Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 6th Episode 22 (section)

=== Part 4 ===

In the desolate sports ground Daisuke remained standing.

The ground broke and there was no more boundary between asphalt and grass. If the spectator stands around hadn’t acted like a breakwater, the damage would probably spread even beyond the premises.

“…”

Bleeding from his forehead, Daisuke stood in place with the gun hanging from powerless arm. If he hadn’t cancelled out the shockwave with his bullet, there was no doubt that it wouldn’t end pretty for him.

Oogui completely vanished.

Naturally. She’d fought Daisuke here on purpose, to let him know that fighting her was useless. —Now that she fulfilled her goal, Oogui had no reason to stay.

“Isn’t this… really fucking bad?”

Kasuou, who sat on top of the debris, groaned in a low voice. Since she excelled in defense more than Daisuke, she only had few external wounds.

“Now—you understand, right.”

At the edge of his sight, the ponytailed girl rose. Thanks to her having softened the attack with a wall of scales, she’d been able to avoid any wounds along with the collapsed Nanana.

“Oogui… can use the powers of all the Mushi she created.”

He immediately realized that the girl laughing listlessly wasn’t Ichinokuro Arisu. Her expression and tone were like and unlike Arisu.

Hanashiro Mari.

The will of her dead Mushitsuki friend left to the Morpho butterfly borrowed her to talk.

“And the Undying Mushitsuki… was a Mushitsuki created by Oogui. —Kusuriya Daisuke-san, you have also met him, right?”

He had.

At the time, since Arisu had switched with Mari’s personality, she probably didn’t remember it.

That Mushitsuki who appeared during their school trip was, of all people, the SEPB’s—

“Minion-Type Mushitsuki protect Oogui… and Oogui will continue to birth more Mushitsuki…”

“…”

“This is really hopeless.”

The giggling Mari caused Daisuke to finally avert his face.

“Why have you—searched for the Undying Mushitsuki?”

This time, Mari fell silent.

“Why have you hunted Mushitsuki…?”

“I wonder why.”

Mumbling in a powerless voice, Mari averted her gaze.

“Did you think of taking down at least another person with you?”

“Taking down with me… right, I have a feeling I often thought of this. —Yup.”

Mari’s smile returned to look at Daisuke again.

“I recalled. I tried taking him down with me… after all, I knew I was beyond saving.”

“…”

“This isn’t fair. I alone was going to vanish without leaving anything behind… and, besides.”

Mari’s voice turned soft.

“''Sensei also told me to do so.''”

“…!”

Daisuke widened his eyes.

“Please remember that I’ve… told you this…”

The expression was vanishing from Mari’s face as if melting. Her hand lost its strength and let the silver rod fall to the ground with a small clutter.

“Kasuou—”

Without even turning around, he spoke to the blond girl.

“Don’t tell anyone about Oogui’s power. As well as what you’ve heard about Hanashiro Mari here…”

“…Could I even tell anyone?”

Kasuou probably realized how important of a thing this is. She cussed, full of anger.

“But I don’t give a fuck about that Undying Mushitsuki. —When Oogui next appears, I’ll go kick her ass.”

That was fine. He’d probably require the power of the girl called Kasuou who sought strength so single-mindedly at some point.

But Daisuke—

“…”

He looked up at the Morpho butterfly fluttering above.

The Original Three.

The Undying Mushitsuki.

As well as the Morpho butterfly and the truth about it they have yet to grasp—

He started doubting what he could even do about all these complex, intertwining circumstances.

“Mmm—”

A cellphone’s ringtone echoed in the ruined sports ground. The two girls responded to the noise.

“Ouch… Daisuke…?”

He was saved by the goggles hiding his expression. He was able to fool Arisu who just returned to her senses with an empty smile.

Just like when he’d lied to Ena at the classroom, Daisuke smiled at Arisu.

“Sorry, Oogui got away.”

Arisu stared in puzzlement but soon returned the smile.

“I see… well, nothing we can do about it.”

The pair exchanged pathetic smiles.

Nanana had also regained consciousness by hearing the ringtone. Curling her body on the ground, she brought out her cellphone from her pocket.

“Kirari—”

Probably talking to the person on the phone, she spoke with a weak voice. Tears fell on top of the dry debris.

“I couldn’t… become a Mushitsuki. I thought that if I became a Mushitsuki—if I had the power of magic, I’d be able to find the Magician…”

While Daisuke and the rest were watching her, Nanana suddenly changed her expression.

“What…? The Magician will not appear again?—What do you mean?”

Wiping her tears, Nanana roused her body.

“Wait. I’m going back to you.”

Something apparently happened with her acquaintance. As Nanana tried turning her body, Arisu reached a hand to her.

“Wait! The Magician is—”

“I won’t give up.”

Turning back, Nanana asserted.

“I’ll definitely become a Mushitsuki.”

Those were her words of farewell.

Perhaps wounded, Nanana had an awkward gait as she ran away.

Arisu saw off her back and looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end she sighed and turned back to Daisuke.

“Who did Oogui even want to turn into a Mushitsuki…?”

“Beats me. Since this town has so many people it’s impossible to know. —If we knew, we could’ve waited by that person’s side, though.”

Daisuke, who sighed just like, lent her a hand.

“You’re covered in wounds. We’re going to Ayuyu’s place now, but will you be alright?”

“…Eh?”

“Let her nurse him as much as he wants. I’m going home.”

The setting sun that illuminated the three people walking out of the devastated sports ground fell behind the spectator stands.

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