Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 2nd Episode 08 (section)

===Part 1===

When he opened his eyes, Daisuke was standing alone in a cheap apartment.

“…?”

He could not remember why he was here. With his head tilted in wonder, he approached the window to look outside.

Somewhere faraway, he could see two familiar backs facing his way.

It was his mother and elder sister.

His sister turned around, meeting the eyes of Daisuke in the apartment. —However, she averted her eyes expressionlessly. It was as if she did not recognise Daisuke.

A sharp pain stabbed through his heart.

He recalled.

This was the scene of himself when his mother and sister had left him.

''I want a place to belong''. —Having just found such a dream, it was the scene of Kusuriya Daisuke as a child.

“…!”

A sense of dizziness that resembled free-falling assaulted him.

His view was completely dyed in white.

The luminance that appeared as a flash gathered into particles, changing into pure white snow that fell from the skies.

“My dream is to find a place that would allow me to stay…” 

In the snowing scene, a petite girl looked up at Daisuke. A white cloud would form whenever she breathed out and her face was flushed. In her hands held a white glistening mass—it was a firefly.

“Your dream is very similar to mine.”

The words leaked from Daisuke’s mouth unconsciously. He raised his handgun, directing the barrel straight at the girl. His face till his body was all covered up by a pair of black goggles and a black long coat.

“Then, I will give my dream to you!”

The girl held out the white firefly in her hands towards Daisuke.

“So, please don’t ever give up on your dream!”

He recalled.

The girl was called Fuyuhotaru.

A Mushitsuki girl who held the same dream as Daisuke.

“I understand. I promise you, I will never give up. So one day, you must recall your dream as well.”

He shot the Mushi of the girl who nodded with a smile. The gunshot scattered the snow dancing down the skies.

Any Mushitsuki that was turned into a Fallen will never regain their former thoughts and emotions again. That was the reality that had persisted till now.

Another sharp pain stabbed his heart.

Fuyuhotaru.

Daisuke made a promise with her, who held the same dream, to never give up.

His battle all began from that one promise.

However, no matter how long he fought, the battle between fellow Mushitsuki never came to an end.

—A gunshot rang out again.

“Please, just stop!”

A girl in restraints shouted. Behind her, the faces of the Mushitsuki were painted in fear.

“We’re going to continue, until the very last person. —Or, until you pledge to cooperate with the SEPB, Rina.”

Daisuke tormented the Mushitsuki young man with a smile.

—When was it that he started thinking so.

Even if Fuyuhotaru was to come back, the only thing that would happen would be a repeat of the past. The two of them would only end up in combat.

That’s why, he would end the fight between Mushitsuki.

He would become stronger than anyone else, causing all Mushitsuki to fear him such that no fighting would occur.

Until the day comes when Fuyuhotaru can return without fighting. When no one has to be hurt.

However—.

An acute pain ran through his heart.

He was exhausted.

He was sick of pain. Be it his own or others.

His vision turning dark, Daisuke slowly sank into the darkness.

His body felt as heavy as lead.

Like falling into the bottom of the deep ocean, Daisuke descended gradually without resisting.

The plunging sensation felt very relaxing.

The sweet enticement of forgetting everything softly embraced him.

In contrast to the pleasant allurement, the pain in his chest amplified.

No, rather than pain, this felt like—.

More than his chest, even his neck and his back—.

<br>

“…''Guaah! Guuaaaah!''”

Daisuke was awakened by the sound of his own screams.

“How many times do you need me to call you before waking up, stupid Daisuke!”

He heard Arisu’s voice from below.

Unable to comprehend the situation, he desperately turned his neck to find Arisu dressed in a hakama. Her arms held onto his neck and legs, raising his body up in the air.

“Wai-… Arisu…!”

“Here you go. A pleasant awakening for the sleepyhead! Accept this love bestowed upon you by your master, ''hohohoho!''”

With a rumbustious laughter, Arisu spun Daisuke round and round. Intense pain shot through his neck and spine.

“''Oooaaaah!''”

“This is your punishment for sleeping so peacefully with a look of happiness while your master was sweating it out since early morning! Is this painful? Does it hurt? Where’s the ‘I’m sorry’? …Oops, looks like he stopped moving.”

“…”

From since he entered the SEPB, Daisuke had successfully completed a range of missions.

There were also many which have brought him near the brink of death.

He had completely no idea what kind of occurrence the mission this time round would bring him to. He had no idea, but… only this, he was sure.

Someday, he would settle his score with this girl, Ichinokuro Arisu without fail—.

“For some reason, Daisuke-san’s mood seems to be very poor somehow.”

—They had arrived at school and Daisuke immediately went to his seat and propped his head on the table.

The voice came from diagonally in front of him. He turned over there with a glimpse. It was his classmate who was relatively tall amongst the girls, Kujou Takako. She was the prime example of a sheltered proper lady, one truly befitting the Horusu Seijou Academy where more than half the students were scions of prestigious families.

“It probably goes without saying that Arisu did something to Kusuriya-kun again.”

The girl with thin eyes like cats was Saionji Ena. Her short haircut perfectly fitted her lively and active personality. She had a sense of refinement completely opposite to that which Takako held.

“If you’re speaking about him, then he hasn’t met my face at all since breakfast. I merely subjected him to ''The Arisu Backbreaking Special~'' for a bit this morning, that’s all.”

Between Takako and Ena, the seated Arisu only turned around with a bored look. She looked as if all the faults in the world belonged to Daisuke.

“Are you sure what you are learning is martial arts and not pro-wrestling…?”

“Totally…”

Daisuke murmured so softly as to not be heard by anyone.

In the first place, Daisuke’s area of jurisdiction was not here in Akamaki City, but in Ouka City where he works under the East Central Branch of the SEPB there. However, under orders from the Central Headquarters, he was attached to Horusu Seijou Academy as an exceptional case in order to take care of a Mushitsuki incident here. From then, he progressively began to get involved in a case regarding a certain girl.

“If I was serious, that would’ve been followed by a headlock, and then I’ll finish off the combo with an Argentine Backbreaker. But then, he was knocked out in no time. Those with no grit truly have no grit.”

''Just spare me already—.''

Averting his face, Daisuke heaved a sigh internally. He was deeply thankful to have lost consciousness at an early stage.

Ichinokuro Arisu.

Despite being more petite than either Takako or Ena, her attitude and presence were larger than life. She had long hair that was tied behind her head. A strong will and vibrant emotions dwelled in her large black eyes. She was also the precious daughter of the Ichinokuro house, a renowned family around the area with a long history and extensive connections. From the investigations that Daisuke had requested, it seemed that he ought to be more wary of the Ichinokuro house rather than Arisu who had yet to begin the upbringing for taking over as the next head.

Arisu was not a Mushitsuki. However, the silver morpho butterfly frequented around her, and she could also make use of its powers thus being an exceptional case. It was Daisuke’s mission to monitor over Arisu as well as the morpho butterfly.

In the time he spent monitoring Arisu, the existence of another girl also came into play.

It was Arisu’s close friend in the past, Hanashiro Mari.

Mari had passed on from this world one year ago. However, she was in fact a Mushitsuki, and was the original owner of the morpho butterfly. The case being where the Mushi remains even after the loss of their owner was the first to be heard of in all of SEPB’s record.

It would not be strange at all for the strongest Mushitsuki at this point, Kakkou, to take charge of such a case with so many precedents.

But, what made Kakkou—Daisuke so sceptical was the fact that the matter for which he was called to Akamaki City was completely unrelated to Ichinokuro Arisu. The incident caused by the Mushitsuki called Harimoto Jun started here in Horusu Seijou Academy, where ‘it so happened’ that the morpho butterfly which bound Ichinokuro Arisu and Hanashiro Mari was also at.

''—There’s no way this is a coincidence.''

Daisuke glared severely at Arisu who was talking to Ena and Takako.

“You see. Kusuriya-kun is glaring at you. He’s angry after all.”

Both Daisuke and Hanashiro Mari’s Mushi belonged to the Fusion Type, an extremely rare occurrence.

In addition, the power of the morpho butterfly was fairly formidable. It could not fuse with Arisu’s body as she was not a Mushitsuki, but the spear from which it was formed with had considerable firepower. He could not begin to imagine how powerful it would have been when it was fused with its original owner, Hanashiro Mari. That was to say nothing of the fact that Hanashiro Mari had clashed with the Central Headquarters once in the past.

“Shouldn’t you apologize? I seldom see Daisuke-san get so angry…”

No matter how he thought about it, his current mission regarding Hanashiro Mari and Ichinokuro Arisu felt awry.

He had undertaken numerous difficult missions.

However, this was the first time he had such a challenging mission.

He wanted to be done with this mission quickly and return to his former area of jurisdiction in Ouka City. These streets felt too constrained to him, and he hated to be in the Central Headquarters’ territory. Above all else, he could not even visit the girl whom he cared like a sister while he is tied down over here—.

“Hmm, I guess so. Indeed, we can’t be said to be having a working relationship staying like that.”

Arisu nodded unpretentiously and stood up from her seat. She approached Daisuke and sat down on the empty seat in front of him exaggeratedly.

Facing each other directly, Daisuke could see his own figure reflected in Arisu’s eyes. —For Daisuke who was feared as the reaper in the SEPB, how long has it been since somebody looked him straight in the eyes like that. Unknowingly, he looked straight back at the girl.

“Jeez, what I should I even do with you. Since it can’t be helped, I’ll let you apologize. Come now, apologize all you want, from the bottom of your heart.”

“Fine fine, I’m really sorry. It was my bad… not, why do I have to do this! It should be the reverse, the reverse! You should apologize to me!”

Unthinkingly getting up from his seat and shouting, the class’ attention was focused onto Daisuke.

“''Kh…''”

Realising his position, he moaned. For his cover as a student during this monitoring mission, he portrayed himself as a friendly and easy-to-approach person.

“Having learnt yet another retort, you sure have progressed, Daisuke…”

Being surrounded by somewhat pitying looks, Daisuke promptly took a seat. With a stiff smile still on his face, he grabbed Arisu’s head with his right hand.

“''Ahaha'', Ichinokuro-san sure is an interesting personage. I wonder just what is in this head of yours?”

“''Fufufu'', please don’t mess around too much. It feels like my head is going to burst.”

“Burst for all I care, the sooner the better.”

Ena and Takako rushed over to where the two were engaged in a glaring contest.

“Ku-su-ri-ya-kun!”

“''Uwaah!''”

Being hugged from behind by Ena, Daisuke became flustered. Not minding the gaze of their classmates, her face approached his cheek.

“S-Saionji-san…!”

“Now now, don’t make such a sullen look, okay? Looking on our behalves.”

“That’s right, Daisuke-san. I prefer Daisuke-san when he doesn’t look angry.”

Takako too took his hand into hers.

“''Uu…''”

With that, he could only keep quiet with his cheeks flushed. The face of Arisu grinning with a look of victory annoyed him to no end.

With an incomprehensible sense of defeat and self-derision, the chime signalling the start of short homeroom resounded in his ears.

Still smiling, Ena and Takako returned to their seats.

''—Really, this is truly troublesome.''

He already knew the reason for that.

Saionji Ena and Kujou Takako.

Putting aside Ena, Takako already knew of Daisuke’s true identity.

For this mission, Daisuke got along with the people from his grade, but always kept a set distance between them.

However, these girls nonchalantly skipped over that distance and tried to befriend him. To Daisuke, that was terribly—troublesome.

Daisuke would probably betray them in a heartbeat if it was for the sake of the mission. Unknown to that fact… they tried to get close to him without even considering that. More than anything else, this would enfeeble his fighting spirit and vigilance, his resolution to fight.

There’s also the girl which was the cause of his most recent nuisance.

“…What is it. Faster get back to your seat, idiot Arisu.”

He spoke in a voice inaudible to the surroundings.

Ichinokuro Arisu.

The petite girl stared at Daisuke’s face intently.

“Hey, Daisuke. …Are you alright?”

“About what?”

“Lately, you’ve been getting up later and later. Your complexion also looks bad, and you don't eat much too… You won’t grow taller like that, you know.”

She asked with a serious expression.

Daisuke felt his irritation rising.

The number one factor that Daisuke could not stomach for the mission this time round.

That was how the target for monitoring, Ichinokuro Arisu, was the type of person he hated the most.

She was the type of person with no hesitation and does things as if they were natural. Even if that was directed towards the one in charge of monitoring them.

The kind of person who would extend a helping hand without second thoughts.

“It’s fine like this. If I get taller, that’d just make me more conspicuous. Being in the surveillance team, it is the bare minimum to remain ‘normal’.”

He averted his eyes and spoke dryly. —It was definitely not because he can’t meet her eyes. That was what he told himself.

“D-do you have to go so far…?”

“In any case, that’s none of your business. Well, even so—”

He raised a self-deprecating smile.

“Don’t worry. Even if I die, I wouldn’t leave behind my Mushi for anyone else. I wouldn’t want to cause trouble for anyone else.”

That was his true feelings.

There was no continuation to Daisuke’s dream.

Unlike Hanashiro Mari, there was no one who would mourn his death. He also did not want anyone to. Only the face of one person, the sister of the Branch Director of the East Central Branch which he belonged to came up.

With a ''Pak'', the dull sound of a slap resounded in the classroom.

“…”

It was just as the form teacher entered the classroom.

The atmosphere in the classroom froze over.

Still in the position where she slapped Daisuke’s cheeks, large beads of tears formed in Arisu’s eyes. Ena stared with her eyes widened and Takako covered her mouth with her hands. Their classmates gaped in mute bewilderment.

All of that was reflected in Daisuke’s view which was slightly angled to the side.

The one who broke the stillness was Arisu herself.

She turned around and sat down violently at her own seat with a furious look. The teacher looked like he wanted to say something, but both Arisu and Daisuke were unspeaking.

[[File:Mushi Uta Bug 2nd p183.jpg|thumb]]

The teacher silenced the stir and began the short homeroom in an awkward atmosphere.

Daisuke cradled his cheeks with his hands and let the informative matters that the teacher spoke flow past his ears.

“Where’s the ‘''Arisu Smack~!''’ or whatever…”

He muttered in a soft voice nobody could hear.

His cheek only felt slightly numb and did not hurt. It felt slightly warm, but the swelling was gone after a few minutes. There was not a single difference before he was slapped and after.

But, his view of Hanashiro Mari has changed in the slightest.

''It seems that there is actually someone who would get angry if someone made fun of her—.''

If miraculously, there was even a vestige of laughable emotion or sentimentality remaining in someone like Daisuke.

Perhaps, that might be jealousy.