Chapter 83

Recently, extremists shouting about the world’s impending doom have been increasing.

A union of magical girls has been formed to eliminate humanity’s enemies, becoming a hot topic.

The government is struggling with the demands of groups that worship monsters.

Voices condemning the magical girls are growing louder.

If you were to summarize what’s been on TV lately, it’s all been about that.

The world is ending, humanity’s enemies must be found and swiftly dealt with, and so on…

Was the original work this kind of atmosphere? The mood among humans is downright ominous.

Stepping outside, it’s like the streets are filled with lunatics.

Their despair is quite tasty, but with Tamako around, I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to feed on it.

“Akari… I’m back…”

“You’re back earlier than expected today.”

Lying on the couch, I greeted Emerald.

Honestly, I prefer it when she comes back late.

Emerald, dragging her feet, lifted me up as if I were some pet she was making room for.

“Ugh, today was really tough…”

“…Could you maybe not breathe into my neck like that?”

The sensation of her breath on my nape gave me goosebumps.

A month after the missing person case was closed.

In just a month, Emerald’s treatment of me has become incredibly strange.

She was so wary when we first met, how did it come to this?

‘I did say I’d cling to Emerald and feed on her despair…’

But lately, Emerald has been too hopeful.

She tries not to emit hope energy in front of me, but for someone like me who clings to her for despair, even that isn’t welcome.

If you’re going to raise a monster, you should at least prepare some quality despair.

“Awububububu…”

“Sigh…”

Sitting on the couch, Emerald placed me on her lap.

Then, making strange noises, she rubbed her face against my back—

Really, I couldn’t help but sigh.

It seems like her condition is getting weirder as time goes by.

“I don’t know how lucky I am to have Akari…”

There was a slight tremble in Emerald’s voice.

She never breaks when facing monsters, but she seems quite different when dealing with humans.

Well, humans aren’t beings that can be handled with hope energy like monsters.

Though I wonder what it’s like to use magical girls against human responses.

“Why, should I teach those humans a lesson?”

“…Even as a joke, don’t say things like that, Akari.”

It’s not a joke, it’s the truth.

As if recalling something from a previous world, Emerald answered in a serious tone.

Well, no matter how desperate Emerald is, she wouldn’t reach out to me.

“Still, thank you for saying that. Just hearing it gives me strength.”

“Ugh…”

The rising hope made me nauseous.

You’re a magical girl, don’t emit hope just because a monster says, ‘Shall I deal with the humans?’

Honestly, it feels like she’s doing it on purpose.

“Ah, sorry.”

“…If you’re sorry, could you let go of this?”

Startled, Emerald put me down, and I glared at her before lying down on the floor.

Ah, I hate hope. I love despair.

Letting my body stretch out, I slowly blinked.

‘I wonder what will happen next…’

The human world is becoming increasingly chaotic due to inexplicable phenomena.

What impact will this chaos have on Emerald, or on others?

A strange sense of anticipation made my Despair Circuit thump loudly.

If I’m right, surely—

***

“Is she really here?”

“Yes. The apostles have confirmed that she has made this place her nest.”

“Finally… we can welcome her.”

In the darkness, humans whispered, revealing their faith.

The preparations to welcome the end are complete.

They will storm the residence of the magical girls who are holding her captive and set her free.

Fanatics with only one purpose slowly began to enter the house.

Creak—

“What about the magical girls?”

“We’ll deal with them. We don’t need magical girls in the world we desire.”

The blades hidden in their sleeves revealed themselves to the world.

Blades prepared solely to kill humans.

A weapon targeting the fact that a magical girl’s body is more vulnerable when not transformed.

“We will offer the magical girl’s heart to her and receive the grace of despair.”

Beyond the door, another door.

They slowly moved towards the bed inside.

Moonlight streaming through the window cracks illuminated them, but they paid no heed.

All they needed to do was end the life before they were seen.

“…Benefactor.”

“…!!”

“…It’s just sleep-talking. Don’t panic.”

One of the humans flinched at the girl’s small murmur.

Having never killed a human—or a magical girl—before, it was perhaps natural.

Of course, for the one at the front, whether the target was conscious or not wasn’t important.

The most important thing right now was—

“This is amusing.”

“?!”

—the fact that the being they so revered was behind them.

“Don’t humans call those who break into others’ homes and wield knives robbers?”

The girl-shaped end spoke.

Just that fact alone was enough to throw the humans into confusion.

In their memories, the end never spoke.

But the being before them was clearly speaking human language.

Could they be mistaken?

No, that couldn’t be.

They could never forget that appearance.

“O end, we have come to set you free.”

“…”

The man at the front lowered his stance.

Though the girl felt nothing, he knew she was no ordinary girl.

To provoke her would mean death.

Recalling the scenes of destruction from their memories, the others shrunk back.

“Set me free? From whom?”

The girl tilted her head at the man’s words.

A look of complete incomprehension.

It seemed the end was unaware that she was being held captive by the magical girls.

Fallen victim to the cunning tricks of the magical girls.

“Of course, we have come to free you from the magical girls.”

“…Pfft, puhaha…!!”

The girl burst into laughter at the man’s confident words.

Not a laugh of joy, but one meant solely to mock.

The humans swallowed dryly as they watched her.

The moonlight illuminated the girl’s upturned lips, but her eyes were not smiling.

What that meant was clear…

“Ah, ahhh!!!!!”

“…Foolish.”

The humans screamed and fled.

The man gritted his teeth at their cowardice.

Don’t they know it’s better to beg for mercy than to provoke?

Leaving those fools behind, the man quickly knelt.

Lowering his stance as much as possible would help save his life now.

“This is amusing.”

“…”

“Are you begging for mercy?”

“…”

“In your memories, I must have been such a being.”

A laugh filled with mockery.

Yet the man remained silent, head bowed.

His life was no longer his own.

Even as the gaze watching him disappeared, the man did not move.

Hearing the distant screams and death throes was already too much.

***

“There was no mention of her speaking!!”

“Is that the problem?! The plan was insane from the start!”

“Free her from the magical girls? What nonsense…!!”

Their flight had no particular reason.

The dissonance of a being that shouldn’t speak, speaking.

The terror of witnessing a giant tiger suddenly speaking human words.

The humans ran, and ran, and ran.

Until they were out of breath, their legs trembling, their mouths dry.

“This should be enough, right?”

“I can’t do this crazy stuff anymore. I’m out!”

“Me too… Going to meet that monster was the problem from the start.”

The plan was flawed from the beginning.

Who was freeing whom from whom?

It was a monster from the start.

A monster that should never be approached.

What they wanted was the world when the monster was rampaging, not the monster itself.

Rustle—

“Who, who’s there!”

“Who’s there!”

Their heightened nerves made them react sensitively to even the smallest sound.

Feeling as if a monster stood behind them, they looked around, but in the darkness, they could see nothing.

Extreme tension.

As they stared into the abyss, a small whimper reached their ears.

Woof, woof woof, woof—

“What… it’s just a dog…”

“Damn, my heart almost dropped…”

“…Guess I’m not sleeping tonight, tsk.”

But they overlooked one fact.

Woof, woof woof! Woof woof woof—!!!

“Hey, something’s weird— ahhh!!!”

“Ah, ahhh—!!!!”

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back.