Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 6th Episode 23 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

In the thick jungle with trees taller than buildings, two tyrannosauruses roared at the sky. The dinosaurs rushing toward them shook the ground.

The cry of the Pteranodon spreading its wings overhead echoed, and the distant sky was dyed in red by an erupting volcano.

“Maimai-chan’s in a lotta trouble! But I will not back down! My latest, cutting-edge bazooka… is gone! I’m out of ammo!”

On the backseat of a jeep, Maimai fired her machinegun. Since her voice came through the cellphone to the earphones and directly echoed in Arisu’s ears, it was extremely annoying.

“…”

Wearing a dissatisfied face, Arisu kept firing her shotgun next to the eyepatch girl.

“If you don’t focus we’ll be killed.”

Ichiku Mikitaka’s encouragement came flying at her from the passenger seat. —The handgun that was his weapon was thrown to the seat and on top of his legs.

Trying to escape the two pursuing tyrannosauruses, the jeep Arisu and the rest were riding rushed into the forest at full speed. However, the dinosaurs finally caught up to them and their large jaws bit into the car.

GAME OVER

With these words displayed on the large screen behind them, a cheerful-looking Maimai got off the jeep. Along with a gesture as if she was wiping off her nonexistent sweat.

“Phew, this was a splendid battle! I feel so bad for losing! And I’ll never tell anyone that only Arisu-san was fighting in the latter half!”

“Say, Maimai.”

While also getting off the car, Arisu looked at the girl with a lukewarm gaze.

Arisu was obviously not transported back to Cretaceous Period and the jeep was obviously not real. The large LCD display, the jeep’s vibration functions and the large speakers around them were all part of a new gun shooting game.

Other than the game Arisu and the rest played there were many other kinds of game machines filling their sight.

Arisu and the rest had come to a certain large amusement park in Akamaki City.

Kasuou was supposed to be monitoring Arisu, but after exchanging a word or two with Ichiku Mikitaka she clicked her tongue and went back on her own; perhaps she’d been ordered not to come with them.

“Haa, you’re worried about me not hiding my face, right! Well, me being an internet idol—Maimai-chan—who got her break and is popular among primary, middle and high school students with her Maimai Exercise, is a secret from the SEPB too, you know!”

The eyepatch girl stuck out both hands forward, shaking her body left and right.

As the girl was apparently showing off her Maimai Exercise or whatever, Arisu smiled.

“That’s amazing. But no. You know, I…”

“I see, so you’re very curious about how I’m speaking! Since I don’t have a voice due to certain circumstances, I convert the voice emission in my esophagus to digital form through my choker and use my cellphone for my highly praised broadcast! Wow, a maiden telling her secret really makes me blush!”

“I see, that’s an amazing ability. But please calm down and listen to a person speaking? What I want to ask is…”

“Oh, about that guy over there!”

Her hands thrust out like the horns of a snail, she turned toward the man walking behind Arisu.

As she also looked back, the boy hummed a “hmm?” while raising a cold face. He had his sunglasses removed and stuck his hands inside his pocket.

“No need to worry! I was also shocked that Passerby A-san that we met by coincidence was the Director! I’m so nervous, meeting nobility! By the way, oh great Director, I’ll pay you money so please put me on a Rank higher than Kakkou-san!”

“Hmph, even without earphones I can more or less understand what you’re saying. You want candy. Here, I’ll give you one.”

“Do I really seem that greedy?! Unfortunately you were wrong, but I might as well take the candy! It has a mysterious taste but it’s good!”

“This is a trial product from the West Central Branch, it has lots of iron in it for a certain member of ours. We’re now testing it to see how many candies it takes for a normal person to get poisoned.”

“Bfhaa! D-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! Even if my head spins, I will never look sight of my bright future! If I only took five I should be just barely safe!”

“And by the way. Being a net idol is a protocol violation at best. I’ll demote you.”

“Nooo! Everyone’s idol Maimai-chan is in big trouble!”

Arisu’s hand caught from behind the head of the girl who walked unsteadily in the interior full of game sounds.

“Say, Maimai? Weren’t you supposed to take me to Harukiyo?”

“Eeek! I can feel a murderous impulse like Kakkou-san’s coming from Arisu-san!”

“So isn’t it strange you’ve taken me here to play around? It is strange, right?”

A clank resounded from nearby. Perhaps uninterested in Arisu and Maimai arguing, Ichiku was buying coffee from a vending machine. He opened the pull-tab and put it to his mouth.

He apparently cared nothing for manners or reputation. The sound of him sucking all the coffee in one gulp reverberated around.

A second passed. ''Kuha'', the moment the boy breathed, the can became empty. After throwing the empty can to the trash can, he noticed Arisu’s gaze.

“’It’s not fair for you to be drinking alone!’ your face seems to be saying. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you.”

“I was just surprised at you drinking like a vacuum cleaner…”

Arisu raised a brow. “Please get me apple tea!” “Alright, here.” “This is red bean ice! This isn’t even a drink!” She didn’t care for the pair’s exchange.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_6th_p139.jpg|thumb]]

“I took you here because there’s been eyewitness reports of Harukiyo here! Look at this shooting game we just played, the top scorer is called Harukiyo!”

“Eh?”

Turning around, she saw that the screen showing a rampaging dinosaur now displayed a ranking list of points. Indeed his name was in the top.

“There is no doubt that this is his home turf! So if we wait here, he’ll definitely appear! Also, if we mimic him and play, we’ll naturally be able to read his psychology, his name is also on that game there so let’s charge ahead!’

Shaking off Arisu’s hand, Maimai headed to the next game. However, as she walked with both hands stretched forward and belt dragging behind her, she was slow.

Stopping her legs completely, the girl turned around.

“Mr. Director, watch my movements as well! This is my chance to appeal to him!”

Arisu wanted to know the reason why her dead friend Hanashiro Mari had left the Morpho butterfly to her. —For this wish of hers, Arisu had met many sorts of Mushitsuki.

Harukiyo was also one such person. He was a Mushitsuki powerful enough to be called a devil, and he too was seemingly investigating Mari.

If he really was here and she could meet him it would be a wish come true. However—

“I don’t think it’ll be this easy…”

“It obviously won’t be this easy.”

There was again a sound like a vacuum cleaner.

Ichiku, having finished his second can of coffee, crushed the empty can in his hand.

“What do you mean by… won’t be easy?”

“This brat will never find him.”

Asserting this, Ichiku Mikitaka folded his legs while sitting on the bench near the vending machine. He took out a cigarette.

Harukiyo was heavily wanted by the SEPB. Ichiku’s words meant that he valued Harukiyo that highly, most likely. Or perhaps he just wasn’t thinking of Maimai as talented.

“Nwoooh! Doryah! I will not lose to that little girl C!”

Apparently zealous in some game, her war cries came from the earphones connected to the cellphone.

The reason why Maimai had suddenly appeared to Arisu.

Apparently it was because of her rivalry with the Central Headquarters’ promising rookie, C—the girl known as Horiuchi Erii.

The two of them were Mushitsuki excelling in information gathering. She could understand that about Maimai.

However, Maimai wasn’t the only one who appeared to Arisu without any advance warning.

“Hmm? You wanna play with me? Can’t you play alone at your age?”

“…I’m suspicious of you.”

Arisu stood imposingly in front of the bench.

“Why have you come to me?”

No matter how she looked at Ichiku Mikitaka, he appeared to be not much older than her. His sharp facial features were cold and the body peeking from his open shirt was slim. If he tucked those strange glasses into his collar and let down the hair made into braids—a plain figure would definitely suit him more, in a different sense from Daisuke.

“But this doesn’t matter at all. Don’t mind it. I’m fine if you just think of me as empty air.”

Arisu groaned sullenly.

“Even if you’re supposedly a government official, is it fine for an underage boy to smoke?”

“I’m not underage. I’m in my twenties.”

“…Eh?”

“Obviously the one who supervises the entire organization isn’t going to be so young. Have some common sense.”

She glared at him again, but he didn’t appear to be anything else than a teenage boy. However, if what he said was true, he was actually a young man.

“I don’t want to hear that from someone whose appearance lacks common sense. —Are you actually in your twenties? No matter how I look at you, you look like a bad-mannered delinquent.”

“I don’t think being a delinquent has anything to do with age… but since I’m not yet thirty, the fact that I’m young is unchanged. Show some respect. Speak more politely to me.”

It really pissed her off that someone who looked around her age spoke with such an air of importance. She really didn’t want to listen to him.

“Are you actually… the Director of the SEPB? Meaning you’re the most important person there?”

“No, it’s the Director-General who’s the most important. Well, that position is nothing more than a decoration meant to inherit the organization and take responsibility if anything happens, though. If we leave that aside, I’m at the top.”

“…Unbelievable.”

“Then you’re free to not believe. I don’t care.”

Saying this and turning his cold eyes away, he looked at Maimai who was using her cellphone to take pictures of dinosaur models. She got too excited and got pinned down under one of them.

This was definitely fishy.

It was a complete mystery why this boy—this young man—had come there along with Maimai like this. At the very least Arisu knew that Daisuke had no positive feelings about him.

“Come on, don’t be so cautious.”

“…”

“I get it. It’s a bother, but I’ll explain. In a certain sense it was a coincidence that I appeared to you with Maimai. Kakkou came to meet me. Facing him was too much of a bother so I came to see how the Morpho butterfly’s doing to kill some time. You at least know that HQ’s interested in that Mushi, right?”

“I did hear about it, but… you said Daisuke went to meet you? Why?”

“Why? What a strange question. —No.”

''Kuha'', the young man exhaled a lump of white smoke after sucking down the entire cigarette until even the filter barely remained.

“I see now. Haven’t you heard anything about me?”

“Anything…? I knew you’re the Director of the SEPB.”

“That bastard, no, I should say those bastards… Kakkou and Hanashiro Mari. That’s why I can’t stand Fusion-Types. They never go according to what you expect.”

“…? What are you talking about?”

“In the end you’re nothing but an ignorant civilian. Those Mushitsuki never trust you.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

She knew from Daisuke’s words and actions that he was hiding things from her for a while now. Kasuou also seemed to be hiding something this afternoon.

And above all else—she’d found out that her supposed best friend Mari was a Mushitsuki only following her death. Arisu never heard anything from Mari herself.

“I’ll tell you what you should do.”

Ichiku’s line of sight sought the eyepatch girl who was leaping into yet another game.

“This is a good opportunity. Maimai’s a fine example. Look closely.”

Putting on his sunglasses, the young man grinned.

“This is all you can do as someone who merely got involved in things.”

What she could do right now.

While watching the girl engrossed in a game, Arisu couldn’t make any reply.

Two hours later—

“Huu, seems like Harukiyo wasn’t here! Don’t mind it, Maimai-chan!”

Arisu greeted the refreshed-looking Maimai with a warm smile.

“What did you just say?”

“Arisu-san, your killing intent despite that kind expression is scaring me out of my mind! And your hand’s in the form of a karate chop as well! Please allow me to explain myself before you hit my head!”

“You have ten seconds. Ten, two, one.”

“Gyaoooh! That was only three seconds! —Actually, this wasn’t the only place Harukiyo had been sighted in! I’ll show you to the next spot!”

Saying this, Maimai started cheerfully—no, slowly walking toward the exit of the amusement park.

“The next spot, huh.”

Arisu followed the one-eyed girl. And behind her she could still feel Ichiku’s cold expression.

Following Maimai’s lead, who put her fingers forward like the horns of a snail, wore a round hat that was like a shell, and dragging a belt that was like a snail’s body, the next place they came to was—

“Maimai-chan’s gonna sing! I’ll use Kakkou-san for a sticky love song! Lalala, lululu~”

A party hall/karaoke.

The spacious hall was illuminated by a gaudy mirror ball, and an extremely long sofa was set on the wall. On the stage were large karaoke equipment and speakers, and even a large display screen.

A vacuum cleaner-like sound came from near Arisu who sat at the very edge of the sofa. Next to her, Ichiku used a straw to finish his drink in one gulp, and then exhaled a ''Kuha''.

“Say, Maimai?”

Even when Arisu called to her, Maimai was so engrossed with her singing she didn’t notice her. Although she was waving around her maracas and not holding any microphone, for some reason her voice echoed through the speakers. And, for some reason, that voice was just like Kakkou.

“Next, I’ll sing with Kasuou’s voice! Lalala, lulilila~”

“Maimai?”

“Next it’s Arisu-san! Nooo, don’t touch me~”

“Don’t use people’s voices without permission!”

Even as Arisu finally grabbed the microphone and protested, Maimai still kept singing in a daze.

“What on earth is… how can she even sing in the first place?”

As Arisu gave up and put the microphone back, Ichiku lit his cigarette and finished it with a single inhalation.

“This girl’s ability is controlling machines that have her Mushi in them. Or maybe we can call it a splitable arithmetic processing system. Since she also has parts that function like memory storage and isolated communication architecture, we can call it a parasite computer. She probably put her Mushi into the karaoke equipment as well.”

“Is that… something amazing?”

“That ability’s not such a big deal. If you have money, you can reproduce all that using technology. Furthermore, the ability’s user is incompetent as hell. It’s wasted on her.”

Arisu responded to the word “incompetent”.

“Don’t make this face, you don’t have to worry, it’s fine. Apparently there really were eyewitness reports of Harukiyo here, and I told the front desk to alert us if anyone like that appears.”

“Your predictions have all completely missed the mark. I wasn’t thinking about that at all.”

“Oh? But you’re supposed to be worried about Harukiyo right now.”

True.

However—she just didn’t like any of that.

The cold expression of the young man called Ichiku Mikitaka, his indifference toward everything, his way of speaking that seemed as if he was always looking at people from above. Arisu rejected all of those.

“Don’t call people incompetent so easily.”

“Can’t change the facts. The Mushitsuki called Maimai is incompetent. She was and will be so forevermore. She’s useless.”

“…!”

She was speechless.

Was it really allowed to have someone so perfectly deny the existence of a person?

“Lalala…”

Perhaps it was Arisu’s imagination, but Maimai’s singing voice seemed to lower in volume.

Ichiku lit another cigarette and fully inhaled it in one breath. Arisu grabbed hold of his collar.

“I’ll try guessing what you’re thinking about. —‘I agree. She’s really incompetent.’”

''Kuha'', he exhaled the white smoke on Arisu’s face. Waiting for the smoke to vanish, she narrowed her eyes.

“Actually, since all of your predictions were dead wrong, you seem like the useless one to me.”

“All you’re doing is denying your own boring pride. I’m actually right on the mark, right?”

“You don’t even seem to understand what I’m angry about.”

Just as Arisu swung her arm, a high-pitched howling echoed inside the party room.

“Gyaoooh!”

Perhaps stumbling as she danced, Maimai apparently bumped into the karaoke set. Intense noise echoed and the music cut off at once.

“Just when I thought about showing off my love and pride, the Maimai Exercise, I was so nervous I fell down! D-d-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! We can no longer do karaoke, so let’s head out to the next place! Right this instant!”

Pulling on Arisu’s hand, Maimai left the room. Ichiku also followed them with a delay.

“Maimai, you’re bleeding…”

“I banged my head on the mic! There’s no blood coming out!”

“B-but, you are.”

“Ah, Arisu-san, umm, since the other person is very important, please don’t make a fuss!”

“Eh…? Have you listened to us? That guy’s not important at all. He called you a…”

“You can’t fight! If it’s about me, there’s no need to worry! I’m used to it!”

Arisu stared at the girl pulling her arm. Maimai’s arm was shaking.

“You just can’t fight. Fights are scary…”

“Maimai…?”

Being led by the eyepatch girl who got quieter, Arisu came to yet another new place.

It was a small playhouse theater near a large highway. On the shutter full of posters there was a board plastered with advertisements for live performances or concerts.

It was already night. Underneath the night sky, the lights of cars passed to-and-fro in the background.

“This time for real! Apparently Harukiyo comes to see the comedy act here every week! As expected from Maimai-chan! C isn’t a big deal at all!”

“But, Maimai… this paper right here says that it’s closed…”

Arisu pointed at a posting noting the place was closed and that they were looking for a new custodian.

''Kuha'', Ichiku came exhaling white smoke from behind.

“We came here for no reason, then.”

To stop Arisu from glaring at the young man, Maimai hurriedly waved her hands.

“Well, this is something that even I didn’t know! So there’s no doubt that Harukiyo doesn’t, either! There’s still some chance he’ll show up here, so I’m just barely safe—aah! That person over there looks a bit like Harukiyo! Go, Maimai-chan!”

Maimai slowly walked toward a person who looked like just a random salaried worker.

“Well, rotten as she is, she’s still my subordinate. I have Maimai’s full profile in my head.”

Arisu glared at Ichiku.

“Her birth was not blessed at all. Her losing an eye and her voice is also related to her previous family environment. As well as her being so cowardly. Not going to speak about it in detail, though.”

“…”

“However—''all that doesn’t matter at all''.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“This is not rare for a Mushitsuki. Developing a dream amidst harsh surroundings. —Such cases occur mostly with Special-Types, but in short… have you never thought that pitying someone less blessed than you is nothing short of self-satisfaction?”

Removing his sunglasses, Ichiku looked at Arisu. That gaze had no sense of pressure nor strength of reproaching her. —It was simply cold.

As Arisu was born in a healthy household and had no issues, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t blessed.

“Misfortune is not a contest. However, in your case—”

Ichiku Mikitaka gazed intently at Arisu.

“You’re not even a Mushitsuki.”

He probably laughed. ''Kuha'', as the young man opened his mouth to suck the cigarette, she could see his sharp canines.

“I was the one who designated you as Mushitsuki based on your control of the Morpho butterfly. —But you’re absolutely an outsider. I’m telling you this for your own good. With regards to Mushitsuki… you should ''do nothing but watch''.”

Arisu kept glaring at the young man. —She could do nothing else.

“You don’t have a single reason to get angry for Mushitsuki.”

His words held neither scorn nor contempt; these were merely heavy, cold words.

The young man had said that he came to watch over the Morpho butterfly.

However, in reality he only came to say—“you’re an eyesore, so don’t do anything” which wasn’t even a warning. Arisu clearly knew that.

“Don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! I got the completely wrong person! But I will not lose sight of my bright future! Next, let’s—”

“Where are we going next?”

“It’s fine, next time we’ll definitely… eh?”

“A place where people saw Harukiyo. There’re others, right? Now we simply must have to find him!”

Arisu clenched her fist and raised her voice.

''Do nothing but watch'', Ichiku told her.

However, the existence of her late friend Mari was not so light that she could stand to watch from the side just from being told so.

If there were any clues that would lead to finding out her friend’s last will, she wanted to try reaching them.

“Ooh! So you finally understand my burning passion! With this momentum we’ll find Harukiyo, and I’ll definitely be of help to you, Arisu-san! That is my mission, after all!”

“Your mission?”

“Yes! Actually, I’ve been dispatched from the East Central Branch to the Central Headquarters right here in Akamaki City for re-training! My Branch Director probably implicitly ordered me to come here so I could be of help to Kakkou-san who’s working hard here, or to you!”

“I-is that so?”

“No doubt about it! After all, the Branch Director told me ‘and if you don’t like it, you may as well stay in Central Headquarters’ and sent me off with a smile!”

“HQ has no need of you,” Ichiku cut from the side.

“I-isn’t that just a joke? I don’t know what kind of a person that Branch Director is, though…”

“A person who can’t grasp the line between joking and being serious! But he was definitely serious… and so, unless I be of help to you, I have nowhere to go back to.”

The girl’s tone of voice suddenly fell.

“Nowhere other than the East Central Branch will take me… and even if they will, they’ll give me no rank and send me as a soldier to the frontlines… I-I don’t want to fight… fighting is very scary.”

Maimai looked down, her shoulders shaking.

“’Don’t act so spoiled’.”

Arisu turned around. Maimai’s shoulders twitched.

“That’s probably what Kakkou would say. Since he always fights on the frontlines ahead of anyone.”

Ichiku asserted.

“But as far as I’m concerned, both of you are worthless.”

The eyepatch girl averted her gaze from the young man exhaling smoke.

“K-Kakkou-san hates me… That person only ever smiled when he captured me… the problem is me being incompetent…”

“That’s not true.”

Arisu spoke as she grabbed the girl’s shoulder. The eyepatch girl raised her face.

“Daisuke likes you!”

Arisu declared. She heard Ichiku saying, “You… you’re saying some really irresponsible things…” from behind, but she ignored him.

“He likes you so much he can’t help it!”

“R-really? Am I loved? I’m going to blush!”

“At the very least, if you find Harukiyo—if you manage to complete something, he’ll definitely love you! That’s the kind of guy he is!”

This wasn’t irresponsible.

The Kusuriya Daisuke that Arisu knew was emotionless and oftentimes she had no idea what he was thinking about. However, he wasn’t the sort of person to hate someone who was trying to do something to the best of their ability.

Right—unlike Ichiku Mikitaka.

“Woooh! Maimai-chan’s suddenly all fired up! I’ll have to say no thank you to a demon courting me, but I’ll do my best to prove myself to him!”

“You don’t have to pretend to be energetic from now on! You were trying to hide how frustrated you were, right?”

“No, this is the place!”

“R-right. —Anyway, let’s do our best!”

Seeing the girls join their hands, ''Kuha'', Ichiku exhaled smoke.

“So, where will we go next?”

“So you’re fired up as well, Director! Next, we’ll head to the movie theatre—“

“Movie theatre inside the station.”

“Inside the station… ooh? This is the first time your guess was correct!”

“And next it’s probably the toy store in the mall? Then the public pool, a gym on the outskirts of town, as well as the museum and art gallery. This isn’t a guess.”

Arisu and Maimai exchanged glances.

Ichiku furrowed his brows.

“Idiots. All of them are diversions made by Harukiyo’s comrades with disguise abilities. And all of them are meaningless. They’re probably just playing with the SEPB.”

“Eh… uh…”

“Including C, the HQ’s intelligence department ignored all of those. It’s all inconsequential, meaningless information. —You’ve performed quite the pleasant dance to this tune of trash intelligence.”

“You… if you knew all that, why have you stayed silent?”

Ichiku took in stride Arisu’s reproach, wearing his cold expression. She bit her lips.

“Maimai! Isn’t there anything else? A place that the HQ doesn’t know about…”

“Uh… no… umm…”

The eyepatch girl started paling. She probably went silent because she had no other idea.

“So, we can start investigating from zero starting tomorrow! Right?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Eh?”

“I can only stay in Akamaki City for today… my re-training is made of supplementary lessons and I still failed… my teacher is tired of me…’

Arisu gulped.

“W-will I be sent to the frontlines…? I-I’m scared… I’m so scared…”

Arisu hugged the girl’s trembling shoulders. As she turned around, Ichiku was just exhaling a lump of white smoke.

“Judging from your face, are you expecting anything from me? ‘No need to bother the Branch Director. Order her to be sent to the frontlines with your authority as the Director’.”

Maimai’s face blanched.

“Why you…! Don’t worry, Maimai! I’ll tell Daisuke about this and we’ll do something…”

“It’s useless. Fusion-Types choose what they need to protect. Other than that, they’re more emotionless than anyone.”

“Even so—before that he’ll listen to what I have to say…!”

“It’ll have the opposite effect. They hate deals.”

“I… I…!”

While hugging the shaking Maimai, Arisu glared at Ichiku.

What did he think about that he was able to corner this girl so calmly? —Even if he really was telling only the truth, she couldn’t understand his aims.

“So you can’t even watch?”

''Kuha'', exhaling white smoke, Ichiku turned his body around. He put on his sunglasses and spoke suddenly.

“Come with me.”

The klaxon of a vehicle.

The board lit up in gaudy colors.

The clamor of passersby talking and laughing.

The hustle and bustle of the capital probably sounded so awfully loud because Maimai grew completely silent. Her complexion was like one who was headed for the gallows.

Meanwhile, Arisu kept drilling holes in the young man’s back with her gaze. She didn’t know where he was heading, but while knowing that she and Maimai had no other choice but to follow him, he would probably lead them without speaking.

“It’s here. Get in.”

Late at night, Arisu’s group reached in front of a strangely-designed building. The large structure had a sharp roof and five lines of vertical, round windows; judging from those, it probably had about five floors.

The metal gate opened easily with a touch.

The wall of the entrance had metallic shelves. There were numbers and surnames lined there.

“…An apartment building?”

“Obviously? Shut up and get inside.”

Still, she was surprised.

They entered the lobby. Rather than an apartment building perhaps it was more like a hotel.

Raising their brows, Arisu and Maimai walked inside. There were ornamental plants around.

“Gweh.”

Hearing a strange noise, Arisu turned around.

Ichiku grabbed Maimai’s collar. Naturally, it meant that only Arisu walked ahead.

“…?”

Having followed Arisu inside the building, the Morpho butterfly started emitting blinding light.

The next moment, Arisu’s legs stopped moving. This unexpected, sudden stop made her vision shake.

As she looked at her feet, shocked, she saw that something like cord was wrapped around her legs.

No. —It was vines.

The ornamental plants extending from the flowerpots restrained Arisu’s movements.

“Wha—”

The lobby Arisu and the rest were in started rapidly changing.

The flowerpots broke and the ornamental plants became quickly larger. The sofa inside burst and the plant that came out rapidly grew into a tree. The many vines that climbed the walls all collapsed and vanished as if they were made of papier-mâché.

Instantly everything in her vision transformed into a thick jungle.

At some point the ceiling vanished and above her there was the shining sun.

“This is…!”

Arisu instantly drew the silver rod from her pocket. As she lengthened it the Morpho butterfly landed on top of it, transforming it into a glowing spear.

However, she wasn’t given any chance to swing her weapon. The vines that reached all the way to her neck restrained Arisu.

“A Mushitsuki ability…!”

This was different from the amusement park set. The humid air, a bird’s call she could hear from somewhere, and the sense of being surrounded by trees—these were all exceedingly similar to the real thing.

This phenomenon was impossible in reality. Arisu had experienced this sort of situation before, where a place had been instantly overwritten to become a different space.

“Ah… uh…”

Maimai froze in place, fear on her face.

“I was just starting to feel comfy; what do you want?”

Appearing from within the thick trees was a boy with ruffled hair. He wore a pajama and had a cup in his hand. That appearance as if he’d just woken up looked even more abnormal inside this abnormal jungle.

“Have you not seen the notice? Only residents are allowed inside.”

Arisu who was restrained by the ivy and Maimai shaking with her sleeve still grabbed from behind. Both girls looked at Ichiku.

''Kuha'', Ichiku exhaled the cigarette smoke. His stance was unnaturally calm.

“So it was a trap…!”

Arisu’s voice, full of pain, was drowned out by the call of some bird somewhere in the jungle.