Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Mushi:Vol1 Ch3

2011-05-10T14:38:35Z

RoadBuster:

== '''Night 3: The Girl Who Died a Thousand Years ago''' ==

The Original Sin. The first transgression humans made against God. That sin that Adam and Eve committed still has not been forgiven. As their children, we still bear the burden of that act. Pain is the way for humans to redeem themselves. It was all the fault of those long dead ancestors. It doesn’t matter who someone is: men, women, the elderly, children, the sick, the healthy, the wealthy, or the poor, pain is a part of everyone. “Believe in religion and you shall be saved!” Do this so that religion can flourish! Preying upon people’s fear and hardship to force them into believing in something is underhanded. That’s called a bad deal. Believing in the religion only helps out after you’re dead, anyway. There’s no reason to believe in it while you’re still alive.

“Sensei, what exactly was the Original Sin?”

“Hmm, when you don’t understand, you ask a question, Your Majesty. How splendid! Everyone should learn from her! As for the answer, God, an almighty being that created all the creatures in the world, also created humans to rule over them. God saved humans for last, using soil and a rib from His own body to construct two of them, a man and a woman. He charged these two humans, Adam and Eve, with tending to a paradise called the Garden of Eden. He also gave them one warning. They could eat any of the fruit growing in the Garden save for that of the apple tree in the middle. Eating the fruit from that tree would result in death.”

“Was the fruit poisonous, then?”

“No, it wasn’t poison. Do you know ‘[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Nutgall|Nutgall]]’? It was a story about a monk who showed the younger monks a bottle and told them it contained that poisonous plant. Naturally, that meant it must not be eaten. However, it wasn’t nutgall in the bottle at all, but the monk’s stash of candy. The young monks figured it out fairly quickly and ate all of his candy. After he found out, the monk swore his head off.”

“Is that a joke?”

“Everything like that is a joke. The original story probably went a lot differently, but the basic gist is the same. The fruit of the apple tree in the Garden of Eden wasn’t poisonous; it was supposed to be only for God Himself. There are several different theories as to what exactly the fruit was. Some say it enables humans to distinguish between right and wrong. Others say that it granted wisdom, or even immortality. No matter what it was, the fact of the matter is Adam and Eve ate the fruit that was meant for God. That is the original sin, a sin of theft. You could probably even argue that it was false testimony as well. In any case, Adam and Eve committed the ultimate sin of betraying God, and that sin has still not been forgiven to this day. Just what was this “Apple” that God treasured so much? Despite how interesting that question is, I’ll lose myself to my thoughts if I dwell on it, so we’ll leave it at that for today.

Ethics was the fourth class of the day for Year One, Class B. Sakaki Guryuu, who had taken over teaching all subjects for this class, briefly went over the establishment of Judaism. Sakaki had taken this all upon himself solely so that he could spend as much time as possible with Usagawa Rinne. He got away with bullying his way through because of his family. In modern Japan, which embraced equality but also commercialism, one wouldn’t be discriminated against because of what family they were from. However, money still talked so nobody was going to challenge the Sakaki Organization just for the sake of being equal. The Sakaki Organization had the financial weight to outclass the Japanese budget. As Sakaki Guryuu was that organization’s heir, it was his right to use that power as he saw fit. And besides that, this high school – Kannonsakazaki Private High School – was funded by the Sakaki Organization. Comparing the school to a business, Sakaki would be the CEO’s son. With that kind of leverage, there wasn’t anyone stupid enough to challenge his whims.

It was the same with students as teachers.

However –

“Hey you, girl with the sinister-sounding name. Don’t fall asleep!”

“Bam!” Sakaki slammed his book down upon the desk of the girl that was not only sleeping, but also snoring as if she were taunting him. She was dead asleep with her head resting on her arms. Not only that, but she’d been like that since the first class. No student had ever slept in his class. Sakaki’s pride had been significantly wounded. Not one that had a lot of patience to begin with, this pushed him way over the line.

The class grew quiet. Ever since the ‘Incident on November 15th,’ the students had been very interested in the relationship between Sakaki Guryuu and the person sleeping right now – Gankyuu Eguriko. The mundane school life, that peaceful time where nothing happened, had suffered a wrench being thrown in the mix in the form of that girl. Just what move would the ultimate perfect teacher make next?

Sitting next to Gankyuu Eguriko, or “Guriko,” Usagawa Rinne pecked on the girl’s head with her finger. It was an uneven and messy head with a mass of hair cut like a wolf’s. With her lying on the table she looked like a pile of hair. In contrast, Rinne was very clean and neat, with short hair that didn’t even go down to her shoulders. These two seemed to be on good terms lately. If Rinne were to say something, Guriko would at least listen to her.

“Guriko-chan, Guriko-chan, get up.”

A clear and carrying voice with a melodic tone like a bell. That was Usagawa Rinne’s beautiful voice.

“Sensei looks like he’s a bit angry. It’d be best if you got up now!”

“So noisy!”

Guriko stayed how she was and declared without moving, “I sleep when I want to sleep. It doesn’t matter to me whether the Sensei is angry or the world gets destroyed, sleep is the greatest happiness I get. Don’t worry about it. I learned a long time ago to sleep with one eye open. Just like the last time you got jumped by the Mushi. Despite being asleep, I still knew about it.”

“Hmm…”

“…Therefore, there is absolutely no problem with me sleeping in the classroom. You can blame the teacher with the fancy name that looks down upon my own. I don’t even want to see his face, which is why I am sleeping through class. You got a problem with that?”

“I do have a problem with that. It is extremely impolite to not listen to the teacher and sleep all day.”

Sakaki had been there the entire time. Making a slight thud, his hand banged into Gurikos head mercilessly. Even she had to get up, rubbing her head. She stared at Sakaki.

“What?! Why did you hit me? Even if I can’t feel the pain, my head still responds to the impact. That made me wide awake. How are you gonna repay me, Sensei?!”

“It’s ‘Sakaki-Sensei.’ Anyways, you’re not allowed to sleep during my class.”

Sakaki’s words came out haughtily. An angry look fell upon Guriko’s face.

“You didn’t even say you were sorry! I’m pissed. You remember that, Sakaki.”

“One day I’m going to gouge out your eyeballs,” Guriko muttered quietly to herself.

During lunch break on Friday, November the 26th, Sakaki was eating the lunch Rinne made for him. He noticed Rinne, who sat in front of him, looked rather fidgety. So he asked her, “Are you well, Your Majesty? Does your stomach hurt?”

When asked this, Rinne lifted her head to look at Sakaki. She wasn’t eating her lunch because of her loss of appetite again. She hadn’t eaten for about ten days. She had been to the doctor, but they chased her out when they couldn’t find anything wrong with her. She hadn’t lost a single pound and continued her energetic lifestyle, completely oblivious of his worries. This was a completely incomprehensible phenomenon. A mystery that modern science couldn’t explain, Sakaki didn’t understand it any better. All he could do was accept that it was supernatural and give up on finding a rational explanation.

Rinne suddenly looked away and displayed a rare expression of finding it hard to say something.

Sakaki was a bit disturbed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um…”

With that pretty voice that Sakaki adored, Rinne asked fearfully, “Sensei, do you dislike Guriko-chan?”

“Hmm?”

What did she mean by asking that? There were a hundred ways of answering the question. However, he always answered her truthfully, so Sakaki told the truth without hesitation.

“I don’t like her and I don’t dislike her… honestly, I just feel on guard around her. I still don’t know what she is. In many ways, she’s very inhuman. More than that, though, I don’t know her intentions. Just for harming Your Majesty, she’s already beyond forgiveness. Also, her personality is so self-centered it always feels like she’s looking down on me, which really gets on my nerves. There’s no way I’d be able to get along with her.”

“Is that so…”

Rinne’s expression was slightly at a loss.

“Then Sensei, didn’t you once say that Guriko-chan arrived at this school in order to trick me? You said she was getting in close so she could pull something–”

“I didn’t say it like that–”

“Sensei you did, too!”

In a rare show of anger, Rinne said, “It’s just that Guriko-chan isn’t good with people. I think she actually wants to get along with Sensei. Despite the fact she killed me and that mess with the lunches, she must have some reason that we don’t know about. Guriko-chan would never want us to be unhappy! After living together with her, I know she isn’t a bad girl!”

“Your Majesty is taking her side!!”

“Sensei is being paranoid!”

Rinne said loudly. This was quite an incredible reaction for her. She was apparently angry. And angry enough to yell at Sakaki at that. Sakaki felt his heart churn as he couldn’t figure out how he had upset her so. He just wanted Rinne to be safe; couldn’t she see that? No, it definitely got through. Rinne wasn’t stupid. His intentions were reaching her, but it was still ticking her off.

Rinne kept her head bowed and continued, “I know Sensei cares about me. I’m glad, and I feel like I owe Sensei the benefit of the doubt, but still–”

All of a sudden, her tone became gentle and she pressed her hand on her forehead, like something had immediately calmed her down.

“– Aaa, no, I didn’t mean that… but Sensei, I beg you. Please stop suspecting Guriko-chan. She definitely isn’t going to harm me again.”

“But how can you be so sure?”

Just how could she come to that conlusion? Why would she believe that so easily? ̍̍That person has already killed you once, Usarinne. Killed you by gouging out your eyeball. How can you still believe such a horrifying demon?̍̍

Rinne had her head lowered for a long time, and said quietly, “Sensei, Guriko-chan –”

It was a very sad sound.

“She cries all night! Tossing and turning while having a nightmare, she cries out, ‘I don’t want to be alive anymore! Kill me! Kill me! I want to die! I can’t take this any mooore! Kill me, kill me, kill me!’ She’s in anguish until dawn. It doesn’t look like she remembers it, though. I think the reason Guriko-chan sleeps all day must be because she can’t sleep peacefully at night… Sensei, do you think such poor girl is a devil that wants to kill me?”

Rinne’s shoulders were shaking. Although she didn’t cry, her heart seemed to.

Sakaki looked pained, but he still couldn’t trust Guriko.

“That is also – acting.”

“Something like that isn’t acting!”

“Something like that isn’t acting.” Rinne repeated, muttering as if she were talking to the air.

“… Don’t fight, it’ll attract the Mushi.”

A clear and pure voice that drowned out any other noise called across the room.

Rinne turned her head towards the voice, and Sakaki followed her gaze. Guriko, who disappeared a while ago, was pulling open the classroom door with a squeak. She walked towards them.

As she did, she rambled on.

“The Mushi are everywhere. Even here in this classroom. Those things will do anything to obtain their goal, so they’ll make their move at the first sign of weakness. Don’t fight. Your advantage is that your love is so strong, so don’t lose that advantage.”

“You’re the reason we’re fighting!”

“What?”

Surprise fell upon Guriko’s face. She then brushed away her bangs and stared at Sakaki with her incredibly colored eyes. It might be irrelevant, but this girl really wasn’t suited for a sailor uniform.

“You’re fighting because of me? Ah, you’re still hung up on that lunch thing? Sorry, but I had to do that to keep you two alive. On second thought, though, maybe I should have just let this guy die. Why did I save him? He’s clearly a loser.”

‘This guy’ and ‘loser’ were all unmistakably referring to Sakaki, because Guriko’s finger was pointing at him at the same time. Why did she say things to make him angry? It was the first time in Sakaki’s life that he’d been called a ‘loser’.

Rinne noticed that Sakaki was displeased, and a helpless expression showed up on her face.

“Guriko-chan, why did you say that? It’s better to be honest with yourself – I know you want to get along with Sensei, so you shouldn’t say things like that!”

“Don’t –”

Guriko probably wanted to rebuke her with ‘don’t speak nonsense’, but Rinne was quicker and shut down the girl’s words with her own angelic smile.

“I like Guriko-chan a lot!”

Rinne said naturally, “I want to become good friends with you, so don’t worry, I won’t hurt you! Sensei thinks the same way. I know it.”

Sakaki complained with a furrowed brow: “Your Majesty, I still want to veto this speech of yours.”

“Sensei is so stubborn. Guriko-chan and Sensei are really similar! Both of you are obviously good people, but became distant from each other since you can’t be honest to each other. That’s a pity! You two should really get along, but can’t because you’re both stubborn. How sad…”

Rinne’s face was still helpless, but she laughed as she spoke with a confident tone.

“Huh...?” “Yeah…?”

Her proclamation made the other two gape at her. Both of them had expressions like they were trying to think of how to deny the optimistic girl’s words.

The peerless Rinne noticed the two had on the same expression and thought, ̍They are definitely similar!̍ She then smiled gently.

They were memories, sad memories.

“… You’re expendable” – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard those words. ''Yes, Mother, I’m expendable to you. Let the gods of plague and fall upon me alone, and leave my family alone. Eat me if you must eat someone. I’m an adopted child anyways.'' If the family could no longer support the children, I’d have been sacrificed without a second thought.

''If I’m going to die, let me die protecting my family!''

It was a year of rampant sickness. Everyone was frail and weak. Their eyes were sunken in, and their skin was pale. For the rural countryside, which barely sustained life as it was, this disease was like a wave of death. Once a person got sick, the land died with them. For a poor village this was a matter of life and death. My family, however, were robust people. As if it didn’t concern them, they turned a blind eye to the pestilence. However I, who was much more susceptible, was locked up in a small stone-walled room. “Don’t come out! You’ll get sick!” Of course, it wasn’t out of concern for my safety they said that. Mother was afraid that after I caught the disease, I would pass it on to other people in the family. “You’re expendable.” Mother did say that. “It’s enough if you suffer, don’t bring us down with you.”

''I know, Mother, I understand.'' Although my family treated me like dirt, they still gave me food to eat and a bed to sleep on. I knew if I asked for any more, God would punish me for being selfish. I liked the people in this family. If misfortune fell on them because of me, I’d have been very sad. It sounds pathetic, but that’s what I thought.

The stone room was wet, and the air was stuffy. I sat on the ice cold rock and fought against the chills. ''It’s so dark in here; I can’t even see my own hands.'' As if to chase away the cold, I hugged my knees and cried constantly.

It wasn’t that I feared the dark. It was that I was so very lonely.

Just how long had it been? I sensed something was wrong. I could hear a lot of commotion coming from outside of the room. ''What’s going on?'' Out of fear, I knocked on the wood panels blocking the entrance. Father, Momer, my elder brothers, what had happened to them?

A deep and gloomy voice I’d never heard before responded,

“Oh my, oh my, I was wondering where you might be. All along you’ve been locked up in that stone room!”

It wasn’t a man’s voice, but it wasn’t a woman’s voice either. It was a voice that unnerved the listener.

“Boom!” – the wood panels were easily broken. I could see the shadow of a person standing between me and the daylight. My body was shaking, and I took a few steps backwards. I then tripped on something and lost my balance, so that guy grabbed me and held me up with both hands, laughing.

“Alright, time to give it back!”

That’s what he said to me. A red glow was shimmering in that guy’s eyes, and he didn’t look human. My gaze shifted above his shoulder and I saw a terrible sight. Father with his neck broken, Mother with her belly split open, and my elder brothers piled upon each other on the floor. Everyone was dead. I screamed.

Uncaring to my screams, the red eyed guy remained gloomily silent.

He seemed to be looking for me. In order to find me, he’d killed my family just because they were in the way of his search. ''He’s such a… bad guy, he’s… horrible.'' And at that moment, that horrible bad guy was looking at me expressionlessly.

“Let’s confirm it first!”

A deep voice said right into my ears.

Then he grabbed my screaming throat.

My vision dimmed.

''… It should have just been me. Father, Mother, my elder brothers, I’m sorry.''

Opening her eyes, she saw only the endless sky. Narrowing her eyes due to the blinding light, her hand went to her neck unconsciously. The throat that should have been crushed didn’t even have a scratch on it. Such things had disappeared long ago.

“… So it was a dream.”

Gankyū Eguriko muttered as she laid face-up on the roof of Kannonsakazaki Private High School, watching birds and planes passing above.

It seemed she had dreamt of the past while she was dozing. It was maddening – a distant memory of when she was still human. Back when she had a mother and father and brothers. That had been a millennia ago. A vague memory that she’d almost forgotten –

Three birds flew past with a whoosh. They flew in front of the sun, so all she saw of them were their shadows.

As she reminisced on the past, she murmured to herself, “Birds don’t change, they’ve kept their shape the entire time. Humans, on the other hand, have changed a lot. What about me – is there anything that’s different from back then? Of course there should be some changes. Back then I could easily laugh, I had things that were important to me, and I was happy. When did I begin to leave it behind, and when did I lose it?”

“How long am I supposed to live?” she muttered as she continued to watch the birds.

Three birds, creatures that lived by eating worms. They never stopped being birds, they were the same as all those years ago. I, however, had stopped being human long ago.

“Even three birds were reduced to two, and now I’m the only one left. It doesn’t matter if I’m alone. I don’t want Rinne to be a part of this, but the Apple had already rooted in her. It’s just like what happened to me – it’s too late, whatever happens now is just going to lead to misfortune. Change into a bird, or die with humans…”

Teetering, Guriko stood up, her eyes still fixed upon the birds flying away into the distance.

“… It should have been fine with just me!”

Guriko repeated those words she so often said.

“Seeing that person’s crying face… it hurts too much.”

Guriko put her hand on her chest.

“But I must tell her the truth.”

She was used to being despised, and knew there wouldn’t be any reward for her actions.

The hours flew by as she sorted through letters and cleaned up her work area. Her shift over, Usagawa Rinne left the post office after saying goodbye to her co-workers. She enjoyed this job quite a bit. Despite it being a bit repetitive, it got pretty fun after getting used to it. Also, everyone there was really nice. Checking her cell phone, she saw it was already after 8PM and the sun had already set. Rinne got on her bike parked behind the post office and took off down the uneven streets, leaving little clouds of her breath behind her. It wasn’t too late yet, although there were very few people on the street and most of the shops had closed down. Occasionally there would be the stray pedestrian, waddling home from work with a weary expression on their face.

It used to be that Rinn would also be extremely tired after finishing work, but now she wasn’t even weary. ''With no appetite, automatically healing any wound, and even losing fatigue; do I still count as a human?'' Thoughts like that were saddening to her.

Although she didn’t know what Sakaki thought of this, Rinne was rather puzzled herself. What kind of conspiracy did she get into? What was happening to her? Just who is Guriko-chan? She really wanted to know those things. This wasn’t something she took lightly; she seriously wanted to know the truth.

However, thinking about it wasn’t getting her anywhere. Despite studying what Gurkio-chan and the Mushi had said, she couldn’t figure it out. Whether it was a lack of imagination or just plain being dumb, the answer was out of her reach. Rinne was almost out of options.

The ten minute long commute wasn’t long enough to think things through. Before she managed to organize her uneasy questions, Rinne was already home. Was Guriko-chan there already? It felt nice to have someone waiting for her in the house.

“I’m home!”

Rinne spoke as she opened the door and took off her shoes by the entrance. As she expected, she heard familiar chiptune music. Guriko-chan was sitting in front of the very large television that was really stuck out from the rest of the room and was playing a video game. She was playing an old console that stores now sold really cheap. The system was only around 300 Yen and the games were just about 100 Yen. 400 Yen covered everything. The game she was playing was ‘[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Q-tarō|Obake no Q-tarō]]'.

The wobbling and adorable little Q-tarō wandered across the screen, but soon he hit the dog it was Game Over. It looked like Guriko-chan didn’t really know how to play video games. Considering she’d never seen any before, that was fairly understandable.

Without turning around Guriko immediately started the game again, and asked Rinne, “Did you have to work today, too?”

“Mmm, I was at work.”

Rinne put her coat on a hanger and then sat next to Guriko, watching Q-tarō lose to the dog again. She really hadn’t gotten a grasp on the game yet.

Guriko’s face wasn’t happy.

“… This is pretty boring. I can’t win against the dog. The problem is I don’t have any attacks. How am I supposed to get past him, Rinne? Do you know?”

”…The instructions said that pressing A twice will make you fly, and pressing B will make you disappear. So, just use those two abilities… Aah, right there! Use the flying to dodge, ah – too bad!”

“Ahh…”

With a serious face, Guriko-chan played for a good while after that. Unfortunately, though, there didn’t seem to be much improvement. She finally gave up after a while and unplugged the system before turning to Rinne and looking at her.

“Rinne, I’ve given it some thought.”

“…Given what some thought?”

“I’ve been withholding the truth, but I’ve reached my limit.”

Guriko asked innocently, “Do you have the courage to hear the truth?”

Rinne didn’t speak a word.

“Once you know the truth you’ll probably curse your fate. But if you think you can take it, I’ll tell you. I’m afraid I’ll ruin your happiness. I don’t want to make you lose what you have with Sakaki by telling you this. But that’s a bit naïve. You’ve already received the Apple and as for knowing the truth, you have not only the right, but also the – duty.”

”Mmm…”

Rinne knew Guriko-chan’s expression was serious. She couldn’t be lying to her. ̍As long as I say that I want to know the truth, she’ll definitely tell me. But – I’m so scared, there’s an irrational fear, as if Guriko-chan’s words would shatter the peace of this world.̍̍ That was what her heart told her

“Tell me.”

However, Rinne answered without hesitation.

”No mater how cruel the truth is, I hate to be in the dark like this. Tell me the truth, Guriko-chan. Rather than to be afraid of what I don’t know, I’d rather face the truth.”

“You’re really tough!”

Guriko smiled softly. It was a very natural smile.

“Will you believe me? No matter how cruel the truth I tell you is, you won’t yell at me and say that I’m lying to you but believe me?”

“I will believe you!”

“Thank you –”

Guriko-chan’s face turned serious again.

“– Then I’ll also believe in you, believe that you will overcome fate.”

It is said that once a human dies, they shall start on a journey. Some people go to gardens, some people go on a boat and cross rivers, and there are also those who keep walking on a long straight road. That scene is an illusion created by the brain, just like a dream. And in that illusion there is always a great tree.

Back when Gankyu Egoriko was still known as Yono Egoriko (Which was a thousand years ago. When Guriko left the village behind, she discarded the surname Yono as well), she tripped on a moss-covered rock and fell into the river while fishing. She swallowed a lot of water and hit her head hard. It almost killed her. She dreamt, then, of walking upon an uneven road and eventually coming to a giant tree filled with fruit.

“Wow, this fruit looks really good.”

She said that as she gazed upon the fruit of the tree. Compared to the unsettling scene around her, they appeared quite appealing.

“I don’t know who’s these are, but it shouldn’t hurt if I just take one, right? Father’s been beat down by the weather. He could use some of these fruit to get his strength back.”

It’d be pretty unique to use fruit instead of fish, anyways! Yono made up her mind and then climbed like a monkey up the large tree and plucked an apple that was low to the ground. She didn’t realize that she was dreaming, despite the fact that in reality she was floating in a pool of water at the foot of a waterfall, covered in blood and hovering on the edge of death.

“Hmm – I’ve never seen this kind of fruit. Is it good to eat? Well, I’ll try it. Just one can’t hurt, right? My tummy’s growling anyways.”

"Ka”, Yono bit right into the red, ripe forbidden fruit. It was so yummy! Before she knew it, she had already scarfed it down. It had been the tastiest, most refreshing, and juiciest fruit she’d ever eaten. Yono was overjoyed. This was such a big discovery, she should bring some back to the family! So she stretched out her hand to pluck four more apples – and then she woke from her dream, returned to life.

As soon as she opened her eyes, the pouring waterfall was spraying right onto her face. She was floating in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall like a bobber, wobbling constantly.

“It was… a dream!”

Yono muttered. The sharp pain on her head made her eyes roll backwards a bit. Fortunately, the water wasn’t very deep, and she could stand in it. It wasn’t difficult to get back to the shore.

“So – I slipped while catching fish.”

Yono was frightened of the large amount of blood as she wringed her drenched clothes dry, on the verge of tears the entire time.

“I did – have a strange dream. What was that about?”

Yono thought about it for a while, then returned home and her mundane daily life. Soon she had forgotten all about that incredible dream. It was five years later when she finally thought of that dream again.

That forbidden fruit is called ‘Eden’s Apple” or simply “the Apple”. Actually, it isn’t an apple at all, but is called that due to its appearance. Those who eat that Apple will be given the power of immortality, and they shall not die even if their head is crushed, their heart torn out, or even if they don’t eat or breathe. They won’t age and will live forever, be it hundreds or thousands of years. It is impossible for them to escape the curse of immortality. The fact that Guirko herself hadn’t grown up after living for over a thousand years was proof of this.

Guriko – Yono, ate the Apple while she was a child. However, the Apple doesn’t give a human immortality instantly. Should they die before the Apple takes root, they will still die. Actually, it was that gambit that led Guirko to try and kill Usagawa Rinne. Eternal life was a fate worse than death. Rather than letting the girl suffer, it was better to kill her quickly! That was her cruel gentleness. She truly acted out of pity. However, her plan failed. Rinne’s Apple had already taken hold, and even Guriko could not kill her.

The place the Apple takes root is in the soul and not the flesh, so the Apple can not be taken away no matter what happens to the body. They can also affect causality and bestow special powers like Guirko’s combat ability. That was the reason she could slip into the school so easily. It seems the more Apples a person has, the more powerful the effect. The reason Guriko has such extraordinary powers is due to the fact that she has three Apples.

Three. That means Guriko had once taken the Apples of two other people. However, it wasn’t stealing so much as receiving. Guriko had travelled with these two people, a man and a woman, for a very long time. Those two each had an Apple, and seemed to have wandered the world since a long, long time ago. They decided to travel with her after she saved them from the Mushi. Their families had also been slaughtered by the Mushi and they were left wanting answers.

But after seven hundred years, the mind of the woman deteriorated and she chose to end her life. She disappeared into nothingness after entrusting the Apple to Guriko. The man who loved her also lost the hope to live on, and he too passed the Apple to Guriko, ending his journey. After that, Guriko lived for about three hundred years by herself.

Guriko didn’t have anyone she could entrust the Apples to, so she travelled around the world and fought the Mushi to avenge her family. The common enemy of all humans with Apples, the Mushi. In order to kill the other Apple holders in time, she sought them out while hunting the Mushi. It should have been fine with just her. The so-called immortality was absolute misery. She shouldn’t have eaten that damned Apple to begin with, Guriko thought. The girl who died a thousand years ago lived till now like this. Having lost what was important to her, she wandered through time waging her war against the Mushi.

Usagawa Rinne’s face paled at this truth that was beyond reason. She brought up a question heavy on her mind.

“The Mushi – what are they?”

“I don’t know.”

Guriko replied with sincerity. It was definitely a surprising answer.

Faced with Rinne, who was flabbergasted, Guriko’s face was apologetic.

“I really don’t know anything about those things. Even the two travelers who guided me seemed to not know much, only that those things are everywhere and they only move in order to take humans’ Apples. You seem to have been under surveillance for a long time, too. I started investigating here because this town has a lot of Mushi. Then I discovered you. That’s when all this started –”

Guriko ran her hand through her wolf-like hair and then said seriously, “But those guys are definite enemy of those of us with Apples, and they’ll do everything they can to get them! I’ve come across two others that had Apples in the past. One was killed by the Mushi, the other had somehow had his soul extracted, leaving a corpse behind. After all, the Apple takes root in the soul. Once the soul is gone, everything is over.”

“Is the soul – something that can be taken away?”

“I don’t know, but I think there must be a way. The Mushi have definitely used some method to steal many people’s Apples.”

Guirko said that in an uncaring voice, although she had no idea what that method was.

Usagawa Rinne thought about the girl sitting in front of her. A lone soldier who had wandered the Earth for a millennia, Gankyuu Egoriko. She’s so pitiful, and it must have been so hard, so painful!

Rinne hugged Guriko tightly.

Although Guriko complained, she stopped refusing it when she found that Rinne was crying.

“Guriko-chan…”

“Mmm.”

“You must be very lonely, in such pain!”

”Mmm –”

Guriko placed her head on Rinne’s chest, exasperated. The girl who died a thousand years ago had all her family killed, was unable to connect to anyone, and was parted from the companions she cared for. Even so she never gave up and lived on. Rinne thought this was an amazing feat. Definitely one that deserved respect.

And also – one that was very sad.

Why did Guriko-chan have to endure this pain?

Rinne sobbed. This kind girl of sixteen years gave all her tears to the lonely girl who fought continuously for ten centuries. She pitied the girl and wanted to show her all the kindness she could. In order to even slightly heal Guriko’s scar-ravaged heart, she hugged her tightly.

''Just like what Sakaki did for me last year, I want to give her the hope to keep living,'' Rinne thought.

Guriko must have understood that. Silently, she let Rinne hug her.

“… Rinne.”

A short while latter, Guriko murmured to her softly. Her words became a coarse whisper as if she were suppressing her emotions. As if speaking those words wounded her deeply.

“You, too, can no longer die, now.”

”Mmm –”

Rinne murmured. Although she still couldn’t accept such heavy news, she could understand that she could no longer live as calmly as she had previously.

The world was no longer the same to her.

Guriko remained in Rinne’s arms, and said with a quavering voice, “So you have two choices. One is to live with me forever, and the other is to disappear after you give up your soul to the Mushi. There is no salvation either way, and I can’t tell if either will bring you any joy. You decide for yourself…”

Guriko moved away from Rinne a bit, and looked at her with innocent eyes.

“No matter what you choose, you will eventually lose Sakaki. Your life is endless, but his is not. One day, when Sakaki’s time is up, he’ll leave you behind and die.”

Rinne nodded. Her eyes were once again brimming with tears, which slid down her cheek and dripped to the ground from her chin.

Then, a solemn expression appeared on Guriko’s face.

“If you wish, I’ll protect you two until Sakaki dies! No matter which choice you make, I’ll still do that for you. You can create happy memories with Sakaki and you can even stay beside him until he dies of old age. Then either travel with me or give your soul to the Mushi, it’d be up to you. I’ll help you the best that I can.”

“Let me think about it – a bit more.”

Rinne replied. She still couldn’t get her thoughts straight.

Guriko nodded.

“You can think about it for as long as you like… time is no longer an issue.”

<noinclude>
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|-
| Return to [[Mushi:Vol1_Ch2|Night 2: The 15th November Incident]]
| Back to [[Mushi_to_Medama|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Mushi:Vol1_Ch4|Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison ]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mushi:Vol1 Ch2

2011-04-18T11:08:52Z

RoadBuster: Total overhaul for grammer and ease of English reading. Changed Ganymede to Prince Charming, as it might be more widely known

== '''Night 2: The 15th November Incident''' ==

'''PLEASE read Translator's Notes in this chapter. There are layers of hidden meanings that we have been unable to present accurately into English''' - [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

There was nothing that was important to her.

Or, maybe there was, but that was in the past. She didn’t remember anything like that.

A millennium – too long to live, but still too short to go insane. Happy memories, joy, hopes, dreams; all of these warm and gentle feelings were gradually stolen by the passage of time until the only thing left was a cold and empty void. Empty – all she could do was store the Apples of her friends in the void that was her flesh. There was no reason for her to go on. She did not even know why she was alive. Someone like her, who only lived for living’s sake, had her grasp on her humanity begin to slip. Had she become a monster?

Because she couldn’t smile.

Because she couldn’t find a single happy or treasured memory.

Something that did not smile and didn’t have something important in life – can that really be called a ‘human’?

“Who are you? What are you planning to do?”

- As usual, whenever that question got asked, she choked on her own words.

Her shoelaces were messily bundled together. That was to be expected – after all, it had been a long time since she engaged in such a delicate activity. Therefore, Gankyuu Eguriko sat on the wooden floor in front of the dimly lit shoe closet at Kannonsakazaki Private High School, vainly trying to tie a butterfly knot with little success. Even after trying for ten minutes, she still couldn’t get it right. She could vaguely remember being good at it once, but that memory was long gone now.

The only memories she had from her past were ones filled with terrible pain, and a feeling of helplessness so powerful it was crushing. That was the reason she never tried very hard to remember her past.

There was still quite some time before school began, and even the stairways were vacant. Guriko made it a point to get to school early in order to practice tying her shoelaces. Despite that, she hadn’t been able to produce anything that didn’t look like a bunch of wet noodles, dragging her deeper in despair.

She didn’t even realize it when “he” stood before her.

Focusing on tying her shoelaces with her head ducked down, it wasn’t until she was engulfed by his shadow that she realized someone was standing in front of her. Guriko slowly raised her head.

It was a tall man, with a handsome face. Guriko had never seen such a good looking human. However, Guriko didn’t feel a thing even though he was staring right at her. Being an immortal, things like attraction and love meant nothing to her. Those feelings had withered away to a point of no return.

Despite that, she felt herself shudder involuntarily.

She had no idea why.

“… Are you waiting for me?”

Guriko asked quietly. It was such an un-cute reaction.

She had left all her cute, innocent, Usagawa Rinne-like reactions behind a long, long time ago.

“I never thought I’d see you here this early. Having trouble with your shoelaces?”

The man, Sakaki Guryuu, shifted his gaze down to Guriko’s messed up shoelaces. He then approached her nonchalantly, knelt down, and swiftly untangled the mess of strings. Gracefully, he took them and fashioned a perfect butterfly knot out of them.

With that, he looked up at Guriko, who had sat up straight now, and bluntly said, “Don’t you even know something as simple as that?”

“S-shut up! What are you doing here?”

''Dammit!'', Guriko thought. She never would have imagined this guy helping her out. There was even a tinge of happiness inside her from it. Still, she knew that being nice with him wouldn’t do her any good.

She knew she couldn’t be friends with him. That would be impossible.

Feelings like that just weren’t going to happen, no matter how hard she wished for it.

This was something Guriko knew very well.

Guriko shifted her gaze from Sakaki’s face, which was inches from her own, and bowed her head. Sakaki immediately stood up and took an arrogant pose. He glared down upon her from above.

“Like I said earlier, I want to know who you really are, your motives, and just what you’re after here.”
It was a calm, clear, and loud voice. It was a voice of authority.

Guriko didn’t feel intimidated in the slightest, however.

“You don’t need to know.”

“That doesn’t matter. Now talk. I don’t want to use force, but I will.”

“You think you got a chance against me?”

Oh boy, what a bother.

''Why did I say something like that?''

In her sailor uniform, Guriko rose up slowly to her full height, looking up to the taller man. Sakaki returned her glare with an intense and fiery stare from his emerald eyes.

People with beautiful eyes were always beautiful in the end...

Guriko again averted her gaze and picked up her bag from the floor.

“…Why do you want to know? Are you curious? Or just intrigued?”

“Neither. I’m doing this out of love.”

“…You’re worried about Usagawa Rinne?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

What resolve! How could he answer without hesitation?

Did he really love her that much?

Guriko gave him a small smile.

“…How admirable. For both you and Usagawa.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

With that, Guriko looked at him and said honestly, “Instead of suspecting me, why don’t you look out for ‘Mushi’ instead? I didn’t manage to kill Usagawa, and won’t ever try it again. Those ‘Mushi’, on the other hand… they won’t give up on that Apple so easily.”

“Mushi…”

“Yes.”

Mushi – the name of the enemy.

Guriko put on a stern face and stared at Sakaki, as if trying to burn a hole through him with her gaze.

“Those guys were ‘Mushi’ – And not only are they everywhere, but they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.”

''Don’t let your guard down,'' she thought silently.

Out of all the teachers in Kannonsakazaki High School, the one in charge of Class 1-B, Sakaki Guryuu, really stood out. His mannerisms were dignified and elegant, [[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Pan An| a total Prince Charming even in looks.]] To top it off, he was quite the unique teacher, maybe even the best in the world. However, there was something really wierd about his teaching. Despite being a History teacher by trade, he actually taught his class all subjects. “Are we back in elementary school or something?” Sakaki’s students didn't approve of this matter at all. The answer to this riddle was Usagawa Rinne. Sakaki wanted to spend as much time as he possibly could with her. Therefore, no matter if it was Biology, P.E., or Music, he indiscriminately taught everything. Not only that, none but he did so flawlessly. There were no imperfections in his teaching style. Class 1-B’s steady rise in grades was easy to see. In addition to his handsome features and artistic talent, which were mostly wasted in his teaching profession, he had earned the students' approval as he was generally kind despite having a somewhat cold personality. Therefore, he was truly unique. Gossiping co-workers called him [[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Neptune King|Neptune King]], lord of the perfect ones, out of jealousy; although, the students who grew up in a later generation usually had no idea what they were talking about.

Yet, this superhuman called Sakaki Guryuu had a problem one wouldn’t expect from someone like him. That problem was his ‘religion’ of “worship-Usagawa-Rinne-above-all-else.” In other words, his obsession of Usarin-kakka and the notion that the world revolved around her. That love for the girl in Class 1-B was unrivaled and in fact was the very reason he had gotten a teaching license in the first place. This love was already common knowledge at Kannonsakazaki High School, and since he was the type to do whatever it took to achieve his goals, he got that license through force, influence, and authority.

And naturally, he would appear in 1-B’s classroom during lunch break because he wanted to eat bento with Usagawa Rinne. Honestly, he was shameless. What was it about Usagawa Rinne that engrossed such a perfect man to this level of obsession? Does she have some sort of relation to [[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Yang Guifei|Helen of Troy in ancient Greece]]!? It was a common topic for gossip among the students.

One ordinary day, at lunchtime in this classroom—

Something unique happened. It was known as “The November 15th Incident” from then on.

Hurry up.

''What’s taking Sensei so long?'' Usagawa Rinne thought to herself.

The date was Monday, November 15th. Luckily, the classroom that day was quite warm. Rinne calmly smiled and put two lunchboxes on her desk as she waited for Sakaki Guryuu.

During lunch, Sakaki always ignored the normal school lunch and came to eat and chat with Rinne. She loved to cook, so it was never a problem to cook for two. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a bit odd at times because of their rather unnatural relationship. Sakaki grew up sheltered in an incredibly wealthy household, and sometimes the resulting lack of common sense would cause clashes with others.

Secretly, though, she found this cute. It might not have been lady-like, but seeing that even the perfect Sakaki can sometimes act strange relieved her a bit. Sakaki Guryuu was still a human, just like her. Because it gave her that reassurance, she couldn’t deny that she liked that part of him to a degree.

‘Like’ — Rinne liked Sakaki. Sakaki was a teacher, and she was his student. Despite this difference in status, this wall between them, the two loved each other. That was their trust, and their mutual understanding. Because of that, they would be able to find happiness.

Usagawa Rinne was happy.

Sure, she’d get worried from time to time.

But she was undoubtedly happy.

It was noisy. Even though Kannonsakazaki High School was prestigious enough to house only the most obedient of students, lunchtime was still rowdy. The school was old, so the floors and walls were worn and there were random scribbles here and there from past students. Although it probably bothered the neat freaks, Rinne actually liked it. She felt it paid homage to the history of the room, and gave some hints to those who occupied it before.

A cold breeze blew in, causing the curtains to flutter inward. Despite it still being warm, Rinne knew the transition to winter had already begun.

At this point, Sakaki Guryuu finally arrived.

Sakaki’s hair was a bit messy, probably since he’d rushed here.

As soon as he opened the door, Sakaki shouted, “Sorry I’m late…” even before walking into the room.

“It’s not a problem. I don’t mind.”

Rinne smiled as she gave her gentle response. Despite how much it actually had bothered her, she let none of it show. Still wearing that apologetic face, Sakaki passed through the students who had hushed at the appearance of their teacher and walked over to Rinne’s desk. He pulled up a chair and sat down.

“I’m truly sorry, Usarin-kakka. Someone popped in at the worst time. It was some old man that looked like he could croak at any moment from the Education committee or something. He kept going on and on without getting anywhere. I think the Director of Education probably dumped him on me.”

Sakaki thought nothing of saying the harsh words he used and sighed.

“Ugh! Why on Earth did they have to send him to me? And during my precious lunch break, too! The office is trying to punish me, I tell you.”

Rinne held back a laugh, and covered her mouth with her hands.

Sakaki’s confused expression was just too cute.

“Sensei, maybe it’s best if you don’t look at it like someone is wanting to punish you or that’ll make you paranoid to the point that just thinking about it will bother you!”

“That is true… What you say does make sense. Haha, I can’t tell who’s the teacher and who’s the student here, Usarin-kakka.”

She really didn’t know why he insisted on calling her “Usarin-kakka.” “Usarin” was an abbreviation of her name “Usagawa Rinne,” but why Japanese people love to shorten all proper nouns was a mystery to her. [[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#"Like pocket bells, personal computers", sexual harassment, or convenience stores|Like pocket bells, personal computers, sexual harassment, or convenience stores]]. “Guriko” was another example of this.

Rinne thought of the mysterious transfer student called Guriko that had killed her, although Rinne barely remembered what happened that night. She had been watching TV when her door was suddenly busted open. When she turned around, something pierced her eye, and she passed out. When she had woken up, Sakaki was by her side and her room was filled with blood. Beyond that, everything else had been forgotten.

What had she gotten herself into? Just who exactly was that Guriko girl? Rinne did not understand what had happened at all, not that she particularly wanted to delve into the matter deeper. Only when something threatened her future with Sakaki did she get upset. If Guriko had actually wanted to kill her, then that really would be scary. Rinne understood far too well the pain of death.

Yet, it would be silly to feel terrified just because of a possibility, and Guriko hadn’t shown any signs of acting again. Therefore, Rinne wasn’t particularly on guard despite the fact that it had only been a few days since the girl transferred here.

Besides, no matter what happened, Sakaki would protect her. That was the way it was.

With a cheerful expression, Rinne opened a lunchbox and idly chatted with Sakaki. She was poor, so lunches weren’t anything luxurious, but Sakaki still seemed satisfied. He looked like a young child with clasped hands when he exclaimed, “Itadakimasu!” Seeing that, she couldn’t help but smile.

This calm scene was the way they passed their time.

While stuffing his face with green beans, Sakaki happily asked, “By the way, how’s that wall that got blood splattered all over it? Did you find a way to get it cleaned up yet?”

Rinne poured some barley tea and downed it in one gulp. She then answered, “Well, there was gore with it too, so washing it with only water wouldn’t work. Even wiping it with a rag probably wouldn’t have worked, so I put new wallpaper over it.”

“Wasn’t that expensive?”

“Yup, I used up all my saving. Since the tatami was also soaked, I had to swap that out too. That was expensive too. For a poor student, that kind of spending is deadly.”

“I’ll never forgive that Guriko. But back to the main point, why don’t you get her to pay you back?”

In front of Sakaki, who seemed honestly angry, Rinne merely shrugged.

“It was you who shot that gun! Besides — Guriko probably has it worse than me. I think she’s homeless, and besides, she told me that she can’t even afford stationery.”

“…Do you two talk often?”

“We sit next to each other. She doesn’t seem to have anything to do after class, so I talk to her.”

Rinne’s naivety nearly caused Sakaki to faint.

“Your lack of concern for your personal safety never ceases to baffle me, Usarin-kakka! Didn’t I tell you not to talk to her? That talking to her will get your eyes gouged out?”

“I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

That really was a death threat.

But still, Rinne was not afraid.

“Saying something like that is obviously a joke. I know for sure she’s just scared of being alone. She avoids other people since she doesn’t want to hurt them. I can see that since that’s how I used to be. I think Guriko actually wants to interact with people more.”

Rinne told him how she honestly felt, but he seemed less than impressed.

He sighed while looking up at the ceiling.

“Look… I know you’re naïve… But you should realize the reason why I don’t think she’s kidding is because she’s already gouged your eyes out once!”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Rinne, defeated, smiled and set her cup down with a “clank.” Sakaki seemed to have a grudge against Guriko, but Rinne didn’t think she was all that bad. She decided Guriko must have had good reason for removing her eyes.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Usarin-kakka? You’ve only been drinking tea so far.”

Sakaki was confused. Not only was Rinne’s food untouched, her lunchbox hadn’t even been opened. His question was an honest one.

Rinne stayed silent for a while.

“…I-I don’t know why, but I haven’t felt hungry or thirsty ever since Guriko almost killed me. To be honest, I haven’t eaten anything in about four days.”

“What...?”

Sakaki felt his voice crack as he spoke.

“Even so, I’m still not hungry. Hmm… is that weird?”

As she looked to him, she saw his face had gone white as a sheet.

Sakaki had already told Rinne about her immediate resurrection after her eyes had been gouged out. But with this loss of appetite, this — wasn’t this extraordinary!? It was proof she wasn’t human anymore.

After noticing she no longer had a need to eat, she had constantly run into the bathroom to look at herself. She had been making sure she hadn’t turned into some sort of monster.

If that happened, she’d lose Sakaki, and that was a fate worse than death for her. So Rinne had kept her lack of appetite hidden until then.

“Sensei…”

Rinne looked at Sakaki, who had yet to respond.

Rinne understood that there were some things even Sakaki had trouble understanding, but even so, she longed for him to tell her, “That’s okay,” or “Don’t worry,” or anything like that. If only she could get that reassurance, she could go on.

But—

The door slid open.

Guriko stood there. Her wolf-like hair looked like it had been styled by a typhoon. She had on a bored and impatient expression, but her eyes were the type that made you feel like you were staring down the barrel of a gun. This was the transfer student—Gankyuu Eguriko.

Her gaze fell upon the couple that were sitting across from each other in the center of the classroom — Sakaki Guryuu and Usagawa Rinne. Right then, her face turned to one of surprise. For Guriko, whose face was usually completely expressionless, showing a genuine emotion like shock was quite a rare occurrence.

Upon noticing the school’s well known lovers, this transfer student who had recently dominated the school’s discussion strode over and glared at Sakaki. She gave him a glare as if she were interrogating him and bluntly asked, “Have you eaten?”

“…Huh?”

“I asked you a question. Did you eat this bento?”

Guriko’s expression was extremely focused. And thanks to her loud voice, the entire class had turned to look. All of them thought, ‘Ho boy, what’s that transfer student doing now?’ Very quickly, the classroom became silent. Despite how odd it was, Sakaki decided to indulge Guriko in her question.

“Yes, I ate it.”

“Really?”

She muttered mostly to herself.

Guriko suddenly lowered her head and pressed her lips against those of Sakaki Guryuu.

“Eh…” “Whoa…”

Sakaki’s eyes opened wide. Rinne’s face was shocked. The class fell into uproar.

“Ugh…”

“Um… Ugh…”

Guriko held Sakaki’s head, and locked lips with him. Put plainly, she kissed him forcefully. In the middle of lunch. In front of the entire class. What the heck was she thinking?? This mysterious transfer known as Gankyuu Eguriko had stolen a kiss from the teacher just after having been there but two days. Not only that, she even did in front of that teacher’s lover. Her motives didn’t matter. To the student body, this was clearly a declaration of war against Rinne. There was no other way for them to see it, but Guriko’s next action provided only added fuel to the fire.

“Clang—”

Of all the things that could happen!

Guriko flipped the lunchbox Sakaki had been eating from and dumped out all the food that Rinne had lovingly prepared. Then, she took Rinne’s lunchbox and dumped it out as well before driving her foot into the spilled food. After she had destroyed the lunches she declared, “Don’t eat this woman’s food!”

And because of this—

What was there to be done? There was nothing that could explain this. Without another word, Guriko walked off with pride, leaving the stunned Sakaki and pale Rinne behind. Within moments, any student that had a cell phone began to text and call their friends. Messages like: “Usagawa Rinne’s rival in love appears!” “On just her second day after transferring, Gankyu Eguriko kissed Sakaki Guryuu, threw down the lunch Rinne made for him, and declared, “Don’t eat that woman’s food!”” and “This will definitely be very interesting!” began to flood forth.

That was the “November 15th Incident.” It has lived in infamy ever since.

For those living an ordinary high-school life, this had been quite the event.

“What splendid entertainment!”

The voice sounded both male and female. It was a something that lacked distinction.

“What are you planning—‘Mushi’?”

That pure and innocent voice seemed to cut through the previous one.

They were in front of classroom 1-B in Kannonsakazaki High School. Despite being outside the chaos of the classroom, there were always the echoing sounds of students in the hallway. The two of them faced off there, and despite them both having human appearance, neither of them were human at all. One was a “Mushi” taking on the form of a human, and the other had once been human, but had since become some creature that was only human-like — Gankyuu Eguriko. The “Mushi” wore a sailor uniform, had short hair, and wore a friendly expression. She looked completely normal, except for her red eyes.

The “Mushi,” still emotionless, made an intriguing noise.

“This was just a confirmation! After all, there’s no way for ‘us’ to lose. We simply believed it important to check whether or not Usagawa Rinne’s Apple has taken root in her soul. You should already know there’s nothing we won’t do in order to achieve our objectives.”

“…After death, the soul separates itself from the physical body. Apples reside in the soul, so — death is the only requirement for taking the soul, correct? Unfortunately for you, Usagawa Rinne’s Apple has already taken root in her soul. I confirmed this myself.”

“But ‘we’ have not! We do not trust anyone besides ourselves, especially not you!”

The “Mushi” replied in a dull and terrible voice. They had no individuality, and thus did not have emotions.

They were an exterminating machine that moved in hordes — that was “Mushi”.

“Even if you’re willing to do anything, you should have some discretion — did you plan on killing Sakaki Guryuu?”

“Since we did not know which lunchbox Usagawa Rinne would eat from, we poisoned both of them. Mmm, that was a necessary sacrifice! We ‘Mushi’ aren’t hampered with your romantic ideals. As long as we obtain the Apple, it doesn’t matter what happens to others.”

Guriko grit her teeth and said, “That’s why I despise you.”

“That may be, but we don’t particularly want you to hold feelings of affection toward us anyway.”

The aura emitted between the two non-humans grew unbearably intense. It was so strong, the windows in the hallway began to rattle.

Guriko crossed her arms and glared at the “Mushi”.

“But you have already lost. Usagawa Rinne has already lost her appetite, so the poison wouldn’t have worked on her anyway. Only Sakaki would have died. But I’m not going to let even that happen. You won’t have your way if I have anything to say about it.”

“Haha!” the “Mushi” laughed.

For the emotionless “Mushi”, laughter had only one purpose — to provoke.

“That was certainly an interesting way of removing the poison from that man’s mouth. You seem to be turning into quite the rebel. Where did you learn something like that?”

“You talk too much! Because of you, I had to create a big disturbance in class. There was no choice… Why do I always have to get the bad reputation?!”

“Because your attitude is normally terrible, anyway. Something like this just adds to it.”

“It’s probably-”

Guriko closed her eyes and then murmured as if in a trance, “-because God hates me.”

She then pulled a spoon from her skirt pocket and threw it at the “Mushi” so fast the naked eye couldn’t even have seen it. The spoon pierced the eye of the fake schoolgirl “Mushi” cleanly. However, that wasn’t enough to stop its inertia. The spoon shot traveled through the eye socket, through the brain, and out the back of the skull. Obviously, this wasn’t something a human could pull off. The “Mushi” gave a small final smile before its ruined body collapsed. Right before it hit the floor, it broke down and disappeared.

The blood-stained spoon fell to the ground with a gentle metallic sound.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m used to being hated.”

And so, Guriko skipped class and went up to the roof for an afternoon nap.

After school ended that day, Usagawa Rinne staggered home with an air of frustration and defeat. Her thoughts were plagued with what had happened at lunch. Guriko had kissed Sakaki Guryuu and told him to stop eating Rinne’s food. It made her heart pound. What was this uneasy feeling? Why did she feel so nauseous?

“Why…”

Why did Guriko kiss Sakaki? What kind of reason could she have to do this? Rinne smiled bitterly. Why was she so upset? Sakaki had kissed someone else, but why did seeing that annoy her so much?

“So annoying…”

Rinne noticed her jealousy of Guriko, and felt a bit disgusted by it. Was this what it felt like to have that which you value most threatened? This was the first time Rinne felt something like this, so it was hard to describe. “Jealousy” was the most accurate word, she figured. Rinne loved Sakaki, and seeing him kiss another girl was incredibly painful. So painful that for the time being she didn’t even want to talk to Sakaki.

Even though Sakaki’s feelings hadn’t changed and he didn’t hate Rinne, she still felt dejected. Noticing her unreasonable anger, Rinne worried herself into a depressed mood. Rinne decided it was kinda like saving a cookie to enjoy later, only for someone else to eat it. She and Sakaki had only kissed once, on Sakaki’s birthday. Rinne thought of that as a bond between them, something that only she had.

However, that was no longer true. Right in front of Rinne, Guriko had kissed Sakaki.

“I’m so useless…”

She wanted to cry. She was already almost crying. It felt weak to be so bothered by this. She was still a weak human who trembled over such a trivial fact. Even if her body lost the ability to die, her heart was still so weak. So fragile. So powerless. So pathetic!

Realizing that obsessing over this was only going to make her feel worse, she decided not to dwell on it any longer. That’s it! Even if she avoided Sakaki today, she would greet him with a smile tomorrow! After that resolution, she felt a bit better.

Passing the bustling market, she then walked upon a rough path. It was always deserted here. Only the weeds were present, and not even a parking lot or the like could be seen. Rinne blankly gazed at the unchanging scenery where she used to frequently get lost as she walked, her thoughts jumbled.

“Hey, young lady over there.”

A voice. Rinne turned to look. In the space that had just been empty, a small, mysterious stand had appeared. Or maybe it was a shop? At least, it was covered with a plastic tarp like a tent. Inside the violet tent was a crystal ball, and sitting behind that was a robe-wearing man who gave off a strange vibe. There was a sign out front that read, “Fortune telling, 100 yen”.

“Hey, the young lady over there.”

Rinne couldn’t help but stop and turn to look at the perplexing little shop.

She was sure it hadn’t been there that morning.

The mysterious fortune teller spread out his hands and said in an ambiguous voice, “That’s right, this is fortune telling. Good luck, ill fortune, fated events, and romantic matches are all revealed. A young lady of your age should at least know about horoscopes or blood type fortunes! Besides those, there is fortune telling with Tarot cards, normal cards, flowers, or eve with water flow. Your Face, hands, clothes, and even the layout of your home are also taken into consideration. Just tell me your name, and I can read your fortune for you!”

Should she give it a go? — He just kept rambling on. Did he really have nothing else to do?

The price wasn’t really that bad, and it’d be kind of pathetic if the Fortune Teller didn’t get any business with all his promoting, so Rinne carelessly walked into the tent. The inside was flooded with an odd, hazy light. The fortune teller gazed intently at Rinne and then his crystal ball before announcing, “Oh, ah… this is bad!”

“What…”

''I haven’t even said anything yet…'' she thought. The fortune teller lifted up his crystal ball and gleefully repeated, “Bad! Bad!”

“This is ominous! Usagawa Rinne-san, your fortune is doomed. It’s hellishly evil luck. The movements of the stars are terrible!”

“My name—”

''Did I tell him my name? No, I didn’t.''

The fortune teller didn’t seem to notice her confusion as he blathered on, “Life is like a star. Sometimes it grows dim, while other times it shines brightly. Unfortunately, though, smaller stars are attracted to larger ones, and when they collide the smaller stars are smashed, leaving only pieces behind.”

He looked at Rinne with his eyes that he had been hiding behind a hood. They were incredibly red.

“Some great existences cannot be approached. A star too small will only end up crushed if it reaches for something greater. It needs to know its limits if it is to remain safe. The gravity of a giant star is great, and draws many small stars in that only end up destroyed. Only by living carefully will they live long enough to achieve a death with blinding radiance.”

“That—”

Rinne stood up, staring at the cross-legged fortune teller. “That’s—”

“Make no mistake, it is you I speak of!”

The fortune teller wearing a violet robe gloomily addressed her in an androgynous voice, “Should you not reach out and stay your distance, you shall have an even more brilliant death.”

She realized this Fortune Teller was dangerous, but there were questions she had to get answered first.

“You’re saying the large star is Sensei? And the small star is me? I… can’t be with sensei?”

After hearing Rinne’s soft, almost-crying voice, the fortune teller lips curled up in a smile.

“You seem to misunderstand.”

The so-called large star—

“Is, of course, the Apple of Eden.”

The voice came from behind.

Rinne slowly turned her head, and saw about ten people behind her, all with those same red eyes.

It was a bizarre scene. When she wasn’t paying attention, these emotionless and insect-like people had gathered behind her. Their appearances ranged all over the place. There were children, adults, an old lady with a crooked back, a lady who seemed to have been returning home after shopping, and a high school student in uniform. They seemed to lack a sense of self, as if they were all one. Judging by their looks alone, though, it was hard to see any correlation.

Rinne cried out softly, taking a step back. She was terrified. Just what did these people want? She had not heard from Sakaki about his encounter with a fortune teller called “Mushi”, and this was her first experience with something like this. It had become quickly apparent she had been thrust into some sort of bizarre world normal humans never saw. What could she do in such a world?

Rinne shuddered as the fortune teller behind her said in a bored tone, “I don’t think resistance is going to get you anywhere. Though we ‘Mushi’ do not have superhuman strength, we are not lacking in it either. You are no match for us!”

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“We would like you to die.”

The “Mushi” in front of her that looked like an office worker responded in an identical voice. That cruel response shocked Rinne. ''I’m going to be killed! I’m going to be killed!'' Terror filled her body.

“In other words, we’re going to use every method we can think of to kill you, Usagawa Rinne. Strangulation, beating, poisoning, assassination, shooting you to make you bleed out, or perhaps even drowning or burning you. If you still will not die… we’ll just think of something else! We’ll start with these.”

Her first thought was to ask Sakaki for help. She had his number stored in her phone, she just needed about 30 seconds to get ahold of him.

However, it really didn’t seem like these things were interested in giving her those 30 seconds.

The fortune teller “Mushi” seemed to read her mind, and harshly told her, “I won’t let you call for help. Besides, the bodyguards Sakaki Guryuu secretly sent to protect you should have already been taken care of by other “Mushi.” No matter how you look at it, nothing will save you. How sad—“

A mountain of terror fell upon her and she let out a hoarse scream.

The office worker “Mushi” wrapped his hand around Rinne’s slim neck. She had frozen in fear. Dry, flat fingers began to squeeze painfully into her throat.

“First we’ll strangle you. Ah, it seems like you can still feel pain. How unfortunate...”

A “Mushi” continued, “This is really going to hurt!”

The incredible strength of the choking gave new definition to the word “pain.” She felt like her neck was going to break in two.

She didn’t have the strength to resist and the pain had robbed her of the ability to think straight. All she could do was cry out with ear-piercing shrieks.

“…We’re just getting started. Carry the guilt of your crime to your death!”

''Crime?''

''I committed… a crime?''

''That’s why I must suffer like this and die such a brutal death?''

''If that was the case — what crime did I commit?''

Her vision became blurry and she got dizzy. At this point, she wasn’t even sure if she was still conscious. Her neck made a creaking sound. It hurt. It hurt so much.

Usagawa Rinne naturally thought of Sakaki Guryuu. All she could do was think of her feelings for him and pray he could hear them — then, she could die.

Then—

A flash.

A dazzling flash shot into the back of the head of the “Mushi” strangling her. With violent force, the impact covered the inside of the tent with blood. In an instant, the “Mushi” disappeared as if it had blown up. Rinne was suddenly released, and fell to the ground in a coughing fit. She had a hard time believing the retching sounds were coming from her own throat. Wiping off the saliva from her mouth she desperately tried to get a grasp on her surroundings. The thing in front of her—

Was spinning.

A blood-stained spoon fell to the ground.

The flash that had killed the “Mushi” and saved Rinne was—

—A spoon.

“…How many times do I have to say it before you blockheads get it? Killing Usagawa Rinne is pointless.”

The “Mushi” all turned to look at the source of the voice, and so did Rinne. The voice came from the entrance to the lot where they were.

Standing there was Gankyuu Eguriko.

Her steeled face clearly showed unhappiness. Her wolf-like hair was even more a mess and her uniform was dirty. It seemed pretty obvious she’d just woken up from a nap. With piercing eyes and armed with several spoons, Gankyuu Eguriko from class 1-B’s eleventh seat shouted with her pure voice, “I can’t be too careful. Even an afternoon nap is a no go, now. And I was sleeping so well, too. Well, have you said your prayers yet?”

At that moment—

Whoosh.

Just when Rinne thought she saw Guriko’s hand move, three spoons were already streaking for the eyes of three of the “Mushi”. The “Mushi” died just like the one before, instantly bursting before disappearing. Rinne absent-mindedly thought that they kind of resembled a popping balloon.

As she was thinking that, the bruises on her neck and the pain she felt disappeared just as if they had never happened at all. The Fortune Teller “Mushi” clicked his tongue and confirmed it.

“Really — you won’t die. How troublesome!”

“I’m out of spoons.”

Guriko ignored the “Mushi’s” words, and with a grim expression said in a low voice, “…So from now on it’s going to be hand-to-hand combat. Fists aren’t like spoons, they can’t kill with a single hit. It’s gonna hurt. A lot. If you ‘Mushi’ don’t want to be pummeled, then you’d better duck your tail between your legs and scram!”

The words were thick with malice. It was a voice filled with total confidence backed by powerful murderous intent that caused Rinne to stiffen in fear.

“Unfortunately —“

But the “Mushi” were not intimidated at all.

“—Pain and suffering are not obstacles to our goals!”

“I know. Then — I’ll just wipe you all out.”

And so Guriko charged forward.

Rinne shut her eyes in fear.

Leaving the public baths, Usagawa Rinne returned home feeling warm and refreshed. She tossed her towel and old clothes in the washing machine in front of her apartment. It had been left there by the previous resident, and though it didn’t work right too often, it was still rather durable. Rinne picked up the key hidden under it and opened the door to her apartment. Inside was pitch black and it was obvious nobody was there. She turned on the light and let out a sigh of relief. The fear of an ambush waiting for her gradually fled from her mind. She unconsciously touched her neck that had long since stopped hurting.

“Ah…”

She stood there for a while feeling a bit helpless before she shook it off. She pulled out a comforter from the closet as well as a pillow, and then looked at her cell phone to check the time. 10:02 PM. Sakaki had bought her the phone, and he paid the bill, as well. She always felt guilty about using it. After today, though, she really wanted to call him. Rinne stared at the phone, hesitating... Should she call, or shouldn’t she? It was embarrassing to call this late at night.

As she stood there, the doorbell rang. At first, she just stared at it, a bit stunned. The only reason this apartment had a doorbell at all was because the previous tenant had installed one. With a small apartment like that, it really served no purpose. Knocking would have worked just as well.

Who could it be?

The events of that day started to haunt her again and she shuddered. The horrifying fortune teller, the man who strangled her, the transfer student who killed them without a second thought, and those people called “Mushi” who exploded before they died. She couldn’t begin to understand any of it and she didn’t want to, either. The fortune teller’s words cryptically repeated in her head; Some things couldn’t be touched or even approached.

Now there was a knocking on the door. Rinne slowly got up while thinking, ‘Who is it?’ She wondered if it might be the self-proclaimed musician who lived next door to her, coming again to borrow some rice.

The door opened. That’s right, it wasn’t even locked.

The one silently standing at the open door was—

“Guriko… chan.”

“The ‘chan’ was unnecessary.”

Gankyuu Eguriko spoke in a sharp tone, and had an extremely dissatisfied expression plastered on her face.

Even though she was bewildered by having someone unexpected show up, Rinne still remembered that Guriko had saved her earlier that day. For that, she relaxed and loosened herself up a bit.

“What are you doing here at this hour…?”

“It’s cold outside.”

“Eh?”

“Let me live here.”

“…er, huh?”

The outlandish and selfish request took her by complete surprise. Guriko didn’t seem interested in waiting for an answer as she walked in, tossed off her dirty shoes, and sat down upon the floor.

“…Um… Then, Guriko, what’s going on here?”

“Ugh…”

For a while, it looked like she was thinking about what to say. Guriko then sighed and expressionlessly pulled her cheek, saying in her clear voice, “Agh, I’m horrible at lying, so I’ll just tell the truth. I came here to protect you, Usagawa Rinne. The ‘Mushi’ seem to have made your Apple their goal. There’re possibly other goals, but I don’t know anything about that. There are too many of them, and since things are so dangerous I can’t help but worry. In order to observe the situation and protect you, I think living here is the best idea. If you think I’m in the way, just pretend I don’t exist. And so, I’ll be making this place my home.”

How selfish.

Rinne was shocked by Guriko, who sat there staring at her, and then shyly smiled. None of it made any sense, but one thing was clear. Saying anything more would be pointless.

“What did you mean when you said ‘It’s cold outside’ at the beginning?”

“I planned to use that as an excuse to live here, but I can’t just lie my way through life. It’s actually not cold to me at all. I haven’t felt temperature for a long time. Even if I slept at the South Pole, I wouldn’t die, and I wouldn’t feel the cold, either. But… telling the truth… is a bit embarrassing, too.”

‘For the sake of protecting you’ sure wasn’t Guriko’s style. Though, the more she thought about it, the more she smiled.

Guriko blankly looked at Rinne who tried to hide her smile.

“What are you smiling for… Ah, whatever, I’m sure you’re confused, but please be patient. Once I figure out what the ‘Mushi’ want and exterminate them, I’ll leave… eh?”

Guriko said all that in a single breath, but suddenly turned to look toward the corner of the room. There was a giant egg wrapped with a soft cloth. It was covered with a geometric design, and seemed man-made.

Rinne glanced at the suddenly-silent Guriko with fear in her eyes and asked, “Um, what is it, Guriko?”

“…Nothing.”

Guriko scratched her head.

“The egg of a Dream World Beast. That’s weird. Well, it shouldn’t be dangerous since it’s not an evil beast.”

After saying those cryptic words, got up and walked back and forth across the room.

“In short, those ‘Mushi’ are going to be hard to deal with, and solving that problem is gonna take a while. Until I’m done, I’ll just stay in this closet here.”

Guriko opened the closet and lay down. She’s not [[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#Doraemon|Doraemon]]! That place isn’t for a girl to sleep.

Rinne dreamt up ways to convince Guriko out of the closet so they could both sleep on the futon. There was only one futon in the room, so Rinne would give the pillow to Guriko and use a cushion instead. Guriko resisted at first, but soon gave up in the face of Rinne’s stubbornness. She curled up and quickly fell asleep.

Rinne still wasn’t sure what was going on. Guriko had killed her once, and that morning had forcefully kissed the person most important to her. Despite this, for some reason Rinne never felt she was a bad person. Gently patting the sweetly sleeping Guriko on the head, Rinne felt strangely at ease.

Then Rinne thought of something, and picked up the cell phone by the pillow to text Sakaki. Then, she closed her eyes, basked in Guriko’s warmth, and fell asleep.

<pre>From: Usarin
To: Sensei
Subject: Edict
Body: Sorry for bothering you so late. This is Usarin. Sensei, something extremely scary happened today. I was attacked by a group of “Mushi” with red eyes, although I didn’t know what they were at the time. I was strangled and almost killed, making that the third time I almost died. Is that good luck? Or bad? I’m still alive after coming close to death so many times. Since I lived, it’s only right for me to keep living on. Sensei, I’ll do my best to stay alive.

About that incident at lunch, I think Guriko must have had some reason for doing that. I don’t know what the class thinks, but I think Guriko isn’t the type of person who would commit horrible crimes, so tomorrow I’ll ask her about the details. I know you told me to avoid talking to Guriko, but I want to keep talking to her.

Sensei, I don’t know what’s going on around us. It feels like there’s always some sort of terrible conspiracy, but I won’t despair because I have you. As long as Sensei is here, I’ll keep on hoping for the best. That was our promise. I love you, Sensei.

P.S. I got a new family member. A person, not a cat. Who do you think it is, Sensei? I’ll tell you tomorrow. I think you’re gonna be stunned though!</pre>

And that’s it.

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