Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 7 Chapter 1 (section)

==1.04 Akatsuki Part 5==

Howling, the Doberman statue grew steadily closer. Since it had no hind legs, it had to drag the stand attached to its hips.

Its exposed canines and starved eyes didn't look statue-like at all. Unlike how it seemed when Akatsuki touched it before, its body moved like a living being.

"Is it… a trap?"

Now that a clear enemy appeared he actually calmed down. Akatsuki in the form of Ako reached toward his previous body on the floor. Opening his bag, he retrieved his equipment.

A grey jacket supplied by the North Central Branch. They apparently regulated the equipment for all members in their jurisdiction.

[[File:Mushi Uta 7 p109.jpg|thumb]]

Since it was made for Akatsuki's size, it was too big for Ako's body. He wore the jacket with the belt over her uniform, and equipped the visor to hide his face. He didn't know how the ability that switched bodies worked, but he couldn't allow Ako's body to be injured.

"This dog came from a different ability than us switching bodies. I heard that West Central Branch has many people with object-controlling abilities but… anyway, now I know—"

While Akatsuki showed no signs of running, the Doberman kicked the ground.

"This means that at the very least, two Mushitsuki are hiding somewhere and attacking us."

Although it only had its forelegs, the statue's leaping power was fearsome. It closed the distance between them in a leap, trying to bite into Akatsuki's thin neck.

"Ouch…!"

Although it looked living, it still felt like stone. A dull pain ran through his thin wrist.

The Doberman yelped and fell to the floor. Yet it simply shook its head and readied to attack Akatsuki again as if nothing happened.

"I can't really use much power with Ako's body…"

Clicking his tongue, he took out gloves and military pants from his bag. He wore the gloves on both hands and hung the pants from his shoulders.

Never mind his fighting techniques; with Ako's thin arms and weight, he wouldn't be able to inflict any damage.

As the dog attacked again he brought out his hand wrapped in cloth.

"Kh…!"

As expected, the dog bit his arm. Since the SEPB equipment had great durability, there was no way its fangs would pierce through it.

He held his ground to not collapse and smashed the dog's head biting his arm against the wall.

The Doberman yelped. The impact released its jaws from his arm. The cloth caught by the dog's fangs also fell to the floor along with him.

"Doesn't look like it'll ever end… no, a long drawn-out battle would be disadvantageous."

Apparently made of something quite hard, the damage to the dog was minimal. Only one ear was missing. It moved its neck and howled toward Akatsuki again.

Meanwhile, Akatsuki was panting. Ako apparently lacked exercise.

"Where's the enemy hiding…? I couldn't feel anyone hiding while scouring the room. If they’re attacking with the dog then why haven't I been attacked when I'd seen it the first time? I wasn't on my guard, so it could've attacked me from behind. What would do they if Ako was someone stronger than me—"

While evading the dog's assault with a back step, he mumbled to himself.

"Then why was that middle schooler caught in the same phenomenon able to get away without getting hurt? Wouldn't a complete amateur attacked by this dog be…?"

He then realized. While thinking about this, he had a certain conjecture.

"A civilian with no battle training wouldn't try to fight in the first place…! He went from the second floor to the first to call for help. Does that mean none of the abilities work on the first floor?"

But that was unrealistic.

"But what's the difference between the first and second floors? Wouldn't the Mushi pursue him at this short of a distance?"

Perhaps learning that Akatsuki would dodge attacks to his upper body, the Doberman's fangs changed their aim to his legs. If the girl's legs beneath the skirt received an attack it would be over for him.

"…!"

He had no time to hesitate. He already had no stamina to spare. Evading the dog with a split hair difference, he rushed toward the elevator.

The Doberman pursued Akatsuki's back.

Fortunately, the elevator was still at the second floor. When he pounded the button the doors opened.

"Ha!"

Akatsuki launched a back kick toward the dog attacking just as he boarded. Turning a somersault and rolling on the floor leaving the dog behind, the elevator's doors closed.

"Hah… Hah…"

Exhausted, he sat down inside the elevator. It soon reached the first floor and the door opened.

The mirror that appeared in the front reflected Ako breathing heavily. He also ended up seeing the underwear under her skirt and blushed.

"If the dog attacked me right now… it would be bad."

He pressed the second floor button with shaking fingers. The door closed again and the elevator rose.

Akatsuki's body, collapsed on the second floor, was defenseless. He couldn't even ascertain if Ako's consciousness was inside it.

An electronic noise announced the arrival on the second floor. Akatsuki wrung out his power to stand up.

Readying himself, the door opened.

There were no signs of any attack by the wary dog. Running into the corridor, he found his body.

"Uh…"

Just as he felt relief, he was assaulted by violent dizziness.

His vision flickered and all strength left his body.

He couldn't resist this time. —According to the worker, the student that was lively when returned to the second floor suddenly had a "blank stare". Did it not mean his consciousness was returning to his original body?

"But that's almost as if—"

He could feel his own body collapse.

When he next opened his eyelids, he could feel the coldness of the floor on his cheeks.

"—This place itself was embedded with the ability of a Mushitsuki."

Slowly raising his body, he returned to his familiar height of vision. Checking his long limbs, he confirmed he returned to his original body.

Looking to the corridor, he could see Ako collapsed near the elevator's entrance. The North Central Branch equipment didn't fit her at all.

His prediction was right on the mark. The body switching ability had been absolved. Or perhaps they'd just reverted back again.

"But is that possible? Leaving only the ability behind when there's no Mushi here… And two different abilities at that… I've never heard of anything like that."

He turned toward the sofa. According to the worker, the middle schooler involved in the previous incident had fallen asleep on it.

"So is this ability triggered by falling asleep on the couch? Then the trigger for the dog should be—"

He couldn't see the Doberman statue around.

Akatsuki narrowed his eyes.

A small insect crawling from his hair began growing like an inflating balloon.

It became an abnormal monster and clung to Akatsuki's back. The yellowish-brown mayfly was now about as large as Akatsuki himself. Its long tail split into two was swaying as if it was a living being itself.

It was Akatsuki's Mushi, Hien.

"I knew it. It activates once it feels a Mushi ability nearby."

A white glow poured out from the room ahead. Waiting for a while, he could see the familiar white Doberman. The reason it hadn't appeared when Akatsuki went back to normal wasn't because the same ability had been activated, but because the ability had been absolved.

The white Doberman assaulted Akatsuki.

"Meaning this is a single trap. —No, I'm not sure this is a trap. Perhaps we were simply caught up in a mechanism that activated by chance."

Akatsuki moved no muscle. The mayfly clinging to his back shot a black sphere from the hole opened up in its abdomen.

Drawing an arc in the air, the black sphere hit the Doberman directly. White light illuminated the floor.

"But this means that something's really happening in town…"

The statue's remnants—its head and its left leg—rolled on the floor. The remaining right foot rattled on the floor, but soon stopped moving.

Gathering his fallen equipment and bag, he approached Ako. Removing the jacket and the visor from her, he hid them in his bag. Akatsuki shrank his Mushi and it vanished in his hair.

"Looks like I'll need to ask Orion about this. Had she suggested this gallery by chance, or was she setting a trap for me…? I need to be prepared for battle just in case."

Carrying Ako, he went down the elevator to the first floor.

Heading directly for the exit, he passed through the reception desk. "Looks like she'd fallen asleep," he said to the receptionist with a smile.

"Was her personality also an attempt to lower my guard for the trap? Even so she was really overdoing—"

As soon as he exited the gallery, Akatsuki widened his eyes.

He saw a familiar Hornet parked in the nearby alley. Standing in front of the motorcycle was the girl Akatsuki had thought of just now.

"Orion…!"

''Shit—''

He groaned in his heart. By carrying Ako he was in a great disadvantage. Perhaps she'd come there to attack him by surprise after thinking this would happen.

Yet although Akatsuki was tense, Orion was speechless. Never mind her overly bright way of speaking, she didn't even take any visible movements. 

"…?"

Something was strange. Still cautious, Akatsuki approached the girl, and was shocked.

He noticed that her eyes, slightly lowered to the ground, were clouded, like those of a doll. Her frozen expression hadn't even the slightest trace of any emotion in it.

"B-but why—"

Akatsuki scowled.

When a Mushitsuki had their Mushi killed, the feedback would make them lose their mind. They would respond to external orders, but they turned into an emotionless living dead.

"Why did you turn into a Fallen…?"

The unspeaking Orion's eyes were dyed by the orange of the setting sun.