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It’s okay.

Just calm down.

It’s not yet.

It’s not the worst situation yet.

Of course, the situation is not good. We were fooled by James and walked right into a trap, and ironically, we provided the enemy with everything they needed.

If it were only the generator, that would be better. I could just call it my own mistake. Ultimately, I might end up bringing a breeze of despair across the universe, but at least that could just remain my own error.

But bringing my friend Pang-pang into this mess…

…No, it’s still okay.

No one has pressed that button yet. Even though Pang-pang is clutching her head, that itself means she is resisting that situation.

“…You.”

“You could say it’s a sacrifice for the future, right?”

The employee spoke as if he knew what I was trying to say.

“The lifespan of this universe will come to an end someday. Isn’t that a sad thing? If you can think of the fact that, far in the future, all the lights of this vast universe will go out, and not even a single atom will remain intact but be torn apart, without being horrified by that, what else is there to fear?”

“…”

“History must continue. Although not everything that happens will be written into history, and even some that are will be lost, we will still be remembered in that vast record. If an era is not forgotten and is remembered, then the lives of all those who made up that era will not have been in vain.”

“Hey.”

I tried to interrupt the guy while he was talking, but it seemed like he was so caught up in his own words that he kept going, raising his arms slightly.

“You all have the most important role, don’t you? There’s no need to throw your lives away unconditionally. If you help the universe stay eternal, wouldn’t that itself be a great achievement that would leave a lasting name? If you remain as a name that represents the era, then that life can undoubtedly be called a meaningful one.”

That was different from what James said.

James said that even if history were to be broken, as long as the universe exists, someone would continue to live.

Compared to that, the words of that red-faced guy sounded so trivial. If he was going to act like that just to leave a trace in history, wouldn’t that mean every murderer who existed throughout history lived a righteous life? Is it that such a life becomes a correct life after it’s confirmed that the universe continues eternally?

I know. I also realize that’s an overstatement.

Still, he probably didn’t intend to imply that.

“What nonsense are you spouting? An extra butting in at the last minute.”

Honestly, it just reflects how bad I feel.

“What?”

The guy seemed a bit flustered by what I said.

No matter how he sees himself as the protagonist of his own life, thinking the opposite ends up making it so.

If I’m the protagonist, everyone else is a supporting character. There can be a heroine and supporting characters, but conversely, it wouldn’t be strange if there were simply passing extras without a single line.

And throughout my story so far, that guy only just showed up at the end, with hardly any lines.

I lifted the hammer.

And I poured my power into it.

“It’s useless.”

The guy said.

“I told you it’s the generator you needed. The energy you emit will only help us.”

That’s right.

Such technology existed. The resonance technology that uses my energy for their own power.

If they’re planning to use hope as energy here, then of course they would. It was probably planned from the very beginning. Perhaps they figured I would reverse the energy from despair and switched to Plan B once they saw it happen.

“…Let’s go.”

Without responding to the guy’s words, I charged forward with the shining hammer in hand.

Bang!

Even when I struck the hammer hard, he held firm.

It was as if his feet were stuck to the ground and wouldn’t budge.

“…If I really can’t persuade you.”

The guy said.

“We’ll have no choice but to act in our own way.”

And then, a white light erupted before my eyes.

As I stepped back to look ahead, white light surrounded the guy. Crunching and cracking, his body began to transform into a monster.

It was as if I were looking at an alien from Earth. Oh, I see. That guy isn’t any different from an Earthling except for the antenna on his head and red skin.

“It’s okay.”

I said to Pang-pang, placing a hand on her shoulder. Pang-pang was kneeling on the floor, looking up at me.

Tears were streaming down her face, perhaps because her head hurt that much.

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of everything, no matter what.”

Pang-pang trembled but nodded in response to my words.

Pang-pang trusted me.

Right. If that’s the case, I have to repay that trust.

A magical girl exists to reciprocate the faith of people.

…I looked at the monster before me, radiating light from every part of its body.

Every event in the world has a line that cannot be crossed. No matter how much it’s Noir Corporation, even if they set another conspiracy, as long as they don’t cross a certain line, I wouldn’t have any reason to fight or go beyond that.

However, the enemy had already crossed that line long ago.

Even at this very moment, they were still crossing it.

Then, all I have to do is slam hard and push them out beyond that line.

 

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