Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 10 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.00 Kanon Part 1 ==

Nakayama Kanon was a liar from birth.

Perhaps being born in a slightly unique environment was just another reason for it. So possibly it wasn’t Kanon’s fault, becoming such a liar.

Kanon was weak.

Thereby came the need for lies.

By doing that, Kanon could finally take the actions needed to turn lies to truth.

For example, breaking a game console borrowed from a friend, lying “Kanon didn’t break it!” and then looking for a replacement—

Kanon wasn’t smart enough to think of good excuses, nor courageous enough to honestly apologize.

This cowardice also led to an aversion of being hit and yelled at.

And so the only possible path was to become a liar.

So that nothing would be destroyed.

So that nothing had even been destroyed in the first place.

There was only one problem.

Among several fatal defects, there was Kanon’s biggest weakness of all.

That was—

Kanon’s lies were the worst of the worst.



“Heyyy! Apparently Kasuou went on a rampage against Mushibane at Akamaki City!”

Kanon and Tamaki both spat their drinks like the jet of an airplane.

Just like every afternoon, they were at the same family restaurant.

After greeting the uniformed Tamaki like always, Kanon got the 15th free drink of the day when it happened.

All of a sudden, a boy flying into the place was surrounded by his other comrades.

“Really…?”

“What does that mean?”

Kanon can erase Mushi—

Nearly a month passed since that astounding lie.

The Mushitsuki who met Kanon by chance didn’t just believe it, they were utterly convinced. Rumors beget rumors, and the number of Mushitsuki seeking salvation now rose to several dozens.

“But Kasuou had her Mushi erased by Kanon…”

“What’s going on?”

The restaurant, now pretty much just Kanon’s hang-out spot, was abuzz.

Kanon and Tamaki brought their heads together, whispering to each other.

“W-w-w-w-what is Kanon gonna do, Tama-chan?! They’re gonna f-f-f-f-f-find out…!”

Other than the usual hoodie, all other clothes had been bought by the followers. Also, since some of the girls played with makeup, some pink gloss lipstick stayed on Kanon’s cup.

“C-calm down, Kanon. One needs to stay calm at such moments.”

Tamaki was a beauty today as well. Her smooth, silky hair was equipped with a hairpin that parted her bangs. Since she had that sort of distinguished atmosphere here in this countryside dumpster, she often drew people’s attention.

“K-K-Kanon can’t calm down! If Kanon’s lie is discovered, what’s gonna happen?”

“W-well… if you just went up and say “Oh, it was just a lie, you know?’ and laugh, won’t they forgive you?”

“Kanon really doubts that! Also, you’re lying! You averted your eyes just now!”

“…Do your best to run away?”

“But Kanon’s surrounded and cornered! …is the future Kanon can see! Please don’t doubt Kanon’s slow! Didn’t you say you’ll do something, Tama-chan?! But you just come here and lounge around every day!”

“No, I mean, it’s a miracle for that lie to have kept for so long…”

Seeing Tamaki awkwardly put a finger to her cheek, even the stupid Kanon could understand.

''—Oh, so she was just going to pick the right timing to run away alone.

“You’re not gonna abandon Kanon, right? Right? We’re childhood friends!”

“Wait! Don’t pull at my clothes, you pervert! I just recalled some urgent business! My parents are on the verge of death and my house’s on fire, so I have to hurry back—”

“Noooo!!! Don’t leave me!”

Kanon desperately clung to Tamaki’s waist. If things went wrong, it could be life-threatening.

Yet it was completely unneeded.

At some point their table was surrounded by their many allies. People of differing appearance and ages, starting from elementary school age and up to their twenties, all looked at Kanon.

No one said anything. They didn’t try to corner Kanon and Tamaki, and they were not angry either.

They were simply staring hard.

“Gyaaa…”

Imagining being ganged on by them, Kanon let a hoarse voice out.

The Mushi being erased was just an act by the transformed Tamaki.

Obviously, once they figured out the real Kasuou was fine, the lie would be discovered. And when the lie was discovered, they’d lose their reason to protect Kanon.

Kanon, who was their savior—would become a swindler who cheated them all.

The deceived wouldn’t likely let it all end peacefully.

“A-at least get it over with…”

Kanon curled up on the seat.

However—

No matter how much time passed, no murder took place.

There was no pain, no blood, not even shouts like “How dare you deceive us!” “I’ll kill you!” “You swindler!” and whatnot.

“…?”

Kanon timidly perked up.

The people around looked confused. They exchanged glances as if wanting to say something, but in the end stayed silent and only raised their eyebrows.

What did that mean?

Seeing Kanon confused by the bizarre atmosphere, Tamaki sighed.

“Say, Kanon. What’re we going to do?”

What were they going to do?

What did she mean by that?

Tamaki brought the puzzled Kanon’s face closer. She started whispering.

“Wanna continue?”

Continue what, exactly?

Ah, Kanon noticed.

Tamaki was asking—if they could continue lying.

“Y-yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Kanon nodded countless times, fervently, not wishing to die yet.

“Okay.”

Tamaki made a friendly nod. Raising her face, she glanced at the people around them.

“Who saw Kasuou?”

“…Me.”

A single person stepped forward from the crowd. He was a boy in his later teens with a faux-hawk hairstyle and a masculine face. Kanon remembered being introduced to him as their 32nd ally.

“Well, not like I saw her directly.”

“Hmm, so who did?”

Tamaki puffed out her chest, looking up at the man that was about a head taller than her.

“My acquaintance from Mushibane heard about it from other members…”

“So you heard it from an acquaintance of an acquaintance. So that means that whoever saw Kasuou and defeated by her was an acquaintance of an acquaintance of an acquaintance? Or maybe there was even another acquaintance in that chain?”

“I…”

“My, that’s like a telephone game.”

Tamaki asserted boldly as the man averted his eyes.

“Do you think such information is trustworthy? I think it’s stupid to believe it.”

The atmosphere until just now was also bizarre, but now it turned even stranger.

The people who were probably saying the right thing were now shaken and perplexed.

On the other hand, Tamaki looked majestic. Despite her lying.

The truth—was pushed away by a lie.

“What’s with that face? There’s no way you’re doubting Kanon, right?”

Tamaki spoke in a bullish tone. The boy’s comrades said nothing, but they still surrounded them.

Looking at the both of them, Kanon’s heart thumped loudly.

The one to break the silence was Tamaki’s cold voice.

“…Oh, I see. Let’s go, Kanon.”

“Eh?”

Tamaki grabbed Kanon’s arm. She broke through the wall of comrades.

“These people no longer believe in you. Let’s go look for other people? We can find people to protect you anywhere.”

“B-but…”

“It’s fine.”

Tamaki brought her face closer, speaking softly.

“—We don’t even have to lie here.”

“Eh?”

There was no need to lie?

While unable to decipher the meaning of those words, a lone boy stood in the way.

“…Onii-chan?”

Kanon looked in surprise. Nii, who was treated like no more than an ornament until then, now stood to block their way.

“Can you please move?”

Tamaki asserted with a cold smile.

“If you don’t believe in Kanon’s power… we have no business anymore, right?”

Those words became the decisive blow.

“Wait!”

Ichi leapt in front of Kanon and Tamaki. Following him San, Yon and Go, the Mushitsuki they first met, spread their arms too, trying to prevent them from leaving.

“We never doubted! They never saw Kanon’s powers right in front of them so they were just a bit anxious, is all!”

“Right! We’ve seen Kanon erase Kasuou’s Mushi with our very eyes!”

“Hey, you lot! Don’t say strange things to make Kanon mad!”

Kanon did not remember being angry, and was actually pretty sure that they’d be mad…

“Her power’s real!”

Ichi yelled at the comrades behind him.

Kanon’s eyes opened wide.

—''We don’t even have to lie here.

It was just like Tamaki said. Even so Kanon didn’t understand at all what was happening.

Looking to the side, she winked stealthily.

“I-I’m sorry, it’s my bad…”

The faux-hawk boy drooped his head and the other people all shuffled back to their tables as well.

Nii glared at Kanon with upturned eyes and a hunched back.

“—We’ll prove it with tomorrow’s full moon.”

This mumble, uttered the moment the boy turned around, made Kanon’s heart leap.

Right.

They were only a day away from the full moon.

Tomorrow, another person’s Mushi would have to be erased.

If that was impossible, the lie would be revealed this time—

“Everyone, you see, wants to be fed lies.”

Collapsing on the table again as if nothing happened, Tamaki smiled.

“Even after hearing about Kasuou nobody asked you anything like ‘So, did you lie?’, right?”

“R-right.”

“You were scared, huh? If they asked you, you would’ve admitted the lie for sure.”

Tamaki looked around their comrades in the restaurant.

“After all, they’ll never be saved if they acknowledge you being a liar. They only wished for one answer, being that your power was real. —They never wanted any other answer.”

“…”

“Inside their hearts they do doubt you.”

Without changing her expression, Tamaki continued.

“When they don’t want to acknowledge they’d been deceived… they start deceiving themselves. And the longer it goes, they even start lying in place of the original liar.”

Kanon was puzzled. The conversation became difficult to follow.

“Thus the lie spreads further and further… and grows even larger.”

Tamaki grinned.

“It’s fine now. The lie you’ve told is not your own anymore.”

“B-but tomorrow’s a full moon… and that Kasuou person—”

“Leave it to me. You have nothing to worry about, Kanon.”

Leaving the table, Tamaki stretched her back with a ''nngh''.

“Yup. Maybe now it’s finally gotten interesting.”

Saying this while smiling, Kanon’s childhood friend seemed happy.