Became a Failed Experimental Subject Chapter 53: Explanation and Label

“First, to the citizens of W-City—I apologize for the delay in subjugating the despair-class monster.”

Starlight, Yu Anna, bowed her head deeply before the press, then raised her head only to bow once again.

“I also offer my sincerest apologies to the 524 citizens who lost their lives in this monster attack, and to their families.”

At her respectful bow, the reporters went silent, joining briefly in a mont of mourning.

But that was the end of the sadness.

In this era, death had beco far too common to grieve any longer than that.

“Starlight! How do you plan to take responsibility for this incident?”

“Five hundred twenty-four deaths! The public says they would’ve lived if Black Cat had been eliminated in advance!”

“Wasn’t it not that you couldn’t capture Black Cat, but that ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you simply chose not to?”

“Was it because Black Cat was hunting monsters on your behalf that you thought you could take a break?! Did you push your hero duties onto a monster?”

The mont Yu Anna raised her head, the reporters pounced as if they’d been waiting.

All of it—accusations echoed by the citizens of W-City.

Yu Anna took a slow breath in and, as always, slamd the table—BANG!

At the loud command for silence, the rowdy reporters quieted down, and Yu Anna spoke in a calm voice.

“I apologize for the damage that spread due to the delay in my decision-making.”

“So you admit it—you didn’t kill Black Cat, not because you couldn’t, but because the heroes didn’t feel like it?”

“Then I’ll begin the report on the new despair-class monsters—the Bad Cats.”

“Wait, what?”

Yu Anna dropped the bombshell as footage appeared on the large screen.

She spoke honestly about everything that had happened so far.

The first alert—when she deployed after hearing that Black Cat was attacking people. How she imdiately engaged the monster on the scene.

How they kept getting pushed around by monsters that appeared, vanished, and reappeared all across W-City, the casualties only piling up.

And how, eventually, she realized that the true enemy wasn’t Black Cat but so other monster.

“The reason we couldn’t stop the damage in multiple locations is because the Bad Cats were a pair of despair-class monsters. They used abilities similar to Black Cat’s and even possessed the sa evasion from monster alerts that was known to be Black Cat’s signature trait... so every ti we deployed to hunt a Bad Cat, we ended up attacking Black Cat, while the real one fled to another location and continued to spread damage.”

“Huh...?”

“Wait, did you say Bad Cats? A pair of them?”

“Two despair-class monsters? Of the sa species?”

In that mont, the public’s anger at Yu Anna began to slowly turn.

It was now common knowledge that monsters of the sa species working together—rather than fighting each other—was entirely plausible.

What had taken place in W-City wasn’t a chase between Black Cat and Starlight, but an all-out guerilla war between two despair-class monsters, and Black Cat and Starlight.

Given that chaos, the fact that only 500 people died... was nothing short of miraculous.

“...If I hadn’t attacked Black Cat in the beginning, if I had realized sooner that the Bad Cats were separate entities... it’s possible there would’ve been zero casualties.”

Even as Yu Anna said that, everyone watching the screen thought—it wouldn’t have been that simple.

The screen was filled with footage of black cat monsters using abilities, but no one could tell which was Black Cat and which wasn’t.

Identical appearance, similar powers, only one type of monster alert triggered in the area.

They’d never even been caught on cara together.

Seeing all this, most people began to wonder how Yu Anna managed to distinguish them at all.

“Th-then, what happened to Black Cat?”

“Black Cat is alive.”

“Black Cat’s still alive?”

“Well, yeah—if he wasn’t the one rampaging, then he’d still be alive...”

“Wait, are you saying Black Cat helped hunt down despair-class monsters?”

As the reporters stirred with shock, Yu Anna glanced briefly toward the one who asked.

Considering the sheer improbability that heroes alone could’ve contained two despair-class monsters with this little damage, the question was only natural.

“Saying he helped isn’t quite accurate. But yes, he was helpful. We passed off one of the Bad Cats to Black Cat, and handled the other separately.”

Yu Anna gave a vague answer—not a lie, but with so parts withheld—and let out a small sigh as she bowed her head again.

“The Bad Cats are presud to be of the sa species as Black Cat. Entrusting one of them to Black Cat was, frankly, a gamble. But at the ti, I believed it was the only way to reduce casualties, so I made a reckless decision. The result turned out well, but I still apologize for putting citizens’ lives at stake.”

More apologies followed, but no one blad Yu Anna anymore.

The reporters set their mics down and, all at once, began to applaud.

It was praise for a hero who had made the best possible decision for the sake of everyone.

“...Guess I’m gonna have to change the article headline.”

“There’s nothing left to say. Screw clickbait... Even if you had two more S-Class heroes, you wouldn’t have gotten a better result.”

“Starlight! You did good!”

When you looked at it plainly, the truth was simple—without an S-Class hero, everyone would’ve been dead.

The reporters shifted focus from the 500 dead to the rest of W-City’s citizens who survived.

[Starlight, the Hero of Resolve! The Pride of W-City!]

[Is it really that impressive?]

[Two despair-classes rampaging—last ti, we lost a whole district. Now we’ve got deaths too—what’s to be proud of?]

[You really comparing this to that? That ti, it was two different species fighting, so heroes could control the battlefield. This ti, they were working together.]

[If Black Cat was fighting against the Bad Cats, that ans three despair-class monsters were rampaging.]

[If you had three despair-class monsters going wild and only lost 500 people? That’s not even statistically possible.]

[The deaths are tragic, but if you’re still blaming Starlight, you’re just an idiot.]

[Even with just three disaster-class threats, if you screw up the response, you lose 500 people easy.]

[Wait, so it wasn’t Black Cat who went berserk?]

[Is Black Cat alive? Is Black Cat alive? IS BLACK CAT ALIVE?!]

The citizens watching the broadcast also began to praise Yu Anna.

Once the truth ca out, even the 524 deaths seed, in context, like a miracle the people were forced to acknowledge.

The sudden whiplash was jarring—but Yu Anna thought, maybe they’d just been holding their tongues, waiting for a clear explanation.

And with that thought, the weight pressing on her heart lifted, if only a little.

[Black Cat ㅠㅠ I knew it wasn’t you!]

[Our kitty would never do that!]

[Blaccky! Blaccky! Blaccky!]

[Wait, so that post going around the forums was true?]

[Where’s that thread that said Black Cat protected soone from another Black Cat during the shelter breach?]

[I saw it too! Anyone got the link?]

Now that it was revealed that the one who rampaged in W-City wasn’t Black Cat, the long-silent Black Cat fans began to speak up again.

And just like that, the chat window that had been full of people saying Black Cat should’ve been killed faster was now scrolling faster than ever before.

[Seriously, what is Black Cat? Two despair-class monsters of the sa species co to W-City and he fights them?]

[And from what Starlight said, they thought he was a Bad Cat at first and beat him up—but he still helped them?]

[Black Cat: “It wasn’t ㅠ I’m innocent ㅠ” ...All of you are dead to .]

[Black Cat! I always believed in you! Dammit!]

[Wait, is he even really a monster?]

[I an, I’m grateful, but seriously...? Dude, those were your own kind.]

[Black Cat only does it because he’s scared of Starlight.]

People were relieved—Black Cat wasn’t dead, and he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Watching the live responses on the laptop in front of her, Yu Anna gave a small cough and said:

“Ahem... Once again, to clarify: Black Cat didn’t fight for us—we passed it off to him. I urge the citizens not to forget that Black Cat is still a monster, and his current behavior is... abnormal, at best.”

[Ah, yes, if you say so ^^7]

[Salute, Miss Starlight ^^7]

[Why are you all doing left-handed salutes?