Editing Mushi Uta:Snowy Day of Dawning Dreams (section)

== 1.03 Those who Wriggle the Last ==

Kusuriya Daisuke went back to the subway entrance.

The organization aiming for him was already gone—because all of them were now having a pleasant afternoon nap in the middle of winter, an act made by his own hands. People from the SEPB should arrive to collect them before long.

Daisuke stood in a corner of town surrounded by sparkling decorative lightings.

He looked completely average, so no one even turned to look at him. That was exactly what he wanted, but reality was not that kind.

—''The entire world’s looking at you.

These ominous lines left by the unknown assassin came back to his mind.

Daisuke.

Mushitsuki.

Although they defeated the Original Three and weren’t going to fight among Mushitsuki anymore—

It was apparently going to take some time for them to be able to rest for real.

“…Still, I’m happy that I managed to live for yet another year.”

As he mumbled this to no one in particular, he saw white snow coming down from the skies.

At the same time, a black luxury car parked near him. It honked.

Daisuke sighed. In the driver’s seat sat a youth with a sickly pale face, and his expression with a faint smile was suspicious. The mere sight of him ruined Daisuke’s Christmas Eve.

“—Hakamori?”

It only snowed very faintly, so the car’s wipers didn’t even move.

“Why do you think that Mushitsuki’s related, Kakkou?”

Grabbing the wheel, the youth Haji Keigo asked with a flippant tone.

“I was just reminded of his face, that’s all.”

Putting his elbow against the passenger seat window, Daisuke spoke while holding his chin.

“Hakamori of the Annihilators—he also said something about the world being like that… they might be related by blood.”

“I see, that’s some good information. I’ll investigate it.”

“…”

“Thanks for your cooperation. Since your location was discovered, you’ll have to move again… but you can enjoy your last date in town.”

Daisuke grimaced without thinking, closing his eyes. He sighed.

“Does this incident count as one of the three?”

“Our promise, you mean? You must be joking.”

The car stopped at a red light. As Daisuke opened his eyes, he saw Haji Keigo look weirdly at him.

“In exchange to arrange for you to escape with that girl, you’ll help us with three more SEPB missions. If you do that, I’ll let you escape for real—that was the promise we’ve had.”

“…”

“But aren’t you the cause for this incident? I have assisted you, but this wasn’t a mission from the SEPB.”

He thought the man was going to say something like that.

Although the battles between Mushitsuki finally ended, Daisuke was not yet released from his restraints.

Nor should he. He’d shed too much blood with his deeds.

“I knew you’d try giving the SEPB the slip once everything was over. But we can’t just give you the OK so easily. It sets a bad example to other Mushitsuki. If I allow you to retire like that, it’d be much more convenient to think of it as an escape.”

“It sure is convenient. In order for you to make Arisu the top among Mushitsuki, all other Rank 1s are nothing but a bother. Since there’s no longer any need for the fighting power, it’s fine for there to be just a single unifying force for all Mushitsuki…”

“Right. Sleeping Beauty’s doing a great job. Just like I predicted.”

Not even looking ashamed, Haji smiled. He drummed the wheel with his fingers, looking pleased.

The air inside the car turned tense.

“—It’s wasn’t you, right?”

Daisuke slightly narrowed his eyes.

The same kind of murderous impulse he emitted while facing the mysterious sniper now filled the luxury car on the road.

“You mean that first Mushitsuki attack? I’m shocked you’d suspect me.”

However, Haji Keigo did not look bothered even a little. He spoke in an innocent tone.

“It’s true that the sniper possessed way too much detailed information about Mushitsuki. And an isolated, unranked Mushitsuki was attacked right in this timing where the Assimilation Project aims to return Mushitsuki to civilian life. Showing off as if they’d target only Mushitsuki on the sidelines and next going for their real goal—assassinating high-ranked Mushitsuki. That chaos lessened the numbers of the Mushitsuki I hate so much by one…”

“And even I, despite having finished my business with you, had my location leaked to my enemies.”

Daisuke shot a side-glance at the driver’s seat while Haji leaked a disappointed sigh.

“Well, I suppose that’s not bad. But how do I put it—it’s way too boring. They had no real plan, and above all else, the enemy of this incident showed a crucial lack…”

Haji looked like he was deeply let down.

“They understand nothing about Mushitsuki. —They probably only heard about you from data. They only sent those meagre forces despite trying to capture Kakkou.”

There was no basis for it, and it wouldn’t serve as an excuse—but that was true.

After neutralizing the organization that ambushed him, Daisuke himself kept looking around him, wondering if there were other soldiers.

It was as if these fighting forces and preparations were all for abducting a “powerful human”.

It wasn’t strategy for capturing a Mushitsuki.

It was much too shallow to have been planned by the tactician called Haji Keigo.

“Well, this leak of information is regrettable, and there might be a need to watch over the Assimilation Project directly. But the SEPB now has full information over all 287—oops, sorry, 286 Mushitsuki. Still, since there are so many, there’s bound to be a traitor. I’ll find them before long. As for the latter plan, they’re only introducing its trial stage because Sleeping Beauty and Lady are being noisy, and frankly, I don’t really care for it.”

“…”

He decided to tentatively accept this wasn’t one of Haji Keigo’s schemes.

But even so.

Daisuke moved his gaze to outside the window. He watched over the people who weren’t Mushitsuki walking the road.

“Even if this wasn’t my work… Mushitsuki have way too little hope. Is that what you’re thinking?”

He was already used to the youth called Haji Keigo being able to read his mind. He wasn’t surprised at this point.

“You’re all still scared of Maturation, and the only one revived from the Fallen state was Karasu. Also, now even foreign forces wanting to use you as guinea pigs started moving. It really does look like nothing but despair.”

“…”

“However, there are also some good omens for you. As a matter of fact, we finally had one Fallen resonate with Alpha. It’s still top secret, though.”

“Is it Senri?”

It appeared like it was Haji Keigo who wasn’t used to Daisuke reading his mind.

The youth’s drumming rhythm stopped entirely at once.

“…How could you tell?”

“Somehow.”

Among all Mushitsuki, the younger sister of the man sitting next to him had a unique disposition.

In the past she’d burn other people’s dreams, and after being trained she became to sense the location of other Mushitsuki.

If anything happened with those who became Fallen, it’d probably be her—he had this feeling from a while back. It really was just that.

“I see. Well, it’s because Senri’s strong. She’ll definitely come back soon.”

“…You’re not trustworthy regarding Senri, being a siscon as you are.”

“Doesn’t the same goes for you, then? Are you meeting up with Chiharu-kun?”

“Oh, there are meetings once in a while. —With people other than me.”

“Haha. So that girl monopolizes your heart, eh? This should be your real meeting place for today, right?”

Haji Keigo parked the car at a certain roundabout in front of a station.

As expected, although it was decorated with lights for Christmas Eve, there were only few people around, unlike the city center from before.

And there really was a girl standing at the entrance to the station.

She was a petite girl with a ribbon tied around part of her bangs. Her outfit consisting of a red coat and a white scarf—so-called Christmas themed—looked good on her.

“She sure became more mature.”

Haji spoke after seeing the girl standing in front of the station.

“It’s as if she’s retrieving her growth from when she was a Fallen.”

Daisuke agreed with those words.

She was probably thinking that Daisuke was going to appear from within the station. Looking toward the ticket gates, this girl—Anmoto Shiika—certainly had grown a lot this past year. Not only physically, but mentally as well.

Daisuke and Haji exited the car. The two men looked toward Shiika.

“Go to her, Kakkou. You’re not going to say that you find Fuyuhotaru looking for you so cute that you want to watch her for a bit longer, right?”

“…S-shuddup.”

Daisuke flushed. Haji chuckled.

“It was around this time last year that I let the two of you ‘escape’, right?”

“…”

“Although you were supposed to reunite last year, there was also a certain time where you had to be alone.”

“…And then you came with that line.”

He said while the two of them looked at the dolled-up Shiika.

“You said that we’re not gods. Since we’re just humans, things will never just go the way we want them to… but we can still keep living for a while. We can even feel happy.”

It really was true for Daisuke now.

And not just for him. It should be the same for other Mushitsuki as well.

Staying alive was always difficult, and despair was sure to await them in every corner in the future—

But even with that, they could still find a small happiness.

“A happy Mushitsuki, huh. In a certain sense, that might be your final destination.”

Was that something he really felt, or just lip service? A ringtone came from Haji’s pocket during his big talk.

The conversation he had on the phone was short. It consisted of “oh, really” and “got it”.

“Perhaps I should inform you as well. There’s good news and bad news, but which would you like to hear first?”

Daisuke’s shoulders slumped.

“Do you know what day it is today? Give me just the good news.”

“A certain Mushitsuki has turned the tables on their attackers just like you two.”

“''That’s'' that the good news? What’s the bad news, then?”

“You said you didn’t want to hear it.”

While the two men were still looking at her, Shiika finally noticed their presence.

Blushing at the gaze directed at her, she started approaching. On the way she slipped a little and nearly lost her balance, but that was the same as always.

“Oh, you’re here already, Daisuke-kun. You should’ve told me… Hello, Haji-san.”

“Hello, it’s been a while, how are you? Don’t be so cautious of me. I ended up meeting with Kakkou there by chance, so I just gave him a ride.”

Haji told an obvious lie. Even Shiika, who knew him for a long time just said “I see” with a smile and didn’t seriously engage with him.

“That coat looks good on you. It’s really cute.”

Daisuke wrung out his courage and spoke. —It would definitely make those who knew him as Kakkou laugh at him, but no matter what anyone said, this current Daisuke was the original one.

He’d been mentally preparing himself to praise his girlfriend since this morning, and wanted to even praise himself for managing to say it.

It was fine being a normal person.

He wanted to continue like that.

“T-thanks. Nanana gave it me. Said it was a Christmas present.”

Daisuke huffed at Shiika’s bashful words.

It was also very much like a normal person to get caught on something so minor.

“So you’re still seeing that woman.”

“Eh? Nanana’s my friend. She’s worried for me…”

Shiika also puffed her cheeks a bit. For Daisuke she was just a rich girl he would constantly badmouth, but she was apparently a precious friend of Shiika’s.

Haji laughed next to the silent two.

“Haha. Looks like your awkward relationship has advanced to the point where you can even have fights.”

Being mocked, Daisuke and Shiika exchanged glances. Both felt their ears redden and looked away at the same time.

“Let’s go, Shiika.”

“Yeah, Daisuke-kun.”

Daisuke took Shiika’s hand. Shiika bowed toward Haji and the two started walking.

The numbers of the boys and girls called Mushitsuki would not keep growing.

Even now despair kept standing in their way, just like it did before.

While the number of survivors kept dwindling, only very small hopes remained for the future—

But they’d never give up on surviving.

As long as Daisuke could feel the reassuring warmth from that hand—he believed this.

Even though he said he didn’t want to hear—

“…And that other Mushitsuki who defeated their attackers—”

Even though he heard this whisper from behind him.

“Was a person not in the SEPB’s database.”



The number of surviving Mushitsuki:

286→287?



END


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