Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 12 Chapter 1 (section)

== 1.00 Monma Makoto Part 1 ==

Carrying her large sports bag on her back, Monma Makoto ran through Akamaki City.

“Haa, so busy.”

The city center was a mere shadow of its former self, but in other areas there was barely any damage. Buildings here and there were unscathed, and upon entering residential districts, she could see the figures of soldiers directing those citizens who hadn’t evacuated yet.

“Hey, you there! This area is already off limits, you have to—”

“Oh, right! I was just about to meet up with my family. I’ll leave soon!”

Waving her hand at an approaching soldier, Makoto left the scene.

He made a stringent face, but didn’t try to stop her by force.

As it should be.

After all, Monma Makoto was a middle schooler about to become a high schooler next year, so she was wearing a completely normal sailor uniform. She tied her long hair from behind with a rubber band in accordance with school regulations and also used a hairpin with beads that just slightly broke school regulations to hold her bangs. Her height was average, neither too tall nor short, and her cat-eyed face was covered in the sweat of fatigue.

Not matter how one looked, she was a middle schooler going home from club. —Well, due to the fact that evacuation had been recommended long ago this was an impossible scenario, though.

Almost no person noticed the average-looking Makoto. Of course, Makoto herself had no memory of ever trying to become anything other than a normal girl.

The cellphone in her pocket rang. She pressed the button while running.

“Yeees, hello?”

“Oh, we’re finally connected. Mako, you alright? I saw it on TV. Akamaki City’s having it rough.”

“Yeah, for real. Being told out of the blue that I gotta evacuate and having my phone not connect to anywhere because of all the disorder and stoppage of service… and there was this show I wanted to see tonight.”

“Aha, a show? More importantly, are you fine? You went there for your relative’s memorial service or something, right? Horrible timing.”

“I’m fine. Thanks though. —What’re they saying about Akamaki City on TV?”

While putting the phone against her ear, Makoto stopped in place. Glancing around her, she turned toward a certain hill in the high-class residential district.

“I can’t tell what’s happening at all. They were very loud at first on the news. ‘A sudden evacuation order from the government! What is the reason?!’ and the like. It was an uproar. They interviewed the people evacuating for TV, and apparently they’ve been taken by the military.”

“Eeep. That’s freaky. What else?”

“All transmissions from Akamaki City also stopped completely all of a sudden. They say there’s been a huge blackout. And that’s why some radio towers or communication facilities broke down… anyway, they’ve been unable to tell what was going on in Akamaki City, but this morning they finally started getting in contact with those who escaped outside—wait? How did I manage to reach you, Mako? Are you no longer in Akamaki City?” 

“Right. It’s too scary so I got out first thing. I’m at the neighboring Higano City now.”

She spoke casually while running through Akamaki.

“Oh, good to hear that. Come back quickly now. Well, even if you come back, you’ll only study for entrance exams, though.”

“Haa, I only just quit but I already miss my golden age in basketball club. Even though I was always benched.”

“Ahaha.”

“Oh, sorry, I’ve got another call. Since my phone’s finally working, looks like a lotta people are worried.”

Saying goodbye to her friend, she took the second call—

“Hmm? Wait, you there! You need to evacuate—”

“Sorry! I’m going to ride a bus going out from that shelter over there!”

She slipped away with a vague excuse from yet another soldier who tried stopping her.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Makorisu, you’re alive.”

“I can’t die until I sell all those rare weapon drops.”

“Shit, I thought I’ll get better profits.”

“How dare you, old man.”

“I’m kidding. You told me you were going to Akamaki City on some errand, right? And you haven’t logged in since then. Are you seriously there right now?”

“No, I evacuated already. —Wait, is it fine for a 28-year-old salaryman to call a middle schooler at this hour?”

“My company’s on break. Or more like business is suspended here and there. Since Akamaki City’s getting evacuated and the army’s deployed many people would rather stay at home than go to school or work.”

“Hmm. How’s the net, by the way? The government’s definitely hiding something! Are people saying stuff like that? I can’t come online right now. Send my regards to the other hunters.”

“Yes, it’s more or less like that. Many network service providers suffered these communication failures, so it’s a real issue. I somehow managed to connect to an overseas server… but it’s bad even outside Japan.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Apparently even overseas there are communication issues… not only that, but several generators around the world mysterious stopped. They’re starting to wonder whether it’s somehow related to something going on in Japan, so it feels like we’re in real trouble.”

“Overseas too… huh.”

Makoto just narrowed her eyes. The tone of her conversation partner changed.

“Ha…? W-what’s that—”

“What’s wrong, Lindburg-san, quotation mark 28-years-old salaryman quotation mark?”

“N-no, I just wanted to know what’s going on in Akamaki City, so I got with my hacker buddy and thought about peeking into satellite images, but—the screen’s shining—s-something’s coming out—”

“Haa? There’s no way…!”

Makoto quickly brushed her throat with a finger. And she mumbled.

“—”

In a small enough voice so that the other party wouldn’t hear her.

But the moment after Makoto said that—

“Uwaaah! —Haa! Haa! What was that just now…? The hell…”

“Are you alright? What’s going on?”

“Y-yeah… something came out and was about to grab me… but it suddenly vanished…?”

“C’mon now, Lindburg. It’s a serious mental illness to dream about going into the 2D world. —Wait, never mind that, are you stupid? Don’t use your useless skills for crime! If you ever do that again I’ll block you and never talk to you again!”

“I got it. …But I’m worried.”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you. —I’ll call you again. Try to gather information within the realm of common knowledge. I don’t have much to tell you.”

Saying her goodbye, she cut the phone.

“Looks like they managed to hide more than I thought. …Even in this situation, I could say that’s expected of them.”

As she mumbled to herself, her cellphone rang again.

“Makoto-san, are you fine? You said you were going to Akamaki City, right?”

“Thank you very much for worrying about me. I am completely safe right now, but I am still at Akamaki City. I really have no idea what’s going on…”

“Really? Both the neighborhood association and the women’s association are worried. We’re always indebted to your volunteer work, is there anything we can do for you?”

“Thank you very much. I’m fine—oh, right. Doesn’t your hubby work for the city council? I’d like to know a bit about what the council hears about current events… yeah, since I’m still at Akamaki City I want to know a bit more about the situation—”

Even while running through Akamaki City, voices from the outside gathered around Makoto.

Normal households within the country who were just watching TV, people from her middle school, students, public servants, and even the rumors spreading abroad and news coverage. She heard any and all available information and shuddered.

“There’s too little information about Mushi and Mushitsuki…”

She couldn’t help but wear a bitter smile.

“It will get exposed before long, but to be able to control information to this extent in this day and age… she really is more of a monster than Mushitsuki, that Miguruma Yaeko.”

Her patrol around the high-class residential area would soon end as well. Since this was the final place she was going to check in the vicinity of Akamaki City, she was going to head back to the place agreed upon in advance.

“—Hmm?”

Makoto noticed a slight movement in her vision.

It was a three-story building, larger than the surroundings houses. She found a figure on the second floor.

A girl was lying on a couch resembling a hammock situated on a balcony. While vacantly looking up at the sky, she drank from a glass placed on the table.

“Excuse me!”

Jumping high and grabbing the tall fence, Makoto called toward the girl on the balcony.

“This area’s already been evacuated. Are you not going to get in trouble if you stay there?”

“Oh, yeah. I was just about to head out!”

Speaking in a casual tone, the girl raised her body. She looked to be about two or three years older than Makoto. She was tall, slim and had short-cut hair. A beauty who seemed like she’d gather the attention of girls more than men.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, completely fine, thanks!”

“Then let me show you to the nearest shelter!”

They spoke from afar, both cupping their mouths with their hands.

“No, it’s fine! I just ended up remembering one of my friends and got all melancholic!”

“You can just do that after you get to safety!”

“True! I just ended up remembering for some reason! She was a Mushitsuki!”

“Eh, a Mushitsuki!”

While answering with a smile, Makoto put her index finger ran against her throat.

A Mushitsuki. She was going to come to know of the risk of mouthing that keyword in this situation. From firsthand experience.

“Nah, I’m kidding! There’s no way Mushitsuki exist, after all!”

“Ahaha, I know right! I knew you weren’t serious!”

Makoto’s finger on her throat stopped in place.

So she was just a weirdo. Not someone who should be bothering Makoto at present state. She had no time for this, so Makoto climbed down the fence.

The family name “Saionji” was written on the house’s plate.

“I’ll be getting away first! You should evacuate soon, too!”

“Okey dokey!”

That frank response did not sound like it belonged to the kind of posh young lady living in this sort of place.

For now, having finished her stroll through all important districts, Makoto returned to the town center.

An area of office builds lying in mountains of rubble.

Among them was a large dome with a broken roof.

Cutting through the spacious parking lot that had cracked asphalt she was able to experience that size clearly. Even just the shop selling all sorts of merchandise before one entered the dome was several times as large as Makoto’s middle school.

As she finally approached the dome itself, heavily armed soldiers were guarding the entrance.

Makoto approached them casually and they naturally came to block her way.

“Hey, you. No entry allowed. You have to evacuate—”

The soldiers blocking her startled.

Reason being, Makoto brought out a coat from her bag and wore it. In addition to this multi-belted grey coat, she also equipped a large visor that covered half of her face.

They opened the path for her. —Makoto felt indignant about them acting as though they met some monster. She was as normal as normal can be; the real monsters were elsewhere.

Slipping between the stiff-faced soldiers, she entered the dome.

She rushed through the gloomy corridor lit only by emergency lights. Soldiers posted at standard intervals had heavy firearms hanging from their shoulders.

Finally exiting the corridor, she reached the dome’s center.

Spectator stands arranged in a staircase pattern 360 degrees all around them and a spacious sports ground with artificial grass.

It was packed full of boys and girls wearing different coats. Makoto rushed through the very center, heading toward a certain woman.

“So you are finally back.”

Turning to face her was a woman wearing a kind smile.

“You cut even your own break time in order to get information. You really are as diligent as always—”

That woman, Miguruma Yaeko, spoke as she looked at Makoto.

“Terasu.”