Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 4 Chapter 4 (section)

==4.00 Chiharu Part 5==

The chime signalling the end of school resounded.

While the rest of her classmates were standing up from their seats, only Chiharu alone was still seated gazing out of the window.

“You’re kidding, really?”

“Well, I’m not someone who tell lies. My two years younger cousin who lives in Akamaki City saw it pretty closely.”

Hearing her classmates’ conversation, Chiharu turned around.

“Hey, Chiharu. Did you hear that?”

“Eh? What was that?”

“Turns out, there really are Mushitsuki!”

One of her classmate leaned her body across Chiharu’s desk.

—…

Something seems to stir in her heart.

“Mushi… tsuki?”

“That’s right, Mushitsuki! My cousin saw it with her own eyes! An actual one, you know!”

Chiharu had some vague recollection about that term.

Now that she thought about it, she recalled hearing rumours about the monsters known as ''Mushi'' in the inner-city areas. They were monsters that possessed humans, feeding on their dreams in order to grow.

It felt like she had heard about this topic numerous times in the past. However, those were always baseless hearsays and Chiharu only treated those gossips as happenings of another world, on the same level as that of war and natural disasters occurring in other countries. To Chiharu who lived a peaceful everyday life, those speculations were completely detached from her.

But, for some reason, these words about Mushitsuki had a sense of reality to the current Chiharu.

“Mushitsuki…”

“Can you believe it! …Is something wrong, Chiharu? You look kinda gloomy today? Even though you are usually happy-go-lucky.”

“Eh? I seem like that?”

“Yeah. In fact, you have been this way since yesterday when we asked you out for karaoke.”

“I see. I must be nearing the age to have lots of worries then, that must be it.”

Speaking as if it was other’s problem, Chiharu stood up from her desk.

“Well then, I shall return home now. Farewell, everyone. Till the day we meet again—”

Carrying her bag, she walked briskly to the exit. The sound of laughter along with a voice saying, ‘What ‘till we meet again’, we’ll see each other again for the closing ceremony tomorrow isn’t it’, could be heard from behind.

Chiharu walked out of the classroom while humming.

—…

But, she suddenly felt as if somebody had called out to her and she turned around.

What she saw was only the classroom that was cleaned beautifully and her classmates conversing merrily.

Nishito Sousei High School’s spring break started a bit earlier than other schools. After tomorrow’s closing ceremony, she would probably not come here again till when the next semester starts in April.

Looking at the classroom which had served her for this past one year, a smile came onto her face.

Somehow, she felt a desire to see the members of the student council again one more time. But, they had probably left their classrooms and embarked home by now.

“I am living blissfully today as well too.”

She muttered softly to nobody in particular.

With a smile on her face, she turned around and left the classroom.

She exited the school and headed home.

The scenery on her way back home was the same as always. There were other students on their way home walking with quick footsteps, overtaking her and walking towards the residential area under the early spring weather.

Once she reached home, she changed her clothes swiftly and readily.

“Hm?”

The windows of the unit opposite her were closed today, and there did not seem to be any sign of people. As it was like the past few years, the apartment regained the tranquillity that existed around it in the midst of the surrounding hustle and bustle.

After changing, Chiharu grabbed her usual casquette and left the house.

After she departed from the residential area, she emerged onto the boulevard leading to the station. She walked down the sidewalk lined with trees and hummed along while glancing at the shops on the side.

“Chami-chan… I wonder if she would properly attend the closing ceremony tomorrow?”

The thought suddenly came into her mind and she voiced out her monologue.

Chami referred to the junior from her school that she had met coincidentally yesterday, Konomura Chami.

Her tone of voice was rude and tactless, but she was exceptionally smart. She probably had a tall pride, seeing as how she readily discarded using polite speech when speaking with Chiharu who was her senior. Her aloof yet strict side profile when she only looked forwards with an unshakeable will left a deep impression in her.

When she visited Chami’s classroom in hopes of calling out to her, she had been informed by her classmates that she was absent. From the attitude of the student, she could tell that Chami was disliked by her class.

Chiharu wanted to call out to Chami because of an obscure feeling that she thought that they would get along well. She was drawn by Chami’s attitude of not trying to ingratiate herself with anyone.

—There’s no need for you to notice anything. You should just live your peaceful life like always. It is your duty to do so.

Chami had said that in brusque manner, but it did not sound like a pretence. Her unwavering figure was just like that of a warrior heading towards battle.

“Duty, huh.”

She walked right passed the station.

—Duty.

What does duty even mean?

Did it refer to the reason for which you are born for, or something like that?

My junior from the same school, Konomura Chami, had said so yesterday. That my duty was to live my life out peacefully as always in the same manner as today. No matter if somebody was fighting a battle right next to me, or even if they had died as a result of that, I must not notice that and just live a life of happiness.

Is that really alright?

There are still some things which I don’t remember from the past. I’m positive that the reason for this guilt I feel during my blissful everyday life lies in my past.

However, am I fine this way?

Am I fine the way I currently am, leading a life of happiness without knowing anything, without remembering anything?

Hey… please tell me…

“…”

Without her realising, she had stopped humming.

Looking forward with a stern countenance, a silver tower and dome were lined up in her view.

‘URBAN’.

The tower reflecting the intense sun rays seemed to pierce into the sky like a sword. The saucer-like dome that lied next to it resembled that of a huge platinum shield. The proud outlines of the buildings could truly be said to be the ultimate weapons of the battle god Urban.

“Even though she told me not to get close anymore, I can’t help but be interested.”

With a smile, she crossed the fence.

The surroundings of ‘URBAN’ was steeped in silence as always. Heavy machineries and building materials were left as they were, and the eaves lining the building gave off an ominous feeling. There was no sound apart from that of the cars passing by and the clamour from opposite the street, almost as if it was a ghost town.

A cuboid-shaped passageway connected Urban Tower and Urban Dome on the first and third floors. A plaza laid in front of the two buildings that contained a roundabout, with a slope leading down the ground to both buildings. Those probably led to the underground parking lots.

Chiharu headed for the dome and entered the building.

The walls and ceiling were supported with steel frames while the glass and reinforced plastic let light in. An inactive escalator in the centre led to the second floor which was an atrium with a forest.

She ascended the escalator and stepped towards the forest on the lounge on the second floor. What was probably a botanical garden for viewing pleasure had bourgeoned into a forest after being left to its own devices for a long time.

A sleeping beauty laid in the centre of the botanical garden which had morphed into a green paradise.

The long-haired girl was sleeping on her side. Her limbs that extended from her clothes were pale and thin. Soft breathing could be seen from her lips on her cherubic sleeping face.

“I’ve come to meet you again. Even after Chami-chan told me to stop doing so.”

With a smile on her face, Chiharu lied down facing her in the same position.

“Even though she said that that was my duty, I can’t seem to accept that. Really, why is that so?”

As a result of the dome being sealed off, the air was very fresh. The air was profuse with oxygen produced from the plants photosynthesising.

“In addition to that, it somehow feels like you know about me. Do you think I’m weird for feeling something like that? Even though I’ve only just found you and followed you by chance.”

Looking up at the ceiling blankly, Chiharu continued her oration.

“I am experiencing happiness every day. But… for some reason, it feels like I have done something very awful. Hey, why is that so…?”

The second half of her words became soft with the sudden onset of drowsiness.

Hey, please tell me… just what had I done in the past?

She directed those words to nobody in particular.

“…”

Obviously, there was no response. Under the gentle sunlight filtering from the ceiling and wrapped in an inexplicable sense of security, Chiharu started to doze off.

“!”

A black figure appeared beyond her thinly opened eyes. Due to the backlighting, she could only see the outlines, but somebody was looking over Chiharu’s face.

“Ah… Eh? You…!”

She hurriedly raised her body.

The girl had awakened. She was standing still with a sleepy look and looking down dazedly at Chiharu.

“E-erm, wai-…”

Due to the all too sudden ‘meeting’, Chiharu completely lost her cool. This was the first time that she had met face-to-face with the girl while she was awake.

“…”

The girl only spared one glance at Chiharu before she turned away. She started to walk towards the exit of the dome with unsteady footsteps. The staggering gait of the girl reminded her of a zombie film that she had watched some time ago.

“Hey, wait up…! I say, there’s something that I want to ask you—”

“In the end… thou plan to stand in thy way, child of Elvioréne… though neither of us has fully recovered our strengths…”

Though Chiharu intended to call the girl to a stop, her shoulders shook from surprise and she froze.

The hoarse voice of an old man came from the girl. Although Chiharu couldn’t see her face, that deep voice was far removed from the girl’s youthful appearance. She started to wonder if the mutterings that seemed to crackle in the surroundings was even a ‘voice’.

“So be it, let battle be joined… together with the child who protects the king… we shall head by the king’s side…”

''Gooong''… The oppressive sound of a bell rang out from somewhere.

“Y-you…?”

Cold sweat poured from throughout Chiharu’s body. She could feel that the paradise, which was a picture of serenity till then, being defiled by an uncleanness in an instant.

“…!”

Chiharu held her breath.

The girl had turned her way.

Her large gaping eyes encroached with darkness were peering at Chiharu with shadowy pupils, and there was a stiff wide smile on the face of the girl.

“Doth thou repent, girl with the lingering scent of thy past brethren… But, fret not… thou hast already fulfilled thy duty…”

Exaggerated words came from the girl's mouth, as if she was a god granting mercy on the distressed.

“It is fine for thou to live as thou are, forgetting all that hast happened. That is thy duty… for thou who hast been the previous Aria Varei…”

The stiff smile on her face seemed to extend so widely that it almost reached her ears.

Chiharu’s heart pounded heavily. Beating strongly with ''dokun'', ''dokun'', it shook her powerfully from her insides. —As though somebody was pressing for her to hurry up and recall the past.

The previous… Aria Varei…

Somebody’s screaming voice seemed to cross past Chiharu’s mind at the speed of light.

—Why… why is it that I must forget about it no matter what!

The voice crossed past.

—This sky… and even your face? I must lose it all…?

And past.

—Then… who am I going to become?

Chiharu knew whose voice it was.

It was her own… the voice of Chiharu when she was still young.

“…”

However, she still couldn’t recall it.

—It’s fine, even if you can’t remember that.

Chiharu felt like she heard somebody’s ironic voice. With that voice, the memories of her own voice that were brought back vanished.

Huh…? Right now, what was I…?

Leaving behind Chiharu who stood on the spot befuddled, the long-haired girl descended the escalator.

“Ah! W-wait for me! Just now, what do you mean by that—”

She promptly chased after the girl.

But—.

“Eh? Huh?”

The back view of the girl suddenly disappeared after she descended the escalator.

At the same time, the choking atmosphere of the surroundings reverted back to that of the fresh air.

Chiharu dashed down the escalator and exited the dome.

Looking around the vicinity, the figure of the long-haired girl was gone all the same.

“Ah…?”

In replacement, she saw another person’s figure.

Opposite the plaza, she saw a familiar face heading down the slope leading to the underground parking lot of Urban Tower.

“Chami-chan?”

It was Konomura Chami.

She was walking along with a smile on her side profile while holding a long object in her hands that she probably picked up somewhere—a spanner used for construction. However, in Chiharu’s eyes, Chami looked as if she was furious. Also, it was no ordinary level of fury. It looked as though she was headed towards a fight that held her fate on the line—.

“…”

Chiharu briefly ruminated. However, disregarding the hesitation swirling in her heart, her body moved before her.

Heading for the underground parking lot, Chiharu kicked off her feet.