Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 15 Chapter 3 (section)

== 3.09 Daisuke The Last ==

GARDEN that became an empty lot was wrapped in silence.

Even leaving aside the pagoda smashed to smithereens, not a single place in town kept its original shape. Crumbled tall buildings and wall, destroyed cars and autocannons and fallen helicopters all reflected the moonlight, glowing dimly.

Perhaps this was the sight of the end of the world.

However, what ended here wasn’t the world.

What ended here—was the fight deciding the fate of Mushitsuki.

And the world would start from here again.

“…”

After looking over the destroyed townscape, Kusuriya Daisuke looked at the girl standing right in front of him.

Her name was Anmoto Shiika. She was a Mushitsuki girl who held the same dream as him.

Right now, only Daisuke and Shiika were there. The other Mushitsuki were all taking refuge nearby.

“—So this makes us the only survivors.”

Daisuke said this to Shiika.

Although they defeated their biggest enemy, C, he recalled that his comrades were still anxious.

A world where no Mushitsuki would be born.

If that became reality—then the existing Mushitsuki really would become “survivors”. They were the people burdened with the fate of being host to the supernatural beings called Mushi that might eat their dreams and cause their deaths one day.

They wished for no further misfortune to occur.

However, in exchange—they would have no new comrades.

They would be survivor Mushitsuki, waiting for extinction.

Anxiety.

Loneliness.

They’d just keep living with all of those emotions.

However—

While they knew this, Daisuke and the girl opposite to him smiled.

“Right.”

Shiika raised her arms aloft.

Her Mushi appeared, resplendent in white light.

Daisuke also materialized his checkered beetle and fused it with his gun.

Although they hadn’t spoken about this at all—both knew what they had to do.

“It’s finally over… I can finally put an end to this—”

While he spat this, he could only taste blood. He was dyed by dried blood from head to toes, and his goggles had long since broke down. His tired legs were shaking.

All fights ended.

However, what they were about to do wasn’t a fight.

It was simply—

Putting an end to everything.

“Yup, finally…”

Even the crying Shiika had blood running down her head. Not even a single person among the survivors remained unharmed.

“I—we came all the way here…”

“We almost gave up many times, but managed to get here…”

They smiled at each other.

Above the boy’s head, a glowing snowflake appeared.

Daisuke put strength into his finger on the trigger.

This silence, that was as though only the two of them existed in this world—was torn by loud gunfire.

The bullet launched from the gun shot through Shiika’s Mushi.

“—!”

Grimacing, Shiika bent back.

Her white Mushi was blown to smithereens, became fragments of light and scattered.

At the same time, a disharmonious sound echoed from Daisuke’s handgun as snow touched it.

The checkered beetle separated from the gun and was being crushed by some invisible force.

“—”

Being assaulted by a sensation as if something inside his chest was being crushed by a fist, Daisuke fell to his knees.

That was—the sensation of despair as the thing he cherished the most until now, his dream, was being crushed.

And there was also the relief at this harsh battle finally coming to an end.

The Mushi’s death throes sounded as though they lamented and cried over these two conflicting emotions.

Their cries overlapped and echoed in the ruins of paradise—

Then, fully vanished.

“…”

As the two Mushi were annihilated, their Mushitsuki collapsed to the ground.

Daisuke and Shiika crawled on the ground, reaching out to one another.

Their fingertips touched.

It was a nostalgic—and warm sensation.

While feeling each other’s warmth, Daisuke and Shiika smiled.

Although their fingers touched only for moments, he could feel Shiika’s heartbeat from them. Shiika could definitely feel his as well.

When he first met Shiika, he made her into a Fallen.

Reuniting with her grown-up self, he didn’t realize it was her and hurt her again.

They kept getting involved with and hurting each other, but now it was going to end.

Their fates of running into each other all the time was going to end.

“…”

Daisuke and Shiika’s eyes lost their lights at the same time.

Losing their Mushi, they were becoming Fallen without any emotions and feelings.

Their fingers still intertwined, the two collapsed to the ground—

This was the ending of the two Mushitsuki called Kusuriya Daisuke and Anmoto Shiika.

Why had they chosen this ending?

Why had they chosen to close the curtain on their story by becoming Fallen?

That answer—came to dye the skies of GARDEN.

Moonlight.

Twinkling stars.

These lights all slowly vanished.

GARDEN, created as a paradise for the Fallen, was being wrapped in pitch black. Lukewarm wind blew and soon became a fierce gale that blew through the surface.

Instead of the vanished moon and stars, purple glows illuminated the city.

Emitting this glow were wings gigantic enough to cover GARDEN’s skies—

Of an elegant swallowtail butterfly.

The drizzle of purple scales headed toward the surface congealed and took a human form midair.

A slim woman clad in a crimson coat. She floated in air without any assistance, and her eyes glowing in rainbow colors were clearly inhuman.

The woman went down toward the pair on the ground as if she was a divine messenger.

Her gaze looked much too enraptured, and she was slightly flushed. Remaining silent in the sky above the two collapsed on the ground, she moved her nose as though sniffing something.

“Ah. I knew it. A splendid dream—”

Curling her bright red lips, she sneered, looking happy from the bottom of her heart.

“An especially scrumptious one among those I ate… my main dish.”

The woman opened her mouth so wide it almost looked like it was ripped.

A small glow rose from Daisuke and Shiika.

Rising to the sky and scattering, that glow came flowing into the woman’s wide-opened mouth.

And then—

The two Mushitsuki called Kusuriya Daisuke and Anmoto Shiika.

They—restarted.

Their touching fingertips twitched.

“Ah, so delicious—it makes not only my tongue but my entire body melt.”

Daisuke’s sister, Ayukawa Chiharu once said.

''—Mushitsuki can recall their dreams over and over…

Those were also the words of Sanbikime inside her.

As long as they had an opportunity, Mushitsuki could recall their dreams.

The Mushitsuki designated as Super Class Rank 1, C, had manipulated the memories and feelings of the Fallen to fabricate that opportunity. And by using Shinpu’s abilities, she could revive Mushitsuki again and again.

However, right now Daisuke and Shiika didn’t need C.

There was the warmth they felt from their fingertips.

There was the heartbeat shouting their dreams transmitted from it.

The chance to recall their dream—was right in front of them.

“—…”

Raising their heads as if emerging from the deep sea—

Daisuke and Shiika stood up at the same time.

While receiving back the memories and feelings that came to them with frightening momentum, they looked at their opponent—and smiled at each other.

Next to them, a green checkered beetle and a white firefly were formed.

“—Thank you for the invitation.”

Daisuke and Shiika raised their faces toward the voice echoing from overhead.

It was there, floating above the city turned ruins.

One of the Original Three, Oogui.

Among the three Primal Mushi who gave birth to Mushitsuki, she was the one with an especially strong appetite—no, a monster whose behavioral principle was nothing but gluttony.

Once this monster felt dreams with strong emotions, no matter the situation, she couldn’t help but want to eat them—

“It was the best… and very last dinner.”

Wearing a full smile, Oogui calmly looked down the surface.

Already, all over the ruins—many Mushitsuki were standing.

Daisuke and Shiika. Harukiyo, Rina and Arisu were also there. Including Kasuou, the surviving Mushitsuki were all in battle formations.

The wings of the swallowtail butterfly dancing in the sky—which was the conduit for Oogui’s ability—were already being put to sleep by Arisu’s scales.

“Goodbye.”

Sneering at them, Oogui was wrapped in a flash of light and an impact.

They didn’t even give her a chance for a counterattack.

They wouldn’t allow her any resistance.

The attacks shot from all possible positions at once broke through Oogui’s body.

The swallowtail floating in air was being burnt to a crisp by a crimson Great Yama tiger beetle. Its wings, scattering around like ashes, were eliminated by Rina’s shockwave such that not even a speck of dust remained.

Even as her body broke down, Oogui smiled as if from the aftereffects of her full stomach. Leaving behind her sneering head, the body that received white snow was erased without any remains.

The Original Three.

Supernatural beings that were Primal Mushi who gave birth to Mushitsuki.

Until now—they were seen like that.

However, the truth was slightly different.

They could turn people into Mushitsuki, and, if Mushitsuki who became Fallen could recall their dreams again—

They could produce Mushitsuki ''any number of times''.

These were the monsters called The Original Three, simply ruled by gluttony.

And in the end—

“Goodbye.”

Daisuke gave his words of farewell accompanying them by gunfire that erased the remaining head.

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==Notes==

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