Chapter 94

“Hey, hey. Say something~”

“Were you always this quiet?”

“Guess you thought I’d just let it slide if you stayed quiet.”

Laughter echoes.

And then, the poking fingers.

There was no particular reason for their torment.

The sole survivor of that incident.

Seems like that fact piqued their interest.

‘Hold on. Just endure it like always.’

Last time, and the time before that.

They’d torment me like they wanted to kill me, but if I didn’t react, they’d quickly get bored and leave.

Reasonless malice is like a summer night’s firework.

It flares up brilliantly, then quickly fizzles out.

If there’s no fuel, the fire won’t keep burning.

Ding, dong, dang, dong.

“…Sigh.”

Finally, it’s over.

Don’t know how long they’ll keep it up, but this time they were more persistent.

Already tired, their antics doubled my fatigue.

‘…I should go home and sleep early today.’

Hearing the bell, I got up and walked briskly down the hallway.

Then, I reached the stairs.

Looking down the long staircase, I felt dizzy for a moment.

They say going up stairs is hard, but going down is easy.

But for me, going down was just as tough.

‘Feels like I could fall any moment—’

Thud.

“Ah…”

My vision tumbled.

Did I misstep? No, doesn’t seem like it.

Hearing faint mocking laughter, I fell down the stairs.

A loud crash, followed by a ringing in my ears.

“Hey, is this really okay?”

“It’s fine. Who cares about an orphan?”

“But she really fell spectacularly. Thought it was an action movie, pfft.”

Amidst it all, those voices were crystal clear.

My creaking body didn’t heed my brain’s commands.

Growing colder and duller, as if about to freeze and disappear.

But.

‘What did I do so wrong?’

The hatred in my heart had crossed its limit.

If this were the first time, I’d have just lain there and gone home.

If it weren’t for the fatigue from enduring and wandering every night.

“Sigh…”

As if lying there was a lie, I pushed off the floor and stood up.

The laughter from above the stairs seemed to pause, but it didn’t matter.

“See, it was nothing, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“…Hey, isn’t she bleeding from her head?”

My vision was red.

Was it the blood, or the eyes that mysterious girl gave me?

It didn’t matter.

My life was now filled with things that didn’t matter.

‘Why was I enduring all this…’

Did I want to be that good kid?

Or didn’t want to be hated more?

I don’t know.

Now, it all didn’t matter.

Thud, thud, thud—

“What, she’s coming this way…”

“She can’t do anything, right?”

“No…”

I climbed the stairs and stood before them.

They’re nervous. Seems like they’re scared.

Of course, I didn’t plan to end it just by scaring them.

Today, I was quite—no, extremely angry.

“Hey.”

“Hmph, trying to scare me? Not scared at—gah, gah!?”

I grabbed their neck and lifted them up.

Don’t know where this strength came from, but it was easier than I thought.

Maybe thanks to the power Akari gave.

A little more force, and I could snap their neck.

“Thanks for helping me get down quickly.”

“Gah, gah!?”

“You’re from the curfew group, right? Should get home fast.”

“Gah, gah…”

“Since you helped me, I’ll help you too.”

I smiled at the pale-faced kid, suffocating.

The black, sticky emotion—despair—was palpable.

Ah, so this is human despair.

Slowly releasing my grip, a faint hope emerged.

Seems they thought I was letting them go.

Crash!!!!

“To, Tomoe…!!”

“Kyaaaah!?!”

With the sound of shattering glass, the trash in my hand fell out the window.

The intense despair felt during the fall was so stimulating…

Glad I stayed alive.

Felt like I found the reason I’ve been clinging to life.

***

“Welcome, Kuroko.”

“…Yeah.”

“You seem in a good mood today?”

Actually, I knew everything.

The fall of a human barely holding on accelerates over time.

The kinder they were, the more extreme they become.

Never imagined they’d throw someone out the window.

“Turns out, you really can do anything.”

“I don’t lie like humans do.”

Lifting my leg from the sofa armrest, I stood up with a grunt.

Guess I felt like moving properly.

Small doses of despair aren’t bad, but more is always better.

“Alright, I’ll do as you wish.”

“Well… Before full-on revenge, a little practice wouldn’t hurt.”

Like revenge on those who tormented you.

“Ah, a word of advice: don’t kill anyone.”

“Why?”

“Something you can’t handle might come.”

Lately, magical girls have been handling murder cases.

One or two amateurs are fine, but a group could be dangerous even for Kuroko.

Kuroko’s current state is like a strong kid.

Best to avoid fighting many until properly trained.

“Of course, it’s your choice. If you can handle it, do as you please.”

“…Alright. If you say so, there must be a reason.”

Nodding, Kuroko’s lips curled.

Listens well. Maybe she hasn’t reached the point of despair to kill yet.

“Then now… Ah.”

Good to have motivation, but pushing yourself too far isn’t wise.

Dizzy, Kuroko staggered, so I helped her to bed.

“…Was planning to rest today, good timing.”

“Humans die if they don’t rest.”

Placing my hand on Kuroko’s forehead, it was much hotter than a normal human’s.

Seemed to like my cold touch, humming contentedly with closed eyes.

‘Maybe because the tension’s gone…’

At school, on edge about everything, at home, tense because of me.

But relaxing at home might mean she’s starting to trust me.

Or maybe just the fatigue from successful revenge.

“Your body’s cold.”

“You’re hot.”

Skin touching, Kuroko’s thoughts flowed in.

Seems my cold reminded her of her dying parents—no, the moment they died.

Flowing blood. Cold, lifeless bodies. Departing souls. Helpless self.

“As much hate as there is inside.”

Prefer pure despair over mixed emotions, but this despair was quite tasty.

The guilt from doing such a thing, mixed with the sorrow of breaking a promise to her parents, was quite a delicacy.

But that too will dull with time.

So best to enjoy it now.

“What about the hate inside you?”

“…”

“Don’t you want to kill all the magical girls?”

Not particularly.

But not entirely off the mark either.

‘Is it you?’

[Disgusting, escaping magical girls only to create something similar…]

‘Why, isn’t it good for you too?’

[Makes me want to vomit.]

Apocalypse’s hatred for magical girls remains.

Even sensing a magical girl’s hope makes it clamor for death.

Yet it feels its joy when I consume despair, all thanks to me.

“Not really wanting to kill them.”

“…Didn’t you say you don’t lie?”

“Humans do it too. When they dislike someone, they think, ‘Ah, I want to kill that person.’ But they don’t act on it. It’s the same.”

Though with another hidden entity inside, there’s a chance it could actually happen.

Well, humans sometimes act on it too, so roughly similar.

Anyway.

“Sleep now. Need to rest well for tomorrow.”

“…You make it sound like something’s happening tomorrow.”

“Isn’t it? You’d know best.”

“…Ah.”

Kuroko let out a short sigh.

“…Don’t want to go to school.”

Just like what I said during my school days.

Though I never threw anyone out a window.