Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 13 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.01 OPS3 Part 6 ==

Shiika raised a question.

“About Erii—what kind of a girl was she, I wonder…?”

No one answered her.

Her Mushibane comrades, the still-asleep Alpha, as well as Satou Youko and even Ayukawa Chiharu all stared at Shiika, speechless.

''What are even talking about all of a sudden—

Everyone’s gazes seemed to be telling her so.

Shiika herself had not said this with any sort of deep meaning behind it.

If the relations between Mushibane and whoever it was that stood behind Lucifera and the rest turned hostile—

Shiika had to do something as Mushibane’s leader.

However, C had done something to Ebina Yuu, and she stared at Shiika. Wasn’t this at odds with C having supposedly lost her personality?

And so, after all these doubts and her sense of duty mingled together, she ended up muttering that unconsciously.

“By Erii—you mean C? Meaning, you want to know how she was before?”

Acting as the representative of everyone present there, Nanana asked.

“Does it have any relevance with what’s going on so far?”

“Ah, err, well… I mean…”

As Shiika mumbled this, Lucifera’s cellphone received another message.

“—I see now.”

She started speaking while looking at the screen.

“To find out what C did to Yuu-san and where she escaped to, perhaps investigating C’s roots would lead to some clue. And we know nothing about C in the first place.”

“Hasn’t C already lost her personality? Is there any need to know who she was?”

Aijisupa, the boy with the hairband spoke calmly, and Lucifera responded.

“C’s personality it gone. —This assertion came only from Miguruma Yaeko.”

“…!”

Shiika and others all widened their eyes. Lucifera continued.

“We should doubt all of Miguruma’s words. Had C truly lost her entire personality? If some of it still remains, then finding out about C herself could end up extremely vital for the upcoming fight. At the very least we must get Ebina Yuu back, otherwise the strategy to defeat Oogui is a no go. In the first place, Miguruma’s orders regarding the three operations are definitely odd, stop it you idiot, you don’t need to reveal every bit of my thought you’re receiving… ah.”

Lucifera hurriedly put a hand over her mouth. Apparently her mistress or whoever was checking on her even right now using some unknown method.

Nanana glared at Lucifera and at Satou Youko who was sitting on her suitcase.

“I can’t even begin to describe how suspicious this is… Shiika, are we seriously going to join forces with this lot?”

“Uh… but—”

Shiika mumbled again.

“…”

Chiharu kept staring at her, without blaming her or anything else.

She’d obviously be bothered by how Chiharu felt; this was the sister of Kakkou who was made Fallen by Shiika, after all. She had no idea how Chiharu thought of her.

“Y-Yuu’s eyes that I saw just now… it’s the first time I’ve seen her make a face like that, but—because it was the exact same as Erii when she chased me before…”

“Say something like that sooner!”

Being told that by Lucifera, Shiika shuddered.

“—Is what my mistress says.”

“Shut up! You don’t have the right to say that to us!”

Even as Nanana argued back, she turned back to Shiika.

“But that’s true, Shiika. Since you’re Mushibane’s leader, you can say whatever you think. Right?”

“Right, have some confidence, Fuyuhotaru. Everyone’s counting on you.”

The oldest among them, Namie, tried encouraging Shiika with a serious expression.

“…”

Seeing that Chiharu’s expression remained unchanged, she could do nothing but bite her lips.

“Yeah…”

“Should we really investigate about C just to look for Ebina Yuu?”

As Aijisupa asked her to confirm this, Shiika looked around her.

She knew at a glance that everyone was waiting for her decision.

“—Yes.”

Shiika nodded.

She could do nothing else.

Although her own statement wasn’t the cause for it, if she denied it here, it would cause unrest among the members of Mushibane. Shiika could understand that much.

And, wondering whether it was the right answer or not and looking at Chiharu’s face—

“…”

Seeing her completely unchanged, she once more felt unsure.

“Doesn’t SEPB have all information about C, though? We don’t even know her real name, what are we going to do?”

“C’s real name is Horiuchi Erii.”

Namie was the one who answered Nanana’s doubts.

“For a while, I’ve worked together with her while we were on the East Central Branch. —Well, even so, I know nothing but her real name and her hometown.”

“That’s quite enough. If we can limit it to the name and region, the Akasegawa Group can investigate it in an hour.”

While Mushibane’s admins started talking among themselves, Lucifera approached Chiharu.

Putting her face closer, it looked like she was whispering something to her, but Chiharu shook her head.

“—No.”

Despite Lucifera speaking silently, Chiharu answered calmly.

“Because I’m with her—with Shiika-chan.”

Shiika’s body immediately tensed all over.

Nanana glared at Lucifera and Chiharu.

“What are you whispering about? If you’re still scheming something—”

“I-it’s nothing at all. Please don’t mind it.”

“Ah, what shall I do. My legs are tired, I want to drink some tea.”

Sitting on her suitcase, Satou Youko quickly pretended this was someone else’s problem. Since she was neither a Mushitsuki nor related to one like Chiharu, it was weird she was there in the first place.

“You said you know C’s hometown, so where is it?”

Aijisupa asked.

“There’s no time. Let’s send someone there while waiting for the Akasegawa Group’s investigation.”

“C was born and became a Mushitsuki—in Kurobishi Town.”

Namie said.

“Transportation’s in a real bad shape now. No matter how much we hurry, it’d take more than two hours, most likely.”

A silence fell.

While they had less than 48 hours remaining, was there any worth in wasting that precious time?

She needed to demonstrate there was.

And since the silent Chiharu was staring daggers at her from behind—

“I will go.”

Shiika could only say this.