Mushi Uta:Volume 4 Prologue

0.00 Owlet The Last

…Jeez, how irksome.

Owlet thought as she woke up curled up on the bed.

Her body shuddered with a brrr.

Although the temperature was getting warmer, it was still cold early in the morning.

“…”

Getting off the bed, Owlet immediately moved towards the chair by the window. It was a chair with a classical design made out of a twisted wood.

A worn-out bed.

The chair by the window.

An old model 14-inch television.

Those were all that was provided to Owlet in her room. She had not requested for anything else, nor did she find the need for anything else.

Looks like there’s no change today either—.

Owlet looked out of the window without much thought, confirming the lack of any irregularity. This was something she had never failed to do every day for the past five years.

The scenery outside of the window had not changed a single bit despite all these years.

Whether it is the column of houses lined up neatly, to the narrow sidewalk on which people are jogging. To be more exact, there was a certain change, that being the colour of the trees lining the sidewalk. Right now, the young leaves were flourishing, painting a lush green view.

Owlet’s thinly opened eyes looked straight at a particular house.

That house belonged to Ayukawa Chiharu, the target of observation of her mission.

“…”

She curled up on the chair, maintaining her view on Ayukawa Chiharu’s house.

Owlet did not have any doubts about her mission.

For the nameless her who barely scraped a living in the dirty back alley, it was because of this mission that she bestowed a name and power upon her. That person—Owl, had granted upon her the same name, Owlet. This name was her greatest pride and joy. Apart from this, she had nothing else.

Owl-sama, there are no abnormalities today as well—.

She reported to her master in her heart whom she had not seen in a while. Obviously, she did not receive a response.

If Owlet did not fulfil the mission given to her, she would be abandoned by Owl. And then, her master, Owl, would also be erased by the organisation. Owl had mentioned that that organisation was known as the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Although she did not know what the organisation does, the only thing she knew for sure was that they were a group that wield enormous power.

Her master mentioned to her that the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau was a governmental body established to capture and restrain Mushitsuki, people that were infested with the Mushi, outlandish monsters whose existence was publicly denied by the government.

The Mushi infests young boys and girls, feeding on their hopes and dreams. In return for consuming their host’s dreams, they bestow mysterious powers upon their host, devouring their dreams till the day they die. Also, Mushitsuki whose Mushi were killed turns into a corpse-like existence which lacks emotions. Owlet had never thought deeply about these facts before and merely accepted them. Her master, Owl, was a Mushitsuki as well.

She could remember the words of her master, Owl, word for word, but she could never fully understand the meaning behind them. This made her felt deeply that she was not as clever as her master. Even so, the current her could not be compared to the her five years ago when she could not even think for herself.

Looking away from the window, she used the remote control lying by her feet to switch on the television.

With a putsun, the early morning news appeared on the screen.

The news caster was reporting in a lively voice.

Owlet once again returned her sight to beyond the window.

“…”

She monitored the house of Ayukawa Chiharu while curled up in the chair.

In the motionless room, only the voice of the news caster sounded.

For five years.

Owlet had repeated the same actions all the time.

—She had not been told the reason for the monitoring of Ayukawa Chiharu.

Eventually, Owlet slowly got up from the chair.

She headed towards the kitchen and stopped in front of the refrigerator.

Owlet opened the refrigerator and took out a pack of milk by the door, finishing it in a few gulps. This constituted the entirety of her breakfast.

Closing the refrigerator and taking a breath, Owlet headed down the doorway to go out. The unit given her belonged to a worn down two-storeys apartment. She had already realised from the lack of human presence that there were nobody living in the units next to her.

As there was no elevator, she descended down the stairs rhythmically. However, one would not have been able to hear her footsteps at all. From her past experience living in the back alley of streets, she had long since mastered the art of killing her presence.

Before she entered the sidewalk, she saw the Ayukawa house behind a wall.

…She’s late.

At the same time as Owlet narrowed her eyes, the entrance opened forcefully. It felt as if someone had kicked the door open from the other side.

“Why… jeez! You should have told me that the clock stopped!”

The figure of a flustered girl appeared.

Her hair which was usually beautifully straightened was slightly dishevelled this morning. On her bangs was the usual sky-blue hairpin, her favourite throughout these five years. The corner of her eyes which slanted downwards most of the time were pointing up currently due to her annoyance. She was dressed in the uniform of Nishito Sousei High School.

Ayukawa Chiharu, 17 years-old.

Ever since her mother remarried five years ago to her current husband, the three of them has been living together. Their relationship seemed to be good, seeing as the occasional chatter in front of the house were all smiles.

Her conduct was very proper. She always left home on time and usually returned by evening, occasionally coming home late.

To the best of her knowledge, unlike her master Owl, Chiharu—was not a Mushitsuki.

She was a vastly ordinary girl, one you could find on the streets anywhere.

Chiharu tried to open the fence, only to grasp thin air. Because of her flustered motions, her knee ended up knocking into the metallic fence.

“Ou-…!”

Owlet laughed with a kuhuu and a smile of ridicule formed on her face. —Owl had mentioned before that her way of laughing was slightly creepy, but that she should not change as that was what made her unique.

What a clumsy girl—.

“Ouch…”

With tears forming in her eyes, Chiharu finally left the house.

Hiding in the shadow of the wall, Owlet entered the street. Silencing her footstep, she shadowed Chiharu at a constant distance.

Slipping in between passers-by, Owlet could feel a group of middle school girls turning their heads.

“Hey, look at her. So cute…”

“It’s so pretty.”

Owlet clicked her tongue with a tch. The group of girls were looking directly at her.

Owlet disliked her external appearance. No matter how she hid her presence, she would draw attention because of her looks. If the target of her shadowing was any sharper, she would have failed in her mission.

Thinking about such things, a smile of contempt form on Owlet’s lips.

Well, it would be impossible for someone like Chiharu to spot me anyway—.

To be blunt, Ayukawa Chiharu was duller than the average person. Anyhow, in these five years, she never displayed any signs of noticing the existence of Owlet who was monitoring her. It was truly a needless worry.

It was right when Chiharu tried to cross the pedestrian crossing in a half-run.

A semi-trailer that hurtled on despite the red light came into Owlet’s view. The eyes of the person in the driver’s seat remained closed even now, it appears that he had fallen asleep. Also, no one else seemed to have realised this transgression apart from Owlet.

If she does nothing at this rate, Chiharu as well as the other pedestrians would be run over by the trailer.

What to do…?

In that instance, Owlet’s thoughts spun.

—When was it that she started to bear a certain sentiment towards Ayukawa Chiharu?

Hatred.

Owlet, who usually monitored Chiharu with a cool head, could presently feel hatred swirling violently in her chest.

It seems that five years had been too long a period.

She had observed Ayukawa Chiharu spending her days peacefully, crying, laughing and growing up. She spent her youth in a manner befitting that of her age.

And yet, for some reason—Owlet had to follow that girl around in the shadows every day. And once she returned to her apartment, she would cycle 1-hour naps between her bed and the chair by the window.

She had been repeating these action since forever. Every day, day after days. Just because of this one mission, to monitor the girl known as Ayukawa Chiharu, Owlet had thrown away her life.

Above all, to fulfil this mission, she had to be separated from her master, Owl.

I’ve had enough of this…!

Owlet’s hatred reared its head.

If Chiharu died, I would be able to say goodbye to this kind of lifestyle. I would be able to return to Owl’s side, she who had given me my power and name.

As Owlet watched, the truck ploughed onwards to the pedestrian crossing. The pedestrians who started to notice the out-of-control vehicle began to cry out.

Chiharu too started to comprehend the situation. She stiffened upon seeing the rampant vehicle.

“…!”

Shit…!

Cursing in her heart, Owlet kicked off the ground. Rushing to the side of the road, she strongly kicked a small pebble flying.

The flying pebble flew into the open window by the driver’s seat, hitting the snoozing driver squarely in his temple.

The driver woke up with a start, his eyes fully opening. He frantically jerked the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to head straight towards a tree by the roadside. A thunderous roar sounded when the truck collided with the large tree.

Owlet snorted with a humph and hid her body behind the shadow of a tree. Chiharu should not be able to see her with the truck in her way.

A commotion broke out at the pedestrian crossing.

Chiharu let out a sigh of relief before recalling that she was going to be late and started running again. Turning her head behind multiple times, she made her way to school.

Owlet continued her stalking as if nothing had happened.

I can’t let an accident happen—.

She directed a sharp gaze at Chiharu’s back.

In addition to her mission to monitor Ayukawa Chiharu, Owlet received another order from Owl.

If she were to notice any suspicious activity, she is supposed to report back to her immediately. In that case, there may be a need for Owl to handle it herself.

That was the order that Owlet received.

Owlet grinded her teeth with a giri, quelling the hatred she had for the girl.

It was part of Owlet’s mission to protect Chiharu from any unforeseen dangers as well. If she wanted this meaningless lifestyle to end, that would require Chiharu herself to present some sort of ‘dangerous’ action. Indeed, in that case, her master, Owl—and the SEPB would inevitably deem her as a target to eliminate…

By now, Owlet’s objective had already changed from observing Chiharu, to finding an excuse to kill her.

Having reached the school, Owlet watched as Chiharu passed through the school gates.

She herself walked past the school gates and headed for the back of the school compound instead.

At the back of the school building, Owlet entered the school compound through a hole in the wire mesh. After hearing the chime and confirming that all the students had assembled inside their classrooms, she entered an empty hallway from the window.

Keeping up her guard, Owlet erased the sound of her footsteps and rushed up the staircase in one breath. As she lacked the key to the door leading to the rooftop, she stepped out of a window on the opposite side. She grabbed the rain gutter and kicked off the wall, landing softly on the rooftop.

Owlet crept along the rooftop with practised movements, keeping her waist low to avoid being spotted.

There she is.

Owlet spotted Chiharu in the opposite school building as she was in the midst of short homeroom. Although the teacher was speaking, Chiharu was talking to her classmate sitting behind her. She was probably sharing about how she narrowly avoided the accident that happened earlier.

“…”

Owlet adjusted her position such that Chiharu would not be able to see her and curled up, observing her motionlessly.

Through her mission observing Chiharu day and night, Owlet learned to cut off her thoughts. Without thinking of anything, she just observed. If she did not do so, she felt that she would probably go crazy at the sluggish passage of time.

Today too, there wasn’t any incident (regrettably) and Chiharu ended school as usual. After completing her work as a member of the student council, Chiharu bade farewell to her friends by the school gates.

“…?”

Owlet creased her eyebrows.

Contrary to her belief that Chiharu would head home straight, Chiharu went in a different direction.

An ill-fitting smile lit up on Owlet’s face as she let out a kuhuu.

That’s it… once you do something that can be concluded as dangerous, I’ll report to Owl-sama straight away…!

However, her ‘expectations’ were betrayed right after.

Ayukawa Chiharu had simply headed for the city centre of Nishito City and just looked around in a clothes shop.

Chiharu wasn’t doing anything suspicious, she was just shopping. This caused Owlet’s spirit to fall.

Then, Chiharu approached a large department store. Situated at a plaza right in front of the station, Chiharu was considering whether to enter it or not.

There was a large electronic display on the wall of the department store.

Owlet stood on the spot reflexively, looking up at the display. Multiple movie trailers played one after another on the screen.

Lost in her thoughts, she just stared at the screen.

The video seemed to suck her in with its continually shifting imaginary sceneries.

At one moment, it showed an exciting car chase in another country, and then in the next, a fantasy story in another world… Looking at the various scenes, a single emotion filled Owlet’s heart.

Perhaps, it could be called ‘yearning’?

Images of a world much unlike her own flickered in the rectangular panels.

Now that she thought about it, it was right at this place. It was here where she had met Owl.

That day still seemed just like a dream to Owlet.

The young Owlet was sitting on a bench in the plaza in front of the Nishito City station.

Her sight was enraptured by the view in front of her.

In the large display installed on the recently built department store, a scene that was so beautiful it seemed out of the world was projected.

To her, that dirty bench had transformed into her very own special seat. Apart from her, none of those passers-by would even think of approaching that bench, which made it all the more her sacred spot.

To prevent others from snatching the bench from her, Owlet had purposely dirtied the bench at that time. Pedestrians that spared a second look at the dirty-looking her were few, and even those that did would only have a look of disgust on their faces.

Frankly, Owlet could even barely remember when that started. By the time she had become aware, she was already living a life where her bed was a pile of garbage stacked together in the dirty back alley, with no parents nor siblings.

Moreover, nothing threatens her when she is on the bench. Most people would avoid her, while occasionally, other vagrants would spare her some food.

However, it was on that day that the bench turned into an irreplaceable treasure to Owlet.

Above her, an incredibly beautiful scene expanded from the panels.

A view of the ocean which she had never seen before appeared, followed by the scene of a rocket heading to space, then to that of a couple hugging and kissing—.

It was the first time that Owlet, who had only ever seen the dirty floor of the back alley, had looked upwards. Every time the image changed, her heart pounded with excitement.

Even though she thought the scenes were cliched… she was moved nonetheless.

Without even any strength left to obtain food, she brought her weakened body to that location. She had already decided that there would be her place of passing.

“…Kuhuu.”

Before Owlet realised, a streak of tears flowed down her cheeks.

She laughed for the first time in her life.

That was a small miracle.

For Owlet who had collapse onto the ground and would die just like that, she should not have been smiling. Because that had been her fate from since she was born.

But, perhaps… if fate was like a gear, if there had just been a small motion, who knows if she would have been the one to appear in one of those sceneries—.

“Kuhuu… Kuhuhuu…”

A lone girl sat down next to Owlet as she laughed while shedding tears.

She was just a child. Owlet still remembered clearly even now, her short cord-coloured hair held by a hairband.

“What’s with you? Are you laughing? That looks disgusting.”

Owlet raised her face listlessly to look at her. The girl was pulling a wry face.

However, the girl abruptly caressed Owlet’s face. —Feeling the touch of a living thing apart from herself for the first time, Owlet drew back.

“You’re shaking.”

Behind the grinning girl, a deep crimson smoke-like object appeared. The smoke seemed alive, moving around to form a large body and long antennas, with a pair of beautiful shiny wings solidifying in the end.

It looked like a bee—no, it exuded a sense of exalted pride, more like that of a queen bee.

“People like me are known as Mushitsuki. How about that? Aren’t I revolting as well?”

Owlet lightly nodded.

Although that was simply because she did not have the strength to move her head any more than that, when the girl saw that, she was shocked. And then, she laughed out loud seemingly with joy that came from deep within her heart.

“Ahaha! What’s with you? Even someone like you understand what I’m saying? That’s weird, jeez… Fine, I shall make you my very first servant. It wouldn’t be bad to have you help out for SEPB’s mission.”

The girl said so with a grin. It was a cute and refreshing smile that was irrelevant to the contents and tone of her words.

“How about we trudge onwards together along this shitty life!”

It was as if she had reached the summit of the world—no, the two of them were undoubtedly kings of the narrow bench.

From that day onwards, Owlet became that girl’s servant, pawn and partner.

That was what happened five years ago.

“…”

Owlet looked away from the huge panels and resumed tailing Ayukawa Chiharu.

If only she died—if only Owl-sama killed her, then I would be able to reunite with Owl-sama…

Completely oblivious to the killing intent emanating from Owlet who stalked her from behind at a fixed distance, Chiharu was enjoying her window shopping.

Her gaze fixed on Chiharu, Owlet felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Like as if… she was looking at the protagonist of a movie.

The figure of Chiharu basking under the sun as if celebrating her youth seemed to be cut right out of the scenery of the huge panel which Owlet was attracted to. If Chiharu was the protagonist, then wouldn’t Owlet that was presently stalking her be an assassin. The suspense would only be second-rate at best.

However, if perchance… there were such things as reincarnation, then maybe Owlet could be a protagonist like Chiharu—.

“…Kuhuu.”

At the impossibly ridiculous delusion, she unconsciously laughed out loud.

Even so, the delusion continued indifferently.

If this was a movie, what kind of story would it become? Narrowly avoiding the blade of the assassin, leading to the growth of the girl who is protagonist? Or alternatively, would it lead a tragedy where the girl was easily killed? Or maybe, it may lead to love blossoming between the assassin and the protagonist, with the two of them joining hands and making up—.

“Kuhuhuu…”

Even as she was absorbed in her delusions, Owlet never forgot about her reality.

These delusions that she was having were nothing but fleeting figments of her imagination. Owlet had definitely never led a life like that of the protagonist of a movie. She did not belong in the light of the day.

But, what about Chiharu…?

If Chiharu was the protagonist of this story, would Owlet be considered as one of the central characters of the story? Would Owlet be able to see this story till its end?

In the midst of her whimsical imagination, Owlet saw Chiharu’s movements change in front of her.

“…?”

She had suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and looked in a different direction. Owlet tried to follow the direction of her gaze but was blocked by a wall of hustling pedestrians and could not see what Chiharu was looking at.

Chiharu turned around and started to run in a half-jog towards the opposite direction.

What is it…? Did she saw an acquaintance?

Owlet silenced her footsteps and discreetly narrowed the distance between her and Chiharu.

Chiharu crossed the pedestrian crossing while staring at something, looking like that of a child chasing after a butterfly. She headed with a tottering gait in a direction completely opposite that of her home and school.

The place she was headed to was halfway between the station and the prefectural office, a location right in the centre of Nishito City.

Chiharu looked around her surroundings restlessly before passing under a rope that surrounded the area.

“…”

Owlet looked up at a large building that towered far above her.

It was a colossal tower that reflected the sunlight that fell on it, causing it to glitter and sparkle, making it hard to tell whether the surface was transparent or white, or perhaps silver. Next to the tower was a dome-shaped building, as well as various other buildings that surrounded the tower. All of the buildings were wrapped in a silver light, giving off an impression of a gigantic jewellery box. The tower resembled a crystal and the dome a diamond, inlaid in the surrounding buildings seemingly made of platinum or silver.

The Nishito City Mega City Project, ‘URBAN’.

In addition to food, clothing and accommodation facilities, there were also entertainment and work sectors all combined into an area as an undertaking by the government. The tower in the centre is home to businesses and corporations as well as recreation facilities, the dome being an institution of education and arts while the surrounding buildings were places of residence. During the final stages of construction where only work on the interior remained, collusion between the project supervisor and construction company came into light which caused the construction work to come to a stop—or so Owlet was told by Sugitsu Aya, who similar to her, was a pawn under Chami.

“…”

Chiharu was headed towards the dome-shaped building—commonly known as ‘Urban Dome’. Entry to the premises was obviously barred to outsiders, but Chiharu herself did not seem to care about that.

Owlet’s heart throbbed faster in excitement.

“…Kuhuu.”

She revealed a twitching smile and unconsciously swallowed a gulp.

F-finally, it’s time…?

Up till now, Chiharu had not displayed any actions worthy of suspicion. But now, a feeling of nervousness of do something ‘up to no good’ emanated from Chiharu’s back.

Is today the day…? Is the reason for the monitoring of that girl finally going to be revealed today?

“Kuhuhuu…!”

Owlet followed Chiharu with light footsteps. She could feel her own emotions being uplifted.

Owl-sama! It looks like she is going to do something ‘up to no good’! If I catch her doing anything deemed to be dangerous, I’ll immediately head by your side to report it to you…!

If it was Owlet’s master, she would be able to dispatch of a young lass like her in a heartbeat. This way, the overflowing hatred accumulated in Owlet would be released instantaneously as well. Just imagining that result caused her cloudy heart to clear up.

Chiharu skirted around the heavy machineries and plywood planks littered on the floor and entered Urban Dome.

That’s it, keep going…! Today shall be your death anniversary! That’s right, this is where your story—.

Up till there, Owlet’s train of thoughts came to a sudden stop.

“…”

Chiharu’s story comes to an end. Right here, right now.

Really?

Five years. That period of time seemed to be very distant to Owlet now.

In just that interval, Chiharu had steadily matured.

At the time of her mother’s remarriage, she was a girl who hardly smiled. But, maybe it was because she had been blessed with great friend in middle school and high school. In going to school, her surrounding environment caused her personality to soften. Now, she was someone who would hum to herself with a smile during her daily life. She did not have a boyfriend currently, but it was only a matter of time before she did. More importantly, she did not have a shred of worry, indeed, she was the personification of a protagonist in a movie about youth—.

“…!”

Owlet gnashed her teeth with a giri, forcefully pulling herself back to reality from her reminiscence.

That doesn’t matter…! What’s the point of hesitating right now!

Chiharu entered the interior of the dome and walked up the motionless escalator.

The lounge on the second floor was an atrium. Perhaps this floor was originally meant to be an indoor garden. The plants left unattended in the centre stretched out towards the lens-shaped ceiling, growing rampantly in competition for the sunlight streaming down. The fantastical scene was spread into all corners of the floor, as if somebody had cut out a portion of the jungle and placed it here.

“…”

Looking at the spectacle, Owlet shuddered.

Ah—.

Her body could not stop shaking and her knees felt weak. Her lips slowly twisted into that of a smile, revealing the all emotions she had accumulated for the past five years.

In front of Chiharu who stood still in the jungle, an unfamiliar girl was lying facing sideways. The girl looked ephemeral as she laid on the bed of bush, as if she was a fairy.

—No, that girl was not unfamiliar, Owlet recognised her face. It was documented in the report on the ‘level 1 top priority seizure target’ brought by Sugitsu Aya just the other day. She did not know what was the situation behind her, but anyway, there were no doubts that she was a dangerous character.

“Ku… Kuhuu…”

Owlet continued to laugh in amazement as she turned to the opposite direction.

T-this is fantastic… to think that Chiharu was in contact with such a dangerous character being pursue by the organisation! There’s no mistakes! There are no actions more dangerous than this!

“Kuhuhuu!”

Feeling that even one step slower was unbearable, Owlet dashed with all her strength. Naturally, she was headed towards her master, Owl’s side to report to her her findings.

As she leapt down the escalator, she slipped and tumbled across the floor. However, even that pain felt good. A smile was still plastered on Owlet’s face as she got up from the floor.

Owl-sama! Chiharu is a dangerous character! Come, descend upon me right now and kill her—.

“…”

All of a sudden, the smile disappeared from Owlet’s face.

Chiharu will die here.

Right here, the curtains of the story of the girl whom Owlet had watched over for the past five years will come to a close.

She had been dreaming of this ending all the time till now. But… just maybe, a different ending may be possible. For example, if Owlet chose the option of nothing to report, as per usual, the everyday life of Ayukawa Chiharu will—.

“Ku… Kuhuhuu!”

At the absurd thought that came into her mind, a feeling that made her want to laugh welled up.

Impossible. That ending cannot be possible. The story of the girl known as Ayukawa Chiharu will indubitably end here—.

“…”

After exiting the dome, Owlet’s feet came to a stop abruptly.

She had not been paying attention to the presence of others apart from Chiharu. That’s why, when she realised there was a person standing in front of the exit, she was taken aback.

The other party too seemed to have noticed her. He absentmindedly stared at her.

“…!”

Who the hell are you…!

She almost yelled out loud.

The person who stood there was a tall man in a dark suit. Although he was slim, his muscular arms were revealed through tears in his sleeves which had been stretched taut. His dishevelled long hair hid his eyes, while a mask concealed his mouth from which rough breathing could be heard.

There was a pool of blood by the man’s feet. It seems that he was injured. But, more importantly—.

To Owlet who grew up in the wilderness, she could feel it clearly. Even as he stood there calmly, he was wrapped in tension that seemed to almost burst. That was—bloodlust. Not to mention, the intensity of the bloodlust was more than she had ever felt before.

“Guh… Haah… Haah… Where is it… it should have been around here…”

The man raised his groaning voice as he walked in Owlet’s direction.

This man would slaughter everyone—.

She could tell that the man in front of her had lost all sense of rational thinking. In addition, there was that abnormal bloodlust. He would probably kill any person that enters his sight. Even if they were just an ordinary person… even a girl like Chiharu.

“…!”

Owlet could feel her hair standing on its ends. All the happiness and hesitation she had felt thus far was buried under a single violent emotion.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Owlet howled in her heart, she was incensed.

Five years! For five years! I have always been waiting for this day! Something like this… I won’t let an unknown bastard like you steal that from me! Chiharu is mine and Owl-sama’s prey! You… are you trying to usurp that from us? Don’t belittle us!

Instincts overcame Owlet’s reason. With a running start, she charged upon the man.

“Muu!”

Owlet’s fingertips grazed the man’s face as he dodged instantly. A laceration cut across the man’s throat, causing blood to trickle out.

“What the hell are you…!”

Owlet followed up with another strike but was completely evaded this time. In return, the man countered with his fist, driving it into her flank.

“Gufuu…!”

Owlet’s petite body was easily sent flying and she crashed into the wall. She could feel the taste of blood in her mouth, but in her rage, she got up immediately.

As Owlet took a few small steps towards him, the man sent out a kick. However, that was merely a feint. Dodging the kick with agile movements, Owlet jumped on the man.

“Guah!”

The man groaned loudly. The skin from his cheek till the nape of his neck was torn.

Owlet clicked her tongue. The weak her only has her nimble movement and claws as weapons. In fact, she was aiming for his eyes, but he managed avoided that. On the contrary, Owlet had her claws torn off, causing her fingertips to be assaulted by sharp pain.

“Y-you bastard…!”

With blood running down his face, the man glared at her with a demonic expression. A red and blue string seemed to float behind his back which expanded in an instant, morphing into a two-headed monster.

It was an insect, more specifically, a monster resembling a centipede with multiple body segments. Half of its body was split open, revealing a mouthpiece with countless fangs arranged compactly. Its hundreds of legs wriggled in resemblance to centipedes, sending a chill up the spines of anybody who saw it. On its red and blue heads, a total of four compound eyes caught Owlet in its sight.

This guy… is the same as Owl-sama, a Mushitsuki!

Owlet forcefully threw herself onto the floor and rolled over. Following in her direction, the red centipede opened its jaws wide and swooped down.

Owlet evaded the attack by a hair’s length by tumbling to her side, and the gigantic centipede gouged a hole in the ground instead.

Breaking through the asphalt as easily as a bulldozer, the centipede penetrated through the tower—Urban Tower’s wall.

“…!”

Facing such incredible destructive power, Owlet shuddered. If she was struck by such monstrous force, surely there would be nothing left of her. And then, Chiharu would face the same fate.

Owlet looked at the dome. The commotion they have caused should have reached her by now. She might even come out to see what happened. If she did that—.

How can I let something like you plunder away our prey…!

Evading another attack that continued with the blue-headed centipede’s jaws, Owlet escaped into within the tower through the hole gouged by the centipede. Having avoided the attack, she scratched at the centipede’s compound eye with all her strength. Even though it had a solid carapace, as expected, its eyes were soft. An unpleasant sensation was transmitted to her through her fingertips.

“I’ll kill you…!”

In exchange for the man’s groaning voice, her left claws were torn off as well. The man scuttled into the tower in pursuit of Owlet.

“…Kuhuu.”

Even as Owlet sweated cold sweat from the pain in her fingertips, she still grinned.

That’s right, follow me…! I know it! When Mushitsuki use the power of their Mushi continuously, they get extremely fatigued! I’ll make you use up all your strength here! Until you can’t get any closer to Chiharu!

The inside of the tower was wrapped in silence. Supporting props were placed by the side of the wall and wooden beams and construction materials were haphazardly littered across the floor. Shiny pipes were arranged in a corner that was meant to support a monument which would probably look beautiful if it was completed.

Exposed metal pipes could be seen along the unpaved floor. She could tell that they were meant to be water pipes. The water pipes extended to the first floor from underground.

Similar to the dome, there was an unmoving escalator in the centre of the floor. Owlet headed for the second floor with light footsteps.

The battle with the unknown man continued for tens of times as she ascended the escalator. Avoiding the attacks by the centipede, Owlet occasionally flung the wooden beams lying around on the floor at the man and intermittently stabbed her fingers aiming at the compound eyes.

“Huu… Huu…!”

As a result of her vigorous movements, her lungs were screaming. However, the man was in similar shape. His stamina was amazing for someone who had sustained injuries, but Owlet was still slightly more well-off.

—Before she noticed, a gust of wind blew past her.

Much to her surprise, she had fought her way up the escalator till the rooftop. She looked around the surroundings in confusion. Steel bars were piled up in a corner along with an abandoned crane nearby.

“Haah! Haah!”

After a short delay, the man reached the rooftop as well.

Owlet’s face fell. —Just a bit more and it seems like he would run out of endurance and willpower, but alas, she was just one step short. If only the tower was just a few floors taller, she lamented.

Desperately looking for a chance to reverse her fate, what caught her eye was a row of drum cans. Owlet’s nose could pick up an irritating odour coming from it. At the same time as she realised what was in it, a certain plan sprang into her mind.

“Kuu… Huhuu.”

A smile naturally spilled out.

Perhaps this was the wisdom that she had gained from Owl. This plan she had thought up, if her master, Owl, had known, would surely have said this about it:

—That, is definitely a screwed-up plan.

“Kuhuu.”

Precisely. It was nothing but a suicide plan.

However, Owlet’s body had already moved into plan unhesitatingly. She sprinted for the drum cans.

“I won’t let you escape!”

The centipede which the man commanded assaulted Owlet. Owlet who twisted her body narrowly was sent flying along with the row of drum cans.

“…!”

Her flank seemed to have been grazed by the fangs, causing blood to spurt out.

But right after, an intense irritating odour permeated the surroundings.

“This is… gasoline? Was it fuel for the crane? It can’t be, you purposely…! No, if you do that—”

The man seemed to be shaken.

“Kuhuu…”

Owlet stood up on wobbly legs and rushed towards the steel bars. She held up her broken claws and was about to scratch the steel bar.

“U… Uwoooh!”

Perhaps he sensed the ensuing terror, the man reflexively ordered the blue centipede to chase after Owlet. Right before Owlet’s claws could scratch the steel bar, a large jaw bit into her body.

“…!”

Owlet opened her mouth wide and let out a loud scream of pain. With an unpleasant sound of ribs cracking, she was thrown onto the ground like rubbish.

“Y-you… what the heck were you trying to pull! Don’t tell me you actually wanted to light up the gasoline with a spark? Are you trying to burn the two of us to death together!”

“…Kuhuu. Kuhuhuu.”

Laughter came out of the gasoline-soaked Owlet as she was collapsed on the ground. It was definitely a fatal wound, there was no saving her.

“Y-you are still laughing…? W-what is it, you bastard…! Just what the hell!”

That’s my line—.

With a smile, Owlet got up again.

It won’t be you… the one who will end Chiharu’s story… it can’t be anybody other than Owl-sama!

Owlet kicked off the ground. Her target was the concrete hut a short distance away. She had an intuition that there was a pump in that room. Similar to the one in Chiharu’s school, there was a pump on the floor connected to the water pipes that could be found everywhere in the tower and the dome. The next plan that came into Owlet’s mind brought no benefits to herself at all. But—.

Owl-sama… as long he is in this city, he would surely be a hindrance to you. If it’s you, surely you would be able to understand my intentions… please, Owl-sama—.

“How are you still able to move with those wounds… U-uwaaah!”

Completely consumed with fear, the man ordered his Mushi to crush into the hut Owlet was in.

—The sound of destruction reverberated throughout the whole of ‘URBAN’.

After confirming that the area was completely silent, the man finally turned to his back.

“Just what the hell was that… was that just an illusion I saw? Shit… looks like I really need to get some rest for a while—”

Grumbling under his breath in complain, the sound of the man’s footsteps grew further.

“…Kuhuu.”

In the middle of the destroyed hut, Owlet laughed in satisfaction.

Her abdomen was torn and her rib bones and legs were broken, even her sight was getting hazy.

It won’t be you… the one who will end Chiharu’s story…

In her blurry view, she saw a red smoke spilling out of her body along with her blood. The smoke lumped together and consolidated in the air, transforming into a bee which exuded the aura of a queen.

Owl-sama… I’ll head towards your side right now…

She raised her body and tried to crawl, dragging along her broken legs.

“Kuhuu… Kuhuhuu…”

Her broken ribs have probably pierced into her lungs. A large amount of fresh blood spilled out from her smiling lips.

The red smoke—the moment she lost the strength bestowed upon her by Owl, the clear thoughts that she held till that moment left her.

But, Owl-sama… it looks like I wouldn’t be able to report to you anymore, it seems that I am already—.

“Kuhuhuu.”

It feels like I have been seeing a shitty dream… who knows, maybe Chiharu’s story will continue on and always—.

“Kuhuhuu, kuhuu.”

That was Owlet’s final thought.

“Kuhuhuhuu, kuhuhuu…”

And then, the laughing voice of Owlet, who was already incapable of thinking, propagated down Urban Tower.

0.01 The Others

At a place near the Nishito City station, a baptism of light welcomed Anmoto Shiika.

“Nn…”

Seating in the front passenger seat of a luxury car, Shiika looked towards the source of the intense light rays.

Mesmerised by the beauty of what she saw, Shiika unconsciously held her breath.

It looked as if a gigantic crystal had grown up from the ground.

She could see the apex of the gigantic tower and dome-shaped building. The shiny silver surface had reflected the evening sun rays onto the location where Shiika was at.

“Building Complex, ‘URBAN’. Due to an impasse in the midst of the project, it is an establishment that had yet to be christened.”

The middle-aged man sitting in the driver’s seat and holding onto the steering wheel, Munakata Kaiji, explained.

“‘URBAN’…”

The car that Shiika is in was caught in the evening rush hour.

A single boy was seated in the back seat. With his hair bundled behind a headband, he was a youth of the same age as Shiika. Half-closing his long-slit eyes, he let out a big yawn.

“It’s a pity but we do not have time for a tour. We have no business in this city. Also, we need to put as much distance between us and the Central Headquarters.”

In response to Munakata’s words, the boy opened his mouth in a while.

“No, in fact it may be a good idea to stay here for a short while.”

“What do you mean, Aijisupa?”

“Ever since we were in Ouka City, there were people lurking around in our surroundings.”

“What was that? Why didn’t you say anything up till now—”

“Ah!”

As Shiika looked back and forth between the gigantic tower and the traffic jam, she spotted something on the street.

“E-erm… please wait for a bit.”

Without waiting for an answer, Shiika opened the door and jumped out.

“Muu!”

“Tch!”

With Munakata’s puzzled utterance and the boy clicking his tongue at her back, she ran into the dark street.

Over there was an animal.

“…”

“A cat, huh. Looks like it’s already on its death bed. It was probably hit by a large model car.”

The injured white cat was breathing roughly on the floor.

Blood was flowing from its stomach and it seems like its legs were broken. Its originally beautiful white coat was stained crimson by the large amount of blood it bled. The golden pupil in its thinly opened eyes were staring into the air as if seeking something.

A trail of blood continued endlessly from beyond the street. Looking at its source, the trail pointed in the direction towards ‘URBAN’.

Shiika lifted the white cat up in an embrace. Even without the boy behind her saying anything, she understood. There was no saving this cat.

“…Kuhuu.”

Shiika widened her eyes.

“Kuhuhuu… Kuhuu…”

The shaking voice of the boy came from behind.

“I-it’s laughing?”

In the middle of Shiika’s arms, the white cat laughed. Although the cat seems to be gasping in suffering, its lips was twisted into a smile.

That laughter sounded as if it was a warrior who had completed some kind of big mission and was extremely proud of that fact, feeling completely satisfied.

“Kuhuu…”

The cat’s laughter gradually got softer and softer.

The heartbeat from its small body grew weaker, signalling the eventuality that it would stop. Even as the white cat stopped breathing, it still had a smile on its face, seeming to say that it did not have any regrets.

“…”

The voice of Munakata came from the car, saying, “It is pitiable but leave it. Regrettably, we do not have the time for mourning”.

Having witnessed the passing of a tiny life, Shiika bit her lips.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Konomura Chami raised her head with a pikun.

Looking up in the distance, a silvery tower—Urban Tower loomed tall above the surrounding buildings.

Walking along the street in her uniform, Chami saw a red smoke heading towards her direction from the tower. The smoke which had formed into the shape of a bee, was absorbed into Chami’s body and disappeared.

“…”

Chami stood still in the middle of the crowd. The lace tied around her head in replacement of an Alice band fluttered in the wind. She stared fixedly at ‘URBAN’ through her stylish triangular spectacles.

“Owl? What’s the matter…?”

The girl walking beside her inquired in a subdued voice. A gaze filled with vigilance rather than worry peeked out from long forelocks that hid both eyes.

Chami grinned back.

“Nope, nothing in particular. Just that the amount of my pawns have decreased by one.”

“…?”

“More importantly, can you check for me if there is a white cat inside a two kilometre radius of ‘URBAN’? There’s a high probability that it is injured. It’s not just any stray cat though. Please narrow it down to the most beautiful one. With your ability, even this much is possible, right, Konoha?”

The girl called Konoha seemed surprised at the sudden order. But, she immediately retreated into a narrow alley and did as she was told.

The girl touched a portion of the wall of the alley, causing it to swell up. The portion gradually turned green, turning into a Mushi that blended into the wall. It had a weird appearance of a single large compound eye sandwiched between two leaves.

The strange-looking Leaf beetle assimilated with the wall, sliding up to the rooftop. Stopping at a spot with a good view, the large compound eye gazed over the cityscape.

A few minutes passed before Konoha started to speak.

“I found it…”

“That was long. Were you taking your own sweet time?”

“…It’s nearby. Despite being covered in injuries, it seemed to have walked a distance from ‘URBAN’, but… it has already died…”

“I already knew that. Show me the way.”

The place that Konoha led them to was a sidewalk along the main street.

Chami looked down at the white cat that had taken its last breath in the corner of the alley. A red ribbon tied in a butterfly knot was placed next to the cat in replacement of flowers. It appears that somebody had looked over the cat during its last moments. An out of character emotion welled up in her as she thought, ‘Well, I thank you for that’.

“…”

One of her pawn—indeed, she was just one of Chami’s servant, simply one for which existed for her use. Moreover, it was merely the result of an experiment when Chami used her power for the first time.

She gently stroked the smiling white cat with her fingertips.

Doesn’t seem like an injury that was caused by an accident… a large animal, or perhaps a Mushi got her. If it was a Mushi, it must be a minion type which attacks directly. Looks like I must confirm what happened onsite at ‘URBAN’. Good grief, this is going to be troublesome.

In her mind, she considered how to move from now onwards. But, this unmistakably means—.

“It seems that something has happened around Ayukawa Chiharu. Although nothing happened these five years, what a truly shitty timing it is for something to occur now.”

Ignoring Konoha who was standing in puzzlement, she stood up.

As she looked down at the figure of the cat, it seemed to overlap with the image of her as a corpse. For all she knows, that illusion may come true in the future. Chami held onto her ambitions with the knowledge that she may die at any time.

—How about we trudge onwards together along this shitty life!

Recalling the words that she muttered in the past, Chami flashed a fearless smile.

“…Looks like you were in happiness as you died. Escaping from this shitty life all by yourself and leaving your master behind? Good grief, how audacious…”

Chami muttered in such a soft voice that it didn’t even reached Konoha.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

In the lounge on the second floor which was transformed into a jungle, Ayukawa Chiharu was wracking her brains alone by herself.

“Ah, this definitely feels good.”

Growing in the nutrient-rich soil, weeds grew thick and fluffily till knee-length height. Maybe it was because they have been sprayed with pesticides at the start, there were no pests. With abundant sunlight filtering down from the atrium ceiling, it has become a paradise for plants.

In the centre of that paradise, two girls were lying down.

One of them was Ayukawa Chiharu, belonging to class H of the second year of Nishito Sousei High School. Not caring that her long hair had fallen onto the soil, she was looking up at the ceiling while sprawled in the shape of a ‘大’. Apart from having a tall stature amongst her class’s girls, and being the vice-chairman of the student council, she was just a normal highschool girl with no outstanding traits. Or so, that was what she thought about herself.

“Anyway, relatively speaking, that doesn’t matter at all.”

She rolled her body, turning over to stare at the sleeping girl’s face.

“The question here is, who are you? Intrigued by that weird attire and unsteady footsteps, I just unintentionally ended up following you.”

Chiharu stared at the girl lying on her side sleeping peacefully, watching her light breathing. Her hair, which was even longer than Chiharu’s, was scattered radially on the grass. Even Chiharu, who was of the same gender as her, felt that she was a beauty, although her age seemed to around that of Chiharu if not lower.

The girl was dressed in a simple in-patient garb from the hospital. Adding on the fact that one would not usually walk around the streets in such outfit, Chiharu now realised that she must have been in some trouble. There was a red stain on the hem of her outfit.

“Don’t tell me this blood belongs to her? Aha, ahaha…”

Unaffected by Chiharu convulsing laugh, the girl continued to sleep with an innocent look.

“Perhaps, she is an assassin belonging to some secret organisation? Or maybe she is a fugitive at large? No, she does not have that bloody impression. Could she be the princess of a country somewhere in the midst of an escape? If that were so, then could this be the start of a great love story. In that case, was it alright for a girl like me to have found her?”

Resting her cheeks in her hands, Chiharu let her imagination run wild. She would not have been able to find the answer even if she did so, but a smile grew on her face as she thought. —She could hear some sort of noise coming from outside since a while ago, but since it stopped right after, she did not see the need to find out what happened for herself. For some reason, she felt that it was a pity to leave the girl’s side.

When she lightly poked the girl’s cheek, her eyebrows slightly knitted.

“Hey, who are you?”

In response to Chiharu’s enquiry, all she received was a light sneeze from the girl.

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