Covering her teary eyes with her hands, the girl in the cap walked toward the elevator.

*Tap-tap* Her finger began frantically pressing the call button.

The display above showed that the elevator was still descending to the lower floors.

"D-damn..."

"Kuronuma, wait." An apologetic voice sounded behind her.

"D-don’t come near me...!"

"No, I will."

"T-then I’ll scream and call for help!" she exclaimed, turning around.

"Then I’ll come and save you again."

He crouched down with the cat on his shoulder so he was at the girl’s eye level.

"W-what...?!" Kuronuma pressed herself against the wall behind her, and her horn glowed even brighter red. "W-why...? You said I’m a monster! Then why the hell did you save me back then?!"

"That’s not what I meant..."

"B-but you said you’re scared around me! You’re terrified of me!"

"Just a little."

"Then why..."

"Because what I do matters more than how I feel about it.... Besides, the feeling of cuteness coming from you is way stronger than the terror." He tried to smile and placed his hand on her shoulder.

The cat curled up around his neck and watched them with a bored expression.

Kuronuma lowered her head and quietly sniffled.

"I-if you don’t think I’m a monster... then why did you push me away and yell at me?"

Mr. Nobody sighed, trying to find the right words.

"...Because I’m the one who’s a monster."

"...?" The girl looked up, stunned.

"I’ve committed so many unforgivable sins that you can’t even imagine. I... I’m a murderer, Kuronuma. It’s something that can never change or atone for..."

"Did you ever want this, even once?! I remember how you cried after killing those people who kidnapped me."

"That doesn’t change anything..."

"A-answer me!" the girl exclaimed, wiping her tears with her palm. "Did you ever kill someone because you wanted to?! Did you ever enjoy it, even once?!"

"No... Every time it’s so disgusting it makes me want to vomit and cry." He sighed, then stood up and placed his hand on her head. "But it doesn’t matter. Like I said... What I do matters more than how I feel about it. You’d be better off staying away from the killer like me."

"It matters to me!" she grabbed his hand. "The two people who’ve done the most for me in the whole world are acting like the worst, most brutal killers!"

He scratched his chin in puzzlement.

"Well, one of them is me, but who’s the other..."

"It doesn’t matter!" the girl exclaimed, cutting him off.

...

After a while, the elevator finally reached their floor.

They sat side by side, their backs pressed against the wall.

The cat sat between them, her ear twitching slightly, listening to the conversation.

"You’re a child. Your childhood shouldn’t have been filled with such cruel things..." he said with a sigh. "In any case, you shouldn’t be so calm about murder, Kuronuma. It’s truly horrible."

"But why? If the world forces us to do it, isn’t that just how it works?" she asked. "A cow eats grass, killing it. A person kills a cow to eat it, and another person will kill that person and take the meat. If that’s how the world works, what’s so terrible about murder?"

"Oh..." At her genuinely confused tone, he could only manage a strained smile.

A feeling of emptiness welled up in his heart, and his stomach twisted painfully.

Without realizing it, Kuronuma had repeated almost exactly the words of the most terrible person he had ever known—old man Dum.

What hurt the most was that he could hardly refute her words. This wasn’t his world, and life here was completely different. The attitude toward many things here was entirely different.

After all, Kuronuma wasn’t even human.

"...At least, that’s what I sincerely want to believe," was his only response.

"Umm..." Kuronuma blinked in surprise and looked at him.

He sighed, placed the cat back on his shoulder, and stood up.

"About last time... I’m sorry I yelled at you and scared you." He held out his hand to her. "How about you give me a tour of the hundredth-level floors, and I’ll buy you something as an apology?"

"Ah... o-okay." Blushing, Kuronuma took his hand and stood up.

Glancing at the screen, he saw that the elevator was on the 85th floor and would be here soon.

"A-and you too...!" the girl exclaimed, squeezing his hand excitedly. "I’m sorry I rooted against you, Señor!"

"...?"

"Back at the Selection... I-i only found out today that you were that scary man in black," she admitted awkwardly.

"Oh... It’s okay," he replied, patting her on the shoulder.

And even though Mr. Nobody said that, a rather disheartening realization hit him.

Memories surfaced of how, just recently, the girl had been holding a tablet with footage of the final match.

’There’s no way her guardians wouldn’t recognize me. But Kuronuma found out about this today, which means... She figured it out during her meeting with Noir. Most likely, he realized that I’m the Plowman. How the hell is that possible?! And what he...’

Interrupting his worries, the sound of the elevator doors slid open.

Along with it came a familiar, measured voice that he hadn’t heard in a very long time.

"Kuronuma, you forgot," said a man in a dark blue jacket, his eyes the same shade. He handed Kuronuma a pair of white fur earmuffs.

"Oh, thank you, Patrick." She put them on, finally hiding her long, pointed ears.

The man in glasses and short dark hair falling over his forehead, glanced at the one the girl was still holding by the hand.

"Why is this cat wearing a cape?" Patrick asked calmly.

"Because she’s freaking cool."

"I see... Understood. Long time no see, Nobody."

"Yeah... It really has been a while."

...

The elevator carrying three people and one cat slowly ascended from the 86th to the 100th floor.

A strange silence hung in the cabin, making the girl feel rather uncomfortable.

"...How is she?" Mr. Nobody asked after a while.

"She works a lot. She’s trying to take care of the girl... On the rare evenings she gets really drunk, turns the music up loud, and yells your name angrily. She’s doing better," Patrick replied.

"That’s good..."

"I never thought I’d say this, but it seems like something’s changed in you, too."

"Huh? What do you..."

"..." Patrick pointed to his shoulder.

Looking at his own shoulder in response, Mr. Nobody’s face brushed against the cat’s fluffy face.

A silly smile spread across his face, which was an answer in itself. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Glad to see that."

"Listen, Patrick, you’re going to the hundredth floor too, right? The thing is, I need a new suit jacket..."

"..."

"Won’t you help me out? You know, like in the old days."

"...Which color do you prefer?"

Mr. Nobody chuckled. There was always only one answer to that question.

"Black."