Chapter 84

As expected, I suppose.

Humans weren’t very tasty.

I don’t know what flavor others find in eating these things.

Clicking my tongue, I turned my gaze, and the man kneeling on the ground flinched.

Looks like he knows he’s done something wrong.

“Come out. If I wake up, I’ll kill you, so come out quietly.”

“…”

Tamako didn’t wake up easily once she fell asleep, so it seemed she hadn’t stirred despite the commotion.

If Tamako had seen those humans, she wouldn’t have let them live—but, well, since I had some questions, it might have been for the best.

First thing to ask…

“Do you know me?”

“…Yes, O Bringer of the End.”

“How amusing. Even the title sounds like something children would come up with.”

I felt strongly entangled in something troublesome.

My goal was to live a peaceful life by sticking close to Emerald, but…

Sighing inwardly, I slowly absorbed the man’s words.

“You brought about the end of the world. And we are those who remember and worship you.”

I thought only the magical girls—specifically Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire—would remember the previous world.

But it seems other magical girls, or perhaps other humans, are also regaining memories of the past world.

Unfortunately for me.

“How interesting. What benefit do you gain from worshipping me?”

“It’s not about benefit. We simply—”

“You just want to see the world burn, right?”

I smiled as the man hastily began to explain.

A group of humans with no intention of protecting what they have.

A human who screams at the mere thought of getting hurt wishes for the end of the world?

That’s just insanity.

“You would have seemed more sincere if you had begged me not to destroy the world.”

“…”

“So, in the end, you’re not worshipping me, but the destruction I bring.”

Not some small tribe in Africa, tsk.

Worshipping lightning, worshipping storms…

What they’re doing is nothing more than venerating natural phenomena.

Ah, please, I just want to live quietly, so don’t disturb me.

Really, how annoying.

“Go back and tell them. If they want the world they desire, they should create it themselves.”

“…Understood.”

I don’t dislike humans who listen well.

I smirked as the man bowed his head even lower.

There’s no guarantee they won’t bother me again—

Ah, right. Maybe I should leave a warning as a sign.

“If you return unharmed, your comrades will find it strange, won’t they?”

“What do you mean…”

At my words, the man raised his head.

His face, previously composed, now looked quite frightened.

Ah, so he was bowing to hide that face.

I thought he was some fanatic like in the comics.

“Since you’ve lived as a fanatic, it shouldn’t be hard to live as a fool, right?”

Grrrrrr—

I leaned in close to the man, who was making a stupid face.

Close enough for my cold breath to reach him.

And so that my image would be seared into his mind.

From now on, whenever this man remembers me—no, whenever he thinks of the color red—he’ll lose his mind.

Cough, cough—!!

“Ugh, ugh— Ugh, ugh!?!?!”

“Be quiet. There’s someone sleeping inside.”

I covered the man’s mouth as he tried to scream and grinned.

Where should I start eating?

An arm? A leg?

Ah, let’s skip the legs. He’ll need them to go back.

“I don’t like eating tasteless things twice a day, but…”

“Ughhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!”

“Let’s make an exception just for today.”

That arm he tried to stab Tamako with—it’s fine to cut it off.

The dog’s head that rose from the shadows lunged at the man.

Naturally, no scream was heard.

***

“Ugh…”

“…Huh, my savior?”

Waking up, I found my savior sleeping beside me.

I knew they sometimes came into the bed to sleep, but it happened so rarely that it always surprised me.

I reached out and poked their cheek.

Soft and squishy.

The gentle sensation made me smile.

‘…I was helped again today.’

Every time I sleep, I have nightmares, and from those nightmares, despair flows, creating more nightmares.

Ever since the human experiments, the only place I can sleep peacefully is by my savior’s side.

My savior feeds on despair and wished to stay by my side, so the nightmares have gradually decreased.

Though it’s all for the sake of a meal, the fact that I owe them hasn’t changed.

“Please don’t leave me, my savior.”

The nightmares vary greatly.

The end of the world, the death of acquaintances, being chased by monsters, or dreams of people I couldn’t save as a magical girl.

But lately, the nightmares have been similar.

Dreams of my savior leaving me.

“If my savior weren’t here, I would—”

“I’m back, senpai…”

Just as I was about to speak, the door opened, and a familiar voice called out.

Garnet. My adorable junior.

Lately, she’s been busy and rarely comes home.

“Welcome back, Garnet?”

“Yeah… I thought I was going to die from exhaustion…”

Garnet, who I held in my arms, started crying.

Lately, she’s been saying that people are more of a problem than monsters, that she saw someone throwing stones at her yesterday, and so on.

She’s been busy saving people from accidents happening day and night.

It seems that incidents caused by people are more troublesome than those caused by monsters.

“There, there, you’ve worked hard. You’re always doing your best, Garnet.”

“Yeeeah…”

She used to be different, but I wonder when she became such a spoiled child.

I gently stroked Garnet’s hair.

Her body has grown, but her attitude has become even more childish.

I’m grateful for her affection, but it also makes me feel guilty.

‘What if I had given Garnet a proper explanation before leaving?’

Garnet didn’t resent me for leaving without a word.

But just because she doesn’t resent me doesn’t mean the wounds in her heart have healed.

Now that I’m back, it’s also my duty to heal her wounds.

“By the way, what’s this, Akari?”

“Ugh…”

“Garnet?!”

Garnet, who was in my arms, reached out to my savior beside me.

Before I could stop her, my savior rolled off the bed.

“…What’s going on, Garnet.”

“It’s your fault for clinging so close to senpai.”

“…I don’t understand.”

My savior, tangled in the blanket, sat up and let out a small yawn.

Their hazy black eyes took in Garnet’s figure before blurring again.

They looked utterly bored.

Like a cat lounging in the sun.

Except they’re a monster, not a cat.

“Anyway, since I’ve been protecting Tamako in your place, shouldn’t there be some kind of reward?”

“On the contrary, since you’ve been clinging to senpai in my place, shouldn’t you be the one giving a reward?”

Both my savior and Garnet seemed quite serious.

They often argue like this.

Though it seems more like my savior is teasing Garnet.

When Garnet argues with my savior, she acts more like a girl her age.

“Do you really want a reward from me?”

“…Huh?”

“I never imagined you’d want something from me so badly.”

“W-wait…”

My savior, with a deep smile, leaned closer to Garnet.

It was clearly an attempt to tease Garnet, but she didn’t seem to realize it.

No, she didn’t just not realize—her ears turned bright red, as if—

—As if?

“Oh my, oh my…”

“…Senpai?”

Come to think of it, my savior said they saved not just me but Garnet too.

The director of the underground laboratory.

I’ve heard they were a great help in driving out that wicked man.

In that sense, my savior is also Garnet’s savior.

And, usually, a girl would—

“—Garnet. I’ve realized something.”

“…What?”

“I’ll cheer for you, Garnet!”

I clenched my fists and cheered.

Garnet, with a confused expression, looked even cuter today.

A girl hiding her true feelings is beautiful, after all.

“So, what is it?!”

Her flustered voice filled the room.

She really looked like she had no idea.

Ah, maybe she hasn’t realized her own feelings.

Though I have no direct experience, years of preparation have filled me with knowledge, so I could immediately tell what state Garnet was in.

‘This must be what they call an unaware heroine…!’

Of course, it was all a misunderstanding, but it took a long time for me to realize that.