Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 14 Chapter 1 (section)

== 1.02 The Others ==

“Furthermore, all Branch Heads as well as Mushitsuki are to be restrained.”

The vice-minister’s declaration echoed throughout the silent dome.

None could even speak; none could make a single move.

What he just declared to them—

Was the dissolve of the SEPB as well as arrest of all its members.

Every single person there required a moment to even understand the meaning of his words.

“The SEPB’s… done?”

Someone’s leaked mumble shook Keigo’s thoughts.

Dissolving the SEPB? Impossible—

The SEPB led by Miguruma Yaeko was not the kind of brittle organization that could be so easily dissolved. It obviously had many cooperators spread among the nucleus of the country, and if it was decided to be dissolved, then it would require the joint opinion of several ministries and organizations.

Keigo also did some careful work behind the scenes. He’d never neglected keeping watch on the SEPB’s cooperators as well as opposition. If there were any movements related to dissolving them, he would have known of them long ago.

“Harukiyo has arrived!”

Something impossible was happening—

Miguruma Yaeko did not seem surprised. This meant that she alone had expected this situation.

Something Miguruma had expected.

Meaning—the loss of the SEPB.

C’s victory.

By the same token, Miguruma Yaeko’s downfall.

If she in fact managed to estimate the current situation as well as allow it to happen—

“Does that mean this is also C’s doing?”

Keigo glared at Miguruma Yaeko with a side glance.

The decision for dissolvement came too fast. —It happened right after Keigo managed to grasp real power and impossibly quick in spite of all the normal formalities.

He could only think that an inhuman power moved right next to the higher-ups.

The fact this became reality—meant there was no mistake someone had fixed it up like this in advance. It was clear and obvious who set it up like this.

“Since C had won, she’s not going to allow even the smallest counterattack?”

Hearing Keigo’s words, Miguruma Yaeko tilted her head and feigned ignorance.

“C is doing nothing more than taking the next step in creating a new world. If only you hadn’t appeared, everyone would have gained the Undying without suffering…”

“As mere Revived who simply keep on living, no different from the Fallen, though. —You were the one who created C. What on earth are you trying to do with C?”

Miguruma called it a “step”.

Since she’d planted traps even for the higher-ups of the country, it was already certain that everything was advancing exactly like Miguruma Yaeko had envisioned it.

C’s rampage was no mere rampage.

She was following some grand plan and everything was advancing according to it—

“I am creating an Ark, Haji Keigo.”

Miguruma Yaeko smiled.

“You said we were opposites—but in the end we are very similar.”

“…?”

Keigo frowned, unable to understand the meaning of Miguruma’s words. At that moment some sort of commotion came to his ears.

“—Are you in the middle of somethin’?”

Mushitsuki covered in wounds all over appeared inside the dome.

They were much less numerous than Terasu and the others that came before, but they were powerful Mushitsuki. Especially the red-haired man standing in the front—Harukiyo—was a frightening person called the flame devil.

“Well, not like it’s got anything to do with me, though.”

While all his comrades looked like they’d fall down at any moment, only the blood-smeared Harukiyo acted all high and mighty. His firm arms were hugging a girl covered by a jacket.

“…Is that—Arisu?”

Seeing the girl Harukiyo holding up, Kasuou stepped ahead, staggering. The Central Headquarters Mushitsuki called Nene and Tamamo also paled.

“Arisu-chan…? Is it really Arisu-chan?”

“Arisu-san…! Is she reaaally awake now? B-but that means the Undying’s—”

“She was subbed out. A lying bastard’s now gone to bed with the Undying instead of her.”

Harukiyo casually threw the girl at Kasuou. “Don’t throw her, piece of shit!” she yelled at him and caught her with mist.

Next to Harukiyo, Kusezaki Ume argued, “Woah, what’re we gonna do if she wakes up and raises hell again?!”

“Arisu…? Who is that?”

“A Mushitsuki?”

“H-has Harukiyo really…? Why here… and that woman…?”

Following the disbanding of the SEPB, the flame devil’s appearance caused another uproar in the dome.

[[File:Mushi Uta 14 p047.jpg|thumb]]

The girl brought back by Harukiyo was the Rank 1 Mushitsuki who was treated as non-existent. However, right now Keigo didn’t have the leisure to explain this to everyone.

“Good work, Harukiyo. However, she doesn’t seem to be back to normal...”

Harukiyo glared at Keigo who fixed the position of his glasses and approached him.

“Done pretending you’re asleep, then? That human sacrifice you’ve sent me was a great help.”

However, the flame devil passed right next to him and headed toward the restrained Miguruma.

“…”

“What is the matter, Harukiyo? You seem like you want to say something. Are you going to thank me for reuniting you with the lovely Sleeping Beauty?”

Harukiyo responded to Miguruma Yaeko’s smile with a smile of his own.

“You gotta pay the piper after playing with my buddies like that… I’ll need to put on my thinking cap and think really hard about it.”

The devil’s eyes were set ablaze. His red hair sizzled. Even the surrounding air produced a heat haze from the heatwave, causing the temperature inside the dome to rise.

“First of all, I really fuckin’ hate your ‘I don’t mind dying’ sorta look. I think you’ve got no siblings or parents… but if you die with some hope remaining, like some sorta samurai following his master to the grave, that wouldn’t serve as no punishment, now would it?”

While Harukiyo threatened her, Miguruma Yaeko’s face was cold.

Was she really unafraid of death? Or perhaps—

“…!”

Seeing how Miguruma acted, Keigo gasped. He turned toward the operation tent.

“Quickly, tell Kabuto and the others to not come back to the dome!”

“—They’re already here!”

When this voice came, the number of Mushitsuki in the dome increased.

They were the SEPB member Kabuto and a large number of Mushitsuki. Further added to that, Mushibane members showed themselves one after another.

Keigo softly clicked his tongue.

“B-Branch Head Haji…?”

His subordinate Kabuto was shocked, seeing him. Kabuto was yet another person who was convinced Haji was in a coma, but he didn’t have the time to handle that response.

“Kabuto, where’s Fuyuhotaru?”

Looking around the people returned, Keigo asked briefly.

Fuyuhotaru, leader of Mushibane and a Secret Class Rank 1 Mushitsuki, was nowhere to be seen. Other important people like Mushibane’s admins and Akasegawa Nanana assembled there, but the girl wasn’t.

“—She vanished while we were on the way back here.”

Keigo slightly widened his eyes beneath his glasses.

Voices of confusion rose from the Mushitsuki in the dome as well.

“We were so shocked at the operation failing and took our eyes off of her for a moment… we do not know why she had gone, and if this was done out of her own volition. But we have sent a few SEPB members to look for her. If the intelligence division also helps, we can quickly—”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer possible.”

Keigo spoke.

“…Ha?”

“As of a short while ago, the organization called the SEPB has lost its function.”

Kabuto and the other returning SEPB members, as well as Mushibane, all froze together. Harukiyo raised a brow and glanced at Keigo.

“T-that’s right. There’s also an order to apprehend Mushibane. No one is allowed to get out of here.”

The vice-minister loudly declared this, but his face was stiff. Since he was in front of those he regarded as monsters, he was obviously scared.

“If you resist even a little, it will be seen as rebellion against the country and you will all be put on the wanted list.”

The Mushitsuki all remained silent.

Soon this silence turned into a commotion, and their eyes moved from the vice-minister to Keigo.

“…”

“W-why are you silent, Haji Keigo! Order all of them to surrender and drop their weapons!”

Keigo could no longer even hear the vice-minister.

Their fighting forces—were too lacking.

There were two—no, three Rank 1s here. Originally, you could say that their forces wouldn’t lose even to a large-scale army.

However.

At present, most powerful Mushitsuki were exhausted and could barely stand. The reliable Rank 1 Fuyuhotaru was currently missing, and despite acting so brazenly, Harukiyo was visibly spent. Even Sleeping Beauty Arisu who was hoped to become the new leader of Mushitsuki remained asleep.

With things being how they were, the only way to break through this situation—

“W-we’ve also dispatched the JSDF. You can’t resist…!”

“None of this matters. Right now, our real threat is—”

Before Keigo finished speaking, something happened.

There was the shrill sound of something bursting, echoing from the corner of the dome.

If they were to supply electricity from the outside, there was the risk of C using it for an attack. As a countermeasure they prepared many generators, but now these were being drowned in golden light.

Standing next to a generator was a Mushitsuki clad in SEPB equipment. The golden light engulfing the generator extended from that Mushitsuki.

“No way… does Kabuto-san’s team not include a sensor?”

Kusezaki Ume muttered. Harukiyo snorted, sounding bored.

“Seriously lame. She not only tailed you but even set up a trap.”

While many Mushitsuki became restless due to being unable to understand the situation, Keigo groaned.

“So it’s not like we shook off her pursuit. —She simply waited so she could get all of us in one fell swoop.”

As Keigo turned his eyes to the side, Miguruma returned a silent, small smile.

“—This is C’s counterattack.”

The moment he muttered this, the Mushitsuki standing next to the generator collapsed.

Instead of them—an ethereal silhouette glowing in gold rose from the floor.

She was a petite girl wearing a slanted tiara that was covered in crown and heart symbols. Seated in a large chair—a throne—her figure with a thick cloak and wavy hair looked divine.

“—”

No one could do anything but gulp and watch her.

They all watched this fairy glowing in gold, serving as body double to C, launch many small C-butterflies, one after another.

They all watched the exhausted, powerless Mushitsuki get cornered by the golden wave.

While imagining the incoming destruction, they could do nothing but stand there.

“All old Mushitsuki will be purged by the ‘Flood’, while only the new Mushitsuki will board the ‘Ark’—”

Miguruma Yaeko spoke in a singsong voice.

“And… the ‘Dove’ will be unleashed.”

Along with Miguruma Yaeko’s prophecy of destruction, the number of C-butterflies increased.

While the dome was being engulfed by despair—

“Good grief, and just when I thought I finally got the SEPB in my hands… is this simply the fate of the East Central Branch?”

Keigo sighed. He turned back to the vice-minister.

“Vice-minister. Starting now, we will no longer belong to the government and will assume independent action.”

“Wha…?”

“This is—what you’d call a coup d’etat.”

Ignoring the speechless vice-minister, Keigo raised his voice.

“An announcement for all the SEPB, as well as Mushibane! Escape from this place with everything you have!”

The Mushitsuki overwhelmed by the golden fairies and C-butterflies all looked to Keigo.

“It appears that the government’s already under C’s control! If you don’t want to become Fallen—and then get Revived and become C’s underlings—you have no way other than retreat!”

There was no other choice nor any time. Keigo kept prattling on and on.

“Terasu! You take command of all the Mushitsuki. Help as many as you can get out.”

“M-me…? B-but, we’re too exhausted to even—“

Terasu argued against Keigo, her face shocked.

Just like she said, their comrades no longer had the power to fight. Even Harukiyo who could be called the strongest Mushitsuki was exhausted, and Keigo doubted he’d help other Mushitsuki without any reason. Sleeping Beauty Arisu also remained asleep.

However—there was a single person there who could still fight.

“Please buy us some time until we can retreat—”

Keigo turned back, calling out to one person among the Mushitsuki.

“Lady Bird.”

A silence spread throughout the entire dome as though time stopped.

Even the swarm of C-butterflies stopped their wings.

The following moment, a large tremor shook the surroundings—

This occurred due to the half dome-shaped giant Mushi that swelled into being right at the very center of the dome, as well as the shockwave whipped up by this Mushi’s wings.

It was a massive seven-spotted ladybug.

Riding on its back, the hooded person opened her mouth.

“I have no intention of following your orders.”

Keigo ignored her voice, wearing a faint smile.

It really was a nostalgic voice.

“I will simply protect Mushitsuki.”

Removing her hood, she revealed her face covered by a fox mask.

Tachibana Rina.

Lady Bird.

This Blaze Class Rank 1 Mushitsuki, who could also be called the archnemesis of the SEPB, had already lost her life in a past fight—and was now revived.

“That’s all I do, both before and now.”

Some worshipped her as a god, while some called her the weakest of the Rank 1s.

Did this Mushitsuki still possess the same strength and kindness she had before her revival?

Haji Keigo had to ascertain this before entering the final battle.

In the end—was she really the girl called Tachibana Rina?