Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 1st Episode 01 (section)

===Part 4===

“There was… a woman. No, I cannot even tell if it was human or not.”

In a taxi going down the street, Kujou Takako looked down as she spoke.

The scene witnessed by Takako was as follows.

—Hey, won’t you please tell me your dream?

The voice seemed to belong to a woman.

The location was at Harimoto Jun’s house. Takako had been passing through a gate to enter the vast premises.

His house grew herbs and poplars, as a result, there was always a pleasant fragrance throughout the air. However, at that moment, the usual fragrance was completely gone. Furthermore, the house was deathly quiet.

Jun was standing stock still in the centre of the courtyard.

As if hiding his figure, a woman with a tall stature was whispering into his ears. Takako saw the side profile of the woman dressed in a bright red coat and wearing round sunglasses.

—You don’t have to suppress your desires anymore. Now, tell me. What do you want to do right now?

She heard her whispering voice.

—I… I want…

A black distortion started to form by the side of the boy. He looked to be suffering, but it soon transformed into ecstasy as he trembled. A portion of the distortion seemed to solidify into the leg of an insect.

Then, the line of sight of the sunglasses wearing woman shifted. She glanced at Takako with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

Horrified, Takako ran away—.

“That was the day before yesterday…”

Said Takako as she trembled in fear.

“Do you think that woman turned Harimoto-kun into a Mushitsuki?”

Sitting next to Takako, Arisu enquired, causing her to shudder. That was probably the reaction to hearing the word, ‘Mushitsuki’.

Harimoto Jun was Takako’s childhood friend; he was like a brotherly figure to her. As their families had long ties with each other and socialised often, they naturally had plenty of chances to interact. Both Arisu and Ena knew that as well.

“At that time, I could not believe what I was seeing… No, that wasn’t it, I just didn't want to believe it.”

“…”

“Listening to what Ena-san said this morning, I was shocked. Although Jun-san did not show it in front of me, I have heard rumours that he was being severely bullied during his club activities. Perhaps—thinking of that, I can't help but want to reach out to him…”

“A suspicious male giant, that was actually a lie, right… I should have realised it from the start. After all, you were always so bad at lying.”

“Jun-san must have been suffering… but he could not ask anyone for help… It must have been tough… And then, of all things, he sought salvation from such a suspicious entity…”

Arisu clenched her fists.

An existence that gives birth to Mushitsuki.

“Because of that thing, there are Mushitsuki…”

The reason behind Arisu’s search for a Mushitsuki.

Just what are Mushitsuki—?

Arisu bit down on her molars; all she had now were more questions. Even if what Takako said true, then who was that boy in the black coat? At least, there were no doubts that he was no ordinary pedestrian.

The Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

She thought back on what the boy mentioned. Did that have something to do with him?

The taxi stopped.

After paying the fare, the girls alighted.

“Is Harimoto-kun really here?”

“…When the construction work started, the two of us sometimes sneaked out here to play. Before the building is completed, there would definitely be no one that would think to look for us here…”

Looking up, they saw a high-rise building with its back facing the evening rays. It was a building shaped in a ‘コ’ built in the development area close to the coastline. The management of the building belonged to Takako’s father’s company, who had hoped that the building would be the starting point for the city’s new development.

The building, which would open in a few months time, was installed with lightings everywhere which lit up at night. At the space in the middle of the ‘コ’, there was an observation deck with a spherical roof.

The fence made of barbed wires had a portion of it ripped apart, and there were shoe prints left in the brand-new asphalt road.

“Bingo. Let’s go.”

Takako grasped Arisu’s hand just as she was about to move off and she stopped.

“Erm… why are you doing this? Shouldn’t this be… left to the police…”

“Do you want the police to be involved?”

Takako thought about it, then immediately shook her head. Arisu gave her a smile.

“That’s why, leave this to me. I also have a reason to meet him, to confirm something.”

“To confirm… something?”

“Mushitsuki, just what in the world are they?”

Saying so, Arisu grinned at Takako, causing her to stare back in puzzlement.

“The two of you are in the way. Don't move from here.”

The voice came from right next to them. Startled, they turned to face the voice.

“You…!”

The boy cladded in the black coat stood there.

“You won’t get off with just a small injury if you meddle in this unnecessarily.”

Saying so coldly, the boy with his face hidden by the goggles walked past them.

However, Arisu gripped his arm, stopping him.

“You followed us, didn’t you?”

“…”

“What are you going to do to Harimoto-kun? Don’t tell me, you are going to kill—”

At Arisu’s words, Takako visibly paled.

“I won’t kill him. After killing his Mushi, he will just turn into a Fallen.”

“…Fallen?”

“An empty shell devoid of dreams and emotions… still a much better outcome than dying from having his dream completely eaten by his Mushi. After turning into a Fallen, he would be brought to an isolation facility.”

“You… just who are you really?”

Arisu asked, but was only greeted by silence in return. Forcefully shaking her arm off, the boy climbed over the fence.

However, a figure threw itself at the boy from behind. It was Takako. Clinging desperately to the boy, she shouted.

“A-Arisu-san…!”

“Nice one, Takako!”

Taking advantage of the opening, Arisu leapt over the broken fence. Ignoring the boy clicking his tongue in annoyance, she sped towards the building.

Weaving in between the spotlights, Arisu saw that the front entrance of the building was open. She dashed inside without hesitation.

The inside of the building was dark and gloomy. The only light came from the setting sun through the windows, lighting up a section of the floor.

In order for her to speak to Jun, Arisu needed to reach him before the boy did. She surveyed the surroundings, looking for the figure of Jun.

However, she did not feel the presence of anybody within the vicinity.

She started to grow impatient. The building boasted of having a large floor area. If she searched blindly without a plan, the likelihoods of her finding him was low.

The silver morpho butterfly flew into her sight.

“Mari…”

It circled around her head briefly, before flying into the interior of the building.

“…”

Arisu took a deep breath. After calming down, she picked up a pipe lying around the entrance.

Following behind the morpho butterfly, Arisu arrived at the tenth floor.

Catching her breath at the mouth of the staircase, Arisu heard a voice coming from within the floor.

“Who is it…?”

Hearing the voice, Arisu tensed her body.

Walking discreetly along the aisle, what she saw beyond the corner caused her to widen her eyes.

The room had probably been intended to be an office for some enterprise. Amongst the desks placed haphazardly in the room, a boy stood alone. It was Harimoto Jun.

However, when she looked closely, she realised that it wasn’t just Jun. Next to him, a weird looking monster was lying amongst the desks as if that was its nest. It had  antennas coming out of its head as well as eight squirming legs. At one glance of the shell shining with a black lustre, one could recognise it as a Rhinoceros beetle. What differed however, was the sheer size of it, as the beetle towered over three times the height of Jun.

That is a Mushi—?

Cold sweat formed on Arisu’s forehead.

“Hello, Harimoto-kun. I am Ichinokuro Arisu. I’m a friend of Takako, have you heard of me?”

“Takako’s friend…?”

Jun said in a low voice. Seeing the cold glare in the boy's side profile lit by the setting sun, Arisu felt a chill down her back.

“What would her friend be doing here…?”

“Obviously, that’s to stop you. I don’t know about your plan to take revenge on those bullying you, but that should have been enough to dispel your anger, no? Also, Takako is worried about you.”

“''…Pff.''”

The boy broke out into a slight smile, and the Mushi next to him slowly raised its body.

“I don’t want to. There's still three of them remaining.”

“How silly.”

“…What did you say?”

“If you wanted revenge, you should have done so by your own hands. Using that sort of thing to injure others, are you satisfied now? This way, aren’t you just accepting the fact that you’re weak.”

Arisu declared flatly.

“Did you become a Mushitsuki just to undertake such a silly revenge? Being a Mushitsuki, that must mean that you have a dream too, right?”

“Don’t tell me that you thought that all dreams would be something beautiful.”

Jun laughed out loud.

Arisu’s breathing halted. The boy’s laughter oozed with such malice that anyone would be appalled.

This person, is different—.

Arisu unconsciously came to a conclusion.

He is completely different from the Mushitsuki that I knew—.

Arisu met a certain Mushitsuki in the past. That person was the exact opposite of this boy; she always had a gentle smile on her face.

“Kill her.”

[[File:Mushi Uta Bug 1st p039.jpg|thumb]]

Obeying the boy’s command, the Mushi rushed at Arisu.

Snapping out of her daze, Arisu readied the pipe.

Her palms started to sweat. She did not think that the pipe she was holding would be able to damage the gigantic Mushi. She must get past the Mushi somehow and knock Jun unconscious. —Although she has no idea what would happen to the Mushi whose host fainted, she could not think of any other idea.

“''Kuu!''”

Arisu blocked the leg swung down by the Mushi with the pipe. However, there was no way her small frame could stop the blow and she was sent flying backwards.

Arisu somehow managed to land on her feet, but the Mushi's mandibles reached her instantly.

“''Seyaa!''”

Rolling to her side to avoid the fangs, Arisu swung down the pipe at the Mushi’s head. It felt as though she had hit a rock, causing her arm to turn numb.

The large eyes of the Mushi glared angrily at Arisu, and it struck out at Arisu with its front leg again. Arisu reflexively jumped forward, rolling on the floor and putting some distance between her and the Mushi.

Making use of the momentum of the forward roll, Arisu jumped up and dashed towards Jun.

“''Uu…!''”

The boy flinched. But, immediately after, the floor was dominated by the Mushi’s ear-splitting howl.

Along with the thunderous roar, it flung several of the room's furnishings towards Arisu.

“''Kyaa—''”

Besides shattering the glass windows, a desk crashed into Arisu. Arisu bowled on the floor before slamming into the wall.

“''…Uu…u…''”

It was a miracle that Arisu was still holding onto the pipe. Her whole body was screaming in pain, and she fell back to her knees after trying to stand on her shivering legs.

The Mushi moved in to attack Arisu who was trying to prop herself up with the pipe.

As if moving in slow-motion, the looming fangs of the Mushi was seared into her eyes.

—Mari—.

What came into Arisu’s mind as she resigned herself to death was the smile of her late friend.

The girl had spoken of her dream joyfully. Sadly, she never had the time to fulfil her dream before she passed away.

Right before she passed away, Mari had said this to Arisu.

—Hey Arisu, listen to me. I am actually…

She displayed no signs of dread or grief at dying as she spoke.

—My dream, can I entrust it to you?

Mari always had a silver-coloured morpho butterfly around her.

She had also been—a Mushitsuki.

“…!”

A silver light descended between Arisu and the Mushi.

With a brilliant pattern on its wings, it was the morpho butterfly. Jun’s Mushi came to a halt, as if it was scared of the morpho butterfly.

The morpho butterfly flew towards Arisu and landed on top of the pipe in her hand.

“!”

The wings of the morpho butterfly distorted, turning into numerous feelers that wrapped and embedded itself into the pipe, becoming one with it.

As Arisu looked on in astonishment, her hands held a silver spear. The antenna of the morpho butterfly entwined around the pipe like ivy, forming an engraved pattern that exuded magnificence. Of the four wings spread out broadly, one of it transformed into a sparkling blade.

“Wha-…”

The Mushi broke out of its stupor and swung down its leg at the speechless Arisu.

“…You this!”

Arisu swung the spear instinctively.

In the next moment, the silver spear sliced through the Mushi’s leg easily.

Furthermore, the spear released a gale of scales which gouged a huge crevice on the ground. The impact sent some of the furniture and glass pieces flying past Jun and out of the building.

“''Kuh…!''”

Jun’s face twisted in pain and he ran out further down the corridor. His Mushi followed along, hobbling along with its remaining seven legs.

“W-wait up!”

Briefly stunned at the power of the spear, Arisu immediately came to her senses and chased after the boy.

Jun seemed to have ascended the building from a staircase further within the floor. Arisu could hear the sound of footsteps and the Mushi’s groans coming from above. Holding the spear in one hand, she pursued them up the stairs.

“…”

As she ran up the stairs, Arisu examined the spear.

The morpho butterfly that was always around Arisu had been her late friend’s Mushi. Ever since the sickly girl passed away, the morpho butterfly started to appear by her side.

“Mari…”

Arisu called out. However, there was no response from the silver spear. Up till now, no matter how many times Arisu called out to the silver morpho butterfly, it had not responded.

—My dream, can I entrust it to you?

Mari’s last wish. Those words, just what did they mean? Why did the morpho butterfly appear around Arisu’s side? Just what are Mushitsuki? —In order to get an answer, Arisu searched high and low for a Mushitsuki.

However, when she finally found a Mushitsuki after all the trouble, the person in question, Harimoto Jun was far different from Mari. Arisu's anger boiled at the existence that had transformed him in such manner.

A sudden wind breezed through her hair.

At the end of the stairwell, the door there laid in pieces; they had reached the rooftop. Jun and his Mushi presumably went ahead.

The outside was blanketed in the darkness of the night.

The night breeze blew across the bleak rooftop, with the laser-like illumination from below slicing through the sky in arcs.

Jun was standing right at the edge of the rooftop. Arisu walked towards him.

“Harimoto-kun…”

Even though he was cornered, Jun still looked calm. He glared at Arisu with cold eyes burning with spite.

“What is your true wish? Surely that Mushi wasn’t just born from your desire for revenge, right?”

“You speak as if you know of other Mushitsuki. And it seems that the one you knew was a good person.”

Arisu did not respond to Jun’s reply.

“I didn’t think of anything other than revenge…”

Jun’s expression unexpectedly softened. With a smile that could be said to be gentle, he spoke.

“Let’s begin. I am going to thoroughly destroy everything around me…!”

Arisu was shocked wide-eyed. Seeing her reaction, Jun let out a strange laughter.

“‘I can’t believe that there are actually people with this kind of dream’—that’s precisely the look on your face. But you know, Mushitsuki like me are a dime a dozen everywhere. That, I know for sure.”

Looking at the boy, Arisu felt suffocated for some reason. Whether it was out of fear or if it was sadness, she did not know. However—.

“You big idiot…!”

Arisu murmured as she glared at Jun.

“I have some questions for you. The woman that turned you into a Mushitsuki… Just what is it exactly?”

Jun raised his face in surprise. After thinking for a while, he answered in a low voice.

“…She called herself Oogui.”

Oogui<ref>“Oogui” means “big eater” in Japanese.</ref>.

Arisu burned that name into her memory.

“So it’s her fault that Mushitsuki exists… people like Mari…”

Arisu reaffirmed her target.

“One more thing.”

Arisu pointed the spearhead at Jun.

“Swear right here that you will never do this kind of thing again!”

All expression disappeared from Jun’s face.

“There’s still someone waiting for you… With just that, won’t you please stop.”

At her words, Jun hung his head down. But, when he raised his face again, there was a warped smile.

“I won’t let anyone stop me!”

Jun’s Mushi stabbed its sharp feet into the side of the building. Clutching onto his Mushi, his figure disappeared down the edge of the rooftop.

“Why…!”

Biting back the intense emotion that made her want to shout out loud, Arisu choked out a groan.

The sea breeze blew past. Looking over the edge of the rooftop, Arisu could see Jun's figure atop his Mushi at a height that made one felt dizzy.

Arisu had promised Takako that she would to save Jun, how could she possibly let him escape now?

“I won’t let you… Isn’t that right, Mari?”

Arisu spoke to her late friend who was a Mushitsuki in her heart. She had already decided what she was going to do.

“This way, I really might just die…”

Looking down, Arisu tightened her grip around the silver spear.

“I’m going now, Mari.”

With a ‘''ton''’, Arisu kicked off the rooftop.

[[File:Mushi Uta Bug 1st p049.jpg|thumb]]

—In the next moment, Arisu was buffeted by violent gales of wind along with the sensation of dropping.

Due to the pressure of the wind and fear, she could barely open her eyes.

Her gaze met with that of Jun who looked like he could not believe what he was seeing.

“''Seyaaaa~!''”

The moment Arisu passed Jun, she brandished the spear in a flash.

The windows along the building all shattered as if struck by an explosion.

Blade-like silver scales were released from the spear which bisected Jun’s Mushi diagonally. The excess force of the scales carved a deep gash on the side of the building.

The moment the Mushi was sliced into half, all expression disappeared from Jun’s face. His limbs dangled in the air like that of a doll.

Ta-ka-ko—.

In the end, that name seemed to form from his mouth. With that, his body seemed to freeze, ceasing any movement.

Was that what the boy in the black coat mentioned, turning into a ‘Fallen’? —In some part of her mind, Arisu pondered calmly.

“''Sei~!''”

Turning the spear to its shaft, Arisu smacked Jun’s motionless body. His body was sent flying towards the building, sending him rolling into the building through the broken window.

However, she could not allow herself to meet her end here. Arisu swung the spear around and stabbed it into the side of the building.

—My dream, can I entrust it to you?

She recalled the face of her close friend who wanted to live but could not.

She must not allow herself to die just like that having had Mari's dream entrusted to her.

“Like I'd… die like this!”

The spear dug into the building, absorbing the momentum of her descent. Her arms which bore her entire weight screamed.

However, a shadow washed over Arisu.

It was the leg of the bisected Mushi.

“…Ah…”

The falling body of the Mushi crashed into Arisu, flinging her and the spear away from the building.

Losing the clutch, gravity began pulling Arisu to the ground again.

I’m sorry, Mari—.

With her eyes open, Arisu apologised in her heart.

I couldn’t—.

Right when she was about to lose consciousness, she saw the surface of the building explode.

However, unlike previously, the impact came from within the building this time.

A black figure burst out from within the explosion. She seemed to recognise that familiar-looking black coat and over-sized goggles. One of his hands held an automatic handgun.

“You this idiotic girl…!”

The figure in the coat grabbed onto Arisu, and dexterously pointed his handgun at below.

An unimaginably loud rumble resembling a cannon discharged from the handgun.

The spherical roof of the observation deck in the middle of the ‘コ’ exploded into pieces.

Before she could even raise a scream, Arisu was impacted by a violent collision and a roar that seemed to shatter her eardrum.