Chapter 74

She looked at me with an expression that seemed like she never expected to see me here.

I smiled as I watched Lina lower her head and avoid eye contact.

Is there something bothering her?

But when she made the request, she seemed sincere.

“By the way, is Aya doing well?”

“Huh? Yes…”

As soon as Aya’s name was brought up, despair poured out like a fountain.

Seeing this, it seems like Aya being kidnapped wasn’t a lie…

Well, doubting it now is pointless.

I didn’t need to dig into it; I’d find out naturally later.

“Dr. Lina, do you know her?”

“Yes… I remember the director introducing her a few times.”

“If that’s the case, then I can trust it.”

Thanks to Lina playing along, I managed to deceive her smoothly.

So, can I wander around freely now?

As I put my hand in my lab coat pocket and looked around, Garnet quietly spoke up.

“I’ll guide you, Doctor. This way.”

“Nice. Getting a guided tour from a Magical Girl.”

Why is she acting like this?

I reflexively responded sarcastically to Garnet suddenly using formal speech with me.

Of all people, Garnet being formal with me?

Even if it’s an act, isn’t this crossing a line?

“Then I’ll see you later, Lina. I hope Aya is there next time.”

“…Yes.”

Lighten up. I came all the way here to find the kid, and you’re making such a grim face?

Laughing inwardly, I started walking, and Garnet quietly gave me a look.

“…Did you know her?”

“A little. Not much though.”

“Just a piece of advice, it’s better not to get too close to women like that.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who’s keeping me close.”

No matter how dangerous humans are, they’re not as dangerous as Curs.

Besides, there’s no reason to be wary of a human who knelt down to get Aya back.

“There are still a lot of areas under construction.”

“Thanks to someone, all the monsters here escaped.”

“Whoever it is, freeing monsters that were forcibly imprisoned is literally a hero to monsters.”

“But a disaster for humans.”

As we bickered back and forth, we continued our conversation.

[Danger Zone]

“Doesn’t it seem suspicious?”

“…I hope there’s nothing strange.”

Garnet’s face twisted as if she was imagining those half-human, half-monster abominations.

Well, even I found them strange.

In that sense, I decided to pay my respects to the monsters sacrificed for Curs’ dream.

Ah, and humans too.

Beep—

[Unauthorized ID card.]

“Huh?”

Beep—

[Unauthorized ID card.]

“…”

“…”

Isn’t it supposed to open here?

Flustered by the unopened door, I looked at Garnet, who also seemed confused.

Looks like we picked the wrong one.

How low was their clearance anyway?

“Should we just break in?”

“You hate trouble, why bother?”

“Good point.”

Forcing the door open would trigger an alarm. That’s obvious.

So, what’s the best way?

“Let’s use the method we used earlier.”

“Earlier method?”

“Steal the keycard from a human who can access this room.”

Simple enough.

Sneaking a human into a cabinet when no one’s looking isn’t that hard.

Plus, it’s less noticeable than breaking the door.

“How about it? Good idea?”

“…Well, it’s more moderate than I thought. But stop folding people like origami, okay? It’s bad for the heart.”

“I only folded them within safe limits.”

“Just don’t do it.”

So petty.

I clicked my tongue at Garnet’s firm tone.

***

For the old man, researching Magical Girls was like a lifelong dream.

The hope energy that only Magical Girls possess.

If that hope energy could be extracted and made usable by ordinary people, how much would it benefit humanity?

If that happened, people wouldn’t need to fear monsters anymore.

A world where everyone could stand against monsters.

That was the future the old man desired.

‘Returning to Magical Girl research instead of monster research is truly satisfying.’

Researching monsters to help humanity wasn’t a bad direction, but researching the hope of Magical Girls, which is fatal to monsters, was far better.

The previous director, that guy, didn’t realize that and wasted time on monster research. Tsk tsk.

The old man clicked his tongue inwardly as he smiled, looking around the well-organized laboratory.

“Now that that annoying director is gone, I can finally relax.”

That young guy being the director and acting all high and mighty never sat well with me…

I knew he’d cause a big accident someday, but I never imagined it’d be this bad.

All the monsters in the underground lab escaping!

It’s a miracle the city didn’t collapse from such a massive incident. If things had gone worse, it could’ve ended my research career.

“Oh, this place is the cleanest.”

“…Hmm?”

While organizing what would become his personal lab, a strange voice reached the old man’s ears.

It sounded like admiration, but there wasn’t a trace of admiration in the dry, monotonous voice.

Turning his head at the unpleasant remark, he saw a girl who looked like she could be his granddaughter staring at him.

With eyes like an abyss, staring blankly.

‘She probably spoke to get my attention…’

If that girl had quietly entered the lab, would I have noticed?

The answer was no.

A normal person’s presence couldn’t be this silent.

It felt like something inhuman was wearing a human guise.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

“…Who are you?”

“Ah, I’m a newly assigned researcher.”

Her bow was polite, but her attitude was far from it.

No, it wasn’t just her attitude—there was no sense of etiquette at all.

The old man looked at her with displeasure and turned away.

Whether she was assigned or not, it had nothing to do with him.

He just didn’t want his time wasted.

“Doctor, you’re researching Magical Girls too.”

“…”

“I’m also researching Magical Girls.”

“…”

Her voice, neither fast nor slow, neither harsh nor soft, whispered or muttered.

It was a voice you couldn’t help but listen to, no matter how much you tried to ignore it.

It wasn’t a matter of reason. It was instinct.

Like prey nervously listening to a predator’s call.

“Ah, by the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“…What?”

“Can you enter the Danger Zone?”

The Danger Zone must be the recently established area.

A place tightly closed off, allowing no one but a select few to enter.

Of course, even those with access had never actually gone inside.

In a way, it’s like human instinct.

Entering means death.

No human would risk their life to satisfy curiosity.

“…I can enter. Why, do you want to go in?”

“Of course. What I want is in there.”

“…”

The girl’s gaze shifted to the keycard hanging around the old man’s neck.

As if she had no interest in the old man himself.

Her attitude made the old man’s eyebrow twitch.

Such arrogance for a rookie.

Just as the girl stared at his keycard, the old man glanced at hers.

“…You.”

The keycard wasn’t upside down—it was placed correctly.

The face on it wasn’t the girl’s.

It was someone entirely unrelated to her.

Realizing this, the old man’s body stiffened.

“What’s wrong, Doctor? Did you see something strange?”

“…”

The old man’s neck creaked as he tried to lift his head, and there she was—the girl, smiling brightly.

Like a child who’d succeeded in a prank.

But her eyes weren’t smiling, and the dissonance filled the old man with discomfort and disgust.

Flicker— flicker, flicker—

“…Who are you?”

The lab lights, which had never malfunctioned before, began to flicker.

The room turned pitch black, then lit up again, revealing the girl standing there, smiling.

The old man asked the question to the phantom-like being.

But Miji just smiled back at him.

“What you aim for.”

As her voice echoed, the lab lights went out completely.

Forever.