Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 1st Episode 04 (section)

===Part 3===

Taking a seat on the chair, Arisu began with, ‘I failed’.

“I completely forgot about taking your request yesterday. Do you have anything you want? I’ll definitely bring it along tomorrow.”

At the sudden mention of tomorrow, Mari was stumped.

“T-there’s nothing in particular…”

“Is that so? Well, it’s fine then. Just tell me whenever you have thought of something.”

“I-Ichinokuro-san…”

“Arisu.”

“Eh?”

“Saying Ichinokuro-san each time is a mouthful, isn’t it? So, you can just call me Arisu. I’ll call you by your last name too, okay, Mari?”

Mari alternated her gaze between Arisu’s face and her hands placed on top of her knees, while Arisu looked straight at her. Her unwavering gaze caused Mari to turn away to avoid meeting her eye.

“Arisu… Is it okay for you to be here?”

“It’s okay?”

“Don’t you have other things…”

“Aah, it’s fine since I’m pretty leisurely after school. My friends all have their own club activities, so I don’t have anyone else to hang out with anyway. There’s nothing to do even if I went home too.”

Arisu said as she changed the water in the pitcher. Mari wondered when would she finally notice that the pitcher was not a flower vase.

In response to Mari’s further questions, Arisu explained why she did not join any clubs.

Arisu described how due to an old custom that had continued from the olden time in her family, she underwent strict martial arts training every morning. Being very much fed up with that already, there was no way she would want to participate in additional strenuous exercises after school. Furthermore, she did not join any cultural arts club as she couldn’t stand being trapped in a room for anything.

“If Mari could come to school, what club would you join?”

At Arisu’s question, Mari fell silent.

Mari’s condition was so severe that she did not even know when could she attend school. She could not imagine how it would be like to spend time in school.

“I see you have lots of books. Since you like to read, how about the Reading club?”

Arisu approached the bookshelf. She took out the book, “Potion of Magic”, and started flipping through the pages.

All those books were just there for Mari to dispel her boredom. It was not that she particularly liked reading.

“I would love to be able to go outside every day. Whether it’s a picnic, or a trip… anyway, I just want to go somewhere far.”

She spoke out subconsciously.

Mari imagined in her mind.

She envisioned herself attending Horusu Seijou Academy, showing up for lessons and moving her body during physical education. To chat with friends after school and try her best during club activities. She wasn’t like Arisu, but she wouldn’t want to camp inside a cultural arts club either. She already had more than enough of being stuck in a room.

Arisu looked at Mari in blankness before revealing a cheery smile.

“Mari’s kind of strange.”

Those words had a momentous impact for Mari.

Str-… strange? Me?

“There’s no way clubs such as picnic club or travelling club exist.”

Arisu finished with a smile, unwittingly causing Mari to be annoyed.

Although Mari acknowledged that her preference may be different from others, she was still vexed to have Arisu point that out.

“Who… who are you to say, you’re the strange one.”

Mari fired back timid but barbed words.

This time, it was Arisu’s turn to be shocked. She leaned her body forward over the bed.

“What, seriously? I’m strange? What are you referring to? Let me tell you first, my height is clearly within the standard region, probably.”

Mari had been referring to how she had used the water pitcher as a vase, or how she always opened the door violently after having hastily come into her own conclusion, and how she generally did things at her own pace. It seems that the person herself had not realised that.

Arisu’s self-defense continued all the way till the end of visitation hours. Her main defense being that her classmates were way weirder than herself. Mari could only interject intermittenly as she listened to Arisu, but all she learnt from her words was that there was no one with as strong a personality as Arisu.

“You look much better today than yesterday, I’m quite relieved…”

Before Arisu left, she said so.

This surprised Mari, causing her chest to tighten. She unconsciously forced a smile to hide her shock.

“My condition… have its ups and downs…”

“You know what my friends said? They said that if someone like me came to visit, that might even cause your condition to worsen. Or so they say.”

Mari lifted her face.

“''Tahaha'', even though I know that was just a joke. But because of this personality, I was often told that I do not notice other people’s feelings. Perhaps I’m just being a bother.”

“T-that’s not…!”

Mari denied her reflexively. Seeing her flustered reaction, Arisu knew that she was just trying to console her.

“I’m glad. Well then, see you tomorrow.”

Waving her hands with a smile on her face, Arisu left the room.

See you tomorrow—.

Arisu’s last words echoed in Mari’s mind.

“…”

Mari stared at the door as it came to a stop.

Left alone in the quiet hospital room, the time she spent with Arisu just moments ago felt like it was just an illusion. The current state of the room in which only the sound of her breaths could be heard was the one she had been accustomed to.

It was time for the attending doctor to visit. Mari accepted the pre-sleep consultation as usual.

“Looks like you managed to make a friend.”

At the words of the middle-aged doctor, Mari was reminded that Arisu’s visit was not just an illusion.

After the attending doctor left, it was time for her to rest.

“…”

In the room where light slowly vanished, Mari stared at the ceiling while lying on the bed.

When the needle of the clock pointed to one o'clock, Mari descended from the bed. She couldn’t remember exactly what had she been thinking about the whole time.

She opened the closet and changed into the clothes she wore when ''hunting''.

“Are you going again?”

The voice sounded right as Mari was about to descend from the window.

Turning around, she saw the young man in white coat standing in a corner.

“Shouldn’t you take a good rest and let your body recover? If you collapsed, the girl who visits you will be worried.”

“…That doesn’t matter.”

The morpho butterfly that appeared about the window merged with Mari. A silver pattern ran across her cheeks peeking through the hat and muffler. The gleaming spear lighted up Mari’s side profile.

“After all—”

She would stop coming once she was bored.

Those words remained stuck in her throat.

Why couldn’t she just honestly express her happiness? Wasn’t it her wish to be rid of loneliness?

Or could it be that she had been alone for such a long time that she had forgotten what it felt like to have someone around?

“…”

Biting back her lips, she turned away from the young man. Placing her hands on the window, she unhesitatingly leapt off.

The sound of the wind assaulted her ears. Bounded by gravity, she began to fall towards the ground.

She somehow absorbed the force of the landing with her enhanced legs, immediately breaking into a sprint across the hospital premises.

Jumping over the fence, she aimed for an alley far from human gaze and dashed inside.

Running through the night, she left her unnecessary thoughts in the wind.

Truthfully, the reason why Mari left the hospital room was to blow away her feelings of restlessness. But now that she was running about, she remembered her original goal.

I’ll find it tonight for sure… the Undying Mushitsuki…!

By thinking her objective out loud for herself, she finally drove away the thoughts about Ichinokuro Arisu.

I don’t have time to think about her… because there’s something that I must do no matter what!

She gripped the spear tighter.

The moonlight did not shine through tonight. Avoiding the main walkway, Mari eyed one of the multi-tenant building. Taking a big jump, she kicked off a rain gutter, caught onto the fence and did a somersault to arrive on the rooftop.

She spied the surroundings cautiously.

There was no sign of anybody. However, there was a prior visitor.

“So, we meet again.”

The black cat with a kinked tail puffed up its fur upon seeing Mari. Its characteristic tail indicated to Mari that it was the cat she saw on a different building the other day.

“Just how many homes do you have…?”

Mari quietly questioned the cat. But, the black cat only expressed its enmity before promptly running away. That made her feel a bit lonely, and also somewhat guilty for rousing it from its slumber.

“…”

The morpho butterfly separated from Mari as she saw the cat off. As a sense of lethargy immediately hit her, she sat down on the rooftop.

All I have to do now is to wait.

Hugging her knees, Mari waited motionlessly. As she sat there doing nothing, her thoughts naturally drifted to that of Arisu.

I see—.

Mari realised the reason for her confusion in her heart.

There had been no reason to the whole time…

Up till now, Mari had always been all alone; she had never been as close with anyone else as she had with Arisu before. As the first experience of her lifetime, she had no idea about what to do or how to feel. In a certain sense, it was only to be expected that she would feel confused.

Burying her face in her knees, she thought to herself tranquilly.

What should I do from now onwards…

This was the first time that she had imagined a future apart from that of death. She wondered if Arisu would still come to visit her in that room? And if she did, how should she receive her?

Maybe someday, like that girl, I would be able to attend… to go to school together with her…

''Tokun, tokun''… she could hear the sound of her own heartbeat.

Perhaps due to her not having caught a wink of sleep during the daytime, Mari felt herself being pulled into the chasm between dreamscape and reality.

“!”

The morpho butterfly dancing in the night sky shone more intensely. Leaving silver aftertrails in the air, it danced around restlessly.

It’s here…!

Swiftly raising her head, she supported herself with the crutch.

“It seems like there’s a big catch tonight…”

Looking down on the ground, Mari saw a group of three youths walking down the back alley. She could see that they were walking while being vigilant about their surroundings. Straining her eyes, she could see small insects hovering about them as well.

Mari fused with the morpho butterfly. The shining spear conveyed to her the fact that those insects were more than they what seemed.

“One-versus-three, this’ll be the first time.”

A silver pattern running across her face, Mari grinned.

Her morpho butterfly was endowed with a sensor that can detect other Mushi. With this ability, Mari only had to wait for Mushitsuki to enter her ''net'', such was her method of ''hunting''.

She leapt off the rooftop.

“…!”

Sensing some movement, the three youths looked up.

That look of surprise on your faces, I’m already tired of looking at it—.

Mari brandished the spear coolly.

Let’s find out again… whether you guys are the Undying Mushitsuki or not!

It was the usual surprise attack, begetting the usual reaction. Except—.

“I-it appeared…!”

“Let Rina and the rest know…!”

“No, let’s defeat her here—”

Mari hesitated to swing her spear down for a second.

The response by the three youths felt different from the rest she had met. Three Mushi expanded in size and moved in to surround her.

A sharp gaze examined the three from within the muffler. In return, the youths watched for her movements anxiously. Among them, one was so gripped by fear that his body had completely stiffened up.

The three of them are Elvioréne’s Mushitsuki… but, these people—they said they were waiting for me?

Although they were surprised at Mari’s appearance, they did not fall into panic. It was obvious that they were expecting Mari to be hostile towards them.

“Are you guys from… the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau?”

Mari spoke her thoughts in a low voice.

“That voice… a girl?”

“You say we’re the SEPB?”

“Don’t lump us with those assholes!”

Shouting in anger, one of the Mushi reached out to attack Mari.

Apparently, they did not belong to them.

The Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

According to the young man in white coat, it was a government agency which employs Mushitsuki to capture other Mushitsuki. To the best of her knowledge, there was no other organisation that was composed of Mushitsuki.

Mari deftly shook off the attack with her spear.

The silver scales released by the spear bisect the attacking Mushi. The resulting shockwave that swept past destroyed the surrounding walls of the building.

“Wha-…”

Witnessing the overwhelming difference in strength, the youths’ face paled. One of them, the owner of the Mushi which was just killed, collapsed with a look of agony on his face.

Looks like it’s not him either—.

Sparing a side glance at the fallen youth, Mari sighed in disappointment.

It did not matter to Mari at all who these youths were. There was only one thing left for her to confirm, that was whether or not one of them was the Mushitsuki of her objective.

“''U…waaaa!''”

“Damn it!”

Of the two left, one chose to attack. The remaining person having lost all his fighting spirit, turned his back towards Mari and ran away.

A gigantic Mushi swiped its claws at Mari. However, the huge claws which were almost as thick an adult’s body was stopped by the shaft of Mari’s spear.

“''Fuu!''”

From that postion, Mari swung the other end of the spear up below the Mushi. With the sound of something cracking, the huge body of the Mushi was blasted into the air.

Making a revolution with the spear, she thrusted the spear at the Mushi floating in the air.

Silver light enveloped the space.

The Mushi exploded into multiple pieces.

“''Gah…!''”

Revealing the whites of his eye, the youth crumbled on the ground.

It’s not him either…!

Mari directed her sharp gaze at the remaining youth who was escaping. Stomping off the ground, Mari chased the youth with incredible speed.

“''Hii…!''”

When he turned around, the youth let out a shriek. In a bid to protect its owner, the Mushi stood in her way and opened its huge mouthpiece to bite her.

Mari leapt off the ground, avoiding the attack. Kicking off the wall of the building with superhuman strength, she struck the side of the Mushi’s head with her spear.

“''Uwaaa!''”

It seems that the Mushi managed a frantic dodge. Although having avoided a direct hit, half of the Mushi’s body was blown away by the silver scales.

“Sto—”

The youth who had tumbled to the ground held his head with his hands and curled up. His Mushi having narrowly avoided death, he also barely escaped being turned into a Fallen.

“Stop… don’t kill my Mushi… please…”

Mari stopped in front of the youth. Taking a closer look, she found that the boy was even younger than her. He looked like he was barely a primary school student.

Mari swung the spear towards the Mushi which was still squirming.

But, at that moment.

—See you tomorrow.

Like a flash, Arisu’s smile crossed her mind.

“…!”

The spear stopped at the last second.

Why is that girl coming into my mind at a timing this…!

She looked at the boy on the ground in bewilderment.

“I don’t want to… forget everything… save me…”

Looking at his shivering figure, a single thought boiled over in Mari’s heart.

This boy too… may have promised to meet somebody tomorrow for all I know—.

She widened her eyes.

The strong feelings spouting from her chest shocked her more than anyone else. She had never felt this way before.

“''Ah…?''”

Still holding up her spear, she turned around to look behind her. Apart from the scars of carnage, there were the figures of two youths collapsed on the ground.

I… what have I been doing till now…?

The hand holding on to the silver spear trembled lightly.

In the search for the Undying Mushitsuki…

With her free left hand, she covered her face in a daze.

The trembling gradually grew stronger.

Mari had only intended to find the Mushitsuki of her objective. No matter how many she had turned into Fallen, she thought that they were still more well-off than herself as they were still alive. She thought that compared to the constant fear of dying she underwent, losing their emotions was merely a trivial matter.

However.

You are still one of our classmates—.

See you tomorrow—.

She recalled the conversations she had with Arisu.

I was wrong…? All their future… their dreams… I was the one who snatched it all away…?

“''Aah… aah…''”

Mari’s whole body shuddered.

She finally realised what was it that she had done. At the same time, a bottomless despair befell her.

All those people… like me… they had a future they were looking forward to…?

“''Aaah…''”

The groan leaking out of her mouth was covered by her left hand.

She did not even finish off the Mushi as she turned onto her back and ran away frantically.

I was the one… who deprived everything from them…?

Having turned a blind eye from all matters unrelated to herself, she had never realised the true consequences behind her actions.

The people who were turned into Fallen by Mari, if they had made a promise to meet the next day… what would happen to those who were waiting for their return?

The figure that came into her mind was, herself.

In a room where nobody ever comes, she saw the figure of herself as she waits amidst the emptiness and loneliness.

“''Haah… haah…!''”

Her heartbeat accelerated further and she felt like she could not breathe. Although she had never experienced a seizure when she was fused with the morpho butterfly, Mari could feel her body screaming.

“''Haah! Haah!''”

She ran all the way back to the hospital as if trying to escape. Jumping through the open window on the third floor, she entered her room.

The morpho butterfly unfused from Mari as if it was being ousted by her.

“Mari…?”

As usual, the young man in white coat was waiting for Mari’s return.

Without catching her breath, Mari reached out for the glass bottle on the shelf.

“Mari!”

The young man’s expression changed. Mari spilled countless tablets on her palm and swallowed them in one go. However, her heart palpitation would not slow.

“What are you doing…! That medicine…!”

Mari roughly shook off the hand which the young man placed on her shoulder. Not minding his presence, she took off the white coat and wrapped herself in the hospital garb.

“What in the world happened, Mari!”

Not even bearing heed to the young man, Mari dived into the bed. She threw the blanket over her head and stared into darkness. Even so, her heartbeat and the trembling of her body did not seem to settle down.

I… was the cause of many people’s loneliness…

Hugging her body, Mari’s quivering persisted throughout the night.