Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 15 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.03 Shiika Part 2 ==

While kneeling on the ground, Shiika looked at the person that appeared right in front of her.

“We’re going to falsify your memories.”

It was the person clad in the Central Headquarters coat. Both voice and physique were androgynous, and their hair was as white as their coat. 

“My ability is so weak that it has no effect with even the slightest rejection… but as long as it’s accepted, it can affect even your deep consciousness.”

“Meaning, you need to open your heart fully to it.”

Haji Keigo wore a casual smile.

“There are obviously not many people who’ll allow others to meddle even with their subconscious. That’s why it was designated as an unranked mental control ability until now.”

“What are you doing to Shiika?”

Tachibana Rina stood up for Shiika. Her beautiful, gallant facial features and the strength that protected Shiika were Rina personified. —She really didn’t seem like the Mimic that the tiara had told her about.

“…”

Shiika raised her face and looked back at the faces of the people looking down at her.

The fishing harbor was covered with the dust created from the ruins of the breakwater and the crumbling shore. The powerful Mushitsuki all stood on it, surrounding Shiika. In addition to SEPB fighters such as Terasu and Kasuou there were also Shiohara Shachito, as well as her Mushibane comrades, Namie and Aijisupa.

Shiika knew well why they hadn’t gotten any closer than Haji Keigo.

It was because Shiika appeared there as a raider, clad in an unfamiliar attire.

Rina had been revived, although her nature was still unclear.

Were these two really their allies? They were probably confused, unable to tell whether Anmoto Shiika and Tachibana Rina could even preserve their egos.

“Maimai, Rinrin, how about you? Can you do it?”

Ignoring Rina’s question, Haji Keigo turned to the side.

“I-I can do itititit!”

“I-It’ll be difficult, but somehow…!”

The two Mushitsuki wearing desperate expressions reached out toward the tiara that until just now had been on Shiika’s head. Something transparent that looked like jelly covered the tiara on the ground, and Rinrin was fiddling with the glowing circuits that appeared on it with his fingers.

“I remember C’s program from the time I was at the East Central Branch and when I touched the Bed a-at the Underground Fortotot… b-but, the power in this tiara is on a whole different level…”

“Leave the output and remodeling to me. You focus on analysis… kuh!”

Flinching at the electrified jelly, the pair continued some kind of work.

“Haji-senpai? What is going on?”

Goroumaru Touko appeared with a delay. Apparently, only very few people knew what Haji Keigo was scheming.

“Yes, I was just about to explain it, but—”

Haji turned to Shiika again.

“To be honest, you being able to resist C’s interference on your own was unforeseen.”

Shiika couldn’t say anything.

“What on earth happened? I did expect the Dove to be sent here, but for you of all people to be chosen… To be honest, it was really close. Despite us having Lady and Harukiyo on our side.”

Shiika looked at Rina and Harukiyo.

These two Rank 1s were silent and expressionless.

Just like Haji said, she was on the verge of massacring all Mushitsuki. Even if her enemies were Rina and Harukiyo, even if she took them down with herself, her duties as the Dove would be fulfilled.

And the one who saved her on the edge—

“…It’s because I met someone.”

Shiika smiled.

She knew nothing about what happened during that strange time.

However, the person she’d reunited with there was definitely not an illusion—

The warmth that allowed her to confirm this still remained in her chest.

“That’s all.”

As Shiika spoke briefly, Haji frowned.

Only two people responded to her words.

“…Aha!”

Suddenly, Rina snorted.

Among those who looked confused, Harukiyo also snorted at the same time. As if recalling something all of a sudden, Rina and Harukiyo started laughing.

After laughing for a while, the two of them at once changed their expression.

“How infuriating.”

“Annoying as fuck.”

Perhaps they realized something—but seeing the two Rank 1s speak angrily in unison, everyone else was befuddled.

Rina relaxed her expression and stroked Shiika’s hair.

“What she says is probably the truth. …It’s fine now.”

“Hmph.”

Harukiyo spun his body, looking sullen. As if saying he had no interest anymore, he exposed his defenseless back and left.

Haji Keigo went silent, as if he was thinking about something. Whether he had no idea who Shiika was speaking about or did know but had no intention of seeking any further answer, he soon opened his mouth.

“There shouldn’t be many people who’d cause you Rank 1s to act like that—well, never mind.”

He spoke as if switching over his feelings.

“If Lady and Harukiyo are no longer on guard, that’s good enough. As for me, if you were removed from C’s control, that’s fine.”

He wore a thin smile and continued.

“Also—if you go under C’s control again.”

“…!”

All Mushitsuki around paled. Kasuou and Namie hounded Haji.

“Hey, what the hell do you mean?”

“Are you sane? Are you saying we’re going to hand Fuyuhotaru over to C?!”

“Indeed. Should we even fly the white flag while we’re at it? After all, we currently have no chances of victory.”

Within this tension, Haji just shrugged.

“Because even if we wanted to counterattack, we have no idea where our enemy is.”

“No way—”

Rina gasped. She put strength into her two arms protecting Shiika.

“You’re going to use Shiika to…”

“Not Anmoto Shiika. Not even Fuyuhotaru. It’s the Dove part that’s important.”

The youth gave a side glance toward the two Mushitsuki who were doing something to the tiara.

“After completing its duty—the Dove will return to God.”

“—”

Everyone there gulped.

Shiika too. Even someone as dull as her understood the youth’s goal, now that he said this much.

Haji Keigo was going to use Shiika for—

“If you’re the Dove, C will call you to her side.”

They would send Shiika’s to C’s hiding place, becoming a transmitter to allow them to know the location. 

No—they would make her into a ticking time bomb to explode on C.

That explosion would become a beacon for the Mushitsuki’s counterattack—

“The mental control we’re about to cast on you is powerful. We’ll set a keyword to remove it, but the one to chant it probably wouldn’t be at your side when it’s needed.”

Haji Keigo’s dispassionate tone echoed at the silent fishing harbor.

“There’s a high possibility you’ll never retrieve your own self. Even so, if you return to C’s hiding place, and you manage to regain yourself like you did now—please use your full powers. We’ll work on identifying that place.”

Shiika said nothing, simply listening to the youth.

“Until then we’ll feign our annihilation, hide and recover, but… by the time we sense your powers, Lady and Harukiyo will use the boat they rode on to head toward you in full speed.”

“Head toward her—in full speed?”

Rina’s voice shook with anger as she was glaring at Keigo.

“How many hours do you think it takes to reach the mainland? Are you telling Shiika to survive all on her own until then? As well as—in the enemy’s HQ!”

“Well, there’s no doubt it’s going to take time even if we use Mushitsuki powers to make the boat go faster.”

With cool eyes, Haji Keigo looked down on Shiika.

Their enemy was C. There were also many Revived being controlled by C.

Now that she had to face all of them and endure until her allies came—

Never mind Shiika herself, but even Haji Keigo thought it was impossible.

“So you’re saying we need to sacrifice Shiika to find out C’s location—”

Rina was about to grab Haji in her anger, but Shiika stopped her with a hand.

“—‘My beloved Dove’.”

Shiika spoke in a calm voice, looking up at Haji.

“C will definitely call me that.”

Saying that, she smiled at Rina who turned to her with a shocked expression.

“Thanks, Rina. But I’m fine.”

“Shiika…”

“I’m not afraid of being the Dove again, either. Because C saying that she loves me—loves us Mushitsuki—is not a lie.”

Including Rina, all Mushitsuki were shocked at Shiika’s words.

They probably feared that C’s brainwashing hadn’t been fully lifted. But that wasn’t it. The sense of security that wrapped Shiika until just now was definitely no fabrication.

“Feeling that I no longer had to suffer or get hurt was very warm… and relieving. After all, I always thought like this since I became a Mushitsuki—no, even before that. I believed from the bottom of my heart that if everyone became Undying just like, I’ll have nothing to fear.”

“…”

Rina grabbed Shiika’s hand with a sad expression.

“But it’s no good. I thought that wasn’t enough for me.”

Shiika grasped her friend’s hand back.

“Because even if I suffered or got hurt, I recalled what I wanted.”

And what was that?

Rina should know even without saying.

No—everyone here would definitely understand.

After all, they were all Mushitsuki, just like Shiika.

“So it’s fine.”

She did think it was terribly sad.

She thought it was foolish.

However, Shiika was confident and was able to do this.

“No matter how much C relieves me, I’ll come back to fight.”

She declared this with a smile.

“Since we’re fighting, I’ll never give up.”

Rina looked like she wanted to say more.

However, her beautiful friend swallowed back her words and closed her eyes with an intense expression. She probably realized that she wouldn’t be able to stop Shiika no matter what she said.

“So you’re the ‘Beloved Dove’, then. Right, let’s make this the keyword.”

Hearing Haji Keigo’s command, the white Mushitsuki next to him nodded.

“If C doesn’t use those words you’ll need to snap out of the brainwashing by yourself, though.”

Shiika nodded and returned the gaze of Rina who looked at her.

Rina bit her lips. She gave Shiika a tight hug.

“I’m definitely going to rescue you, so wait for me, Shiika. —This time, I’ll definitely be there.”

“Yeah… I’ll be waiting.”

This time.

She couldn’t understand the meaning of her words, but Rina’s feelings were transmitted to her from the arms hugging her to a painful extent. Courage welled up within Shiika just from her friend being there.

Rina let Shiika go. She spun, rose up with a resolute expression and turned her back to her.

Rina distanced herself with unhesitating gait and stopped in front of a certain boy.

“—Reiji.”

She faced the Mushibane admin called Aijisupa.

Lady Bird—Tachibana Rina and Aijisupa. —As far as Shiika knew, it’d been several years since the pair faced each other like this.

They definitely had plenty to talk about now that they reunited, but they spoke little.

“Please… lend me your power.”

Rina spoke while wearing a complex smile.

Aijisupa wore a bitter smile—however, he answered as though it was natural.

“…Sure.”

Finishing this short exchange, Rina left with the other Mushibane admins. They were probably going to think up a strategy to save Shiika, not wanting to waste time.

“It’s not going to take long. Do you feel ready?”

Haji Keigo said.

“Yes.”

Shiika closed her eyes without any hesitation.

Soon a feeling that was unpleasant and aggressive invaded into her head. She could feel it stirring up her most precious place—the parts even she wasn’t aware of—and rewriting it.

Shiika accepted this feeling that would vanish if she resisted it even a little.

What came to her mind was the few people that she believed in from the bottom of her heart.

The face of the boy she came to love.

Her friends and comrades who helped her.

When her heart was fully released, even the unpleasantness was gone.

As the faces of people she thought of slowly vanished, she found herself floating inside a dark ocean.

A faint voice stopped her from sinking into this bottomless sea.

“Fuyuhotaru…”

Golden light illuminated the dark ocean.

This sweet, gentle voice brought Shiika’s consciousness floating back.

“My Dove…”

This sublime voice filled with genuine affection woke Shiika.

And Shiika—

“…”

Having been saved by the creator called C, she opened her eyes into slits.

Rising from her kneeling position, she checked the sight in front of her eyes.

She saw the transformed Aoharima Island.

Everything in the fishing harbor was in pieces. The only thing moving there was the waves.

Of the old generation of Mushitsuki—was completely gone.

Shiika had fulfilled the mission given to her.

“…”

The tiara on Shiika’s head reflected the sunlight, emitting golden light.

Burning the sight of Aoharima Island becoming an uninhabited island again into her eyes, Shiika turned around.

She went back to the small boat and out into sea.

Shiika obviously headed toward the Goddess who’d sent her here.

To C’s Ark.

Since the boat was slow, it kept sailing throughout the entire night.

Night passed, it became night again, and when she saw land, she could no longer wait and stood up.

She leapt toward the coast from the boat that was parked near some bay coast somewhere.

She could see a large hanging bridge.

She quickly proceeded to the empty bridge. The clothes she was clad in and the tiara she was wearing told her that her God was there.

As she passed the bridge while being guided by her God, the fairies came out to greet her.

C-butterflies glowing gold and tiara-clad fairies. These all danced around her as she completed her mission, blessing her and singing.

When she saw one fairy step out to the front, she kneeled.

“No more of the old Mushitsuki exist… those failed products are gone.”

As she spoke this with an enraptured expression, the fairy reached out to her.

A small numbness assaulted her head. Her memories were being searched.

“Confirmed. —You have done well to fulfill your duty. My beloved Dove…”

Wearing a satisfied smile, the fairy hugged her.

''—My beloved Dove.

Shiika’s eyebrows twitched, hearing that word.

“Come, please turn around and watch. You have the right to watch this through.”

She turned around as she was told and was stunned.

On the other side of the large bridge.

There was a change happening within the scenery of the capital with its lines of high-rise buildings.

“It is the time for creation. Now that all failed products are gone, it is time to wash over the world with the flood—”

It really was a flood.

And it was black.

A pitch-dark tidal wave swallowed the city whole.

However, it was not an actual wave—

“Let us see how many people are eligible to be invited to this land—to my Ark.”

It was a deluge of blackouts.

After the Dove confirmed the purging of the surface, the Deluge was going to screen out humanity.

What was going to start now?

Shiika knew.

The creation of a new world—

Also.

“—In the end, I came back here…”

The counterattack.

She felt her memories rapidly returning as if footage was being suddenly rewound.

As Shiika suddenly mumbled this, the fairies instantly leapt away from her.

The identity of the land she was currently standing on, the Ark.

As the sense of reality immediately returned to anything and everything, Shiika created a beacon.

It was in the form of a single flake of snow.

Glowing as it came fluttering down, this snow illuminated the Ark—illuminated that city.

“Now we can finally start the final battle…!”

This was the signal for the Mushitsuki of the old generation—

For those survivors who chose to fight rather than to rest, to start their counterattack.