Chapter 45: If I Hate You, I’ll Do It Again (4)

When Garnet heard that an intruder had appeared in the underground laboratory, the first place she headed was not where the intruder had appeared, but where the intruder had passed through.

To dig into the darkness of this structurally flawed city.

Why on earth do the underground researchers study monsters?

Why must the work of the underground laboratory be kept secret?

What on earth is the purpose of their leader, the doctor?

[Conditions necessary for the birth of a magical girl.]

[The connection between monsters and magical girls.]

How many thoughts had she had that day as she looked at the records in her hands?

[The power of a magical girl is generally seen to manifest when a child who has frequently witnessed the despair of monsters develops strong hope.]

[An experiment to see if the number of monsters appearing intentionally can be increased artificially to increase the number of magical girls.]

[#1] The reason why monsters appear frequently compared to the size of the city.

The reason why there are now only two magical girls left, when the number of monsters that should have increased as frequently as the number of monsters that appear.

The more she read the records, the more shocking the details were revealed, and Garnet was upset all day.

‘I knew they were doing strange things, but I never thought they would do something like this… Humans turning into monsters.

Combination of monsters and humans.

How did the despair of a magical girl affect the monsters?

“…In the end, everyone was just being used.”

The entire city was no different from that man’s laboratory.

How could a city without even a single signal to detect the despair of monsters notice the appearance of monsters and sound the alarm?

That was because they had sent the monsters underground by their own will.

It would have been easy to sound the alarm at the moment when they decided the monsters would appear.

‘It was strange to begin with, that such a shabby shelter wasn’t attacked.’

She had never been to another city, but she knew that shelters were usually built underground.

But a shelter above ground?

And the very top was the safest?

It wasn’t even funny.

It was to the point where I wondered why no one had questioned it until now.

“Peridot must be protected.”

It was enough for me to be used.

But that child was no good.

Of all the magical girls I’d ever seen, Peridot was the most magical girl-like.

She lacked experience and had a soft heart, but she could definitely become a better magical girl than Garnet herself.

“If only I could leave this damn city, how great would that be.”

Garnet muttered, fiddling with the choker around her neck.

A leash.

It was something that had been attached to her so that if she did anything stupid, she would immediately end her life.

What was it called?

It was a leash that she had to wear until ‘graduation.’

‘Garnet, I’ll take care of you.

We’re magical girls who protect this city.’

‘But, senpai-‘

‘We’ll definitely meet again someday.’

I didn’t know when that would be, but I’d definitely go to the same place as senpai.

I vaguely knew what the doctor meant by graduation.

‘So until then, you can live freely, Garnet Freedom.’

Garnet chewed on the two words that came to mind and slowly closed her eyes.

Will I ever be able to live freely?

Will the day ever come when I, who have already become like a bird trapped in a cage, can freely fly across the vast sky?

‘Sorry, Senior. In the end, living freely was impossible.’

As long as the Doctor is alive—no, as long as this city’s underground laboratory exists—there is no way I will ever be free.

Garnet clenched her fists, reminiscing about the feeling of stabbing a creature that was a mixture of a human and a monster.

The eyes of the magical girl named Emerald, who was looking at her with astonishment, were still vivid in her memory.

“It would be better if we all died.”

All the humans underground.

She forced herself to sleep, keeping her hopes in her mouth.

Tomorrow would definitely be the same as today.

Dealing with the monsters sent up from the underground laboratory, being praised as a magical girl, and waiting for graduation, which may or may not come.

But the next day, Garnet heard the news of the underground laboratory’s complete destruction, the deaths of most of the researchers, and the Doctor’s disappearance.

“Actually, I don’t know if I’m doing it right… There are many people I haven’t been able to save, and—”

Somehow I ended up listening to their worries.

No, it would be more correct to say that they started talking about these worries because I had been listening to them from the beginning.

‘_Why on earth did you drop them off on the outskirts of the city, that damn doctor!

Would it have been better if he had just dropped them off inside the hospital?

It was clear that he had ill feelings toward me.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put me in this situation.

He turned the favor back on me after I helped him.

He really was a monster.

And the human behind me… Isn’t that too much?”

His gaze glaring at me with murderous intent was too stinging.

Peridot next to me didn’t seem to sense that murderous intent, as if she hadn’t been able to stop talking.

I really want to escape.

There’s that talkative guy next to me, and that murderous guy behind me.

The monster’s life is hard; it’s hard.

Emerald, Peridot, and the nameless magical girl behind me.

If I get entangled with magical girls, tsk.

Ah, of course, Tamako was an exception.

Tamako was a magical girl who was kind to monsters.

“We’re almost there, so I’ll go in now.”

“I-I’ll take you to the hospital room!”

“…There’s no need for that.”

I turned my head at Peridot’s shout.

If I told her where the hospital room was, she’d probably come looking for me on her own.

The nurse and Emerald were enough to come looking for me.

If there were any more people coming, it would just be annoying.

“Then should I take you there, Akari?”

“Ugh.”

See, you’re starting to get annoyed right now.

I instinctively shrugged my shoulders at the voice behind me.

There was only one person here who could call me Akari right now.

“Where have you been so early in the morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a walk.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been better if you had contacted me?

Do you know how surprised I was when you told me that Akari had disappeared?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Emerald’s soft voice, but the anxiety in it told me how much she was worried about me.

By the way, why on earth did you come to my hospital room at such a late hour?

Even when I called, you had to call Emerald of all people.

I don’t know who you are, but I will definitely get revenge on you.

“And who is the person next to you?”

“Uh, uh, uh… My name is Hazuki.”

“I’m the person who brought me to the hospital after we met while walking.”

“Yes, yes. That’s right…”

Peridot began to hesitate at Emerald’s sudden appearance.

It seemed awkward, perhaps because it was the first time they were meeting each other.

No, is this really the first time they’re meeting each other?

After all, they’re both magical girls.

You’re coworkers, but you don’t even know each other’s faces?

“Surely you can’t even recognize each other as magical girls?”

If you can’t recognize each other when your transformation is canceled, then you can’t even recognize each other as magical girls.

Anyway, I decided to use Peridot as an alibi to prove that I only went for a walk.

It was a bit ambiguous, but just the fact that I returned to the hospital with a human would be enough to ease Emerald’s suspicions to some extent.

“Thank you for bringing Akari to the hospital, Hazuki-san.”

“Yes, yes!”

“I’ll take care of Akari from now on, so you can go now.”

“Yes…”

I was briefly impressed by Emerald’s gentle yet cold response.

Peridot, who had been watching me closely, slowly took a step forward, and I slowly opened my mouth.

There might be a day when I’ll be using her again, so it would be better to say something here.

“See you next time, Hazuki.”

“Yes, yes! That, Akari-san!”

Peridot was so happy that she could die when I waved at her at the end.

The corners of her lips curled up to her ears, all the way to her ears.

“Some people come to me out of concern, but others are just making new friends so nonchalantly… Don’t you think it’s unfair?”

“Ah.”

After watching Peridot until she completely disappeared, I let out a short sigh at the sound of Emerald’s voice next to me.

Now that I think about it, she was there too.

Sadly, it seemed like things were only going to get more annoying from now on.

“Are you sure you just went for a walk? You didn’t go somewhere else, did you?”

“Well, that’s right. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”

Maybe because of the time we’ve spent together so far, she didn’t seem to be suspicious.

It was more like she was just asking out of pure curiosity.

The despair he’d unleashed in Curse’s lab had been released through the doctor’s special filter, so he didn’t have to worry too much about being caught.

There’s no way he’d be caught, right?

‘I have to trust the doctor, ugh.’

He sighed and followed Emerald.

He thought he’d have to be careful when he went out from now on.