Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 15 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.00 The Others ==

A fir tree laden with electric decorations was being displayed at a small bakery’s window.

Carrying paper bags in front of the store, she looked up the sky with irate eyes.

The skies of Ouka City were laden with clouds and it began drizzling. She hated getting her blond hair that was longer than her white duffle coat wet, so she was forced to enter the bakery to take shelter.

“Yup, I’m at the bakery. Let’s change the plan, you come to me.”

She spoke on her cellphone with a soprano voice. White breaths leaked from the mouth hidden by her scarf.

Cutting off the call violently, she could hear light background music come from inside the bakery.

It was a Christmas song she could hear anywhere these last few days.

“Yeah, yeah, merry whatever. You piece of shit. It’s so cold, die already.”

She mumbled to herself.

While shaking from the cold, the number of cars passing through the road in front of her kept growing.

About two months passed since the government’s functions passed from the capital of Akamaki City to Ouka City. The large-scale repair work on Akamaki City following what was officially called the “Localized Hurricane Disaster” kept advancing.

Even after so many days, people didn’t stop voicing their doubts regarding the truth about what assaulted Akamaki City. On the other hand, many voices also called to relocate the capital to Ouka City.

She herself didn’t care about any of that.

The storm passed. No matter what theories came, the city would regain its form soon.

Just as her anger at the cold and the rain grew worse, a white limousine parked in front of her. The stupid long car’s door opened up on its own.

“Oh, it’s so warm inside.”

The moment she leapt into the car, she brought out bread from her paper bag. She gave it a hearty bite.

Inside the car there was a long, rectangular seat. The girl sitting on the other side of the thin, long table raised her brow.

“Hey, don’t spread crumbs all over. I’ll charge you for the cleaning fees.”

She was the girl called Akasegawa Nanana. Inside the heated car she wore only a thin dress and had a long cane in hand. Her doll-embracing secretary also sat next to her.

“Your face’s pale. Are you alright?”

Saying this was the one sitting at the back, Tachibana Rina. Her neat features and long limbs weren’t hidden by her casual outfit of jeans and a sweater.

“Aren’t you tired, Kasuou?”

“What’s so bad about being tired on Christmas Eve, eh? Don’t have any time for eatin’ bread, either.”

Ripping the bread with her teeth, Kasuou cussed. Ignoring Nanana’s secretary who brought out a hanger, she threw her coat toward the seat next to her.

The door closed on its own and the limousine set out.

Excluding the driver seen through the other side of the soundproof window, only four people—Kasuou, Tachibana Rina, Akasegawa Nanana and her secretary—were inside the car.

“There’s been a bit of trouble this morning.”

“Trouble? What happened?”

While shaking a glass containing red liquid, Nanana tilted her head.

“A runaway. One Mushitsuki vanished without any contact. Told me to form a search team to find him… what a bother.”

“Oh, what a coincidence. Happened to me too. Mine left a letter behind, though.”

“…I see.”

Seeing the sighing Kasuou and Rina, Nanana also made a huge breath. Perhaps uninterested, she asked no further questions about that.

“Well, leaving that side, let’s wrap up things already. I’ve got a party after this. If we don’t finish this quickly, the smell of that cheap bread’s going to get all over my dress.”

“You really piss me off just like always … You’re the one who set the condition that we’re to meet up whenever we’re sharing information.”

“Obviously. That’s the right of the one providing all sorts of help.”

“There there, it’s fine… so, what about that four-eyes? He’s got a message for us, right?”

Being prompted by Rina, Kasuou clicked her tongue as she removed her gaze from Nanana.

“He said, isn’t it about time Mushibane joined us?”

Hearing her words, Nanana and Rina’s expressions changed.

On the window outside the limousine now wrapped in silence, the scenery of Ouka City getting pelted by the rain was flowing.

The people walking through the decorated town looked like they were floating while holding umbrellas.

No one had any way of knowing that just recently, not far away from here, a battle that decided the fate of the world had been held—

“Have things calmed down already? It’s too early, right?”

Rina said as if to warn them.

It happened after they defeated Super Class Rank 1 C, and Oogui.

All the Mushitsuki—split up into the SEPB and Mushibane again.

This was Haji Keigo’s suggestion.

The crux was that the SEPB was going to shoulder everything related to the work in order to rebuild the country again, as well as the negotiations to stop the international community from interfering.

All foreign countries already held interest in the supernatural beings called Mushi since long ago. It was Miguruma Yaeko and Haji Keigo who repelled them.

However, the international community were trying to use this incident as a pretext to send force with the stated goal of “preserving the peace”. If they let them, there was a decent chance all scattered Mushitsuki would get illegally kidnapped to other country. If that happened, it might as well cause another problem on the government level—and might even cause a new problem on the military level.

“What’s Haji the bastard been doing while he pretended to be asleep? He’s been apparently negotiating with some guys overseas. Probably laying the groundwork for everything after the battle.”

The reason he decided to split the Mushitsuki into two groups even after finally uniting them was probably due to something like insurance.

Even if the fight ended, there was no guarantee that the Mushitsuki would safely return being under the country’s authority again. If those at the core of country had C’s brainwashing lifted, and if the state kept targeting the Mushitsuki—they needed an organization to act as a receptable of Mushitsuki.

That was Mushibane.

In order to secure their own position, the SEPB’s Mushitsuki became busy with missions. So they needed manpower in order to search out the surviving Mushitsuki all over the country and secure them. Mushibane took on that role.

That was apparently a suggestion made by Haji Keigo right after the battle.

All Mushitsuki—agreed to this plan unanimously.

“Besides… the effects of what C did were surprisingly small.”

Kasuou kept talking.

“I mean, Akamaki’s still in that horrible state and GARDEN’s all broken up… and since she became Fallen all those brainwashed guys woke up, so that’s huge. Even that Deluge thingy that aimed for all the country’s people apparently ended up without anyone becoming a Mushitsuki because we all got into GARDEN immediately.”

“…”

“So the real problems came later. This country needs Haji to manage the surviving Mushitsuki and negotiate with overseas. Even that bastard wants to take advantage of it and go all out. Without caring at all that we need to run all over the place for him.”

Nanana opened her mouth.

“Regarding foreign countries, I also handle some of the negotiations, albeit unofficially. They keep telling me to sell them Mushitsuki. Leave finding those sorts of idiots to me.”

Saying this, she wore a bold smile and shook her glass.

“This country will probably sink for a while from the battle’s aftereffects… but I can already see signs of its imminent revival. If something bothersome reaches out, I’ll shut them up not with Mushitsuki, but with the powerful magic of money.”

After defeating C, Haji Keigo first revived the organization of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

Rina rescued all the scattered Mushitsuki and protected them.

Akasegawa Nanana supported both of them in all aspects.

After the decisive battle, appearing in this sort of three-way discussion—

This would probably be their last time.

From now on, they really would create a single, new path to take, in the truest sense.

Rina smiled.

“Once we added up those Mushitsuki who weren’t part of the C operation in Akamaki City with those that Terasu secretly let escape when we got out of Akamaki City—it’s quite the number of people.”

Kasuou laughed back.

“Terasu’s going to collapse again. Even though she already almost died from overwork last week.”

“If she doesn’t suffer any work-related injury, tell her to come to me. I’ll hire her for ten times the salary.”

Nanana laughed as well.

Kasuou turned toward the glass window behind her, watching the flowing cityscape.

Rina and Nanana also looked outside, each with their own thoughts.

“…So, any new people revived from the Fallen state?”

“I’d like to know that, too. Was it just that one person Ayukawa Chiharu-san helped?”

“Even a single person is great. —It’s Alpha that we’re having no progress with. I knew it was going to be lengthy, but the research fees just keep on growing…”

“There was another guy at SEPB who’s almost Matured. I killed the Mushi, though.”

“We had two. I—took care of them.”

“You look much paler than Kasuou. Should I introduce you to a hospital?”

“How’s your father?”

“As always. …Yeah, once Mushibane no longer needs me, if father allows… I’ll ask Arisu to take this body and—right, how is she?”

“Getting there slowly but surely. She’s now able to stay awake for about two hours a day. Oh right, Nanana, she said she wants to meet you.”

“I see… oh, well, in due time. —That aside, do you know a journalist called John Mash? He’s using the Chronicler’s footage to do activism about Mushitsuki rights. What a riot.”

“That Haji bastard said it wasn’t something to just throw away. He blabbed something about how Mushitsuki’s existence becoming clear to the wide public might actually be helpful—”

Their useless conversation came to a sudden end.

The limousine got caught up in red light in front of the Ouka station.

Kasuou could see a single boy standing in front of the station. His back was turned to her and he looked like he was waiting for someone.

“Kasuou. That guy’s the runaway you’re looking for, right?”

Rina looked outside the window, wearing a mischievous smile.

“…I toldja, I’m busy.”

Kasuou wore a bitter smile and turned her face away from the window.

“Busy pretending I’m lookin’ for him.”

Nanana also looked outside and laughed.

“Yaha, you’re not just pretending, but actually helping him.”

“I don’t wanna hear that from you. …He worked more than anyone until now, and we already finished our business, the way I see it. Got nothing to do with him anymore. If he says he don’t need either the SEPB or Akasegawa for support, I don’t give a fuck.”

Saying this, Kasuou smiled back at Rina.

“About the one that escaped you… she’ll probably appear if we wait here, won’t she?”

“It’s fine. …That girl also did her best until today.”

Saying this and smiling, Rina looked happy.

The light changed to green.

The white limousine slowly drove off.

No one told it to stop.

“Well, it’ll somehow work out. —For us as well.”

Kasuou mumbled as Rina and Nana smirked at her—

And made a small nod.

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