Chapter 298 – Worry (5)

A shimmering shadow lifts what looks like a creaking hand and licks my face.
Soggy and slippery.
The voice is Esther… Should we say that the revealed appearance is noise? Something is weird

“Sah, live… Live.”

Why all of a sudden?
What happened… ?
Negatives aren’t even nearby… It’s not like the last time I called…

No, rather than this… This is Esther… ?
Esther is right… Ji?
What?

It crackles as if the video is cut off, twists and turns back and forth repeatedly, and the face is grotesquely distorted.
No, it’s not distorted, I can’t see my face.
Even so, the feeling I felt in my left hand was definitely Esther.

“Esther?”

Seeing her strangely frightened appearance, I swallowed and called Esther’s name.
Then Esther was startled and removed her hand from licking my face.
Shrinking and becoming more transparent, Esther spoke in a firm voice.

“You were alive…”
“Uh? Uh… Huh.”
“…Okay… Because she’s a magical girl, it can’t be… It can’t be… Ah ha ha…”

Esther closed her eyes tightly and tried to suppress his emotions.
The shimmering shadow quietly settles down and solidifies its shape.
That look… No, wait… How the hell do you know when you see this that your eyes are closed?

In the first place, how did I know this was Esther?
I can feel Esther through my left hand…
It’s hard to describe, it’s a strange feeling.

“Okay… But then… No… Whoa…”

Esther’s wings and face twist and then return.
Esther let out a deep sigh and shut his mouth.
After a while, Esther, who had been quietly silent, gave a calm, calm voice.

“For some reason, even if there is… That…”

… What have you been muttering to yourself since before?
As I looked at Esther questioningly, she slowly turned her gaze towards me.
And Esther looked me up and down and said something strange.

“… You’re fine.”
“Huh?”

It is difficult to understand the flow of the conversation.
Are you fine… Suddenly?
I looked down at myself, wondering what I was looking at to say I was fine.

Is it because the clothes are fine or the body… ?
Come to think of it, he’s the first time I’ve met Esther since he helped me in the secret laboratory of the Leaf.
Ash disappeared before he could do anything to me, but I wonder if he was worried about what would happen next.

Although something happened with Ash… Now, as Esther said, she is fine.
Wait, then, isn’t this worrying me now?
That’s why it suddenly appeared… ?

“Are you worried?”

Esther made no reply.
However, that silence itself became the answer.
I think it was right that he suddenly appeared because he was worried.

Esther is worried about me… Hard to believe, but this is reality.
But… Esther even came running when I called for help… You will think of me as precious.
It’s enough to say that I’m the number one fan.

When dealing with Leaf X, he did get a lot of help from Esther.
Without Esther, I might not be where I am today.
I can’t help it, should I honestly say thank you and praise you?

“After… I’m really glad I’m Esther’s number one fan.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Yeah, it means that I’m fine thanks to Esther… If it wasn’t really Esther, he would have died.”
“What?”
“As expected, Esther is the best, Est…”
“Shut up.”

I stopped talking when I heard a voice that trembled with anger.
Esther crossed her arms and turned her head completely away from me.
I can feel his will to not want to hear it.

“Uh, um… No… I am… Just, that, thank you… I want to say hello…”
“Okay, be quiet.”

Isn’t this
Weird… Why are you so angry all of a sudden
I couldn’t stand my embarrassment and explained what I was going to say, then turned around to change the mood.

“Is Esther okay?”
“What?”
“I know that even if you die, you will be resurrected, but seeing it happen right in front of your eyes made me a bit worried.”

I forgot about it a while ago, but anyway… Maybe worried
Esther stood there blankly at my sincere concern, then turned her back with a jerk.
I can really feel the absurdity in your voice.

“Under? Who are you worried about?”
“I’m worried about Esther… ?”
“Shut up, I don’t need to worry about fans. What are you looking at and worrying about?”
“Because even at a glance, you can see that it is different from usual…”
“I’m fine…”

Having said that, Esther didn’t look very well.
In the first place, the current appearance is not even Esther, but it is something like a distorted haze that somehow feels like Esther.
Esther must have realized that as well, so she stopped talking.

“…Yes, for the time being, I can’t help you even if you call it dangerous, so take care of yourself.”
“Are you not very good?”
“It’s just that it’s been a while since it was resurrected, so it’s just less organized. It will resolve itself over time… I don’t know more details.”

Anyway, it’s true that things are bad.
Esther’s help is not available for a while… But, it doesn’t really matter.
Now, if something happens, just call Grape.

By the way, it really bothers me when you talk like you’re not feeling well.
Esther came to rescue me when I was in danger, and helped me desperately, well… Even if it’s negative, it’s pretty kind to me… In return, you can do this much.
I held out the grilled skewers in my hand.

“Would you like some skewers?”
“I’m not going to eat.”
“Ah, yes.”

Esther glanced at the skewer I held out and said angrily.
I gave you a gift, but such a negative reaction… I feel hurt.
Is this because it is negative?

“Negatives don’t need to eat.”
“Uh? Okay?”
“Okay. I don’t even feel that kind of hunger…I wonder if you ate too much.”

The details were a bit different, but it was right that they rejected my yakitori because it was really negative.
Then there is nothing you can do
I ate the skewer while watching Esther notice.

“You…”
“Huh?”
“Somehow, it’s gotten a little worse.”
“What?”

You said you were fine just a while ago, but this time, you said you weren’t feeling better?
What’s wrong with you?
I don’t know the context of the story.

“If… No, of course…”
“What are you talking about alone?”

I hope you don’t know alone and let me know too.
When I asked with such thoughts, Esther looked at me while touching her lips.
And as if hesitating a little, he asked carefully.

“…Did anything happen with Ash?”

Embarrassed, I blinked my eyes at Esther.
… Why are you bringing up Ash here all of a sudden?
I don’t know what kind of question it is, or why I’m asking this, but I can’t answer it.

“What happened?”

After quickly assessing the situation, I asked calmly.
That Ash tortured me and tried to silence her is a fact only Ash and I should know.
At least until I find a way to get Ash to do it somehow, he should.

Esther is negative, but perhaps because of her past as a magical girl, she tends to talk a lot when fighting magical girls.
If she talks to Esther and then erroneously brings up something that tortured me to Rapid or Ash, she provokes Ash.
I don’t want to increase the risk for nothing.

“Yes, yes… It will.”

Esther muttered in a bitter voice and laughed dejectedly.
Seeing that, I wanted to ask what kind of question this was and what he was muttering to himself, but somehow I didn’t feel like asking, so I swallowed my doubts.
At that time, Esther’s body melted and flowed out.

“…Is it the limit?”

It looks much worse than expected.
Esther clicked her tongue a little as she dropped her crushed arm to the ground.
Esther picked up something of hers that had been her arm that had fallen to the floor, and she immediately drew a line in the air over her.

“I’m done with my business, so I’m going back.”
“Uh? Let’s go?”
“Yes, I say it again… Even if I call for a while… No.”

The lines Esther draws in the air slowly tear, turning into her portal.
Esther hurriedly put her crumbling body inside her portal.
Esther, who was being swallowed up by the portal as she was, pointed her finger at me as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“If you think something might happen, call before it happens.”
“What? No, wait…”
“Sure.”

Before he can answer Esther, the portal quickly closes.
Esther suddenly appeared and disappeared just like that.
I muttered an unspeakable answer to the empty space where Esther had disappeared.

“How do you know what is going to happen and call before it happens…”

He said he was in a bad condition, but he was so bad that he didn’t even know this obvious thing.
He said it was because he had just been resurrected, and seeing that his whole body was distorted… Is it in a state similar to that of a crustacean that has just finished molting?
I don’t know.

What was it?