Chapter 90

Emerald is just a girl of that age after all.

There’s something unexpectedly delicate about her.

Watching Emerald silently enter her room, I let out a small yawn.

“I never thought I’d hear such words from Emerald.”

I always thought Emerald would always be Emerald.

Honestly, right? I always saw Emerald as just Emerald, but suddenly she’s quitting being a Magical Girl.

[Akari, can we talk for a moment?]

“Sigh, you too…”

Sitting on the bed with her head down, Emerald glanced at me, and May spoke to me with a serious expression.

From the Magical Girl to her partner, everyone seems unusually serious today.

I felt like throwing everything far away, but I decided to let it slide just for today.

Honestly, I was curious about what they would say.

[Emerald is really confused.]

“I know. It’s obvious just by looking at her, why state the obvious…”

[If only you were human…]

May sighed as she spoke.

If I were human… Well, I wouldn’t have to suffer as a Magical Girl, so that might have been nice.

But such assumptions were meaningless.

Because the point where I was human never existed in the first place.

I couldn’t be sure, but from the moment Emerald recalled memories of the previous world, I was already a monster.

“If I were human, I would have become a Magical Girl and exploited your kind.”

[Haha, maybe that’s a good thing.]

“Do you want me to disappear too?”

[…]

The words that came out right after the joke were too heavy, but it was an issue that needed to be addressed someday.

After all, Magical Girls are created by those partners—fairies, I think. Anyway, creatures like May give them power.

Since they create Magical Girls, they wouldn’t look kindly on me.

Even if they did, I wouldn’t feel good about it.

[I don’t know about other fairies, but what’s most important to me is Emerald’s happiness.]

“…”

[Emerald looks really happy when she’s with you, but the problems that arise from being with you are making her unhappy.]

“So you’re saying you want me to disappear.”

Though she spoke indirectly, May’s words carried that meaning.

Well, it was half unreasonable for a Magical Girl and a monster to live under the same roof.

I knew this day would come, so I didn’t feel any particular emotion.

Just the thought that what was bound to happen finally did.

“I was planning to suck despair from Emerald until she grew old and died, but it’s a shame it ended this way.”

[…Sorry, Akari. But—]

“Don’t say you’re sorry, it’s disgusting. And don’t say thank you either.”

Would it be more creepy if a cockroach said, ‘Sorry for kicking you out of our house,’ or ‘Thank you for leaving our house’?

I tried to say something but ended up keeping my mouth shut, smirking at May.

‘You can’t curse a bent arm for being bent.’

To bend outward, you’d have to break the arm, but since I’m a gentle monster, I had no intention of breaking a perfectly good arm.

Ah, really. I wanted to stick around as long as possible…

By the way, does this mean I have to part ways with Tamako too?

That’s a bit—no, quite disappointing.

‘Where will I find a Magical Girl’s despair from now on…’

Do I have to go find the Doctor?

The Doctor’s despair, though faint, had a distinct color, so if I looked hard enough, I could find it.

In this case, I have no choice but to switch my target to Aya.

“Tell Emerald I said goodbye.”

[Huh? You’re leaving now? So suddenly?]

“Your words were sudden too, so isn’t it only fair that my leaving is sudden?”

It would be a lie to say my feelings weren’t hurt.

No, isn’t it enough that a monster like me stayed quietly by Emerald’s side?

Though I said I understood, losing Emerald and Tamako’s despair was quite disappointing even for me.

“And, Emerald must remain Emerald.”

[…]

With May silent at my words, I quietly got up.

I wish I could at least take this sofa with me.

…Should I just take it?

After some thought, I finally made my decision.

***

“Akari. For dinner—”

Ah.

Looking at the empty living room, I let out a short sigh.

The same scene as when I first came here.

A space where no one exists, just me alone.

“Akari?”

Calling her name brought no response.

I wanted to think she just stepped out for a moment, but the rising anxiety in my heart wouldn’t easily disappear.

As if my thoughts were correct.

[Emerald…]

“May, have you seen Akari?”

[Akari is gone now.]

“…”

May’s words left me speechless.

It could only mean that Akari had left.

But, why?

Was she disappointed because I was too weak?

If not, then why…

[Akari said to tell you goodbye. And, um…]

“And?”

[She said she’s taking the sofa…]

“Ah.”

The sudden word made my eyes widen.

Now that I think about it, the sofa is gone.

The red sofa that was in front of the TV.

Remembering how she always lay on it when she came home, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft, ah… Ahahaha…!!”

[…]

Well, I can give her the sofa.

…Still, it would have been nice if she had said something.

“Haha… Ha… Huh…”

The pain stabbing my heart made me take a slow breath.

My weakness didn’t give Akari any faith.

If I had taken responsibility, I shouldn’t have collapsed.

‘In the end, you made Akari give up for your own sake, Emerald.’

Biting my lip, I slowly exhaled.

Suppressing the tears that were about to burst, I staggered forward.

…I’m tired, really.

As my vision started to spin, I threw myself onto the bed.

[Akari will be fine, Emerald.]

“…”

Hearing a non-comforting comfort didn’t comfort me at all.

What if she’s not fine?

Vaguely worrying about such things, I started listing concerns in my head that I couldn’t bring myself to voice.

Is she eating well? Is she sleeping comfortably? What if she can’t adapt to the new environment? What if she gets attacked by a Magical Girl? And so on…

[Worrying so much means you really care about Akari.]

“I do care, but…”

When did Akari become such an important person to me?

When we first met, I was clearly hostile, and even when I brought her home under the guise of surveillance, I wasn’t exactly warm.

But Akari broke through that suspicion and wariness and eventually settled into a corner of my heart.

‘Don’t worry about unnecessary things, Emerald.’

‘It’s usually best to leave annoying tasks for last. If you do the simple tasks first and then the annoying ones, even if you fail, at least you’ve completed the simple tasks.’

‘Are you here? Seems like there was nothing to despair about today. What a shame.’

‘If Garnet and you fell into the water, who would I save first? I wouldn’t save either. Why would I save a Magical Girl with my own hands?’

It still feels like Akari’s voice is right beside me.

Sometimes she’s like a mischievous younger sister, sometimes like a grumbling but caring older sister, sometimes like a detached grandfather, sometimes like a serious father giving advice—

Ah, right.

I was seeing Akari as family.

[Still, don’t worry too much. After all, Akari believed in you too, right? That’s why she was so calm when you said you were quitting being a Magical Girl. This time, it’s your turn to believe in Akari, Emerald.]

“…That’s true.”

One farewell doesn’t mean an eternal farewell.

As long as we’re alive, we’ll meet again someday.

Since I received faith, I’ll return it.

Because—

“—believing in family is the natural thing to do.”

[…]

The word ‘family’ made May’s expression change amusingly.

It seemed like she couldn’t understand, yet also like she could.

Reading the complex emotions on her small face, I smirked.

‘See you later, Akari.’

Next time, I hope to see you healthy.

Looking at the empty living room, I recalled Akari’s smiling face—no, her indifferent face.

Akari doesn’t smile much, after all.

Alright. Then, seeing Akari’s smiling face will be my next goal.

So, until then, goodbye.