Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5th Episode 20 (section)

=== Part 1 ===
How long had it been since she felt the early morning air on her skin?

The blue sky had a warm, glowing morning sun floating in it.

The wind was strong and she could see thick clouds in the distant sky. Since the wind blowing from the side was slightly damp, they were probably rain clouds. This spring air full of the scent of grass filled her soul.

She was probably already used to this spring wind. Exiting the Ichinokuro estate, Daisuke and the Morpho butterfly just headed to school without paying attention to anything.

But noticing that the girl wasn't next to him, Daisuke turned around.

"…Hey, what's up with those creepy movements?"

"Huh… b-but…"

Arisu—Mari in Arisu’s body held the hem of her skirt, cheeks blushing. She bashfully walked toward the boy’s back, pigeon-toed.

"Isn't this skirt a bit too short?"

There was a thud. Daisuke let the sports bag hanging on his back fall to the ground.

"I-isn't it against school regulations? We’re only middle schoolers, so don’t you think revealing our legs like this is indecent? Also, there’s strong wind today, so it’s possible that my underwear would—"

Calmly picking up his bag, he grabbed Mari's thin shoulders with a serious look on his face. Although he seemed calm, there was a sparkle of agitation in his eyes.

“W-w-w-what’s going on with you? It’s impossible that you just now noticed it. You always kick me without a care in the world but suddenly you think it’s indecent? It is spring? Because it’s spring?”

"Eeeeek!"

“Got it! I’ll let go of you! Here, I did it! So please don’t scream!”

Since she’d never been touched by a boy, she raised a shriek unconsciously.

But according to him, it was “impossible” for her to have not noticed this before. Meaning—did Arisu and Daisuke have that kind of relationship? There was no way for them to have a relationship where she wouldn’t feel any danger at having her underwear be seen… unless they were lovers. At the very least, according to Mari's knowledge.

"N-no… u-umm—"

Arisu and Daisuke were lovers.

She inputted this new information into her head.

"Y-you're just more daring today, so I was just surprised."

Putting her index finger on her cheek, she tried wearing a strained grin.

"…"

Apparently, she got it wrong.

Daisuke was quickly paling, so she puffed out her chest with hands on her waist.

"S-silence! It's my freedom to do what I please! You just need to shut up and walk ahead! Because you're too incompetent for anything else! Please don't turn your dirty face this way! You make me feel sick!"

"—O-oh, is that so?"

It was the right answer this time, apparently. Daisuke turned around with a relieved face, muttering, “Your bullying really damages my spirit this time…” as he walked.

It seemed like a very strange relationship, but Mari was aware she didn’t know the ways of the world. Perhaps the relationships of middle schoolers were like that.

While minding her skirt she watched Daisuke walking ahead. At times he would turn to look at her, but she would glare at him and it would end without incident.

Passing near a couple that looked of high school age, she followed them with her eyes. If they were lovers, wouldn't they walk hand in hand like that couple?

"Aren't you mad? What have I done?"

"Eh? I-I'm not mad."

"I see. …Then may I ask why you are clenching your fist and aiming at my hand? So it’s a direct attack this time, huh. I'll tell you in advance, but if you think I won't hit you back you're mistaken."

“R-right. Then I’ll keep it to verbal abuse. You pervert. Lower than trash. You, umm…”

"If you need to force yourself to add insults then just shut up. You’ll ruin your pretty face."

He told her she was pretty.

Being complimented by a man other than Sensei for the first time, Mari blushed.

"A-anyway, if you turn around, I'll kill you. I’ll take my fist and hit you here, burying this sharp part about three millimeters into your head.”

"Stop being so specific. It’s scary when you're being so serious. Why am I not even allowed to look back…"

At the very least she seemed to avoid suspicion from Kusuriya Daisuke.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she secretly opened her bag. When she touched the silver rod hidden inside, it looked like a shining pattern appeared on the surface for an instant.

"…"

Narrowing her eyes, she closed the bag.

As she looked up at the Morpho butterfly, her expression was undoubtedly something that Arisu had never worn before. At the very least, Mari had never seen her best friend wear a smile which was mixed with doubt and cynicism.

''We're not even in battle, so why am I—''

Even up until now, Mari's personality had controlled Arisu's body several times.

However, all of them were only when Arisu was in danger.

Furthermore, Mari's personality appearing on the surface was also incredibly unstable—since it appeared by forcibly pushing Arisu’s personality away, it was something very feeble. Mari could only remember these times like they were dreams.

Or rather—it was extremely abnormal for Mari, who had supposedly passed away due to an illness, to remember what happened after that in the first place.

Why could she remember?

Where had she accumulated these memories?

In the first place, how had she left her Morpho butterfly to Arisu—

"…"

She couldn't recall.

She had memories after her death, although vague, but trying to recall what happened during her life was like grasping mist and she couldn’t even think about it.

She had—a terrible premonition.

This morning, Mari pushed down Arisu's personality upon awakening and allowed her own personality to rise to the surface.

The cause for that was apparently the medium of the rod with its overly high specs. The manufacturer was apparently too good at their job; this weapon preserved heat and could be said to be the best option for harmonization with Arisu, who wasn't the original host of the Morpho butterfly.

But did it really turn that way?

Was it fine to end with this conclusion?

As Mari let her thoughts run, the Morpho butterfly fluttered above her head innocent-seeming.

"—"

The name of the boy walking a bit ahead of her was Kusuriya Daisuke.

He, just like her, was a Mushitsuki. Also, he belonged to the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau—the special organization that concealed the existence of Mushi as well as captured and trained Mushitsuki to control them as members. In order to monitor the abnormal Mushi the Morpho butterfly and the one who possessed it, he began living with Arisu.

She knew these particulars because the Morpho butterfly had been watching.

Right now, she possessed both memories—of Hanashiro Mari and the Morpho butterfly.

"Hehe."

"…Stop wordlessly patting and stroking my back. Are you Kororo?"

He was a Fusion-Type Mushitsuki just like her that she hadn’t met while alive.

It was mysterious walking next to the rumored Kusuriya Daisuke like this. When Mari tried touching his back to ascertain he wasn't an illusion, he kept up his guard without turning back.

"Stop being so docile, Daisuke. I wonder if all SEPB members are like that?"

"As if. Especially recently, there’s been a gathering of various problem children in the Central Headquarters in order to be reassigned and it was very annoying. Furthermore, Headquarters apparently started getting interested in you…"

"Interested in me?"

"You're quite famous in parts, since everything about you is outside the norm. You need to acknowledge that already.”

“What an honor for a demon like you to care about me.”

The previous times when Mari’s personality came to the surface, Daisuke acted as the warrior called Kakkou.

''—Are you saying that you're possessing the one who was your friend so you could one day take over Arisu?''

A silver lance and a gun.

When their weapons were crossed, he asked her this.

What had she answered then?

If she had her memories from when she’d been alive now, what would she answer?

If the answer was "yes"—

Then had Mari finally made that wish come true today?

The period when she was alive.

When she tried digging into those memories, her head blanked out.

"…"

Removing her fingers from Daisuke, she looked around her.

She was walking straight through the town engulfed by the morning air.

The wind was strong. Her ponytail, tied awkwardly because she wasn’t used to it, was blown to the side.

They passed near a married couple that was having an idle conversation. The small dog they were taking along with them turned to look at Mari as it walked. A bus with students on it made low engine sounds as it overtook them.

These things were completely ordinary, and yet they took away Mari's ability to reason.

The warm sunlight and the blowing wind felt too good.

She was alive.

That certain feeling raised Mari's spirits.

The reason she pushed Arisu aside to resurface, and her memories from her life—

Meant nothing anymore.

"Arisu?"

She overtook the boy walking ahead by jogging.

"I'll be going ahead, Daisuke!"

What sort of smile was she wearing at that moment? Daisuke’s puzzled face as he watched her going ahead made her smile deepen.

She couldn't bear it anymore. She stopped minding her skirt.

Skipping over a garbage bag dropped by a garbage worker, she grabbed a telephone pole and spun toward the corner. Leaping to the raised edge of the sidewalk, she rushed ahead with arms spread to preserve her balance.

Slipping into the intersection just as the green light started blinking, she stepped only on the white paint on the pedestrian crossing.

As she returned to the road, a bicycle passed right in front of her eyes. It almost crashed into her as it made an emergency stop. Spinning her body as she passed by the bicycle, she kept running again.

Running alongside a white wall that appeared next to her, she finally reached the front gate of Horusu Seijou Academy. On the other side of the security gate for students she could see the modern campus.

"Hah…! Hah…!"

When the first bell rang in front of the gate, there were only few students inside school. Mari put her hands on her knees, taking ragged breaths.

Her heart was beating so much it was about to tear. Her lungs wanted oxygen and raised a shriek. Her throat hurt and large tears came to the corners of her eyes. The dew dripping on her skin from the green trees around felt refreshing.

"Haa, haha, hah, ahaha…haha!"

Her ponytail drew half-circles in the air. Mari immediately raised her body to look at the sky, laughing.

Running with her own power felt pretty good.

She hadn't borrowed the power of her Mushi. As proof, several minutes later she was sweating all over. Her breathing was in disarray and even moving her fatigued limbs was painful.

However—she felt good.

It was something completely different than the fatigue from her illness. That one was only heavy, dark and gloomy.

"Ahaha!"

Hiding her face with both hands, she couldn't stop herself from forming a smile. The other students turned around to look at Mari giggling in front of the school gate.

More.

She wanted to run more.

She wanted to run forever like this.

As she started wishing for this, Mari hadn’t noticed that for a moment the eyes of the Morpho butterfly overhead were glowing red—

"…!"

The moment she felt a gaze on her, her body moved on its own. She instantly pulled out the silver rod from her bag, rotating it and catching it perfectly.

The flying Morpho butterfly emitted blinding light.

Mari's eyes and the butterfly’s antennas all turned to the same direction.

Beyond the fence surrounding the school premises there was a large shadow made by a cherry tree.

In that darkness stood a strange figure.

"…"

A grim reaper.

That concept rose to her mind.

Immediately leaping to her eyes was the pole-like object resting on that tall person's shoulder—that object that could be only called a scythe. The long, curved blade and the obviously long handle. Even taller than a person, it was dyed in a dull color almost like rotten food.

The appearance of this scythe-wielding person was absurd to the extreme. Although it was already spring, their entire body was covered by a close-fitting suit made of leather. She judged him to be a man due to his build and despite his slimness, but couldn’t ascertain it due to the gas mask-like equipped with lens that covered his face. Including the robe and boots covered in fasteners, everything he wore was rusted and ragged.

Another small person stood at the side of the scythe wielder. If the latter was a grim reaper, then the former was probably an imp. From this imp’s inexperienced yet rounded posture, she looked like a girl. Although she wore fashionable clothes, since her back was turned Mari couldn’t see her face.

Were they human or emissaries from hell?

Since Mari herself was an irregular existence, it wasn't a joke and could actually be possible.

However, there was only one thing for certain.

"Even a grim reaper can become a Mushitsuki… how exquisite."

Since the Morpho butterfly responded to it, it meant that he was a Mushitsuki. Also, there was a high chance he’d already used some kind of ability.

Why had this creepy duo appeared in front of Mari?

Perhaps they came to escort her, a girl who remained in this world even after death, to the netherworld.

"I wonder how much I need to chop a grim reaper to kill him?"

She grasped the rod again with a cool face, and the shoulders of the imp twitched.

As if scared by her killing intent, she grabbed the arm of the reaper next to her—and then pulled back her hand as if recalling something. They seemed to be arguing for a while, and then the both of them left.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_5th_p225.jpg|thumb]]

As they left, Mari noticed something on the girl’s neck.

''Those white goggles—''

She had the feeling they resembled the equipment of the SEPB's Central Headquarters.

But as far as Mari knew, she'd never seen a member wear something this strange.

''—There’s been a gathering of various problem children in the Central Headquarters in order to be reassigned and it was very annoying.''

Vaguely recalling Daisuke's words, she soon lost interest.

"…"

As she narrowed her eyes and put the rod back in her bag, a voice called out from behind.

"What're you doing, Arisu?! We'll be late, hurry up!"

Coming with a delay, Daisuke’s body shook with his rough breaths.

If he came to know that her current personality was Hanashiro Mari—what exactly would he do?

At the very least he would undoubtedly want Arisu to return. He would possibly attack Mari without asking for her opinion.

Kusuriya Daisuke. For Mari, he might be a real grim reaper—

"Yeah."

She turned around, grinning.

It was the time for her to be filled with the joy of living she hadn't imagined she could gain.

At least for a little while more—no.

If at all possible, Mari wanted to celebrate her life even a second longer. She wouldn't let anyone interfere.

Neither the unknown grim reaper nor Kusuriya Daisuke.

Once again, the eyes of the Morpho butterfly above her glowed in red.

"I'm coming."

Seeing Mari smile brightly like Arisu, Daisuke furrowed his brows a bit.