Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 3rd Episode 10 (section)

===Part 4===

Under the clear sky, Arisu inquired Kusuriya Daisuke who stood next to her.

"Hey, what's wrong? I was sure you'd be much angrier. You're being awfully kind."

The pitch-black long coat the boy wore fluttered in the wind.

Since there was no cover around, the sudden gale hit their bodies directly.

There was nothing below the metal beam Arisu was sitting on. Only a large river flowed underneath.

A lump of steel passed through along with a rumble.

The gust of wind pounded Arisu and Daisuke.

"Because I can never tell what you're trying to do. Since I don't know your goal, I can only keep monitoring."

He didn't just have his long coat. The boy's face was covered by large goggles, and his right hand grasped a large automatic pistol. He was fully equipped.

—Arisu was sitting above the river connecting Akamaki City and Higano City.

They were on the metal rails spread around the metal bridge.

A scheduled train passed behind them as they hid behind an iron pole.

"Then why did you let Rinka-san get away?"

"She simply ran away while I wasn't paying attention. I'll capture her again."

"She won't be punished later, right?"

"…I'll let her get away just this once."

As if in reaction to something, Daisuke turned to the side. In his line of sight—in the direction of Akamaki City, he could see a few figures running on the rails.

"It's because I'm also waiting for the return of someone who became all alone…"

"…?"

Arisu tilted her head, having no idea who he was talking about. Yet as she confirmed the oncoming figures, she rose. In her right hand held an object she had brought from home, a stick for training use—a staff.

Rushing through the passage for workers were people cladded in white coat. The color and small details of the design were different, but they resembled Daisuke's battle uniform.

Arisu and Daisuke revealed themselves from behind the iron pole, blocking the passage.

"…!"

The people cladded in white—the members of Central Headquarters all stopped in place, surprised.

"W-who are you?"

"Ah? Isn't it Kakkou? What're you doing here."

The one at the back of the line raised their voice.

Her face was concealed by goggles, but due to her high voice and blonde hair it was obvious that she was Kasuou. Hearing the name of Kakkou, a disturbance spread through the members. 

"We're going on a walk!"

Arisu declared, puffing her chest.

The disturbance changed to silence for an instant.

"Hmm, you seem to be taking a walk in a really weird place… As if, are you an idiot?! As if anyone would come here for a walk all geared up!"

"We're here! You're in the way, so go someplace else!"

"I-in the way…? You're the ones in the way. If you won't move—"

"If we won't move then what will you do?"

Daisuke's low voice caused the members' faces to stiffen. Arisu pointed her finger at them with exaggerated acting. 

"Coming here and picking up a fight with us, it means you're all… Harukiyo's comrades!"

"…Huh?"

Kasuou raised a silly-sounding voice.

"I mean, he has someone with the ability to transform, right? You're impersonating the SEPB to make us lower our guard and attack us! That's obvious."

"Hey now, that couldn't possibly be true. If they were Harukiyo's group…"

Daisuke looked at Kasuou in detachment.

"Then we'd have to fight, right?"

Kasuou twitched. Slowly, a smile rose to the girl's mouth.

"W-what are you saying?"

"—Hey, aren't you bastards actually Harukiyo's comrades instead?"

Interrupting her team members' voices, Kasuou's laughing voice resounded on the bridge.

"K-Kasuou? Stay silent! Your orders are to not make any move until—"

"Orders? Hah, orders you say?"

Black mist appeared around Kasuou's body. The other members were intimidated and flinched.

"There're guys trying to pick up a fight in front of me. I don't understand why and I have no clue what they're thinking about, but since they're showing hostility doesn't that make them our enemy?"

"We have no time to fight! The time is already…!"

"I don't care. If you want to, go on yourselves."

No sooner than she said this, Kasuou leapt at Daisuke. A part of the mist enveloping her morphed into claws, swinging down at Daisuke's head.

"The first ones to raise a hand were the Central Headquarters."

As the boy smiled, a green checkered beetle alighted on his shoulder. It explosively transformed into feelers, fusing with Daisuke's body and handgun.

Perhaps sensing Kasuou's hostility, the morpho butterfly also alighted by Arisu's side.

It fused with the staff she was holding, becoming a silver spear.

Daisuke, becoming one with the checkered beetle, shook off Kasuou's pursuing mist claws using his entire body's strength.

The claws broke down loudly. The part of Kasuou's Mushi that returned to mist was pounded against the river below. 

A column of water large enough to reach the bridge rose up.

"Take this!"

Leaping over Daisuke who just repelled Kasuou's attack, Arisu flashed her silver spear to the side.

The scales shining in silver blew violently.

"You're surprisingly working smoothly together, aren'tcha!"

Wriggling the claws of mist, Kasuou climbed on top of the bridge and ran into air.

The silver scales scraping Kasuou and the Central Headquarters members cut the large column of water into two. A spray of water splashed all over Arisu and Daisuke.

"Leave me behind and go ahead. But I'm not taking responsibility if any stray bullets hit you."

Completely entering battle mode, Kasuou glared at her comrades.

Seeing this extraordinary destructive power, the people in white coats apparently lost their fighting spirits. Completely stunned, they couldn't move even one step away from the spot.

"It's that train."

Putting herself on guard while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Daisuke, Arisu looked at the other side of the members.

There was a train headed for their location far away on the rails.

Preparing his handgun, Daisuke nodded.

"Yeah. —More importantly, have you thought about how to stop her after this?"

Shrouded in black mist, Kasuou slowly closed the gap between her and the two.

Up until provoking Kasuou to buy time, everything went according to plan.

Yet the girl in front of them didn't seem likely to stop fighting at this point.

"It's obvious."

Arisu nodded confidently.

"I haven't given it any thought!"

The vibration of railway track masked Daisuke's sigh.