Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8th Episode 29 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

Why had Saionji Ena begun to imagine herself in the future, wanting to become this or wanting to do this?

According to what Ena thought, she fell in love with a magical girl she saw on an anime when she was young, and she also wanted a brilliant profession like an idol singer she saw.

However, that time, she noticed that her surroundings were too blessed.

Succeeding in their business, Ena’s parents raised her in a large home, and since she was skilled, she could learn most things better than the average person.

By the time she understood that magical girls could only exist in anime and became better at singing than an idol singer, Ena finally realized she was just a bit more talented than other people.

By then Ena’s parents already paid her no heed. That was probably because they thought she’d be able to do anything on her own.

Even her beloved sisters didn’t spoil her. From their point of view, as ones who gave it their all to succeed in the elite course, Ena was nothing but a target of envy.

The sociable Ena had many friends, but they were all the same. The boys she dated lacked charm and felt inferior since she could do anything, and also distanced themselves.

Her girl friends were the same. They would at some point inevitably develop some complex regarding her talents, sociability, appearance and wealth, so she only got more friends who fussed over her.

There were also times she tried to fit in. During gym class she’d fall, get bad marks on a test, and act out a clumsy girl in front of boys. Thinking back on it, it was extremely nasty, but—in actuality her friends felt a discomfort, and grew further from Ena.

Then what should she do?

Should she just use her talents to the fullest and try to achieve more difficult things?

Vanquish evil foes and saving the world?

If there really was such an enemy, perhaps Ena could do that. She had the confidence she could brandish a sword better than any hero, and if she did, everyone would worship her.

However, for Ena, that was meaningless.

Even if it was a dream more difficult to achieve than being a magical girl or an idol, granting it held no charm for her.

If Ena said something like this at this stage, would her family and friends laugh?

But it was true.

Even if she had the power to defeat the demon lord.

Even if she had a hundred talents that made everyone jealous.

If she remained alone—it was meaningless.

If she didn’t have any people who were happy at her dream coming true alongside her, it would be boring.

Ena was a normal girl.

She was lonely and wanted to be with friends all of the time, and she was a scaredy-cat that hated complete unknowns like Mushi.

Even so, the only thing that anyone noticed was that she was more skilled than other people.

No one believed her.

If it only made Ena lonely, she didn’t want anything that anyone would envy like a brave’s sword—

This lonely Ena met with Ichinokuro Arisu right after entering her second year of middle school.

—''I’ll refrain.

Her first impression for her new classmate was definitely not good. Perhaps something bad happened to this girl who rejected Ena’s invitation to make her this unsociable.

However, Arisu changed.

Although something painful happened, she decided to grit her teeth and face forward. Once she came in contact with Ichinokuro Arisu’s renewed brightness, Ena began to feel admiration and respect for the first time in her life.

Arisu’s way of living was straight. Because of that she got wounded, and there were probably times she wanted to give up. Even so she got up to her legs again and had the strength to keep going. Therefore, while Ena was too excellent and made other people servile, nothing about Arisu’s behavior changed from when they’d first met.

Even her classmate Kujou Takako became a large asset to Ena’s life. Meeting with this calm and unruffled girl, she started feeling for the first time that not all rich kids of Horusu Seijou Academy were bad. If that girl, who looked weak but had a strong core became an adult, she wanted her to remain pure and innocent, from the bottom of her heart.

Ena finally found her element, playing every day with her two friends.

When Ena got a perfect score in karaoke, Takako would calmly sing a 30-point song and have fun, and Arisu would put too much effort and break the microphone.

When Ena caught a large number of dolls in the game center, Takako would take thirty minutes to learn the controls and Arisu who didn’t manage to get anything would kick the machine and get yelled at by the employees.

The three of them would then fill their cheeks with a five-layered ice cream.

Without restraining themselves—without lying to themselves—these normal middle schoolers played together.

When she’d finally managed to get what she wished for—she met with Kusuriya Daisuke.

At first, she thought of the boy wedging his way into the paradise she created with Arisu and Takako as an enemy. She mocked him, exposed his faults, thought of driving him out and interfering with him.

She realized long ago he was imperfect. —Or rather, had he really thought that his horrible acting as an honors student would really deceive her? It was fun to see him frantically keep up his act, and she became more and more amused to see him flustered.

''—Don’t worry, Saionji-san.

It happened during their mock date, when a Mushitsuki took control of the mall. The situation had been solved without her understanding everything, and Daisuke was hugging the shocked Ena while smiling.

When she noticed it was already too late.

Even the existence of Kusuriya Daisuke became someone irreplaceable for Ena. His normal form, which was mere acting—no, had he noticed? His acting of being flustered, angry and laughing became way too good, so wasn’t the act becoming much closer than his real self that he was trying to hide?

Therefore, she didn’t regret falling in love with the act of “Kusuriya Daisuke”. But making fun of him so much that he didn’t realize she was serious was a major failure, though.

These days of happiness had also the spice of romance in them.

“I—”

Looking up at the starry sky on the midnight beach, the first comet fell.

Inside her vision that became moist and blurry she saw yet another new light.

And another.

And another.

The number of comets increased.

The Perseid constellation meteor shower—started.

“I also…”

Unable to withstand it, Ena used both hands to hide her tearing face while still lying on the sand.

More and more comets kept streaming.

The beautiful stars that left trails of light behind them.

That sight was breathtakingly beautiful—but Ena gained something much more important.

“I also—”

Ichinokuro Arisu returned.

Kujou Takako was at her side.

Kusuriya Daisuke—promised to always be there for them.

“Want us to always—”

Admiring magical girls, wanting to become an idol singer… those dreams as well.

Even her part in saving the world.

She would let other people have those.

Because someone other than Ena would definitely make them come true.

Ena had something much more important now.

The important friends she met with the probability of a miracle were at her side.

While possessing talent anyone would envy, she was nothing more than a normal girl.

She was just lonely and scared, so the dream Ena wished for from the bottom of the heart was as small as her—

An irreplaceable, precious dream.

“I want us to always be together…!”

The night sky with streaming stars changed its color.

It wasn’t like this due to the tears in Ena’s eyes.

It was just like dropping a drop of paint into some liquid.

The full starry sky was dyed in a vivid purple for an instant.

Neither the blinking stars nor the falling comets changed.

The night’s darkness that encroached the surface of the sky was simply filled with a purple glow.

This purple something that mixed with the comets was coagulating into a single spot in the sky.

“…Eh…?”

The purple glow gathered and formed—a woman’s figure.

The woman wearing round sunglasses floated in the night sky, her crimson coat fluttering—

“So you’ve come—Oogui.”

Hearing this calm voice, Ena came back to her senses.

“Kusuriya…kun…?”

At some point Daisuke rose up. From inside his bag that she thought had nothing but luggage he pulled out a pitch-black coat and wore it quickly.

“Sorry, Ena.”

The boy’s momentarily lonely smile vanished inside mechanical goggles that covered his face. He took a handgun out of the same bag as the coat and goggles and removed its safety device.

Daisuke’s voice became so low he sounded like a different person.

“This is the end—of my friend act.”

Ena’s expression froze.

“Daisuke!”

Arisu caught the silver rod that the boy threw to her. Swinging it as it elongated, Arisu reproached him.

“That wording was horrible!”

What was going on?

What was about to happen?

Unable to understand any of it, Ena froze there, her body raised. Takako next to her also looked surprised as she looked around her.

Along with a roar, an especially large star passed over Ena’s head.

No. —It was much too violent to be called a comet. It was large sphere of flames.

The mass of flames crashed down next to Arisu and Daisuke. Hellfire spread around, sending the sand around dancing. Appearing there and causing the approaching waves to be instantly boiled was a tall boy with his arms crossed.

“Haha, I was sick of waitin’.”

The boy standing imposingly as if he was some sort of king raised his scorching eyes to look at the woman floating midair. With his loose, wild hair and the tattoo on his cheek, not to mention the flames bursting from his entire body while he crossed his arms, the boy looked like a devil born from the flames.

She could hear sand being trodden all around her.

Ena reflexively turned around.

“…!”

She thought her heart would stop.

Although this road was supposed to be empty until now, there were countless shadows standing there now. Even now, more and more people appeared from inside the windbreak.

Leaping over the guardrail, a blond girl walked closer on the beach. She was clad in a pure white coat and even had white goggles on her eyes. This time, Ena didn’t mistake this girl.

“I left C behind just like you told me to, Kakkou. She’d certainly be nothing but a nuisance, fighting at this stage.”

She was Mitake Anneliese. Her belligerent smile that was completely different from the elegant one she showed in school was covered up by her goggles.

“You two, come to me.”

Saying this and grabbing Ena’s and Takako’s arms was a woman wearing the same coat as Anneliese’s. —She was the one who served as the vocalist for Ena’s favorite indie band, Yomori Neiko. Now that she noticed this, she only became even more confused.

The sea burst.

Giant waves rose up and shot at the night sky, unheeding of gravity.

The large amount of seawater swelled, creating a huge dome that surrounded the entire area. This transparent veil distorted the lights of the stars flowing in the sky.

“*Grin*. Leave the siege to me. I won’t allow her to escape.”

Yet another familiar figure managed to sneak there.

Since she’d asked her name later, she knew it. This girl who had a star sticker on her cheek was a student from another school called Kurisaka Ayuyu.

Obviously, there were also people Ena didn’t know.

“The warrior of love, Isa Himeko! I hastened here to join as the representative of teacher’s disciplesss!”

Raising an energetic voice was a girl wearing a cutely designed white coat. Her figure that had bat wing-shaped accessories on her back made her look like a little imp.

“Nihi. Since you didn’t call Ume-kun or Haruka-chan, does that mean you abandoned them, Harukiyo?”

Carrying a beautifully bound book to her chest, the girl who said this wore a twisted smile. She fixed the position of her glasses using her index finger.

What on earth was going on—

“Sorry for scaring you, Ena.”

As Ena was about to fall into panic, Arisu turned to her.

“I can’t explain what led to this right now, but—”

Leaving behind a kind smile, Arisu looked up at the floating woman. A silver Morpho butterfly landed on her shoulder.

“I’ll definitely protect you.”

With Ichinokuro Arisu at their head, Daisuke and the flame devil, Mitake Anneliese and the other boys and girls all formed a wall to protect Ena.

Standing stunned, Ena also looked above her—and shuddered.

The mysterious figure that Arisu and the rest were trying to intercept.

Rainbow-colored pupils that were visible behind the woman’s glasses were looking straight at Ena.

“Say—”

The woman’s mouth, dyed in a pure-red rouge, slowly moved.

“Will you tell me your dream?”

The woman’s charming smile overlapped with the night sky full of falling stars.