Chapter 26: The Mouth of Hunger and the Whispers of the City

A mouth, an organ providing functions of chewing, speech, and swallowing, stands as one of the five facial features that define one’s appearance.

When considering its positive impressions, it often evokes images of plump, delicate lips, especially when a beauty applies lipstick to trace her lip line, that vibrant red hue instills an involuntary desire to savor the soft touch and exquisite texture beneath its alluring sheen.

Conversely, speaking of negative impressions, people despise those with a “big mouth,” an implicit metaphor for greed and restlessness; someone who babbles incessantly, tirelessly divulging others’ secrets, will only face ostracization.

Yet, the mouth before them… was an extraordinarily exaggerated maw, no longer a mere metaphor but a full-fledged entity, becoming the sole organ occupying nearly half of the face.

Its corners stretched impossibly wide, as if threatening to tear the entire face asunder.

Devoid of the warmth and softness of ordinary human lips, it more closely resembled a parched, coarse hide, crisscrossed with shockingly intricate fissures that subtly revealed an aged, grimy gray hue.

As it gradually opened, the facial proportions were further distorted, the lips transforming into a vast, monstrous gash that practically traversed the entire face, creating an unparalleled sense of oppression with the neat, sharp teeth it exposed.

No one dared to gaze directly into the pitch-black abyss behind those rows of pointed teeth, for it embodied endless hunger and insatiable greed.

“Disgusting, and the drool is so filthy.”

Facing the Corroder that lunged at her, the blue magic girl casually snatched up a nearby iron shovel, interposing it between herself and the creature, allowing its rows of sharp teeth to bite directly onto the shovel handle.

However, the wooden handle was clearly no match for such an assault; under the ferocious onslaught of its powerful bite, the shovel in her hand lasted less than three seconds before being easily snapped like a biscuit stick, splashing several drops of murky liquid from the Corroder’s mouth onto the magic girl’s face.

“And it stinks too…”

Retreating two steps to briefly escape the Corroder’s attack range, the magic girl, with a hint of displeasure, wiped the grime from her face with her gloved left hand.

The Corroder before her was not particularly strong; its size hadn’t noticeably increased beyond its humanoid form, a hallmark of a typical in-situ (TL Note: A classification for a type of Corroder, indicating it is relatively weak and has not spread beyond its initial form) level Corroder.

Moreover, its attack methods were exceedingly simple, relying solely on the gaping maw on its face.

While being caught by those sharp fangs would undoubtedly be painful and render escape difficult, leading to a disadvantageous position, its clumsy attack patterns and physical prowess, which was not much stronger than an ordinary person’s, made evading its attacks far from challenging.

However, the magic girl, capable of easily dispatching the Corroder, chose not to deploy her magic armor, instead using her body as bait to draw the Corroder across the concrete ground, strewn with construction materials, in a specific direction.

This was an active construction site, and to minimize disruption to the building progress and avoid unnecessary trouble for herself, the magic girl patiently guided the Corroder, carefully navigating around the still-wet concrete and piles of materials until she led it to the very edge of the structure.

Turning her head to glance at the scaffolding and safety netting behind her, she heard the Corroder’s roar, now terrifyingly close to her ear.

At this point, she knew, even without looking, that a monstrous mouth more horrifying than an Alien loomed before her.

“Crack—”

In the next instant, as several steel pipes and a green net detached from the building’s exterior, a small tear appeared in the green curtain.

Immediately afterward, the figures of the magic girl and the Corroder, entangled in combat, burst through, both tumbling from the wooden scaffolding planks and plummeting downward.

“So you like to chew on things, huh? Then try this.”

A shimmering, deep-blue object became lodged in the Corroder’s mouth, its sharp teeth grating against it with an unnerving ‘gnashing’ sound, yet failing to inflict the slightest damage upon the object within.

Having moved outside with no further concerns, the magic girl forcefully kicked the Corroder’s abdomen, pushing it away from her, while simultaneously activating the magic armor stuck in its mouth with her magic.

They were at a height of six stories, approximately twenty meters.

How long, then, would it take for this Corroder to hit the ground?

If this descent were considered an idealized free-fall physics model, perhaps two seconds?

But, regrettably, this was no mere free fall.

In the blink of an eye, the magic girl heard a strange thud from the ground below.

She lowered her head slightly, looking down from her elevated position.

On a patch of sand covered by netting, she saw an unconscious man wearing a hard hat lying on it.

Confirming the target’s defeat, she beckoned, and a blue shadow swiftly flew from the sand back into her hand—it was the very magic armor that had driven the Corroder at extreme speed into the sand pile.

A visible vortex of air gently lowered her feet to the ground.

Upon landing, she slowly walked towards the unconscious man, yawning as she waited beside him for the approaching cleanup crew.

Completing the Corroder’s elimination while minimizing public impact and property damage was, after all, an obligation of a magic girl.

“Oh, how long do you intend to watch? Keep looking and you might be discovered.”

The magic girl failed to notice that, in a nearby building, two pairs of eyes had observed her entire battle through a window.

“I say, Rainbow…”

“What is it?”

“Could you please not speak in that tone with that face?”

Black Mirror turned her head, looking at the elderly person beside her—white-haired, wearing a blue-black vest, a rag in their left hand, a bucket in their right.

They looked, in every respect, like an ordinary cleaner.

The elder immediately dropped their incongruous smile, replacing it with an expression of gentle benevolence.

“Good granddaughter, listen to Grandpa, let’s go play somewhere else, alright? Don’t disturb the uncles’ work.”

“…”

Engaging with them further would likely lead to an endless loop, so Black Mirror suppressed the urge to retort, stepping back from the window and closing both it and the curtains.

Black Mirror was here because she had sensed a Corroder nearby, intending to see if her intervention was needed before the magic girl and the Magic Supervision Department arrived.

As it happened, there was a magic girl in the vicinity, so she had observed the battle from the shadows.

As for Rainbow, that person had suddenly materialized beside her like a ghost during the magic girl’s fight.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.

Grandpa works hard, you know.

It’s the weekend, and I still have to clean here.

The economy isn’t doing so well, cough, cough.”

As they spoke, the elder before her set down the bucket of water and slowly bent their hunched back.

Seeing this frail, thin figure, Black Mirror, despite knowing that appearance held no meaning for Rainbow, silently snatched the rag, dampened it, kneaded it thoroughly twice, and handed it to them.

As for the subsequent praise and commendation, delivered as if to a junior, Black Mirror’s ears automatically filtered it out.

Enduring the pat on her head, Black Mirror looked up and asked, “So, what do you want with me?”

“Must I have a reason to seek you out, Black Mirror? That’s quite hurtful.

I was merely cleaning this building as usual, and happened to see you, so I thought I’d say hello.”

Black Mirror didn’t quite believe Rainbow’s claim, so she remained silent, staring at them with a skeptical gaze until they shrugged, ceased their movements, and sat down in a nearby office chair.

“Alright, it’s not anything urgent.”

An envelope was produced from Rainbow’s bosom by a weathered hand and placed on the table.

Black Mirror stepped forward, intending to pick it up, only to find Rainbow’s hand pressing down on it, unmoving, showing no intention of lifting.

Meeting Black Mirror’s questioning gaze, Rainbow offered no further explanation, instead suddenly posing a peculiar topic.

“Actually, recently I found a few cockroaches at home that accidentally slipped in from outside.

They’ve been constantly hiding, which is quite troublesome, and it’s made me unable to sleep soundly.”

From Rainbow’s words, Black Mirror vaguely sensed that the so-called cockroaches were likely a euphemism for something else.

However, she didn’t expose it, instead playing along with Rainbow’s implication.

“If you want to get rid of pests, find someone else.

I can’t.

Besides, how do you know they came from outside? What if your home was already dirty and messy, providing them with conditions to live and breed?”

“How could that be? While I’m not adept at housework, my home has always been spotless.

After all…”

Rainbow tapped the table twice with a finger.

“Besides me, there are two diligent and capable helpers at home.”

When mentioning helpers, Rainbow’s gaze naturally fell upon Black Mirror.

“…”

So that was it.

The ‘home’ referred to Jingping City.

This city currently harbored three Epidemic-Spreading (TL Note: A classification for a powerful type of Corroder, capable of spreading its influence widely and exhibiting human-like intelligence) Corroders: Rainbow, Black Mirror, and another individual who had long resided in the suburbs and never actively contacted them.

Although Rainbow was effectively the greatest threat within the city, she rarely displayed outward hostility, remaining seemingly indifferent even when some of her individual manifestations were eliminated by magic girls.

The one in the suburbs, meanwhile, would not leave its post unless actively disturbed or provoked.

Thus, these three Corroders, entrenched in Jingping City, maintained a balance of non-aggression, despite not having aligned interests.

“Is there trouble again?”

“Just a few small cockroaches.

They won’t stir up much.

Our neighbors saw us kick out that rude stray dog last time, so no uninvited guests should come knocking again anytime soon.”

Black Mirror blinked, realizing that the ‘stray dog’ Rainbow spoke of referred to a foreign Corroder that had been defeated by magic girls last year and fled to Jingping City.

Due to its aggressive actions and unfriendly demeanor, it had been collectively expelled, essentially kicked out before it could even settle in.

Rainbow released the envelope and slid it towards Black Mirror.

“Eliminating cockroaches isn’t difficult.

The problem is… where did these unwelcome cockroaches come from?”

Black Mirror picked up the envelope Rainbow had pushed over.

She didn’t immediately open it, instead holding it in her hand, pondering the meaning of Rainbow’s words.

The hierarchical disparity among Corroders was stark and immense.

The most powerful and unique among them were Epidemic-Spreading Corroders like Rainbow, possessing human emotions and the capacity for thought, understanding how to conceal themselves within human society rather than engaging in direct, fatal battles with magic girls.

Below them were the Corrosive (TL Note: A classification for a type of Corroder, typically powerful and destructive, often reported as major news, but lacking the intelligence of Epidemic-Spreading Corroders) class, often reported as significant news.

The power gap between Corrosive and Epidemic-Spreading Corroders wasn’t actually vast; each appearance of a Corrosive Corroder caused severe destruction and casualties.

However, it remained merely a monster lacking true intelligence, a husk of power, fighting only with simple instincts, incapable of genuine thought or learning from experience during combat.

This was why, despite their formidable nature, they would ultimately be defeated by magic girls.

“So, why tell me about this? You could easily handle it yourself.”

“That may be true, but I believe you, Black Mirror, will find this matter interesting.”

With that, Rainbow rose and walked towards a round fish tank positioned against the wall nearby, picked up the bag of fish food, poured some into her hand, and then scattered the feed into the tank.

The several goldfish in the water swiftly wriggled their bodies to the surface, eagerly vying for the brown pellets floating there.

“After all, Black Mirror, didn’t you once consider raising some cute little animals?”

“That little jellyfish that cried so much a while ago, it eventually turned into salty seawater, what a pity.”

The elder smiled faintly, their gaze towards their fellow Corroder strangely profound.

“…Fool.

Jellyfish don’t cry.

Where did you learn your biology?”

“Don’t say such unromantic things, Black Mirror.

These common sense notions, built upon rules and frameworks, are truly boring.”

Rainbow bent slightly, observing the few goldfish living in their tiny tank world.

“Jellyfish have no heart, no brain.

Therefore, jellyfish cannot feel sadness, nor can they shed tears.

I acknowledge this answer, but I don’t like it.”

The calloused hand gently tapped the outside of the fish tank.

The goldfish inside immediately scattered in a flurry, darting in all directions, wary of the external vibration.

“Humans always love to define every single thing in this world, to set answers for every question, until our appearance.”

“We are the unknown, the unsolvable.”

With her back to Black Mirror, the elder’s body slowly turned, her slightly hunched figure rapidly twisting and shifting in the faint shadows, like a highly malleable lump of clay.

In a single breath, she transformed into another Black Mirror, even her attire materializing perfectly, though her familiar face now bore an unfamiliar, frivolous smile.

“Are we truly the masters of this pain—or has this pain within our hearts found a vessel too weak to expel it? What does ‘I’ truly think?”

The response was a stapler flying towards her face.

Easily catching it with an outstretched hand, Rainbow met Black Mirror’s displeased gaze.

“Don’t use my face to ask such trivial questions.”

“Alright, alright, I just didn’t want to waste this adorable face, you know.

Don’t be angry, my dear.”

Rainbow walked over to Black Mirror and gently returned the stapler to its original place.

She hadn’t deliberately sought to provoke, but for her, observing Black Mirror’s changing expressions was one of her small pleasures.

The heart of this fellow Corroder was not truly indifferent; it was just that this cold, beautiful face only showed gratifying changes when confronted by magic girls.

What a pity, and it made Rainbow feel a touch of petty jealousy towards their mortal enemies.

With a turn, the figure transformed back into the cleaning lady elder in uniform, picking up the water bucket.

“Well, a break is enough.

This old person still has four floors to clean.

I’ll be waiting for your good news, Black Mirror.”

Watching Rainbow close the door and leave with her tools, Black Mirror picked up the envelope and rubbed it between her fingers; it was very thin.

Upon opening the envelope, she drew out a slip of paper with an address written on it in neat, delicate handwriting.

Turning the paper over, the other side revealed a photograph.

Most of it had been blurred, with only a slightly overweight boy’s figure remaining perfectly clear and untouched by any processing.

Next to this boy, a red marker left a distinct mark; though the drawing style was somewhat cartoonish, it was unmistakably the symbol of a “cockroach.”

Although Rainbow’s purpose in sharing this information remained unknown, Black Mirror decided to investigate using the clues provided in the photo.

The more information she possessed regarding Corroders and magic girls, the better.

If this matter truly introduced a variable into the current situation, she would need to uncover the details and extinguish any unnecessary sparks.

****

It was 7:30 PM, a significant time for a convenience store.

At this hour, most convenience stores would begin discounting certain items, such as sandwiches, rice balls, and fruit.

If one was price-sensitive and not overly concerned with shelf life, purchasing food during this period was a sensible strategy for saving money.

The boy, stuffing sandwiches into his arms, thought the same.

A sausage and potato sandwich that sold for eight or nine yuan in the morning could now be had for less than four.

Grabbing two, tucking in a row of bread, and adding a box of yogurt and two drinks, his dinner for the evening was settled.

Hugging his food, he passed shelves laden with snacks, his body noticeably chubbier than his peers, his gaze involuntarily drawn to various flavors of potato chips.

After much deliberation, he reluctantly pulled his eyes away, placing the food one by one on the self-checkout counter.

The discounted amount displayed on the screen was already quite tempting, yet the final sum still made his face flush with embarrassment.

He looked left and right, wondering whether to remove an item, but this time his rumbling stomach made the decision for him.

Swiping away the messages displayed on his phone, he decisively scanned the code and paid, his balance just barely exceeding one hundred yuan.

The money for a shopping bag could be saved, but a full stomach was non-negotiable.

As he cradled his food, intending to exit the store, a group of laughing boys entered from the doorway.

From the school uniforms worn by some and the basketballs in their hands, it was clear they were students who had been playing nearby.

The group walked past without any intention of avoiding him, so he had to turn sideways as much as possible to let them pass.

As one boy’s arm forcefully bumped his back, a drink slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.

Yet, the students walked by, oblivious, gathering by the freezer to chat and select popsicles and ice cream.

Helplessly, the boy temporarily set down his food to pick up the drink, then re-gathered everything in his arms and walked out of the convenience store.

However, he didn’t leave immediately, instead standing outside the store, cautiously peering in.

He saw two of the boys from the group head towards the counter, seemingly ordering steaming hot meat buns and oden.

Though their voices were not loud, he clearly heard several of them casually discussing the ‘fatty’ they had just encountered in the store, and a burst of laughter erupted from the group when they spoke of the ‘fatty’s’ physique.

A little while later, the group of students emerged from the store with their snacks, drinks, and ice cream.

They walked along the small path, animatedly discussing the day’s basketball game.

As they passed a streetlamp, a sudden ‘snap’ came from the light above.

The boys almost simultaneously looked up at the streetlamp, but then their feet abruptly slipped, their thighs went weak, and their bodies, entirely out of control, all tumbled to the ground.

Half-eaten ice cream and spilled coffee were naturally unavoidable; the unluckiest of all was the one who had bought oden, the hot soup spilling directly onto him.

Almost everyone was left in a state of disarray by the fall.

But when they helped each other up, they found only spilled drinks and soup beneath their feet, with no slippery substance that could have caused them all to fall.

Thus, after milling about for a while, they departed, grumbling.

After they had left, a head appeared from around the corner of the road.

The boy who had been mocked in the store earlier opened a package of bread, watched the students hobble away, and smiled as he popped a red bean bun into his mouth.

“Serves them right, a bunch of idiots.”