Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8th Episode 29 (section)

=== Part 4 ===

Several weeks before.

At the observatory platform in the national park, when the lineup of the three strong Mushitsuki—Daisuke, Harukiyo and Rina was complete, Arisu told them of a certain plan.

If they were all together, it would definitely succeed—

She was convinced of this.

“Defeating Oogui—you say?”

The first to raise an eyebrow was Rina. The girl who controlled a large ladybug was beautiful even with her hair stained in dust and soil.

“My friend’s being targeted by Oogui. Right, Nanana?”

As Arisu turned around, the girl holding a cane that looked like an upside-down J, Akasegawa Nanana, narrowed one eye.

“Yahah. If you’re talking about Saionji Ena, there’s no doubt about it.”

“Not interested.”

Holding up his hair that was like rampaging flames, Harukiyo laughed it off.

“Why’d I gotta help save your buddies? Do I get anythin’ out of it? Hmm?”

“If you don’t intend to help then just being there would be enough, Harukiyo.”

“Huh?”

“Look with your own eyes and decide what to do on your own. But you should definitely realize—”

Arisu wore a provocative smile toward Harukiyo.

“In the end, you’re also a Mushitsuki.”

Harukiyo erased his light smile. While raising one brow, he spoke.

“Wherever I come, a ‘disaster’ always follows. I don’t give a fuck whether everything burns down, alright?”

“Do you think that these people gathered here are ones who’d be burned down so easily?”

Harukiyo looked between Daisuke, Rina and the other faces.

“—Ha. Hehehe.”

The flame devil leaked a muffled laughter and stopped speaking there.

“Isn’t that right?”

She asked the boy who maintained his silence, Daisuke.

“I know no Mushitsuki stronger than those people here. How about you?”

Clad in a pitch-black coat and his face covered by goggles, the boy opened his mouth—but sank into silence again without speaking.

They would never be able to hold hands.

Daisuke once said this.

However, that impossibility now became reality.

Hanashiro Mari’s Morpho butterfly attempted to make it come true.

It drew the strongest Mushitsuki together and made them look at each other’s faces, albeit awkwardly.

Even just them being in the same place was miraculous.

Therefore—

She didn’t think that hoping for further miracles was useless.

“It’s impossible.”

Finally opening his mouth, Daisuke spoke in a low voice.

“Even if we know Ena’s being targeted, we can’t tell when and where Oogui would come to eat her dream. Are we all going to stay around her all the time? Also, if Oogui appeared in the middle of town—“

Daisuke cut off his words and looked around.

The place that used to be the observation platform became no more than rough land. The surface of the mountain was shaved, trees were burned, and the exposed soil was piled up in all directions.

This happened because the Mushitsuki there all clashed for just a few minutes. If they used all of their powers inside the city, there would be an unimaginable number of victims.

“Never mind Ena, we might destroy the entire city.”

“Ena’s dream that I heard from Nanana…”

Wanting to be with her beloved friends forever—

So Ena said.

If that was so.

“I thought about it… but maybe the reason this dream has no concrete shape—is because of me and Daisuke?”

“…?”

“Oogui wants Ena’s dream, but she didn’t try to eat it yet. —On the other hand, if she’ll come to eat it someday, we might be able to summon her at that time.”

As Daisuke was puzzled and couldn’t understand the meaning of Arisu’s words, she turned to look at Nanana.

“Say, Nanana. Can you prepare some empty place? As spacious as possible.”

“If there’s any merit to me, I can give you as many as possible, heiress of the Ichinokuro household.”

While spinning her cane, Nanana spoke with disgust in her voice. Arisu calmly replied to her.

“You want to meet Oogui, right?”

“But you want to defeat that thing.”

“Then you can just bet on us failing. Right?”

Nanana shrugged.

“You have no intention of failing. —It’s written all over your face, you know?”

“Obviously.”

Arisu spread her arms and smiled.

“There’s no opponent that all of us here can’t beat!”

How stronger was she just from having Daisuke by her side? He was stronger than any Mushitsuki and saved Arisu from all sorts of crises.

And she now also had another Mushitsuki as strong as him, Harukiyo, there.

What would even be impossible for this group now?

Drawn by Arisu’s words, Harukiyo’s mouth slackened. Daisuke wore a sour look and Rina also had a complex expression.

However, none of them raised any objections.

And that—was her answer.

“Even if we do defeat Oogui, I don’t know what will happen after that? About us remaining Mushitsuki too…”

Rina spoke and her eyes changed.

“Also, I refuse to join this SEPB piece of shit. Even this pervert is better.”

Daisuke turned his goggles to Rina.

“This is my line. Her naivete will affect her allies as well. Even usable Mushitsuki will be weakened because of her.”

“Are you saying I’m weakening my allies? Can you please not pretend you understand anything?”

“They’ll become weaker just from thinking that they’re ‘being protected’. It’d be stupid to get us annihilated just to protect a single ally.”

As Rina and Daisuke glared at each other, Harukiyo went and grabbed their shoulders in a friendly manner. Apparently this older boy was very strong even when not using his Mushi, so they couldn’t shake him off.

“Still raising a tantrum, children? Isn’t it turning out kinda fun? Entertain me thoroughly. I’ll watch ya carefully, alright? Also, did you hear what she said just now, Kakkou? Apparently this hottie loves me more than she does you.”

“Don’t touch me so lightly, you pervert. It just means you’re my second most hated person.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a target for capture. If you want to watch something, watch out for stray bullets.”

Arisu cut in between the glaring Mushitsuki, grabbing both Daisuke and Rina’s hands.

They naturally ended up forming a ring.

“When we fight—Mari will definitely join us as well.”

At Arisu’s words, Daisuke, Harukiyo and Rina became serious.

“We’re all standing here like this thanks to her, after all.”

The many Mushitsuki called forth by the single Morpho butterfly.

That connection should have a meaning.

She would save Ena and defeat Oogui.

Also—

“Obviously, if it’s us we can do anything.”

She’d definitely also find the continuation of Mari’s dream—

Arisu had this premonition back then.