Chapter 74: Kidnapping (4)

An expression that seemed to say that she had never imagined seeing me here.

She smiled at Lina, who lowered her head and avoided eye contact.

Was there something bothering her?

Despite that, her appearance when she asked seemed sincere.

“By the way, how is Aya?”

“Yes? Yes…”

As soon as she brought up Aya’s story, despair poured out.

Looking at this, it seemed like it wasn’t a lie that Aya had been kidnapped…

Well, there was no point in suspecting it.

Even if she didn’t step forward and try to find out, she would naturally find out later.

“Do you know Dr. Lina?”

“Yes… I remember the director introducing you to me a few times.”

“If that’s the case, I can believe you.”

Thanks to Lina’s rhythm, she was able to fool him without much trouble.

Then, could she go wherever she wanted?

She put her hands in her gown pocket and looked around, and Garnet opened her mouth slightly.

“I’ll show you around, Doctor. This way.”

“Good. Let’s get guided by a magical girl.”

Why is she like this again?

Suddenly, Garnet started to speak politely to me, and I instinctively responded with a sarcastic reply.

Who would have thought Garnet, not another human, would speak politely to me?

No matter how much it was an act, it seemed like it was crossing the line…

“Then I’ll see you next time, Lina. I hope Aya is there then.”

“…Yes.”

Her expression softened.

What if I came all the way here to find her and her expression was dead?

As she walked, giggling internally, Garnet quietly gave her a hint.

“…We were acquainted?”

“A little. I don’t know much, though.”

“My advice is to stay away from women like that.”

“That’s not something you would say when you keep me close.”

No matter how dangerous humans are, they’re not as dangerous as Curse.

There was no reason to be wary of a human who knelt down to get Aya back in the first place.

“There are still a lot of areas under construction.”

“Thanks to someone, all the monsters that were here escaped.”

“You’re literally a hero to the monsters, releasing the monsters that were forcibly detained, even though I don’t know who you are.”

“It would be a disaster for the humans, though.”

They talked for a while, bickering.

[Danger Zone]

“I guess it’s suspicious, right?”

“…I hope there’s nothing strange.”

Garnet’s expression suddenly distorted, as if she had thought of the half-human, half-monster halves.

Well, even I thought they were strange.

In that sense, she decided to pay tribute to the monsters who were sacrificed to fulfill Curse’s dream.

Oh, and the humans as well.

Ti-

[ID card with no entry permission.]

“Huh.”

Ti-

[ID card with no entry permission.]

“…”

“…”

No, isn’t it natural for it to open here?

I looked around in confusion at the door that wouldn’t open, and Garnet also had a confused expression on her face.

It seemed like they picked a dud.

Just how low did those guys have authority?

“Should we just break it down and go in?”

“Why would someone who hates trouble?”

“That’s true.”

If you force open a door that won’t open, the alarm will sound.

It was obvious.

Then what should we do?

“Let’s use the method we used the first time.”

“The method we used the first time?”

“I mean, let’s take away the human’s card key that can enter this room.”

It was a simple method.

It wasn’t that hard to fold a human and put him in a cabinet without the other guys knowing.

It seemed like it would be less noticeable than just breaking down the door.

“What do you think, good idea?”

“…Well, it’s milder than I thought. But could you stop folding people like origami? It’s bad for the heart, you know.”

“I’ve folded everything without risking my life.”

“Don’t do it if I tell you not to.”

He was petty.

He clicked his tongue at Garnet’s firm words.

***

For the old man, researching magical girls was like a lifelong dream.

The hope energy that only magical girls possess.

If we could extract that hope energy and make it usable for ordinary people, how much would it help humanity?

If that happened, people wouldn’t have to fear monsters.

A world where everyone could stand up to monsters.

That was exactly the future the old man wanted.

‘I’m really satisfied that I’m back to researching magical girls instead of monsters.’

Researching monsters to help humanity wasn’t a bad idea, but it would be much better to research the hopes of magical girls that were fatal to monsters than the weaknesses of monsters.

The previous director didn’t even know that and just researched monsters for no reason, so tsk tsk.

The old man clicked his tongue internally and smiled as he looked around the neatly organized laboratory.

“I’m relieved that that annoying director guy is gone now.”

I didn’t like it when that young guy started talking about the director and all…

I knew that he would cause a big accident someday, but I never imagined that it would be this big.

All the monsters in the underground lab escaping!

It was an accident that would have been no surprise if the city had been destroyed, but if I had made a mistake, it could have ended my life as a researcher.

“Oh, this place is the cleanest.”

“…Hmm?”

While he was organizing the place that would become his personal lab, an unfamiliar voice rang in the old man’s ears.

It was clearly a tone of admiration, but it was a dry voice that didn’t convey even a single bit of admiration.

When he turned his head at the one word that made him feel bad just hearing it, a girl who looked like his granddaughter was staring at him.

With eyes that were like a bottomless pit, staring.

‘It seems like she spoke on purpose to get my attention…’

If the girl had quietly entered the lab, would she have noticed?

The answer was no.

There was no way an ordinary person could be this quiet.

It felt like a concept, not a person, was taking on a human form.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

“…Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m a newly assigned researcher.”

Her attitude was rude, considering she was nodding her head.

No, rather than her attitude being rude, it would be more accurate to say that she was completely rude.

The old man, who had been looking at the girl with a displeased expression, turned his gaze away.

Whether she had been assigned or not, it had nothing to do with her.

She just wished she hadn’t taken up her time.

“So you’re researching magical girls, Doctor?”

“…”

“I’m also researching magical girls.”

“…”

The girl spoke in a voice that was neither fast nor slow, neither stiff nor soft, as if whispering or mumbling.

It was a voice that I couldn’t help but listen to even if I didn’t want to pay attention.

It wasn’t a matter of reason.

It was a matter of instinct.

It was like the prey listening tensely to the cries of a predator.

“Oh, by the way, I have a question.”

“…What?”

“The danger zone, can I enter?”

If you say the danger zone, you must mean that area that was created recently.

A place that was tightly closed as if no one except a few people would be allowed to step foot in.

Of course, even those who were allowed to enter had never gone inside.

In a way, it was like human instinct.

If you go in, you die.

There was no such thing as a human who would risk their own life to resolve their curiosity.

“…You can go in. Why, do you want to go in there?”

“Of course. Because there’s something I want in there.”

“…”

The girl’s gaze was directed at the old man’s heart—no, at the card key hanging around his neck.

As if he had no interest in the person in front of him.

The old man’s eyebrows twitched at the girl’s attitude.

How can such an arrogant attitude be shown to a rookie like that?

Just as the girl stared at her card key, the old man also cast his gaze at the girl’s card key.

“…You.”

The card key was not upside down, but facing upright.

The face drawn on it was not the girl’s.

It was the face of someone who seemed completely unrelated to the girl.

The old man’s body froze as soon as he saw that fact.

“What’s wrong, Doctor? Did you see something strange?”

“…”

He somehow managed to lift his creaking neck, and there was the girl’s face smiling brightly.

An expression like a child who had succeeded in a prank.

Even so, the eyes were not smiling at all, so the old man could not dare move due to the discomfort and disgust coming from the disparity.

Blink— Blink, blink—

“…Who are you?”

The lights in the laboratory, which had never once shown any abnormalities, began to blink.

His vision darkened until he could see nothing, and when it brightened, the figure of a girl quietly smiling in that spot was revealed.

The old man asked a question to the being that was either an illusion or something else.

Despite such a question, Miji simply smiled at the old man.

“What are you aiming for?”

As soon as the girl’s voice was heard, the lights in the laboratory completely went out.

Forever.