Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 1st Episode 03 (section)

===Part 3===

Arisu and Daisuke came to a stop in front of a restaurant.

“Looks like this is the place. Let’s hurry up and enter.”

Arisu took a step into the restaurant. However, Daisuke was still standing outside the restaurant in a daze.

“What’s the matter? Hurry up and enter.”

“…Since it’s a mixer, I thought that it would be at a karaoke or something but…”

The place Mihayashi had specified was a so-called high-class restaurant. The kind of restaurant that seemed to serve primarily French cuisine. In front of the restaurant, there was a wooden sign which read, ‘Customers in improper attires are not allowed in the restaurant.’

“What a fool. Didn’t I say that we need to be in formal wear. You should’ve expected this much.”

“If you ask me, who would’ve expected that middle schoolers would come to a restaurant as lavish as like this…”

The moment they entered the restaurant, they were approached by attendants dressed in tuxedo. After Arisu told them Mihayashi’s name, they were escorted inside.

The atmosphere of the restaurant exuded splendour.

Beyond the entrance, there was only a passageway that led into the restaurant. The brick laid walls were lighted dimly by lamps placed evenly along the wall. Each table was covered by a beautifully embroidered cloth and had a glass shade with a candle in it. Potted planted were placed throughout the restaurant and classical music played in the background, contributing to the elegant atmosphere. As a matter of fact, most of the other customers were adults.

“O-oi, is it really this restaurant? It sure doesn’t look like a place for kids.”

“Stop acting so flustered. Gosh, you’re so timid in some strange areas.”

The table which they were led to was the biggest and furthest one inside. There were already four teenage boys and girls seated around the table.

“Good evening, Ichinokuro-san, Kusuriya-kun.”

The one who stood up and greeted them was Mihayashi.

“This restaurant is managed by my father, isn’t it endearing? Right above our heads, the boutique in construction is already in a deal with us to advertise our restaurant.”

Mihayashi disclosed that as Arisu and Daisuke found their seats. The female students from Emilia Women’s College showered him with words of praise such as, ‘That’s amazing!’ and ‘Isn’t the great!’.

However, when he glimpsed a look at Daisuke, his cheeks spasmed for a second.

“Is that so. Well, I guess it’s pretty good compared to other restaurants.”

“…What’s the matter, Daisuke? You’re acting assertive all of a sudden.”

“For some reason, I just feel irritated. If I keep acting all nervous, it’ll just make me look like a loser.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Arisu and Daisuke whispered to each other in soft voices.

“Can we just wait for a bit longer. One of the girls have not yet returned.”

As she listened to Mihayashi, Arisu suddenly felt something wrapping around the table.

“…Vines?”

It was something that resembled the vines of a tree. The gnarly vines crept up the table leg and stretched across the dining table. Thinking it was part of the restaurant’s interior design, Arisu touched one of the vines before quickly retracting her hands.

“What’s the matter?”

Daisuke turned to look at Arisu. She just shook her head, saying, ‘O-oh. It’s nothing.’

It feels warm—.

A warmth could be felt from the vine, as if it was something alive. Feeling creeped out, Arisu looked away from the vine.

“Ah, looks like she have returned.”

Hearing what Mihayashi said, Arisu raised her head.

She saw the figure of a girl walking towards them.

“I-I’m sorry. It looks like everyone has arrived.”

She had a small figure and a short haircut which looked good on her. Her blue dress had a sense of translucency to it and it matched the blue ribbon on her bangs above her right eye.

“…”

Sneaking a peek at Daisuke, she saw that he was fixated on the girl.

—Looks like his target for today has been decided.

Arisu grinned to herself. It was no surprise that Daisuke was focused on her. Out of the three girls, she was the most eye-catching of them.

“I hope for us who belonged to sister schools, Horusu Seijou Academy and Emilia Women’s College, to get to know each other better than ever before! Cheers!”

Following Mihayashi’s voice, everyone raised their glass of orange juice and toasted.

The girl with the ribbon introduced herself as Hasegawa Inori.

Inori sat opposite to Arisu and Daisuke who had arrived last.

“E-erm…”

“Um…”

Both Inori and Daisuke spoke out at the same time. After which, an awkward silence unfolded as the two remained unspoken.

“What are you being so stiff for, Daisuke. Even though you seemed to be just fine messing around with Ena and Takako.”

“Wha-! You idiot, who’s messing around with who ! That was just Saionji-san…”

“There, there, no need to air your dirty laundry in public.”

Seeing Arisu and Daisuke squabbling, Inori chuckled.

“The two of you are very interesting. You look like you’re quite close.”

“Aah, please don’t mind me. I’m sort of like his guardian.”

“Who are you saying is my guardian…?”

“Come now, Daisuke. Why don’t you chat more with Hasegawa-san. It’s rude to ignore someone, you know.”

Following her words, Daisuke turned around to face Inori with a look of reluctance.

“Um, Hasegawa-san.”

“Yes?”

With some looks of reservation, Daisuke and Inori faced each other. Instead of starting off with a self-introduction, Daisuke had a look of worry on his face.

“Your complexion looks kind of bad. Even while walking here just now, you seemed to be wobbling. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Inori had a look of surprise on her face.

Now that he mentioned it, Arisu realised that Inori’s cheeks were pale. Perhaps she was trying to hide that fact, as one could not tell with just one look.

“If you are sick, you shouldn’t force yourself and should go home to rest.”

In contrast to the concerned Daisuke, Inori smiled.

Arisu whispered secretly to Daisuke.

“I see. So that’s your plan to get close to her by sending her home yourself. …You should know better than to strike so early, Daisuke. There’s an order to everything—”

“Shut up, you’re being annoying.”

As expected, Daisuke shot back softly.

“Thank you for the concern, but I am fine.”

Inori shook her head.

“I… want to visit many place, and meet many different kind of people. Those places I visited and the people I met would become my cherished memories, and if I could remain in the hearts of those people and places, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

She said so with a refreshing smile.

“Ah… I guess that was quite weird, right. To suddenly spout off like that… even though we’re not even that close. …E-erm, I’m sorry saying something strange.”

Seeing Inori hang her head in embarrassment, Daisuke’s expression softened. It was the first time that Arisu saw him with such a kind smile.

“That’s definitely not the case.”

“Eh?”

“I think it would be great if that dream comes true.”

Faced with his kind smile, Inori’s cheeks reddened.

“T-thank you. You’re a kind person aren’t you, Kusuriya-kun.”

Saying so, Inori beamed a smile back.

[[File:Mushi Uta Bug 1st p135.jpg|thumb]]

Daisuke’s probably blushing now—thinking so, Arisu turned to look at him, but for some reason, he seemed to be biting his lips for an instant. The look of pain he had for a moment was immediately replaced with a friendly smile.

—An hour later.

“No matter how many times I have said it, you seriously lack any self-awareness. Not only do you not seem to understand the situation you are in, you also like to actively stick your neck into trouble…”

“Who are you to talk, you are the one lacking the awareness of being a servant. Just last night, you went to use the bath before I did. It’s unthinkable for a squatter like you to use the bath before your master.”

“That reminds me. The one who put the sign saying, ‘In use. Daisuke prohibited’, was you, wasn’t it. You look too highly on yourself, even a monkey wouldn’t want to peek at you bathing.”

“That’s what all the peekers would say. In the first place, the fact that you saw that sign means that you came in while I was in the bathroom—Wait a minute, idiot Daisuke. What are you doing, speaking only to me.”

Arisu hit Daisuke’s head with a ''pechin''.

Before they realised, they had been talking in a world of their own.

It seems that the other two boys are also interested in Hasegawa Inori as well. Especially Mihayashi who have been proactively engaged in a conversation with her, occupying all her attention. In the end, the only proper exchange Daisuke had with Inori was the short chat in the beginning.

When Daisuke looked towards Inori, she also looked back. Despite looking like she wanted to speak to Daisuke, Mihayashi immediately called out to her.

“Heh, so Hasegawa-san belongs to a lineage of doctors. Then, you too?”

“U-um, no.”

Looking away from Daisuke, she shook her head.

“Because… there is something else I want to do.”

“Something else you want to do?”

“I want to visit many different places and meet many different people… that’s why in the future—”

Her words suddenly cut off. All expression seemed to be disappear from her face as well.

With the surrounding gaze gathered onto her in puzzlement, she came to with a start.

“S-sorry… Erm, I was talking about my future, right. I want to travel overseas. Something like a diplomat…”

Inori has a smile on her face, but it looked transient. Her breathing seemed to quicken, revealing her exhaustion.

“You can’t do that as a doctor?”

“Do you know the foreign museum in the neighbouring town?”

Signs of life returned to Inori’s face. Even Arisu, who was of the same gender, thought that the joyful smile on Inori’s face looked cute.

“When I was young, my parents brought me there and I saw many things for the first time. All the photographs and flowers I saw, including the diversity of people working there… that left a deep impression in me—I began to think that one day, I want to see it for myself. That was the place where I founded my dream… that’s why, someday I want to go back there.”

“Aah, the foreign museum at Higano City. I had also been there before when I was young.”

Mihayashi smiled to express interest.

“It is truly a pity that that place is now gone.”

Inori widened her eyes.

“''…Eh…?''”

Arisu had been to the foreign museum before as well. However, this was the first time that she had heard that it was gone.

“I see, I guess there are still many who have not known. Due to the operations being unprofitable, the sponsors withdrew. As my father’s company was involved as well, this came into my ear. I think they have already begun the demolition work at part of the site. I heard that a shopping mall will occupy that area a few years down the road instead.

“…”

The eyes of the now silent Inori was wavering.

Arisu nudged Daisuke’s shoulder.

“You go join into the conversation too.”

“…That has nothing to do with me. In the first place, I have already mentioned that I have no interest in this sort of meeting.”

Daisuke averted his face.

“Once again, you’re just gonna withdraw into your shell.”

“What do you mean shell.”

“Can’t you just be honest for a bit. Hasegawa-san’s matter interest you, right?”

“Nope, not at all.”

Daisuke glared at Arisu indifferently.

“She resembled someone I knew… that’s why I was a bit surprised, that’s all.”

“Who is it, the one whom you say she resembled?”

“That has nothing to do with you.”

Being refused so bluntly, Arisu puckered her lips.

“Well, I had already expected that things would end up like that. That’s why I came; you would be lonely all by yourself, right, so you can go ahead and just talk to me.”

To the grinning Arisu, Daisuke turned his face with a ‘''hmph''’. Seeing his childish gesture brought a smile to Arisu’s face.

Arisu tried to raise her glass to signal to the waiter to refill her orange juice.

“…!”

Startled, she pulled back her hands.

Arisu could not move her glass. The bottom of the glass has been entwined by a wooden vine.

Looking more closely, there were red swellings on the vine. It looked to be flower buds, but the mass of petals could be seen to be wriggling.

“W-what is this…?”

At the same time as Arisu shouted.

“Hasegawa-san?”

At Mihayashi’s shout, Arisu and Daisuke turned to look at Inori.

Inori seemed to have dropped her glass. Her body leaned limply on the chair and her eyes were hollow.

“What is that…!”

“''Kyaah!''”

Screams resounded in the restaurant.

The scene reflect in her eyes caused Arisu to be at a loss for words.

Countless vines had emerged from the ground, occupying the inside of the restaurant. Besides grabbing the customers, the vines also reached up for the chandelier in the ceiling.

The flower buds on the vines all opened at once, releasing a pink powder.

“Arisu…!”

Daisuke responded quickly. Grabbing Arisu, he leapt off the table, avoiding being ensnared by the vines.

The people who breathed in the powder fainted one by one.

The thing which they thought was a flower, was in fact not a flower. Inside of the flower buds that were open, rows of teeth could be seen. It looked to be the mouthpieces of some kind of creature.

This is—.

Arisu widened her eyes.

“It can’t be… a Mushi?”

Daisuke moved to an area with not much vines and let go of Arisu.

“''Tch''. Who and where the hell is the person doing something like this…”

Speaking in a low voice that seemed to belong to someone else, Daisuke reached under his suit. He unsheathed two black objects from the hidden holder underneath.

He put on a huge goggle with practiced movement. Lights flickered in the lens, which covered everything above his nose. On his right hand, he held a large automatic handgun.

“I’m going to clear up this mess before it affects the outside. You just stay back.”

The Kusuriya Daisuke in front of her had transformed into the self which belonged as an agent of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Even the features that the goggle could not hide have disappeared, and his voice turned cold and devoid of emotions.

The powder spewing out from the flower-resembling mouthpiece seemed to have a sleep-inducing effect. Starting from Mihayashi, all the other customers apart from Arisu and Daisuke began to lose consciousness.

“To defeat such a big Mushi, we must strike its main body… Or perhaps looking for its host would be—”

He was cut off halfway.

The vines began to expand explosively before Arisu’s eyes.

In no time, the vines had reached the chandelier on the ceiling, several times that of Arisu’s height. The vines penetrated the brick exterior and into the asphalt wall behind, smashing many beautiful paintings lining the wall.

“Wha-…!”

Arisu and Daisuke’s voice overlapped.

Along with the explosive growth of the vine, the flowers on the stem grew to gigantic proportions. The buds bloomed one by one, spraying out more spore-like powder.

In the devastated interior of the restaurant, the classical music riddles with noise approached its climax.

Amidst the cracking music, a silver morpho butterfly landed on Arisu’s shoulder.

“Mari…?”

The morpho butterfly flew towards a tall standing light. Its body morphed, extending silver feelers that fused with the standing light.

The morpho butterfly which had turned into a shining spear dispersed silver scales in all directions. The powder approaching Arisu and Daisuke was blown away by the scales.

“What is happening…! Isn’t it just a Mushi?”

Holding the spear in her hand, Arisu turned towards Daisuke. He only stared at the scene, biting his lips.

“There’s no control over the movement of this Mushi… it’s maturing!”

Maturation—.

Arisu recalled what Daisuke had told her before.

Mushitsuki can make use of their Mushi’s power in exchange for their dream. If their Mushi is killed, their dream disappears as well, turning them into Fallen which has no  thoughts or emotions. Even if their Mushi is not killed, they would die one day when their dream is completely consumed by their Mushi.

Mushi which have completely devoured the dream of their host are no longer bounded to them, maturing into a state that can take independent actions.

That was what maturation refers to.

Matured Mushi are incomparably powerful compared to before.

“That is… maturation?”

“The Mushi has already freed itself from its host. Nothing can stop it from growing bigger and rampaging any more.”

Arisu could feel the ground vibrating under her feet. Who knows if the vines had already penetrated the foundation of the underground street.

“Wait a minute… that means the owner of the Mushi is already…!”

Arisu came to a realisation. Daisuke clicked his tongue.

“The host should be quite weak by now. At this rate, not only will the host die… the whole underground street may collapse as well. Before that happens, we need to find the main body of the Mushi and kill it.”

“Kill the Mushi… then wouldn’t the host turn into a Fallen!”

“…”

Daisuke did not reply to Arisu’s words. He just looked around the restaurant mechanically, the light from the goggles glowing in the darkened interior.

“Stay where you are. If you used the power of Hanashiro Mari’s Mushi here, it would blow away the rest of the customers as well.”

Hearing that, Arisu bit her lips. The power of the spear was absolutely unparalleled. As Daisuke mentioned, using it in an enclosed area like this would cause casualties.

“If it completely matures, even I would not be able to handle it. It would be too late by then. …''Tch'', seems like there’s no other members nearby. Looks like reinforcement will not arrive in time.”

Daisuke said with one hand on the goggle. The goggles probably came with communication functions as well.

“It can’t be too late…”

Turning back, Arisu widened her eyes.

—I would love to visit many different places and meet many different people.

Arisu recalled that reserved yet charming smile.

“It can’t be…”

Arisu’s face twisted. Seeing her expression, Daisuke followed her line of sight.

“…!”

What he saw made him speechless as well.

At the table where Arisu and the rest were dining at earlier, a gigantic flower had blossomed there. The pale pink petals quivered, being in the process of spreading open even now.

As if under the watchful gaze of the gigantic flower, a girl wrapped in vines was being held up in the air.

The girl—Hasegawa Inori, looked down at Arisu and Daisuke with hollow eyes.