Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 9 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.04 Nihei The Last ==
Christy’s singing voice spread all over MOCC.

The dark-colored feathers created midair began falling down toward Nihei and the rest.

“Watch ou…!”

Grabbing both Nanana and Shiika into a hug, he threw them to the ground.

A vibration shook the shrine.

Roaring sound like the simultaneous fire of a battle helicopter wrapped Nihei and the rest. The sound of asphalt getting blown to pieces echoed and the debris scattered around.

“Ugh…!”

The impact that hit Nihei in the back caused him to grimace.

“''Laaaaaaa—''”

Christy, the beauty floating high in the night sky, was singing. In the sky that was as dark as though painted by thick ink, she watched empty space with her eye made with darkness-colored eyeline and her darkness-colored lips opened wide.

“Ni—Nihei-san—”

Held by him, Shiika glanced at his back and became speechless.

In an instant he felt like he was about to faint. But Nihei gritted his teeth and held on.

“I’m fine, so… m-more importantly, Shiika-chan—can you really handle this opponent?”

“Eh…?”

“’If it was at least some spacious area with no people around’—you said this, right?”

Hearing Nihei’s words, Shiika gasped and looked around her.

Several of the black-suited men were hit by Christy’s attack and collapsed. Probably hit directly by the feathers, they were drowning in a sea of blood. The remaining people raised screams and shot toward the thing floating in the sky, or ran while screaming.

“Please run away.”

Shiika changed her expression. She rose up from Nihei’s arm, looking up at Christy.

“I will do something about her…!”

“Knew we could count on you. So, good luck.”

“Ah… ah…?”

Nihei also rose up, grabbing Nanana whose face was twisted with fear.

“Let’s run, Nanana-chan!”

“Run, Nanana.”

Speaking this calmly, Shiika raised her arms as if in acceptance of something.

There was a shrill whistling sound as some small light alighted down.

On top of Shiika’s hands, a Mushi the size of a fist appeared. This was Nihei’s first time seeing it, but it was probably Shiika’s Mushi. It didn’t look powerful, but he had the feeling that something unthinkable was about to happen.

“Miss secretary, here…!”

Nihei grimaced, calling toward the woman kneeling far from them.

The secretary gasped. She ran toward them.

Nanana raised an eyebrow.

“Are you going to leave Shiika here and run…? Also, that woman…!”

“Shuddup! It’s fine, just run…!”

He dragged Nanana away from Shiika.

“This is no longer a safe place for any of us…!”

“''Laaaaaaa''—”

The soprano voice was rising yet again.

Countless black feathers were formed next to the songstress floating in air. They almost looked as though they had been plucked from Christy’s feather cap, and their sharp edges were all pointed at Nihei’s group.

But then a whisper interrupted Christy’s singing voice.

“Break…”

It was Shiika’s voice.

However, Shiika herself did not open her mouth, but simply faced her Mushi intently.

“Only a bit…”

Suddenly.

A small hole opened up in the night sky that Christ’s darkness interrupted.

Coming from there was a fragment of light.

A single snowflake.

This unreliable snow grazed Christy.

At that moment—

“''Laaaaaa''—”

The hem of Christy’s dress was destroyed. An ear-grating sound of destruction assaulted their eardrums as if the very space itself was being sheared. The snow that destroyed the dress’s hem preserved its unchanging shine, and one after another the darkness-colored feathers floating in the skies were being destroyed.

And—the snow kept falling to the ground as if there was no obstacle at all.

A large earthquake rocked the shrine.

The local quake pierced the ground, covering the asphalt in haphazard and bottomless fissures.

“''Laaaaaa''—”

“Break…”

Christy produced more feathers and Shiika made more snow fall.

The night sky was breaking down.

Snowflakes clad in a pale glow distorted, cracked and dispersed the darkness concealing the starry sky. Not just the darkness but even the lights of the stars became twisted and the full moon glanced in the night sky was distorted to a strange shape.

“—”

Nihei, Nanana and the secretary watched this, awestruck.

“Please run…! Before that snow falls…!”

Shiika, her brow covered with beads of sweat, said without turning around.

Nihei and the rest shook. It was just like Shiika said. Even a single flake of snow could turn the ground beneath their feet to a wreck. And if this endless snow was to fall—there was no doubt that the entire area would crumble, leaving nothing of its original form.

Why had Shiika done nothing during Christy’s attack outside the Akasegawa Offices?

The answer to this now lay in the sight in front of him.

If she used her powers in the middle of town—the number of victims would be much more than what Christy could do.

“…!”

Pulling Nanana by the hand, Nihei broke into a run. Sotheby had already vanished at some point.

“A-anyway—we need to get as far as—”

When he tried passing near the shrine, strength left his legs. He fell to his knees.

“Nihei…?”

“Nihei-kun, you—”

The secretary that ran along with them went silent when she saw Nihei. She was glaring at his back.

“No, I’m fine—anyway, we have to—”

While pouring cold sweat all over, Nihei rose again. At his back Shiika and Christy kept fighting.

Obviously, he wasn’t fine.

His back hurt like it was scorched—when he’d saved Nanana and Shiika, one of Christy’s feathers grazed his back. He knew that the laceration reached all the way to his bone. From the blood that dripped down his back and down at his feet, he knew this wasn’t a shallow wound.

But Nihei couldn’t worry about it.

Getting injured was within his expectations. Since he was a helpless coward and had no luck or talent, he already anticipated that there was no way he’d get out of this large battle zone unscathed.

He had that level of resolve in the first place.

But he mustn’t lose consciousness.

If he fainted here, his fate would be sealed and he wouldn’t be able to do anything—

“Quickly—come—”

Those words were not directed at Nanana or the secretary.

He tried running with an unsteady gaze, and apparently Nanana and the secretary came with him.

“Uh… Nihei… there’s so much blood—”

“You shouldn’t move anymore. Let us stop your bleeding here.”

The secretary’s words didn’t feel real.

Nihei could see the black suits approaching them.

“Shit—”

“Ahh…”

Nanana grimaced. The black suits all held automatic handguns. Other than those that came with the secretary, they were probably stationed inside MOCC.

Nanana pushed the secretary away.

“W-why are you coming with us! You were the one who let him know where we were!”

“—Allow me to apologize, Chairman.”

The secretary spoke calmly. However, she lightly bit her lips.

“I thought that Munakata was trying to take some action regarding the Foundation… but I didn’t think he would move this fast. I accepted his order to secure Akasegawa Nanana without thinking about it…”

“Wha…”

“His affiliated businesses made some suspicious movements… he probably let them inside the Foundation. I was unable to calculate what he was doing—but most likely, they intend to take over the Foundation. That is why he needed to assassinate the Chairman—you, lady Nanana.”

“No—”

Nihei grimaced, putting a hand on the building. He lost so much blood. Even just standing up became difficult.

“Munakata—trying to provoke it—”

While sending an empty gaze at the black suits, Nihei grinded his teeth.

“The Paradigm Shift—is coming—”

Probably not understanding what he was talking about, Nanana and the secretary just stared at him.

“It’s coming—the Paradigm Shift—”

Nihei clenched his fist. However, he was very weak and his vision was blurring.

“Shit—just a bit more—at this rate, I’ll—”

“W-what are you talking about, Nihei! I don’t understand you at all!”

“I also do not think this can end well for us. Let us split here.”

Nanana clung to him while the secretary was about to rise. He grabbed both of their arms.

“No—you two need to be near me—if both of you aren’t here—the Paradigm Shift won’t—”

Strength was leaving his body.

While his consciousness was about to cut off, bitterness rose up from within him.

Most likely, everybody including Nihei himself thought that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.

That was true.

Nihei could never win the auction. On top of that, he had no way to overcome what was going to happen now.

That was why Nihei did it.

Only a few more minutes.

No, if he could speak just one more sentence it would be enough.

Even so—

“The Paradigm Shift—is coming—and I’m—”

While the black suits were running, they aimed their guns at them.

“—”

Nihei and the rest readied their resolve and closed their eyes.

A piercing engine noise shook MOCC.

The lights of a vehicle tore through the darkness and the thicket on the other side of the men was broken.

Going over the hedge, a jeep leapt in. Sliding on its back wheels with shrill braking noises, it blew the men away while drifting.

The lone man that escaped the car ramming readied his gun. Yet something like a thin stick pierced his arm. —The jeep’s driver had shot the man using a crossbow.

Revving up the engine again, the jeep advanced toward Nihei and the rest. Just before it crashed into them its back wheels slid to the side and the passenger seat door opened toward them.

The girl sitting in the driver’s seat was familiar.

“—Thank you for using our services. I am Handyman Kirari☆.”

“K-Kirari—”

Nanana stood in shock.

The driver grabbing the wheel was the handyman girl who’d once introduced Nihei to Mushibane. Ikarino Kirari.

“Hurry. Put the wounded in the back seat.”

The secretary acted fast. She practically threw Nanana into the passenger seat, and carried Nihei in a hug to the backseat.

“Ugh…!”

The moment the door closed, Kirari took the jeep in reverse. The vibration caused a sharp pain in Nihei’s back and he grimaced.

“Lower your head, Nanana. And you there, take care of him. There is a first aid kit at your feet.”

“You really—came—”

Nihei smiled weakly. The newly appeared men drew the trigger toward the jeep. Kirari skillfully handled the wheel to rotate the car and stomped the gas pedal.

“Sorry—the reward I was supposed to pay you—I’ve already used all of it—”

Nihei was the one to have called Kirari.

The ad for “Handyman Kirari☆” he’d seen before had an address. Since Nihei had memorized it, he’d also called there after calling the secretary. —If she’d quit her job or moved out it would’ve been useless.

“Please don’t speak. It’ll affect your wounds…”

Unlike her sharp driving skill and decision-making ability, the tone of the driver was kind.

On top of not paying her reward, she might have gotten the Akasegawa Foundation as an enemy—

Even so, Kirari accepted Nihei’s request. Her overly calm response even made her thought that she wasn’t actually coming.

But she did come.

“Haha—”

Without thinking he started laughing.

This was what being a good person meant.

Unlike Nihei who was full of excuses. She was the Real Deal.

“Wha—What is it—”

Nanana in the passenger seat couldn’t look Kirari in the eyes. The profile of the girl intently dropping her gaze was even paler than when Christy appeared.

“Y-you just came to laugh at me… you must feel very happy to see how miserable I am.”

“…”

“O-or maybe you’ve come to save me again, and the moment I feel relieved you’re going to kill me—“

“…”

What on earth made Nanana so scared?

The trembling girl didn’t seem to be shaking in fear when faced with being hated or killed or whatever. Rather, she looked like she’d be actually relieved if Kirari said she’d kill her—he had this bizarre impression.

Nanana’s face suddenly twitched because Kirari took the crossbow in hand.

However, it wasn’t aimed at Nanana’s head. She removed her hand from the wheel for an instant to nock an arrow, firing a shot to dissuade one of the black suited men that just appeared.

While the enemy flinched, Kirari grasped the wheel again. She rushed between the strangely-shaped buildings.

“I will always help you, Nanana.”

Kirari mumbled. Her eyes directed to the front, she asserted with a serious expression.

“No matter when and how.”

Nanana was speechless.

What Kirari’s words brought to Nanana were not relief or happiness. Gradually becoming more and more shaken, Nanana held her head.

“I-I don’t get it—I don’t understand at all—”

Nanana mumbled to herself.

While receiving emergency care from the secretary, Nihei watched the faraway sky.

The sky above the cross-shaped shrine—became something not of this world. Grains of darkness and light fought over the sky. Had the refractive index of the light in the twisted space turned strange or was it actually breaking? The surrounding buildings now seemed to be made of impossible shapes.

The jeep they were riding made a sudden turn. Apparently more black suits approached. A bullet grazed his ear and the sounds of air being ripped passed by.

“I will head to a hospital now. Hold out until then.”

“No—you can’t—”

Nihei rejected Kirari’s words.

“I don’t need—a hospital—I just need—to speak a little—and then I—”

“But those wounds…!”

“I don’t care—about myself—the Paradigm Shift—please go to the—Akasegawa Offices—”

“Akasegawa Offices?”

“…Please…”

Nanana pounded the car hysterically.

“Enough already, just go to the hospital! I don’t give a shit about that Paradigm nonsense! I don’t care about the Akasegawa Offices!”

“No—the Offices—soon—he’s coming—secretary needs to be—there, so—”

“Me?”

The secretary raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly the jeep lurched and the hands holding Nihei released him. His face knocked against the car, he fell on his back. Absently gazing up the heavens, he saw the twinkle of starlight. Even Christy’s darkness hadn’t reached this far.

“Nihei-kun!”

“Hurry—let’s go—Paradigm Shift—is coming—”

“What? What are you talking about! Shiika! Kirari! Secretary! I don’t understand any single one of you!”

He actually hesitated about doing this.

He really did.

Perhaps what he was trying to do was way off the mark?

He kept worrying until the very moment he’d handed Nanana to the secretary.

But he decided to make it all happen.

When the girl called Akasegawa Nanana had been running away with Nihei, she would, from time to time, count something under her breath. Listening to her murmurs, he was shocked. Although she was completely stupefied, she was—counting the value of everything that was spent on her.

She probably did it due to the reason she herself had stated. She truly believed that she could return it all over a hundredfold.

More than getting angry, he felt tired.

She only believed in money—

She didn’t believe Nihei himself at all. He wasn’t even sure if her eyes were perceiving him. Considering this, he felt that saving her was foolish and that perhaps he should have let Christy kill her.

These feelings were unchanged even now.

“…! W-what’s that?”

Kirari grasping the wheel raised a voice of confusion. Perhaps unconsciously, she grabbed her crossbow with one arm.

Nihei moved his eyes, looking ahead through the driver’s seat.

In the road illuminated by the jeep’s light there was a figure wearing shabby clothes. It held a lantern in hand.

''He’s here—

Nihei’s mouth distorted to a smile.

Finally the one he had been waiting for showed himself.

“Sotheby!”

“…!”

Nanana made a scream-like voice and Kirari was also similarly startled.

The strange auctioneer blocking the jeep’s path leapt high into the air with nimble movements the likes of which he’d never seen before.

Softly and soundlessly—he landed on top of the small window glass in front of Nanana and Kirari.

With a severe expression, Kirari hurriedly nocked another arrow in her crossbow. But Sotheby bowed politely before she could shoot.

“Good evening to you…”

The auctioneer raising his head again on top of the speeding jeep didn’t even turn to look at Nanana. He spoke toward the back seats.

“I have said this before, but a new amount has been announced by the other bidder…”

Perhaps feeling that something was odd, Kirari lowered her crossbow with a puzzled expression.

“You…!”

Nanana turned to the secretary with a demonic expression.

“You worked together with Munakata! That’s how you betrayed me…!”

The secretary returned the gaze.

“I knew it—”

While breathing erratically, Nihei smiled.

“You—possess a card, right?”

“…”

Wordlessly, the secretary brought out a card from her pocket.

A golden circle on black background. Small jewels strewn on it.

It was the member card of the Round Table.

“Y-you… how did you manage to get the Round Table card?!”

Nanana was shocked.

“Ha—so that’s why Sotheby’s here—”

Nihei felt an out-of-place relief.

He held out.

His life held this far.

Without thinking, he started laughing.

Someone like him, a poor merchant without any real assets, couldn’t hope to win the auction from the very beginning.

He just needed to let those who could win the bid do so.

That was why Nihei—could only hold out so far.

Now, his role was over.

“—What are you talking about, Chairman?”

The secretary raised a brow.

Nanana widened her eyes.

“This is what you had dropped back at the Akasegawa Offices, and I saved it for you.”

The secretary showed the card to Nanana.

The number written there was “XII”—

The very one she’d dropped when she was attacked by Christy.

Sotheby and Christy probably used it as a mark to locate its owner. Just like Nihei had surmised. This was why Christy hadn’t managed to find the runaway Nanana when she didn’t hold the card.

And now, just like Nihei planned, Sotheby was invited by the card to appear in front of them—

The secretary cocked her head.

“Miss, weren’t you the one who made this last bid against Munakata? Because of that Sotheby is—“

Nanana opened her eyes wide, returning the secretary’s gaze.

“Wha—what are you talking about? I-I dropped out! Wasn’t this why Christy was after me?”

“But your hidden assets…”

“Hidden assets? I-I don’t have any of that! Not a single yen!”

“Well? I am still awaiting your answer—”

Sotheby once again lowered his head deeply. His body was directed not at the secretary.

The one he was talking to was none other than—

“Chouya Nihei-sama.”

Nanana and the secretary both widened their eyes. They turned to look at him together.

Yes, and now—Nihei’s role ended.

The preparations to cause and to overcome the Paradigm Shift.

To be honest—

To be perfectly honest, he really thought of selling Nanana to the secretary. No, really.

He would pretend to not notice the Paradigm Shift about to occur, receive a lot of cash from the secretary, open up his shop and do his own business however he wanted; that too would be fine.

Or perhaps he would come to Munakata and tell him that he was going to fold, receiving plenty of money in return.

Whatever he chose, Nihei would end up with a lot of money.

He would prove himself against those who laughed at him—with his whole heart.

“Will you bid or fold?”

He obviously didn’t possess the amounts of money that could win the auction.

Even so, he had the authority of a bidder.

It was the gamble of the century.

He happened upon a chance—whether Nihei won the bet and received money from the secretary or received money from Munakata, he would get rich no matter what.

However, Nihei made a mistake in his choice.

This was a decision that would get him nothing.

He would protect against the incoming Paradigm Shift and furthermore send a certain item to the person most fitting to possess it.

The secret of Mushi.

The first Mushitsuki.

A small fish like him who could only bluff would never be able to handle something so huge.

The item that could shake this sort of world should be bought by the appropriate person.

Right, she was an incarnation of money—

So selfish that he wanted to hit her—

She knew nothing other than money—

Not even that, but she was the Chairman of the company that ruined Nihei’s family—

Even so, that girl could control money like it was magic—

Only one merchant foolish enough to leap into this situation existed.

And so—he would pass the baton to her.

Grinning, he declared as he faced Sotheby.

“I sell my bidding rights—to Akasegawa Nanana.”