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

===Part 4===

Above the head of Inori whose limbs were bound by vines, a gigantic flower slowly unravelled itself.

“Hasegawa… -san…?”

A Daisuke muttered in shock.

A deafening roar resounded through the underground street—no, throughout Akamaki City.

The colour of the flower deepened from pink to crimson as it opened.

What the petals protected was neither stamens nor pistils. It was rows of hundreds of sharp fangs.

Carnivorous flower—.

That phrase found itself in Arisu’s mind.

Arisu recalled an insect exhibition she had visited when she was young, there she saw a crab spider that mimicked itself as a flower in order to attract its prey. But right now, what was right in front of her was an irregularly shaped monster which undoubtedly consumed people instead.

“…!”

The sound of destruction drowned out the classical music, inundating Arisu and the rest like a wave.

When the rumbling subsided, the world was silent.

In front of the overwhelmed and immobilised Arisu and Daisuke, Inori’s lips moved slightly.

“…I was…”

Probably near the brink of unconsciousness, Inori’s hands and legs did not even move an inch. Her faintly opened eyes were gradually becoming vacant.

“…Even when the Mushi consumed my dreams… even though it was scary… and painful… even so, I persisted…”

Inori’s pupil moved. In her sights was Daisuke.

“I wanted to go to so many more places… to become an adult… and then visit that foreign museum again… I want to return there… and thank them for giving me a dream…”

The girl smiled. It was a fleeting smile, one filled with sorrow.

“But… it seems… my dream is… disappearing…”

The vines start to swell again. The people who had lost consciousness on the floor were being buried by the vines as they watched on.

“Hasegawa-san…!”

Arisu shouted reflexively.

Inori became expressionless, her eyelids closing.

What would happen when she fully closed her eyes—just thinking about it caused Arisu to feel dread.

The moment when their dream is completely consumed by their Mushi, the Mushitsuki dies—.

“…!”

I won’t allow something like that…!

Arisu exerted strength into her hands holding the spear.

Mari—.

Arisu recalled the face of her close friend who had departed this world one year ago.

She had no idea what the Mushi are. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what were the Mushitsuki thinking as well.

However, she would not allow anything to deprive Hasegawa Inori of her life.

Even if Arisu had to kill Inori’s Mushi and turn her into a Fallen, she would not let her life be extinguished right in front of herself.

I will not let the Mushi kill anyone else…!

She would no longer remain unknowing and turn a blind eye like what had happened to Mari. With these feelings, Arisu jumped towards the flower.

However—.

“''Kuh…!''”

She thought otherwise of swinging the spear. If she had used its power here, the rest of the customers would be caught up in the destruction as well.

“Daisuke!”

Arisu turned towards the boy.

Daisuke was an agent specialising in capturing Mushitsuki. Till now, he had turned countless Mushitsuki to Fallen.

Arisu had no doubts that Daisuke would have been poised with his handgun cool-headedly even in this situation.

“…Daisuke?”

But, contrary to her expectations, Daisuke was just staring at Inori’s figure in a daze. His hand holding the handgun was trembling slightly.

“What are you doing, Daisuke…! Get a hold of yourself!”

Arisu’s reprimand did not seem to enter Daisuke’s ears. Large beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he stared at Inori.

“How can you… still smile…! In front of my eyes…!”

Daisuke yelled, gnashing his teeth.

“Don’t give up! Don’t you dare lose such an important dream in a place like this!”

Raising his voice, Daisuke screamed.

Seeing the boy baring his emotions for the first time, Arisu was stunned.

“Daisuke…?”

“You’re just like her, like Fuyuhotaru!”

Even with his face hidden by the goggle, one could tell that he was grimacing.

“The one who was turned into a Fallen by my own hands… someone with the same dream as me…!”

Then, Inori’s lids shut completely and the gigantic flower gave a huge roar, shaking the whole underground street.

“…!”

The Inori who has run out of strength.

The wildly blooming Mushi.

Daisuke who looked like he was suffering, hesitating.

The figures of the suffering Mushitsuki were reflected in Arisu’s eye.

<br>

—This is, for me?—.

<br>

Arisu’s field of vision was dyed completely white.

“!”

Without even the time to shake, Arisu’s consciousness fell into disorder.

<br>

—Yes. This is a present from me to Sensei—.

<br>

Arisu—no, Mari was in a white hospital room.

A young man was standing next to the bed which Mari was lying down on.

The young man had a silver necklace in his hand. Hanging in the centre of the necklace was a golden ring.

Indeed, Mari had given him a present.

She was inside of her memory.

Inside of a dream that was about to disappear.

<br>

—This is another proof that I had lived…

<br>

Hearing Mari’s words, the young man had a look of pain.

However, Mari smiled brightly.

<br>

—The other proof, I leave with Arisu… If she knew what my dream was, surely she would hate me for it.

<br>

“…!”

Arisu awoke from her brief daydream.

—That mysterious scene again…?

The memories which Arisu saw did not belonged to her. The one sleeping on the bed in the hospital room was not Arisu. Arisu also did not recognise the young man.

The Mushi mimicking a flower roared again.

Looking at the girl who had closed her eyes, Arisu came to.

“Since it has come to this, I’ll do it…!”

Arisu recalled Inori’s smile when she was talking about her dream.

Inori must live on.

She must live on and realise her dream.

Arisu would not let Inori’s wish disappear just like that right in front of her. Even if Inori have to turn into a Fallen and lose her emotions, Arisu would not let her life and dream come to an end like what had happened to Mari.

She did not know how much she had to suppress the power of the spear, but she just had to do it.

Right when she turned towards Inori.

“''Kyaah!''”

“''Uwaa!''”

Innumerable vines shot out from the blooming flower above Inori’s head. The vines slammed the stationary Arisu and Daisuke against the wall.

The vines creeping along the wall restrained the two of them.

“''Ah…!''”

Arisu had let go of the spear from the impact of the slam. Several tens, hundreds of vines surrounded Arisu and Daisuke as if to bury them.

Inori closed her eyes—.

“…Kusuriya Daisuke!”

Arisu shouted.

Buried under the vines, Arisu looked into the eyes of the boy who was similar bounded.

“Where did your usual irritatingly composed self went to! Shouldn’t you be the one who knows most what should be done now?”

“…!”

“I don’t know what happened in the past, but stop hesitating over it all the time! If it’s something that you did, take responsibility for it till the very end!”

“Someone like you… who isn’t even a Mushitsuki, what would you know!”

Unable to tolerate any further, Daisuke bellowed.

“For the sake of my dream, I could only deprive other Mushitsuki of their dreams… Someone like me—”

“If that’s the case, then why did you live up till now!”

“!”

Daisuke was struck speechless at that sentence.

“Even so, you wanted to fulfil your dreams, right! You wanted to continue to live on, right! Didn’t you turn that Fuyuhotaru into a Fallen knowing that she felt the same as you! Then don’t hesitate! As the one to live, you have that much of an obligation!”

A vine slithered up Arisu’s neck. With a warm and woody sensation, it began to tighten around her neck.

“Open… your eyes…! Stupid… Daisuke…!”

Her field of vision was being covered by the vines.

Just before her view was completely obscured.

She saw a green checkered beetle land by Daisuke’s side.

“I know that even without you telling me… No matter what happens, I will continue to live on…”

She could hear the sound of something being torn off.

“Indeed, I promised her… with Fuyuhotaru…!”

The vines restraining Arisu was torn off in one motion.

“…!”

Freed from the vines, Arisu fell to the floor.

Lifting her head, she saw Daisuke pointing the handgun straight ahead. The checkered beetle fused with the handgun extended green feelers which stretched up his neck till his face, forming a green pattern. His other hand was grasping a large amount of vines ripped away by force.

The gigantic flower screamed again.

Vines began to assault Daisuke.

A thick branch slammed into the slender boy with a dull sound. His torn suit was flung into the air and the broken goggles was chucked to his back.

Even so, his hand holding the handgun pointed directly at the flower did not budge. Looking straight at Inori, the green pattern on his face shone.

Daisuke pulled the trigger.

[[File:Mushi Uta Bug 1st p155.jpg|thumb]]

A cannon-like blast that did not sound like it belonged to a handgun roared.

Above Inori’s head, huge flower petals scattered everywhere.

The light in Inori’s eyes faded.

The scattering flower emitted a final dying scream, before the vines covering the interior of the restaurant disappeared, dropping Inori’s body down.

Daisuke kicked off the ground, reaching Inori’s side in a flash and catching her.

“Hasegawa-san…”

Daisuke muttered.

A still silence descended upon the ravaged restaurant.

Amidst the collapsed customers, Daisuke embraced the girl motionlessly. Although no longer covered by the goggles, Arisu could not see his expression with his back facing her.

Inori laid limp in his arms, her head dropping to the side lifelessly.

There were no emotions all at in her eyes. Through her slightly open eyelid, only cloudy eyes looked back at Daisuke. Without will nor emotions, this was the outcome of a Mushitsuki who had turned into a Fallen.

The Fallen Inori would be taken away by the SEPB and accommodated in their isolation facility.

—Daisuke…

Arisu bit back her words.

He mentioned that Inori resembled the girl named Fuyuhotaru.

The boy known as Kusuriya Daisuke seemed to have a deep connection to the girl whom he only knew by her codename. Arisu thought that that must have been unimaginably painful.

And she had even teased him with that back in the classroom.

“…”

It happened as she bit her lips.

Arisu felt a slight tremor under her.

A ''pak pak'' noise came from the ceiling and a powder-like substance poured down. Looking skywards, Arisu was flabbergasted.

The ceiling was collapsing due to the sudden disappearence of the vine. In the ceiling riddled with holes, large cracks appeared.

“Daisuke!”

Quickly turning to the boy, she found that he was still embracing Inori unresponsively.

Arisu grabbed the spear that was stabbed into the ground.

It wasn’t just Daisuke. All the rest of the customers were unconscious. If the ceiling collapsed, there would be more than just one or two casualties.

“Before it collapses… I’ve got to do this!”

Silver light spilled from the spear.

Three of the four wings combined to form a single blade. The spear started releasing an even greater amount of scales.

—The spear’s power… is increasing?

Just by holding it, Arisu could feel a surge of power coming from the spear. The outpouring of power felt even greater than any in the past, more so than when defeating Harimoto Jun’s Mushi or when facing Daisuke at the Ferris wheel.

An especially big tremor shook the restaurant, causing the crack in the ceiling to widen.

When the chandelier broke off the ceiling with a ''gakun'', Arisu stopped thinking.

Putting her entire strength into swinging the spear, the restaurant was bathed in silver light.