

Uuuung—

“…Huh?!”

I, who was about to die from hunger, died.

Now, I’m a new type or something with the Despair Circuit activated—anyway.

The opponent’s face twisted in despair as it spread instantly.

They didn’t expect it to be this bad.

Their shocked expression was so funny that I smirked, and they bit their lip.

“…Surprisingly, they’re not despairing.”

Ordinary humans—no, even Peridot despaired immediately upon seeing my despair.

My plan to scare them a bit, absorb their despair, and then turn off the Despair Circuit to fight was ruined from the start.

Well, there’s no helping it now.

I’ll just have to scare them for real.

“Should I start with the arm or the leg…”

“…”

“If I want to stop them from running, the leg makes sense, but looking at what they’re holding, maybe the arm first.”

The magical girl pointing her blade at me couldn’t hide her trembling hand.

They weren’t fine; they were just pretending to be.

The problem was that I still couldn’t feel any despair.

“…This is boring.”

I sighed and turned off the Despair Circuit.

There was no fun or satisfaction in consuming someone who didn’t even feel despair.

Besides, it wouldn’t even fill me up.

“Why do you come after someone who’s just minding their own business and start swinging your sword?”

“Hah, is that even a question? You monster…”

Feeling the gap in power, the magical girl who had been trying to kill me just moments ago became docile.

Her mouth was still sharp, but seeing her hope-energy blade waver, it seemed she had no intention of fighting further.

Or so I thought.

Pfft—

“I won’t kill you. I have a lot to ask you. About the underground lab, about the Doctor…”

“…”

Ah, so this is how it ends.

It was funny how she stabbed me in the stomach, claiming she wouldn’t kill me.

Soft or stupid, I wonder.

“Even with the monster label, you can’t go wild where Emerald is, right?”

“…Pfft.”

Not really.

I reflexively laughed at her misunderstanding.

Well, in a way, it’s true that I can’t go wild because of Emerald.

The direction was wrong, but the answer was right.

“What’s so funny? I’ve never seen a monster like you, stabbed and still fine.”

“True enough.”

As the magical girl said, the feeling of my insides being churned wasn’t pleasant.

It was like having a taser stuck in my guts.

The hope lump thrashing inside me was so painful it was almost amusing.

‘…But you know.’

“If you were aiming, you should’ve gone for the neck.”

“What—”

Uuuung—

A monster is a monster, no matter how human it looks.

Did you think I’d succumb to pain just because I look human?

As the Despair Circuit started spinning again, the panicked magical girl tried to back away, but my arm wrapped around her much faster.

It looked almost like a hug.

A pose you’d see in a yuri manga, but the one being hugged was pale-faced.

“You’re soft. You should’ve aimed for a vital spot.”

“Let… go!!”

“No.”

If I let go, she’ll just start swinging her sword again.

Just holding her seemed to have an effect, as her struggling weakened.

Maybe she’s given up resisting.

Or maybe she’s pretending to give up, waiting for a chance to attack.

“Don’t you think you gave up too quickly after stabbing me?”

“…”

“It’s polite to answer when someone talks to you…”

Maybe she’s trying to escape the reality of being easily subdued.

I tilted my head slightly, looking at the magical girl who refused to meet my eyes.

This wasn’t the reaction I wanted.

It’s not like she’s a beast in a zoo; ignoring me won’t make me go away.

‘She’s probably trying not to despair by deliberately thinking of other things…’

What if I do this?

I licked my lips, smeared them with saliva, and slowly opened my mouth.

Not as sharp as a monster’s teeth, but biting would still hurt.

‘Well then, bon appétit. Not really, though.’

“Gah?!”

Did it make a squishy sound? Anyway.

As I bit into the arrogant magical girl’s neck, her body, which had been still, started thrashing like a fish.

Whoa, hold still. If I use too much force, your neck might actually snap.

The taste of blood in my mouth made me want to let go, but the despair flowing in made me bite down a little harder.

“L-let go…!?!”

“Owowow…”

“Gaaaaah?!?!”

More despair, more.

Screaming is fine, but this hospital room is soundproof, so don’t expect any help.

I said no to her demand to let go, but with her neck in my mouth, it all came out muffled.

“Ugh…”

“If I eat you from head to toe—not leaving a single bone behind—who would be able to find you? Not even a strand of hair would remain.”

“Guh…”

Huh, I didn’t mean to make her cry.

But well, despair is flowing, so it’s fine.

‘Maybe magical girls are still girls, so they get scared easily.’

…Or not?

If it were a normal human, they’d be terrified if something with a human form bit their neck.

“Why did you come to my hospital room uninvited?”

“…”

Even in despair, she didn’t answer my question easily.

Did she have professional training or something?

Well, since she mentioned being a lab creation and all, maybe she’s one of those looking for the Doctor.

‘Emerald, this girl…’

Doctor, aren’t you too popular with magical girls?

With all the karma you’ve built up, no wonder they’re all coming after me.

As I grumbled internally about the Doctor, the door creaked open.

“Akari~! It’s time to go—”

“…”

“…”

The Doctor entered the room.

“What? If you have something to say, say it.”

“No, I… didn’t expect you to be having a meal.”

“Don’t just stand there, close the door.”

I gave him a look, and the clueless Doctor carefully closed the door.

Honestly, no help at all.

“By the way, this seems like your guest.”

“Me? Hmm… I don’t recognize her.”

“…”

“Really? She seemed to know you.”

If not, did she lie to me?

I gave the magical girl a look, and she stared blankly at the Doctor with wide eyes.

She looks really confused.

“The… Doctor? That’s you?”

“Yes, I’m the Doctor. Do you have business with me?”

“If a magical girl has business with you, it’s obviously to cut your throat, right?”

“What, stop with the scary talk! You know how much I suffer from magical girls, and you say that!”

I know, that’s why I’m saying it. You need to suffer more, tsk tsk.

Anyway, the Doctor’s appearance made things weird.

To be precise, it took the wind out of the situation.

The despair I felt earlier was gone.

“The Doctor is… a man… uh…”

“Does he look suspicious even with squinty eyes?”

“…”

From her silence, it seems I’m right.

Seriously, how many Doctors are there in the world?

“You made me act all weird for nothing. Ugh, ptooey…”

I spat out the taste of blood and grimaced.

I’ll never bite a human again.

What do monsters find so tasty about this?

The flavor was just too bizarre.

“…So, what are you going to do with her?”

“What do you mean, what? She’s seen you now.”

“Well, I could make good use of her. It’s better than killing her.”

True, as the Doctor who researched magical girls, he wouldn’t just kill her.

He’d probably lock her up in a test tube and suck out her despair.

“No.”

“I knew you’d say that—what?”

“I said no. Why should I do you any favors?”

I wasn’t planning to do anything special with her, but it felt too wasteful to hand over someone I caught to the Doctor.

You should’ve been nicer to me from the start.