A Humble Debut (3)
Just in case, I had said it without any real expectation. I never imagined something would actually come out. It was like opening what I thought was an empty box only to find something inside after all. Of course, the contents were still the same repulsive, worst-possible existence, but that didn't change the fact that they were there.
The first emotion I felt in that moment was bewilderment and surprise. But as a little time passed, those feelings naturally shifted into unease. Judging by that attitude, there was no way Ulthar had just arrived. The cat must have been hiding here from the very beginning. That meant it had witnessed everything that happened in this place.
Even the things I had done—things I could barely bring myself to mention—had all been seen. The thought that a third party had watched it all made my face go pale in an instant. Remembering how I had acted all cutesy and fawning in this form made my mind go completely white. If there had been a mouse hole nearby, I would have buried my head in it right then and there.
As expected, Ulthar strolled right up to me and opened its mouth.
"Aaaah!!! Perfect! Absolutely perfect! That was a flawless debut!"
"The way you looked down on your opponent with that wicked gaze, the teasing lilt in your voice that got under their skin, and that relaxed, superior attitude— it was the very definition of an infuriating little brat! Honestly, since it was your first time I didn't have high hopes, but you pulled it off so well… Do you have some kind of natural talent for this? You know, like those 'hidden power' types!"
Ulthar showered me with praise, heaping on every possible compliment. The sheer intensity of it left even me flustered. At first I thought the cat was just teasing me and narrowed my eyes, but no matter how closely I looked, there was no sign of mockery. In other words, Ulthar was genuinely moved by my performance just now.
Seeing the most excited reaction I had ever gotten from the cat, along with that rapturous expression, turned my suspicion into certainty. Faced with a reaction so different from what I had expected, I wore a reluctant look until one fact finally occurred to me: the talking cat standing before me was a genuine pervert with a screw loose in its head.
Understanding its thoughts through ordinary common sense was nearly impossible. But ironically, that very abnormality helped me right now. Confronted with Ulthar's abnormal enthusiasm, the shame that had been filling my mind seemed to shrink a little.
After all, I would probably have to keep doing this kind of thing in front of the cat from now on. Rather than struggling with embarrassment every single time, it would be better for me to get used to it quickly. Of course, showing someone my acting self still felt awkward, but since the other party wasn't exactly normal either, maybe it didn't matter much. Besides, no matter what I tried, I wouldn't be able to hide from this elusive creature anyway.
Once my thoughts reached that point, my interest naturally shifted elsewhere. Ulthar's question about whether I had a natural talent for this. If it had been any other time, I would have ignored it completely. I would have brushed it off as the cat's usual nonsense whenever it got bored. But this time the situation was different. Even I had to admit that my performance just now had been incredibly smooth.
The hours I had spent alone in the room worrying over lines felt almost pointless—my acting had been close to perfect. There was none of the awkwardness you would expect from a first-timer. It had been so natural that it was hard to believe it was my first time. Perhaps the fact that I hadn't felt much resistance to begin with had also played a part. Even with thorough self-suggestion beforehand, achieving this level of flawless result made the strangeness understandable. I was almost suspicious that Ulthar had done something to my mind.
From a practical standpoint, it was a good thing that the acting I had expected to be extremely difficult had been resolved so easily. A mesugaki, huh. I roughly knew what it meant, but I had never actually tried to act like one in my entire life. I had been agonizing over it all day because of that, yet despite my doubts, the result had been a resounding success. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or unhappy about it… It was complicated.
"Ahem! Reforming those delinquent friends of ours was also excellent, and overall it was very smooth! The only thing I personally found a little disappointing… would be how you handled those two."
While I was lost in thought, Ulthar's now-calm voice reached me, and my attention naturally turned to the two unconscious men. The blond thug who had passed out with a burn on his hand. At least his condition was better than the other delinquent slumped in the opposite corner. The man's face was covered in tears, snot, and drool, and he had clearly lost consciousness—there was nothing normal about that sight.
So how had this thug ended up in such a state? The answer was simple: I had inflicted the maximum amount of pain possible without killing him. Honestly, I hadn't planned to go that far. But even while completely restrained, he kept spewing the vilest insults imaginable. It looked like a reflexive attempt to forget his fear, but I didn't care about his circumstances. So I shut that filthy mouth. And I didn't stop there—I turned my entire hand into slime and blocked his nose as well.
Once his breathing was completely cut off, he convulsed and struggled desperately. But when I bound his limbs and completely suppressed his resistance, it didn't take long for the defiant glare in his eyes to fill with terror. I adjusted the amount of air just enough to keep him from suffocating while still causing pain. It was the kind of thing most people couldn't bring themselves to do even if given the power. Yet I felt almost nothing while doing it. Maybe it was because I had been too immersed in the act, but it was probably also because of the lingering grudges from all the times I had been tormented by this kind of scum in the past.
As a result, the man couldn't even last a few minutes before losing consciousness. Considering how he had bullied the weak until now, the ending felt almost disappointingly hollow. In any case, one thing was certain: I hadn't held back against either of them. I had carried out the "punishment" requested in the job at the highest intensity I could manage, so what exactly was the problem…?
When I voiced that question directly, the answer I received far exceeded my expectations. I reflexively asked again at the unbelievable statement, and Ulthar smiled brightly as it spoke.
"It seems you didn't hear me correctly, so let me say it again! Those delicious-looking morsels are lying there completely defenseless. You went to all that trouble to obtain them as spoils, so are you really just going to throw them away?"
"What…?"
For a moment my mind couldn't keep up. Or rather, even though I understood the meaning, I simply couldn't believe it. After all, Ulthar's attitude while saying something like that was no different from usual. But after a little time passed and I fully grasped the implication, I couldn't hide my shock. It was asking why I wasn't devouring the two of them when such a perfect opportunity had presented itself.
I had never imagined I would receive that kind of question, so confusion filled my head. But I quickly regained my composure and spoke as calmly as possible.
"I agree that these guys deserve proper punishment, but killing them is going too far. If I start murdering people over something like this… that would make me no different from a monster."
Of course, saying that made me remember what had happened in the cave last time, so I wasn't exactly in a position to talk. Still, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't accept the idea of devouring these two neighborhood thugs. Their Karma values weren't low, but they also hadn't committed extreme crimes like murder—just the ordinary level. Ulthar seemed to understand my thoughts and simply nodded without arguing. Yet while doing so, the cat looked straight into my eyes and spoke quietly.
"It's true that their Karma is lower compared to the ones we devoured in the cave last time. But I suggested this entirely for your sake. Right now, your growth is the top priority… So I simply judged that consuming evil people who are a nuisance to others would be a good method. Besides, there are no witnesses here anyway."
Ulthar spoke in a cold voice with no trace of emotion. In other words, it was a purely calculated proposal. What made it even more chilling was that there was nothing wrong with those words. Unless monsters were openly walking down the middle of the street, the fastest way for me to grow right now was by hunting evil people. Unlike other Awakeners, with this body of mine I could gain experience just by devouring humans who had accumulated a certain amount of Karma. And since there were no witnesses, it would be perfect. If I repeated this method a few times, I could raise my level in no time.
But that… wasn't the justice I believed in.
"Of course, if you think it's wrong, then I have no intention of forcing you. I simply wanted to let you know that this option exists. Even if there aren't any major problems right now, it's still better to keep growing steadily."
Ulthar muttered as if it could read my thoughts. Though a hint of disappointment remained, the cat's words that it would respect my decision made me let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the cat had no intention of interfering that far either. At the same time, a fact I had forgotten came back to me: the being before me didn't care much about human life and death. I could naturally infer that from the strategy the cat had suggested back in the cave. I couldn't know for certain, but to this cat, humans seemed to be nothing more than tools to be used for profit. The kind of existence that could be weighed on a scale without the slightest hesitation to calculate gains and losses.
Looking at it this way, there was no way the cat was making me do this job for some pure reason like "saving a world thrown into chaos." There was definitely some other objective behind it. I still couldn't even guess what that identity was, but at the very least it wouldn't be some ordinary, respectable intention.
As many thoughts crossed my mind, Ulthar looked at my uncomfortable expression and spoke with a deep smile.
"Anyway, congratulations again on your first debut! Let's keep working hard until the day you retire~!"
A black cat offering congratulations in a dark alley. But for some reason, to my ears those words sounded less like congratulations and more like a declaration that it would work me to the bone until the day I retired. With that curse disguised as congratulations… my debut as a magical girl came to an end.