"Don't apologize. Tsubaki, you don't have to do anything, don't worry."
When Yuukaku Kuruoka saw Tsubaki start to cry.
The first thing he said wasn't that she hadn't made a mistake, but that it didn't matter if she made a mistake.
Just like before.
Tsubaki remembered being treated like this in the past.
The Kuruoka couple valued Tsubaki more than anyone, but they didn't have any expectations for Tsubaki as a child.
What they valued was the being called Tsubaki.
So, no matter what kind of effort Tsubaki made, or how badly she messed things up, they felt it didn't matter.
Because, the two of them never had any expectations for Tsubaki.
Without expectations, there was no disappointment.
Was Tsubaki, who was regarded as an experimental project by the Kuruoka couple, worth being given any special expectations?
Completing the experimental plan itself was the best result.
Of course, this didn't mean that the Kuruoka couple didn't love her, this love also existed.
They hoped that Tsubaki could live as a suitable bacterial culture.
And give birth to offspring that could realize their great cause.
Their love was based on this and extended from it, and they believed that Tsubaki only needed to do this.
As for messing up anything else, it didn't matter.
That was irrelevant to their Kuruoka family.
However, Tsubaki couldn't understand the complex thoughts of adults.
She repeatedly regarded her parents' "carelessness" as the result of her not working hard enough.
Tsubaki often thought, "If I work hard enough and do things well, maybe I can make Mom and Dad expect something from me."
She naively believed that as long as she did well enough.
She could make her parents take her attitude seriously, and think that what she was doing was not irrelevant.
However, she was completely wrong.
It was a complete mistake.
It had nothing to do with whether Tsubaki Kuruoka as an individual worked hard or not. From the beginning, the Kuruoka couple had never thought about these things.
The meaning of her being born was simply as a culture medium for bacteria.
Because she, who inherited the Kuruoka bloodline, was the most suitable.
Therefore, the Kuruoka couple chose to combine and give birth to Tsubaki Kuruoka, they had no other pursuit.
Now, from outside the residence, came the sound of buildings collapsing and the desperate cries of dying beasts.
Facing the comforting words of the Kuruoka couple, Tsubaki sobbed through her tears:
"But, but… if there are people in the buildings, everyone in town…"
Even though her parents said it was okay, she couldn't ignore her mistake and her parents' "couldn't care less" attitude.
"It doesn't matter how many people in the city die. They're just like batteries, just consumables."
"That's right, Tsubaki. All the Mr. Skeletons will kill everyone who's angry at you."
"Exactly. And since this is Tsubaki's world, no matter how many people die, the mysterious concealment will protect you."
"Wonderful. All that's left is to figure out how to cover up the impact on the surface world."
The Kuruoka couple looked relieved.
Although they were implicitly given the mission to protect Tsubaki, their way of thinking followed the magus's mindset.
Under suggestion, this was their truest and most natural form.
Looking at Tsubaki's tear-streaked face, the parents wore gentle smiles, but there was not a trace of warmth in their eyes.
It was as if they only needed the vessel named Tsubaki to be complete, and nothing else mattered.
–Are they really her parents?
–No, to be precise, is Tsubaki Kuruoka really their biological daughter?
Ciel heard the Kuruoka couple's words.
Her eyes widened, finding it hard to believe.
Although she had already understood the Kuruoka couple's attitude towards Tsubaki from her previous probing of Yuukaku Kuruoka, she didn't expect them to be so harsh and cold-blooded.
At that moment, Ciel exhaled a breath of turbid air.
She understood somewhat why the Church defined magi as heretics, as these guys had indeed deviated from the path of humanity.
Just look at the Kuruoka couple.
They were the most standard of magi, having lost even the most basic of human nature.
"Tsubaki, don't worry about my injuries… Guh!"
The female assassin wanted to step forward to comfort Tsubaki.
She also realized the fundamental distortion of the Kuruoka couple and wanted to alleviate the situation in her own way.
However, the monstrous beasts surrounding the living room were as impenetrable as bees guarding their queen, using their fangs and claws to prevent the female assassin from passing.
They regarded her as an object to be hunted and destroyed.
Due to Tsubaki Kuruoka's wish, the Pale Rider had already regarded the female assassin as an enemy, identifying her as an obstacle that must be overcome to obtain the Holy Grail.
Faced with the monstrous beasts' attacks, the female assassin could only evade in a very disheveled manner.
She didn't want to let Tsubaki leave her field of vision, so she could only dodge within the crowded Kuruoka residence.
She wasn't the only one being chased by the monstrous beasts.
Ciel and the others present were also receiving the same treatment.
Seeing this incredibly chaotic situation—
"It's… okay…"
Tsubaki answered tremblingly.
She had already recognized the truth of what her parents had said.
She had indeed made a mistake.
But even so, she was still trying to force a smile, holding on as usual.
Tsubaki wanted to regain the adults' expectations.
She wanted the adults to no longer be "indifferent" to her.
"I will… keep trying…"
Tsubaki proactively reached out her hand to the Pale Rider.
In a gesture similar to seeking a hug, she embraced the servant who had been protecting her.
In an instant, both Ciel and the female assassin realized it.
This child was about to do something terrible.
"Tsubaki, stop!"
"Tsubaki, you don't need to take responsibility for mistakes outside of your control! This is too much for you…!"
Both sides wanted to stop Tsubaki.
However, just as they took their first steps, the child had already made a wish that would destroy the world.
"Mr. Black, please—
Please restore everything, everything to the way it was… Please let me be forever and ever… all alone."
Tsubaki's tears streamed down her cheeks.
She didn't know how to undo such a mistake, nor did she know how to repay this enormous sin.
Even if it was an unintentional sin.
Even if she was simply a victim.
In the end, she still made a wish with self-destructive tendencies, choosing to end the farce in this way.
And all of this, in the final analysis, was because she simply wanted to receive her parents' true love, such a simple and ordinary wish.
But the result was so unfortunate…