Chapter 85: Those With Memories (3)

[Confirmed despair energy on the 3rd floor!]

“I understand!!”

He frowned as he made his way through the acrid smoke.

A disaster caused by people, not monsters.

He gritted his teeth as he recalled the story of a violent group occupying a large mart and setting it on fire.

Kururung—

“Keuk?!”

[Emerald!!]

“It’s okay, ah!”

He got up, clearing away the debris of the building that had fallen on his head.

If it had been an attack filled with despair, he could have easily avoided it, but it was difficult to respond to this kind of sudden situation.

His vision was almost obscured by the fire and smoke.

The only remaining landmark was the despair he felt from inside the building.

‘Just a little more, just a little more—’

“Ugh…”

He found it.

He hurriedly opened the door at the sound of a small groan.

The hot handle began to burn his skin, but it wasn’t unbearable.

I’ve felt this kind of pain so much.

The only thing that mattered right now was saving people’s lives.

“S-save me…”

“Don’t worry, I’m here now.”

She smiled as she grabbed the hand extended to her.

Magical girls are always there to give people hope.

Smiling in this situation was also the job of a magical girl.

[I think this person is the last one, Emerald! Just get out of here!]

“Okay, uh!”

I wanted to fly and escape, but the bodies of ordinary people aren’t as strong as magical girls.

Seriously, how can firefighters think of jumping into a fire like this?

I thought about how great people were, and I walked diligently.

“Whoa…”

“Move the survivors, quickly!”

As soon as I got out of the building, I handed the survivors over to the paramedics.

When I thought about it being over, all the strength left my body, but I couldn’t show myself looking so pitiful, so I somehow strengthened my legs and held on.

…I want to go back.

I looked up at the smoke filling the sky, blocking out the moonlight, and slowly exhaled.

[Emerald… Are you okay? Are you hurt?]

“… Yeah, I’m okay. This much should be easy, May.”

Aside from being burned and hit by shrapnel, she didn’t have any major injuries.

Given her regenerative abilities, unless they were fairly serious, they wouldn’t be fatal.

Speaking of fatal injuries, I’ve experienced them more often when dealing with monsters, so yeah.

“Thank you, Emerald-sama. If it weren’t for Emerald-sama, I wouldn’t have been able to save this many people.”

“…Thank you.”

The paramedic spoke with a bright smile, and I managed to raise the corners of my mouth.

I promised myself that I would save everyone, but in the end, I only saved the people I could.

Even though I told myself that it couldn’t be helped, I couldn’t save the ones I couldn’t, so a lump remained deep in my heart.

Am I doing a good job?

“Why are you so down, Emerald?”

“…Garnet.”

“Really, I’m dying of exhaustion. I’m dying of exhaustion…”

Garnet’s body was reddening here and there.

When I reached out my hand because I felt sorry for her, Garnet slightly flinched.

She was pretending that nothing was wrong, but she must be in pain.

My hand, unable to reach Garnet, awkwardly wandered through the air, so I quickly withdrew my hand.

“If you did your best, don’t regret it.”

“…But, I might have been able to save more.”

I let out my voice as I looked at the burning building.

It was a single word that sounded like a sigh.

Garnet’s eyes, looking at me like that, were filled with various emotions.

Sympathy, pity, understanding, and longing.

It was the longing unique to someone who was looking for an unattainable ideal, coming from the fact that he could no longer do that.

“It’s not your fault. If you’re saying that they were the ones who did wrong, then it must be the fault of the guys who set fire to this place.”

“…”

“You don’t have to take all the responsibility on your own. Look at that Akari. What responsibility does she have? She just lives the way she wants.”

Garnet’s hand tapped my arm.

It was a rough but comforting touch.

She felt awkward and took it away soon after, but that alone was comforting enough.

Sincerity always worked.

“Garnet, if you’re hurt, get treatment.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It’s not like you’re going to die anyway.”

Garnet waved her arm in response to the worried words.

It was an action that seemed to say that something like this was nothing.

But when did these wounds become nothing?

Was it really impossible for everyone to have a world where no one suffered or got hurt?

“Then you go first. I’ll stay today.”

“…Fine. Instead, don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t know if Akari will be worried, but anyway.”

She went first.

Garnet turned around without any regrets and walked slowly in the direction of her house.

It was better for Akari not to worry.

Akari didn’t really like magical girls, but she had considerable trust in them.

If Akari was worried about me, that would mean I was just that lacking.

“Cheer up, Emerald.”

It was nothing compared to the previous world.

The future had already changed, hadn’t it?

So if I just keep doing this, then surely—

stagger—

“Ah…”

[Emerald!!!]

My body tilted, and my vision spun around.

If I collapsed here, I wouldn’t…

The lights went out.

**

“It’s overwork.”

“Overwork?”

“Yes, and on top of that, the lack of sleep and the imbalanced effects…”

After hearing the doctor’s words, I shook my head internally.

Overwork. A magical girl overworked!

If the other monsters heard it—no, even if I just heard it, I would have laughed reflexively.

“It seems like you should rest for the time being.”

“Yes, well.”

After hearing a rough explanation of Emerald’s condition, I left the room.

Now, where should I go to find Emerald’s room?

Even though it was night, the hospital was noisy.

From groans to cries to screams.

I walked slowly, savoring the despair that humans were creating.

“Where. Should. I. Go. -”

Ah, here.

A despair that was different from that of ordinary humans.

I slowly opened my mouth, feeling the darkness that seemed like I would sink into it at any moment.

‘This tastes good.’

I stuck my tongue out and ran it over my lips.

I wanted to jump in and devour the emerald despair right away, but this kind of thing shouldn’t be eaten in a hurry.

How long has it been since I last ate emerald despair?

I’ve been coming home less often, and even when I do, I come home late, and since I don’t dream when I sleep, I don’t feel despair.

But now, I feel despair…

[You’re here, Akari.]

“I didn’t come to see you, so get out of my way.”

[Isn’t it too harsh for me?!]

Mei shouted at the gaze that looked at me like a bug.

Of course, the treatment couldn’t be bad.

Would I attach myself to an unidentified life form made of hope energy?

Hope instinctively patted my arm as if it were touching me.

“I bet you feel the same way whenever you see me, don’t you?”

[That’s true, but…]

Just as ice and fire can’t mix, hope and despair can’t mix either.

When one grows, the other shrinks.

Since they’re in a relationship where they devour and are eaten, this level of treatment of each other was just right.

“Hehe, hehe, hehe~♪”

[…You look kind of happy.]

“Of course I do. After all, opportunities to eat emerald despair don’t come often.”

Now that there was nothing to hide, she spoke confidently.

Although May had a look on her face as if to say, ‘Is this really okay…’

So what can you do?

All you have to do is stand there and watch me deliciously devour Emerald’s Despair!

As I took a bite of Emerald’s Despair, a deeper flavor of despair than the Tamako Despair I usually ate filled my despair circuit.

It somehow tasted much better than the last time I ate it.

Is it because of my mood?

“This is why I’m here by your side, okay?”

Emerald’s Despair never got old no matter how much I ate it.

Lately, I’ve been having more headaches because of humans than monsters, so it tasted especially good.

Well, you can just get rid of monsters, but you can’t get rid of humans at will, so maybe that’s natural.

I’ll mercilessly get rid of even monsters that bother me.

‘Even if you live a bothersome life, it’s too bothersome… Well, you’re better at despairing, so it’s better for me.’

In that sense, humans, why don’t you cause more trouble so that Emerald suffers more than he is now?

I had a plan to eat Emerald’s despair while sitting down, but looking at the way the human world has been going lately, it seemed like it would only get worse, not better.

Hmm, okay. In that sense, I’ll say a word of encouragement.

“Cheer up, Emerald.”

You’ll have a hard time from now on.