Chapter 6: Shelter (5)

“Huh-huh~♪ Heuh-huh-♬ Woowoong”

My despair circuit began to tense up to the beat of my hum.

A feeling that ordinary humans cannot satisfy.

My chest pounded with satisfaction that only the despair of a magical girl could provide.

Grrrrrrrrraaa!

‘Don’t worry about me and keep doing what you were doing.’

A gaze flew towards me as I was watching the scene.

You’re quick-witted, you’re quick-witted.

I let out a small laugh at the monster’s questioning, as if asking why I was here.

Groan, groan, groan…

The human on the upper floor cried, as if asking how I got down.

Was he worried that the humans on the fifth floor would run away?

“It’s okay. Nothing will happen.”

After scaring me so much, if I came out, it would be something that transcended humanity, for sure.

I wasn’t human, and I had only come out to use the bathroom, so I thought it wouldn’t matter.

In fact, I had come down impulsively, driven by the despair of a magical girl.

[Peridot! She’s alive! She’s still alive! And, there are many life signals on the highest floor! Despair is thick, but there’s also hope! She’s a survivor!!]

“Survivor, okay? You’re alive, you say?”

Grrrrrrrr!

Magical Girl Peridot’s empty pupils began to gradually fill with light.

To be able to have hope after seeing this sight, you have incredible willpower.

Well, to be able to shout out technique names like “Peridot Splash!” with your whole mind, how could you be weak-willed?

Grrrr, grrrr! Grrrr!

“It wasn’t my fault?”

The monster hinted at the magical girl who had finally lost hope because of you.

No, am I that good at getting hints from monsters?

…Hmm, based on my experience as a monster, it might be about right.

“I, I will save everyone! Everyone!”

“Even so, most of them died.”

It was such a convenient hope.

To the point where it made me sick.

Whoa whoa—

[Hope Circuit Restarts! This is more power than when you take down a giant monster, Peridot! This is, can’t be…!]

“With this power, I can save you!”

Peridot’s eyes filled with determined determination.

I thought it would be quite difficult for despair to turn into hope, but it seems that just as hope can easily turn into despair, despair can also easily turn into hope.

Or maybe magical girls were created to be such convenient beings.

Grumble! Grumble!

“Oh…”

The monster seemed to be asking what to do now, but my interest was not in the monster right now.

Peridot let out a small exclamation as she watched the magic wand in her hand glow and transform into something other than a magic wand.

Awakening that only magical girls with a certain level of hope can do—hope threshold.

“I’ve seen it in anime when the main character awakens.”

By the way, isn’t this dangerous?

There was a description that there was quite a difference in power between a magical girl before and after awakening.

Even a magical girl who had just awakened might have been a bit overwhelming for a gamma-level monster.

Grrrr—

“She’s ready to fight.”

Of course, the monster didn’t seem to back down even in front of that sight.

Rather, it seemed more excited by the thought of making the awakened magical girl despair.

What a spirited monster—she could die.

“I’ve grown attached to her, so should I help her a little?”

Even though it was only a brief meeting, I didn’t want to let the monster, who had savored despair with her, die like this.

Of course, the monster could have won, but—

“… Why, why did you come now?”

“Ugh…?!”

“It’s too late.”

Good, it works.

The acting of falling was a little awkward, but I was able to act out the emptiness in a thin voice.

I gave the monster a sneaky hint, tilting its head as if it didn’t understand my actions.

Just watch and see.

“Instead of surviving alone, it would have been better to die…”

“…”

The magical girl’s face distorted.

Her expression looked like she was about to burst into tears.

The hope that had been swaying until just before was slightly stained with gray.

‘You see? How was my acting?’

Groan, grunt, grunt!

As she pretended to wipe away her tears and met the monster’s gaze, the monster let out a grunt of laughter as if he saw something funny.

It felt like an uncle watching his nephew’s talent show.

‘Rather than just standing there and laughing, why don’t you run away quickly?’

“I’ll take your resentment later! For now, defeating the monster comes first!”

Oh, it’s too late.

It was good that Peridot’s mind was shaken, but her recovery was faster than expected.

This was the perfect opportunity, so why did I just sit still, tsk.

[Hope Circuit Output 100% OVER! 200% ready, Peridot!]

“Yeah!”

The magic wand in Peridot’s hand, which was a book, floated into the air and began to gather a lot of hope energy.

Anyone can tell that this is the same, that thing.

The thing I saw on the screen, what is that?

That thing with a bad name.

And even at 200% output.

“Peridot Splash!!”

I was in big trouble.

Come to think of it, I was a monster too.

I tried to quickly get up as my vision turned white in an instant, but the beam of light was covering me faster.

‘Is this the end of Magical Girl Apocalypse…

Instead of being defeated by Diamond, Ruby, or Sapphire, I was defeated by an unknown magical girl who didn’t even appear in the original.

The final boss isn’t that bad~

Or is it actually better for humans?

Well, to be honest, it seemed like it would just end with something like it being incredibly painful.

Grrrrrrr—

“Wow…”

However, the beam that Peridot shot didn’t hit me directly.

Of course, I didn’t move my body to dodge it.

The setting is that normal humans are not affected by attacks made of hope energy.

I was thinking that I would get hit at least once in order to look as normal as possible, so there was no way I could voluntarily dodge that magic weapon, right?

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

The bizarrely twisted body moved fluidically, dodging the huge beam and simultaneously snatching me up.

What the heck, this kind of talent exists?

As I was quietly admiring the monster’s movements, the monster moved the shadow that was holding me in front of its nose.

Grrr.

‘Is it worried?’

It seemed like it was, but it also didn’t seem like it.

“dastardly…!”

[W, who would have thought a monster would take a human hostage! It must be a highly intelligent entity! If we don’t deal with it here and now, the damage will be great later on!]

“But what should we do…”

Now is our chance. If we miss this chance, you know what I’m going to do?

Seeing Peridot panicking at the sight of me being held in the monster’s hands, I lightly sent signals to the monster.

Just run away with me, you idiot. Am I really going to die if I keep staying here?

Grumble…

Although it didn’t seem to like it, the monster seemed to agree with my opinion to some extent.

It hesitated as if it was a pity for the despair of the humans left on the 5th floor, but it moved little by little.

[Peridot! Run away!]

“Ah, no! There’s still people!!”

Grumble, grouse!

As my vision brightened, Peridot’s voice quickly faded away.

It’s fast, it’s fast. Is this a Gamma-class monster?

I pushed the hair that was hitting my face aside and thoroughly enjoyed the speed created by the monster.

This, instead of a vehicle, it might be better to ride it.

‘By the way, it’s a shame.’

The humans gathered on the 5th floor, and the despair of the magical girl.

Especially the despair of the magical girl.

It was so delicious that it made me feel alive, huh.

“Ugh.”

Grumble?

“Because it’s a shame.”

Grumble, groan, groan!

“That’s why you came down to create this situation when you were upstairs?

Oh, the person who saved my life—no, how can you say that to a monster?”

You can just make despair again next time.

The monster kept arguing, but I ignored him, turning my head here and there.

He acted like a guardian while being a monster.

Even though we were meeting for the first time today, weren’t we?

No, more than that.

“…I’m curious about one thing.”

Grumble—

“The place we’re going to right now—Hey, wait a minute! Can you get off for a minute?!”

Grumble, groan!

Grumble!

Hey, this damn monster!

As soon as I heard my scream, the monster tightened its grip on me, and I cursed inwardly.

This direction, the direction of the research lab!

You betrayed me after saving me like this!

“Look, I’ll get revenge.”

Grumble!

The monster snorted at the final boss’s declaration of revenge as if it didn’t care.

How sad, how sad.

To be ignored by a monster.

Tears filled my eyes from sadness.

Of course, I didn’t really cry.