Mushi Uta:Volume 7th Episode 26

Episode 26. The Rumble of Dreams

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

“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.

Notes

Back to Episode 25

Return to Main Page

Forward to Episode 27