Chapter 25: Discharged

Because of the recent events, I was wondering if something interesting would happen again, but nothing really happened.

It was really unfortunate.

I would have liked to visit the huge research facility in the basement of the mart again, but now that Emerald was always by my side, it was difficult to do so.

“Emerald.”

“Yes, Akari.”

“You must have your own house, so why are you sleeping here?”

“You’re a patient, a patient.”

As Emerald said that and showed me her wounds, I clicked my tongue internally.

Anyone could see that it was an excuse.

That smart person is telling me to recover quickly, whether it’s recovery or something.

Magical girls must guarantee the freedom of monsters, guarantee it!

Gulp.

“Oh my.”

And the biggest problem.

I was so hungry.

The biggest reason was that I couldn’t fully enjoy Tamako’s despair because Emerald was sleeping right next to me.

The despair police guard the despair fountain day and night to see if anyone steals the despair, so how can you secretly eat despair?

“If you eat it wrong, you’ll get hit by a magic gun.

Although I confirmed that I don’t take much damage from the guns fired by humans, I wasn’t sure about the magic gun of a magical girl yet.

What if I accidentally pick it up and die?

That’s why I had no choice but to live like this, even though I had many complaints.

‘Okay, let’s hold on for now.

I’ll suck up as much despair as I want when I get the chance.

Doesn’t Emerald have nightmares?

If she came from a world line destroyed by Apocalypse, she’d probably have nightmares at least once….

She was always looking for a chance to eat the despair of both Tamako and Emerald, but unfortunately, she hadn’t had that chance yet.

Could it be that the world hates her or something?

“It seems like you’ve been eating more recently, Akari.

That might mean you’re getting healthier.”

“Yeah…”

Getting healthier is nothing; she’d just be dying more and more.

It was nice that he fed me food whenever my stomach growled, but the problem was that what he said he wanted to eat was based on human standards.

Instead of this trash, he wanted despair, despair…

I’d like to throw it all away, but I’m a kind-hearted person, so I have to hold back.

Yeah, that’s right.

If it were other monsters, they would have killed the nearby humans in an instant when they ran out of despair.

It’s because I’m a monster of my size that I’m holding back like this, tsk.

“Now, eat.

Hurry up and eat and get healthy so I can be discharged and go home first.”

“…”

It seems like the monster’s scratching words are so natural.

Wouldn’t it be better to chew on the wounds that haven’t healed yet?

Even Tamako’s despair was neutralized by the hope that came out every time she said such words.

This is a total mess, a total mess.

“I’ll eat well… Ugh.”

Another problem that Emerald had while staying in the hospital room was that she couldn’t spit out food secretly.

I have to put these tasteless things into my stomach?

Ugh, it’s horrible to even imagine.

“Ugh…”

“Huh.”

“Just now…”

The moment she was about to put the tasteless human food in her mouth, a small groan was heard.

It wasn’t me, nor Emerald’s, but someone else’s groan.

‘Tamako, you’re saving me again!’

Not just a pot of despair, but an emergency escape route—how wonderful!

I quickly struck before Emerald told me to eat the human food.

Tamako, I want to see your pretty rainbow-colored eyes.

Open your eyes quickly.

Quickly!

“…Ah.”

“Ugh, eueeeeeek…”

As soon as my eyes met with Tamako’s, my stomach flipped.

If I hadn’t come to my senses, I would have definitely vomited blood.

Since going near Tamako was always to ingest despair, I reflexively opened my despair circuit, which was a mistake.

‘I didn’t think she would pour out hope energy as soon as she saw me…

I don’t think I did anything that bad.

Rather, since you saved my life, shouldn’t you pour out despair for me?

…No.

Tamako is a magical girl, so when she feels good, she should pour out hope.

Recently, due to a lack of despair, my mind was in a state of mental weakness, so my head was dizzy with various thoughts.

“Benefactor.”

“Yes, Tamako.”

“Thank you for saving me.

Really, thank you…”

Tamako burst into tears as if just looking at me was enough.

As tears formed in her rainbow-colored eyes, the light reflected in all directions, momentarily dazzling her eyes.

Ugh, my eyes stung.

She averted her gaze and grabbed Emerald’s arm next to her.

“If you think about it, this person here could also be considered a benefactor, so please say hello to him as well.”

“Uh, hello. My name is Midori.”

“Thank you, Midori.”

Her brightly smiling face was too bright.

Her hair, which happened to be the complete opposite of mine, was white, making the contrast even more striking.

We were definitely in the same lab, but how could we be so different?

“By the way, does this mean that a 24-hour despair generator becomes an average 8-hour despair generator?”

Now that I think about it, it seems like it would have been better for you to have been sleeping all the time, Tamako.

Wouldn’t you like to go back to your original state of unconsciousness, even now?

“I’ll call a doctor first.”

“I’ll go and get you—”

“I think I’m the one in the best shape here, so I’ll go and get you.”

I hurriedly left the hospital room because I felt like I would become a pickled hope monster if I stayed in the room any longer…

I thought I was going to suffocate to death.

The hope that I had escaped the doctor’s lab and the hope that Tamako had woken up mixed together, and it tasted really horrible.

‘Since I’m already out here, I might as well catch my breath and go…

Of course, I couldn’t take it easy.

The longer I waited to bring the doctor, the more suspicious he’d be.

Hmm, no.

In fact, if it were the current Emerald, she probably wouldn’t suspect me if I went back tomorrow.

It’s not like I’d really go back tomorrow or anything, though.

Knock-knock—

“Come in—”

“Hello, doctor.”

“Yes, is there any reason you’ve come to see me…?”

As I entered the office, the doctor I had first seen when I was admitted to the hospital greeted me.

No matter how I think about it, the cross-eyed character is suspicious.

It was also strange to put MRI and Iron Maiden in the same place.

‘And this smell…’

Wool—

I thought I hid it perfectly, but my nose, which was starving and forcibly fed human food and exposed to hope, could definitely feel it.

The faint aftertaste of despair.

“A friend who was hospitalized with me woke up. Could you check on his condition?”

“Yes, of course.”

The doctor got up from his seat and left the door first, and I started walking after him.

It certainly felt strange when I saw him from behind.

When I saw him from the front, I thought he was an ordinary, kind person, but when I looked from behind, he was so suspicious.

Is this what they mean when they say that people are different from the front and the back?

“Should I poke him?”

I was bored at the time, and I was curious to see how he would react, so I slowly closed the gap that had been between us.

Now, get ready.

“Doctor, your perfume smells unique.”

“Is that so? I didn’t spray perfume or anything.”

“Then maybe that’s your usual body odor.

It’s a scent that’s hard to get on your body, but it’s strange—”

“…Thank you for the compliment?”

If you heard it as a compliment, then you have the makings of a monster, right?

Why don’t you have a serious discussion with me about your criminal record?

If you’re a doctor, you’re pretty educated, so if you recruit me as a monster, it’d be pretty good—no, no.

Just imagining another guy like a doctor really didn’t seem right.

“Your condition has improved a lot.”

As a doctor, you’re really good at examining people.

If you did something strange to my despair, I was going to chew your head off right away.

But of course, you wouldn’t do something that would cost you your license as a doctor.

“I think you should be discharged, but would you like to stay in the hospital longer?”

“I’ll be discharged.”

“…Akari?”

“Thank you for everything, doctor.”

Emerald tilted her head when I, who had been reluctant to be discharged, changed my attitude as if I was turning over my hand.

It was a gesture that seemed to say that I didn’t know why I was acting like that.

Oh my, it seems like Emerald didn’t notice anything.

You should know that good characters with squinted eyes, polite speech, and kind speech always end up being annoying.

“Akari, why are you suddenly like that?”

“I want to go to Midori’s house quickly.”

“Uh?”

“It’s natural for people to become mentally weak if they stay in a hospital like this for a long time.”

She tugged at Emerald’s hem, pushing her ridiculous logic.

Come on, let’s go home.

She didn’t want to stay in that hospital run by that monster-smelling human any longer.

She had a feeling that it would definitely be the ruler of the underworld or something like that.

If not, she’s probably a senior researcher at an underground research lab or something.

“Come on, Tamako. Can you stand up?”

“Ugh, no…”

“Then I’ll take Tamako for now.”

She may look weak now, but she’s a magical girl, so she should recover quickly.

The fact that she woke up already despite being treated like that at the doctor’s lab was proof of that.

Come on, let’s go.

To Emerald’s house!

‘Hey, if this happens, it’s like going to the magical girl headquarters, right?’

She realized it too late, but she didn’t think much of it.

Hey, what could possibly happen?