Mushi Uta:Volume 7th

Novel Illustrations[edit]

Cover
Color Page 1
Color Page 2
Color Page 3
Color Page 4
Color Page 5
Title
Characters
Contents
Page 13
Page 29
Page 55
Page 73
Page 85
Page 107
Page 122
Page 153
Page 171
Page 183
Page 209
Page 241
Page 277
Page 315

Episode 25. The Secret Pledge of Dreams[edit]

The trailing note of Horusu Seijou Academy Middle School’s chime echoed in the campus.

Students started clamoring all over. Since there were morning classes today, the voices heard were livelier than normal.

“Not bad at all, dashing out right with the bell like that.”

Silence returned to the entrance to the stairs.

Breathing heavily, Kusuriya Daisuke stood to block it.

Plain face, plain hairstyle, average height. The boy who had no other distinguishing features other than the band-aid on his cheek was facing a single girl.

“You’ve anticipated my movements, then.”

Still getting her shoes out from the shoe racks, the girl—Ichinokuro Arisu—smiled boldly. She was petite, but her healthy-looking legs and cheerful, bouncy ponytail gave an impression of liveliness.

Daisuke blocked the entrance and Arisu bent forward while still holding her shoes. They kept the distance of a step between them and looked out for each other’s next move.

“I hadn’t been your monitor for these last few months just for show. —Even if I wasn’t, you’ve been acting shifty all morning. Everyone’d think it odd.”

“I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but being the monitor of a girl your age feels tactless. Do I have no right for privacy?”

Daisuke and Arisu were classmates. But they didn’t go to the same school by coincidence.

The girl called Ichinokuro Arisu was a fully-fledged student of Horusu Seijou Academy. Just like all other sons and daughters of the wealthy who went there, she was born to an ancient and noble house.

On the other hand, Daisuke was nothing more than an infiltrator who’d been sent to monitor her due to certain circumstances.

“What’re you scheming this time? You were trying to hide from me and go where, exactly?”

“Who ever heard of a manservant interrogating his mistress? I’m not obliged to answer you!”

Spitting this, Arisu spun her body. Still holding her shoes, she ran through the corridor.

“Tch… can’t believe you got away like that!”

As Daisuke rushed after the running girl, he could see a small glow flutter next to her.

It was a Morpho butterfly with silver wings.

At a glance it looked like an insect, but since it had four feelers, it differed from the real thing.

Mushi—

That was the name of the supernatural beings that suddenly appeared about a decade ago. They took adolescent boys and girls as their hosts and granted them special powers in exchange for feeding on their dreams and hopes.

At present, Mushi were being secretly captured and concealed by the government agency called the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Those possessed by Mushi—known as Mushitsuki—were caught, trained, and then used as vanguards to capture new Mushitsuki.

Kusuriya Daisuke was a member of this organization, called the SEPB for short, and was sent to monitor Ichinokuro Arisu, the girl possessed by the Morpho butterfly, who was unique even among Mushi.

“—Just kidding.”

While looking at the girl who vanished at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye, Daisuke grinned.

“Just in case, I’d stationed Kasuou over there. Don’t think I’ll allow you to do as you please forever, mwahaha!”

While chasing after Arisu, he suddenly felt empty.

“…Why am I playing along with her…”

Turning around the corner, Daisuke pushed through the corridor.

He instantly noticed a blond girl. She was collapsed at the end of the corridor.

“Kausou? What happened?!”

He rushed to the girl with an elegant face—Mitake Anneliese—and held her up. Just like Daisuke, she was a combatant sent by the SEPB to monitor Arisu.

“Kh, I lowered my guard. Nah, she’s too strong. Typical Arisu…”

Grabbing Daisuke’s arm, Kasuou grimaced. Next to the collapsed girl was an indoor shoe that had probably been thrown by Arisu. The window was open.

From the clues left at the crime scene, Daisuke instantly grasped the situation. He coldly looked down at the blond girl.

“Kasuou… what is that you’re holding onto?”

Kasuou averted her eyes.

“Sorry, I no understand Japanese.”

“No one even thinks of you as a foreigner anymore. Wait, you’re holding my arm to stop me here!”

“If you really wanna know then I’ll tell you! It’s the Kemono Man limited edition strap! Just shut up and let me hug you! This is all for the sake of my additional reward, the large Kemono Man towel!”

“So you’ve been bribed! You’ve got no intention of fulfilling your mission! I’ll seriously shoot you right here!”

“Right, you criminal scum! Unhand Kakkou right this instant!”

“Uwah!”

Turning around to this sudden voice, an elementary schooler climbed inside from the open window.

She had her hair in twintails and wore the blazer that was probably some elementary school’s uniform, both of them covered in heart-shaped accessories. This girl, called Horiuchi Erii, was also a member of the SEPB.

“Why’s C here as well?!”

“Because classes ended early, obviously!”

“Don’t try fooling me by lashing back at me! How many times do I have to tell you not to break security just so you can come hang out with—no, more importantly, have you seen Arisu on the way?”

“Oh, yes. I met her by chance and helped her climbed the fence. —Why are you holding your head, Kakkou-san?”

The blond girl clung to Daisuke and the elementary schooler tried pulling her off.

“Why have you been won over by her?! Anyway, we have to go look for her! —My phone? Who is it now right when I’m having an emergency!”

“Everyone’s favorite idol, Maimai-chan is here! My specialties are searching for people and the Maimai Exercise! The divine oracle Maimai-chan had the feeling she was neededfgh! I-I didn’t bite my tongue, I’m just barely safe!”

“I must’ve imagined that.”

Daisuke cut off the call and sighed.

While looking at his colleagues who not only did not support him but actively hindered him, Daisuke too wanted to forget all about his duty.

“—No.”

Shaking his head, he came back to his senses.

Recently, Arisu had been taking too much independent actions away from Daisuke’s eyes. Just the other day she used the opening where he went to the SEPB and came back covered in wounds. When he tried understanding what happened, she dodged his questions and didn’t tell him anything.

“She’s obviously up to no good at all, again. I’ll definitely find you and make you aware of your position…”

Dragging two girls behind him, Daisuke started walking.

Part 1[edit]

Akamaki City, Ichinokuro Arisu’s place of birth, was as lively as always.

Just by walking through the road connected to the station she passed by many people. It was a prominent metropolis within the country, and all passersby were stylish.

Since she was used to this scenery ever since she was young, she could see places full of memories everywhere she looked. Lately, in particular, all these places were etched intensely in her memories.

The Ferris wheel visible from within the gaps in buildings was where she made a promise with her deceased friend, as well as where she met the Mushitsuki called Yomori Neiko.

Within the high-rise buildings visible on the other side of the road was one where Daisuke had turned a girl into a Fallen after she suffered from the phenomenon called Maturation.

Right now, she passed next to the karaoke place she went to with an annoying Mushitsuki. If she turned back at the crossroads behind her, there would be the entrance to the SEPB’s Central Headquarters.

On yet another tower that rose on the other side of complex buildings—were the hanging gardens where she saw the heroic last moments of an unforgettable Mushitsuki, the Kind Magician.

Everywhere around her was filled with memories. Every day Arisu walked around Akamaki City, she recalled the people she’d met. Her meetings with them could be said to be a part of her.

Therefore—Arisu couldn’t understand the meaning of her meeting with the boy in front of her.

He seemed to be wearing some high school’s uniform, but it was painted over in gaudy colors so it had to be against school regulations for sure. His black tie was just stuck inside his loose shirt and a large compress was stuck on his right cheek. Arisu knew that there was a flame tattoo under it.

That boy stood in front of a hobby shop’s window, surrounded by elementary schoolers. Using his height, he held aloft a gashapon prize, apparently arguing with the kids.

“Don’t fuck with me! You were also hogging the machine! Are you tryna pick up a fight with me? Don’t underestimate adults, you little shits! Ready to bring it on?”

“Arisu Low Kick.”

“Ouch!”

The capsule fell from the boy’s hand as he collapsed to his knees. The elementary schoolers picked it up and dashed away.

“Hey! You brats, that rare character is mine—damn, I-I can’t get up. What’s up with that pinpoint kick that feels like it took a hundred days of training to perfect? Wait up, brats! S-someone catch them, please, Mr. Officer!”

“Why are you picking up fights with elementary schoolers…?”

Looking down the boy trying to reach out to the running children, Arisu sighed. —Recalling how much of an effort it took her to find this man, it felt like a complete waste.

Somehow standing up, the boy grabbed Arisu’s tie and pulled her closer.

“If that oh-so prestigious Horusu Seijou Academy really teaches you to greet people with a direct hit and snatch their precious treasures, then I can definitely greet you back with a no-holds-barred kick, right you little shit?”

“I have not heard of such a greeting. What nonsense are you speaking of, young man? Incidentally, grabbing a lady’s collar like that is sexual harassment. Hey, Mr. Officer!”

“Were you just imitating me? Yes, you were. I see, so I look that funny to you. Even though I’m reduced to tears because I lost that rare character I finally managed to get…”

“So you just wanted a gashapon… No wonder it felt like a stupid meeting spot.”

Arisu came to the crossroads near the station. Since many people passed that road, it had many stalls along it.

“But you really came. To be honest, I was half doubting you…”

“And you really did come here alone?”

The boy narrowed his eyes and looked around.

He was apparently called Sehateno Harukiyo, but she had no idea if it was his real name. He was also a Mushitsuki, and one of the people who appeared by being invited by her friend’s Mushi, the Morpho butterfly.

“I did come here ready for a fight, though.”

“If you’re talking about my usual punchbag, I left him at school and came here. If you fought here, it wouldn’t end well.”

Harukiyo had been granted a designation from the SEPB. If its member, Kusuriya Daisuke, was there with her, they probably wouldn’t be able to chat like this.

“What would you do if I’d brought comrades of my own?”

“But you like doing these things properly, right?”

“I did tell you to come here alone, but I can’t remember saying I’ll come here alone, too.”

Arisu was speechless.

“You really didn’t consider this, huh?” Harukiyo sounded shocked.

These last few days, her head was full of questions whether Harukiyo would come as promised or not.

That promise was made just the other day when Arisu had finally managed to find him—

“Alright, let’s go then.”

“Go? Where?”

As if some switch inside him had been toggled, Harukiyo rose up.

“To our date, obviously.”

Silence fell between the two.

What was he saying, all of a sudden?

Was he an idiot?

Arisu seriously thought about this.

She thought she was prepared for his random actions and words, but this was something so sudden that made her doubt his sanity.

“Hey, why’re you looking at me like that? Are you an idiot?”

“Eh? I’m the idiot here? —I-I mean, this isn’t what we agreed to! Since you told me we’d talk about Mari, I did nothing ‘that time’ and left, you know? First of all, why do I have to date you! No matter how you cut it, we’re not even a good match!”

“Is that really the issue here? Try questioning the more fundamental aspect of it! Eh, it’s fine, let’s just go on a date! That’s how I feel right now!”

“D-don’t kick up a tantrum here. You make it look like I’m the one at fault here. Look, people are watching.”

No.

It shouldn’t have been like that.

Arisu hid it with casual talk, but she was really tense as she came there.

After all, someone she’d been looking for a long time was right in front of her eyes. And when she looked for him and finally found him, he was angry at her as if ready to scorch her to ashes at any moment—

“Harukiyo…”

It was the room of a certain apartment building.

The person Arisu had been looking for was right in front of her eyes.

In the center of the living room filled with trash, a boy was sleeping on top of a large sofa. His bare upper body was thrown back, and he was breathing in sleep, no signs of him having noticed the unexpected intruder. His childlike sleeping face had nothing of the evil Mushitsuki often called a devil in it.

“Haru—”

As she reached out to the boy, she startled.

Harukiyo was not Arisu’s ally. Seeing that Arisu was fatigued from her battle against the Custodian, she stood no chance of standing up to him if they fought. She wouldn’t even have the energy to chase after him if he ran away.

Should she wake him up here?

Or perhaps she should act according to her original plan, call Daisuke there and borrow the help of Kororo, who possessed the power of past viewing—

“Ah…”

Although she was pressed for a choice, she lost her chance to reach out and answer.

Harukiyo silently half-opened his eyes.

“—So it’s you.”

Not only was he not surprised to see her, the boy acted completely calm. Just glancing at the visitor, he closed his eyelids again, moving only his mouth as if finding more than that a bother.

“Got any business with me?”

Arisu was confused at this unforeseeable response. She raised her voice without thinking.

“I-I obviously have some business with you! I finally found you! You always just show up and then vanish in a puff of smoke whenever it’s time to talk, so—”

“Shuddup, let’s do this later.”

Although he was the one who asked what she wanted, he said they’d do it later.

This was the selfish Harukiyo that Arisu knew.

However, she felt his behavior was strange. It didn’t look like he simply wasn’t a morning person.

“I-I can’t just wait for later. I have lots I need to ask you about. I couldn’t stand it if you run away again…!”

“…Tch.”

The boy clicked his tongue, looking to be in a bad mood. Softly opening his eyes, he glared at Arisu.

“If you wanna fight I’ll burn you in an instant. If you bring Kakkou or the SEPB I’ll massacre them. Running away is also a bother. I’ll kill as many people as needed, depending on your moves.”

“…!”

The room’s temperature suddenly rose. Feeling her entire body sizzling from his killing intent, Arisu froze on the spot. She felt that her lungs would burn if she tried breathing.

“I’m currently sleeping.”

Harukiyo exposed his anger for but a brief moment. He turned to the side as if nothing happened.

“I’ll talk all you want another time…”

“C-can I even believe you?”

“I always do things properly. —I mean, our match’s already settled anyway. I don’t care anymore.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

—This is now a contest. You or me—which of us is going to find Hanashiro Mari first.

Thus Harukiyo said in the past.

The Mushi of a person that died from sickness possessed another person.

Arisu was involved in this irregular happening. The Morpho butterfly, the Mushi that belonged to her deceased friend Hanashiro Mari, possessed Arisu at present.

Arisu wished to know why Mari had left her Mushi to her. In course of investigating this mystery, she met many Mushitsuki.

Harukiyo was one of those. He’d apparently been looking for Mari for his own goals. However, the person on his mind died from illness, so he was supposed to look for the traces of Mari just like Arisu.

And yet he said that he won—

“And if it was a win by default… shit, fuck.”

“W-what do you mean? A win, meaning—“

“I’m tellin’ you we’ll discuss this later,” he mumbled, looking annoyed. “Everything’s long over… all of you were half-hearted. Can no one survive but me? Fuck, now I’m too angry to sleep. Makes me so fuckin’ angry, not being able to sleep. Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

Just as Arisu thought he simply curled up and kept mumbling to himself, he suddenly named a certain time and place.

Several days from now, in front of a certain crossroads.

As he unilaterally decided their place of meeting, Arisu stood there frozen.

“Come alone. If you bring Kakkou with you don’t blame me for any trouble…”

“D-don’t just decide this by yourself! There’s no guarantee you’re even going to—”

She refused to back down, but Harukiyo didn’t even turn to look at her. Emitting a creepy anger, he just kept mumbling “fuck” again and again.

Arisu stood there in a shock, hesitating on what she should do—

Consequently, until she actually saw Harukiyo where they decided to meet, she kept worrying.

Wasn’t she too soft-hearted for letting Harukiyo go after going through such pains to find him?

On the other hand, she didn’t think Harukiyo was going to honestly talk to her. If she came to visit again with Daisuke, they’d be unable to avoid a battle. Whether they won or lost, there would be enormous damage.

As a result, Arisu chose to avoid battle. Until today, she hadn’t revealed to anyone where Harukiyo was. Especially to Daisuke.

She wanted to believe this was the right choice.

Thus Arisu was able to safely see Harukiyo again.

So far so good, however—

“Enjoy yourselves,” said the employee, closing the door with a practiced manner.

“Wow, it’s much wider than I thought. And sooo slow. How many years would it take for one round?”

“…Since you said a date, I thought you’d take me to some date spot… but no matter how much I think about it you’re not really the character for a romantic Ferris wheel ride, huh.”

In the end Arisu decided to play along with his idea for a date. She lost to the threats that he wouldn’t talk if she rejected him.

Since this was a weekday afternoon, the Ferris wheel in the suburbs of Akamaki City didn’t have a large crowd. There wasn’t even a line, just like the last time she came.

She hadn’t been to this Ferris wheel since meeting Yomori Neiko. At the time Neiko had battled against the SEPB that came to capture her and there was a lot of trouble. Thinking back on it, this was when her classmate Saionji Ena had started hating Mushi.

“Oho. So this is your first date, eh?”

On top of the climbing gondola, Harukiyo grinned.

“Wha…!” Sitting in quite a horizontal distance from this boy, Arisu felt herself blush. Being invited to a date and accepting it was definitely her first time.

“Got your first date. You’re sitting so far away ‘cuz you’re nervous?”

“It’s because I’m being cautious! Also, I don’t even think of this like a date! What are you scheming this time?”

Even while he was being glared by Arisu, Harukiyo’s face was calm. This wasn’t the first time she thought this, but she never could understand any thought that went inside that head of his.

“Not scheming anythin’. I’ve been a long time in town but never rode this. And if I’m gonna, it’s boring to do it alone.”

The boy looked at the glass window to his side.

“You can see this Ferris wheel from anywhere around town.”

The townscape of Akamaki City was slowly vanishing beneath their eyes.

Arisu raised a brow.

“I thought about this ever since I found you in that apartment… but you’re acting a bit strange. What’s up with you? Seeing you so docile is actually creepy in its own way.”

“Should I start partyin’ then? Not gonna pull back on being annoying!”

“Please stop. I beg you.”

“The Gods aren’t gonna get mad if I at least see the city one last time.”

Arisu became speechless for a moment.

See the city one last time—

The boy’s expression made it fully clear this wasn’t a joke.

“Adios, Akamaki City, until we meet again—that sorta thing. I won’t ever come here again, though.”

The boy’s profile looked refreshed, as if he’d gotten a huge load off his shoulders. On the other hand, for some reason he looked sad as well as disappointed about something—because of the cynical smile stuck to his mouth.

“One last time… what do you mean?”

“Just like it sounds. I’ve left nothing behind and I have no regrets. Nothing left to do, nothing I should do. To summarize, I lost all meaning to stay here.”

Harukiyo grimaced. Seeing the devil’s visage, Arisu felt a momentary chill.

“Most importantly I’ve been constantly lied to, so there’s no meaning in having fun here.”

“W-what’s up with that—”

“Only thing that might be worth something is Kakkou… but he’s still too hectic. Kinda hyped for his growth, I guess. No need to tag alongside him.”

“W-wait a moment—”

“The Central Headquarters’ network’s also freaking annoying. Maybe I’ll try and go west next—”

“Stop talking for a minute!”

Arisu leaned toward Harukiyo as he kept muttering to himself.

“What are you saying, all of a sudden? Didn’t you want to know about Mari? But then you say you’ll be gone… and being lied to, what was that about?”

“Oh, will you feel lonely if I’m gone?”

“As if!”

Arisu grabbed Harukiyo’s uniform. Stirred up by an impulse even she couldn’t understand, she asked him.

“After suddenly appearing and doing as you pleased, you’re just going to vanish without saying anything? I won’t allow that! What on earth happened?”

Harukiyo made no move. He simply returned Arisu’s gaze with cold eyes.

“—Are ya scared?”

Arisu’s heart leapt.

“You are. Being possessed by another person’s Mushi is fuckin’ creepy.”

Harukiyo kept rattling on without pause, not even giving her the chance to deny it. As his tone was casual and he mixed in gestures, he even looked to be having fun.

“But that Morpho butterfly’s your friend’s. If you think it’s scary, it’s the same as calling her a monster. You’re way too nice to acknowledge something like this.”

“I-I never—”

“That’s why you’re gatherin’ allies. You depend on Kakkou and drag other Mushitsuki to become your comrades. You can’t do anything on your own, so by getting them to help you, you’re making yourself think that Mushi aren’t scary.”

The boy’s words were ruthless. Even Kakkou, who liked to pick up fights with anyone, never gouged the inside of her heart so hard.

Fear—

The feeling that welled up in Arisu’s chest upon hearing that Harukiyo was leaving. Perhaps fear was a word close enough in meaning to describe it.

“Until now you managed to say it wasn’t scary because Kakkou was there. If somethin’ happened, he’d do something about it. But then there’s me, who despite being your enemy is just as—correction, even stronger than him. Once you heard I’m leaving, you finally remembered your fear. So now you ain’t got any idea how long Kakkou’d stay with you. Am I right or am I right? Hmm?”

“This—”

This can’t be true.

She wanted to reply this, but couldn’t speak. She felt as if something hidden deep within her heart was seen through, and her cheeks grew red.

“We’re not gonna meet again anyway. You can be honest to your big brother here.”

The boy’s hand lightly slapped Arisu’s hard cheeks.

“…ared.”

“Hmm? Can’t hear you.”

“Arisu Punch.”

As the boy turned his ear to her, Arisu’s fist dug into his solar plexus.

“—I am scared.”

Making the boy squat down to avoid his gaze, Arisu bit her lips.

“Yup, I’m sooo, so scared, boohoo. Satisfied?”

“Y-you’re not cute at all—egh.”

She stepped on top of the groaning boy. So he wouldn’t be able to see her face.

Her own face reflected on the glass window looked like she was about to cry—because of her complex emotions for Mari. She didn’t care about her pain and embarrassment at her worries being revealed for the first time.

“Not like I could do anything about it! I don’t have any idea what’s about to happen! But it’s different with Mari! I’ll never think about her as a monster!”

Who could she have confided in about her feelings so far? If she told Daisuke she was scared, he might have killed the Morpho butterfly right there and then. She couldn’t bear losing what Mari left to her, even if it was for her own sake.

Also—Arisu wasn’t the only one scared. All Mushitsuki were scared of their own Mushi. They couldn’t even tell when their dream would be devoured. She couldn’t just forget about them and be the only one to complain.

“Idiot. That isn’t something you need to hide.”

The boy rose up instantly as if nothing happened.

“Everyone’s fucking scared of those mysterious Mushi. Only difference is whether they ignore it or not.”

“…”

“Well, I’m not scared, though.”

“It’s been just a few minutes and I already want to push you off.”

“What are Mushi? —I didn’t give a fuck about that sorta thing in the first place. Couldn’t care less.”

Arisu froze at Harukiyo’s words.

“It just so happened that the person who can make my dream come true is a Mushitsuki like me. I’m all ears if you know anyone stronger.”

Arisu forgot to even let out a voice at this verbal abuse.

The identity of the supernatural beings called Mushi that appeared and messed up the country—this boy told her that he didn’t care for it. Even regardless of the fact he himself was a Mushitsuki.

The flame devil Harukiyo.

How strong did one have to be worthy of his attention?

“You and I were looking for Hanashiro Mari. But we were actually looking for something a bit different.”

Harukiyo grinned.

“Give it your best shot. No good would come out of it, though.”

His tone sounded like a joke—but it actually did end up encouraging Arisu.

Although this flame devil caused her nothing but trouble, he told her to do her best.

It was laughable, but—a bizarre strength of heart filled her chest. A ticklish kind of happiness, like being pushed by a longtime rival, welled inside her.

Which is precisely why she felt like this.

Him leaving this town without any advance warning was too unreasonable.

“So you found her? Your Mari?”

Arisu inquired Harukiyo.

He told her that he won their match. Arisu knew what he meant.

“Sure did.”

“…”

“Such a letdown. Shit. It’s worthless for me.”

Arisu intently glared at Harukiyo’s grimacing face.

“I won’t tell ya if you make that face. Don’t rely on other people—well, that was me just putting on airs.”

The boy looked pained as he clenched his teeth.

“Gimme a break. I really don’t wanna talk about this now. I’m suffering from heartbreak… oh, my sweet, delicate heart.”

“Weren’t you supposed to speak if I went on a date with you? You were all about doing this properly, right?”

As Arisu pouted, the boy groaned.

“Shit, make it another question!”

“I don’t have anything else I want to know, though.”

“How about my three sizes?”

“Arisu Kick.”

Having his flank kicked, Harukiyo doubled over. “Ugh,” the boy groaned. Rather than from pain, he seemed to be fighting against his own style of “doing things the proper way”.

Arisu sighed, looking down at the Mushitsuki who looked to be completely stuck.

Right, he too was a Mushitsuki.

Everything about him was a mystery, and he was trying to leave her while remaining a mystery.

“Hah… I’d never seen a Mushitsuki like you.”

“Whatever. You should treat a rare animal with more care, then.”

“I wonder what Mushitsuki are…”

“A gathering of idiots who don’t know their place.”

Raising his face, Harukiyo wore a bold smile.

“I’ve got no interest in anything beyond that.”

She wanted to know about Mari.

She wanted to know what Mushitsuki were.

Arisu wished for it and yet his words directly rejected her. Even so, he too was—

“Your dream…”

“Huh?”

Harukiyo was a Mushitsuki.

As long as that was true, he too was burdened with an inescapable fate.

He probably had a single wish as well.

“What is your dream?”

Just now, he said that the person who could make his dream come true just happened to be a Mushitsuki.

That person should be Hanashiro Mari.

She couldn’t understand anything about this boy, but he too was a Mushitsuki, and he too was living to make his wish come true.

“What’re you gonna do if you know?”

“You were looking for Mari to make your dream come true, right?”

“Well, yeah. But it ain’t a big deal. Nothing that needs to be said aloud.”

Harukiyo raised one brow as if this was something boring. Is that your question? he seemed to be asking.

“We only have one pass, right?”

Arisu and Harukiyo’s gondola passed over the zenith of the Ferris wheel.

Starting now, it was going to head toward the exit.

There was some time until the deadline.

“Don’t have any great expectations. Mushitsuki’s dreams are usually irrelevant to other people.”

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Nah, nothing like that. I’m not trying to boast or anything.”

The boy’s tone sounded much too calm.

Mushitsuki’s dreams were special.

Since Arisu thought this, when she heard the words from his mouth, she couldn’t immediately understand them.

“I wanna get punished.”

He spoke casually.

Way too casually.

Seeing his profile as he looked down Akamaki City’s townscape, she finally realized he was talking about his dream.

“Eh…?”

She felt as if time inside the gondola completely stopped.

Harukiyo didn’t seem to even notice Arisu was frozen.

“I like this world a lot. There’s only boring stuff in it, but it ain’t that bad. It’s actually relatively enjoyable. I’ve still not had enough of living.”

Since he spoke so disinterestedly, this wasn’t the tone of one talking about his own dream.

His eyes weren’t sparkling, and there wasn’t even a shred of any deep emotion. He kept talking as if he was merely serving as a guide on the side of the road.

“That’s why I’ve been looking for someone who can punish me.”

“…”

“I want someone who gives fuck all about how much I resist, what methods I use and how much I struggle. Someone strong enough to do it while laughing and kill me. I won’t compromise for anyone weak. Compromising’s the same as suicide.”

“…”

“Can’t be out of grudge or as a revenge. It can’t be a reason I’ve created myself. I want someone who’d punish me just like they stepped on a bug, forgetting all about me a second later.”

Arisu glared at him talking.

He wanted to receive punishment—

Could this dream even be called a dream?

However, she could understand some of it.

If he truly desired destruction to that extent—

Arisu unconsciously wrung out a hoarse voice.

“You wanted to be punished… so you looked for Mari?”

Harukiyo smiled as if it was obvious.

“Well, yeah. The Hunter I heard about would be perfect, right? ‘Oh, I found a Mushitsuki. Let’s kill them on the way. Alright, they’re dead. Next one, next one’—this kind of development is ideal.”

Why—

Arisu’s chest constricted.

How could he make that face—

She couldn’t understand.

The lone Mushitsuki reflected in her distorted line of sight.

The smile of the boy speaking of destruction was careless and innocent like a child.

“Haha.” Harukiyo let out a voice, laughing. “Why the fuck are you crying?”

It was only a single line of tear.

Only a single line streaked down Arisu’s eyes.

Unable to understand the reason for her tears, Arisu shook her head.

“You’re shocked at my stupid dream? Or are you pityin’ me? Sympathizing? Oh, it’s that. That’s rich. If you’re angry you might as well give me a good punch.”

Harukiyo presented his own cheek, mocking her.

However, Arisu kept shaking her head.

Even she didn’t understand why tears came out.

Perhaps because the boy’s too destructive dream was sad.

Perhaps she was disappointed his strength was built on such a hopeless foundation.

Perhaps she was shocked at her illusion about all dreams being beautiful getting broken.

Arisu knew way too little right now to know the reason.

The Mushitsuki who spoke with childlike face not of good or evil but just of pure destruction—

He, too, was just one of the people who got involved with the highly irregular Morpho butterfly.

Just like all other Mushitsuki she met so far, she wanted to remember his existence.

“You can either remember me or forget me. It’s not a big deal—I will probably never speak of your dream my entire life. Everything I heard here belongs to you.”

Harukiyo’s large hand grabbed Arisu’s head hard. He was neither petting her nor hitting her, but just pushed her back as if to make her face him as she crouched.

Arisu wiped her eyes once and smiled.

“Why do you have this dream… maybe this’ll become my second question.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

The temporary midair date was approaching its end.

The gondola carrying them both went down and landed on Akamaki City ground.

The door opened and Arisu and Harukiyo got down to the asphalt.

Buried in the crowd of people going around the Ferris wheel, Arisu stayed in place.

Meanwhile, the boy about to leave Akamaki City was distancing himself without even saying goodbye.

Arisu smiled and called out to his back.

“Hey, stay in Akamaki City a bit longer.”

Harukiyo, who tried leaving in a light gait without having any regrets, stopped in place.

“—Listen here, we already talked. Both about the fact Hanashiro Mari was meaningless and about my dream.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Are you still trying to pull me back, then?”

Harukiyo turned half of his face toward Arisu. He looked dumbfounded.

“You have nowhere to go anyway, right? Then please stay here and watch it to the end.”

To the end—

Hearing those words, Harukiyo wore a smile.

“The end, huh. Well, that’s true. You’re the one supposed to understand it the most of all.”

The boy’s words were dripping with sarcasm.

“The Morpho butterfly remaining even now is just a mistake. Mistakes will end up being corrected.”

Harukiyo started walking again.

“—However, that has nothing to do with me. It’s already past my ‘end’.”

Arisu tried catching up to him in a half run.

“I have plenty of things I want to do. Won’t you help me?”

“I’m surprised at how much of an idiot you are. Can I start by killing you, you annoying brat?”

Harukiyo kept walking ahead in large strides without even looking and Arisu followed.

“Come on, you miser. You’ve made me so much trouble until now, that’s the least you can do.”

“Don’t see any reason or obligation for me to do that. Don’t bother me. Stop following me.”

“I know someone who might be able to punish you. In this city.”

“Hanashiro Mari betrayed my expectations. Are you talkin’ about Kakkou, then? He’s still no good. Maybe in a few years. I won’t fight him right now.”

“It’s not Daisuke.”

“Then is it the Undying Mushitsuki?”

Arisu widened her eyes. She never thought that name would come out of Harukiyo’s mouth.

“Unfortunately, he seems to hate Mushitsuki. So him taking revenge on me ‘cause I’m a Mushitsuki is not gonna cut it. It’s meaningless if he’ll kill me happily. Actually, if my guess is right, that bastard… well, it’ll definitely end in disappointment. That’s what happens when you’re not a Rank 1. I’m tired of crooks.”

“It’s not Ichiku Kimitaka, either.”

Arisu cut the boy’s incomprehensible words.

Harukiyo’s strides were large, and Arisu could only just barely keep up.

“That person doesn’t hate you, nor are they thinking about revenge. There’s also no sense of duty—meaning, it’s fine as long as they’re stronger than you, right?”

The boy suddenly stopped his legs.

Arisu stumbled forward at this unexcepted stop. She overtook Harukiyo.

“—”

Turning back, Arisu gulped.

“You mean this is someone within my sight?”

The flame devil emitted a scorching pressure. He glared at Arisu, anger exposed.

She tried nodding, but she was being pierced by the boy’s flaming eyes and her body froze.

“That bastard—what was her name?”

Arisu was speechless.

“’The woman possessed by Hanashiro Mari’s ghost’, was it? I get the feelin’ I heard about her before, but I forgot.”

As if saying she wasn’t worth a look, Harukiyo left Arisu behind there.

“—I didn’t try to make fun of your dream. It’s not a joke, either.”

Turning toward the leaving Harukiyo, Arisu brought out her silver rod.

“I’m serious.”

She couldn’t let him escape.

Harukiyo was probably the only person who knew of her friend’s dying will. In order to look for it many of her comrades got hurt, and Arisu herself wanted to know that no matter what.

No—she had to know.

Because of that, Arisu kept running. She could no longer look back.

“—What a waste.”

The boy stood in place, dropping his shoulders.

“I really thought we could avoid that after having poor, heartbroken Harukiyo get a step closer to becoming an adult.”

Sighing, for some reason Harukiyo brought out a cellphone. Ignoring Arisu’s raising of a brow, he spoke to someone. She couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was soon over.

“—Come with me.”

Finishing the call, Harukiyo turned to Arisu.

Although it was suspicious, Arisu was led by him to a certain place.

It was a spacious event hall.

Until recently, this place had a large-scale motor show. She recalled hearing about it closing while being a great success.

As the event ended, the place was deserted. The vast premises had a small race track and a water fountain surrounded in green.

The main gate was open for some reason. Without looking like he questioned it in the least, Harukiyo entered. As they walked through the roadway, she saw that the giant building really was open.

“Why are we here… is it fine if we just enter like that?”

“Use your brain. It’s obviously trespassing. But we’re still going inside.”

Inside the building was an area about several times the size of Horusu Seijou Academy’s gym. There were lanterns hanging from the tall ceiling and it was enclosed by four glass walls. The corridors were empty, but until just recently there had been countless cars lined up for display there.

“Ah…”

Arisu stopped without thinking.

There were already other people there.

Leaning against a pillar was a thin, bespectacled boy. Sitting on the ground and holding her chin was also a freckled girl. The bike left there probably belonged to one of them.

“W-who are they?”

Leaving the confused Arisu, Harukiyo calmly approached the two people.

“So, I’m leaving this to you.”

“You know, it’s really a bother if you call us out all of a sudden. I was hanging with my girlfriend.”

“He’s lyin’. When I came to get him, he was here all alone.”

From the way they seemed to be familiar with each other, they were probably Harukiyo’s acquaintances.

The two glanced at Arisu.

“Oh, a middle schooler? And she’s a cutie. We’re gonna kill her? What a waste.”

“He didn’t tell us to kill her. Cleaning up’s going to be a problem so we can do it just halfway, right Harukiyo?”

“Wha—”

Harukiyo turned around. He leaned against a distant pillar and folded his arms.

“Why’re you surprised? Weren’t you gonna fight me?”

“B-but these people have nothing to do with it!”

“—Haven’t you been listening to me?”

Grimacing, Harukiyo spat in a low voice.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. Because my ‘strength’ is using anything I can think of. I’m only interested in opponents that can kick my ass easily no matter how much I struggle.”

“—”

“You, meanwhile, never doubt the words of your enemy, coming here alone all gung-ho. That is undoubtedly your ‘weakness’.”

Arisu’s hands grasping the rod were covered in cold sweat.

“Oh, and by the way—these two are ‘bout as strong as the Librarian.”

Harukiyo’s cold declaration shook Arisu’s eardrums as she stood there, frozen.

Part 2[edit]

“Hah, hah…!”

Grasping the Morpho butterfly spear, Arisu leapt backwards. Her uniform had been dirtied and there were lacerations on her hands and legs.

“…!”

There was a flash of light. An impact created massive cracks along the floor at Arisu’s feet the moment after she leapt aside.

Not even an instant after she dodged the attack, the white object gouging the ground moved like a living being, wrapping itself around Arisu’s legs.

“Eeek!”

Being pulled with incredible force, Arisu’s body floated in air.

“Kh…!”

The moment before she was pounded against the pillar, the object constricting her legs—a white string that resembled a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon—was cut by the silver spear. Spinning her body in air, she used her right leg clad in a silver pattern to kick the pillar and protected against the violent assault.

Other than the silver rod, the Morpho butterfly fused on with Arisu’s right leg. If her leg hadn’t been strengthened, she wouldn’t be able to avoid damage if she fell from the pillar to the ground.

“You just activated my trap card. It allows me to reduce your mobility.”

A boy’s light voice echoed.

Immediately following this, the ground Arisu had been standing on glowed in crimson. Both of her legs were suddenly equipped with shackles with iron balls that appeared out of nowhere. The surface of the iron ball was digital, and the number 60 showed on it, starting a countdown to 0.

“H-heavy—“

Another white flash pursued her.

As Arisu had her movements sealed, she swung her spear, blowing the ribbon away. However, she lost her balance and the second strike came to her.

She barely stopped it with the spear’s handle, but couldn’t fully cancel the impact. Enough power to make her feel as though her stomach was pierced stabbed her solar plexus.

“Cough, cough…!”

Grimacing, Arisu collapsed to her knees.

“Got some great power but your attacks are too dull, hon. Didn’t fight much, now did she?”

The freckled girl put a hand to her hip, calmly looking at Arisu. Her Mushi transformed into creepy arm bracelets was on both her arms, with each one having a white ribbon extending from it.

“She might be hiding some kind of ability. As long as we don’t lower our guards, though, this should be an easy win.”

Next to the bespectacled boy was a strangely-structured table. It was his Mushi, and he was piling up cards on top of it.

“Don’t go easy on her.”

Waiting at the back, Harukiyo wore a face of rage.

“You can kill her in one shot. No holdin’ back.”

“Eh, poor girl. Harukiyo, bro, arent’cha a bit too angry today?”

“We can’t go against him when he gets really mad. That’s an iron law. He tricked us thinking this’ll be an amusing opponent, but we’ll pay him back later.”

While fixing the position of his glasses, he mumbled “So you pass on your turn,” and placed another card on the table.

“Cough…”

Grimacing in pain, Arisu rose up. The iron balls attached to her legs reached 0 and burst and vanished.

The ground before her glowed and a soldier readying a bow appeared. He shot an arrow toward Arisu.

Arisu promptly protected herself with silver scales, repelling the arrow. However, the two ribbons attacking her from the side blew her back along with her scales.

“Weren’t you stronger than me?”

Folding his arms, Harukiyo spoke coldly. He hadn’t moved even a single step since the start of the battle.

“Kh… Ugh…!”

On the other hand, it took everything Arisu had just to protect herself. As she had to dodge the ever-changing ribbons and defend against the bespectacled boy’s incomprehensible ability, she couldn’t attack actively even once. Never mind defeating these two Mushitsuki, she couldn’t even come close to Harukiyo.

How on earth could she—

While dancing between the sequence of attacks, Arisu thought desperately.

Just like Harukiyo said, the two people standing in her way were definitely not weak. And even if she beat them, if she then fought the flame devil—

“You’re always half-assed.”

Glaring at Arisu being played with the two Mushitsuki, Harukiyo spat.

“Everyone’s just talk. No matter how serious they say they are, they always think this in the very last moment.”

Unable to fully defend against an attack, Arisu’s back smashed into a pillar.

“’I didn’t really want to give up, but I can’t do anything anymore’—”

Another trap card or whatever was activated. Arisu’s entire body was ensnared by thorns.

“What’s the reason for thinking that? A strong enemy? The limits of one’s ability? Death? —The fuck you think all those are? You lookin’ for a fight? Whether you give up or not depends on you. How dare they slack off at the very last moment, looking relieved!”

Silver scales blew around Arisu.

“But Hanashiro Mari was different. Since she couldn’t give up on her dream even after death, the Morpho butterfly’s still here.”

She made the bespectacled boy’s ability sleep and the thorns let go. Arisu grabbed it, bare-handed, and ripped it apart.

“—Or so I thought.”

She then received the white ribbon attack from the side, however. The impact blew her body away, and the scales nullifying the boy’s ability were scattered.

“In the end, she was the same.”

Even while rolling on the ground, Arisu immediately rose up. She tried thrusting at her opponents, but the ribbon’s mad attacks struck her back.

“The devil’s potion and the angel’s potion—I’ve realized which on Hanashiro Mari chose.”

Harukiyo’s voice was shaking. As if on the very limits of holding back his anger, he grimaced.

The devil’s potion and the angel’s potion.

These were familiar terms.

Oh, right, they were part of the picture book left in Mari’s sickroom. The title should be The Magic Potion. And the story was—

Harukiyo howled.

“Pieces of shit! Fuck! Everyone’s a fucking crook! Hanashiro Mari! Sensei! The Undying! Even that Morpho butterfly!”

As Patricia succumbed to her sickness, a witch came to visit her.

The witch told her,

Here is a potion received from an angel, and here is a potion received from a devil.

“I found out which potion Hanashiro Mari chose… thinkin’ carefully, I was an idiot too for not realizing this. I asked Sensei about all sort of things. About the Mushitsuki called Hanashiro Mari.”

If you drink the angel’s potion, you will lose the people most important to you, and in exchange heal from your illness, living forevermore.

If you drink the devil’s potion, you will die. However, the people most important to you will always console you at your side.

Now then.

Which will you choose?

“In the end, Hanashiro Mari—gave up at the very last moment. On her dream, that is.”

He was probably no longer even speaking to Arisu. She couldn’t understand what Harukiyo was saying.

“The question then becomes why the Morpho butterfly’s still alive and kicking. I got it, I understood everything. I now remember what Sensei said. That crook bastard, he knew everything. Looked so kind but he was actually a son of a bitch. Never seen anyone as savage.”

Harukiyo’s indignation did not calm down. Arisu had no idea why he was so mad.

In order to understand why—

Was there no other way of hearing the real state of affairs from him?

Therefore, she couldn’t let him leave, no matter what—

“The cruelest thing in this world is half-assed kindness. Sensei—Sanbikime, more like—was the incarnation of that. As are the Mushi he produces. I wish they’d all die.”

Harukiyo’s voice became even lower.

That was because he saw Arisu turn her body around and start running away from him.

She stepped to the side to dodge the attack coming from behind. Arisu dashed toward the exit like a rabbit.

“—Aah, shit. Shit. Shiiit! I’m so pissed off!”

However, unable to fully evade it, Arisu received the impact. Her petite body was thrown onto the ground.

Raising her sand-covered face, Arisu soon got on her legs.

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘I’m serious’? Everyone’s the same. In the end, they all just run away.”

Ignoring Harukiyo’s moans, Arisu ran at full speed toward the entrance.

“—Kill her properly. I don’t want even the slightest chance of seeing her ever again.”

“Whoa. I get the feeling he’ll burn us to a crisp if we don’t do what he says.”

“It’s gonna leave a bad aftertaste. Oh well, I’ll do it though.”

Even while covered in wounds, Arisu finally reached the exit.

There, she rotated her body.

“…!”

The two Mushitsuki’s mad attacks assaulted Arisu. Ground caved in and the surrounding walls were destroyed.

“Mari—”

Even while covered by a cloud of dust, Arisu stopped in place. The right leg fused with the Morpho butterfly stabbed into the ground, supporting her body.

“Please—”

Even as her mind started growing hazy from the damage, she faced ahead.

“Just for now, give me all of your power—”

Scales gushing out of the spear covered Arisu. She took a step.

Her left leg stepping forward had a silver pattern appearing on it.

—Arisu.

She heard the voice of her dead friend at her ears.

“You don’t need to think about my body, so—”

Another step.

She took another step forward.

Readying her spear, Arisu’s right arm glowed in silver.

Her fully open eyes glared at the enemy ahead.

“Uh—”

The freckled girl and the bespectacled boy changed their expressions. But they were pressured only for a moment, and then repeated their fierce attacks toward Arisu.

Engulfed in scales, Arisu was pushed back by the Mushitsuki’s attacks.

“In order to keep advancing forward—”

Arisu took another step ahead.

Her left arm was encroached by a glowing, silver pattern.

While protecting against the enemy’s attacks with scales, she took another step ahead.

The silver pattern crawled up half of Arisu’s face. A half of her lips distorted in the shape of a smile, moving on their own.

“—Yes, I understand.”

This time she could clearly hear her best friend’s voice. Her throat trembled because none other than herself uttered those words.

One eye glowed in silver, the other eye contained a strong will.

The two eyes looked only at Harukiyo, and Arisu started walking ahead.

“Eh, no freaking way. No way—”

“No way, this girl—”

The two Mushitsuki paled and kept increasing their attacks on Arisu.

However, she repelled these using the scales, getting ahead step by step.

Her walking turned to a canter, then slowly became running. The more she accelerated, the more the silver glow enveloping Arisu strengthened—

“Ran away so far just to get a run-up…?”

Arisu was accelerating in a straight line.

She entirely repelled all the pursuing ribbons.

Every few meters she advanced, the bespectacled boy activated his ability. Shackles came to restraint her four limbs and all sorts of attacks rained down on her.

However, as Arisu gradually increased her glow, she shrugged it all off. The restraints were blown off and scattered.

As she ran surrounded by scales, Arisu herself was transforming into a silver, glowing spear—

“I-I’m sorry, Harukiyo bro!”

The two Mushitsuki acted fast.

They leapt away from the course of Arisu who rushed toward Harukiyo as if possessed.

“This is too much for us to handle.”

“Good luck, Harukiyo.”

Harukiyo did not reproach the two Mushitsuki. He wordlessly detached himself from the pillar and stopped folding his arms.

“Haha, so you can do nothing but brute-force it.”

It certainly was brute-forcing it.

However, this was the only way Arisu could do it right now.

To stand against the devil of flames, she couldn’t spare any time to look to the sides.

“No way you’re thinkin’ I wouldn’t be dodging this, right? I will use everything at my disposal—”

Harukiyo wore a confident smile. But for a split second, his expression froze.

He seemed to have found something behind Arisu’s fierce pursuit. He turned a bold gaze toward someone who wasn’t Arisu.

“I see… so he’s your ‘strength’.”

Returning his gaze to Arisu, Harukiyo wore a delightful sneer. —It was the smile of a devil, one that could burn everything reflected in his eyes.

Arisu’s sight was filled by scorching hellfire.

The fire pillar with Harukiyo in its center created the form of a Great Yama tiger beetle in the air.

“Alright, come at me. —Ichinokuro Arisu.”

Part 3[edit]

She seemed to have lost consciousness for a short while.

As Arisu opened her heavy lids, she rounded her body on top of a desolate ground.

“Nngh…”

Even when she tried to move, her body was so frozen she couldn’t even stand up. This was probably a side effect of fusing with the Morpho butterfly. After great pains she looked up and confirmed the situation just using her eyes.

“Came here to pick up a fight? Seeing you all alone, you probably came here in a rush to save her. That means your comrades are heading over here, eh?”

“Your face is too stiff. You’re actually holding back the pain. If you want me to hold back a bit, just ask. Well, I’m not going to hold back either way, though.”

In the center of the now roofless, ruined building, two boys were glaring daggers at each other.

One was Harukiyo. His uniform was in tatters and his left arm was dyed by fresh blood.

The other was a boy clad in pitch-black long coat. His face was hidden by large goggles, but she was used to his voice.

“Ooh, is that Kakkou? He looks real strong.”

“What are we going to do? Should we try to escape?”

Speaking from a distance were the freckled girl and bespectacled boy.

“Come at me. Or are you hesitating whether to protect that woman first? Aren’tcha a nice demon?”

“You too, are you just going to keep groaning? Does it hurt? Trying to hold back the pain of your arm being wounded by that woman?”

Seeing the two creating that explosive atmosphere, Arisu realized.

Daisuke had searched for Arisu and rushed there. —Because he was behind her, Harukiyo had to dodge being targeted by the gun and was directly hit by Arisu’s attack.

“Can you move, Arisu?”

While still locking gazes with Harukiyo, Daisuke called to her.

“It’s a bit… difficult.”

She was unlikely to be able to move. She was assaulted by an extreme fatigue like someone having just finished running a marathon. Detached from the spear, the Morpho butterfly was fluttering carefreely in Arisu’s sight.

“Hah.”

Giving Arisu one bored glance, Harukiyo turned around. He was probably going to leave.

Arisu called to his back.

“Harukiyo… what do you mean that Mari gave up her dream?”

“You ain’t got the right to ask me. Because you’re weaker.”

“—You didn’t even think you’d get injured by me, right?”

Harukiyo’s legs stopped.

“Next time I’ll be stronger. Next time, I won’t settle for just one arm. Wouldn’t it be a waste, taking your eyes off of me?”

“…”

The boy was silent. He only slightly moved his wounded arm.

“I’ll be the one to make a move on you, next time. I will… make you answer everything.”

“I’m a wanted person, you know? Are you telling me to stay here right in front of the SEPB?”

Turning around, Harukiyo narrowed his eyes and looked at Daisuke.

“Stay? What are you even talking about?”

“I have an idea. Come here for a bit. You can stay there, Daisuke. …That’s way too close. What are you thinking, stepping on a girl’s face… it’s fine, come here, put your face close.”

After gesturing to him while still lying on the ground, the puzzled Harukiyo brought his face closer to Arisu. She loosened his tie and tied it around his face.

“It’s hard to fasten this. Got anything I can use?”

“It’s time for the arts and crafts club. I’ve got some tape used for dioramas, can you use that?”

“It’s time for the fashionable gal. We can use this hairpin too. Yup, this sloppy is fine.”

“You sure are natural traitors, you two.”

Daisuke looked at the three them starting to fiddle with Harukiyo’s face after they came closer, puzzled.

“What on earth are you…”

“Oh, how mysterious. I now have no idea who this is. The SEPB will never find out, either.”

Arisu let go of Harukiyo’s face.

The boy’s face was splendidly hidden by the tie and tapes. He resembled a mummy from horror movies.

While massaging his own face, Harukiyo grinned.

“Oh, truly mysterious. This solves the problem.”

“Are you thinking the SEPB is really that stupid…?”

“—And?”

This disguise wasn’t good in the least even as a compliment, but Harukiyo did not seem dissatisfied. The boy crouching next to Arisu emitted even more of a superhuman presence than before. He really transformed into something worthy of being called a devil.

Harukiyo’s arm grabbed Arisu’s collar. As she couldn’t move, he forcibly pulled her up, gazing into her face with crimson burning eyes.

“What do I get from staying in town? Are you gonna become strong overnight and kill me like a cockroach?”

“Kill? Don’t make me laugh.”

Arisu no longer flinched from his pressure.

They conversed within the distance of a meagre few centimeters. Never mind Daisuke who was approaching them, even the two Mushitsuki who fought her couldn’t reach there.

“—Something as easy as that wouldn’t solve anything.”

Arisu accepted the devil flame’s pupils glaring directly at her.

Harukiyo narrowed his eyes, looking pleased.

“Oho. And what is that, exactly?”

“I don’t have to answer. But I’ll soon become stronger than you—and make you listen to me. No matter how much you struggle or run away, I’ll never forgive you.”

“…”

“And as long as I don’t know whether what you told me about Mari is true or not—one day, I’ll definitely check your answers.”

Harukiyo’s head blurred.

Daisuke pushed his gun against the boy’s head.

“Let go, Harukiyo.”

“—Shuddup.”

Harukiyo glared at him with a side glance.

“I’m in the middle of something.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

Perhaps due to him feeling that Harukiyo really was angry, a green checkered beetle landed on Daisuke’s shoulder. Its body transformed and it fused with the boy.

“…Tch.”

Harukiyo grimaced, letting go of Arisu. The two boys glared at each other.

“Wait, Daisuke—”

“Hah, checking my answers. Also, a punishment worse than death. —Not bad at all.”

Harukiyo easily removed his gaze from Kakkou and looked down at Arisu thrown to the ground.

“The deadline’s tight, Ichinokuro Arisu.”

She knew.

Arisu’s body announced that.

Until now, after she fused with the Morpho butterfly she felt temporary pain and fatigue.

However, Arisu’s body now wasn’t assaulted by pain and fatigue—she couldn’t move, as though her body had taken roots. As if she was being hugged by an unseen spirit.

Despite not being a Mushitsuki, she fused with a Mushi.

The cost for this normally impossible action probably really did eat into Arisu’s body. —She already knew that since long ago.

“Haha.”

Looking at Arisu smile silently, Harukiyo smiled happily.

“You’re finally lookin’ serious. So you really can do it.”

She couldn’t go back.

The moment she decided this, she’d already been resolved. She wouldn’t doubt anymore.

She would find Mari’s will—

At first this was her goal.

However, for Arisu as she was right now—it was simply an opportunity.

—I… loathe Mushitsuki.

The moment she heard Ichiku Kimitaka’s words, she found her own kind of answer.

“…”

Arisu reached out both hands wordlessly.

The two boys exchanged glances. They clicked their tongues at the same time and also wore disgusted faced—looking like they really hated this from the bottom of her heart—but both grabbed one hand each.

Daisuke grabbed her left hand.

Harukiyo grabbed her right hand.

The two Mushitsuki helped her get up.

“Still, I’m not excited one bit about being chased from now on. I feel too refreshed without any ulterior motive.”

“How do you think I feel, then, as someone who lives with her?”

While strongly pulling on Arisu’s arms, the complaining boys butted heads.

Episode 26. The Rumble of Dreams[edit]

It probably used to be a surgery room.

A collapsed surgery table was visible under the blinking lights. The walls enclosing the vast space were cracked and the surgery lights hanging from the ceiling were all crumbling.

Pow.

The girl standing inside the silent surgery room struck her fists in front of her chest countless times.

Wearing a slightly dirty dress, the girl looked with empty eyes at her target—Ichinokuro Arisu, who stood at the entrance of the open double doors.

How many Mushitsuki had she met so far? This added another one to the count—

Holding a spear glowing in silver, Arisu absently looked at the girl.

A black haze gathered in the shape of spheres around the size of volleyballs, filling the entire surgery room. Every time the girl pounded her fists together, one such ball was assembled in her hands, became thicker and was then unleashed into the air.

The girl opened her mouth.

“Life is afflicted with poison from the very moment of birth.”

Thump, Arisu’s heart leapt.

Black mist gathered behind the girl looking down and hitting her fists, taking the shape of an insect—a silhouette resembling a clover sawtooth stag battle.

“No one can be healed of it.”

Pow.

“Since we’re all going to die someday, is there any reason to live?”

Arisu stood there completely stunned and unable to move.

For some reason, the figure of the girl cursing as she pounded her fists against each other overlapped with the late Hanashiro Mari in her mind.

In the course of looking for her best friend’s will, Arisu met various Mushitsuki.

Everyone suffered from something and fought against something.

Was Mari, too, like that?

Had she, just like the Mushitsuki girl in front of her eyes, despaired of living, and had been fighting against something while suffering?

“If we’re all going to die anyway—if it’s nothing but suffering—I want to ease it all, as soon as possible.”

What could Arisu do?

Each and every time when she met a Mushitsuki, doubts were born within her heart.

Although she wasn’t a Mushitsuki, she could use the power of Mushi.

What could she, as this half-baked existence, do for Mushitsuki?

“I’ll ‘save’ each and every one from the disease called life.”

Muttering in a hoarse voice, the girl slowly readied her body. Slightly lowering her hips, she separated her arms and assumed a punching stance. Her limbs covered by the sphere-shaped mist really looked like the tusks of a clover sawtooth stag beetle—four teeth to crunch its enemies.

Kicking the floor, the Mushitsuki girl dashed to Arisu as if sliding on the floor.

With the pursuing enemy in front on her—

Arisu was unable to take even a single step from the spot.

Part 1[edit]

Horusu Seijou Academy’s cooking class was noisy.

“Say, Ena… what is that supposed to be?”

Arisu, wearing an apron on top of her school uniform, was looking up at the tower in the center of the room used for cooking practice. Not only the other students but even the teacher in charge of home economics looked up at it.

“I did think it was strange Ena-san worked so hard even in a lesson meant just to make a simple cake, but even so…”

The one leaking a voice of astonishment next to Arisu was Kujou Takako. Her calm manner and polite words were a model for this school full of the sons and daughters of the wealthy.

Arisu and the rest were looking up at a five-layered cake loaded with luxurious decorations.

As if just finishing a hard task, the girl with a full smile plastered to her cheeks turned. This girl with her distinctive short hair and refined atmosphere was Arisu’s classmate as well as her good friend, Saionji Ena.

“This is the trial version for my wedding cake with Kusuriya-kun!”

“Please don’t speak as if there’s going to be the real thing! It was strange enough the moment you decided to make a wedding cake during cooking class!”

The one unable to withstand this and raising his voice was, as expected, the apron-wearing Kusuriya Daisuke. He had plain features and a medium build, so this boy looked completely normal other than the band-aid on his cheek.

“If it really was that strange, you should’ve noticed that when it was made, Daisuke. Aren’t you in the same group as Ena?”

“I just thought she was making a lot of cakes! It’s normal not to expect her to pile them together! —Heeey, don’t take pictures with your phones! Not you too, Kujou-san!”

“Oh, I apologize. I just thought it would be great to post it in the ‘Kusuriya Daisuke Love Club’ newsletter.”

“What the heck is that club?! This is my first time hearing about it!”

“The club is dedicated to finding novel approaches to make you flustered. It’s limited to just inside the school, but the number of members is steadily rising. Right, club president?”

“Right, we’re in the era of plain faces over hot boys.”

“So Saionji-san’s the club president! I can only say that I expected nothing less! Geez, please give me a break! I’m getting really angry here!”

“H-having Kusuriya-kun mad at me…”

“This isn’t something that should make you swoon! Geez, I hate this…”

Daisuke crouched, holding his head, while Ena showed an expression of ecstasy. Takako was taking photos with her phone. The teacher also stood up in shock, unmoving. Perhaps he’d been struck down by a sense of loss at the cake’s splendid workmanship.

Arisu mumbled to herself.

“Was cooking class always this chaotic…?”

—Even after class ended, Arisu, Daisuke, Ena and Takako stayed behind.

They needed to take care of the cake that even the entire class couldn’t finish, but it became a pretext to have a small party.

“Well, but still…”

Daisuke, who was fighting against a plate with clearly more cake in it than the other three, mumbled something.

“I’m glad you look so energetic, Saionji-san.”

Arisu and the rest stopped their chatting completely.

“I mean, lately, you’ve been saying you feel like someone’s following you. So you seemed kinda down because of that.”

Perhaps already completely full, Daisuke spoke while just poking his cake with the fork.

Arisu, Ena and Takako exchanged glances. The latter two looked surprised, and looked back at her.

Noticing the three girls turning speechless, Daisuke flinched.

“W-what? Have I said something strange?”

There wasn’t anything strange.

If anything, it was natural for a friend to say this.

However, they hadn’t expected those “natural” words to come out of his mouth.

“D-Daisuke’s worried about Ena…? W-wait, Ena! If you put something in the cake you should’ve told us! I’m so surprised it’s already affecting him!”

“It is not some illegal substance, is it? Were the portions we ate fine?”

“No no no, why are you so shocked from just hearing me worry a bit!”

Perhaps Daisuke had only uttered that unconsciously. He raised his voice and tried to hide his reddening ears.

“I’m so glad Daisuke’s worried about you, Ena. I’m sure he’ll propose to you soon.”

While grinning, Arisu turned to Ena.

“Ena?”

She was sure Ena would be in high spirits, but she was stunned again. As she came back to her senses, she lowered her face to hide it, perhaps unsure what expression to make.

“Oh no, what am I going to do… I’m so happy.”

This was also an unexpected response. Arisu and Takako surprised exchanged glances and soon wore a smile.

Daisuke was the flustered one.

“N-no, no no no! Don’t say something that big! Worrying about a friend is normal! Right, Saionji-san?!”

“Oh… I’m going to get a nosebleed.”

“Why?!”

Ena raised her face, trying to hide her blushing cheeks by wearing her usual listless smile.

“Have I not told you yet? It’s actually fine already. But I made such a big profit because I reported it late…”

Speaking casually, Ena waved her hand. Her expression was carefree as carefree could be.

Arisu tilted her head.

“You’re fine?”

“Actually, someone reliable gave me some advice. I was lucky.”

“Someone reliable?”

“Yup. Someone I knew at this party that dad took me to before. He always left all that formal stuff to my older sisters, but I think it’s fine, once in a while. And I ended up being friendly with someone big there. Ufufu, you’d be shocked to hear who.”

“Someone big? Who is it, some actor or something?”

“Akasegawa Nanana.”

Arisu’s fork about to stab into the cake froze midair.

Akasegawa Nanana was a mere teenager and yet served as the Chairman of Akasegawa Group, with many big companies under her. She was a big shot in the business industry.

Arisu could see that Daisuke froze as well. His eyes turned ever so slightly sharper.

“See? I knew you’d be shocked. What a surprise, huh? But it’s true.”

“She’s Akasegawa Group’s Chairman, right? But, well…”

“Yeah, you know it, Takako. You probably heard some nasty rumors about her, right? But when I actually tried talking with her, she was reaaally interesting. Seeing as both of us have bad manners we might be getting along fine.”

“What have you talked about with her—with Akasegawa Nanana?”

Arisu asked in a low voice.

Akasegawa Nanana.

Arisu had already met this girl. And in a unique situation.

—I will definitely become a Mushitsuki.

Akasegawa Nanana’s face when she said she wouldn’t give up and left rose to Arisu’s mind. Ever since then, Nanana had not appeared in front of Arisu.

Ignoring Arisu’s and Daisuke’s agitation, Ena started talking as if reminiscing about something funny.

“We had the most fun by badmouthing the rich people that came to the party. And she told me that since us meeting feels like fate, she’d help me if I had any trouble… so I asked her for advice. Then, she told me she’d investigate it. It’s obviously already solved if that Akasegawa Group’s handling it, right?”

“Well, true… Akasegawa Group has an established reputation for investigation.”

Ena seemed to fully believe in Akasegawa Nanana, and Takako nodded.

Even while hiding the doubts in her heart, it took everything Arisu had to wear a bitter smile.

“Why are you so stand-offish? You should’ve asked us more for advice.”

“Well, yeah, but… you know, you’ve been really busy lately. I don’t really get it, but you’re going to get it over with soon, right? I wanted you to focus on that rather than on me, so we could all play together as soon as possible!”

Saying this, Ena wore a carefree smile at Arisu and Daisuke.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

There were the beings called Mushi.

They suddenly appeared around ten years ago, possessing adolescent boys and girls. In return for granting their hosts supernatural powers, Mushi fed little by little on their host’s wishes and dreams of becoming something or doing something.

The existence of Mushi was being concealed by the government, but since there were more and more eyewitness reports and testimonials by the day, the rumors never died out. As a result, people possessed by Mushi—called Mushitsuki—became targets for increasingly more fear and discrimination.

“What d’you think, Daisuke?”

After school, Arisu and Daisuke waited for a certain person on the road next to school.

A single butterfly alighted down overhead, landing on Arisu’s shoulders.

A silver Morpho butterfly—

It was the Mushi of Hanashiro Mari, her friend that died from sickness. After her death, that Mushi started following Arisu for some reason.

“Even if it’s just a coincidence, I can’t help by feel that any involvement with that girl Akasegawa Nanana won’t end pretty.”

Daisuke said while sitting on the guardrail and watching passersby.

“There’s no way anyone who actually wants to become a Mushitsuki is a decent person.”

His tone was completely changed from when he feigned being an honors student at school.

In order to hide the existence of Mushi, there was an agency that trained Mushitsuki and led them to capture wild Mushitsuki, the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. It was called the SEPB for short, and Daisuke was a member.

Kusuriya Daisuke was the combatant dispatched from the SEPB in order to monitor Arisu, an extremely irregular case of someone who not only began being possessed by another person’s Mushi, but a dead person at that.

“We should be careful; she might be planning something if she got in contact with Ena. Even without her being a brat, she has the power of money. Geez, she’s causing us so much trouble without even being a Mushitsuki—what is it?”

Daisuke furrowed his brows.

Arisu, who looked intently at his face, softly opened her mouth.

“’It’s normal to worry about your friends’.”

“Huh?”

“You finally acknowledged it. You think of Ena and Takako as friends.”

Arisu grinned. Daisuke grimaced and spoke bluntly.

“…This isn’t my first time pretending to be friends. I just thought those words fit the occasion.”

“Hmm. Ooh. Pretending to be friends, huh.”

It wasn’t just Ena who was happy seeing Daisuke worry about her.

Arisu was also happy.

Even if he was monitoring her, Kusuriya Daisuke was the first Mushitsuki Arisu had met other than Mari. The Morpho butterfly left by her friend called him.

Ever since meeting Daisuke, she started her journey to look for Mari’s will.

Along with him she fought many Mushitsuki and barely avoided death many times. And it wasn’t just that. Her school life while living with him—for him, acting as her classmate was suffering, but Arisu found these days fun.

“Well, and weren’t you complaining about what I’m trying to do? It has nothing to do with Mari’s investigation. Well? Weeell?”

“Your expression pisses me off… Akasegawa Nanana wants to become a Mushitsuki. It’s obvious for me to be cautious, as a member of the SEPB.”

“Is that so? It’s obvious?”

“…Stop pissing me off even more. If I was Kasuou you couldn’t have complained if I launched a full-scale battle right here and then…”

While he was rambling incoherently, a car parked near Arisu and Daisuke.

It was a limousine as white as snow. The gazes of people around gathered on this expensive car, twice the length of a regular one.

In front of Arisu’s stiff expression, the limousine door opened.

“Come inside.”

Obeying the invitation coming from inside the car, Arisu and Daisuke entered it.

The spacious interior was unchanged from when they last saw it. However, the stench of alcohol permeating the inside was many times stronger. Arisu grimaced.

“Yahah. How do you do, Ichinokuro Arisu-san and—Kakkou-san, was it?”

In the end of the car that started silently driving, a girl was wearing a slovenly smile.

Clad in a beautiful dress, at her feet was a stick in the shape of an upside-down letter J.

The young leader of Akasegawa Group, one of the leading conglomerates even within the country, was Akasegawa Nanana.

“I am honored to have the ancient and most noble house of Ichinokuro visit me. What business do you have with this humble upstart, that you went through the trouble of getting in contact? Yahahah.”

“Aren’t you drunk? Stop drinking so much.”

While sitting on the frontmost seat, she raised a brow not at Nanana’s undisguised cynicism but at her drunken manner. With only a year or two of difference in their ages, it was probably useless to reproach her about drinking.

Daisuke apparently had no intention to even try arguing with Nanana. He sat wordlessly next to Arisu.

“Say, Nanana. I want to ask you something.”

Arisu went straight to the topic.

Unlike the last time they met, this time Arisu was the one to get in contact with her. She had one and only goal.

“We’re not even friends and yet you’re calling me without any honorific? You’re sure acting overly-familiar, missy.”

Nanana puffed her cheeks as Arisu inquired her.

“You know Saionji Ena, right?”

“Saionji? Who was that?”

“Stop playing with me.”

Arisu stared at Nanana playing dumb. The drunk girl glanced at Arisu happily and wore a suggestive smile.

“Oh, I just remembered. That girl I met in a party a while ago was called that. Saionji Ena. Really sounds similar my own name. Sooo, what of it?”

“Ena’s my friend.”

“Oh my! What a coincidence. Or should I instead praise the Ichinokuro House’s networking? Yahah.”

“…”

“What’s with those eyes? Are you doubting me, perhaps? For example, let’s see… do you think I’m going to threaten you with a friend to make you tell me how to become a Mushitsuki? What a scary thought. I can sue you for slander.”

She was cackling, but in a moment Nanana grimaced with vexation. Narrowing one eyes, she spat while exposing her hatred.

“If only you weren’t an Ichinokuro I could have bullied you until you surrendered… I would throw you out of school just like Kirari until you regretted it…”

Kirari?

That unfamiliar name also caught her attention, but she was far more worried by Nanana’s change.

“You… something about you changed from when we last met.”

Even if she was drunk, the girl looked like a completely different person from the last time they met. When she appeared trying to find the way to become a Mushitsuki, Nanana was at least prudent and calm.

It hadn’t even been months since then. Thinking back, she went back to her home region in a hurry, so did something happen?

“It doesn’t have anything to do with it, leave it alone.”

Looking displeased and averting her gaze, Nanana poured more wine into a glass.

“You’re the one who needs to not involve unrelated people.”

Daisuke spoke in a low voice, glaring at Nanana.

“If you’re scheming something, stop it right now. You’re going to regret it otherwise.”

“Yahah. You’re the one who should watch your mouth, you know? Using friends to threaten you... —I wonder if I can or cannot do it. What do you think? Try using that shriveled up brain of yours.”

“Stop it, Daisuke! We’re not here for a fight!”

“…Tch.”

“Nanana. I do think you meeting up with Ena was a coincidence.”

“Yahah, really? But you’re actually doubting me. You’re obviously trying to butter me up. —I’m tired of that.”

“I’m serious. Ena herself said she went on that party on a whim, and if you wanted to do something, you’d come straight to me. You could do it if you wanted to, definitely. But you surely—didn’t do it.”

“Yahah. Who knows?”

“What I wanted to ask about is the advice you gave to her.”

“Oh?”

“If there’s anything we can do to help, let us help. I came to request this.”

That was why Arisu sought audience with Nanana.

Ena worried about Arisu and Daisuke and she kept evading about the advice even after the cooking class.

Arisu was glad for her feelings. However, this didn’t mean she could let it go. In the worst-case scenario, if her friend was in any danger, she didn’t want to regret not doing anything.

She didn’t want to feel the same way she did after discovering that Mari was crying in secret—

“The advice I gave to Saionji Ena? Hmm, what was it? I do remember she was interesting. She’s not acting pretentious, unlike most rich people, and it’s true we got along well. …Yup, she wasn’t bad at all. I only rarely listen to people talking without getting paid for it, you know?”

While Nanana was speaking all self-importantly, Daisuke’s expression harshened. It was only a matter of time before his patience reached his limits.

“Please, Nanana. What advice have you given her? Tell us.”

“Please? Yahah. What are you even talking about, you sheltered young lady unaware of the ways of the world? If you want something, you have to provide the proper compensation for it. Is it not foolish to give out information for free? Come to think of it, I have yet to receive reparation money from you after you pushed me a while ago.”

She was apparently holding a grudge. Arisu groaned.

“You… don’t get carried away.”

Daisuke was growing excited, but was stopped by Arisu’s hand.

Nanana narrowed one eyes, folding her legs calmly.

“Let me say this, but Ena will never approach you for advice.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“That girl said it herself. She is waiting to be able to hang out with you two again. She didn’t want to stand in your way. She started thinking this way especially since a certain exchange student came along.”

Nanana looked at Daisuke happily. The boy stiffened his expression, puzzled.

“Me…?”

“As long as you’re friends—because you’re friends, Ena will never talk to you. I really… pity you.”

“Pity us? What do you mean by that?”

Seeing Arisu lean ahead, Nanana giggled. Arisu scowled.

“What do you want? It’s not money, right?”

“You should already know what I want.”

As Nanana sharpened her eyes, Arisu glared back.

“The way to become Mushitsuki—the method to meet up with the Original Three… is unknown to me.”

Daisuke continued.

“No one knows where the Original Three will appear and who they target. That’s why the SEPB hasn’t been able to defeat them. If there was any way to ambush them, I’d like to know it, too.”

“I already know I can’t just meet them. What I want to know is… how can I get them to target me. The conditions to be allowed to be made into a Mushitsuki, what sort of person.”

“What sort of person… people that have dreams—”

“I get it! That’s what I’m asking!”

Suddenly, Nanana raised her voice. As she struck the table, droplets of wine scattered from her glass.

“How can I get this thing called a dream!”

Seeing Nanana grimace and shout, Arisu and Daisuke froze.

“How can I get a dream? Where should I go? Where can I buy it! How much money does it cost!”

Arisu could do nothing but stare at Nanana in blank amazement. Hearing the girl’s ghastly screams, she felt her chest constricted.

This girl—

This was what Akasegawa Nanana was aiming for after losing the Kind Magician—

She obviously had no answer.

She was looking for something that couldn’t be bought with money.

“…What’s with your face, idiot? It’s a joke. Isn’t it funny?”

Spitting this, the girl grabbed her glass again, her face looking extremely bored.

“Right. If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll make you work and pay for it.”

“Work?”

“Are you really such a sheltered young lady that knew no hardships? But rest assured. You’re good at this job, right?”

Seeing Arisu raise a brow, Nanana narrowed one eye, looking amused.

“Mushitsuki extermination.”

Saying this as if in jest, the girl curled her lips and sent a flying kiss.

Part 2[edit]

It became night, and Arisu came to Kurobishi Town’s suburbs, near her hometown of Akamaki City.

“T-this…”

The moment they got off the white limousine, Arisu and Daisuke stood in shock.

There were vast premises on top of the green hills. The structure separated into several different buildings was like a hospital, but unlike those seen in the city, they were flatter and structured like a pancake.

“Right, you can tell at a glance, right?”

Nanana said from within the limousine.

“There’s apparently a Mushitsuki here.”

Just like she said—Arisu knew at a glance that sight in front of her eyes was abnormal.

Perhaps due to some electrical problems, the lamps all around the area flickered on and off. The lights in the facilities themselves were also blinking, and whenever the light turned on in one window, the next moment it turned on in a completely different window, like some creepy relay of lights.

The most abnormal thing of all, however—was the sphere-shaped fog surrounding the entire facility. These spheres all floated in air, and whenever they touched one of the lamps, the metal-made pillars were dyed black and slowly crumbled down. It was as though they were infected by some disease the moment they touched the balls.

“Apparently?”

As expected, Daisuke was accustomed to this. As he immediately regained his calm and asked back, he opened his sports bag. He took out his SEPB equipment long coat and goggles, as well as a gun, and equipped them.

“This rehabilitation center had been bought by Akasegawa Group.”

The number of spheres surrounding the vast facility were beyond 100 or 200. No matter what route they took, they’d definitely bump into one of the spheres even after running only a few steps. Since these were the size of volleyballs and moved without any logic, it looked be hard to weave their way between them.

“With these state-of-the-art facilities, I thought of turning it into a rehabilitation facility serving businessmen and politicians, but now it’s like this. All employees and patients were safely evacuated, but no one comes here anymore. According to what the employees said, one of the dead patients’ relative caused all this. She was apparently a girl who’d enthusiastically come to visit… perhaps she turned into a Mushitsuki when that relative died.”

“Also—she’s out of control.”

The equipped Daisuke spoke in a low voice. His atmosphere of an average boy transformed into the combatant Kakkou.

“Judging from the fact she became a Mushitsuki due to negative circumstances, as well as this ability… she’s probably a Special Type. If I knew where our target is I could shoot her from outside and get it over with, but if that’s impossible it’s going to be an issue. It’d probably be unwise to touch those spheres. Whether or not we can blow them away with physical abilities… my compatibility is the worst.”

Analyzing the situation, Daisuke clicked his tongue.

“Why has the SEPB not heard of this?”

“This isn’t a joke. If we moved the SEPB, the business world will know of it. If that happens, those first-rate misers will give up. So I’d like you to take care of this discreetly. Will you do it or not?”

“We’ll do it.”

Arisu brought out her rod, swung it and extended it.

“We’ll obviously do it!”

“My, how boring. I thought you’d be more cautious, but you unexpectedly have some guts.”

“You’ve left this like this for such a silly reason? There’s no other place like this, right?”

Since the Mushitsuki inside the facility was out of the control, she was continually wasting her powers. If they left her like this, she would soon have her dream completely eaten by her Mushi and die.

“Yahah. Why are you so mad? Relax, this is the only place.”

The limousine’s door opened. The powered windows opened, and Nanana saw the pair off with a smile.

“Then, I’ll leave it in your care. I’ll be evacuating to somewhere far. Oh, right, try to keep damages to within a 20% of the facility.”

Along with the silent engine noises, the white limousine went down the dark road.

Daisuke’s shoulders sagged and he sighed.

“I never thought I’d have to capture a Mushitsuki outside of my mission. It’s really a bother.”

“This isn’t the time to be complaining! Let’s quickly save the girl inside!”

As Arisu attempted rushing over after saying this, Daisuke grabbed her arm.

“Don’t just recklessly charge there! Do something about your habit to act before thinking, idiot!”

“I was thinking! I’m the one that has to go there! Right?”

Daisuke was at a loss for words.

“You said you have a bad affinity against this ability, right? Even Neiko or Erii couldn’t take care of this ability in this large of an area. Even with Kasuou, we can’t tell what’d happen if she touched those spheres, and we can’t just keep looking for the host forever. Or do you have any idea?”

Arisu’s words likely struck the mark. Daisuke fell silent and then spoke as if wringing out his voice.

“Never mind the facilities, she could make this entire hill her territory.”

“Really? Then, we can leave it to—”

“But if we do that—it wouldn’t end pretty for the Mushitsuki inside.”

“—So we’re settled.”

The silver Morpho butterfly alighted on the rod held by Arisu. Its body split explosively, fusing with the rod to become a silver lance.

Heading for the rehabilitation center, Arisu swung her spear to the sides.

Silver scales blew, erasing the black spheres floating around the gate. —This opened a path into the facility for a moment, but soon other spheres came floating to block the path.

“Looks like it’s impossible for you to follow me.”

Turning back, she smiled at Daisuke.

“I’ll go alone.”

Scales spouted from the silver spear, wrapping Arisu’s body.

“I can protect myself with scales, and the spear will tell me where the girl is. —If I wrap you in these scales, you wouldn’t be able to use your powers, right?”

“…”

“Or maybe—are you worried about me going alone?”

Daisuke said nothing. Although he usually was decisive when it came to battle, he looked to be hesitating.

Arisu bit her lips.

Until now, he always called her a burden. And it was true. Not only was she being protected by him, she even dragged his legs and exposed him to danger.

However, it was also true that Arisu was the only one able to break this current deadlock.

“—This is like when I captured Kasuou. Our enemy’s probably powerful. You also know that enemies are scary when they’re cornered.”

Seeing Daisuke sigh, Arisu felt a stab of pain in her chest.

However—seeing that Daisuke put his gun away, she widened her eyes.

“Don’t try to defeat her meaninglessly. You can simply find the enemy.”

“Eh?”

“If you appear in front of her, she’ll focus on you. When you do that, those spheres will definitely vanish. At the same time, I’ll follow the sounds of battle and come to you.”

Arisu’s expression sparkled.

“No matter how strong she is, she’s definitely not Harukiyo-level. If I’m worried about anything, is that you’ll destroy everything around you.”

Saying this, Daisuke shook his hand as if shooing her away.

“—That is a needless worry.”

Arisu smiled. She kicked the ground.

“It’s just a building. If I break just one or two rooms, we can say it’s within 20%.”

“I’m telling you to reflect on your actions…”

Her back pushed by the boy’s exasperated voice, Arisu passed through the main gate and leapt inside the premises.

The black spheres touched her, but the silver scales protecting erased those.

As Arisu kicked at the asphalt-covered ground, her leg took a silver pattern. She leapt over the plaza’s flowerbed with her strengthened legs.

“Mari! Where’s the Mushitsuki?”

The spear responding to Arisu’s call pulled her toward a building on the inner right side.

“So she’s there.”

Clad in the silver glow, Arisu rushed through the building directly.

Speaking honestly—she was also scared of leaping into danger alone.

However, Daisuke let her go.

Perhaps he was finally acknowledging her. —Just thinking this made her anxiety vanish. Daisuke said he wasn’t worried. These words were as strong and reliable as having him by her side.

“A strong Mushitsuki…”

While passing between buildings, she mumbled to herself.

The other day, when Harukiyo encouraged her to “do her best”, she also thought that.

There was power in the words of powerful Mushitsuki.

When they said it, it seemed like they could do anything.

Right, therefore, no matter what kind of—

“Ugh…!”

As she got closer to the Mushitsuki’s presence, the black spheres grew in intensity. Part of the spear that touched a sphere that went through the scales began to blacken.

Immediately the Morpho butterfly spear activated another ability. Calming scales that made the enemy’s ability sleep stuck to the spear, melting away the blackening.

“Looks like the entire center caught this disease…”

Increasing the density of the scales protecting her body, Arisu accelerated further.

The walls held in place with steel concrete were being shaved by the blackness. Almost all plants around the building blackened, wilted and died.

The Morpho butterfly spear led her to the round facility at the very end of the premises. It had probably been abandoned when the patients were evacuated. She leapt inside the open doors, entering into a lobby with a sofa.

“Is she above?”

There was an elevator in the back of the lobby with the blinking lights, but the lamp indicating the floors was gone. It was probably nonfunctional.

Being pulled by the spear, she flew into a corridor, running around and looking for stairs. As she turned toward the smell of water, she saw a glass wall and a pool of warm water. It was probably a rehabilitation facility.

Finding the stairs, she aimed for the higher floor.

Although she stumbled due to the sudden lack of light, the spear’s reaction brought her to a certain floor. Rushing through a corridor full of doors, she checked them one by one.

All rooms had examination machines in them. They were separated into X-ray rooms or CT scanners.

How many rooms had she investigated already?

When she opened the double doors blocking the end of the corridor, she saw a girl.

“—”

Although she ran out of breath, she found herself gasping. Cold sweat erupted all over her body.

She could tell that this was an operation room.

However, the entire room—was filled with black mist.

Rage, sadness, hatred, and despair.

Inside the mist that condensed all negative emotions, a lone girl was standing.

“…Ma…ri…?”

For some reason, the girl that turned her back to her—overlapped with the figure of her deceased friend.

Perhaps it was also due to her height, figure and hair length resembling Mari’s. However, it wasn’t just that. The atmosphere of despair projected from her entire body was just like Mari’s figure she’d seen when Ayuyu used her ability.

“…”

The girl slowly turned to Arisu.

Her face—was both like and unlike Mari’s. The bad complexion and expression dyed by only despair were just like Arisu’s dead friend. Her attention was caught by a withered four-leaved clover in her hair.

The girl slowly spread her hands. She was gathering black mist around her clenched fists. —Slipping through the legs of Arisu as she stood at the doorway, the spheres surrounding the entire facility were being sucked into the girl’s fists.

“No matter how hard he tried—”

Arisu’s body froze with a twitch. The girl’s much too low voice that leaked from her lips gave her a chill.

“No matter how much he trained—”

Pow.

Arisu shook again. The creepiness of the sound of bone striking against bone grasped her heart.

“No matter how virtuously he lived—”

Pow.

The girl struck her fists in front of her chest. Every time she did this, black spheres gathered to her fists, condensed, were spread around and wrapped her fist again.

“The person most important to me still died.”

Pow.

“Life is afflicted with poison from the very moment of birth.”

Pow.

“No one can be healed of it.”

Pow.

“Since we’re all going to die someday, is there any reason to live?”

Pow.

“If we’re all going to die anyway—if it’s nothing but suffering—I want to ease it all, as soon as possible.”

Pow.

“I’ll ‘save’ each and every one from the disease called life.”

The Mushitsuki girl stopped hitting her fists, slowly assuming a boxing pose.

While her fists and legs were being enveloped in black mist, the silhouette of a clover sawtooth stag beetle rose behind her. All the spheres scattered around the premises condensed and her limbs transformed to four tusks. These could probably pierce through the scales protecting Arisu.

However, even when faced with the girl’s overwhelming murderous intent, Arisu thought about something else entirely.

How many Mushitsuki had she met so far?

Until now, all Mushitsuki she met worried and suffered. Even the Mushitsuki girl in front of her had her own circumstances that turned her into a Mushitsuki, and she was suffering even now.

Why was that?

Why did all Mushitsuki have to—

“—try it…”

Mumbling in her mouth, Arisu grasped her spear.

The girl kicked the floor, launching herself toward Arisu who stood upright. She slid to her chest with unwasted movements, striking it with a fist clad in black mist.

Along with the impact, Arisu’s body bent forward.

“…!”

The Mushitsuki girl raised her face with a start.

Arisu’s hand, covered in a silver pattern, stopped the girl’s fist.

“You say we’re all going to die anyway—”

A lone tear fell atop the girl’s stopped fist.

“You say you’ll ease it all for us—”

The girl’s remaining fist aimed for Arisu’s flank. However, Arisu’s hand stopped that as well.

“Hah!”

Having her superhuman physical strength sealed, the girl now tried a bursting knee kick. Arisu took it head on, and her chin flew.

“—Then try it.”

Blood dribbling down her mouth, Arisu looked down at the girl.

“Hah! Hah!”

The girl’s kicks struck Arisu’s body from zero range.

The silver pattern separated from Arisu’s arm stopping the fist and her body receiving the kicks. Encroached by the black disease, it seemed to struggle and rampage. The blowing silver scales seemed to get cancelled by the other girl’s black pattern, vanishing.

“My Mushi!”

The Morpho butterfly’s skin being torn and the girl’s kicks caused Arisu’s body to be engraved with wounds. Yet the tears that rose to the corners of her eyes were not due to pain.

“Will never lose to the likes of you!”

Why was it?

Why did all Mushitsuki suffer?

Weren’t they supposed to be people who were possessed by these Mushi while having a grand dream? Weren’t they supposed to embrace a hope and be born anew?

“I’m not a Mushitsuki and I’m so weak I couldn’t even save my friend, but—”

All Mushitsuki were fighting against something.

What were they fighting against?

“This Mushi is much stronger than you! After all, it belonged to a person who was unable to live despite wanting to live… and yet never gave up on it!”

She, who wasn’t a Mushitsuki—

Had herself decided to keep getting involved with Mushitsuki in order to look for Mari’s will—

And what should she really do, upon meeting them?

“I’ll ‘save’ them…!”

The shouting girl cried again. Even while her power was being cancelled by the scales, she kept kicking recklessly.

“I’ll blow away all sick life…!”

“If you really think that death is salvation, why are you still alive!”

“UwaaAAAhhh!”

“Why are you fighting me now!”

The girl’s kicks stopped.

“You can just turn back and run away… so why are you heading forward!”

The Mushitsuki girl bared her canines and glared at the shouting Arisu. While shedding large tears, she groaned with hatred.

“I’ll… defile anyone and everyone with poison.”

“Is that—your dream?”

Dreams weren’t necessarily pretty things.

Arisu, who’d met up with many Mushitsuki, knew that.

“But—”

The girl said that she lost someone important to her.

Perhaps it was inevitable, embracing this backwards dream within her sadness.

“Try thinking of the one precious to you.”

However, letting the dream born from sadness end in sadness—was much too cruel.

“Do you still think the same even while imagining that person’s face?”

“…!”

The girl’s expression distorted in hatred crumbled. Power left Arisu’s arms.

The time she visited Mari’s empty hospital room, Arisu couldn’t think of anything.

She even begrudged the world that didn’t let her best friend live.

But now, when Arisu tried imagining Mari’s face—she could only think of the happy moments she spent with her.

“’Save’ him—”

The girl’s expression crumbled. The black mist covering her listless fists was changing in color.

“I wanted—to ‘save’…”

The spheres covering the girl’s limbs became pure white.

“I just wanted—to save him…”

As Arisu received that fist, the white spheres infected her body. The illness caused by the black mist encroaching the Morpho butterfly was being healed by the white glow.

“Uuuh…”

The Mushitsuki girl used the healing power for just a split second. As if immediately exhausting herself, she fell toward Arisu.

Burying her face in Arisu’s chest, she began sobbing with her shoulders shaking.

She somehow stopped the girl’s rampage.

However—this didn’t mean she had saved the girl who was now crying softly.

“…”

Hugging the trembling girl, Arisu bit her lower lips.

The pain of the girl who ended up becoming a Mushitsuki actually started only right now. She had to keep living, all the while suffering from the fear of getting devoured by her Mushi.

If only Arisu was stronger.

If she was as powerful like Daisuke or Harukiyo—or perhaps that girl in command of a ladybug—could she have saved those suffering Mushitsuki in front of her eyes?

Managing to avoid a fight now was also not thanks to her own power. It was the power of the Morpho butterfly that Mari had left to her.

What could Ichinokuro Arisu do while not even being a Mushitsuki?

“…!”

The Morpho butterfly emitted a blinding light. At the same time, the entire facility shook.

Sounds of destruction and vibrations were approaching Arisu—and suddenly the wall of the operation room exploded.

Seeing the figure appear from within the broken concrete, Arisu doubted her eyes.

“Move, Arisu!”

Appearing there the handgun-wielding Kusuriya Daisuke, as well as another person—a girl riding a giant Mushi that resembled a ladybug.

“I won’t hand her over to the likes of the SEPB!”

“Rina—”

She was Rina, the girl Arisu had previously met in the SEPB’s Central Headquarters. The girl who’d supposedly escaped from the Headquarters full of SEPB members now appeared in front of Arisu again for some reason.

“W-why are you here—”

“She appeared the moment all those spheres vanished around the center! She apparently thought of getting this Mushitsuki before the SEPB.”

He probably came there while fighting Rina. Daisuke stood in front of Arisu and the Mushitsuki to block Rina’s path.

“I will not allow you to use Mushitsuki as tools of war! Give her to me!”

“Uh…!”

The Mushitsuki girl, still mentally unbalanced, feebly let go of Arisu. In response to her pent-up nervousness, she took a ready stance while stumbling.

Arisu shouted at Rina.

“S-stop! If you stimulate her right now, she’d really exhaust herself!”

“Hunter…!”

Seeing Arisu, Rina’s expression turned harsh.

“She’s already fine… so retreat, Rina!”

Daisuke and Rina were completely ready for battle. If Daisuke pressed the trigger, Rina would immediately counterattack with a shockwave. If that happened, they would hurt the Mushitsuki girl as well.

Arisu instantly leapt in front of Daisuke’s readied gun.

“Wha…! Move, Arisu!”

“So you’re allied with the SEPB, then, Hunter!”

Rina’s ladybug spread its wings.

However, Arisu did not flinch.

“If you really want to fight no matter what—”

The readied Morpho butterfly sphere started spouting glowing scales.

“To protect this girl—I will take on the two of you.”

“…!”

Daisuke and Rina both widened their eyes in shock.

The girl riding the ladybug passed her gaze from Arisu to the Mushitsuki girl.

“—”

Seeing the girl doing everything to get ready, Rina grimaced. Realizing that Arisu wasn’t bluffing, the ladybug folded its wings.

“Come to me! We’ll be able to save you!”

Having given up forceful methods, Rina reached her hand toward the Mushitsuki girl.

However—

“…!”

Rina widened her eyes.

The Mushitsuki girl walked on her unsteady legs—toward Arisu.

Arisu was just as surprised at her by this action. She soon recovered and covered the girl.

“Rina…!”

Rina glared at the entreating Arisu.

The ladybug stepped back while making the air tremble heavily.

“—If you do anything bad to her, I’ll never forgive you.”

Leaving this low voice behind, Rina and the ladybug vanished on the other side of the wall. The voice of her breaking obstacles was heard distancing.

Feeling relieved after avoiding battle—wasn’t quite how Arisu felt.

She’d always wished to meet the girl called Rina again. She couldn’t just lose her here.

Arisu spurned her aching body, running toward the hole in the wall with spear in hand.

“I’m leaving her to you, Daisuke—”

“Hah? Hey, where’re you going!”

“I want to talk to Rina.”

“Talk—what? I can’t let you do that!”

As Daisuke tried pursuing her, Arisu swung the spear at him.

Scales sealing Mushitsuki powers blew between Arisu and Daisuke.

“Wha—why, you…!”

“I’m sorry! But I feel like this is my only chance. Don’t worry!”

Leaving behind the angry Daisuke, Arisu followed the departing Rina.

Part 3[edit]

As she hopped out of the hole in the wall, there was no ground beneath her.

Due to her dizziness caused by the pain of her wounds, she forgot that she was on the third floor.

She fell helplessly, pounded on the hard asphalt.

“Kh…!”

Just barely managing to fuse with the Morpho butterfly again, her leg mitigated the impact of falling. The pattern on her legs glowed silver.

As she raised her face, she found a huge shadow in the sky full of stars. —It was Rina and her ladybug. Flapping its large wings, it was growing distant.

“Rina! Wait!”

As Arisu tried pursuing her, she saw something like grains flying toward her.

“…! T-this is—”

She instantly used her strengthened legs to leap to the side.

The place Arisu stood in a moment ago exploded. The leaping Mushi resembling leaf beetles emitted explosive flames from their body.

“Aki’s Mushi…? Is he nearby?”

As she gasped and looked at the sky, Arisu saw several dozen leaf beetles heading for her.

“So you’re trying to stop me—”

As she bit her lips, her sight was dyed in crimson flames.

“But I don’t have the time for you right now.”

Blowing the explosive wind away with silver scales, Arisu kicked the ground. She rushed through the premises and pursued Rina while leaving a silver afterimage behind her.

As she rushed ahead, leaf beetles mercilessly rained down on her. With her enhanced legs, however, she managed to weave between the leaf beetle carpet bombardment.

Leaping over the fence, she entered the forest. She used her spear to illuminate the trees enveloped in the darkness of night, keeping on running.

However, it was a nest of leaf beetles. The leaf beetles, hiding in the ground or in tree’s shades, aimed for the moment Arisu passed between them to spread explosive flames.

“I don’t know how he’s able to track me—”

Arisu kept just barely dodging these explosions.

“But since my spear tells me where the Mushi is, it’s useless.”

If she was the past Arisu, she would be stuck here. However, as she met various powerful Mushitsuki starting with Harukiyo, Aki’s attack weren’t even obstacles to her.

Ahead of her, beyond the explosions and flames, there was moonlight. It was the end of the forest. Arisu leapt, flying out of the forest at once.

She landed with great momentum, her legs spreading dust.

“—”

As she raised her face, she could see the beautiful figure of a girl standing in a moonlit night.

The small stream between the forest and the road didn’t have much water, making the shoal in its center wide. The river surface on both sides of the shoal covered in dust and rocks also reflected a broken image of moonlight.

The moon in the sky and the moon wavering in the river. Both lights reflected on the girl’s hair, sparkling. Arisu found herself gasping in front of that otherworldly beauty.

“You told me to wait. Right, Hunter?”

The girl blessed by the moon, Rina, moved her lips calmly. Putting a hand to her hip, she faced Arisu in a striking pose.

“I waited for you.”

Arisu came back to her senses.

She hadn’t noticed this because she was so taken in by Rina, but next to this ladybug controller stood the long-haired boy, Aki, as well as a petite girl whose eyes were hidden by long bangs.

Rina’s expression crumbled.

“Because it looks like even trying to blow you off is meaningless.”

“Kh…”

As the ex-SEPB boy groaned in pain, he removed his goggles. Something like tentacles extended from them, and the giant Mushi next to him—a Mushi that looked like two folded leaves—was connected to it.

It wasn’t Aki’s Mushi. Probably the long-haired girl’s? Arisu didn’t know how this worked, but apparently the two combined their abilities to attack her from afar.

“And Kakkou doesn’t seem to be here. What do you intend to do, coming after me alone?”

“…”

Arisu moved her eyes, looking up the opposite shore beyond Rina’s shoulders. On the sandbank there were only Rina, Aki and the girls with the long bangs, but she could see other figures that were likely Rina’s comrades on the opposite shore.

“Don’t mind them. —If you intend on fighting me, I’ll give you a one-on-one match.”

“I don’t… want to fight.”

She said one-on-one, but this was probably because her abilities only allowed her to fight alone. The ladybug’s shockwaves were too powerful, so if she fought seriously, she’d end up hurting her allies too. —Although she had so many comrades, Rina ironically couldn’t fight alongside them.

“Also, I’m not Hunter.”

“…Apparently.”

Arisu widened her eyes. It was because Rina believed her so readily.

“I heard it from Aki. Hunter died and left her Mushi to you.”

Putting a hand on her chin, Rina glared at Arisu’s face.

“Even hearing about it, I found it somewhat unbelievable—but now that I face you all calm, you really are completely different from the Hunter I knew. She hid her face with a scarf so I didn’t know it, but, how do I put it, your entire atmosphere is different. That spear’s the exact same, but it feels weird.”

As Rina paced atop the dust, she examined Arisu from many different angles.

“Even if you tell me it feels weird…”

As if her goosebumps from before were nothing but a lie, Rina’s behavior crumbled. Arisu was confused at this sudden development.

“Do you understand the real reason I waited for you?”

“Eh?”

“I wanted to ask you directly. —What on earth are you?”

Arisu froze.

“Are you a Mushitsuki? Are you not a Mushitsuki? Why can you use another person’s Mushi? Why do you ally with the SEPB?”

“…”

“Hunter is dead. Mushitsuki really have stopped being hunted in Akamaki City. So, to be honest—I even thought of helping you, if you were in trouble. Perhaps you yourself had been Hunter’s victim.”

“Hey, Rina—”

Aki tried barging in the conversation, but Rina kept talking.

“Isn’t that proper? We all wish to create a place for Mushitsuki. If she is a Mushitsuki, I want to save her. However—”

Turning back to Arisu, Rina’s eyes turned sharper.

“Why are you with the SEPB?”

“…”

“I really don’t understand it at all. So I can only ask this. —What on earth are you? That’s it.”

Rina spoke while shrugging.

“I…”

Arisu unconsciously gulped.

Although not a Mushitsuki, she controlled a Mushi.

Although not a Mushitsuki, she was involved with them.

The girl called Ichinokuro Arisu—what was she?

“I… don’t know myself.”

“…”

Rina’s calm gaze looked at Arisu.

“But, Mari… the Mushitsuki called Hunter—”

She didn’t know about herself. She perhaps might not find out either.

However, there was one thing she could say for sure—

“Was my friend.”

Rina’s eyebrows twitched.

“Friend… then you’re aware of what Hunter did.”

“No. Mari… told me nothing about it. I didn’t even know she was a Mushitsuki…”

Arisu bit her lips.

There was a contradiction in what she said.

Although she called Mari her friend, she knew nothing about her. So other unrelated people would never believe they were friends.

“Hunter, a friend…”

Rina was doubting her as expected. She mumbled to herself and then fell silent.

“That’s why I want to know what Mari was thinking—why she left me her Mushi. Say, Rina. You’ve met Mari, right? It doesn’t matter what, just tell me something about her.”

“I definitely met her. But it was only for a split second, and I didn’t understand what she said… I did feel like she knew something about Mushi.”

“…I see.”

Yet another hint vanished.

“Sorry I was unable to help.”

“N-no, it’s fine, thank you.”

Being consoled with a kind voice, she raised her head.

Rina was smiling.

“A friend, huh… how nice.”

Arisu felt some sort of envy hidden in the girl’s radiant smile as she looked at her.

“Eh…?”

“Aren’t there things you cannot say about friends? —The next time we meet, I don’t know whether we’ll be friends or enemies, but… I hope you find what you want. I’ll be cheering on you.”

Cheering—

That word made Arisu’s chest feel warm again.

The words of Rina, a powerful Mushi, gave Arisu strength. It gave her the courage that what she wanted to do was possible—

“If this is all you want to ask, I shall be on my way. See you.”

“W-wait!”

She called toward Rina who turned away to stop her.

“What is it? Another question?”

“Are you going to fight—against the SEPB again?”

As Arisu unconsciously flung that question at her, Rina’s expression changed.

“Obviously. I’ll never forgive them for capturing Mushitsuki despite being Mushitsuki themselves.”

“Don’t you feel like stopping the fight?”

“What… did you just say?”

Rina’s expression became more and more intense.

“I obviously can’t do that! How will I—”

“You can,” Arisu declared. Rina was speechless.

“I thought about this. All Mushitsuki fight against something… so there’s no sense in making fellow Mushitsuki fight. They should only fight for the sake of their own dreams.”

“I know that well! But the SEPB won’t let it happen!”

“Wouldn’t you like to try talking to Da—to Kakkou?”

When she met Rina before, Daisuke had stopped her from using his real name.

“Talking with that sort of guy…”

“He’s a bit dishonest sometimes, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Daisuke was definitely not a bad person.

Probably because Arisu said this so calmly, Rina looked shocked. Her shoulders were shaking.

“N-not a bad guy…? That demon—he’s so—he’s—”

“Also, he’s strong. Apparently, the strongest in the SEPB.”

“And what—is that even—”

“You’re also strong, right? If you two, who are the strongest of all, understand each other, won’t all Mushitsuki stop fighting?”

Rina looked like she became incapable of speech. Aki was also looking at her, shocked.

“No, it’s not just you. I’m also going to ask Harukiyo the same.”

“…!”

“He was about to leave to someplace else, but I asked him to stay at Akamaki City. Since he made a promise, he should be somewhere nearby.”

Rina’s expression changed. Her face mixed with anger and shock now added confusion to the mix.

“Harukiyo did…?”

“If you know about him, you also know how strong he is. About as strong as you.”

“Harukiyo… Since he doesn’t care about who becomes a victim, I’ve been thinking about him like some typhoon or earthquake and never engaged him, but—is that true?”

“Yes, he should be following his promise—I think… He’s following it, probably… but I do think like he might just forget it… Maybe I should’ve taken away some of his gashapon.”

“What are you even—”

Along with Rina’s cautious gaze, she took a step back.

However, Arisu continued without minding that.

“Try imagining it. All of you, who are stronger than anyone, not fighting, but working together… even the SEPB or whatever would pale against that, don’t you think? It’d probably surprise all the Mushitsuki in the country enough for them to forget fighting.”

“Trying to imagine—I can’t! Joining hands with the likes of Kakkou and Harukiyo! I refuse, and they would, too! We’d never understand each other just by talking once or twice!”

“If so…”

Arisu reached her left hand to Rina. The wounds she got at the rehabilitation center were still fresh on it.

“Hold my hand.”

“…!”

“I’ll use my other hand to pull Kakkou and Harukiyo along.”

“Wha—”

“You can’t just shrink away after one or two times. I’ll bring you three together no matter how many times it takes.”

Arisu wasn’t a Mushitsuki.

She wasn’t as strong as Daisuke, Harukiyo and Rina.

However, she was always wondering and thinking whether there was still something she could do.

Although she wasn’t a Mushitsuki, she could use their power.

Becoming host to a Mushi that was supposed to be gone, she kept meeting up with living Mushitsuki.

Those Mushitsuki, who were all suffering from unseen chains, might become the key that connected with the future—

“W-why—”

Arisu’s unexcepted proposal apparently caused Rina a considerable shock. She held her forehead, glaring at Arisu with obvious caution.

“Why are you trying to do that! You say you’ll bring us together? If you do that, it’s not going to end up well for you either! Weren’t you looking for clues about your friend? That’s completely irrelevant to Hunter!”

“There’s nothing irrelevant about this. After all, me investigating Mari was just what kicked this off. Thanks to her, while meeting many Mushitsuki, I—”

Arisu smiled.

“Started loving them.”

Rina’s eyes were wide as saucers.

“That’s why I don’t want to see Mushitsuki fight one another. I’m not as strong as you, but… I might be able to at least stand between you.”

“…”

“I’ll say it again. —Try imagining it. All of you strong Mushitsuki standing in a row. If you really can’t hold hands… I’ll stand between you and hold them for you.”

It was clear Rina was shaken. She really tried imagining this—she couldn’t imagine it well—but even so, she should feel a faint hope.

Right, these were the exact same feelings as Arisu.

She couldn’t even imagine the three of them holding hands.

But even so—

Even so—

If they could just stand together, perhaps Mushitsuki would stop fighting—

“…”

Rina bit her lips and turned her body. The sound of stepping on dust was distancing from Arisu.

“Rina…”

“—Give me some time.”

Stopping in place, Rina said.

“This is the first time I’ve heard someone saying that they love Mushitsuki.”

As the girl had her back still turned to her, she had no idea what expression she was wearing.

“I’ll definitely give you a reply. Whether yes or no—definitely.”

Arisu slightly widened her eyes—then smiled.

“Sure.”

She spoke toward Rina who kept walking away.

“But I won’t give up if you tell me no just once, alright?”

While Rina and her comrades left, Aki and the girl tagging to him stayed standing there, looking at Arisu’s face.

“Aki?”

“Do you really think you could accomplish something so idiotic?”

The boy spoke with a hard tone. Arisu smiled.

“They’re the only ones who could do something so idiotic.”

“…Heh.”

“…?”

“It certainly is true. Haha.”

The girl with bangs hiding her eyes looked up at the laughing Aki, worried.

“Understand each other… huh. I already forgot about something like that due to fighting for so long.”

Mumbling this cynically, Aki then smiled at Arisu.

“Since Rina said she’ll answer, she definitely will give you a reply. Wait for her.”

Leaving this behind, Aki and the girl left.

Everyone was gone, and finally—

“Yes, I will wait.”

Arisu nodded with a full smile.

Part 4[edit]

“Oh, you survived. So boring.”

As they came back to the limousine, Akasegawa Nanana greeted them with a sigh.

Arisu was grinning and reaching her hand toward Nanana.

“You looking so disappointed is just my imagination, right? Since it’s definitely my imagination, I’ll make you smile, smile!”

“W-what’re you doing! I’m your employer! Hey!”

The two girls pinched each other’s cheeks on the seats. The impatient Daisuke was stripping off his equipment and stuffing it all haphazardly inside his bag.

The Mushitsuki girl occupying the facility had been taken by an SEPB member that Daisuke contacted. She would become a member and be forced into fighting again.

“Hah, hah… if only you’d died, I might have become a Mushitsuki…”

“Hah, hah… what do you mean by that?”

As the two opponents took their distance and looked at each other, Nanana narrowed one eye.

“I investigated this. That Mushi—had originally possessed a different person.”

“…!”

“So if you’d died, maybe that Mushi would’ve become mine.”

“What—was that?”

Knowing of Akasegawa Nanana’s scheme, she became speechless.

Nanana’s real aim was neither the facility’s release nor the expulsion of the Mushi. She brought Arisu into danger as an attempt to snatch her Morpho butterfly—

“So that was what you aimed for from the beginning?!”

“I’m so disappointed you survived. It won’t work unless you’re dead.”

“Why you…!”

“—Never mind all that talk about disappointment or dying or whatever.”

Having stripped his equipment and appearing in uniform again, Daisuke stopped Arisu from leaping on Nanana.

“We’ve done what you’ve asked us to do. You will honor your promise, right?”

“You’ve done what I asked—you say?”

Nanana pouted in anger.

“Are you idiots?! I told you to keep damage to a maximum of 20%! —The entire floor has been demolished, so you’ve got some nerve saying that! And it’s not just the building, about a third of the entire facility was blown to smithereens! And the forest nearby was fully scorched, ful-ly scorched! Look outside the window! Yahahah, the western sky is completely red! We need all the firemen of Kurobishi Town!”

“Ugh,” groaned Arisu.

According to what she heard later, Rina’s and Daisuke’s battle destroyed half of the department that the Mushitsuki girl had occupied. Even the remaining parts were destroyed splendidly by Rina when she’d rushed through to escape.

Then Aki’s attacks turned the premises into a terrible state, and the explosions in the forest nearly caused a mountain fire.

“—If you try to get involved with the Morpho butterfly, next time it won’t end just with that.”

Daisuke, however, was not ashamed in the least.

“And even if you don’t get involved, as long as you don’t talk about Ena, we’ll come to meet you again.”

“…So you’re threatening me, this time?”

Nanana grimaced, drinking her cup of wine in a single gulp with excessive anger.

“Hadn’t you called Ena poor? What on earth did that mean? Tell us, now.”

As Arisu leaned at her, Nanana looked to be thinking. Pouring wine in her glass, she played with the rippling red water surface, displeased.

“…Right, oh well. Since the fish didn’t take the bait, I was about to give up anyway. Maybe it’s fine to try shaking my bait a little—”

“Bait? Fish?”

Glancing at Arisu who furrowed her brows, Nanana grinned.

“Saionji Ena. Looks like that girl is being targeted.”

Arisu and Daisuke gasped.

“Who’s targeting Ena…?”

“Who knows?”

“Hey. After toying with us so much you say you don’t know?”

“Yes, I don’t know. Most likely, no one knows their identity. Because no one can tell when and where this person appears…”

“…?”

“My hired investigator confirmed one time that someone suspicious was watching Saionji Ena. The figure’s characteristics were the following: a tall woman—”

Twitch.

Daisuke’s expression froze probably because he was blessed with intuition.

“Wearing a crimson-colored long coat—”

A tall woman.

A red coat.

Hearing just this, Arisu still had no clue. However—

“Wearing round sunglasses—”

Round sunglasses.

Hearing those features, Arisu’s head blanked out.

But that name didn’t readily rise to her mind. Perhaps her emotions rejected her understanding.

“With rainbow-colored pupils—”

She could hear the beats of her own heart. A fierce palpitation struck the inside of Arisu’s chest.

Her throat became dry and, feeling something like dizziness, she put her hand to the window to support her weight.

“—Also, while we’re at it.”

Nanana looked at the paralyzed Arisu and Daisuke, seeming amused. Her smile with one eye narrowed stabbed into Arisu’s heart.

“Ena sounded like she was having so much fun. Ever since a certain boy became her classmate, every day was fun. Along with her two best friends, she wanted to keep playing forever. —Oh, have you done that conversation before?”

“Is this—”

Daisuke wrung out a hoarse voice.

No, Daisuke—

You can’t say that.

Although Arisu wanted to say this, her mouth was unmoving.

“Is this my fault…?”

“Yahah.”

Looking at the astonished Arisu and Daisuke, the rich girl narrowed one eye.

“Saionji Ena. —She’s caught Oogui’s eye.”

Akasegawa Nanana’s short declaration overlapped with the distant siren of a firetruck.

Episode 27. The Dream-Foreboding Gathering[edit]

The campus of Horusu Seijou Academy Middle School was enveloped in the vibration and heat of the many students moving.

“A meteor shower?”

While walking along with her uniformed classmates in the corridor, Ichinokuro Arisu turned back. Her long hair tied into a ponytail behind her head jumped.

“You didn’t know? They’ve been talking about it on the news every day now. —Ouch.”

Bumping shoulders against another student and scowling was Arisu’s classmate, Saionji Ena. Her short hair and short skirt were characteristic, and she was especially stylish among their classmates.

“You’re talking about the Perseid meteor shower, right?”

Kujou Takako, who was also walking by Arisu’s side, spoke in a calm tone. Just like all other students of Horusu Seijou Academy that included many children of the rich, her well-bred mannerisms were apparent.

On the other side of the students who all walked in swarms to the same direction, she could see vivid, blond hair. Kasuou, AKA Mitake Anneliese, was groaning, “Ouch. T-this is way too narrow. Please go over there. …I’m tellin’ you you’re in my way!” and the male students next to her were thrown to the wall. While her surroundings became noisy, the blonde girl with an elegant smile vanished ahead.

“Yup. It’s something to do with the weather and cycles, so apparently, we can see it really clearly this year! It’s supposed to the best possible conditions or whatever, so we have to watch it, right?”

“Right, I do seem to recall seeing or hearing about that on television.”

“A meteor swarm means you can see shooting stars in the sky, right? So romantic.”

Seeing Ena and Takako with a sparkling expression, Arisu smiled too. This would be a heart-pounding event for middle school girls.

“Our last middle school summer vacation! Endless stardust streaming the night! Oh, this feels like a fateful moment! If I let it pass, I’ll regret this my entire life!”

As Ena especially loved all sorts of festivals and events, she grabbed Arisu’s and Takako’s arms, her eyes full of zeal.

“We’re definitely going, right?! Let’s engrave this summer’s memories into our hearts! We’re all going to advance to the High School section anyway, so there’s no need for any entry tests!”

“Were will we stay over? If it’s for a day, I think my parents will allow it.”

“Excellent! How about you, Arisu? You have to clear your schedule for that day!”

Following the nodding Takako, Ena also stared at Arisu’s face.

“…”

Arisu returned the expectant gazes of her classmates.

Saionji Ena—was her friend.

However, thinking back, when she’d first met her, something about her atmosphere was a bit different.

The lively Ena was sociable, had good grades, and her circle of friends was vast. Arisu would often see her chatting familiarly even with students not only from other classes but from other schools as well.

On the other hand, though, she thought that Ena had no close friends. As she always hung out at different places with different friends, Arisu’s first impression of Saionji Ena was “a migratory bird”. Although this girl could skillfully respond to any situation, she was like a swallow who couldn’t find a place to relax—

And one time, that migratory bird stopped at Arisu.

—Hey, we’re going out with some people from class, what do you think? Maybe we’ll do a class get-together?

When she became a 2nd year student, the changing of classes made Arisu and Ena classmates.

At the same time—the seat of Arisu’s precious friend, Hanashiro Mari, vanished from Horusu Seijou Academy. The vestiges of this girl who passed away from her sickness after only fourteen springs were completely gone.

—I’ll abstain. Have fun together, alright?

Faced with Ena’s carefree smile, Arisu rejected this invitation faster than she could think.

Although it was a mere empty seat, yet another proof Mari lived had vanished. Everyone forgot about her lone classmate and were having fun—

This was obviously unfair toward Ena. For some reason though, as Arisu saw her, she felt as though her chest constricted in pain.

Even if they became friends, they’d end up separated at some point.

If she was going to taste the same pain she had when losing Mari, she’d rather not be anyone’s friend.

She remembered even thinking that.

—Alright. See you, then!

As Ena readily stepped back, she went to hang out with other classmates.

Let’s meet tomorrow.

Mari, who said this, would never smile at Arisu again.

However, Ena—kept inviting Arisu.

—Won’t you come hang out?

Every time she saw her being overly familiar with classmates, Arisu grew angry and kept refusing her invitations. However, whether or not she knew Arisu’s feelings, Ena still kept inviting her, day after day.

—Can’t you read the room? I don’t have the slightest intention to go hang out with you.

—You’re the one who should notice already. You’re the first one to ever refuse me. This hurt my pride. I’m stubborn.

It already became a battle of attack and defense, but the first one to fold was Arisu.

Ena was a migratory bird.

She would definitely leave Arisu soon anyway. Thinking this, she intended on socializing with her once.

However, as she tried contacting Ena, Arisu soon realized why she felt such rejection toward her.

Since Arisu acted so curtly, Ena’s active persistence reminded her—of the period where she was made to visit Mari enclosed in her sickroom. She realized that she’d been avoiding Ena because she felt anxious facing her own wounds.

As the pair of them originally had so much energy and stamina, it took no time for them to move and stay together. When they added Kujou Takako who was always in her own little world there, it felt like they all supplied what the others lacked.

Just like that, Arisu’s heart hurt by Mari’s death was slowly recovering its previous form.

“Arisu?”

She apparently had unconsciously sank into silence. Ena peeked at Arisu’s face, puzzled.

For a moment, Arisu cast down her face—and soon raised it, grinning.

“We’ll obviously go see it. It would be no exaggeration that say the summer night sky is ours!”

Arisu and the rest passed through the outside passage, arriving at the gym. The students moving from the campus all took lines according to their classes.

“Yes! If Arisu’s coming, Kusuriya-kun’ll come as well! That’s goes without saying!”

Ena made a fist pump and turned around.

The boy walking behind Arisu’s group raised his face. He had such an average appearance that it almost seemed as if it was calculated from the average of the other boys around. The band-aid stuck on his cheek was his sole distinguishing feature.

“…”

As that boy, Kusuriya Daisuke looked at Ena’s face, he soon averted his gaze. He made no reply and pretended he heard nothing.

Ena’s legs stopped in place.

“Ena? Why’d you stop like that? If you stand here, you’ll get in people’s way—”

“Kusuriya-kun… ignored me…”

“T-this is bad, Arisu-san! Hurry up, we must give her artificial respiration!”

“Eeeek! D-Daisuke! Come here quickly to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!”

Arisu and Takako panicked while Ena was barely moving her mouth, frozen.

These three stood in corridor while the other troubled-looking students passed next to them, including Daisuke.

“Ignored… again…”

“Aah, Ena’s collapsing! Hold yourself together, Ena!”

“T-this is bad, Arisu-san! Her pulse’s gotten weak!”

The shrill noise of a microphone reverberating pierced through the gym. The teacher’s voice called for everyone to form lines.

While hugging the wide-eyed, collapsed Ena, Arisu glared at Daisuke’s back.

“Doing something like that to my friend… you better remember this, idiot Daisuke!”

“Arisu-san… are you having a fight with Daisuke-san again?”

Being faced with Takako’s look that was a mix of worry and exasperation, Arisu mumbled.

I’m always having a fight with him.

However, this time alone—the circumstances were just a bit different.

“Ahaha… ehehe… Kusuriya-kun… wait… hehehe…”

“D-Daisuke’s not there, Ena! Actually, stop squirming like that, it’s disgusting!”

“Is there a doctor in the house?!”

The voices of Arisu and the others shouting in the center of the gym overlapped with the announcement to start the ceremony for the end of the first term.

Part 1[edit]

From the roof, one had a full view of the students going back home after the ceremony.

“Ah, there she is. I just need to monitor her, right?”

The girl grasping the rails and looking down had a high-pitched voice, like some anime voice actress. She was looking at Saionji Ena who just exited school, holding her bag.

“Yeah.”

The one nodding was Kusuriya Daisuke, sitting on a bench.

“…”

Arisu puffed her cheeks, glaring silently at Daisuke. However, he didn’t even look at her.

“What a poor young lady. —To think Oogui set her eyes on her.”

“There’s no need to worry. No matter how small, if something unusual happens around that girl, inform me immediately. There’s no need for you to sympathize with the monitoring target or wanting to protect or save her.”

“Yessir.”

Pouting, Isa Himeko turned around. Clad in fashionable clothes, her figure with a backpack that had something resembling bat wings got her the feeling of a cute imp. She apparently just became a middle schooler.

“I really am worried.”

Arisu repeated yet again the argument that Daisuke had rejected once.

“Why is it Himeko-chan? It should be someone stronger from the SEPB…”

SEPB, full name Special Environmental Preservation Bureau, was a government agency. The organization was made to isolate and conceal the supernatural beings known as Mushi. They all united the people possessed by Mushi and gave them the mission to capture further Mushitsuki.

“Because she’s the best fit for this mission.”

Kusuriya Daisuke’s reply was curt. He was a combatant from the SEPB, and stayed at Arisu’s side after being sent to monitor the extremely rare case of a person being possessed by another person’s Mushi.

“I already told you it’s not enough for me to understand! Why’s Himeko-chan the best fit?”

The girl called Isa Himeko was a Mushitsuki. When Arisu and the rest once met her by chance, she’d been captured by the SEPB. At the time she was a mere scaredy-cat, crybaby elementary schooler.

“I don’t want HQ to know until we confirm it’s Oogui. Since this girl’s only just been dispatched to real combat she has no missions, so she’s free. Also, the teacher in charge of her training had unusually given her praise, so thinking in terms of power as well, it’s much better than leaving it to anyone else.”

“Yup, let me handle it!”

Himeko energetically thrust both hands ahead. A green mist erupted from her open hands, assuming the shape of a millipede. The green millipede ran lightly across her arms, shoulders and waist.

“I’ve been taught much more than I wanted to about the usage of my ability! Not only can I show people scary things, but if I use it on myself, normal people get so scared upon seeing me that they faint. No one even noticed me when I came to this school. —I’ve practiced lots so I can protect Kou-chan!”

“…Eh?”

“I mean, Kou-chan’s way too cool so he’s popular with girls, y’know? I don’t want any sneaky thieves, so I used my power to protect him!”

Isn’t this just called being a stalker?

Arisu stopped the words about to come out of her throat upon seeing Himeko’s wide smile.

“N-never mind that, is that really fine though? Kouta-kun doesn’t look like the kind of boy who’ll cheat on you.”

Himeko suddenly looked serious. She averted her eyes and mumbled with a tone completely unlike her.

“If he ever does cheat on me… I’ll curse him for life.”

“…”

“Alright, here I gooo!”

Immediately resuming her cheerful expression, Himeko started skipping away from the rooftop.

Kouta was the boy currently seeing Himeko. Arisu was glad that the girl wasn’t dyed in the colors of a ruthless SEPB combatant and remained a maiden in love, but had the feeling that there were some new worries.

“L-looks like she got all sorts of power-ups, I’m relaxed. She’s reliable… I guess?”

“I actually became more anxious instead. Will she herself become a monitoring target someday…?”

The summer wind blew through the middle school rooftop. Daisuke’s bangs shook as he sat on the bench while Arisu, who stood before the fences, had her skirt lightly lifted.

“Are you really not going to tell the SEPB?”

Arisu turned back, asking Daisuke.

Although this was such a sunny day, the Mushitsuki boy kept staring at his feet.

“Tell me why. Isn’t the goal of the SEPB to conceal Mushitsuki from the world? Isn’t their job beating Oogui?”

The Prototype Mushi birthing Mushitsuki, the Original Three—

Whether human or monsters, their identities were shrouded in mystery. Oogui was one of them, and those targeted by her became Mushitsuki.

That being was currently after Saionji Ena. —It was only recently they found this out from a certain individual. Oogui ate people’s hopes and dreams, turning them to Mushitsuki. Meaning that Ena had that much of a dream.

“Ena’s my friend. I’ll do anything to stop her from becoming a Mushitsuki. If you don’t make me agree with hiding this from the SEPB… I’ll ask them to cooperate through Kasuou or C.”

Arisu looked overhead.

In the pure blue sky, there was a small silver glow. It was a butterfly with wings that had otherworldly beauty, a Morpho butterfly. It was the Mushi that belonged to her friend who died from an illness, now inherited by her.

“I had enough regretting not knowing anything back when Mari died. This time—I have to save Ena.”

As Arisu bit her lips, Daisuke slightly raised his face.

“The SEPB—can’t save Ena.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“Since this will risk a lot of victims, they’ll simply watch from the side. They’ll just send a few monitors and then capture Ena once she becomes Mushitsuki.”

“Wh—”

She couldn’t understand what Daisuke was saying. Arisu kept pressing for an answer.

“Why’s that! They fought against one of the Original Three… Sanbikime, right? At this place called Aoharima Island! Then why aren’t they fighting Oogui!”

“Who knows. Even that Aoharima Island fight barely has any records left. Even if it was the exception—I feel like the SEPB’s avoiding fights with the Original Three. Oogui’s a lot more prominent than Sanbikime… and yet there are exactly zero records of any fight against her.”

“I-isn’t that strange?!”

“They’re probably scared of the fatalities incurred through battle with Oogui. …There was incident once where the SEPB was nearly destroyed. They probably don’t want to lead a united charge of Mushitsuki against an unknown monster—or so I used to think.”

“Used to think? Meaning, there’s another reason?”

“It’s like you said. Central Headquarters sent many forces to Aoharima Island to annihilate Sanbikime. Meaning—they’re not scared of fighting the Original Three. Even so, since they’re not fighting Oogui, there might be another reason.”

“…”

“What if—the upper-ups of the Central Headquarters know about Oogui’s ability?”

She could control and reproduce the power of all Minion Type Mushi borne by her—Arisu and the rest knew this secret about Oogui.

“Oogui’s definitely strong, but if we fight her with great numbers, won’t we somehow—”

“You know nothing. It’s way past that level already.”

As Arisu hounded him, Daisuke’s sigh attacked her. She pouted, groaning.

“If this ability became known among Mushitsuki it’d be real bad. I haven’t told even my superiors about it.”

“Daisuke’s superiors… meaning, that South Central Branch whatever? Oh, right! If Central HQ’s a no go, how about asking help from your branch? This isn’t the time to tell me that’s not their jurisdiction!”

“Yeah, if I tell my branch head about this, we might end up fighting against Oogui. He’s got views that are the complete opposite of Central HQ in a certain sense, and I trust him. He’ll definitely think up of a plan to beat Oogui.”

“That’s amazing! If he’s that reliable, there’s no need to hesitate—”

“In exchange—around half of currently living Mushitsuki will not survive.”

Arisu’s expression froze. Meanwhile, Daisuke wore a cynical smile.

“He won’t care about Ena in the least, and after however many years it takes to hunt down each and every Minion Type Mushi, we’ll definitely beat Oogui. —He’s a person who can kill all Mushitsuki today to make sure no Mushitsuki is born tomorrow. You still want his cooperation?”

“…”

She would obviously not nod.

She’d never allow this way of fighting. However—it was true that this method might perhaps beat Oogui.

“Then… what are you planning on doing?”

Arisu’s voice was shaking. Was he telling her to just sit and twiddle her thumbs while watching her best friend become a Mushitsuki?

“Are you also going to just quietly watch Ena become a Mushitsuki?”

“—I’ll take responsibility.”

Daisuke stood up. His profile had a certain kind of resolve in it.

“Since it’s my fault she’s gotten herself a dream—I’ll defeat Oogui by myself.”

“Arisu Axe Kick!”

Along with a dull sound, Daisuke’s head was hit by Arisu’s shoe. “Ugh…” he cried while clutching his head. Arisu stabbed the groaning boy on the floor with her finger.

“Don’t be stupid! Have you forgotten how easily Oogui beat you not too long ago?!”

“That’s because I was unaware of her abilities…! Ow, you made me bite my tongue so hard…!”

“So you’re telling you can fight alone against someone using the abilities of all Minion Type Mushitsuki? That’s not taking responsibility or anything! That’s just suicidal!”

“I’m a Rank 1…!”

Rising up, Daisuke glared at Arisu.

“I’m the number one strongest Mushitsuki! If it’s impossible for me, it’s impossible for anyone!”

“The number 1 strongest Mushitsuki? —How much do you think that’s worth?!”

Arisu’s hand grabbed Daisuke’s cuff. She brought his frozen face closer.

“You’ve been beaten by Oogui and crying from a single kick by me—even if you call yourself the strongest Mushitsuki, that’s all you’ve got in the end, right? Aren’t you making a mistake about your strength, trying to carry everything by yourself?”

“Then who else can do it?! I’m the only one! Also, I wasn’t crying!”

“We can do it with everyone.”

As Daisuke shook off Arisu’s arm, she stared him straight in the fact.

“We can fight with all Mushitsuki together. If we do that, we can easily defeat Oogui.”

Daisuke became speechless for a moment. But he soon wore a wry smile.

“All Mushitsuki together…? What are you even saying? We’d never be able to do something like that!”

Arisu was not shaken.

“Who decided we couldn’t?”

“Mushitsuki aren’t that strong! All of them have their hands full fighting their own Mushi! You’re not even a Mushitsuki so you can’t understand!”

“You’re just pretending to understand! Mushitsuki are strong! Much more than you think!”

“Isn’t that the opposite of what you said just now?!”

“There are weak parts and strong parts! Mushitsuki have both of those, right?”

As Arisu looked at him, Daisuke scowled.

“Are you going to preach to me about Mushitsuki? I’ve seen many more Mushitsuki than anyone else. —I know much more about Mushitsuki than you!”

“No, you know nothing about Mushitsuki.”

Daisuke stared back at Arisu as she dropped her voice.

“Hey, did you know? Kasuou’s birthday is approaching.”

“…And?”

“C told me she made a new friend at school.”

Daisuke spoke in a disinterested manner.

“I have no need to know all that.”

“No, you do.”

“…”

“Mushitsuki, too… are people.”

Daisuke was a Mushitsuki. While drawing lines between normal people, there was something he forgot.

Arisu finally realized what that was.

“If you go on like this, you might even forget the day of the week.”

Daisuke stayed silent. That silence affirmed Arisu’s question.

Arisu let her expression soften. She grabbed the silent boy’s hand and pulled him closer.

“C’mon, let’s go. It’s going to start if we don’t hurry up.”

Daisuke made a suspicious face, but—this time, he didn’t shake off the girl’s hand.

Part 2[edit]

Arisu and Daisuke walked through the mountain road, weaving between verdant trees.

“Eek.”

Missing her step on the stairs made from logs buried in the ground, Arisu lost her balance. Daisuke instantly grabbed her arm and caught her.

“Keep yourself together. Your athleticism and reflexes are supposed to be your forte.”

“S-shut up. I just barely avoided remedials with my scores last term…”

Puffing her cheeks, Arisu separated from Daisuke. However, the boy stared at his own hand that caught Arisu with a satisfied face.

“…Were you really this light?”

“Hmm? Did you just say something?”

Arisu turned around and Daisuke sighed.

“No—never mind.”

“Less talking, more walking. If we don’t hurry, the others’ll get there first.”

“The others? Is anyone else coming other than us? To such a place?”

“Hehe, I’m so excited. Don’t be so surprised you suddenly end up stripping naked.”

“How would something like that happen just from me being surprised…”

Continuing to climb the narrow mountain road with exposed ground, the red sunset started casting long shadows of trees.

The pair arrived then.

“—Oh, such delicious air! And the scenery’s amazing too!”

With sweat covering Arisu’s brow, a sight of a vast scenery dyed in the colors of sunset was revealed to her.

Passing through the mountain road, the pair arrived at a plain about as wide as a gym. Gouged out of the belly of the mountain, this open space was enclosed by half-dome made of wooden fence.

Along the fences were several benches and a rusted board that gave an explanation about the mountain and the scenery beneath.

“Hey, Daisuke! Come closer!”

“Hah… why did we need to come all the way here?”

As Arisu came rushing in front of the fences, Daisuke wore a displeased face.

The place they came to was a climbing course at Kurobishi Town’s national park. Since it was close enough to the capital for a day trip, she heard that it was bustling with visitors during free days.

However, since it was the middle of the week and quite late, the observation platform Arisu and Daisuke came to was empty of any hikers. If anyone was there, they’d probably be suspicious of Arisu and Daisuke coming there still in their uniforms.

“Err, Neiko-san’s… oh, over there! Look, the lights are already on.”

Leaning on the fences, Arisu pointed at the distance.

A large panorama scenery could be seen from the observation platform. They could see the camelia garden that was part of the park at the foot of the mountain, the promenade lined up with statues, as well as the fan-shaped outdoors stage cut into the forest that was used for events.

On the other side of the park, one could see the entirety of the Kurobishi Town townscape. Ahead of the lines crisscrossing the dusk time town should be Arisu’s residence of Akamaki City.

Arisu was pointing in front of the city.

There was the outdoor stage, where the lights were on and people crowded close together as black lumps.

“We can only see the stage’s lights from here. What a waste of the ticket Nene gave us.”

Daisuke let down the sports bag he carried on his back and mumbled. Putting his elbows on the fence and looking down, his gaze was cold.

“Don’t worry. I have a portable radio here, so we can hear the music from it. Apparently, the local radio station’s doing a live broadcast.”

“No, I still don’t get it. I’m saying that we could’ve gone to the stage if we wanted to hear them sing. At the very least Nene didn’t give us a ticket to the observation platform.”

“I don’t want a person who completely forgot we were invited to Nene’s farewell concert tell me that.”

Saying this, Arisu hung the flat radio from the fence. The host of some minor local radio station was speaking clumsily about the situation at the stage.

Arisu’s Mushitsuki acquaintance, Yomori Nene, was about to start her outdoors concert.

All members of her band, called Crawl Live, were Mushitsuki. All of them including Yomori Neiko had been captured by the SEPB and had had their activities stopped, so they decided to hold one last concert.

“I can’t really see it, but there’re a lot of spectators. She said they were selling tickets in secret from the SEPB though… are they really that amazing?”

“Who knows.”

“Oh, they’re saying it on the radio. The legendary indie band is disbanding so close to their major debut… Neiko-san’s nothing to sneeze at! She should give up disbanding and debut.”

“As if it’s that easy, idiot. Central Headquarters will never allow it. Even for the other branches it’s impossible, depending on the mission.”

“Then she should move to another branch. —You’re totally getting ready to say ‘As if it’s that easy, you idiot’ again, aren’t you?”

As Arisu joked around, Daisuke’s face stiffened. He looked down the illuminated stage and mumbled.

“No—if she wants to, it’s possible.”

“Eh?”

“I’m currently being borrowed by the Central Headquarters. Then when I finish my mission and go back to the East Central Branch… I might be able to pull along a few members along with me. Rather, it’s my branch head who wants to do that. He told me to have my eyes on prospective members while I can.”

“…”

“We can use her. Kasuou as well. Even C will keep on growing. Rather than leaving someone unused just because they’re difficult, we can make those three into a team and get to many places and be able to do almost all kinds of missions.”

“…How unusual of you. You actually praised Kasuou and the others.”

As Arisu stared at Daisuke’s face and said this, he averted his gaze.

Right now, what expression was he wearing?

“Right. When you finish with Mari’s case, you’ll end up going back to Ouka City.”

“…”

“And if those three also go along with you… I’ll feel lonely.”

So stupid, she added with a smile. —Or so she thought, but Daisuke was silent. With an unchanging expression, he was looking down at the townscape with the setting sun.

“It doesn’t mean you’ll never meet them again.”

Arisu startled and looked at Daisuke. His mouth moved mechanically.

“As long as we’re alive, we’ll definitely meet again somewhere.”

Were these words directed at Arisu? As she doubted this, his gaze turned to the distance.

Arisu smiled.

Perhaps caused by the red sunset, Kusuriya Daisuke—commonly called the Rank 1 demon—showed her a different facet from his normal. Although he was always alone and never showed anyone his true feelings, Arisu felt that he accepted her, even if only a little. It made her extremely happy.

“You know, Daisuke.”

I’m glad you’re here—

She really thought so.

She wanted to talk to him about something, so she brought him to this empty, quiet spot.

She still hesitated, but it was Daisuke himself who showed her his true feelings.

“What?”

Perhaps thinking he was being ignored, Daisuke turned around with a slightly displeased expression.

The setting sun at the boy’s back was blinding, making Arisu narrow her eyes.

“I’m—”

As long as we’re alive, we’ll meet again.

That was true.

Even so, she felt as if she was scared of even saying even one goodbye, and so delayed the answer.

“I might have realized the reason why Mari left me the Morpho butterfly.”

Daisuke’s expression froze.

That face was—just like the first time she met him at Horusu Seijou Academy’s art classroom.

After meeting him, she kept investigating her dead friend together with him. The times when they could see nothing but mist ahead were hard—but also very fun.

“You know The Magic Potion, right? That picture book from Mari’s sickbed.”

Meeting many people, she was involved in many incidents. She wanted to know more about Mushitsuki and encountered them, and it almost always turned into a battle.

However, while doing that, Arisu—started loving Mushitsuki.

Embracing a dream and becoming Mushitsuki, fighting to make one’s dream come true, living desperately with doubts…

Arisu’s best friend, Hanashiro Mari, also lived like that.

“Mari wanted to live. That was Mari’s dream…”

While looking for Mari’s feelings, she met Kusuriya Daisuke.

She met many Mushitsuki.

She also met the unusual Mushitsuki called Harukiyo.

And—she met the Undying Mushitsuki.

A single keyword popped up many times during all of that. That was the picture book called The Magic Potion.

“She couldn’t do anything against her illness… and had to give up on her dream… but she was still unable to give up…”

Hanashiro Mari was a lonely girl.

Right—she was so lonely that no one other than Arisu even knew her.

Even within the girl’s own family, her existence was being treated as some rare being.

“So she hesitated. The angel’s potion and devil’s potion… which should she choose?”

Daisuke was listening to her words attentively.

“Whether to keep living as the ‘Hanashiro Mari’ in my memories—”

Or else—

She wanted to keep going but found herself speechless. Hanging her head, Arisu’s lips quivered.

If her past friend wished for it, the other choice was the cruelest for Arisu.

“Or else—taking over your body and consciousness and come back to life as ‘Ichinokuro Arisu’, right?”

Arisu raised her face.

Daisuke’s eyes looking calmly at her reflected her own face that was on the verge of tears.

“The angel’s position or the devil’s potion. —Are you saying you know what she chose?”

Arisu clenched both fists on top of her chest. However, she couldn’t gather strength in her arms.

When she’d became able to use the Morpho butterfly’s power and even became able to fuse with it, her body would always be horribly sluggish the following days. However, recently her fusion with the Mushi was smooth and there were barely any aftereffects.

Gradually, however—she felt her body’s senses weakening. It wasn’t just her being unable to use her strength, but at times even her mental state felt hazy.

Arisu used the power of Mushitsuki despite not being one.

That abnormal situation couldn’t continue for long.

“…”

Arisu shook her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I just wonder if—Mari hadn’t kept hesitating until the very last moment.”

Looking at Daisuke raising a brow, Arisu opened her mouth.

“And she’s still hesitating even now.”

Daisuke widened his eyes.

A Mushi of a Mushitsuki who died from an illness still kept existing.

It took Arisu as its host, at times taking control of her with Mari’s consciousness.

She took this was meant in order to protect her in times of danger, but this was actually in order to take over her body.

A Mushi with nothing but contradictions.

As if they were being invited there by that Morpho butterfly despite not fitting, Daisuke appeared, Harukiyo appeared, and she met the girl called Rina. Those who were supposed to be the strongest Mushitsuki, were all summoned by a single Morpho butterfly.

“Perhaps Mari… still hasn’t found the answer…”

Hanashiro Mari’s doubts.

They twisted the common sense of the beings called Mushi and even confused other Mushitsuki.

How far will this chaos born from a miniscule doubt continue to infect and spread?

Would it even stop with a single city or the country?

“Even like this… Mari’s got no answer…!”

Tears overflowed from Arisu’s eyes.

Mushitsuki kept hesitating and living—

The moment she realized this, Arisu wanted to save them.

At the same time, she was scared and sad.

Even when the Mushitsuki called Hanashiro Mari lost her life—even while she was hesitating—she kept wishing to live—

“…”

Daisuke didn’t attempt to console the endlessly crying Arisu. He looked like he was slightly biting his lips, but he soon opened the sports bag at his feet.

“Dai…suke…?”

Loud music erupted from the radio as if gushing out of it.

Neiko’s band performance started.

“So Hanashiro Mari didn’t reach an answer?”

Arisu’s sight was dyed in black.

Daisuke wore his SEPB long coat vigorously. He equipped the mechanical goggles on his face and drew his large automatic pistol.

“—Is that her answer?”

The sun sank.

The high-volume concert echoed in the observation platform. The lights illuminating the outside stage made the gun pointed to Arisu’s head glimmer.

Daisuke’s readied handgun.

It was being aimed at the Morpho butterfly.

“A deceased person can’t reach any answer. The continuation of Hanashiro Mari’s dream—will end right here.”

“No!”

A loud voice even Arisu herself wasn’t expecting leapt out of her throat.

“Mari’s there! She’s still hesitating inside the Morpho butterfly!”

“Then are you going to wait for her answer? —Can you wait with that weak body of yours?”

So apparently he’d noticed the changes to Arisu’s body. Despite this surprise, she also inappropriately happy at this. —Because he was looking at her much more than she expected.

“Even if she reaches an answer, choosing the angel’s potion means you’ll stop being you. And if she chooses the devil’s potion, you’ll be separated from Hanashiro Mari. —If you’re going to end up parting from her anyway, better to do it right now.”

“It’s not better! It’s not the same at all!”

“Or are you—going to commit suicide along with Hanashiro Mari’s dream?”

Arisu’s heart leapt.

Even if the Morpho butterfly reached an answer, she would end up separating from Mari.

However, if she never had an answer, if the current situation continued—Arisu would wither away and both the Morpho butterfly and Mari’s dream would vanish without trace.

But even so—she felt that it was wrong to part right now.

Arisu had not come there to talk with Daisuke about that.

“Wait just a bit more! At least until Mari reaches an answer on her own—”

“Hanashiro Mari’s already dead. But you’re still alive.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

In her eyes, rather than one being thrust into a cruel decision, Daisuke looked like he was panicking. She finally understood why.

He was trying to protect Arisu—

And not just that.

He was probably trying to save yet another girl still living now.

“It’d solve Ena’s case as well. When I finish my monitoring mission, I’ll vanish from Horusu Seijou Academy. —Once I’m gone, Ena’s going to wake up from her silly dream.”

Arisu wore a weak smile.

“…Daisuke, you idiot…”

The boy who until now never revealed his true heart, lightly bit his lips.

Arisu opened her mouth wide, shouting so loud that it competed with the radio.

“Are you going to carry all this burden yourself and just disappear?! Give me a break, you idiot! You’re always thinking of stupid things like that, so you never notice the simpler things!”

“What are you—”

“If you disappear, Ena will forget her dream, you say? There’s no way! A dream that’s so easily forgettable is what turned you guys into Mushitsuki?!”

Daisuke’s finger on the trigger completely froze. Although he wore goggles, she could still tell his face twisted.

“—Even I!”

As Arisu tried to keep yelling, she ended up unconsciously closing her mouth.

The pistol directed at the Morpho butterfly was shaking.

He was also hesitating—

Hearing the boy’s voice shaky as never before, Arisu noticed this.

The boy’s figure with his gun directed at the silver glow held aloft was just like a child who got lost and was about to start crying.

The strongest Mushitsuki, Kusuriya Daisuke.

He, too, was just a boy—

“Even I don’t want to break my promise to Hanashiro Mari…! But that’s the only thing I…!”

A promise with Mari.

Hearing this for the first time, Arisu raised a brow. However, something happened.

“…!”

The silver Morpho butterfly emitted a violent glow. Perhaps responding to its own danger, it transformed its body midair, extending tentacles toward Arisu on the ground.

“Mari…?”

The Morpho butterfly pulled out the silver rod from the shaken Arisu’s skirt. It fused with the rod that unfolded with metallic sounds, producing a silver lance.

The Morpho butterfly’s revolt did not stop just with this. It fused with Arisu’s right arm and right leg, ignoring her will to make her grasp the silver lance.

“W-wait, Mari—”

Arisu’s voice of restraint was soon blocked by another voice.

“—You liar…”

The one disturbing Arisu’s words was none other than her own mouth—

With its right half glowing in a silver pattern, Arisu’s mouth spat out another person’s voice.

“You said you’ll grab my finger…”

“…!”

Daisuke stiffened his face. By the Morpho butterfly fusing with Arisu, he couldn’t aim at her with the gun.

“Ma-Mari!”

“You said you’ll look for my dream’s continuation…”

A voice coming from the same mouth drowned Arisu’s voice.

That voice belonged to—none other than Hanashiro Mari.

Violent anger swirling in her chest, Arisu’s consciousness was forcibly taken away.

“Ma… ri…!”

“—Welp, looks like my timing’s real bad.”

While Arisu had her five senses diminishing, a figure appeared in her vision.

“Wha—”

As Daisuke turned around, speechless, that individual spoke in an overly familiar tone.

“It’d be a problem for you if the one you dumped appeared like that, eh? Do I just have bad luck ‘cuz of the number of strokes in my name? Should I change it? I rather like writing Sehateno Harukiyo as 世果埜春祈代, but whaddya think?”

A blazer that looked like a remodeled one from some high school, messy bangs that looked like blazing flames, and a fire-pattern tattoo on one cheek. With these, the boy who was nothing but conspicuous—Harukiyo—appeared on the observation platform as if he was just out on a walk.

“—It’s just awful. If you’ll allow me to be blunt, you’ve got no taste, alright?”

Another person appeared from the mountain road.

Daisuke turned again—and was again speechless.

The one appearing was the girl controlling a large ladybug, Rina. The lights reaching from the outdoors stage reflected on her powerful gaze.

“Why are you here—”

Daisuke readied himself at these unexpected appearances. Ahead of him was Hanashiro Mari, to the right was Harukiyo, to the left Rina. Enclosed by powerful enemies on all sides, he couldn’t hide his shaking.

“Hey, that’s so nasty to hear from a woman I’ve never heard before. What am I gonna do? No, wait, who the hell are you, even?”

“I came here thinking I was tricked, but now it actually looks quite convenient. I can now finish off both Hunter and Kakkou at the same time. Well, there’s also an uninvited guest here.”

Daisuke gasped and turned to Arisu.

So you called them—

As the boy was about to ask this, Arisu couldn’t even nod.

“You told me you’d watch me until the end…!”

The words flowing from Arisu’s mouth were Mari’s anger.

No—

Inside her distancing consciousness, she desperately shook her head.

“I don’t have time to play with you. Go away!”

“Ah? Why’d I need your permission to be here? If you keep being stupid like that, I’ll burn you down.”

“It was the right call to come here alone. Now I can clean up this trash without restraining myself.”

I didn’t call all of them here for that—

Arisu’s desperate plea sank into the depths of Mari’s anger.

Part 3[edit]

The high-volume performance of Crawl live streamed from the radio hanging from the fence.

However, the fact the ground shook was not because of that.

The girl wrapped in a silver glow in front of Daisuke, Ichinokuro Arisu—no, the personality who encroached Arisu’s body—shed a tear.

The spear shining the girl held in hand swelled explosively. The wings that became its tip expanded, spreading enormous amounts of scales. The shockwave emitted from the spear shook the observation platform.

“I finally… finally remembered… right, I—”

The girl with the right half of her body glowing in silver, Hanashiro Mari, raised her face. Her tears flew off to empty air, and her hair missing its hairclip was fanned by the wind.

“I couldn’t choose until the end…!”

The blowing storm of scales seemed to reflect Mari’s heart. It violently rejected anyone else, and was filled with anger, hatred and envy directed at everyone. To not get blown back, it took everything they had to step in place.

Mari’s expression covered in the silver pattern broke down. Unlike the shockwave that spread so much energy around, her smile looked so thin that it might get blown away.

“Give up on my dream to remain myself… or make my dream come true and become Arisu—in the end, I couldn’t choose either! After all, Arisu is just as important as my dream!”

Her dream, wanting to live.

The one and only friend she knew, Ichinokuro Arisu.

Having wavered between these two, hesitated, and—left this world without an answer, the girl wailed.

“Therefore, I chose—to delay my answer…”

The silver Morpho butterfly was Hanashiro Mari’s hesitation given form.

The hesitations of a single Mushitsuki spread chaos and involved so many Mushitsuki.

That chaos reached its peak—as Mushitsuki who never should have met were drawn to this place.

“Ugh…!”

Daisuke became wrapped in a crimson explosive wind. He covered his face with his heat-resistant coat.

A Great Yama tiger beetle made of flames lurched toward the night sky. Smoke like from a rocket launch instantly scorched all the trees around, turning them to black ash.

“Oh, so after all this you’re the one trying to arouse me? Sorry, but I’ll be the one to say it this time. You’re dumped! —I can’t handle such an annoying woman, so I refuse.”

Harukiyo the flame devil sneered. While wrapped in hellfire, his pupils gazing at Hanashiro Mari also held within them flames of hostility that could scorch.

“The woman I fell for was a disaster incarnate of a Mushitsuki who’d even rip her best friend to shreds with a smile. You half-assed woman who keeps hesitating even after death, begone. —That body’s already reserved for me, though. Can you leave it behind?”

Daisuke widened his eyes. While protecting his body from the heatwave that instantly burnt even the bench and board to ashes, he turned to look at Harukiyo.

Harukiyo, just like Daisuke, was supposed to be after Hanashiro Mari. Even so, he now said that he had business with Arisu rather than with Mari.

Not belonging to any organization, the devil unbound by anyone—

When had Arisu managed to create a relationship with someone like this?

“…Guh!”

The pushing flames were struck by a shockwave coming from the opposite direction. It wasn’t just flames. Swallowing even the trees that were no more than cinders, the observation platform was instantly turned into an empty lot.

“Stop with your selfishness already, Hunter.”

The girl standing calmly atop the giant ladybug’s head glared at Mari with sharp eyes. The ladybug flapping its large wings the air around it made bursting sounds. Shockwaves shot in succession let neither the silver scales nor the crimson flames approach her.

“You still can’t calm down even after getting so many unrelated people involved? You’re just a selfish brat. You simply took advantage of your friend’s kindness and raised a tantrum. Release that girl already—”

A large earthquake shook the mountain.

The shockwaves shot by Rina’s ladybug blew away the surface of the observation platform and turned it into a basin. The aftershock knocked off trees, digging into the ground enough to change the topography of the mountain.

“I will not hold back.”

The girl who rescued all Mushitsuki other than herself and revolted against the SEPB, Rina, warned Mari in a low voice.

Rina was also trying to save Arisu—

Daisuke was stunned at this fact.

What on earth was going on?

He could no longer doubt that the one who called Harukiyo and Rina there was Arisu. He knew that she got in contact with them when he wasn’t there, but them being so close until she contacted them was outside his expectations.

“…”

Mari in Arisu’s form slowly moved her face. She seemed to be looking between Harukiyo and Rina’s faces—

And then she suddenly returned a very disinterested gaze back to Daisuke.

“…Haha, not even sparing me a glance? I’ve fallen for you again. Don’t make me regret my rejection so soon.”

“Hunter…!”

Being ignored by Mari, Harukiyo and Rina changed expressions. The flames and shockwaves enveloping the surroundings instantly increased in density.

“You told me you’d stay with me to the end… was that a lie?”

Mari bit her lips.

The girl who shouldn’t be there any more turned imploring eyes to Daisuke.

It wasn’t a lie.

That time, Daisuke truly wished to save her. After all, they were both Fusion Type Mushitsuki, and their strength to not give up their dreams until a moment before death—reminded him of a girl who once had the same dream that he personally handled.

However, seeing Mari right now, the emotion waking up within Daisuke—was rage.

“—Don’t screw with me…”

He slowly lowered his arm from protecting his face from flames, shockwaves and even more silver scales.

“All of you bastards—”

The red lights burning in his goggles captured Hanashiro Mari ahead. A green pattern rose all over Daisuke’s body, and an emerald glow enveloped him.

“Stop involving Arisu just because you want to when she’s not even a Mushitsuki!”

The roar of SEPB Rank 1 member, Kakkou, echoed through the place that used to be the observation platform. The mere impact of his feet stepping forward caused the whirl of energy surrounding him to scatter at once.

“She’s out of time!”

The muzzle of the automatic handgun fused with the Checkered beetle transformed, becoming the jaw of a monster spitting hellfire.

“Arisu’s at her limit! And not just her! All people you’ve involved are unable to move, being twisted… just like you said. This is just—”

Thrust into a mission outside his jurisdiction, Daisuke remained at Akamaki City.

Although he appeared to look for Mari, Harukiyo once tried leaving the town, and yet came back again. Even while gathering more and more comrades, Rina kept obsessing over her archnemeses, Hunter and Kakkou.

Many Mushitsuki had been called by the Morpho butterfly, bound to the same place as if by strings.

“A gathering of lost children…”

Although he’d jumped into the maze, he’d been unable to find the exit. —No, perhaps there hadn’t been any exit in the first place.

Even so, despite this abnormal state, two girls who weren’t even Mushitsuki exposed their bodies to danger.

Ichinokuro Arisu.

As well as Saionji Ena—

“You—took too long to reach an answer.”

Daisuke and Mari.

How many times had the pair exchanged glances like this?

Anger vanished from Mari’s face.

“Right…”

As she closed her eyes, the pattern on the girl’s body expanded its range. The glow covering the right half of her body was slowly encroaching her left leg and left arm.

“In the end—I’m alone.”

As if drawing a square, the four Mushitsuki kept the same distance from each other.

However, their gazes were three against one.

Daisuke, Harukiyo and Rina were all glaring at Mari—the girl holding a silver spear, who kept calm and natural in front of the strongest Mushitsuki.

He thought Mari just opened her eyes again, but the next moment—the girl’s face approached Daisuke from up close. She kicked the ground with superhuman leg strength, instantly closing the distance between them.

“…!”

As he reflexively lowered his body, a silver flash grazed above Daisuke’s head.

The silver spear slanted downwards struck the ground. Along with a tremor, the belly of the mountain was cut into two, creating a bottomless fissure.

It was incredible destructive power. However—he knew all too well about Hanashiro Mari being strong.

It wasn’t just her. He wouldn’t be surprised if any of the Mushitsuki there could destroy this mountain down to rubble—

Having dodged one spear attack, Daisuke thrust his arm at Mari. His arm glowing in a green pattern grabbed her arm holding the spear.

“Is that hand’s weapon a decoration?”

Apparently, Mari had foreseen him aiming for her spear. With flowing movements, she spun her body aside. Daisuke’s arm cut through empty air, and the silver spear assaulted him from the side.

“—Tch.”

Judging it impossible to dodge, Daisuke pulled the trigger of his gun while on his shoulder.

A bombardment sound that sounded like it could rupture eardrums burst near his ears. The bullet spitting hellfire blew back the spear holding unfathomable power.

Even so, Mari’s wild attack did not stop. Successive cutting attacks by the spear assaulted him. Unable to do anything, Daisuke had to step back, striking the spear with all bullets.

Every time their weapons crossed, silver scales and green glows burst around. The shockwaves gouged large holes in the ground, shaved off the cliff walls, and changed the shape of the mountain.

If he let the next attack get past him, and followed with a counterattack—

Mari, as expected, read his thoughts. She stopped the spear she was about to lower on him in place, weaving through Daisuke’s gunfire. Wearing a smile, she leapt to his chest.

“—“

Daisuke’s chest was struck by Mari’s open palm emitting a silver glow. As if shot by a tank, his body was violently pounded against the ground, creating a huge crater. Even that wasn’t enough to kill all the momentum, so his body kept going, knocking down trees, rushing through the distant mountainside.

“Guh…!”

Although his body was strengthened through its fusion with the Mushi, he received plenty of damage. As he grimaced, he could see the figure of Mari coming for a follow up attack—

“…!”

Gasping, Mari took a defensive position. The spear became a shield that spread silver scales, protecting its host.

However, the silver wall was easily penetrated by crimson flames. With the same amount of momentum as Daisuke just now, she rebounded through the mountain path.

“Is that your full power? Are you actually trying to live, Hanashiro Mari?! I think you’re just not dead enough!”

Thrusting his flame-covered fist, Harukiyo laughed. Crimson flames spurt out as if in a delay from the devil standing upright with blazing eyes. The ocean of flames pursued Mari who was rolling through the mountain.

“I’ll scorch ‘em all! Both your stupid doubts! As well as the leftovers of your dreams! Time for you to rest in peace—“

Harukiyo’s loud laughter was drowned.

The devil’s body was thrown aside by an unseen shockwave. Even the vast flames he’d produced were pushed away as though by an invisible wall, burst and scattered.

“Don’t attack so rashly, you big pervert!”

On top of the ladybug with seven spots, Rina howled.

The mountain air crackled—the moment later, another tidal wave of a shockwave was produced. It swallowed Harukiyo and along with a vast amount of dust he vanished from sight.

“Hunter’s body belongs to Ichinokuro Arisu! Are you trying to kill her?”

Her attention caught by the devil of flames, she stopped focusing on Daisuke. He raised his gun.

A large bombardment sound shook the mountain.

Although Rina instantly turned and produced a shockwave, it wasn’t enough to cancel the flaming bullet’s power. Rina was blown backwards along with the ladybug’s massive body.

“I don’t have time to bother with you right now. If you don’t leave—I’ll turn all of you into Fallen.”

Wiping the blood running down his lips, Daisuke rose up.

With just a few minutes of attack and defense, the mountain scenery was completely changed. Both mountain and valley were erased, and the exposed ground became just basins and plains. He didn’t even know where the observation platform had used to be.

Just because Daisuke purposely moved away from the park section, there shouldn’t any damage to the area of the outdoor concert. —The radio half-buried in the ground played music mixed with noise, so he knew the stage was safe. Music that sounded violent enough to catch people’s attention over the cataclysm and destruction occurring right nearby made the cracked radio shake.

“Never asked for it. Do you really want it? Spare me any pain, though.”

Tearing through the piled dust, Harukiyo appeared as if nothing happened. His clothes were ripped but his burly body only sported a few scratches.

“Aren’t you mistaking something? You’re the one going to become a Fallen.”

Along with a great vibration, the giant ladybug alighted down. Standing on her Mushi’s head, Rina wiped the ashes from her cheeks. The ladybug became her shield to protect her from Daisuke’s gunfire.

“—Hehe.”

Silver scales alighted down. The unharmed Mari slowly stepped in front Daisuke and the rest.

“A Fusion Type, Minion Type and even Special Type are all trying to beat me. I thought you were all weaklings, but it looks like you’re just a little strong…”

Already the silver pattern spread to her entire body, and only a single eye was able to escape the encroachment. Unlike her right eye gleaming with murderous intent, for some reason the left eye’s black pupil was moist—and twisted.

“It’s as though I’m meeting with the Original Three.”

“Haha, that a joke? You dare call me a representative of that trash?”

“Your expression… it really is the same from when we’ve last fought. Do you really find fighting that enjoyable?”

“…”

Special Type Mushitsuki, Sehateno Harukiyo.

Minion Type Mushitsuki, Rina.

Fusion Type Mushitsuki, Kusuriya Daisuke.

The strongest Mushitsuki of each Type that Daisuke knew of, and Hanashiro Mari. —Although their positions drew yet another square, their bodies were now oriented differently. Each faced their own opponent; Daisuke and Mari, then Harukiyo and Rina glared at each other.

There were no allies there.

There were only enemies.

Due to their own circumstances, they hated one another, disliked one another, and hurt one another. It didn’t matter who stood in front of them; if their opponent showed an opening, they’d probably pound them with their full powers.

—If all you strong Mushitsuki held hands, don’t you think they could do anything?

Recalling the words that Arisu said with her eyes sparkling, Daisuke grimaced.

There was no way for that to happen.

Once they touched, there was nothing but battle. He should have fully realized that.

To make everyone’s hearts there as one was as impossible as making the dreams of all Mushitsuki come true—

“It won’t do any good even if you broke the spear, you know?”

Mari giggled. Her eye full of hostility was looking at none other than Daisuke. She probably realized that he was aiming for her spear.

“This body’s already used to the Morpho butterfly.”

Daisuke put strength in his hand grasping the gun.

“If so—”

While slightly leaning his body and assuming a battle position, he asserted in a low voice.

“I’ll target you.”

The one triggered by those words was Rina.

“Kakkou…! Are you being serious right now?”

As Daisuke stayed silent and answering, a green glow rose from his entire body.

“Is that girl—Arisu, not your friend?”

“…”

“Arisu said a demon like you was a good guy! And yet you’re going to…!”

—Daisuke, you idiot!

The girl who did this to Daisuke every day, Ichinokuro Arisu.

Daisuke was at her side because she was his monitoring target.

However, while Arisu was aware of that, she still tried getting close to Daisuke like a friend. It was annoying only at first, and at some point he got used to these surroundings—

“—She’s getting her just deserts.”

Ichinokuro Arisu was kind.

She let her deceased friend borrow her body and she sympathized with Mushitsuki too much. That naivete invited the peak of the chaos created by the Morpho butterfly—a situation like now.

If the battle of these four people drew long, it wouldn’t end with just a single mountain being erased. There was no doubt that the aftershock would reach the town itself, causing an outrageous number of victims.

“She chose to commit suicide with her best friend. —That’s all.”

He would no longer hesitate on defeating Mari.

As a result, if Arisu went along with Mari and left this world—

That was his mission as Blaze Class Rank 1 Kakkou, as well as his reason for being there.

He could hear Rina grinding her teeth.

“Kakkou…! You really are incorrigible!”

“You’re turning out just how I like it, Kakkou! Your big brother’s so happy at your growth!”

“I’ll deal with you lot and look for the answer together with Arisu. —You can just stay like that until we find it!”

“I’ll annihilate all of you right here.”

An emerald glow and silver scales.

Crimson flames and colorless, invisible shockwaves.

Nearly unstoppable amounts of energy were about to be unleashed, each toward their own enemy—

But something happened just before that.

“—Ugh.”

A small groan flew into the ears of the Mushitsuki facing each other.

A hoarse voice that was really easy to miss.

And yet that very small happening—

“—!”

Although they decided to clash, the Mushitsuki all stopped their attacks.

The hostility that reached its critical mass and was about to be unleashed suddenly scattered as everyone’s gazes focused on a single point.

“Uuh…!”

Raising a groan—was Mari.

The girl wrapped by a shining, silver pattern was stuck in place as though frozen. While she readied her spear and wore a cruel smile, she was also leaking hoarse groans from between quivering lips.

“Uuuh—”

No one there should have understood what happened.

Including Daisuke, everyone there shouldn’t have hesitated to attack their enemies.

They all resisted one another and would never operate under the same will.

However—

What made this gathering of the strongest Mushitsuki take this impossible action—

“Ah—”

Mari leaked a trembling voice. None other than herself muttered the name of the one who caused the four Mushitsuki to hold their attacks.

“Arisu…?”

That name.

Most likely—not only Daisuke, but even Harukiyo and Rina, had all been unconsciously expecting it.

Part 4[edit]

The right eye not encroached by the Morpho butterfly had been watching all along.

She’d heard all of their exchanges.

“Stop… it… you guys…”

With Arisu’s left eye as the center, the silver pattern encroaching her body was slowly retreating. Her free lips moved, leaking a hoarse voice.

“Arisu—is that you?”

Daisuke lowered his gun. His expression hidden by the goggles couldn’t be seen, but he obviously widened his eyes.

Harukiyo and Rina too looked at Arisu brandishing her spear, frozen.

“Haha, finally wake up, sleepyhead? Or do I gotta knock you out once more for that?”

“Hunter—it’s not you, right? Truly?”

Arisu tried smiling—but the silver pattern encroached her face again.

“—Arisu…! I’m not done yet…!”

Arisu’s mouth moved on its own, spitting Mari’s voice.

Daisuke and the others prepared themselves again, but Arisu held them back with her eye.

Even while her body was stolen by Mari, it was the first time Arisu’s personality had not been lost. Just like Mari said, perhaps the Morpho butterfly got used to her body so much that they could no longer go back.

However—because of that, she could clearly feel the death and fear and doubts blowing into Mari’s heart.

Bottomless fear, like holding one’s breath inside a dark ocean. Feeling enclosed within a thorn-covered jail, anxiousness and claustrophobia. —Such scary emotions always faced Mari.

“Arisu!”

“—Just a bit more!”

Arisu stopped Daisuke with her voice from readying his gun again. The two personalities of Arisu and Mari were contending within her body.

She understood Mari’s suffering well.

Therefore—Even Arisu had wandered into that abyss.

“Wait just a bit more…!”

The silver pattern distanced from Arisu’s face again. But it was soon pushed back.

“I don’t want this…! I’m scared! So I’ll kill those people!”

“It’s fine! I’ll definitely protect you…!”

“No… No…! Once I’ll go back to sleep, they’ll definitely kill me! —Right, you too Arisu, are afraid of me…! You hate me—”

“Have just a little more patience! Please, I beg you… Mari!”

The two girls argued fiercely with only one mouth.

“A little more, you say—you’re an idiot! Even if you hold Mari back, you’re at your limits! If we don’t erase Mari’s personality right now, the Morpho butterfly’ll kill you!”

“Then next time for sure!”

At Arisu’s desperate resistance, the Morpho butterfly strengthened its hold on her body. It slowly raised the hand holding the spear and was about to swing it at Daisuke.

Daisuke and Rina both reacted with caution, but one person alone, Harukiyo, was grinning to himself and watched over Arisu.

He was waiting to see.

Ichinokuro Arisu and Hanashiro Mari. The devil’s blazing eyes were trying to ascertain which of the two would be the most suitable to make his dream come true. If Arisu’s personality was pushed back again, he’d soon give up on her.

“Next time? This isn’t the time to speak of the next time! Right now, you’re already—”

“Next time! Hey, Mari…! Please understand! I will—”

Her arm controlled by the silver pattern, she tried to put it down with her entire powers.

“I will definitely find my own answer as well, next time!”

The arm holding the spear twitched and stopped.

“Whether I reject you… or—accept you.”

“Accept—you say?”

Ignoring the speechless Daisuke, Arisu shouted.

“So please! You also have to find an answer by next time, Mari! Whether you’ll become my memories or become me and keep living—choose between the angel’s potion and the devil’s potion… definitely!”

She felt as if the Morpho butterfly’s power instantly weakened.

“Until then I’ll definitely protect you, Mari…!”

Until the very moment of her death, Mari had been unable to reach an answer.

Even after her friend’s death, Ichinokuro Arisu continued looking for an answer.

The two girls connected by the bizarre Mushi, the Morpho butterfly, would find their one answer across time, but at the very least, it wasn’t going to be now—

“Next time for sure—we’ll compare our answers?”

Arisu’s calm voice echoed in the once more silent mountainside.

There should still be time.

After all—the four Mushitsuki stopped fighting.

Daisuke, Harukiyo, Rina, and Hanashiro Mari.

They were stronger than anyone, yet stopped hurting each other just from hearing Arisu’s voice.

These Mushitsuki finally started connecting, so she couldn’t let it end now—

“…Understood.”

The pattern encroached Arisu’s mouth again, but it was less intense than before.

“If you’re going to find an answer, Arisu… then I will definitely—find one as well.”

As Mari spoke calmly, the pattern drew away from Arisu’s face like a receding wave. The pattern was also gone from her arms and legs, and only the glimmering spear remained.

The storm left and only silence remained.

The mountain broke down, the observation platform was erased, and now the space that transformed into a mere wasteland had four figures just standing on it.

“Good grief—”

The disturbance led to too much damage.

The path that led them there could be called sudden.

Even so, the scene that Arisu always imagined now expanded in front of her eyes.

“I finally got you all together.”

The three Mushitsuki stared at Arisu smiling, her unleashed ponytail shaking with his hair.

“Comparing answers? What are you even thinking about?”

The boy who hid his face with goggles and wore a pitch-black coat. He was the one who received the moniker of the strongest Mushitsuki within the SEPB, Kakkou—Kusuriya Daisuke.

Arisu winked at him mischievously.

“I told you, didn’t I? If it’s impossible for me alone, then all Mushitsuki together—yeah?”

“Wha…! You couldn’t possibly—”

“I didn’t manage to get everyone, but don’t you think those members are enough?”

“What are you talking about? Actually, you’ve got yourself a failing mark today, though it was close. You told me something interesting was gonna happen so now you’ll be willing to risk your life to make me laugh, right?”

Calmly folding his arms, Harukiyo sneered. The Mushitsuki who lived freely without being bound by anyone stared at Arisu with a pressure fitting for his moniker of the flame devil.

With a full smile, Arisu raised her finger. She looked back at the devil’s scorching eyes.

“Leave it to me. Just like I promised, I’ll make your dream come true.”

“Hmm, we’ll see about that. —You’ll end up regretting involving me anyway.”

“You also came, Rina. Aki passed my message to you, right?”

As Arisu moved her eyes, Rina made wore a stiff face.

“…”

“I won the bet, right? They also came here. And they even listened to me, right?”

“Right, I’ll listen to you. However—they tried killing you, you know?”

The girl who resisted against the SEPB and tried saving many Mushitsuki—Rina—looked at Daisuke. Even while her eyes glinted with anger, the girl’s profile was still beautiful.

“They didn’t,” Arisu immediately answered. “After all, he… even during the time he turned his gun to the Morpho butterfly—he looked extremely pained.”

Daisuke’s shoulders slightly twitched.

Rina’s expression was as unmoving as a polished sculpture. And yet her slightly moist lips reflecting the moonlight suddenly moved.

“—I found someone powerful I can rely on. They agree with me, and they began supporting me with money. Because of that, I’ll be able to save many more Mushitsuki.”

Speaking in a mechanical tone, Rina looked into Arisu’s eyes.

“This is an important time. So… I have no idea what you’re thinking about, but I don’t know whether I’ll be there or not for your ‘next’ time.”

“Really? If you do come, I might be able to fulfill the promise.”

—If we ever meet again… will you let me know of the best possible dream?

—Obviously. Who do think I am?

Rina had apparently remembered the promise they exchanged in the SEPB isolation facility. She looked a bit surprised and widened her eyes, but she finally stopped being cautious and smiled amiably.

“I’m weak against something like that. You’re surprisingly sly.”

Rina’s smile as she narrowed her eyes in happiness was so bright that even Arisu, who was a girl herself, felt jealous.

“…!”

Everyone there all looked up at the night sky at once.

A gale blew down from overhead.

A single star floating in the night sky was falling toward Arisu and the rest. They realized that this approaching blinking star was a helicopter. Arisu could see a fluttering dress from the open door.

“Akasegawa Nanana?”

Daisuke muttered this as he put his hands to his goggles, so it possibly had a zoom-in function.

“You called her as well?”

“Yes. This was just in case. I told her to check the situation from afar, but… I never expected she’d do it from the sky.”

“Akasegawa? Never heard of her. You know her? Also, I know it’s kinda weird to say this when this is the first time we met, but I think you’ll look really good in maid clothes.”

“Die. —She’s Akasegawa Group’s Chairman. Yet another absurdly big shot appeared. What is she scheming?”

Daisuke, Harukiyo, Rina.

And there was probably also Akasegawa Nanana.

Receiving the gazes of the people standing at the desolate mountain, Arisu smiled.

“Hey, you guys—”

The three Mushitsuki and the millionaire coming from the sky.

If she combined their powers, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

It shouldn’t be just Arisu who was convinced of this.

Everyone there had undoubtedly the same conviction—

“Have you heard about the Perseid constellation meteor shower?”

Arisu’s lively voice was swallowed into the starry sky.

Episode 28. The Narrator Resisting Dreams[edit]

He was walking through a certain pedestrian scramble in Akamaki City.

The rays of the summertime sun were blinding.

Crowds of passersby shook the swaying heat haze.

“…”

Why was he at such a place?

Standing atop the burning asphalt, he looked up at the scorching sun.

Cars waiting for a green light.

People walking through all directions in the intersection.

He could hear engine sounds and people talking. As well as some short tunes when the sidewalk’s lights turned green.

No one turned to look at him.

No one called his name.

Although he fully understood it—

“…”

He waited.

Even as the tune stopped and the pedestrians escaped from the road, he still stood in place, unmoving.

He kept waiting at the very center of Akamaki City.

The lights changed color.

“Please—”

He wore torn jeans and a thin t-shirt. Also a scarf, completely unfitting for July. His unkempt hair was long enough to cover his double-lidded eyes.

This young man in the middle of his twenties was blocking the path of the intersection.

It was soon drowned in cars honking.

“Please—call me.”

Wind blew.

The scarf hiding his mouth fluttered to the side.

“I can’t call you on my own—”

He finally returned to this city.

He had to tell his story in this city.

However, he couldn’t remember what he needed to talk about.

He couldn’t even remember who he needed to tell it to.

And so—

“If my twisted fate’s continuation is somewhere in this city—please call for me.”

Clear drops emerged from the sides of his eyes.

Why was he crying?

What was he even saying?

He couldn’t understand anything.

And yet.

It was very—painful.

“If you call me, I will accomplish—what I left behind.”

Due to the summer sun and the unceasing honking he began to have a headache.

He became breathless and strength left his knees.

“If what I did was a sin—please punish—”

The moment before he muttered this and collapsed, something touched his body.

“—Are you alright?”

He’d apparently lost consciousness.

He’d fallen to the sidewalk at some point. He could feel the cold asphalt on his back, lying in the shade of a building. As he slightly opened his eyes, he could see a bottle of mineral water left on the ground.

As he collapsed in the middle of the crossing, someone had apparently pulled him to the sidewalk.

“Ugh—”

“Oh, you shouldn’t try to get up yet. You don’t need to open your eyes.”

He heard a girl’s voice and then something wet touched his forehead.

“…”

The heck, he was about to say. Since the handkerchief wasn’t squeezed out at all, water covered his face and he couldn’t open his eyes.

“What do I need to do when this sort of things happens? Since you might’ve hit your head, do I call an ambulance? Or is the police better?”

He hurriedly rejected the girl’s suggestions.

“N-no, I don’t need either of them. I was just a little lightheaded, so…”

“Really? —Anyway, everyone’s so cold. They saw a person collapse out in the open but no one tried helping you.”

“Haha…”

Now you’ve really gone and did something unneeded…

He hid his honest opinion with a forced smile.

He wouldn’t have cared even if he was run over by car.

Because that would let him escape from the impulse tormenting him.

If that was to be his punishment, it was fine.

“By the way, what were you doing there? It’s dangerous, standing dazed like that.”

That was obvious. From her voice, she was probably a middle schooler. It was a fresh voice that sounded like a bell.

“Oh, I was simply… It’s just more convenient being where there’re a lot of people…”

“More convenient? For your job or something?”

“W-well, something like that…”

“Say, aren’t you hot with that scarf? You’re sweating a lot.”

“D-don’t take it off. Err, it’s because I catch colds. …Cough, cough.”

“…That sounded really forced, though.”

“S-sorry to have you save me, but I feel alright now… well, walking along with a complete stranger and stumbling is a bit—”

“I don’t really mind it.”

The wetness from the handkerchief went down to his ears and fell to the ground.

He slowly opened his eyes and gulped.

“—”

Unconsciously grasping the handkerchief on his face, he raised his torso.

Why—

How—

His head was filled with question marks.

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking her ponytail, the girl tilted her head.

A complete stranger that he’d never met.

And yet for some reason, how come he knew her name?

“Ichinokuro… Arisu…”

“Eh? Have we met somewhere?”

A butterfly landed on Arisu’s shoulders.

It was a silver Morpho butterfly.

That, too, was supposed to be the first time he saw it—

“No… We’ve never met…”

His vision swayed.

He’d never met the girl called Ichinokuro Arisu even once.

The silver Morpho butterfly was not supposed to have anything to do with him.

And yet, why—

“I’ve… never…”

Did he feel like he met the one he missed the most?

Felt like he found a big treasure?

Seeing the young man grip the handkerchief and shed tears, Arisu looked nervous.

“W-what’s wrong, all of sudden? Are you fine? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“I…”

Him and Ichinokuro Arisu.

The pair’s puzzled voices were drowned in the hustle and bustle of the city.

He couldn’t even tell why he was crying.

He could only understand one thing.

Since he’d found her, he had to speak.

By doing that, his riddle-filled journey would end—

It was time to talk.

About his partner.

About those girls as well.

However, he was sobbing, the memories about the people he needed to talk about gone—

Part 1[edit]

When he’d rescued a puppy, he’d been given a mouthful over it.

He thought his parents would praise him. However, he remembered the puppy being completely ignored while everyone in the house was in an uproar.

—Why’s everyone being so loud?

Still in elementary school back then, he vacantly watched his nervous parents and brothers and sisters.

His father was a doctor.

As he worked in a university hospital, his father was very busy and would often leave the house on an emergency call. Whenever his mom made him deliver his father’s lunch, he became friends with all the children in the pediatric department. He concealed the fact he came to the hospital from his father and played with the children.

Hospital was a place where there were eye-boggling changes every day.

The patients that had melancholic expressions started smiling once discharged. There was also the reverse, smiling people who became depressed within a day.

His friends were the same. There were times when they played with him, full of smiles, and then vanished the next day.

The thing that did this to them—was apparently called “death”.

Fearing death, being happy at life being saved, and at times unceremoniously yielding to it.

This was his daily life.

That was why he admired his father, a doctor who saved patients, and wanted to become like him as well.

He thought that them being sick meant that he was healthy.

I want to save lives—

His young heart wished for it.

That was why, when he’d saved the puppy and got home, he was proud with himself. It wasn’t a human, but it was still a life. And he saved it.

However, he was instead scolded.

The reason was simple.

He was hugging the puppy while covered in blood—

When he saved the puppy from being mauled by wild dogs, he protected it and got his arm bitten. He soon shook them off and ran away, but his arm was torn, leaving a deep wound.

The puppy was also wounded, but with all the excitement around, it was left untreated, and so remained unsaved.

He’d seen yet another life go.

Thinking about it, that was probably the beginning of his doubts.

What was “death”?

This one and only question kept clinging to him his entire life.

Sensitive to other people’s deaths.

Dull to his own death.

Other than embracing that messed-up view of life and death, there was nothing unusual in his life.

He advanced in school while surrounded by friends and creating lovers but then breaking up for some small reason. He had no inspiration to pursue the path of a doctor other than his father, and his surroundings also accepted this course as natural.

Therefore, his name held no meaning.

He never got involved in anything big and didn’t have the confidence to say that he gave anyone any large influence. As a medical intern in the middle of his twenties, there was no way he’d saved anyone already.

If his name held any meaning at all, it would be back then—perhaps it had some meaning during the moment he met the being that would become his companion.

And this, too, wasn’t his own name, but a different name that the girl called him—

“—Hi.”

On top of the hospital roof he came to have his break in, he turned around.

He felt like somebody called him, but other than himself, he couldn’t see anyone there.

“I’m here, I’m here.”

Wind blew.

With his unaccustomed white coat fluttering, he started walking toward that voice.

There was—something there.

“Hello. Nice weather we’re having today.”

On the roof’s fence was a “blue cocoon”.

Emitting a glow that wasn’t inferior at all to the noon sun, it pierced his eyes. He ended up laughing bitterly.

“Am I that tired? Maybe I need to go to the psychologist.”

“You mean that thing about doctors neglecting their health? It’s important to keep both heart and body healthy.”

The blue cocoon was talking. Every time it talked, its blue glow flowed in the wind, and its voice echoed directly in his head.

Not only that, but it talked with a voice that was none other than the man’s own.

“I’m just a mere intern. Not a real doctor.”

In actuality, he was already exhausted from the overly busy internship. He barely slept and since he had no appetite, he was undoubtably suffering from a vitamin deficiency.

His tired brain rejected his thoughts wondering what the blue cocoon in front of his eyes was.

The cocoon that talked in his own voice spoke of the weather.

This situation was obviously not normal.

“You’re my delusion and yet you don’t know what I am?”

“I don’t know anything about you. I only think about how I hate you from waking me up from my pleasant sleep.”

“Wake you up? I do not remember making any sound.”

“It’s not by sound. Well, anyway. Will you take responsibility?”

“So pushy… alright, I’ll go book in a psychiatrist.”

“Ah, ah, wait a minute! Alright, let’s have a serious talk.”

“I came here for a break, so I don’t mind a conversation. Can’t you do something about your voice, though? It sounds awfully like me—no, sounds a bit younger. Since your way of speaking is adult-like, it makes me feel sick.”

“A bit younger? Hmm, this is the first case of that. But as long as it’s your actual voice there’s no problem. We’re definitely already resonating.”

“If you’re going to talk with me, at least let me understand you.”

The intern spoke toward the empty fence. —If anyone else saw this scene, it would be an instant red flag. Starting tomorrow, he wouldn’t go to the hospital for work, but instead be admitted as a patient.

“By the way, can you try touching me?”

“How sudden. Feels awfully suspicious.”

“I want to sleep again. Help me. C’mon, please.”

“I don’t really know what you want from me. It’s hard enough even just taking care of myself right now. Look at those shadows under my eyes.”

“If you combine with me everything will be solved. Your body will become extremely healthy and your recovery ability will be enhanced.”

“Combine, you said? So violent. I have to be careful.”

“C-crap.”

Seeing the shivering cocoon, he snorted.

“Is that all of your bargain? Even an advertisement wouldn’t say something like just ‘makes you healthy’.”

“Alright… then let’s do this. There’s definitely something you want to accomplish, right? I have a vast experience in life. I’ll help you with whatever you want until I fall asleep.”

“Something I want to do?”

Being told this, he could only think of one thing.

“Saving someone’s life—how about that?”

“You’re an intern, right? Can’t you do that already?

“People die when it’s time for them to die.”

“Not what I’d have expected hearing from an aspiring doctor. —That’s only something an elderly doctor having treated many patients is allowed to say.”

“I want—to overturn it.”

He didn’t know what to call that thing.

The number of lives he treated was small. He’d made many friends in the hospital since he was little, but there were many times where he couldn’t do anything.

If he had to give that thing a name, perhaps it was “fate”—

He continued getting beaten down by it.

“If this wish of yours is real, it might be called a dream…”

The cocoon spoke like a know-it-all.

“But it’s not like that—maybe because you already gave up on it long ago. Meaning, trying to become a doctor is just revenge against your unfulfilled dream?”

“…”

“If you become one with me—you can do it.”

He widened his eyes.

“You can do that a single time.”

“R-really?”

“Let me also say this. It’s just one time. However—”

The blue cocoon spoke.

“If you become one with me, you might suffer horribly.”

So it was something like selling his soul to the devil, then.

He closed his eyes and thought. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.

“…”

“W-wait a minute! Why are you reaching for me! Think about it some more!”

“The heck? You were the one who invited me.”

“I did, but I also threatened you! I told you you’re going to suffer horribly!”

“—Just like you said. I aimed to be a doctor for no more than revenge. Anyway, many of my friends were taken away until now.”

He smiled bitterly.

“So I wanted to take revenge for them. Right—a minimal resistance.”

Right now, if the cocoon in front of him was not an illusion, he wouldn’t hesitate to depend on it.

That, too, was his minimal resistance.

Something of the same kind as death and fate.

He never liked any of that.

The enemy was strong and he suffered successive losses—so he had to win at least once before warming up to it.

He couldn’t hold this desire back.

“…You won’t live for long.”

“Rather than me, there are too many people who can’t live for long.”

His finger—touched the blue cocoon.

The cocoon’s glow dyed his fingers and began rushing from his arms to his body. His hair, ruffled by the wind, was dyed in blue.

“Good grief, looks like my host this time is also a freak. I really have no luck in drawing my lot.”

This time, an illusion appeared in front of him.

It was himself, with hair glowing blue. However, that figure was younger than him, with a face that looked to be around his teens.

“My name is Aria Varei. —I’m also called Sanbikime.”

Leaving a smile, Aria Varei’s figure burst apart.

He turned to smile at empty air. He could definitely feel something dwelling within him.

“A cool name. Unfortunately, my own name is as common as it gets.”

Among the Original Three, the one who birthed Fusion Type Mushitsuki Prototype Mushitsuki, Sanbikime—

Perhaps the young man who became the vessel for such a monster possessed a name at that moment.

However, that name was not the one of this man, who until yesterday had an average life—

“However, the patients—always call me Sensei.”

From a minimal resistance, he stepped into a life full of sin.

His life itself was not something he had to talk about.

If there was any story to tell, it would be about the monster called Aria Varei and the man nicknamed Sensei.

As well as the girl who had her dreams eaten by the being called Mushi—

Part 2[edit]

It is time to speak of the girl called Hunter and the youth called Sensei.

This happened shortly before he met his bizarre partner called Aria Varei.

He met a single girl.

Cicada chirping could be heard from the open window.

Their cries were much too loud.

The thin girl lying on the bed looked so ephemeral that she might easily break.

“May I ask your name?”

What a pretty girl—

That was his first impression.

Turning to him, the girl’s sense of existence was too thin. He even wondered if her body was transparent. He remembered how her shapely features exposed an otherworldly atmosphere.

“I am Patricia.”

A name different from her nametag came from the girl’s lips.

“Patricia…?”

Perhaps she thought from his very first question that he was treating her like a child. The girl went silent with a cold expression. As he turned to look at the attending physician, he wore a sour expression.

As he turned back to the bed, the girl was looking at the bookshelf. His eyes followed there and he understood.

“Do you understand Patricia’s feelings?”

On the bookshelf was the picture book called The Magic Potion.

He’d also read it before, and since it left a deep impression on him, he remembered it. The girl in the book was supposed to be called Patricia.

“…?”

The girl raised her brow at his question.

“That’s fine. You can take your time looking for the answer.”

He thought he’d stop treating her like a child.

He only heard that she was a young lady of an affluent family and suffered from a serious sickness. However, she seemed to understand herself better than people thought.

“Unlike her, you still have plenty of time left.”

“…”

“Will you not tell me your name?”

The cicadas were noisy.

He vividly remembered something so inconsequential.

The cicada noises, loud enough as if to interrupt the girl from introducing herself—were not enough to fully block her murmur.

“—Hanashiro Mari.”

He wore a full smile.

“Nice to meet you, Hanashiro Mari-san.”

“…Your hair.”

“Hmm?”

“I think you’d better get a haircut.”

He scratched his unkempt hair while she gazed at him coldly.

Was their meeting as an intern and a patient inevitable?

He always thought of that.

If it was inevitable—then perhaps his wish as someone who wished to do the minimal resistance against fate came half-true.

The pair’s meeting was sure to twist the fate that kept flowing unobtrusively until then.

Him and Mari drove crazy the fates of so many people afterward, that he could actually believe it—

“We don’t know when her heart will stop.”

After the attending physician introduced him to Mari, he disclosed this when the two were walking in the corridor. As the other man walked in front of him, he couldn’t see his expression.

“If it stops even once… resuscitation will be likely impossible.”

“—I see.”

After seeing the medical records and speaking with the actual girl, he somewhat had a hunch.

The atmosphere clinging to Mari was the same as the friends he’d helped take care of.

“You father’s also a doctor and you go to this hospital a lot, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you come and talk with her? Doesn’t have to be often.”

So he was going to see someone off once again—

Suppressing the indescribable feelings rising up within him, he clenched his fist.

In the end, even if he became a doctor, nothing changed. There was an unavoidable fate.

And so—he thought of doing the same thing as before. He would speak to Mari with a smile, listen to her with a smile, and speak of their future.

This would be the minimal resistance against that fate.

So he thought.

“Got it.”

The next event was a few days after he said this and nodded.

He encountered the blue cocoon called Aria Varei.

Ever since fusing with Aria Varei, coming to meet with Mari became a bit painful.

“…You still haven’t gotten a haircut.”

As he came for an unexpected visit at her sickroom, Mari’s sigh greeted him.

The same cold face as always.

She probably felt some deep-rooted distrust of the doctors she knew would never be able to save her. That Mari wasn’t opening her heart to him might have been due to the white lab coat he was wearing.

How ironic. Although he’d met Mari because he was an intern, his being an intern did not allow him to shrink the distance to her.

“…”

Even as he smiled, he silently gritted his teeth. He desperately held back the impulse swelling inside of him.

It was similar to gluttony—so he thought. And it was powerful.

A sickly-sweet smell emanated from Mari who sat on the bed, seeming to invite him. The same kind of feeling like not eating for a few days and having a full-course meal in front of you.

“Aaah, I’m so hungry. Let me eat already.”

He heard his own voice from somewhere.

However, it was not made by his own mouth, and he was the only one who could hear it.

“I want to gobble down her dream.”

“…You can’t,” he mumbled.

“…?”

Mari tilted her head. He smiled at her.

“No, it’s nothing. —I just don’t have the time to get a haircut. I’m so busy I might collapse.”

“Then just come here less.”

“She’s right. If you don’t want to eat her dream, why do you purposely come to meet her? It hurts you.”

“Please don’t say that. Oh, I brought you a new book. I’ll put it on the shelf.”

Mari didn’t seem interested in that new book either. She soon opened the picture book next to her.

The Magic Potion again. She seemed to really like it.

“Is there anything you want?”

“Not really.”

“You don’t have to restrain yourself.”

“I don’t need anything.”

While opening the window to ventilate the room, he sighed.

Although several months passed since he met her, Mari still hadn’t let her guard down.

“You’re allowed to be just a little selfish.”

“Even if you act all cheerful because I’m the first patient you’re in charge of, nothing good will come of it.”

He smiled bitterly.

It was exactly like Mari said. Although he was an intern, there was no doubt that meeting for the first time with the life he was to save had special meaning.

Therefore, he’d acted much different with Mari than when he’d met the patients in his dad’s hospital.

“Or else, if what you want is money, tell my parents. I don’t have any.”

“She thinks you’re after money? Such a cynic. It makes even me angry. Hey, why don’t you tell her? That I can eat her dream.”

Mari was—strong.

She was ephemeral and brittle, but he knew that something powerful was supporting the girl called Hanashiro Mari.

What was it?

The monster living inside him knew the answer.

“Ah, it smells so delicious. This girl’s dream…”

A dream.

A strong wish to become something or do something.

As he became one with Aria Varei, Mari’s dream became like a violent charm that assaulted him.

“Mari…!”

The girl was suddenly assaulted by violent coughing fit. Holding her chest, she grimaced painfully.

“Are you alright? Here, take your medicine…”

“—What’s your…?”

“Don’t speak yet. You have to take long, deep breaths—”

“What’s your goal? Why do you come here every day?”

Mari grabbed his white coat. Looking at him with eyes like a lost child, he realized.

Being smart as she was, Mari probably realized why this intern was coming to visit her. She’d apparently understood intuitively that he had to some goal there.

“We’re here to eat her dream, of course! Right?”

He bit her lips, grabbing Mari’s arms.

“I want—to save you.”

“…”

“That’s all…”

It was his true opinion.

His helpless, completely pure, one and only wish.

However, he had no idea how he could save Mari—

Seeing him so lost, Mari snorted.

“—Why are you the one who looks like he’s going to cry?”

Albeit unwillingly, he was able to see Mari’s smile for the first time.

“You look like you’re the one who wants to be saved.”

“…”

“If you’re going to become a doctor—you’ve got to become better at lying.”

He gulped.

“It’s not a lie. I—”

“Then you’re hiding something.”

“…!”

“You look like you’re trying to say something. But you still haven’t said it.”

It wasn’t Mari who didn’t open her heart, but him—

She probably always thought this.

Mari had long since seen through what he tried to desperately hide.

“You’re very kind, but you’ve been looking at me with scary eyes from time to time… what’s up with that?”

“I-I—”

“Isn’t it possible that I’m doing something very cruel to you…”

He widened his eyes.

No. Obviously not. What agonized him was his own selfishness—

“—Don’t tell her.”

Aria reminded him.

“I understand you don’t want to eat her. You can think about looking for a different dream.”

What was that?

He almost spoke without thinking.

“I just got a really bad premonition. This girl—Hanashiro Mari—is too smart. If I make her a Mushitsuki, it might cause something unthinkable…”

“Please tell me. The truth…”

The whispering Aria and the entreating Mari.

Being assaulted by these two voices, he—

“—Listen carefully, Mari.”

Opened his mouth.

The roof was nice.

No one came there, so he could speak with his partner freely.

“Why did you tell her!”

Aria became sullen, speaking in a loud voice that only he could hear.

“Why did you tell her!”

Sitting on the resting bench, he put the back of his head on his two hands crossed behind his head. He looked up at the blue sky, just as blue as the cocoon Aria Varei had when they first met.

The wind felt good.

“Aaah, come on! Why did you—”

“Alright, I get it. It’s my fault. Sorry, Aria.”

“What do you mean, you’re sorry! You’re not feeling bad at all! You’re not even reflecting on it! You told her every single last detail! Aaah, aaah! Now we’ll have to be careful of her as well! It’s gotten real complicated now!”

He was stumped, and wore a bitter smile.

He told Mari everything.

About the beings called Mushi that ate the dreams of boys and girls. People getting possessed by Mushi became Mushitsuki, and in exchange for them getting supernatural abilities, their dreams were eaten by the Mushi.

And, about the fact that his body was dwelling to one of the Original Three who created Mushitsuki.

Aria Varei—

The Monster that produced Fusion-Type Mushitsuki, called Sanbikime.

“Aren’t I apologizing? You’re so stubborn. Are you really a copy of my personality?”

“Right! Since I’m stubborn, it means you’re stubborn as well! Geez, why are all of my vessels always so selfish…”

Unlike the other Original Three, Aria Varei couldn’t exist independently.

He continued existing in this world by waking from his slumber by the scent of dreams and choosing a person close to that dream’s owner as a “vessel”.

The personality known as Aria Varei was apparently already lost. Because of that, it could communicate by copying the personality of his host, he said. He apparently repeated this process many times before.

“I don’t even know if she believed me.”

“Maybe. —She might’ve not believed you if you hadn’t used her abilities right in front of her.”

“…”

“She believed. She’s smart.”

Even hearing his story, Mari was half dubious. No, perhaps she was 90% dubious.

Therefore, he used a certain ability in front of her.

”—This isn’t just Mari. Everyone wonders what kind of person the one next to them is. So I spoke honestly to her.”

As he mumbled this, his hair glowed in pure blue. The light flowing through his unkempt hair became a bundle of light and extended through the bench to the one hand grabbing the fence.

And plunged.

His arm draped in the blue light slipped through the metallic fence. Although it was supposed to be hard, it felt just like jelly.

“To be honest, I also know Mari was scared. But—”

The ability to fuse with inorganic matter—

This was Aria Varei’s ability. It could also be called the power of permeation. It could fuse with any material and pass through it. Even though his body’s regeneration ability was strengthened and his body became healthier—monstrous attributes to be sure—it was only at this level. Unlike the other Original Three, Aria had no power related to combat.

The blue glow vanished and his hair returned being unkempt like before.

“She wasn’t scared.”

“…”

“Not only that, but even as she saw you using the power of a monster, she said this.”

He was prepared for her to be scared of him.

However, Mari widened her eyes—and of all things, laughed.

“—’Right. So you came to meet me to eat my dream’.”

It was a complete misunderstanding. Well, Aria Varei did intend on doing so, though.

On top of having that scary misunderstanding, Mari, of all things, looked relieved.

“Not only did she believe us, but she was relieved. A 13-year-old kid faced with a monster who’d eat her, smiled happily.”

“…”

“Being monster feed. —Such a scary reason for one’s raison d'être.”

“…Until now everyone tried to consider her feelings. Both family and people from the hospital tried to connect with her, all of them.”

“It’s tough being a young rich lady.”

“But what you—Aria Varei—aim for, has nothing to do with money.”

“Yeah. What I want… is simply the dream belonging to the girl called ‘Hanashiro Mari’.”

“And you’re still going to eat her dream despite knowing that.”

“I don’t have emotions, so I also have no mercy. I’m simply a being that eats dream. A really horrible monster. All I have is the desire to eat her dream and go to sleep again.”

“And… I’ll forget about Mari.”

That was one rule of Aria Varei’s dream eating system.

After turning his target to a Mushitsuki, Aria Varei would convert to a cocoon again and fall asleep.

And the human that was his vessel would lose all memories related to the person made Mushitsuki. At the same time, he’d also forget about the existence of Aria Varei.

“What a horrible thing that is.”

“This is salvation. At least in regards to you.”

“What salvation are you talking about? I will bear the sin of making Mari a Mushitsuki and only I will be saved. How odd. Sinners ought to receive their punishment. Them being saved instead is out of the question.”

“I’m the sinner. Me, Aria Varei. —From my side calling yourself a sinner just sounds silly, and besides, you’d be snatching my mission like that.”

“Then I… what am I, exactly?”

The blue sky that filled his sight had white clouds that looked like they were feeling good swimming there.

“Aria Varei will eat Mari’s dream, turning her into a Mushitsuki. —What’s my reason for being here?”

“You—simply have bad luck.”

Aria’s tone was cold. Although it was his own voice, it sounded like another person entirely.

“You just so happened to be near Hanashiro Mari’s dream, and you just so happened to catch a monster’s eyes. You’re nothing but a man with bad luck. You should begrudge me, your fate—and Hanashiro Mari. You have that right.”

“…Even so, I was the one who decided to touch you.”

Silence fell between the two people—no, between the human and creature.

For a while, they simply let the wind intoxicate them.

With his unkempt hair illuminated by the son, his lab coat’s hem was touching the floor.

“Say, about that picture book. What’s that ‘Magic Potion’ thing?”

Aria suddenly inquired.

“It’s a picture book from abroad. I read it before as well. —Actually, it’s thanks to this book that I’m so average.”

“Oh… what’s the story? Tell me.”

It was a short book. He started speaking what he remembered of the plot.

The sick Patricia was visited by a witch.

The witch spoke thusly.

Here I have a potion given by an angel and a potion given by the devil. If you drink the angel’s potion, in exchange for losing the person important to you, you will heal from your illness and live forever. If you drink the devil’s potion, you will die. However, the person important to you will always console you at your side. Which will you choose?

Patricia spoke thusly.

I want the devil’s potion.

The witch fulfilled Patricia’s request.

While watched over by those important to her, Patricia fell into an eternal sleep.

However, she did not feel lonely. The girl sitting on top of the hill was always being watched by those important to her—

“This isn’t really a story you should tell to children.”

The moment he finished the story, the creature inside him plainly asserted this. He smiled bitterly.

“Indeed. Children would probably only tilt their head. Why did Patricia purposely choose death? —Reading it again as an adult, you finally understand why.”

“You said you were average because of that book, right?”

“I knew that life had many different flavors.”

He knew that dying didn’t have just one shape.

Patricia did not choose literal death. It was another way of living.

It all seemed very mysterious, but he finally understood it once he became an adult. If he hadn’t, his heart might have broken long ago with so many deaths in front of him.

However, although he could understand the picture book’s meaning, he still couldn’t agree with it—perhaps became he hadn’t fully become an adult?

“Mari probably doesn’t understand the meaning of that book yet.”

She definitely desired the angel’s potion.

That was natural, and definitely not a mistake.

However, a single sentence was obviously not enough to describe the thing called life.

“When she becomes an adult… she should read that book again.”

“So that book’s the reason you give Mari special treatment, then? I thought you’d already seen countless children like her in the hospital—oh, I finally understand.”

“What do you understand?”

“Ever since I heard about you becoming friends with many children in the hospital, I thought it was strange. I mean, if you really went through that again and again, it’d be a miracle you’re so average now. If anyone other than you went through the same thing, wouldn’t they become, unlike you, apathetic towards death? Or perhaps they’d try to take their distance away from death. They’d never try to become a doctor.”

“Really?”

“Even so you’re just like a complete novice intern. Like a brand-new car without any scratches.”

“I am a novice intern.”

“You’re already—covered in scars.”

He sank into silence.

“You don’t even think of hurting yourself? While clenching your fists in despair so hard that your nails dug into your skin, you saw off your friend’s deaths with a smile? Even those scars are important for their tombstones. —Oh, you’re such a fool.”

“…”

“Even becoming a doctor is nothing more than to say, ‘well, at least I tried the minimal resistance’.”

“You’re incredible, Aria.”

Becoming extremely amused, he laughed.

“I really am a fool—but this is the first time someone’s seen it.”

“It’s obvious. I’m so close to you, you know? You’re an unbelievable idiot.”

“And you’re a good guy.”

This time Aria sank into silence.

“We’re talking about me, and yet you’re as angry as if this was about you.”

“Have you already forgotten that I have your personality? Saying I’m angry means that you’re angry as well. At death, or something like that.”

“Really? Well, and you’re saying you want to eat Mari’s dream, but at least to me it doesn’t sound like you really mean—”

“I am a merciless monster. If I still look like a good guy to you…”

Aria’s tone was hard.

“It means that you’re the good guy here…”

He smiled and closed his eyes.

The creature living inside of him was quite obstinate and apparently also quite shy.

It didn’t seem like his copy. Wasn’t it wrong, the idea that Aria’s personality was already long gone?

The lying monster, Aria Varei.

He didn’t hate him at all.

“Then I’ll try praying. Please give up on Mari, oh great Aria Varei.”

“That is a wish that can never come true, mortal. I once said I’ll give up, but that was a lie.”

“I also have my own will. If you don’t eat Mari, you can do nothing but keep being inside this idiot forever.”

“Everyone who becomes my vessel is an idiot. How many times do I have to say it until you get it?”

Aria’s voice, that only he could hear, had some lonely laughter mixed in it somewhere.

“Forever, huh… this isn’t just nostalgic, but a very difficult request.”

Him and Aria Varei.

The doctor intern who never gave up easily and the cynical monster.

Although this pair of human and creature were incompatible, they weren’t a bad combo for banter.

Even while he kept talking pessimistically, it wasn’t bad.

However.

The time for the two of them to part was inevitable—

He couldn’t let it happen.

Would a crime committed like that really be called a crime?

If he had to carry a sin that didn’t fit him—wasn’t it already a crime?

If that was true, it meant that he’d already committed a different kind of sin.

“Someone! Is someone there?!”

When Mari had said that she wanted to talk a walk through the courtyard for a change, he was happy.

He was happy at her finally being selfish. Therefore, although it was his lunch time, he’d helped her secretly escape the hospital ward.

However, that was a mistake.

“Come here, someone! Can’t you hear me?!”

He wrung out a voice louder than ever before.

In his arms were thin, trembling shoulders.

“Hah…! Hah…!”

Holding her chest and gritting her teeth was Hanashiro Mari. Next to her the completely useless bottle of medicine rolled away.

“Hold yourself together, Mari! I’ll call a stretcher—”

As he tried rising up, she held his lab coat and wouldn’t let go.

“…!”

He understood.

He knew why Mari was so desperate.

She was so, so lonely. Unless she felt someone’s warmth, she’d be too scared and helpless, as if the world itself was distancing from her.

Since he saw countless people like her before, he knew it immediately—

“Hah…! Hah…! Uuh…”

As Mari trembled and bit her lips, he held her with all his power.

This wasn’t the first time she had an attack.

However, something was clearly different about it, this time. It didn’t look like the medicine helped at all, and as she collapsed atop the grass, her complexion was deathly white.

“Mari…! Hold on, Mari…!”

It was such nice weather, too. This fact almost made him angry.

He felt an out-of-place anger toward the sun floating in the sky.

If only it hadn’t invited Mari outside—

Also, it kept mercilessly shining on the sweating, groaning girl.

Although he knew it was nonsense, he couldn’t help but hate this sun.

“Hah…! Hah…!”

“Mari…! Mari…!”

Even if someone who remained in the hospital during lunch noticed them.

Even if he didn’t go out for a walk and remained in the room.

He knew that a large seizure like that was already guaranteed.

With her heart weakened by illness, if Mari suffered a large seizure even once and her heart stopped, there would be no saving her. No matter the method of resuscitation, the possibility of moving her heart again was despairingly low—

“Haa…! Ha—ah…”

Mari’s breathing grew gradually weaker.

He tightly gripped Mari’s hand grasping his coat. She widened her eyes. He could feel Mari’s body warmth on his shoulders getting colder.

“He—”

Mari no longer even had the energy to groan. Her pupils looking up at him weakly, she shed tears.

“He—help—”

“…!”

He clenched his teeth hard, holding back a scream.

It wasn’t him who wanted to scream right now.

How painful was this?

How scary was this?

Why did the fate called death bare its cruel fangs against such a small girl?

“Mari—”

He was powerless.

Even though he was an adult.

Even though he always associated with doctors.

He couldn’t even answer the one girl who first sought his help—

“I wonder why… it always ends like this.”

Aria Varei, until then quiet, mumbled.

“Every time I dwell inside someone, I think that maybe this time it wouldn’t happen—but it’s always the same. Is this the thing called fate?”

“…! So you’re telling me to give up because it’s fate? Don’t make me laugh! That sort of thing can eat shit! What are you saying Mari did?!”

He shouted what he always wanted.

From when he was little, he always groaned in his heart.

Right now, he couldn’t help but let it out of his mouth in the form of curses.

“I’m sick of it! Why does it have to be Mari?! Why does it always take weak people! Who the hell created this twisted thing called fate!”

He could shout curses as much as he wanted.

He would cuss with the foulest language possible.

If these foolish yells would bind Mari’s consciousness to this world even a little.

There was nothing else he could do—

“—”

Mari’s breathing became thinner.

Her heartbeat weakened. Her temperature dropped.

He knew that her life was slipping from his arms.

Although he was so close, he couldn’t touch it. Even if he gathered it, he could do nothing else than support her body that became heavier in his arms.

“Mari—”

He hugged Mari even stronger. He wanted to share as much body heat as he could.

He couldn’t do anything—

Was that true?

There was just one thing he could do.

“Mari…”

He spoke in a trembling voice.

“I know this is useless, but I’ll say it just in case… I—Aria Varei—do not know what happens if I turn a sick person into a Mushitsuki. I know it’s a bit late, but that was one of the reasons I hesitated…”

Aria spoke calmly.

As long as she said it herself.

“What’s your dream?”

Mari’s eyelids moved. She stiffly raised her chin, looking at his face.

“I don’t know whether or not I can save her. And even if we save her, there’s no telling what’ll happen.”

“Tell me, Mari…”

“This might cause something to overturn the very existence of Mushi and Mushitsuki—twisting the thing you hate most, fate. Because of that, there’s a chance even the world might get destroyed. I’m not exaggerating.”

Right, he got it.

Aria Varei stopped him.

But he wouldn’t stop.

Then he would carry that sin.

In exchange for his right to avenge destiny, he would snatch Hanashiro Mari’s life away.

“I…”

Mari wrung out barely a whisper. Tears came gushing out of her eyes.

“Want to live—”

These words squeezed out the literal last drop of life.

And he heard it.

His unkempt hair was wrapped in an azure glow.

“Live—”

So small.

So pure.

As Mari spoke her very short dream, the trembling on her lips was gone.

The girl’s eyelids—closed.

The pulse he could feel in his arm stopped.

“Let’s see the continuation of your dream together…”

Hanashiro Mari’s destiny stopped once there.

This small dream vanished.

Therefore, so that he could redo it—

He made the minimal resistance.

As a result, Hanashiro Mari was reborn as a Mushitsuki.

But that was all.

Nothing else changed.

Nothing at all—

“Say.”

Sitting on the edge of the dreary sickroom’s bed, Mari turned to him with a cold expression.

No one came to visit.

The girl living in a cell no one knew about.

It was surprising how little this scene changed from before she was a Mushitsuki.

Also—

“Is Aria Varei still inside you?”

“…”

While switching the water in the vase, he wore a bitter smile.

No, it really was a lot of trouble.

By turning Mari into a Mushitsuki, her body was reborn as a Mushitsuki, so she just barely came back to life. Although it wasn’t enough to heal her sickness, it managed to give her another chance to see her dream.

If he turned Mari into a Mushitsuki, Aria Varei would go back to sleep and forget about her—

Or so he heard, but he too was unchanged from when he’d turned Mari into a Mushitsuki.

Although he was resolved for it, it felt like a slap on the wrist.

“Wasn’t he supposed to vanish because you made me a Mushitsuki?”

“That Aria. Such a liar.”

“This irregularity’s the first time for me! I told you this already!”

The Aria Varei inside him argued fiercely.

Although this monster had given birth to countless Mushitsuki, this was apparently the first case like this.

“’This irregularity’s the first time for me! I told you this already!’ is what Aria says.”

“So it’s irregular… because I was sick?”

“Aria thinks so. The moment someone becomes a Fusion-Type Mushitsuki, their body is remade. Therefore, he thinks that if someone’s body was abnormal from the get go and they become a Mushitsuki, it’d give birth to some sort of error. —Since you were reborn anyway, I wish your disease healed as well.”

The room full of stagnant air had only the two of them, speaking calmly.

Nothing changed from the period when they’d just met.

The only thing that changed was that he bore a sin and that Mari became Mushitsuki.

Adding to her sickness, now Mari was assaulted by the pain of being a Mushitsuki. Because of that, Mari might resent him. She might punish him one day.

However, he was able to defy fate.

If that was the price to pay, he was glad for it. That was the ultimate proof that he’d been able to catch fate off-guard.

“I managed to defy fate—is what you’re thinking, right?”

“Am I wrong?”

He suddenly answered out loud. Mari was already used to it, though, so she didn’t mind it, still reading the book on top of her knees.

“You really are carefree! I—have a very bad feeling. It’s impossible for nothing to change with me despite having given birth to a Mushitsuki. I’m supposed to be sleeping, but I’m still here. Something had to happen to cause this inconsistency.”

Aria’s tone transmitted his shock.

“Somewhere, something—turned out funny. That’s my feeling. Haven’t we done something outrageous? In the end, is Hanashiro Mari—a normal Mushitsuki?”

“You’re overthinking this.”

He said this and laughed. No matter what happened, he’d been able to overturn the fate of Mari’s death once. There was no mistaking that.

He’d been viewing this so optimistically—probably because he was, just like Aria said, too carefree.

Although this daily life was unchanged, it began to slowly…

And yet surely…

Accelerate—

“…”

The sickroom’s clock indicated it was past 1 AM.

The girl sleeping in bed suddenly raised her body. She opened the closet and pulled out a modified white coat.

The girl wearing the coat and using a wool hat and a scarf to hide her face put her hand to the window—

“—Stop with this already, Mari.”

Her arm about to touch the window stopped.

The girl turned to the young man standing in the corner.

Under the moonlight peeking from the window, him and Mari faced each other.

“You’ve made a promise with me. Your dream’s continuation—”

“I know well enough about my body.”

Mari’s sharp eyes pierced him.

“At least let me do as I please in my last moments.”

“Those aren’t your last moments at all. You’re still…”

Every night, Mari started running around Akamaki City.

Her power as a Fusion Type Mushitsuki gave Mari temporary special abilities. Just for when she used her abilities, she gained superhuman stamina.

Mari had started going around at night due to a slip of tongue he’d had when talking about something with her.

“Also, haven’t you said it? That I might be able to defeat the Undying Mushitsuki. Is there any other Mushitsuki that could do it?”

“But that doesn’t mean it has to be you…”

He’d blurted out the existence of the Undying Mushitsuki.

He’d also told her that this being was part of the chain of phenomena that led to the birth of Mushitsuki. As well as the fact that it might be possible for Mari to cut off these shackles.

However, it wasn’t any sense of duty that moved Mari. He knew that.

Mari searched for the Undying Mushitsuki—probably due to envy.

A being that would never die.

He couldn’t give Mari that power, which was what Mari wanted most of all—

“You were the one who gave me this power. So you have the responsibility to watch me until the end.”

He couldn’t stop the girl from jumping out of the window after asserting this.

Hanashiro Mari kept hunting the Mushitsuki lurking in Akamaki City—she was called Hunter and became feared. No one could stop her.

“Just like she said. We can do nothing but watch…”

Aria whispered.

“I’ve given birth to the Mushitsuki called Hanashiro Mari—who I no longer doubt is a mutated Mushitsuki. Since I’ve lost half of my powers as Aria Varei at the time, we no longer have the power to stop her. It’s hopeless…”

“No! Never mind all that!”

He shouted in the empty sickroom.

“Mutant, Undying Mushitsuki, I don’t care about any of those! I just can’t stand seeing Mari getting weaker and weaker! Can’t you do something, Aria? If we keep this up Mari will eventually—”

“I already told you. At the time we met.”

He clenched his fist.

“I can only save her once…”

She spent her days fighting with her illness and at night she hunted Mushitsuki.

These days mercilessly exhausted Mari.

“What’s wrong with my body! Why is it so worn out! Why am I the only one…”

As Mari sobbed on top of her bed, he could do nothing but clench his teeth at his powerlessness.

“Give me the angel’s potion… please…”

He couldn’t do anything.

It was impossible even for the monster called Aria Varei to save Mari a second time.

Could they really do nothing but wait for the repeat of this tragedy?

It happened when he felt his body being ripped apart by those thoughts.

The possibility of salvation came in an unexcepted form.

“—Hello!”

A ray of sunlight took the form of a cute girl with a bouncy ponytail.

“I’m Ichinokuro Arisu.”

“Sorry. I don’t know any of my classmates by faces and names…”

“Oh, right. So, nice to meet you.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

Mari was confused at this sudden visitor. However, as Arisu started coming there every day, her confusion melted and vanished.

Her accelerated destiny calmed down.

At the same time Mari’s expression became gentler to a surprising degree—she’d started smiling from time to time.

“You’ve changed a bit, Mari.”

“Ah… it’s actually you who’s been changing, Arisu.”

“What, seriously? I’m changing? Is anything strange?”

He could hear Mari’s laughter.

She didn’t need Mushi or Aria Varei’s supernatural power.

With a mere smile, Ichinokuro Arisu managed a great achievement that he couldn’t.

He could imagine Mari’s smile, that he wanted to see no matter what, through the wall separating them.

“Nothing for you to do, eh.”

Outside the room, sitting on a protrusion coming out from the wall, he smiled. His hair was glowing blue.

“It’s fine. I don’t really care…”

Every time Arisu came, he’d always retreat from the room like this. He was unneeded in this space where Mari and Arisu smiled together.

“But Ichinokuro… no way, she’s that—”

“What did you say?”

“No, it’s nothing. …Looks like she’s a good girl.”

“Yes, true…”

Arisu did what he couldn’t.

He could do nothing but make Mari a Mushitsuki, but Arisu was different.

She also changed the girl called Mari.

How should he let Arisu know he was grateful?

“This aspiring doctor totally lost face.”

“Truly. I’m happy. I should leave Mari already.”

“And then do what?”

“Hmm, what should I do… what about you?”

“Me? Why’re you asking me?”

“I think I should honor my resident’s wishes. Looks like you’re not going to get out of my body anyway.”

“Right… naturally I want to sleep—”

Aria Varei’s voice had a nostalgic tone to it.

“But before that, I’d like to see the sea…”

“The sea, huh… not bad.”

He was with the monster Aria Varei.

Mari was with her friend Arisu.

It happened just after they set on their separate paths.

Destiny accelerated again.

“Sensei.”

Inside the silent sickroom, Mari called him.

Her expression—was as ephemeral as when the two of them first met.

“What is it?”

“Here’s a present from me.”

He was handed a necklace. Its chain emitted a silver glow almost as vivid as the wings of Mari’s Morpho butterfly. It had a gold ring hanging on it.

I’ll treasure this.

He thought so from the bottom of his heart along with the happiness and loneliness gushing out from him.

“Another proof I lived…”

Mari’s condition returned being that from before she became Mushitsuki.

No, according to a recent scan, her condition was even worse. The god of diseases certainly ate into Mari’s body, trying to take her again.

His “minimal resistance” simply postponed fate for a while.

Now it resumed, trying to reach the same result—

“And I have another one for Arisu… If she knew my dream, she’d definitely hold a grudge.”

“A grudge…?”

“Arisu’s kind, so my wish will…”

He’d been bothered by the meaning of Mari’s words at the time.

He had a bad feeling about it.

However, he had way too little time to ask Mari about this—

That time came again.

He could do nothing but watch it.

“…”

On top of the roof of a certain building lay an indescribable figure.

The blinding morning sun blessed the girl who’d expired with a faint smile on her face.

Hanashiro Mari.

Fighting her illness, fighting loneliness, fighting Mushi—while seeing off her irreplaceable friend, the girl passed away. Now he was carrying her.

She was surprisingly light.

This small girl lost her battle against her sickness.

For her dream to live, she kept desperately living.

She was such a splendid girl, and he—

“—Uuh…”

Would someday forget her.

The moment he separated from Aria Varei, he’d forget about Hanashiro Mari.

That was his payback for attempting “the minimal resistance” against fate.

He could do nothing but carry her empty husk back to that lonely room—

“UuuUuuh…!”

His feet couldn’t head back to the room.

Still holding her empty husk, he broke into tears.

“Waaaaaah!”

What had Mari done to him?

Although he was a mere intern, he was unable to even treat her illness.

He even branded her as a Mushitsuki.

In the end, could he really say that he managed to save Mari?

If she was beyond saving, then at least—

“Aaaaaah!”

Someone, please remember her.

Since he’d already deceived fate, he wasn’t allowed to ask for another selfishness, but he still strongly wished for it.

Since he’d definitely forget one day—he wanted someone to remember.

About the girl called Hanashiro Mari who desperately lived her short lifespan.

About her life.

“Aaaah…”

He could do nothing but scream as her parting gift. It didn’t matter who. He wanted to let at least one more person know about Mari’s passage.

But his voice grew hoarse.

He had one more job.

“…I wonder if you remember.”

The monster inside him, Aria Varei, spoke in a kind voice.

“I said I wanted to see the sea… and you said it wasn’t a bad choice.”

Holding Mari, he turned on his heavy heels.

His final role was to carry her back to the sickroom—and then leave the city.

So he swore.

Thus, the man called Sensei continued his journey.

However, the twisted fate couldn’t even forgive his escape—

Part 3[edit]

It is time to speak of a certain free girl and a windy island.

Having finished his internship at Akamaki City, just like he’d promised to the monster nestling inside him, he came to the sea.

“…Well, I did say I wanted to see the sea.”

The surface of sea visible from the hill was sublime.

Even bluer than the clear sky, a sea as far as the eye could see.

It sparkled as it reflected the sunlight and had the same color as Aria Varei’s cocoon when they first met.

“But, well.”

He inhaled a lungful of the salty wind.

It felt good, but his unkempt hair became even wilder. He doubted whether he could find any hair stylist to cut it for him here.

Aoharima Island.

He came to this small, solitary island that had a population of less than 300 people.

“That’s way too small! I never said anything about being surrounded by the sea!”

“Are you dissatisfied? I really like it.”

Several fishing boats floated in the sparkling sea around them.

Aoharima Island was an island of fishermen.

Let’s get as far from Akamaki City as possible—

He somehow found this island after thinking this.

Somehow thinking this what he found, was this island. The island’s residents apparently relied on the doctor in the mainland thus far and tried hiring a doctor to stay on the island countless times, but were ignored.

When he requested for it, he was easily accepted without any proper check. Even such a greenhorn doctor was better than none at all.

“Well… I do think it’s not bad.”

“I know, right? You’re so dishonest.”

“Hmph. If you say I’m dishonest, that means—”

“That I’m dishonest as well, right?”

He was already tired of resisting fate.

The zeal he had when first becoming a doctor and his intention to battle against fate were left behind in Akamaki City. As a parting gift to the girl called Hanashiro Mari who had such a splendid dream, he offered all of those up.

He thought that this island, isolated from the outside world, would be out of reach for fate.

Although he decided to become a hermit despite being so young, he didn’t feel lonely.

His badmouthed partner still stayed within him even now.

“So you’re going to live on nothing but fish? That’s so dull.”

“Isn’t it good for your health? Also, in this time and age, fresh fish are quite expensive.”

“Your optimism sure looks suicidal sometimes.”

“Makes it the perfect combo with your constant pessimism and self-preservation.”

As they spoke about nonsense on top of the hill, a sweet fragrance tickled his nose.

He turned around.

“What’re ya doing?”

Just like a careless bird on a deserted island—

A long-haired girl innocently approached him.

“…I’m looking for a beautiful dream.”

The reason for him to blurt out something without thinking was perhaps due to the sweet smell drifting from the girl.

Although he tried escaping from the ring of fate, something grabbed him tight and wouldn’t let go—

Such a delusion passed through his mind.

“And why are you here, young lady?”

The girl who looked at him with eyes like someone seeing a vagabond started sulking. As if she was saying he took her spot.

“I was looking for the beautiful sea and wind, you see.”

“Oh. Then I was in your way?”

“Yup. Go away.”

“Sorry. I want to be here just a bit longer, is it fine?”

“Nope.”

The girl had a mismatch between her sweet way of talking like a child and her adultlike body. Later hearing that she was the same age as Mari, he was shocked.

“It’s actually you who shouldn’t be near me.”

“Why?”

“You see, I end up eating people’s dreams.”

“Ooh?”

While he something true like a joke, the girl made a half-hearted reply, not understanding him.

That girl was called Shirakashi Ubuki.

She was completely unrelated to the twisted fate created between him and Hanashiro Mari.

Even if he were to be involved in some special fate here, it would surely be different from the one created by Hanashiro Mari and the Morpho butterfly—

“…Is ‘ooh’ all you have to say about it?”

The identity of the smell drifting from Ubuki.

That was undoubtedly the scent of a dream.

“It’s fine—”

Aria spoke seriously.

“This girl’s dream is still but a bud. Not enough to satiate our hunger…”

Were these words, unfitting for a dream-eating monster, directed at him—or was Aria Varei saying that to himself?

His partner’s apprehension surprisingly ended up as needless worry.

Shirakashi Ubuki’s dream stopped just a shade shy of being able to satiate their hunger.

One month passed.

Two months passed.

He grew used to life on the island and spent it peacefully.

“—It’s that girl again. She’s going to come here soon.”

The island’s clinic was rebuilt form a facility to preserve food.

While working inside the sturdily built underground storehouse, he raised his face. He exhaled his breath in front of a jar used to store pickled fish, removing his gloves.

Mixed with the scent of fish in the underground room was the sweet scent he’d grown used to.

“You’ve got a good nose.”

“Yup. Among the Original Three, my sense of smell is outstanding.”

“Meaning that you’re the best weakling among the Original Three.”

“Hehe, yeah, that happened before. Even as I am, I was once cornered by that Elvioréne. …I get the shivers every time I recall.”

“Oh, what happened?”

“Hmm, well, you know. My previous vessel was an idiot as well… I should just stay weak.”

Climbing up the stone stairs, he exited to the surface.

The underground storehouse was inside a shack built right next to the clinic. From outside it just looked like a normal shack.

“Oh, Sensei. So you were there, eh?”

Shirakashi Ubuki’s face peeked from the clinic’s window. Thinking about it, most adults knew about the underground storehouse, but what about Ubuki? He vaguely pondered this.

“You can’t be outside the clinic. What’re you gonna if there’s an emergency patient?”

“Luckily, this island’s the very image of peace. Only ones to come here are people who were cut by their fishing gear or old people coming for checkups.”

“Ya gotta have some sense of danger! You’re a doctor!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Shirakashi Ubuki had lost both parents and had no relatives. She was gathered with other children like her and lived in a facility on the island.

Coming back to the clinic, he stripped his coat and put on a doctor’s gown.

Only him and Ubuki were inside the room that had only the barest furniture. If he ever needed helpers, some people from the island would help him.

“Here you go, Sensei.”

“What’s this?”

“Meat sent from the mainland. I’m sharing.”

“Oh, looks great. Thanks.”

“Why don’t you come to the market sometime, Sensei?”

“Well… if I need anything.”

“Geez, that’s why you’ll never get used to the island. Do you put the meat in the freezer?”

Seeing off the back of the girl who ran toward the kitchen as she said this, he smiled bitterly.

“You’re completely used to this already.”

“She’s so full of energy. I feel relieved watching her.”

Whispering, he sat in the chair. He arranged the medical tools needed for the elderly patient about to arrive soon.

“That’s normal for a girl like her.”

“Are you recalling Hanashiro Mari?”

“…”

“Ubuki’s fine. She looks like she never even caught a cold, and most importantly, it doesn’t look as though her dream will catch my attention—”

It happened right before Aria finished talking.

There was a loud bang from the kitchen.

“W-what was that?”

“…Ubuki!”

He leapt out of the chair like a rocket, rushing to the kitchen.

Flying into his line of sight was Ubuki sitting on the floor. He saw white fragments all around her.

“S-Sensei…”

He unconsciously grasped Ubuki’s shoulder as she awkwardly turned around.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you fully conscious?”

“Sensei…?”

What sort of expression was he wearing at the moment? While he was absorbed in checking her wounds, her eyes and her pulse, Ubuki looked at him with surprise.

“Nothing happened to you? Really?”

Holding Ubuki’s cheeks in both hands, he checked her obstinately. She nodded.

“Thank god… Ubuki—”

He hugged the girl’s head. He could faintly smell a sweet dream.

“…”

He felt that Aria Varei inside him sounded like he wanted to say something.

He knew it.

Ubuki was not Mari.

He simply—didn’t want to lose anyone anymore.

“Sensei—”

Ubuki mumbled from within his arms.

“I just thought you haven’t eaten lunch… so I wanted to fix you something up—”

Raising his face, he saw the burnt microwave.

She apparently tried heating a raw egg in it. The fragments strewn about were egg shells.

“—I’m sorry.”

With her cheeks blushing, Ubuki lowered her face and apologized.

He separated from her and was about to impulsively yell at her.

“Haa… what a cliched failure.”

Before that, however, he was told this by his own voice.

“But how did putting meat in the freezer turn into exploding microwaves?”

Pff, he burst laughing.

“T-this really is a mess. I didn’t know that putting meat in the freezer could cause the microwave to explode…!”

“D-don’t laugh at me! It’s always my brothers and sisters cooking meals, so I never—”

“Haha!”

“Sensei, you idiot!”

Her face red, Ubuki flew out of the kitchen. He saw her off while still sitting.

She was fine.

Shirakashi Ubuki stayed as energetic as always.

“She has great fortune, that one.”

“…Yeah.”

Surrounded by broken egg shells, he laughed.

“You really are an insensitive guy, though. She might hate you for laughing so hard, you know? Even though she was your only friend here.”

“You’re the one who made me laugh.”

“You’re the one who decided to laugh, though?”

“Sure, sure. I’ll go apologize after a while.”

Grabbing the egg shells, he pelted them away with a flick.

“When she comes here again.”

Ubuki was not like Mari.

Since she was different, she shouldn’t become like her.

So he could laugh it off.

Until that time—

It had to be some mistake.

That was the first thing he thought.

“No, Sensei! We can’t send a boat to the mainland in this storm!”

It was as though the entire Aoharima Island raised a scream.

Hit directly by a typhoon, the seas, trees, and the small clinic were all exposed to the violent wind.

He could hear the sounds of wind and rain, as well as the residents’ screams—

“Sensei! Save Ubuki…! Please…!”

Why was she laid on the clinic platform in front of him right now?

Someone said she fell from a cliff.

She apparently played around in the strong wind and rain, joking with her friends.

He thought that everything about that explanation was a lie and that perhaps they made fun of him.

“T-this isn’t my fault—” said Aria.

However, it was real blood dripping from Ubuki’s head.

She was already unconscious, her pale face not even twitching.

He knew at a glance that he couldn’t save her in this clinic.

“This time, this isn’t my fault! I can’t bear seeing even someone with a dream I wasn’t aiming for suffering so horrible a fate! This has to be some mistake!”

He ignored the monster inside him growing crazy.

He soothed the island residents clinging to his white coat and drove them out of the surgery room. He mumbled some selfish excuse about bacteria. Clinging to him until the end were Ubuki’s siblings that weren’t related to her by blood. He knew they drowned Ubuki in love as the youngest among them.

“Why! Why did this…!”

Being alone with Ubuki—no, with Aria as well, he crouched at the front of the surgery room.

He gripped the hand of the girl losing her body heat, groaning.

“Say, Aria…”

His hand was trembling.

He didn’t want to feel this again.

He knew that life was spilling away from his hand.

“I wish I hadn’t met you—is me thinking this so late a sin?”

“—”

“Is me thinking that I wish I hadn’t met Mari a sin?”

“…No.”

“Is me wishing to have never met Ubuki a sin?”

“It’s not.”

“Or maybe I’ve done something really bad without knowing? Everything I think now is a sin—and it’s punishment for that?”

The sound of the typhoon hitting against the clinic was loud. Perhaps the restless residents were pounding the doors.

”—He, hehehe.”

Suddenly.

The dream-eating monster laughed derisively.

“You’ve been caught in my trap, idiot.”

“…”

“Believing everything I said and accepting me was the end of your luck! This time my vessel was so friendly it was a piece of cake! Oh, Hanashiro Mari’s dream was scrumptious! And now I have another delicious dream in front of me!”

The edges of his lips rose. Clear droplets plopped down on his knees.

“…Dammit, you really got me.”

“You’re an idiot for falling for it!”

“You monster.”

“Yup, humans are so easy! How many Mushitsuki do you think I gave birth to, until now?!”

“You’re horrible.”

“I’ve deceived so many people! Everyone is idiots!”

His self-derisive laughter overlapped with Aria Varei’s loud laughter.

He grasped Ubuki’s hand hard.

“The only thing you resemble me in, is how badly you lie…”

“…”

“You’re so kind.”

Without Aria Varei, he couldn’t have rewound Mari’s fate.

As well as now.

He couldn’t do anything—

“Much better than me, who’s still hesitating…”

Was him redoing Mari’s fate once really a good fortune?

Since he didn’t know the answer, he hesitated.

If she became a Mushitsuki, she might live through days that were much more painful than death.

Since he knew that and he was only human, he hesitated.

“Say, that once only thing—would it work on another human?”

Although he hesitated, he’d already decided on doing it.

Because he was a human who couldn’t do anything, he could only continue ahead, single-mindedly.

In his minimal resistance, that is.

Until the day he received his punishment and suffered, he could do nothing but struggle.

“I’d never given birth to two Mushitsuki while inside a single vessel…”

“So you don’t know what’ll happen?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Then he was the one who decided.

The sin about to be repeated here was not Aria Varei’s.

“Ubuki—”

He brushed off the sand stuck to Ubuki’s cheek as she lay on the bed. Her face was calm and looked like she was sleeping.

“Sorry for laughing at you, that time.”

He apologized as he wanted to do the next time she came there.

He wouldn’t apologize for making her a Mushitsuki.

It was much too heavy of a sin to beg forgiveness for.

“Please live…”

His whisper, full of emotions, was drowned by the sounds of the typhoon—

Days of peace came to Aoharima Island.

As always, he spent his days examining his regular patients, and at times patients with mild symptoms.

“Take care.”

Seeing off the old man accompanied by his daughter, he stretched his back.

A pleasant wind blew through the island again.

As he saw the blue sky and the trees shaken by the wind and narrowed his eyes, he heard the sound of rubbing metal from his chest. Sticking his hand inside his clothes through his collar, he pulled at the silver necklace.

A proof for having lived—so Mari said.

“Say, Aria.”

Sitting in the clinic, he removed the necklace.

“Is your nose working? Please remember this scent…”

Thinking about something, he spoke to the monster nestling inside him.

“…”

Aria Varei—was still inside him.

However, no reply came even if he waited for a while.

“…Good grief, I’m so lonely.”

As she smiled bitterly, a sweet voice leapt to his ear.

“G’morning, Sensei.”

Peeking into the clinic was a girl with long hair.

He smiled.

“Hello, Ubuki.”

“Your doorplate outside fell again. You gotta fasten it with something.”

“I just think it’d end up falling anyway. What about school?”

“No afternoon classes today.”

Sitting on the spinning chair for patients, Ubuki spun around and laughed.

Shirakashi Ubuki became a Mushitsuki.

He saw her near the usual hill using black wings to soar up into the sky. Her ability was nothing more than allowing her to fly. She didn’t know that he turned her into a Mushitsuki, and hid her being a Mushitsuki from him.

“Ubuki.”

When he presented her with the necklace, Ubuki stopped spinning.

“Wuzzat?”

“A gift that someone important… who was important to me gave me. I’ll give it to you.”

“Really?”

“I want you to have it. …No, I think you should have it.”

He wanted her to live for as long as possible.

He thought so from the bottom of his heart.

He wanted her to live even a day longer and become happy.

“…Thanks.”

Seeing Ubuki happily hug the necklace, he was happy as well.

Following this, she leapt out of the clinic, elated. She probably rushed to show this present to her friends and siblings.

“…Is that fine?”

Inside his head echoed a lazy-sounding voice. He smiled bitterly.

“Mari said this was the proof she lived. If so… it’s not something that I ought to hold onto, since I’d forget her one day.”

“There’s no way she will know about Mari…”

“She’s the same Mushitsuki as Mari, so at least I think she’s something special. Because I’m going to forget even that.”

“…”

“It’s been about three days, Aria. Is it almost time?”

“I really thought it wouldn’t hold for this long… I’m so, so sleepy. Not being able to fall asleep when Ubuki became a Mushitsuki and staying awake is a living hell…”

Aria Varei made Shirakashi Ubuki into a Mushitsuki.

However, he apparently couldn’t go back to sleep. The irregularity that happened once seemingly continued. Even so, it seemed that this wasn’t a full change like it was with Mari, and Aria’s voice sounded like he was in pain.

According to him, it was a feeling like running a marathon right after finishing a marathon—apparently. Aria was already dead tired, and he actually felt him weaken.

“Let’s go on a walk tomorrow, Aria. Before the next appointed mail comes, we’ll go around the island.”

After turning Mari to a Mushitsuki, he decided to go see the sea.

Therefore, he’d do it even after creating his second one.

So he decided.

“—I don’t think there’s any need to leave the island, though.”

Just as promised, the day after he handed over Ubuki’s necklace, one man and creature came on top of the hill.

The sea sparkling from the sunlight spread in their sight.

Although they saw this sight every day, he wasn’t tired of it. This island suited him much more than he thought.

“If I forget only her, she’ll definitely be hurt by this.”

Sitting on the hill where the wind blew, he spoke with a partner that looked just like him.

“And I already found a doctor who’ll come here instead of me.”

“She’s going to get her heart broken.”

“It’s just admiration. —Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact I did something horrible.”

“You really are a sinful man…”

“A man who does nothing but sin is called a sinner.”

He kept committing sins and run away.

And he was going to forget about all of it.

He knew no villain worse than him.

“If you say that, it means that I was a sinner from the very moment of my birth.”

The Original Three called Aria Varei mumbled forlornly.

“Even so, no one begrudges me… none of those I turned into my vessels hated me. If they just hated me, I could become a real monster. All of them were idiots.”

How many people knew of the being called Aria Varei? From what he heard of Aria’s stories, there shouldn’t be many.

Hearing the lonely monster’s lamentations, he asked something that came to mind.

“Say, Aria. Is it really impossible for your vessels to recall you?”

“There’s no way for them to recall me. I’m just made that way. You guys forget everything and have the right to live in bliss. However, if—”

“If?”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s better for you to not remember. Nothing good would come out of it anyway.”

“Say it. It’ll be just our little secret.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“It really is a secret, alright?”

“Yes, just our little secret. I’m going to forget it anyway.”

“Then I’ll say it. Just pretend you haven’t heard it. If one of my past vessels ever ended up remembering me—”

Aria spoke.

“…I’d be very happy.”

He burst into a smile.

It might be so.

Aria Varei might have been a monster drenched in sin—but didn’t quite manage to become a villain.

He could live along with him because he was such a partner.

If Aria was a villain, then he’d become a villain as well. He would go against selling his soul to the devil, and without thinking of his sins as sins, he’d forget everything.

“The wind sure feels nice…”

“Yeah…”

Before parting, they should remember the scent of the island’s wind.

He’d never forget how this pleasant wind felt—

It happened just as he thought this while being caressed by the wind.

“—What’s that?”

Looking at the distant sky, he frowned.

Something was shining.

It looked like a small dot, but it was floating in the sky.

“Something’s… approaching—”

“…!”

He stood up vigorously.

As he gazed at the sky, his hair emitted a blue glow. His unkempt hair rose and his eyes emitted an azure light.

The moment he activated his ability, it came to the island.

It was something thin, long, and emitting smoke.

It reached him instantly from the distance and struck him on the hill.

“—”

Plunge.

The rod large enough to fill his sight buried inside his body—and, while spreading an azure glow, passed through his back.

His permeation ability as Aria Varei saved his life.

However—

“…!”

As he turned to look at the island along with the roaring wind, he tried shouting something.

However, his voice formed no words, and was nothing more than a scream.

The rod that passed through him without inflicting even a scratch went past the hill and hit the center of the island.

The entire island shook.

Large explosions blossomed and a fire column rose.

This was no mere rod.

—It was a missile.

“—”

As he raised a voiceless scream, a bomber jet passed overhead in the speed of sound.

Another missile fell down and the island was engulfed in flames.

“Wh-what is going on…”

Fighter planes were making round trips over the island and a large fleet of ships was visible in the horizon.

Explosions rose and the land shook.

The sinners that were even now gathering on the island, unseen.

Miguruma Yaeko.

The devil of flames.

That was the final day of Aoharima Island, when it was removed from existence.

“WAAAAAAAAAH!”

Screaming at the sight of the burning island, he certainly heard it.

He heard fate laughing at him as he tried to escape and wouldn’t let go—

Part 4[edit]

It is time to speak of a certain tragedy and the devil of flames.

This island was surrounded by a pretty sea, covered in green and had a pleasant wind.

Aoharima Island was beautiful.

Even so—

“What on earth is going on! What’s happening?!”

He rushed through the sea of flames.

Until just now, he was supposed to have been at Aoharima Island.

However, what he could see right now—was nothing but hell.

“Is this reality…?! Hey, Aria! Am I going insane?!”

He could hear a huge explosion from somewhere again.

The residential houses facing the sea built on slanted ground scattered, their fragments flying in air. Even the harbor viewed from afar raised a huge pillar of flames. All the warehouses used for the market were burning.

The island residents that finally got used to him became silent figures in the flames.

Flames, flames, and flames.

Everything was being swallowed by the bright red hellfire—

There was no way this scene belonged to real life.

“Why’s the island being attacked? Why…”

A missile pierced nearby. Flames filled his sight again and the steel column several meters long was aiming for him.

However, his glowing blue hair body slipped through it. Not even the flames could press against him.

If he was a normal person, he would have already died five or six times.

He couldn’t think of any way the completely normal residents of the island would survive this scorching hell—

“Ah… Aaaah…”

He fell to his knees. He simply couldn’t accept the hideous thing happening in front of him.

“It’s burning… stop… don’t burn… why…”

He reached out and another explosion occurred there.

What had they done?

The people of Aoharima Island just lived there, scraping along. They lived peacefully.

Even so, why—

Why were they being taken when they were sinless—

“Hey! Look over there!”

His partner’s voice made him raise his face.

He couldn’t see the sky anymore.

He could only see black smoke.

For just an instant, a hole opened in the curtain of explosive wind.

On top of that hill that could overlook the entire island—was a thin figure.

“That—woman—”

Aria Varei inside him was scared.

He couldn’t see the woman he was told about. It was too far and his vision was blurry with tears, so he couldn’t really tell.

“Damn it! She’s back, then! So that man also—shit! Why would she come back now?! She’s—she’s the one behind this, then?!”

“That… woman…?”

“She’s Miguruma Yaeko!”

It sounded like a familiar name. He was pretty sure he heard that name in Aria’s past story—

“Wasn’t she one of those you told me about? The first Hun—”

His vague mumble was drowned by an explosion.

“She knows my—Aria Varei’s identity! No, she probably doesn’t know it in full, but… damn! Dammit! So she came here after us?! To kill me! Why now…?!”

“She came… after us?”

“But how can that woman do this… there’s no way, that man—the Undying Mushitsuki being at Akamaki was also because of that? They’re in that organization—”

He didn’t care at all about what Aria Varei was mumbling.

“Is this… our… fault?”

His face distorted more and more.

“Because we’ve run away to this place—it’s now—”

This was no good.

He couldn’t bear this sin.

This enormous sin of causing one island to burn down to a crisp and taking the lives of the many residents there was enough to shatter his sanity.

Someone came from the sky and landed on the hill on the other side of the smoke.

That silhouette with black wings—

“Ubuki—”

On top of the hill, he could see Ubuki getting caught by Miguruma Yaeko.

“STOOOOOOOOOP!”

He rushed toward the distant hill.

“I’m right here!”

“Idiot, don’t go there! That girl’s fine, she won’t get killed—”

“Aria Varie’s here! He’s inside me!”

He stumbled and fell.

His ability was unstable. Engulfed by the explosion, he pounded against the wall of a burning building. But he soon rose up again, yelling hard as he tasted blood.

“Take me away! Take just me! We’re your target, right!”

His hair was wrapped in a blue glow again.

He couldn’t die here.

He couldn’t allow himself to die in front of the girl on the hill.

“Why are all people other than me taken away!”

“Calm down! You can’t do anything even if you went there! It’s—too late.”

“WOOOOOOH!”

He tried rushing away, but his body was blown off by an explosion again.

He didn’t remember absolving his ability—

He was pounded against the ground, and even when he raised his face he saw nothing but flames.

How much time would it take him to reach the hill?

How many lives would be lost?

No, perhaps there no longer remained anyone living on the island except for him and Ubuki—

“Aah… AaaAAAaaah…”

Even as he clung to a power pole and raised his body, he no longer had the strength to stand up. Covering his soot-covered face with both hands, he could do nothing but cry.

He didn’t want to see that anymore.

He couldn’t bear it anymore—

“Why… why is this… damn…”

“Stand—before I… fall asleep again…”

Aria’s voice was very weak.

The azure glow was vanishing from his hair. Due to suddenly using a lot of power, Aria Varei’s sleep was probably being hastened.

“Stand up… please…”

He cursed Aria Varei.

He told him to stand?

He told him to stand up again on his two legs to see this sight?

These were the cruelest words he heard in his life.

“Aaah… what have I even done wrong…”

He covered his face with both hands and wailed.

“Come on, stand up…”

“Why did it have to happen to me… forgive me already…”

“Stand up…”

“Whose fault is it…? Is it all my fault…? Was making Mari into a Mushitsuki a sin…?”

“I’m the one at fault for everything… so…”

“Was making Ubuki into a Mushitsuki, a sin…? Or was it my very meeting with those two girls? No, perhaps the issue was meeting with you…? The fact that you’re still inside me…?”

“You’ve done nothing wrong… you just had bad luck…”

“Or is everything… my punishment? Even the fact I’m suffering right now…”

It was useless.

The important things supporting him all snapped off.

He was going to die here.

If it would end his suffering, if it would balance everything, he wanted to die as soon as possible.

However, the unceasing explosions as well as the raging flames just sneered at him without swallowing him. At this critical moment, his bad luck didn’t manifest.

Fate would never forgive him for attempting even the tiniest bit of resistance—

“Stand up… already…”

“…”

“I’m already… at my limit…”

“…”

“But if this… continues… it will be too much hopeless…”

“…This is your fault—”

His tears stopped. He grimaced.

“Everything—is your fault. You monster.”

“Yeah, it’s my fault… these sins are my own…”

“How dare you speak like that at this point? Go away.”

“Don’t act so conceited, mortal… how ridiculous. Don’t get carried away, thinking everything’s your own fault…”

“I wish I hadn’t met you.”

“You were an idiot to be taken in by me… what was it that you said at the time?”

“…”

“Oh, right. The minimal resistance—was it?”

“…”

“It really was useless. Just saving one or two kids wouldn’t even—”

“—What was that?”

These were words that must not be said.

He wouldn’t allow them to anyone, be they god or devil.

Whether his deeds were good or evil—was postponed.

The only ones allowed to judge him were Hanashiro Mari or Shirakashi Ubuki.

He’d allow only them to decide this—

“Useless… you said…?”

“Yes, it was useless… and it was none other than you who decided it was so…”

“…I never decided anything like that…”

“No, you’re not even trying to stand up. You’re trying to quit here.”

“Quit, you said…”

“Right. Quit doing your minimal resistance…”

“…”

“—There might be some people still alive.”

He widened his eyes.

Removing his hands from his eyes, he stared at the sea of flames.

People still alive in this hell?

That was—

“Impossi—”

“See, you just decided on your own. That it was useless…”

“…!”

“You wanted to make the minimal resistance against fate, death or whatever, right? —If you decided to not do that here right now, then everything you’ve done in the past… would be worthless… You yourself would be taking away those girls’ right to decide…”

He stood up shakily.

It wasn’t his own will. He was supported by what was already long broken.

As if something else pulled him up, he put both legs on the ground.

“You were the one who decided to become a doctor, right…? And yet you’re throwing that away right here?”

“…”

“You’re—a Sensei, aren’t you?”

His legs stepped in awkwardly.

He’d already lost his reasoning power.

Something just moved him.

His body was moving on its own.

He ran.

“…!”

Giant bullets filled with death rained down on him.

His hair glowed blue as he weaved through the persistent bombardment.

He ran through the island filled with despair with a ragged breath.

However, he couldn’t sense any signs of life anywhere—

“UuhUUhh…!”

Within the rain of bullets, he kept running while sobbing.

The fragments that leapt to him from the side ripped his entire body.

His ability as Aria Varei couldn’t be kept indefinitely. If he activated it for several seconds, there was a time lag until he could use it again. Furthermore, as Aria’s powers were currently weakened, the ability was unstable.

“Guh…!”

Although his heart had already broken.

Although he’d already yielded to despair.

The smile passing through his mind moved him.

What made the two girls into Mushitsuki was Aria Varei’s power.

What made Aria Varei do that was their beautiful dreams.

There was no meaning for him as a person.

He was just a medium.

He simply got involved with this monster and his prey as a spectator.

“Uugh…!”

However, he undoubtably existed there.

—Thank you, Sensei…

Hanashiro Mari smiled.

—G’morning, Sensei.

Shirakashi Ubuki smiled.

The two girls called his name.

Never mind that it wasn’t his actual name.

They called the name “Sensei”.

Therefore, he had to be Sensei who saved lives—

“Left, Sensei!”

As if pulled away, he turned to the left.

“Something moved… I’m definitely not wrong!”

He kicked at the ground—no, at the sea of fire powerfully.

And he found it.

Near one of the collapsed houses was a collapsed boy. He’d somehow escaped from the window, but apparently got knocked out by the explosive wind.

The wind wailed.

“Oh no—a missile—”

He ran.

A large explosion blew the house to smithereens.

“—”

On top of the flame-covered ground, him and the boy were engulfed in azure light.

He’d managed to protect him in the nick of time. He hugged the boy and checked his pulse.

“Uh…”

The boy groaned.

He was alive—

“WOOOOOH!”

Wringing out his strength, he held the boy and ran.

Weaving between explosions, passing through the sea of flames, he rushed out of the hell in a straight line.

He came to the place that used to be the clinic. It was already blown to smithereens, and there were no traces even of the small shack.

He activated his power where the shack used to be.

He sank into the ground along with the boy—

Thud, he landed inside the underground cellar. It was sturdy enough to escape the bombardment.

The boy’s condition was not severe. He had a slight concussion and breathed in some smoke. If he stabilized the boy here, he would probably soon wake up.

Putting the boy on the floor, he rushed away. He used his powers to pass through the door cut out of the ceiling.

And—he ran into hell again.

“Ugh…”

“You can’t sleep yet, Aria!”

While passing through the wall of flames, he shouted.

“You have to accompany me to the very end—”

His minimal resistance.

To make that come true, he offered his own body up to the monster called Aria Varei.

“I won’t let you get away alone after all this time—”

“I—know this…”

How many times had he passed through the flames?

He felt as if it was an eternity.

But in actuality, it was perhaps not even an hour.

He ran through the island, and yet only managed to save—

“…”

Other than the boy he’d saved at first, there was only one baby.

The baby’s crying echoed in the underground cellar.

He lay it down gently next to the boy.

“Live… please, even if only the two of you…”

Speaking as if in prayer, he turned his back to the boy and baby. There was enough food here, too. They could survive until the flames on the surface all died down.

“The SEPB extermination troops might be sent here soon… Even if they can’t escape on their own, they might be found by them… they probably wouldn’t be killed…”

“…That is reassuring to hear…”

Mumbling this, he went back to the hellish landscape.

He ran through the island. He did whatever he could.

Even so—there were only two people.

No, if he included the girl he’d turned into a Mushitsuki, there were three, perhaps.

Only three people survived.

“Ah… oh god…”

He looked over the completely transformed Aoharima Island again.

The smoke was cut into by explosions.

His eyes locked with the woman looking up the hill.

Miguruma Yaeko—

“Looks like I finally found you… Aria…”

The long-haired woman spun her body.

That woman was coming to kill him—

“Why couldn’t you have held for just a bit longer…”

There was one more being he could have saved.

Aria Varei.

If he’d lasted just a bit longer, perhaps he’d have been able to see off the kind monster inside him.

“In just a short while, he would’ve fallen asleep…”

He lost his strength and fell to his knees.

“So at this point… you’re trying to save even me…”

“Even though I said I wasn’t going to run away and don’t have any power to resist…”

If he’d pretended that Aria Varei was still inside him, it might have ended with just him being killed. That was—his only regret.

“What’s my fault here? You were trying to save me before too. So I lied. I pretended everything was my fault, and even at the edge of despair, I could be the only one to escape… even that was what you call the minimal resistance…”

“…”

“I talked a lot with you, but in the end, I have the feeling we were both pessimistic…”

“Yes, exactly. I have the feeling we’ve discussed nothing but despair…”

In front of his battered body, an angel of death alighted down.

He was clad in flames, swam through the flames, and had shining, flaming eyes. It was much scarier than a grim reaper, like a devil.

“—Damn, this is really terrible. Just like when I was born. Is this my nostalgic hometown, my guardian deity?”

That boy was apparently called Sehateno Harukiyo.

Hearing this was a fight to exterminate Aria Varei—Sanbikime—he landed on Aoharima as if going for a pleasant trip.

Sensei and the devil.

The two sinners conversed for a short while inside the flames of hell.

“Kill me… Wishing for this is definitely illogical… we can’t die until killed by the those who should kill us… I don’t want to be killed by a mere passerby, of all people…”

He spoke with a hoarse voice.

Killing him—was the right that belonged to those he turned Mushitsuki.

Would they begrudge him for this?

Although he was resolved for it, he was simply worried by this sentence coming down on him one day.

“I’ll forget my crime. I won’t have any sensation of it. Is there anything—as sinful as that?”

Harukiyo twitched. He erased his smile.

“I also think that.”

“Perhaps I was simply involved in fate, misfortune and all that. But as a result I’ve had a carefree life…”

“Yeah, you’ve been the only one surviving. That’s the result.”

“But when I turn back on it, I end up thinking. Perhaps everything is my own fault…”

“It’s so useless that there’s no sense in keeping thinking about it. I’ve thought about it thousands, millions of times.”

“In the end, I found no answer…”

“Obviously. An answer that comes out just ‘cuz you feel like it is no answer at all.”

“…Perhaps it was just a ‘disaster’. Perhaps I just have slightly more bad luck than people… even so—I tried doing something.”

Right.

He simply resisted.

He just did the minimal resistance against the thing called fate trying to drag him to death.

When he made Mari into a Mushitsuki, Aria Varei stopped.

But he didn’t stop.

“But it was all for naught… so I started thinking that was my sin…”

In the end he couldn’t save Mari.

Had he been able to save that girl in the true meaning of the word?

Ever since coming to Aoharima Island, it bothered him all along.

Were there any people who’d remember her as she was fighting her disease and living desperately?

Thinking just this—and was then shocked.

“I’m looking for Hunter.”

That name flew from the mouth of the devil in front of his eyes.

Tears welled up.

Coming here, he met someone looking for Hanashiro Mari.

Mari’s dream ended up connected even now as it was trying to die?

Then perhaps it continued.

Perhaps her dream’s continuation connected with someone at a place he knew nothing about?

He embraced this expectation.

“Her name’s Hanashiro Mari…”

“For real…? Wait, wait, wait, for real, for real, for real, for real?! If you’re lying then I’ll fucking kill you!”

When he saw the boy’s eyes gleaming as if he was in love, he decided to play a little prank on it.

“Her sickroom—is in Akamaki City.”

He even gave him some hints about her diary. He couldn’t tell if the boy elated with his zeal heard it or not.

“—Go west. The boat I’ve taken is there.”

Harukiyo said.

“I’ll draw out the enemies ‘till you get there. I’m letting you live on a whim.”

“…”

“I dunno if your sin really is a sin! You don’t even feel guilt! No matter how you think, you don’t find an answer! So I decided—I’m going to let the result decide it all!”

Let the result decide it, huh.

He agreed.

Since he was so sinful, he wasn’t allowed to decide by himself whether to live or die.

There were other people that should decide that—

“—That’s what I recommend. You do it too.”

Asserting this, the boy in love added another sin to his collection. Once Harukiyo knew that Hunter was no longer alive, he’d definitely be angry.

Meaning, he took the right to choose death from him, and gave it to Harukiyo too. If Harukiyo came one day to kill him, that would be fine.

“—Let’s go, Aria,” he said. “Our sins are heavy… it seems like we need to try living desperately before our deaths.”

Man and creature then conversed for a while.

“I see… then I… will sleep again.”

Aria. If we ever meet again, call out to me. Let’s live together again—

He inquired in his heart.

Living together with a kind-hearted monster wasn’t bad at all.

“Well, that is unfortunate. I have had a prior arrangement. A certain girl obsessed with her younger brother. Thinking back on it, even this personality might be some remnant from her.”

I see, what a pity. I even had a great idea about this—

“Oh? What is it…?”

You’ve got a good nose, right? I thought that once you become a cocoon, you can go into that necklace I gave to Ubuki. If I find it, I might remember—

“Well… work hard on it.”

Even if I can’t do it, someone will definitely come to you. Someone who lived with you before—

“Why are you thinking of living with someone like me again… everyone I ever possessed were all such idiots. Ah, I’m so happy.”

I’m going to forget you now—

“Yeah…”

Then… take me too. You said there might be some effect from your previous host, so take something from me, Sensei, as well—

“…”

The life of the girl called Hanashiro Mari as well—

“…”

The next time you’d be in someone, we’ll all be one Aria Varei—

“Got it.”

When Aria was gone, he would lose that name.

The name of Sensei.

He’d go back to being himself before becoming his internship.

The man called Sensei who continued the minimal resistance would be gone—

“Goodbye, Aria Varei.”

“Goodbye… —Sensei.”

They then parted into one person and one creature.

Aria Varei became a cocoon somewhere and resumed sleeping—

And as for him—

“…Where am I…?”

In the burning Aoharima Island, he lost the name of Sensei.

If he went west, there would be a boat—

He accepted this odd premonition and was saved from the scorching hell.

Being carried to the hospital where he landed ashore, he spent more than a year to heal his expended fatigue, stamina and hurt body.

When he finished his rehabilitation, he thought about heading to the place directly ahead of him.

He had the feeling that he had to.

Guided by this strange sense of duty, his feet took him to the capital of Akamaki City—

Part 5[edit]

It is time to speak of—…

He tried to.

He tried to pass it along.

About him and his partner.

About the two girls.

Even so, he remembered nothing.

Just like a storyteller dying his Kamishibai^[1] screen in white.

He was supposed to use words, gestures and gesticulations to talk about what he saw, heard, as well as—obtained.

And then ask for the audience’s impressions.

—How was it?

Like that.

Without hearing the answer, he wouldn’t be able to move forward.

“How do you feel?”

As he sat against the wall, Ichinokuro Arisu peeked at him, worried.

Right, she was Ichinokuro Arisu. He knew her. However, he couldn’t remember when and where he’d met Arisu. She didn’t seem to know him.

“I feel much better, thanks. What should I do about your handkerchief?”

While holding his brow, he raised his face.

As the lights in the scramble crossing turned green, people started moving all at once.

Akamaki City. He’d been an intern doctor here nearly two years ago.

He’d finished his internship there without any major incidents, and then applied to become a doctor on an isolated island on a whim. He worked there without any major incidents, except that one day the island burned down.

His memories of the time were fuzzy. What on earth was that? Had there been some scary disaster? He’d barely escaped with his life, boarded a boat he’d found by chance, and escaped the island.

After finishing off his long treatment and rehabilitation, he came back to Akamaki City.

He hid his face with a scarf because he felt like he had to do.

Anyway, how to put it—he felt as if he was possessed by a very convenient delusion.

Also, he felt as if he was too late.

Wasn’t what he felt he needed to tell was something already talked about by someone?

He had this feeling.

“I’ll give it to you as a present.”

Seeing Arisu wear a carefree smile, a certain sight passed through his mind.

This is my present, to you …

He couldn’t recall the face of the one who told him this. He also forgot what he received.

“…Thank you.”

“You started crying all of a sudden. I got surprised.”

Arisu sat right next to him.

Still sitting on the ground, he scratched his hair. He was still a little dizzy.

“It’s probably heatstroke. I feel blurry and confused. But I’m fine.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear.”

“Ah…”

“Hmm? What?”

He had to tell someone about it. So he thought.

However, his mouth was unable to form the words. Although he had something he needed to ask, he couldn’t remember it.

“No—it’s nothing.”

Arisu tilted her head, confused.

“Are you still here? I’m worried that you’d collapse again.”

“What should I do…”

“What should you do… what were you doing here? Work?”

“O-oh, yeah. Err—I had something I needed to ask of a girl like you.”

He absently let his mouth run off.

—You’re such an idiot!

Someone should have naturally scolded him at such times.

He couldn’t remember who scolded him.

“Oh, you’re doing a survey!”

Arisu made a convenient interpretation of his words. Well, a survey fit the idea of wanting to ask someone in a place full of people. He simply nodded.

“Yeah, right.”

“What were you asking about?”

“…”

He soon regretted the fact he nodded.

He was looking for someone to ask them something. There was no doubt about that.

However, he had no idea what were the questions he wanted to raise.

“You don’t have anything with you, though…? Wait, have you lost your survey papers?”

“—O-oh, yeah, exactly.”

Arisu looked at him with eyes full of pity. She looked like she wanted to point out how much of an idiot he was despite being an adult. He wanted to run away.

“Do you have any idea where you lost it?”

“…I don’t, so I can’t go look for it.”

“Do you remember what was written in it?”

“…Not at all.”

“Then it’s hopeless.”

“I’m frankly at a complete loss…”

He should have had a plain life.

At some point he was supposed to hold a very important Kamishibai performance. However, the story he needed to tell was dyed completely in white and he lost it.

A narrator who lost his story could do nothing but vainly stand in place—

“Hah…”

Arisu sighed. Seeing that profile, so unsuitable for such an energetic girl, he thought to himself.

“You look tired as well.”

“I’ve been running around a lot today. I met up with friends and asked them for a favor.”

“Favor?”

“Do you know the Perseid meteor shower?”

“Oh… it’s already the season for it.”

“There’s something I have to do that day. I want them to help me with it.”

“Having a party?”

“Not something quite that fun, but… I hope it goes well.”

Arisu seemed like she was going to stay by his side until he recovered. While watching the crowds at the scramble intersection, they conversed.

Just like friends. Or perhaps siblings.

“—Why does your face look so lonely?”

As he spoke with some bitterness mixed in his voice, Arisu was startled. She pouted.

“I’m not.”

“Had a fight with a friend?”

“A fight…”

“If it’s stupid, I’ll hear it. I still have some time until I can stand up.”

After thinking a bit, Arisu opened her mouth. There were some things she could talk about because they were complete strangers.

“After seeing the meteor swarm—everyone will grow apart.”

“…”

“Everyone has their own things to do… even the one who’s finally become our friend will go to Ouka City. Rina—one of my friends—has many people counting on her, so I don’t know if she’s even going to appear at all during the meteor swarm, too…”

“…”

“And the one most important to me, too… I’ll definitely find the answer until then.”

Arisu raised her face.

In the sky where the sounds of the crowds and cars honking mixed together, a butterfly glowing in silver was dancing.

It was a silver Morpho butterfly.

“Saying goodbye is lonely…”

Looking up at the fluttering butterfly, he mumbled this.

For some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at it.

“And painful too…”

Arisu looked down, wordless.

“Since it hurts so much—is parting a punishment?”

He unconsciously mumbled.

“If it’s punishment, then is the meeting itself a punishment as well?”

Arisu was silent, lightly kicking pebbles with the tip of her shoe.

Was meeting itself a punishment—

Trying to voice that, he was convinced.

Right—he came back to the city in order to ask this.

He was able to ask what he needed to, from none other than the one he needed to ask.

He had this conviction.

“You wish you hadn’t met in the first place…?”

There was no mistake.

He’d met someone precious in this city and did something to them.

He wanted to ask whether or not it was a sin of someone who knew about his doing.

What he did was meaningless—

If that was a sin, he came back in order to receive punishment.

“—No.”

Arisu shook her head to the side.

“I’m glad we’ve met.”

Looking genuinely happy, the ponytail girl smiled.

He was taken in by her smile.

Ichinokuro Arisu’s transparent smile overlapped with the smile of an unknown girl.

On top of a sickbed.

The girl hugging a picture book and smiling happily—

“I’m even grateful to the fate that let us meet.”

“…Even if it was an especially twisted fate?”

“Yeah. It’s an important memory, after all.”

“…”

“Even if we grow apart, I will—never forget.”

Never forget.

For some reason, these words caused him pain.

“…I see.”

He found himself smiling as well.

This was his first genuine smile ever since escaping Aoharima Island.

A load off of his shoulders—was how it felt.

He felt as though he finally escaped the heavy fate.

“As long as we don’t forget—we’ll definitely reunite with our feelings intact.”

He looked up at the Morpho butterfly.

He had the feeling he’d met someone he was never supposed to have met again.

However, he was apparently no longer needed. The Morpho butterfly just passed overhead and returned to Arisu.

His role in this city was already over.

“Alright—”

He pulled his back away from the wall and stood up. Arisu raised her face.

“What about your survey?”

“Yeah. Actually, I’ve been offered work at a hospital that took care of me before. I’ll just go back being a professional.”

“Eh, were you a doctor?”

Arisu looked surprised. He was already used to him not looking the part.

“If you’re a doctor… then you’ve parted with many patients, right?”

Arisu asked, full of hesitation. She was probably not asking about patients being discharged.

“Well, yeah.”

“Isn’t it painful? Or are you already used to such things?”

Arisu turned serious; perhaps she’d had experience in being separated from someone by death.

He scratched his unkempt hair with his fingertips, smiling bitterly.

“At the very least, for me… it is painful. And sad, too.”

“How can you keep going if it’s sad?”

“—I believe it’s the minimal resistance I can offer.”

“…?”

“I’m already fed up with being sad. If I can’t keep resisting it being that way… if I give up somewhere, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to face the people I’ve seen off until now.”

I’m probably just parroting someone—

He added in his heart.

Continue resisting.

He had the feeling that the one closest to him told him this.

“…”

Arisu was speechless. However, silently—and happily—she was just smiling.

“—Ugh.”

Suddenly, her cute smile twisted. Seeing the other side of the crossing, she rose up.

“Crap, it’s Daisuke.”

As he turned around, he could see a boy on the other corner of the scramble crossing. The boy glared at Arisu with like those of a predator spotting its prey.

“If I’d explain to him that I snuck out of the house to meet Rina, would he understand? No, it’s definitely hopeless. He’s already cracking his fists and making a violent face.”

“Right… those are some nasty eyes. I don’t know your circumstances, but I think you should escape as soon as possible.”

“Goodbye, Sensei!”

The same moment as the lights for pedestrians changed, Arisu dashed off.

“—”

He widened his eyes.

Sensei—

That name had a very nostalgic sound to it.

“Please become a good Sensei!”

Turning around and leaving him behind, Ichinokuro Arisu ran to the other side of the crossing.

After that, the boy called Daisuke chased her with a scary look in his eyes.

For a moment, he and the boy in mad pursuit after Arisu—locked eyes.

However, they exchanged not a single word.

They just passed one by another.

“Sensei, huh—”

He turned his back to the boy and girl who were playing catch.

Wrapping the scarf around him again, he hid the faint smile rising to his lips.

Although it was so common calling doctors that, he felt as if it had some special meaning.

Everything about his role was over.

Therefore, from now on—

“Isn’t that name too much for me. …Don’t you think so as well?”

He would retrieve what he’d lost.

He thought he’d become Sensei.

While whispering to someone who’d always been at his side—

He left Akamaki City.

To be continued…

Afterword[edit]

Hello, this is Iwai Kyouhei.

The Bug series, too, passed its 7th volume.

Even the contents of this work, which was serialized in the magazine The Sneaker, already give the premonition of us approaching the largest excitement of the series.

Since this series also receives high praise, I am overjoyed. Thanks to that as well, I will now ramp up the excitement to my heart’s content along with my cheering fans.

Now then, as I’ve done in the past, I will supplement a bit about each story.

The Secret Pledge of Dreams.

Serialized in the magazine. Harukiyo’s dream is revealed.

The thing called a dream has many shapes, and even what the person themselves says might not be the truth. They might even unconsciously speak the opposite of their true opinion. Most likely, even Harukiyo himself doesn’t understand whether he’s like that or not.

This is a digression, but I hesitated a lot about the subtitle of this chapter.

The Rumble of Dreams.

Another one from the magazine. With a sudden twist and sudden acceleration.

A short while after Daisuke finally opened his heart to people around him, the situation made a sudden move.

There are times when the environment begins to suddenly change as if it was ordered so. People around you are suddenly growing apart, and fortune and misfortune overlap. You might look back at that time and realize for the first time that this was the opportunity for many changes since then.

Since you got off to a good start, there’s nothing to do but run ahead, hoping for a good goal.

No matter the change, I want to greet the time of that signal with such powerful feelings.

The Dream-Foreboding Gathering.

Another one from the magazine. The strongest Mushitsuki lineup. —No, only this work’s heroine is lacking in various meanings.

I believe that people have a thing called a vector. Meaning, the size and direction of any force. There are many sources of powers, but, as an example, there’s influence. People with strong vectors are like those who have many admirers that are gathering supporters, but if their sense of direction is the opposite, they gather fear.

The strong Mushitsuki of this work all possess strong vectors. However, their direction is not the same. If they clash, that influence is incalculable.

If they tried protecting against that clash, standing in the middle—how would it become?

They’d probably be unable to withstand the damage, if they had a half-hearted resolve.

The Narrator Resisting Dreams.

A new story. The Sensei chapter.

This is a novelette where I tried all sorts of things. I do try things most of the time when I write novellas or novels, but this time even the atmosphere of the writing itself might have changed.

Even that girl who doesn’t appear in the Bug series came here. I hope readers of the main series will enjoy it as well.

By the way, I remember Sensei being relatively popular. He barely made any appearance thus far, so why…? This is one of Mushi Uta’s seven great mysteries.

I now offer my thanks to the editorial department, including my editor, as well as the great llo-sama who helped with illustrations. And above all else, to the readers cheering on me. Thank you very much.

The series coming this far and still continuing is thanks to the support of many people.

I wrote this at the beginning of the afterword, but the Bug series is approaching its biggest spectacle.

Please do accompany me to the continuation and to the climax.

Iwai Kyouhei

Notes[edit]

↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamishibai

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[1] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamishibai

[1]

Mushi Uta:Volume 7th

Novel Illustrations[edit]

Episode 25. The Secret Pledge of Dreams[edit]

Part 1[edit]

Part 2[edit]

Part 3[edit]

Episode 26. The Rumble of Dreams[edit]

Part 1[edit]

Part 2[edit]

Part 3[edit]

Part 4[edit]

Episode 27. The Dream-Foreboding Gathering[edit]

Part 1[edit]

Part 2[edit]

Part 3[edit]

Part 4[edit]

Episode 28. The Narrator Resisting Dreams[edit]

Part 1[edit]

Part 2[edit]

Part 3[edit]

Part 4[edit]

Part 5[edit]

Afterword[edit]

Notes[edit]

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