Chapter 59: The Sea, The Monster, And The Girl (3)

[This is a big deal…]

“…That’s right.”

After going out to search with Sapphire, it was good that we worked together to defeat the monsters and reached the vicinity of the black cloud.

The problem was what happened after that.

[I never imagined that you would go in ‘because it seemed like you could.’]

“.”

Hearing May’s sigh-filled words, I couldn’t help but sigh as well.

It was my mistake.

In my last memory, Sapphire always showed a cautious appearance, so maybe I had forgotten that fact.

“Sapphire, you were more reckless than I thought…

It was my fault for not grabbing her in the first place.

Who would have thought she would really go in?…

In the end, it was all just an excuse.

[How could Akari not be kind to you?]

“Maybe.”

I was worried because I couldn’t be sure.

I wasn’t doubting Akari at all, but I was worried about the monsters I would meet before I reached where Akari was…

Sapphire, are you okay…?

I could feel her gaze.

A very strong gaze at that.

A very persistent gaze that was only looking at me, right next to me.

“Over there.”

“_”

“I told you to observe, but it’s quite burdensome to be this close.”

“.. She’s burdensome to be stared at.”

“No…”

I tried to complain to Sapphire, who was observing me right in front of my nose, but it was impossible.

Where on earth would someone not feel burdened at this distance?

I thought I was also doing my own pace, but compared to Sapphire, it was nothing.

Was Sapphire originally like this…?

It’s different when you see it up close and when you see it from afar, but this was too much of a temperature difference.

It’s like a character who is misunderstood because she has no expression.

From my perspective, she was a very annoying character.

“By the way, aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m not hungry.”

Gulp – “I’m hungry.”

Sapphire’s biological clock had already figured out that it was time to let her know that she was hungry.

Slowed movements, slightly rapid breathing, and even her eyes half-closed as if she was tired.

Just because a monster can move with despair doesn’t mean that a magical girl can move with hope alone, right?

Taking care of a magical girl is hard…

In that sense, Emerald was blessed.

A pet monster that eats on its own without having to feed it separately.

How easy it would be to raise.

But then she had a halo on her head, so she’d just abandon it…

Well, just kidding.

“I’ll catch some fish for you, so just wait a moment.”

“Are you catching it yourself?”

“They don’t work even if I tell them to.

They just whine all day long, tsk.”

Monsters who were blankly staring at us from afar.

Do they think they’re members of the Fire Tribe?

They’ve got a place where they can eat despair and humans will never come, so now they’re going to play around?

When I looked at it this way, humans and monsters weren’t much different.

Those things are my kind…’

I welcomed competent monsters, but I rejected incompetent guys who were full of despair and frustration.

Ugh, how on earth did I end up in a position like the director of a monster orphanage?

“Now, look.”

“”

“Yuck.”

I put my hand into the seawater and secretly moved my shadow to grab a fish underneath.

Then I moved it to my hand, and it was perfect.

I felt the movement of the fish flapping in my hand and raised my arm, and a small wave occurred, revealing the fish that had been in the water.

“I chose the freshest one.”

“Wow.”

I tossed the tuna I was holding onto the sandy bottom, and its huge body jumped up and down.

Seeing Sapphire admiring the tuna made me feel proud for no reason.

A magical girl admiring the abilities of a monster?

Isn’t that the greatest joke in the world?

If there was one thing that was regrettable, it was that I was the only one watching such an amusing sight.

“Ah, I guess humans can’t eat this.”

“_”

“This is all a debt, so keep it in your ledger.

You’ll get it someday.”

The monsters ate the heads of even the fluttering humans as if it were nothing, but humans were creatures that couldn’t even eat a fluttering mackerel on their own.

As expected, humans are very easy on the hands.

I clicked my tongue at the…

After spreading out the shadow thinly and sharply, I quickly swung it, and the squid began to cut in an instant.

Okay, since it’s my bribe, you want me to take it well and speak well to the others?

“You can just eat it, but should I cook it?”

“I like sashimi.”

“Okay, then.”

Judging from Sapphire’s eyes, she definitely looked like she liked sashimi.

No, if it was a human with those eyes, she would definitely prefer it raw rather than cooked.

She looked at me with eyes that seemed to think it was a waste to even wait for it to be cooked, and if I asked her for just a little more time, she looked like she would eat me instead.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

What a polite magical girl.

She threw the squid by-products to the fish-shaped monsters that had stuck their faces near the shore and opened their mouths.

I thought only humans ate it, but do they eat this too?

Rather, if you’re in the water, you guys should eat it yourself.

“..! It’s delicious!”

“Is that so?”

“You should try it too. I feel guilty since I’m the only one eating it…”

Sapphire said, sneaking a bite of the sashimi.

I pretended to like it, but…

I shook my head as if I would spit it out right away if I put it in my mouth.

I can’t eat that kind of thing.

“Human food doesn’t taste good at all.

Well, your despair would be delicious, though.”

What would Sapphire’s despair taste like?

Just imagining it made my mouth water.

I couldn’t feel hungry because I was in the despair circuit, but I definitely wanted to eat delicious despair.

“Good.”

And then, Sapphire said that to me.

Good, what?

Did she finally realize that I was a monster?

“What should I do to give you despair?”

“Huh? No, what… I guess I should imagine the saddest moment of my life, or something like that.”

“The saddest moment of my life…”

Sapphire slowly closed her eyes, frowning and concentrating.

Oh, are you really thinking of the saddest moment in your life?

Looking at her face, she seemed sad, or in pain.

Maybe it was both.

Woof.

“Huh…”

…Whoa.

Not long after, I let out a breath of relief from the despair I felt.

It was fluffy and sweet.

It felt like I was eating the clouds floating in the sky.

The despair circuit was humming and making a pleasant sound as if it really liked it.

‘I didn’t know you would despair so much!

For a moment, I felt the sweetness that was overwhelming the despair circuit.

I tilted my head at Sapphire, who was despairing to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat.

How much despair do you plan on making, you punk?

“Come to your senses.”

“Ugh… That, you made a fool of yourself.”

“It’s okay. Your despair was really sweet.”

It was good to despair, but it wasn’t good to do it until you lost your mind.

What would Emerald think of me later?

Even if I despaired, it was best to do it within the bounds of normalcy.

“Now I have to keep an eye on Emerald even in places where she’s not…”

If I could eat my own despair, wouldn’t it have been almost infinite power?

As I giggled and swallowed the last remaining piece of despair, Sapphire let out a deep breath.

As if she was spitting out all her remaining regrets.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to come to my senses.”

“…Okay, try killing that hope energy.”

Did magical girls all have a trait where their hope grows stronger when they escape despair?

Sapphire frowned at the hope energy that was radiating even stronger than before.

What on earth are you doing giving hope to a monster that just experienced despair?

I was tempted to bite it, but since it gave me a delicious despair, I decided to let it slide for once.

I’m a generous monster after all.

Gmmmm-

Squeak, squeak-

“Even if you scream like that, I won’t kill you, so be quiet.”

“_Did the monsters say they were going to kill me?”

“No, they asked me to kill them.

I guess that’s because they can’t kill themselves—they’re not the kind of monsters who kill when someone tells them to, tsk…”

The way the guys who had run away far away to Sapphire’s hope energy were coming back feeling relieved…

As I slowly watched the monsters, I began to worry about their future all over again.

Are they really okay like this, seriously?

Well, the important thing right now wasn’t the monsters’ future, though.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, it’s okay.”

When I asked out of curiosity, Sapphire nodded.

She nodded so easily, wondering what question I was going to ask her.

“When you were just feeling desperate, what did you think of in your head?”

Normal people might think that’s vicious, but from my perspective, it was a very important question.

What on earth are magical girls and humans so desperate about?

Seriously, I couldn’t stand the curiosity.