Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5th Episode 18 (section)

=== Part 4 ===
The midnight Kurobishi Town was wrapped in silence.

In an attempt to catch a cab on the main street, Arisu and the rest walked around the residential area.

As the clouds in the night sky parted, moonlight illuminated Daisuke walking at the front as well as the sleeping face of Erii carried on his back.

"Erii and the rest will be taken to the SEPB, right?"

When Arisu asked this, Neiko next to her nodded.

"If she doesn't receive proper training, she would probably lose control again… more importantly, Arisu-chan…"

"Yes?"

"What you said this noon… are you serious?"

Neiko wore a serious expression. Arisu tilted her head.

"Trying to make people like Kakkou-kun and Harukiyo get along as comrades… that is way too impulsive. I just thought that, because they're so strong… if we try to stand between them, we'll just get ripped apart by that power… so it's worrying…"

She was probably referring to what Arisu spoke about when they were riding on the monorail.

"And I don't think they'll listen to people weaker than them… if you still want to get along with them, you'll need to be stronger than them… and if you can do that, then it wouldn't be mere role playing like today, you will become like a real demon lord—"

Arisu wore a wry smile.

"A demon lord? That might be fine as well."

"…"

"I'm joking."

She laughed at Neiko's calm gaze.

"It's just something I thought up… but don't you think it's a good idea? I mean, strong people exert a lot of influence when they fight. So the opposite should also be possible."

Neiko neither agreed nor denied the girl's words.

"Also—"

Beneath the starry sky, Arisu brought up her hand to the moon. —The numbness aftereffect from fusing with her Mushi before remained, but she felt as if the burden lessened recently. Arisu couldn't tell what this meant, though.

"Mari should be gone but I'm connecting her Mushi to this world, right? Right now I am not a normal civilian, but I'm also not a Mushitsuki… I might be unexpectedly suited for the role of someone who 'connects' people."

Keeping the late Hanashiro Mari tied to this world and possessing a Mushi without being a Mushitsuki.

A truly vague and ambiguous being.

That was the current Ichinokuro Arisu.

In order to bind together the Mushitsuki pushing forward for their dreams, perhaps they needed someone who would serve as cushioning.

She exaggeratedly started thinking of such things—

"Just kidding. It's too good to be true, right?"

She lowered her arms and laughed.

Neiko wore a worried face for a while, but finally returned her smile.

"Oh, Daisuke. Erii's drool is falling on your neck right now."

"Wipe it off! Don't just look!"

Ahead of Arisu's group walking through the residential area, the sky was growing brighter. 

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