Chapter 68: Give me your despair (6)

Had I lost my mind?

As soon as I opened my eyes, all I could see was a world of darkness.

An abyss without a single ray of light.

I couldn’t help but shudder at the deep despair I felt there.

“…Ah, Kari?”

And the one emitting such despair was someone familiar—no, should I say a monster?

I overcame the pain that pierced my hope circuit and took a step forward.

Akari.

A friend I had made in this world.

A friend who was a monster but didn’t act like one, a kind friend.

“…Emerald, this area is dangerous.”

“…Sapphire, Ruby.”

“Cough, huff…”

Ruby collapsed, spitting out blood, and Sapphire cast defensive magic around her.

I didn’t want to blame them.

Even if I did harbor some resentment, I had doubted Akari like those two.

And my biggest priority right now wasn’t to blame them.

“Emerald…!”

“I have to go.”

“…”

“I have to save my friend.”

The closer I got, the more painful it felt.

Perhaps because of the fading hope, my recovery was slow.

Will I be able to reach there?

Will I be able to face Akari?

“Akari…!!”

I raised my voice, calling out my friend’s name.

The red eyes that glowed indifferently beyond the darkness tilted as if they didn’t understand the meaning of the three words I was spitting out.

“Akari, are you there?!”

But I knew.

Akari was inside me.

After all, Akari was a strong person who had maintained her sanity even when there was a halo above her head.

So she would definitely listen to me.

No matter what, definitely.

“Akari!!!!!”

Even though I was shouting out loud, no one attacked me.

Does that mean that the hope inside me wasn’t that threatening?

Or did they recognize me?

“Akari. Please, answer me…”

I kept feeling anxious because I couldn’t hear an answer.

If it was Akari, she would definitely have answered.

No, I subconsciously knew that what was in front of me wasn’t Akari.

That thing over there wasn’t Akari, it was Apocalypse.

A being that hunted magical girls and devoured despair.

But, was there really no Akari left inside?

Even a single piece?

“Please…”

I couldn’t go any further.

My legs gave out, and my vision became black.

I could’ve just gone a little further.

I just had to go a little further, just a little further—

‘Please…!’

I stretched out my hand with desperation, but my hand wouldn’t touch Apocalypse—Akari.

This is it.

I didn’t want it to end here, but in the end, it didn’t reach me.

In the end, that must mean my true feelings had ended here.

However, I didn’t pull my outstretched hand back or anything.

The reason for that was, yes.

“You can hear me even if I don’t yell like that?”

Because if the other person stretched out their hand, they would’ve been able to reach me.

“Ah…”

“Aha… What’s with that stupid expression? You were being noisy until just now, but now you’re quiet again.”

Akari, not Apocalypse.

The beast’s face, which had never shown any emotion, seemed to have a slightly different existence.

It was such an unbelievable sight that I wondered if I was dreaming.

“So, what kind of being do you see me as? Apocalypse? Akari? Which do you think I am closer to?”

“…”

Akari asked playfully, grabbing my outstretched hand and lifting me up.

As if, as if any answer would do.

But my answer was already decided.

Akari, you know what I’ve been calling you all this time.

“Akari.”

“Yes, Emerald.”

“You will always be Akari to me.”

“…”

The light in Akari’s eyes disappeared for a moment.

Seeing Akari’s face, which looked like the apocalypse I saw in the previous world, my heart fluttered for a moment, but I knew it was a joke, so I didn’t despair or anything.

If you ask how I knew it was a joke, well.

I guess it’s because the corners of Akari’s mouth were slightly upturned.

“You’re truly a hopeless magical girl.”

“…That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“It’s not a compliment. What do you call a magical girl, ugh…?”

Akari’s gaze turned to the back for a moment.

She must have seen Ruby and Sapphire.

Her expression when she looked at them was no different than usual, but it seemed like she was saying that she would definitely remember the fact that she had attacked her.

Akari was more persistent than I thought.

“Still, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Do you really think that’s a blessing?”

“Yes. Akari is my precious friend.”

“…Haa, really.”

Akari frowned as if she didn’t understand, but she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

Anyway, Akari suddenly relaxed when she returned.

I finally got up with help, but I fell down again.

Akari, who had been staring at me blankly, soon shook her head.

Her expression was like that of a child who couldn’t even control her own body.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

As Akari’s hand lifted my body, warmth that I felt for the first time seeped into my skin.

As expected, Akari was just Akari.

I tried to somehow hold on to my hazy mind, but my eyes gradually closed, perhaps because of the relief.

‘…Akari.’

When I open my eyes again, will you be in front of me?

---

“…Fell asleep.”

Falling asleep next to this mass of despair, isn’t that disqualifying me as a magical girl?

Emerald’s unconsciousness in my arms looked no different from a human who was lost in a snowy mountain and fell asleep feeling the warmth of her surroundings.

Of course, I controlled it well so that despair did not enter Emerald’s hope circuit.

“Emerald, what, am I going to do…”

“Haa…”

Now that I think about it, there were two annoying guys over there.

I ignored the voices whispering to me to hurry and kill the magical girls in front of me and let out a sigh.

It’s not like we’re going to fight until one side dies, and what the hell is that murderous expression on her face.

It was funny how she drank kimchi stew first even though she had no intention of killing him.

“What do you care what I do with Emerald?”

“…What?”

“You loser.”

“…Huh!?”

Step by step.

It was quite amusing to see their expressions harden as they approached.

What on earth were those two thinking?

Thinking that this was the end?

Or regretting not having dealt with me properly?

“Knock knock.”

I knocked lightly on the defensive magic surrounding the two.

Whether it was Sapphire’s hope that was the problem, or our despair was too strong, the defensive magic began to flicker as if it was about to break.

You’ve been holding on so well so far.

When I put a little strength into extending my arm, it easily dug in as if I was putting my hand inside the tofu.

The two magical girls were surprised to see my hand like that.

“Do I still look like Apocalypse to you?”

“…”

“Well, I didn’t expect an answer when I asked.”

After tying up the two people who were trying to resist somehow with despair, I fell into thought for a moment.

If I just let these two go, they’ll definitely continue to bother me.

But if I were to get rid of them here, Emerald would be bothered.

The reason Emerald gave me despair was not because she wanted me to get rid of these two, but because she wanted everyone to live.

“If you and the humans promise not to attack first, I won’t harm them either.”

“…How can I believe what you say?”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe it. Because I’ve decided to do it.”

Originally, only the winner had the right to make a choice.

Right now, I was the winner.

The losers were Ruby and Sapphire.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t believe me.

If they attacked me again, I could just scold them again.

‘…No, next time, I might not stop at scolding them.’

Like cutting off both their arms, or breaking both their legs…

Of course, this was if they attacked me again.

“Be grateful that you have good friends. If even Emerald had acted like you, I would have killed them all.”

“…”

Seeing Ruby keep her mouth shut at my not-so-threatening threat made me feel relieved.

Yeah, what can you do in that state?

After laughing at Ruby who seemed to have given up, I turned my gaze to Sapphire who was sitting quietly next to her.

Unlike Ruby who was full of hatred, Sapphire’s inner feelings seemed quite complicated.

Maybe she was worried about something that happened before she recalled her memories.

“Sapphire.”

“…”

“Playing friends with you was quite fun.”

Now Sapphire would never willingly cause me despair.

Really, back then Sapphire had a kind of naive and teasing charm.

If I had known that she would suddenly regain her memories like this, I would have threatened her instead of talking when we first met.

It was easier to deal with her when she only had hatred like Ruby, rather than when she had feelings of discomfort.

“And if possible, let’s not meet again, us.”

With that one sentence, she turned away from the two of them.

…Honestly, I thought she would attack me in the back of the head, but I was a little disappointed that nothing happened.

Anyway, that’s what happened.