Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

After learning that the bear would suffer from heatstroke if it wore a mascot costume, Mayumi Haga remained silent for a moment before accepting the nature of this world.

Since becoming a guardian, she has never fallen ill again, and it's hard to say whether she can return to a normal life. Although she doesn't quite understand these inconvenient rules, Mayumi Haga has become accustomed to the excessive human touch in this world.

"So, are you feeling better now?" Mayumi Haga asked, as if a pang of conscience struck her, realizing she hadn't seen Koma at school in a long time.

Such a greeting was still a bit awkward and stiff, after all, she rarely cared about such a minor illness with an extremely low mortality rate.

The little bear was flattered and overwhelmed. Her eyes widened as she hurriedly replied, "It's already recovered...!"

Mayumi Haga hummed in response but did not continue speaking.

Despite Mayumi Haga's poor conversational skills, Little Bear still had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.

Her legs were a bit shorter than Mayumi Haga's, and she lagged half a step behind. She kept up with the former's pace quickly and closely, and her speech quickened as she spoke: "Mayumi, Mayumi, did you deliberately help me out just now? Wow, you're so kind... Why are you here? Do you know Ms. Yoshida? And what's with that cat?"

Even though Little Bear seems a bit slow-witted, in a sense, she is the most perceptive of all the oddballs who can sense negative human emotions.

She could sense that Ms. Yoshida was somewhat unhappy about being constantly cornered by her, and that feeling was gradually escalating, drawing closer to her older sister's anger.

However, the unpleasant atmosphere dissipated after Mayumi Haga appeared to resolve the situation.

Mayumi Haga didn't know that the little bear would be there, but she still managed to improvise and make Ms. Yoshida believe that the little bear was with her and had come specifically to deliver the cat to her.

As for why Mayumi Haga is here, it's a complicated explanation.

Instead of answering the bear's questions one by one, she suddenly stopped and turned her head: "My goal is the same as yours."

"Ouch!" The little bear almost bumped into Mayumi Haga. She was stunned for a moment before she realized what Mayumi Haga meant.

"Are you also investigating that strange 'Desperate Monster'? That's strange... Don't you not know magic?" Little Bear asked, bewildered.

Mayumi Haga frowned after noticing the key words in the bear's words: "Despair Monster?"

This was outside her intelligence circle.

In reality, neither the magical girl nor a temporary worker like her could perceive the attributes of monsters as accurately as Little Bear and the Abyss Gentleman, who were also monsters. Moreover, for these two, the Despair Monster was inextricably linked to their existence.

The attraction between monsters is like the attraction between Stand users. For Abyss Gentleman and Little Bear, who are also monsters of the Negative Emotion series, the unknown Despair Monster can be compared to the Stand awakening affecting their blood relatives.

Even the desperate monster who inexplicably died and came back to life was associated with the villainous savior.

Fortunately, among the current series of monsters associated with negative emotions, none are truly weak enough to be affected by the Despair Monster. The Despair Monster's influence on them, for now, is limited to a barely perceptible presence.

But the little bear's existence was special after all, which is why he couldn't help but start searching for that desperate weirdo.

"A strange, desperate creature that appeared out of nowhere? You don't even recognize him?" Upon hearing the name, Mayumi Haga thought he might be related to the little bear, but the word "despair" seemed out of place in this world, especially considering the existence of calamities…

...Could it be a monster created by the calamity exploiting a loophole in the rules?

Her expression immediately turned serious.

If the analysis of this world by the calamity has progressed to this point, then the current methods of investigation are somewhat too lukewarm.

Dr. Terasaki might know something.

.................................................. .................................................. .

Meanwhile, at the magic clinic.

Just as Ms. Kirino opened the door, Terasaki Ayasa's break time ended. She sleepily pulled off the white coat she was using as a blanket, and when she looked up at the person who walked in, she was more than a beat slow to react: "...Ms. Kirino?"

As Terasaki Ayasa's homeroom teacher during her high school years, Ms. Kirino has maintained contact with Terasaki Ayasa over the years, but has never visited her in person.

Terasaki Ayasa suddenly snapped out of her daze: "Wait? Teacher, how did you find this place?"

This is a magical space she created after she started working. Generally speaking, first-time visitors must have a guide, otherwise they will get lost in the endlessly looping corridor.

However, considering Kirino-san's unfathomable magical knowledge, Terasaki Ayasa, who was often caught by her during their school days, was all too familiar with this scene. Her question stemmed simply from curiosity about how Kirino-san managed to break her magic.

"Long time no see, Terasaki." Ms. Kirino smiled gently and casually remarked, "You haven't cleaned up the cat paw prints at the entrance."

Terasaki Ayasa realized: "...Ah."

Unlike magical girls, cats have a more obvious aura. Moreover, strictly speaking, the Maine Coon chosen by her as her substitute cat doesn't have magic and can't eliminate its own aura, which is why it was discovered by the incredibly observant Kirino.

Recently, Gray came to her seeking help, carrying a dying kitten in its mouth.

Although feline ascites is a rather serious condition for ordinary cats, Terasaki Ayasa's magic can easily cure it. Even if it weren't for Hai's sake, she would still help.

Because the kitten was quite weak, she switched to a gentler treatment plan, and the kitten was finally fully cured this afternoon.

After finishing her work, Ayasa Terasaki took a nap on a recliner and hasn't had time to completely remove the cat's tracks yet.

The cat is small, but it sheds quite a bit. She'll have to use some cleaning magic to deal with the cat hair in the office...

Thinking this, Terasaki Ayasa casually picked up a cat hair stuck to her clothes.

The next second, her expression changed drastically.

The pale golden cat hair suddenly began to curl, accompanied by the smell of burning protein, and almost instantly it curled into a tiny black dot on her fingertip.

Before she could react, Ms. Kirino tapped her cane, gathering the scattered cat hair. A transparent barrier enveloped the strangely shaped fur, and a cube of light enveloped the black mist scattered among the cat hair.

Terasaki Ayasa's last shred of confusion vanished, and she abruptly stood up, meeting the gaze of Kirino, whose expression was equally grave: "...This is..."

“Delayed triggering.” Ms. Kirino leaned closer to examine it, her gaze sharper than ever before. “And it even fooled your eyes.”

Even though Terasaki Ayasa was caught skipping class with magic every time, Ms. Kirino still highly regarded her student's magical abilities.

Time has given Ms. Kirino an extraordinary ability to observe, but that does not mean that Terasaki Ayasa, as a young woman, is dull-witted.

The latter's abilities are no less than Kirino's, but she is sometimes careless due to her arrogance. This may be a common problem for people with outstanding talent. Another retired magical girl, Sugiyama Rika, is even more careless.

But at least among the strange people nowadays, there are very few who can deceive Terasaki Ayasa.

The only strange person Terasaki Ayasa could think of who could accurately use the delayed trigger technique and perfectly conceal this ominous aura during that time was the Abyss Gentleman.

wrong.

This attribute is similar to, yet completely different from, the already registered [Fear].

What exactly is this...?

"It's [Despair]." Compared to the young Terasaki Ayasa, Ms. Kirino, who had personally witnessed the Despair Monster, was more familiar with this magical attribute.

The era of the Despair Monster happened to fall outside the time when Terasaki Ayasa became a magical girl, and because the attribute of "Despair" was born through extraordinary means, it was not recorded.

"Despair?" Terasaki Ayasa was completely unfamiliar with this attribute, and she hoped to get an explanation from the older Kirino.

“That was before you became a magical girl, Terasaki,” Ms. Kirino said.

The strange man named Despair died with hope, abandoning the attributes that should never have been born in this world, and returning his core to the spiritual vein.

And now, it seems that something has taken over the place of [despair], taking away the filth that the child abandoned.

A new "Desperate Monster" has appeared.

Ms. Kirino lowered her eyes and did not speak.

Main Text: Chapter 118 Divine Soldiers Descend from the Sky

"...!" The little bear suddenly raised her head, her round, black, grape-like eyes reflecting the streetlights in the distance, carrying a look of astonishment that she herself didn't even notice.

This aura is absolutely genuine.

The ominous aura that erupted in that instant felt to the little bear as if a thin thread growing from the depths of her heart had been abruptly tugged... It wasn't exactly painful, but its presence was exceptionally strong, accompanied by a deep sense of suffocation, which sent chills down her spine.

The despair that was so closely connected to her temporarily linked her senses with another creature that was also inhabited by despair, and thus a scene that was completely unexpected appeared before the little bear.

She saw Ms. Yoshida's panicked face, her terrified eyes so close to the despairing host that they almost filled most of her vision.

This perspective generally exists between two people with a significant difference in body size. Since Ms. Yoshida is the larger one, the other person should be...

...Oh no, that kitten that Mayumi brought?!

Meanwhile, Ms. Yoshida is holding a sunflower.

In fact, what Little Bear saw was not a real-time scene. Her deeper relationship with the "Desperate Monster" allowed her to glimpse his thoughts, and what she just "saw" was what was about to happen.

Ms. Yoshida carefully held the kitten in her arms and was taking out her keys to open the door when she suddenly felt that the little sunflower in her arms seemed a little strange.

It was perfectly fine when I picked it up, but now its body suddenly started twitching, and it struggled violently as if it couldn't bear the pain: "Meow!!!"

"Ouch?!" Ms. Yoshida was startled as the cat's claws tore into her flesh.

Young kittens have soft claws, but in this state of extreme pain, Little Sunflower howled shrilly and scratched wildly. The force that her small body unleashed was quite frightening even to Ms. Yoshida.

Black mist gushed from the cat's ears, nostrils, and mouth. Its howls grew increasingly shrill, and its once glossy fur began to fall out in clumps. Its struggles were terrifying. Ms. Yoshida could only barely control it, but she was afraid that its struggles would hurt it, so she tried to restrain herself as much as possible.

But soon, even Ms. Yoshida, an adult human, was unable to control the mad cat.

Because after the black mist left the kitten, it headed straight for Ms. Yoshida.

Ms. Yoshida was originally the host of the aura of despair. Even after Mayumi Haga used her proxy certificate to perform initial treatment, she still had related marks left on her body.

Compared to a fragile kitten whose life force has been drained, humans are naturally more useful.

Even if Ms. Yoshida is an ordinary working woman with below-average combat ability, who lacks exercise and has never learned martial arts, she is still better than a small animal.

Miss Yoshida watched in horror as the black mist surged towards her, because the kitten was in her arms, and at that distance, there was generally no way to escape.

—What is this?

Less than five seconds had passed between when she discovered the kitten Sunflower was having problems and when the black mist transferred its host.

Before Ms. Yoshida could even think about what the black mist was, the aura of despair was only centimeters away from covering her face, and immediately transferred from Himawari's face to her body.

And at this very moment—

——"Yoshida!"

The sound, which I had only heard for the first time not long ago, suddenly rang out not far away. I saw golden chains freeze the kitten out of thin air, and the black mist that had not yet completely separated from the kitten was also locked in place.

A huge, soft figure rushed up, forcefully knocking Ms. Yoshida aside and sending her rolling twice on the ground. However, because the body was soft enough, it acted as a cushion and did not harm the latter.

The person who rushed up and grabbed Ms. Yoshida, pulling her away, was none other than Little Bear.

Because her body has no bones, but is stuffed with cotton, even if she directly knocks on Ms. Yoshida who is still unaware of what's happening, Ms. Yoshida will not be hurt.

Just as she and Miss Yoshida barely managed to roll out of the black mist's reach, the sound of the chains shattering came in a series of loud crashes, immediately torn apart by the Despair Monster.

While Mayumi Haga's [Shrike] can freeze enemies, the freeze duration is subject to considerable restrictions.

If the aura of despair completely leaves Himawari's body, then Mayumi Haga will be unable to use [Shrike] on her. She used her blessing to restrict Himawari's movements precisely when only a tiny bit of the aura of despair remained within Himawari, before it was completely separated.

However, the time it took for the opponent to break free of the freeze exceeded Mayumi Haga's expectations.

……No.

She may have been wrong from the start.

This was not the aura she had anticipated, but rather a form of existence possessing far greater power than a simple aura, to the point that Mayumi Haga could not control it.

Even if it's not the original form, it should be more powerful than Mayumi Haga imagined.

Realizing this, Mayumi Haga did not hesitate for a moment. The moment the black mist broke free of its restraints and began to solidify, she took out the Centaur Sword and Shield from her backpack and thrust it forcefully in front of her.

That was a weapon that Haga Mayumi acquired during his journey. Although it was a shield, its sharp edges could also be used to attack while blocking enemy attacks, making it a weapon that combined defense and offense.

The blurry humanoid figure, which had just materialized, was about to reach out to Yuga Mayumi when it was blocked by the sword and shield with a dull thud.

But Mayumi Haga heard the sound of the shield breaking under the strain; with just this one blow, the shield's durability was reduced to the brink of shattering.

The humanoid figure, whose face was completely obscured, only needed one more strike to shatter the shield into pieces.

Without hesitation, Mayumi Haga slammed her shield down hard on the opponent's face!

The final blow when the weapon is completely destroyed will cause massive damage. As the shattered ice-blue fragments of the weapon burst forth, Yuga Mayumi showed no intention of consuming the weapon any further. He suddenly turned around and launched a flying back kick, striking the enemy's chest directly.

After solidifying into a physical form, the enemy went from being untargetable to being attackable. Perhaps because most of the monsters in this world do not possess physical enhancement abilities, the enemy in front of them is not skilled in melee combat.

The enemy took a full hit from Yuga Mayumi, staggered back two steps, and a strange black light shone on his body. However, he immediately regained his strength by using enhancement magic.

It cautiously distanced itself from Mayumi Haga, but the guardian, not giving it a chance to use magic, immediately stepped closer and pulled it into hand-to-hand combat.

Main text: Chapter 119: Transforming into the shape of a real bow?

Mayumi Haga is not actually good at hand-to-hand combat.

However, this is only in relation to her usual fighting style. Without using enhancement magic, she can easily deal with any magic user.

Even if the enemy uses enhancement magic, by making good use of her own blessing, Mayumi Haga is not necessarily at a disadvantage.

Using slightly more ruthless and despicable tactics, such as using images that would shake the mental state of a magic user to force them to break free of their transformation, or gouging out eyes and then self-destructing to open up a weak point in their defense, or simply using the tit-for-tat approach, are all viable options.

However, the prerequisite is that the enemy must be a native, a magical ability user who hasn't experienced much shock. Whether it's a magical girl or a monster, they are easily frightened by this tactic, thus losing some control over their magic.

However, the enemy they faced was neither a monster in the traditional sense, nor a magical girl or a magician.