Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8th Episode 32 (section)

=== Part 6 ===

The gentle sound of the shishi-odoshi echoed in the dusk-time courtyard.

With his sports bag hanging from his shoulder, Daisuke closed the door to the dreary room he’d spent many months in. Even doing just this much caused a sharp pain to run through his bandaged arm.

A week passed since the meteor shower.

After receiving some slight healing from Central Headquarters members that had healing abilities, he underwent a harsh questioning and investigation. He challenged Oogui and lost—although Daisuke included nothing more than this brief explanation, not only was he not punished, he was actually praised for managing to temporarily tranquil the Morpho butterfly’s danger.

And today Daisuke returned to the Ichinokuro mansion.

To prepare for leaving the city.

“…”

While heading down the corridor toward the door, he suddenly thought of something and turned in the hallway.

Was this house always so quiet?

Although he could hear the cicadas, he felt the mansion was especially quiet.

He knew why.

The girl who was always so lively and running around was no longer there—

“…!”

Daisuke widened his eyes.

The sliding screen at the end of the hallway was open.

It was the room of the girl no longer there—Ichinokuro Arisu.

He unconsciously hastened his pace. Rushing toward the open screen, he peeked into the room.

In the center of this plain yet still girly room sat a familiar back.

It wasn’t Arisu. Putting a hand on his chin and playing with a ribbon—the ribbon that used to bind Arisu’s trademark ponytail—in his hand was a tall man.

“Arisu…”

He was Ichinokuro Arisu’s father.

The current head of the great Ichinokuro family only rarely showed himself in the mansion. Arisu had apparently met him a lot outside, but this was Daisuke’s second time. His appearance was much younger than his three and a half decades of age would indicate.

“Her personality’s like mine, but her beauty was just like her mother.”

Arisu’s father was talking to himself. He probably realized that it was Daisuke from his footsteps and presence.

“As well as the fact she’s suddenly gone just like that.”

The Ichinokuro household had vast connections and Daisuke knew that they even had some sort of connection to the SEPB. He was probably already contacted regarding Arisu.

Arisu’s father never spoke about anything of that. Not even showing tears, not even glaring at Daisuke, he simply stared at air with black eyes like Arisu’s.

“…Sorry.”

He didn’t know who that mumble addressed.

Why was Arisu’s father apologizing—he didn’t think to ask this. Daisuke could certainly be said to be part of the reason Arisu got involved in things, but since he couldn’t save her, it wouldn’t matter what he said.

“…”

Daisuke stayed silent and left Arisu’s room.

As he slipped on his shoes and exited to the premises, someone unthinkable was waiting for him there.

“Kusuriya-kun!”

“Daisuke-san…”

Saionji Ena and Kujou Takako.

Perhaps having sat and waited there for a while, their Horusu Seijou Academy uniforms were heavily creased.

Daisuke strained his face for a moment. He clenched his fists.

“Say, Kusuriya-kun. What happened to Arisu?”

Her eyes moist, Ena approached Daisuke.

Takako also looked at him with an imploring expression.

“Arisu-san’s coming back soon, right…?”

The two classmates—former classmates—grabbed his clothes as he stood.

Unless something major happened, they wouldn’t get involved with Mushitsuki again, in all likelihood. They might get monitored as people related to the Morpho butterfly, but they should soon be able to retrieve their peaceful life.

Starting from now on, he had no idea what effect they would have on Arisu and Daisuke.

But at the very least—they would probably not get involved with Daisuke in the future.

In their lives without being threatened by any Mushi, his existence was unneeded—

“…”

Still silent, Daisuke started walking. Ena and Takako’s hands left him.

“Kusuriya-kun…”

“Daisuke-san…!”

The two girls did not pursue him. However, they called his name in a sad voice.

If he opened his mouth right now, he felt as if he would speak not as Kakkou—but as Kusuriya Daisuke.

He bit his lips and endured. So that they would have no regrets for Kusuriya Daisuke leaving them.

''Sorry I wasn’t able to save Arisu.

''Sorry I wasn’t able to make your dream come true.

''Thank you—for calling me a friend.

Many words swirled around in his chest, but only one of them came out of his mouth.

“…Goodbye.”

He announced farewell in his mouth so that they wouldn’t hear.

And so he walked in Akamaki City’s streets, illuminated by the sinking sun.

Exiting to the national road, as he walked to the road, a white limousine approached him.

“—I have a message from Rina, do you want to hear it?”

The electric window opened and Akasegawa Nanana showed her face.

“Well, I’ll tell you anyway even if you don’t want to. Yahah.”

Matching itself to the pace of the silent Daisuke, the limousine ran on the road.

“’Explain what happened that night’—seems to be it? She apparently doesn’t like it that only you and Harukiyo survived. Obviously. I also know that since I was watching from afar, but since she wanted to ask you directly, I stayed silent.”

“…”

“No comment? Then I’ll tell you what I was told to say if you gave no explanation.”

Nanana tilted her wine glass, speaking while pouring red liquid into her mouth.

“’If all Mushitsuki involved with you are afflicted with misfortune, I will chase you to the ends of the earth and beat you’, she said. Yahah. This elegant princess sure is gallant. —Without even knowing that Minion-Type Mushitsuki like her are protecting Oogui.”

One moment Nanana smiled with one eye narrowed, then sighed coldly.

“Aaah… Mushitsuki are such vain creatures. I’m so disappointed. I’m already way past wanting to become one.”

On the other side of the closing window, the rich girl raised her glass.

“Goodbye, Kakkou. If possible, forever—farewell to you.”

Leaving these words of parting, the white limousine ran ahead.

It was natural for Nanana to be disappointed of Mushitsuki. The sacrifices gathered in the battle under the meteor shower were large.

It wasn’t just Aki and his comrades who offered up their Mushi in exchange for a meager hope. Kurisaka Ayuyu also became a Fallen and was sent to the Central Headquarters’ gathering facility.

The particularly gifted rookie Isa Himeko also suffered heavy wounds. Her life was saved, but he received a report that she would probably never return to the battlefield again.

The Librarian—passed away. He heard there was a bit of battle between her comrades and the Central Headquarters who tried to retrieve her body, but he didn’t know how it ended.

And the flame devil.

Harukiyo, officially acknowledged as a Rank 1 by the SEPB, vanished completely. Although he erased his presence without leaving any trace behind, nobody thought he died. He would probably appear out of a whim at some point.

They were all scattering.

Although for a short time, these Mushitsuki all acted as one on the night of the meteor shower.

They all held hands with the girl called Ichinokuro Arisu and dreamed of the same future.

Turning their backs to each other, they were growing apart—

“…”

Daisuke walked through Akamaki City.

Although he was there only for a few months, wherever he looked he could see small memories.

This road where every morning he walked with Arisu, beaten wordlessly and kicked by her.

The crossroads where Hanashiro Mari, who borrowed Arisu’s body at the time, grew bashful about her skirt.

And if he kept going along that road…

There would be Horusu Seijou Academy, where he spent time with Ena, Takako and others.

His legs carrying him there was perhaps due to him being used to the road to school—or perhaps because he wished to forget all about battle and return to his peaceful life spent in Horusu Seijou Academy. Even he couldn’t tell.

He wasn’t allowed to go straight ahead—

As he turned at the crossroads, he found another familiar face waiting for him.

“We’ve also been moved to the East Central Branch.”

The blonde girl, Mitake Anneliese. Her blue eyes sparkled with unchanged battle will. —Since she always possessed a lot of fighting power, she would probably become even stronger.

“Kakkou-san! What on earth has happened to Arisu-san…? Why was I the only one who wasn’t taken to that battle?”

Horiuchi Erii, codename “C”. Before long she would probably become the center of the SEPB. Right now, her mental strength was mismatched with her powers, but since she was still young, she had plenty of time to grow.

“C-chan…”

Yomori Neiko’s ability had, in a certain sense, the most potential out of those three. The more she gained battle experience, the more she’d be able to use her rare regeneration ability.

“Why was Arisu-san—acknowledged as a Rank 1?”

Erii pressed on Daisuke.

“Not Hanashiro Mari, but Arisu… why a person who’s not there!”

Ichinokuro Arisu was designated as a Rank 1 just like Daisuke and Harukiyo.

Only few people knew that truth. The basis for being a Rank 1 was uncertain. She had probably been judged to possess great power due to her sealing the Undying. Since Daisuke’s report was vague the classification of her ability was uncertain, so it was apparently indeterminate whether she was a Blaze Class, Irregular Class or Secret Class.

Daisuke tried to pass before the three girls—

“…”

His legs stopped.

In the road ahead parked a single vehicle.

Seeing the youth leaning against the car, he felt nostalgic. The young man used his index finger to fix his glasses, wore his characteristic faint smile and looked at him.

East Central Branch Head, Haji Keigo.

Daisuke’s original boss.

Someone was waiting for Daisuke.

Even if some took separate ways—there were also those who walked the same path.

He was now between the two.

Daisuke now hesitated and was about to stop.

He lost so much that his body was paralyzed.

Even if there was hope in the great distance.

In the end, how much had he lost before he reached this place?

Just like Arisu was gone from his side—

“Hey, Kakkou. You ain’t trying to run away now, right?”

Kasuou spoke from his back.

Run away.

He also thought of that as a way.

What was so bad about running away from the bothers of Mushitsuki life and living just for his dream? Would anyone blame him for running away?

“Or didja forget? We had a promise to finish our business once the whole Morpho butterfly thing was—”

He looked down at his clenched hand.

Although he was supposed to fight just for his dream, at some point he was entrusted with many things.

Could he withstand that excessive weight?

He suffered an unprecedented loss on the night of the meteor shower.

He lost so much that everything he could see turned to dust and scattered.

However—

“—”

The sensation of that time still remained in his hand.

That moment when Arisu went to sleep with the Undying.

Daisuke certainly caught a glimpse of hope.

If, at the time, Daisuke had just a little more power left—

Betting on his everything.

Betting on his dream.

If he could have repeated just a single, full-powered attack.

“…It’s not done.”

Daisuke clenched his fist.

He wasn’t enough right now.

If he was a bit stronger, he should have been able to hit Oogui with a full-powered attack at the time. If he managed that, then perhaps—

He might have been able to obtain the future everyone wanted.

No Mushitsuki would be born anymore, and Arisu would wake up—

He might have been able to return to his previous life.

Not any mission.

Not pretending.

Daisuke’s dream.

A true place for him to belong where he could live like himself, and that would definitely—

“Nothing’s over yet.”

As he raised his face, he could see the sunset.

A vivid orange.

Daisuke raised his hand toward the setting sun illuminating Akamaki City.

“Until Arisu comes back, nothing’s over.”

It was connected.

The blissful future Hanashiro Mari had envisioned.

The hope that Arisu had dreamt about and left behind as well.

Daisuke’s dream, too.

They all converged into a single road.

That path was difficult and very narrow—but Daisuke’s eyes could definitely see it.

“One day—”

He had the feeling that he could see a figure on the roof of a building illuminated by the setting sun.

That figure had a long scarf wrapped around it and held a silver spear.

This girl in control of a glowing butterfly smiled at Daisuke.

Hanashiro Mari, who had wished to live and invited many Mushitsuki there, watched over him leaving the city.

It was nothing more than an illusion.

However, Daisuke spoke clearly toward the sunset and that girl.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_8th_p313.jpg|thumb]]

“I’ll definitely bring her back.”

Even if he were to yield in the middle of the road.

No matter how much he lost.

He would definitely bring her back.

If the people who left were all waiting in the future everyone dreamt of during the night of the meteor swarm, Daisuke would aim there in a straight line.

If a reunion awaited him there.

Daisuke—would start walking here.

Because Arisu gave him the strength to start over from square one.

“Definitely.”

As if to bless Daisuke’s departure—

The illusion of the girl smiling with her Morpho butterfly burst with a glow.



To be connected…
Mushi-Uta Lost “Bug”

<noinclude>