Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 4th Episode 16 (section)

===Part 5===

In the corner of the plaza in front of the Akamaki City station, a sailor uniform-clad Munechika stood.

Slightly farther away passed a group of four middle schoolers.

In the center was Ichinokuro Arisu, the girl who had inherited a Mushi from her dead friend and had become involved in a strange destiny.

Without noticing Munechika, Arisu passed toward the station.

"…"

Burning the form of the ponytail girl into her eyes, she went to leave the place.

But since one of the four students—a completely normal-looking boy—looked at her, she stopped her legs. The boy told something to Arisu and headed toward her on his own.

"Thanks for your cooperation."

Munechika greeted Kakkou without even a smile. Just like before, he'd told her that Arisu would be passing here today.

"Since I almost died I'd forgotten the size of her body, so I wanted to check it once more just to be sure."

The boy made no response to these words. Putting a hand on his waist, he spoke of another matter entirely.

"The gun you gave me didn't break this time."

"Obviously."

She calmly narrowed her eyes.

"There's no way my tools would break. Test products do break sometimes."

"…Oh well."

With Kakkou's sigh, he cut the conversation.

He'd come to announce to her only about his gun.

Munechika also didn't talk much.

''Clang.''

''Clang.''

The sound of striking metal was heard from somewhere.

Even now, some unknown tool maker was creating something.

Munechika was the same.

She did what she should have.

Now she'd return being a mere tool maker, and just spend her days locked up in her workshop.

"Once we finish creating Ichinokuro Arisu's gear in the West Central Branch we'll send it over. Just creating your gun took too much time."

She meant these words as farewell.

Without saying anything, Kakkou turned around and saw Munechika off.

But suddenly thinking of something, she stopped.

"…Is it fine to create that?"

She turned around.

Just before leaving Akamaki City, she recalled the faces of all those involved with the morpho butterfly.

Starting with Hanashiro Mari, it was passed along to Ichinokuro Arisu.

Miguruma Yaeko and the weird bespectacled guy were apprehensive, Kakkou monitored her, Aki viewed her as an enemy, and even the flame devil seemed excited.

A lot of other people, people whom Munechika didn't know, were probably involved in the morpho butterfly's mystery.

So she felt.

And inside all that a tool maker was creating a single ripple.

She couldn't even imagine what effects this would have on the incidents revolving around the morpho butterfly.

"Are you worried?"

Kakkou smiled. Since Munechika was also involved in the troubles created by the morpho butterfly, he looked like he was saying "serves you right".

"Don't be stupid."

She hesitated only for a second.

By the time she turned her back to Kakkou, she'd returned being a mere tool maker.

"I've already had enough. I always knew human troubles were not worth anything."

This time finishing for good, she left Akamaki City.

This was her true will.

The misanthropic  tool maker would only get this much involved.

She'd be gone from the city before Kakkou and the others needed to take care of troubles ahead.

She'd probably never see the morpho butterfly again.

Because she'd been determined so—she'd announced her farewell to its host earlier. Inside her heart.

"The capital's sun's too strong for a mere tool maker…"

She gazed at Akamaki City growing distant from inside the train.

"…"

Munechika's vision passed from the outside scenery to the door.

One of the screws was loose.

She endured it for a while, but finally reached for her pouch.

"Really, what's the maintenance team here doing—"

She took out her driver while muttering.

Several minutes later, the same staff member from a week ago tapped her shoulders.

<br><br><br>

To be continued…

<noinclude>