Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5 Chapter 2 (section)

==2.02 Daisuke Part 3==

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On the way back from Shiou Elementary School.

Daisuke carried his backpack, hurrying back home in a half-run.

Rushing down the hill road stretching from school, he entered the residential area.

"Even though Mitsuki was the one to say we should go back together, that guy…"

Although he made a displeased expression, on the inside he wasn't all that angry.

Ever since he made friends with his classmate known as Tsumura Mitsuki he started hating going to school less. 

Now Daisuke didn't get involved with any of his classmates. His desk wasn't being hidden, and he didn't kill time until after school on the rooftop.

Most importantly, now that his older sister Chiharu knew he made a friend, she stopped meddling more than was necessary. If she went back to where she belonged to, Daisuke thought he could get along with her a little.

As Daisuke went to turn in a corner of the deserted residential area, a woman appeared in front of him. She was a tall woman wearing a crimson-colored long coat. Her round sunglasses reflected the setting sun.

"A much tastier… a much more passionate dream—"

As he passed next to her, the woman muttered.

It was a voice sleek enough to make him shudder. For an instant it looked like the woman licked her lips. As if – she was baring her uncontrollable appetite that came just after drinking a rich wine. 

Turning around while feeling the chills, he couldn't see the woman anymore. He was too scared to confirm whether she disappeared to the other side of the corner.

Daisuke kicked the ground as if trying to escape.

"Ah, Mitsuki."

When he found his friend's back he was used to seeing on the road ahead he felt relieved.

"What's up with you, you were the one who said we should go home together. Don't go back on your own."

Approaching him, he smiled. The weak Mitsuki was again the target of his mean classmates. Daisuke promised to protect him.

Yet Mitsuki ignored him and kept walking ahead.

"…? Hey, Mitsuki."

Mitsuki shook off Daisuke's hand that reached to his shoulder to stop him.

Turning around, Mitsuki was smiling.

It was a smile that looked down on Daisuke – as if he was a completely different person.

"—"

Mitsuki moved his mouth.

The sound of the fiercely blowing sudden gust of wind soon erased his words.

Yet only Daisuke could hear what he had mouthed.

''—Daisuke-kun, I don't need you anymore—''

It took him time to understand the meaning of those words. 

''—Because I became strong—''

When he understood them he stopped thinking.

"…y."

Turning a deaf ear to Daisuke's faint voice, Mitsuki left.

Daisuke stood in place alone.

"Why… Mitsuki…"

As Daisuke muttered this in shock, a purple shining scale passed in front of his eyes.

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At that time five years ago he perhaps became self-conscious for the first time.

''I'm—''

Perhaps he came to know the true identity of the anger and anxiousness he harbored for the first time.

''Not needed by anyone—''

He was weak because he was small. 

He was pure because he was small. 

He probably only thought about it simplistically in black and white. 

''I want a place to belong to—''

It wasn't the class where, rather than nobody even noticing him, his very being there sowed the seeds of dispute. 

Nor next to his apathetic mother who didn't even notice he was injured.

Nor next to his temporary friend who used him just like a tool to compensate for his weakness.

Nor next to his sister who was far too kind and even sacrificed herself to protect him.

He wanted a place different from those.

If there was such a place in the world, he would need nothing else—

So he wished.

"…!"

—He was apparently about to lose his consciousness due to his fatigue.

The scenes of five years ago flashed in front of him.

As Daisuke was pulled back into reality, in front of him appeared a large mouthpart – the form of a Mushi who tried biting his head off.

"Tch…!"

His long coat fluttering, Daisuke caught that mouth with both hands.

Having fused with the checkered beetle, his arm used all of his strength to rip the Mushi's jaws from top to bottom. He pounded it against the ground as if performing a shoulder throw, using his fists to hit the Mushi's stomach as its legs raged violently. 

The Mushi's body burst with an explosive roar. Cracks ran through the bare rock on the ground and a large column of water rose up.

"Haah…! Haah…!"

While breathing heavily, he turned a sharp gaze to his surroundings.

The group of white masks surrounding Daisuke stopped their movements for a second after being pressed by an intimidating air. One of them fell down with a thud. He was probably the host of the Mushi Daisuke had crushed to death.

Two days passed since he cut off contact at Nishito City's 'URBAN'.

Daisuke kept running single-mindedly, not having any sleep and not using public transit to weave through the searching network of Central Headquarters and Mushibane. 

He avoided public attention as much as possible but he was probably sighted somewhere. Just as he left the urban area Mushibane's members attacked him all at once.

Daisuke right now was at a mountainous region far from the highway. In order to cross it he went not through the road but followed along the creek, getting surrounded by Mushibane without noticing.

He already turned the tables on about ten people, but Mushibane didn't give up. They leapt at him one after another.

"We won't let you rest! Everyone attack!"

The boy accompanied by a Mushi resembling a longhorn beetle raised a voice of anger. He, who was called Sinica by his comrades, seemed to be the leader of the white masks.

Daisuke dodged, running down the creek. Stopping the fangs of the Mushi standing in his way, he punched its compound eyes. This Mushi covered by a solid carapace was blown away, mowing down the trees around it and shattering to pieces. 

Although Daisuke had fused with his Mushi to reinforce his body, the white masks flinched from seeing him defeat Mushi with his bare hands.

Although they surpassed him in numbers, the difference in their strength was evident.

"M-monster… he's not human…!"

"Of course he's a human! Him getting weaker is the proof! Just a bit more!"

Sinica's voice issued orders, yet he also sounded impatient.

"Shit, where did Rin go to? If that guy was here—"

"Kh…"

As Daisuke tried running his consciousness dimmed for an instant again. 

Both his mind and body were exhausted due to the accumulated fatigue of two days and overuse of his Mushi's power. Although he had preserved his energy by not using his pistol attacks that had a severe consumption, it was evident that the more the battle dragged on the more he was at a disadvantage. 

The white masks attacked Daisuke who was still able to muster his willpower.

"What's a 'fight to not fight' supposed to mean…! That's a load of bullshit!"

How many Mushi had he killed?

Several white masks were collapsed sporadically in the mountain.

Not even looking aside as he went down the creek, Daisuke could already not even feel himself fighting. He simply defeated the Mushi blocking his way mechanically.

Crushing a Mushi's head with his fist, he kicked a tree and used the recoil to leap. He stabbed his arm through the abdomen of another Mushi that tried attacking from the sky and used the force of his fall to pound it on the rocks. 

The scattered Mushi's bodily fluids rained down on Daisuke and the white masks.

"I'll never forgive only you fucker! Kakkou… only you…"

The hatred spat out by Sinica kept passing through Daisuke's ears.  

These were words filled with pure resentment.

"Lady was our hope as Mushitsuki…! And yet you killed her…!"

Aiming at Daisuke, a severed tree collapsed.

As he jumped over it, a Mushi that vibrated its wings to fly assaulted him.

"You've killed… Our Lady…!"

Gunfire reverberated all over the mountain.

The bullet shot from the instantly drawn automatic pistol pulverized the Mushi.

"Kakkou… only you I'll…"

"Uoooohhhh!!!"

Daisuke howled. The green pattern covering his body emitted a dim glow.

Every time he swung his fist, unleashed a kick, pulled the trigger, and pulverized a Mushi leaving nothing behind, one of the white masks collapsed. —An endless line of Fallens was created near the creek as Daisuke rushed downstream. 

He leapt as if rolling forward, swinging down his fist aiming at the Mushi inside the creek. As he crushed it the remainder of the shockwave blew fiercely, reversing the creek's flow for a moment.

It was the last of the people wearing white masks.

As silence again descended on the mountains, Sinica stood there with his face revealed, stricken by despair. 

"…"

While breathing heavily, Daisuke calmly glared at him.

Had they really thought they could win against Daisuke with just numbers? The only member of Mushibane able to fight equally against him was Lady Bird – Tachibana Rina. Mushibane should have been aware of that more than anyone else.

By them being able to find him before anyone else he felt as if he caught a glimpse of the person pulling the strings from behind. 

"…Hey, Kakkou…"

Sinica mumbled as Daisuke readied his pistol wordlessly.

"In the end… what did Lady say…? Before she died… has she left anything behind for us, even a single word… has she said any final words…?"

Acknowledging his defeat, Sinica inquired Daisuke.

Looking at his figure, Daisuke also realized.

Even while in the midst of fighting him, they didn't look at him at all.

Sinica only sought Rina's traces – the form of their past leader that was etched into their hearts even after she had lost her life. While assaulted by the sneaking fear due to their being Mushitsuki, Rina was probably their only light of hope. Mushibane admired and clung to her that much.

"'I finally remembered it'—"

Daisuke calmly said.

''—I had already lost long ago… to my own Mushi…''

Just before she perished in his arms, Rina was smiling.

This girl, who wasted herself away for the sake of Mushitsuki and fought until the end, smiled happily.

"'My real dream… was to find a place I belong to and become happy' – she said this and smiled until just before her dream was completely eaten by her Mushi."

"…!"

Sinica raised his face. He became speechless, but as if finally understanding he hanged his head.

"Right… that's obvious. Lady was a Mushitsuki just like us. Even though she had her own dream we made her forget it… We made her shoulder way too many things…"

"…"

"Lady fought in order to protect Mushibane, and because of that her dream was consumed by her Mushi… and she died… you didn't kill her after all…"

A clear drop streamed along his cheek. The droplet of water falling to his feet merged with the creek, flowing downstream toward Daisuke.

He neither affirmed nor denied Sinica's words.

Daisuke couldn't fully describe his feelings toward the girl known as Tachibana Rina even in his heart.

"—I'll be the last."

The longhorn beetle at Sinica's feet shook its antennas. 

"The Mushibane shouldered by Lady ends with me. From now on Fuyuhotaru – no, Snowfly will make a new Mushibane. She vowed to keep fighting until she ends the fight of Mushitsuki. She's strong. Because you see, she completely ignores you and the SEPB bastards."

Fuyuhotaru.

Anmoto Shiika also possessed the same dream as Daisuke and Rina.

Were these three fated to meet up and fight each other by a mere coincidence or was it because they all shared the same dream? He had no idea.

But from now on he would end fighting against the Mushibane led by Shiika.

Daisuke naturally exerted power into his fist grasping the pistol.

"So I'll fight you without reserve. This isn't to avenge Lady – but to protect my own dream!"

The longhorn beetle leapt, aiming for Daisuke.

He gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to pull the trigger—

"[Kakkou was careless] – [Rin attacks!]"

"…!"

A disk with a sharp blade appeared from the leaping longhorn beetle.

—No, several glowing disks penetrated through the longhorn beetle from a blind spot, flying toward Daisuke. 

He immediately protected using his blade-resistant long coat. Yet his body received the impact and he was blown away.

[[File:Mushi Uta 5 p195.jpg|thumb]]

As Daisuke crashed into a tree, a mass of rocks rushed from inside the creek.

The Mushi made of countless rocks tackled him.

"Gwahhh!"

The super weight tackle shook the mountain. Sandwiched between trees and rocks, Daisuke's bones of his whole body creaked.

"[2-combo attack success] – [Critical hit]! [Kakkou received 128 damage]!"

Three black figures surrounded Daisuke from a distance as he fell to his knees.

In front of him stood a small boy. On top of a cube shirt he wore the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau's long coat. He wore a warped smile on his face that had eye black smeared under both eyes.

The light disks were lined up around the eye black boy–Rin. These lined up disks were probably his Mushi, as they sprouted countless legs and crawled all over his body, becoming a common rough woodlouse. It seemed like a Minion Type Mushi, but it being freely able to change itself meant it was a Special Type.

As he thought there was a woman wearing the SEPB coat near the creek. At the feet of the woman hiding her face with goggles and a mask some rocks rose, forming a large Mushi. He realized that she was also a Special Type Mushitsuki.

Further downstream was another man with a coat, goggles and mask. The Mushi next to him was familiar. The Mushi had an antenna-like shaking feelers and a round body – it was the Mushi who possessed the ability of wiretapping he had fought at Nishito City's 'URBAN'. 

"You bastard… Rin—"

Next to the longhorn beetle that scattered its bodily fluids, Sinica dropped to his knees.

"Thank you for becoming a sacrificial pawn meant to weaken Kakkou… [Rin attacks]."

Lowering his head, Rin launched the disks. The several sharp disks assaulted the longhorn beetle writhing in pain on the ground and cruelly tore it to shreds. 

"…!"

"[Sinica received 286 damage] – [Rin defeated Sinica]."

Looking at Sinica who collapsed without making a sound, Rin grinned.

Even while grimacing in pain, Daisuke stood up. 

"—So you're the Annihilation Squad…!"

The group that attacked Daisuke at 'URBAN'.

And the boy in front of his eyes who incited Mushibane, including Sinica, to be used as sacrificial pawns against him.

The existence of the antenna Mushi confirmed the connection between them. 

Rin shook his head sideways.

"[Rin shook his head] – No… Our official name is the Annihilators…"

The combat unit under the direct control of Central Headquarters' Vice-Director Miguruma Yaeko – the Annihilators. 

The team that existed not to capture existences that were a nuisance to the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau but only to erase them finally revealed themselves in front of Daisuke.

"So you were the ones to incite Mushibane at Housawa Town… with Senri…!"

"[Rin nodded] – Mushibane's a bunch of idiots…"

In contrast to Daisuke who raised his tone, Rin whispered in a faint voice.

"Fusion Type Mushitsuki are dangerous… Now that Lady's dead and Harukiyo is with us you're too dangerous, Kakkou-kun…"

"…Ha."

Daisuke laughed off.

"That's what Miguruma decided? That woman sure knows how to treat us Fusion Type Mushitsuki the worst."

"[Rin tilted his head] – We'll stop speaking here… [Rin attacks]."

Aiming for Daisuke who stood stock still, the countless disks assaulted him.

"Tch…!"

Clicking his tongue, Daisuke leapt to the side to evade the attack. Kicking the ground, he shortened the distance between him and Rin in an instant. 

Aiming for the now defenseless boy, he pulled the handgun's trigger. 

The bullet, strengthened by the fusion with the checkered beetle, hit Rin squarely. A large explosion gouged the ground, causing a dust of cloud to swallow up the boy. However—

"[Rin has defended] – [Rin received no damage]."

Rin, gathering disks as a shield, looked at Daisuke with a composed face.

Using the opening of Daisuke's agitation, the aggregation of rocks dropped on him. He reflexively swung his free arm.

Yet before his fist could hit it, the rock crumbled down with a rattling sound. As Daisuke hit the empty air, other rocks behind him piled up to become a Mushi. 

"Gwaaah…!"

Since his back was defenseless, the legs of the rock Mushi sent him flying.

As Daisuke was helplessly tossed into the creek, the disks, mass of rocks as well as the antenna Mushi all aimed for him.

"You're completely exhausted already, Kakkou-kun… [Rin attacks]."

As a result of receiving a direct attack, Daisuke's limbs were temporarily paralyzed.  He couldn't evade the attacks.

Even so, the moment he tried rising up—

Just as they were on the verge of colliding with him, a single pallid butterfly appeared between them.

On the butterfly's wings that scattered crackling sparks was a pattern in the shape of the letter C.

"…!"

Immediately after Daisuke rolled away from the creek's flow—

An electric vortex filled his vision.

"WAAAAHHHH!"

Rin's shriek was erased by the thunderous roar that sounded like a lightning strike.

The flash of light connecting the creek with the sky pierced the Mushi that attempted attacking Daisuke. 

Dyed in deep red by the generated heat, the Mushi made of rocks – crumbled apart.

Electric currents surged out of the surface of the antenna Mushi, breaking it to pieces as if it blew up from the inside. 

"U-uhh…! [Rin was attacked] – [Rin received 160 damage]…"

Making use of most of his disks for protection, only Rin was able to escape the lightning strike.

But by the time he retreated from the creek Daisuke had already thrust his handgun through the shield of disks.

Flames spurted out of the muzzle inside which the bullet rotated at high speeds.

"I wanted to preserve as much energy as I could, but…"

"[Rin defended—eh…?"

The loud bombardment sound shook the mountain.

The attack ejected from the muzzle shot through Rin. Gouging the ground and making trees collapse, it destroyed everything upward in a straight line.

Rin, receiving Daisuke's full-powered attack, collapsed on top of the caved-in ground. Although he was definitely not dead, most of the disks protecting him had lost their shape.

"Haah… Haah…!"

Immediately after escaping danger, extreme fatigue assaulted Daisuke. He became exhausted and collapsed face-up.

"Kakkou-san."

A familiar voice came from inside the creek.

The crisp and composed voice of a girl echoed from the goggles of the collapsed woman inside the creek. The white-bluish electric current coming from downstream was connected to them.

"I judged it to be a dangerous situation based on the sounds I have heard through the goggles and so launched an attack. If you are safe then please respond."

"So it's you, C…"

There was the girl known as C who belonged to the Central Headquarters as a Secret Class Rank 2 member. She had once belonged to the East Central Branch and she was also Daisuke's acquaintance. Her Special Type Mushi possessed an ability of the same nature as electrons. 

It really was a tight spot. If he hadn't been saved by C he would've definitely been hit directly by the enemies' attack.

"—Please do not think I have saved you just yet."

Although Daisuke relaxed his battle stance, the girl's voice was cold.

"Branch Director Assistant Ishimaki came to Central Headquarters by the orders of East Central Branch Acting Branch Director Goroumaru Touko. They sought my ability to aid their search of you, Kakkou-san. And in secret."

''Touko-san did—''

His boss Goroumaru Touko.

Since Daisuke himself cut off contact, what sort of decision has she made?

"She had apparently conjectured that the Annihilators would probably find you. Therefore I have inserted my Mushi into an Annihilator's goggle, probing their movements. For us Special Type Mushitsuki, as long as it is through our medium we can display our ability even from long range … And I have actually been able to find you."

If possible he wanted to reach his destination without anyone finding out.

But apparently this thinking was naïve.

The Annihilators used the information network of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau and Mushibane, further allowing C to use them to find Daisuke.

Even as Daisuke moved in avoidance of human eyes it apparently did nothing but buy some time.

"I have accepted Acting Branch Director Goroumaru Touko's appeal for cooperation because I wanted to ask you."

For the first time C raised a voice that exposed some emotion.

"Why have you run away from the SEPB…! What on earth is your goal…!"

C was a powerful Mushitsuki, but she was actually only an elementary school student. She implored him.

"I have endured this far only because you are in the SEPB! Becoming a Mushitsuki, being captured by the SEPB… Even during the time of my transfer from the East Central Branch to Central Headquarters, I could tolerate it only because you were in the SEPB, Kakkou-san! Even now… they made me a Secret Class in order to make use of my abilities for those horrible experiments—"

"—I've secured Minmin at Nishito City."

"…!"

"Her reversion from a Fallen was clearly made by a different cause than what happened with Fuyuhotaru… As far as I can tell from the disk Ebina Yuu had given me, the one who did this – was you, C, right? What on earth is Central Headquarters trying to do?"

"T-that is…"

"More than that, Minmin even said that the SEPB is hiding of the Original Three. If that's true… Then I definitely can't say where I'm going now or what I'm trying to do."

He asserted it clearly. He could tell C gulped.

"I-if so, what about the East Central Branch? This transmission will not remain on the records of the SEPB. Acting Branch Director Goroumaru also wants to ascertain your true intentions and so appealed for my cooperation. While Branch Director Haji has yet to regain his consciousness, the East Central Branch could…"

East Central Branch.

It was the organization that Daisuke belonged to ever since becoming a Mushitsuki. He had acquired his fighting power there together with the man known as Haji Keigo.

He had certainly considered relying on them.

But his conclusion was to not do that.

It was impossible for the current East Central Branch.

If he were to borrow someone's powers—

"…Where's Harukiyo now?"

"Harukiyo…? You said Harukiyo? Why would you disregard the East Central Branch and think about that suspicious man of all people…!"

Clear disgust oozed out of the girl's voice.

"He is probably still in hiding. Otherwise he would have been sent directly as your assassin when the Annihilators had been dispatched. In the first place his relationship with Vice-Director Miguruma is not quite clear…"

"Just imagining it made me sick, but… If Harukiyo was here, then even now… now that Rina's gone, the only one who's left is Fuyuhotaru… me or Harukiyo…"

"Kakkou-san…? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind – I'm just talking to myself."

Exhaling, Daisuke roused his body. Strength left his arms that supported his body and his face crashed into the ground. Acknowledging his fatigue, he mustered his power to stand up.

As he thought he would have to do it all by himself—

"Kakkou-san."

C hounded Daisuke who started walking.

"Why will you not tell me anything? Why will you not rely on me? I believe that you will one day finish the battle of Mushitsuki… You were able to fight even in this unreasonable organization of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau…!"

"—Since I was always alone, I will keep being so."

"…!"

"So stop relying on me, C."

''So you could fight with your Mushi even when I'm gone—''

He added this part only in his heart.

"I-I am…"

Dragging his legs, Daisuke descended along the creek.

"Because I believe in you, Kakkou-san…!"

C's voice coming through the goggles was slightly shaking.

"—I understand."

The girl's voice said coolly as if she turned into a completely different person.

"Central Headquarters member Secret Class Rank 2 C has now confirmed that Kakkou broke away. I will at once report to Vice-Director General Miguruma and officially apply for the capturing of said member from Central Headquarters. On top of reporting the same to Acting Branch Director Goroumaru we will cooperate with the East Central Branch in the capture of said member."

"Tell that to Touko-san as well."

Daisuke asserted without even turning around.

"Leave me be. Because I don't want any more needless sacrifices."

"At the time Central Headquarters officially gives its decision, all branches will operate under orders to capture Kakkou."

Ignoring Daisuke's words, C kept talking in a mechanical tone.

"The Special Environmental Preservation Bureau will eliminate Kakkou using its full power!"

Bluish-white sparks scattered from the goggles of the woman who was turned into a Fallen.

"—Please do not forget that since I know your birth data I can conjecture your destination from the angle you are heading in…!"

C probably absolved her ability. And with that he couldn't hear the girl's voice any longer.

"…"

Daisuke wordlessly went downstream.

Walking for a while, his field of vision suddenly opened up.

A small townscape spread out below him.

A nostalgic smell drifted on the moist wind.

Daisuke came to Shiou City. 

To his birthplace.