Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 13 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.07 OPS3 Part 22 ==

The time limit of 48 hours passed.

The temporary Headquarters of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau located in Akamaki City was receiving the reports from all operations.

“Incoming communications from Operations 1 and 2! I’ll connect them to the speaker!”

Clad in white coats, the intelligence division hurriedly operated the communication devices.

Operation 1. The annihilation of Super Class Rank 1 C, the national threat.

Operation 2. The awakening of Sleeping Beauty, set to become the new leader for Mushitsuki.

Operation 3. Defeating Oogui before she got swallowed by C—as well as before waking up Sleeping Beauty, who’d sealed the Undying.

These three operations were for the sake of shooting down these dangers that might threaten the continued existence of the country.

And the grand commander of those was Miguruma Yaeko.

“I am certain they will answer my expectations.”

Miguruma smiled.

Inside the tent she inhabited were the heads of every branch as well as government officials.

Since the operations started, they could entrust their hopes to the Mushitsuki on the scene. All people who understood this other than Miguruma had their faces stiff with anxiety and worry.

“In any case, if even one of them fails… then C will likely destroy this country.”

The exact moment Miguruma prophesied this, pained voices came from the speakers.

“O-Operation 1… has failed…”

“O-Operation 2… has failed…”

C’s annihilation failed, and the awakening of Sleeping Beauty failed as well.

Everyone in the tent couldn’t even raise a voice of disappointment.

Completely unlike the temporary headquarters wrapped in a despairing silence, the screams coming from the scene spoke of the current situation.

“W-we must escape—”

“Where to?! Our path of retreat is full of fairies…!”

“W-Waaaah!”

“This can’t be, Harukiyoooo!”

“…Witch’s dying…”

“S-Sleeping Beauty’s looking at us—”

“Fuckyou!”

Everyone listened to these voices, unable to move.

The vice-minister dispatched from the government fell to his knees. He held his head and groaned.

“Uh…aaah…”

“How unfortunate for this to end like that, Vice-Minister.”

“Unfortunate, you say… y-you bitch—”

“Since it turned out like this, let up put our hopes with Operation 3.”

Among these operations, where even a single failure meant there would be no future, two have ended in failure.

Even so, Miguruma did not erase her smile, and her subordinates the branch heads were also shocked.

“My beloved Fuyuhotaru will surely save the world.”

“Incoming transmission from the members of Operation 3! I’ll connect to the speakers!”

Lady Bird had died and Kakkou became a Fallen.

Harukiyo was defeated by the Maturing Sleeping Beauty.

That meant that of the five Rank 1s, not including C, four had left the stage.

The remaining—was Fuyuhotaru alone.

She was the first Mushitsuki designated as a Rank 1, so what happened of this lone remaining survivor?

A voice to inform of the situation was heard through the speaker.

“O-Operation 3…”

It was a familiar voice. It belonged to East Central Branch member, Kabuto.

While everyone held their breath, the final report came to their ears.

“Has failed…”

Ah—

A sound that was somewhere between a voice and a breath filled the tent.

All operations ended in failure.

Not even a single hope remained.

Today on this very day the monster called C was released to the world and even the Mushitsuki elites including the Rank 1s were obliterated.

A heavy thud resounded because the Branch Head of the West Central Branch leaned hard against the chair.

And it wasn’t just him. It was clear that all other branch heads were overwhelmed by despair and upset. Especially East Central Branch Head Goroumaru Touko started crying on the spot like a little girl.

“W-what are we to do… give us some orders…”

“Harukiyo! Harukiyooo!”

“Fuyuhotaru’s acting odd… we can’t stop Oogui! Give us orders!”

Voices pleading for orders reached from all three battlefields.

While these Mushitsuki were all about to get annihilated, Miguruma—

“—”

Said nothing at all.

All branch heads turned to her in astonishment—but soon averted their face.

There wasn’t even a single remaining move left.

Everyone understood this.

“Miguruma Yaeko—”

The vice-minister rose to his legs and glared at Miguruma. His suited followers moved, surrounding him.

“I will have you apprehended. You will be charged with creating that monster and starting right now, you are absolved from your post as the Vice-Deputy. —The death penalty’s too good for you.”

“Understood. Incidentally, who shall be my successor?”

As Miguruma nodded casually, the vice-minister strained his loosened cheeks.

“Well…”

He was looking at the branch heads.

There wasn’t even a single person candidate to the united commander position. All of them were in stupor or crying, and even Branch Head Takemi, the lone person who managed to remain calm, shook his head. —Even counting the ambitious Takemi, actually becoming one of the top at this juncture amounted to suicide, and they all clearly felt that it was impossible for them ability-wise as well.

The vice-minister directed a gaze full of hatred to Miguruma.

“I-if things are like this, I’ll entreat the international community for help and send their militaries…”

“If you bring the international community into this, C will be able to use this route to spread her ability to the entire world. —Since it’s already heading that way, it would only serve to accelerate that, though.”

Even while all the adults were talking amongst themselves, the Mushitsuki kept screaming from the speakers.

“If we don’t make a decision soon, my beloved Mushitsuki are all going to die, you realize?”

“U-uh…”

His face reddening, the vice-minister leaned against the wall.

“W-what on earth can we even—”

A hoarse groan showed the severity of this situation—the lack of any hope.

Mushi appeared, Mushitsuki were born, and Mushitsuki were made pawns while concealing their existence.

After doing all this, this was how the country ended.

As the new threat of C appeared, even the SEPB created to manage Mushitsuki shut down its functions and was practically on the verge of collapse.

And any person who could handle this predicament—no longer existed.

“There is no need to fear, vice-minister.”

Miguruma sat down to face the vice-minister who slid down to the floor against the wall.

“Surely you have had some dream yourself, right?”

“…?”

“It remains even now. —And it’s not just you. They might be unaware of it, but everyone holds a wish regarding their future.”

What was she even talking about—

Everyone other than Miguruma looked like they wanted to ask this.

“C will drag out that small feeling.”

She put her hands softly to the vice-minister’s face. Bound by her Smile of Shackles, the vice-minister widened his eyes and froze.

“I received a hint. It came to me just like a letter—no, like a package. That package already vanished, but C dug it out, analyzed it, copied it… possibly, made even the original—I would have liked to have that red queen bee, though.”

“V-Vice Deputy? What are you talking about?”

Branch Head Takemi asked timidly.

“I’m explaining here about the possibility of all people without—no, who are unaware of their dream, becoming Mushitsuki.”

She smiled at Branch Head Takemi.

He apparently still couldn’t understand the meaning of her words. No one directed a second question at her.

“Convey this to all the combatants on the field as well.”

Detaching her hands go from the vice-minister, Miguruma ordered the intelligence division.

“Everything is fine. There is no need to be afraid.”

She wore a smile and spread her arms.

She hated how short her arms were ever since she was born. Miguruma felt like taking all of them—each and every person in this world—into her embrace.

“Even if you die, C will bring you back to life.”

Although she said not to be scared—

Everyone in the tent was frozen as though encased in ice.

They all thought that the operations failed.

However, that was wrong.

It seemed like only Goroumaru Touko, who changed her expression, as well as Takemi who opened his mouth in astonishment, noticed this truth.

“V-Vice-Deputy—no way, from the very start, you—”

“You should rejoice.”

Miguruma narrowed her already narrow eyes—

“The old Mushitsuki will be purged—and be reborn into new Mushitsuki.”

Miguruma announced the world changing.

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