Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 4th Episode 13 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

On the boisterous floor, the satisfying sound of an 11-pound ball sweeping the pins resounded.

"Yes! Another strike!"

With the lane behind her, Saionji Ena turned around with a full smile. Raising both hands, she high-fived Daisuke who was sitting on the bench.

"…Amazing, Saionji-san."

The pair's hands clapped. Smiling enjoyably, Ena sat next to Daisuke.

Saionji Ena was his classmate in the same Horusu Seijou Academy Middle School. Stripping off her coat, she revealed her casual appearance of a well-tailored blouse and short skirt that was stylish even among girls of her age. Ena looked at Daisuke with upturned eyes as if seeking more praise.

This was their first weekend ever since coming back to Akamaki City from the school trip.

Daisuke went with his classmate to play bowling. Yet there was a reason he was unable to fully enjoy the situation right now.

The first reason was that this event, commonly referred to as a date, occurred due to the arrangement of a certain deal.

The other day, during the school trip, he and Ichinokuro Arisu had left their hotel without permission. The one that had perfectly deceived the patrolling teacher was their friend Ena.

''—Thanks, Ena. You saved us.''

''—I don't need thanks, we're friends after all. Just let me borrow Kusuriya-kun for a single day.''

''—Sure, that's fine.''

The above had been the deal agreed upon right in front of Daisuke himself. Witnessing himself being sold off, he could have only stood there in shock, unable to even interpose a complaint.

Meaning, this date wasn't happening out of Daisuke's free will.

"W-well then. This is the last… Huh? The score is over 200?"

Looking at the LCD monitor ahead in order to avoid the girl's line of sight, he was surprised. He never would've thought a middle-schooler could reach that score.

"Really?"

Bringing her face closer to Daisuke's, Ena peeked at the display. Glancing at him as he distanced himself by several centimeters, she smiled enjoyably.

"Y-yeah."

As Daisuke's ears turned unexpectedly red, a small insect landed on his arm. It was a green checkered beetle. No one noticed the insect that appeared without any fluttering of wings.

There was also another reason that confused Daisuke. It was the reason he was here in Akamaki City today.

Mushi—

These were the supernatural beings that possessed teen boys and girls and took their dreams—the crystallization of their hopes and wishes—to grant them their power in exchange. Those possessed by these so-called Mushi were called Mushitsuki, and although for the general populace they were no more than rumors, they were treated with fear and discrimination.

Daisuke was a Mushitsuki. And he was a member of the government organization whose goal was to arrest and isolate those very same Mushitsuki, known as the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

He had infiltrated Horusu Seijou Academy in order to monitor Ichinokuro Arisu, who had succeeded the Mushi of the late Mushitsuki known as Hanashiro Mari.

And yet—

"And you're normal, Kusuriya-kun. Just like in the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> games. About 100 points."

As Ena seemed to be enjoying herself, Daisuke muttered "I'm not really good at it" to evade the question with a smile.

Becoming closer than necessary to the friend of his target Arisu would be breach of orders. He could probably make excuses that he was simply helping the Central Headquarters he was not part of and not officially part of the monitor squad, but still.

Yet there was one reason that caused him unrest even more than that.

"—It's almost as if you've aimed for a ''normal'' score on purpose, isn't it?"

''Thump'', his heart throbbed.

"I didn't invite you to play bowling because you're good. Actually, what ''are'' you good at, Kusuriya-kun? The other day you also got an average score on the test, and you were also normal in soccer and basketball during P.E."

Ena who was innocently tilting her head always received the top marks in tests, and even in gymnastics she was a cut above the rest. Even more so than Arisu who was good at sports and Kujou Takako who was good at studying.

"A-about that, umm…"

He tried thinking of an excuse but reached a dead end. His student life was only a pretense for him to monitor Arisu. Standing out was strictly forbidden. Even their going to play bowling was because he chose from what date spots he could think of.

"It just looks like that to you because you can do anything, Saionji-san."

"Hmm?" Ena looked at Daisuke amusingly as he tried evading her questions. Having her pretty face aimed at him, Daisuke cursed in his heart.

''I'm weak against her—''

He thought so ever since starting to monitor Ichinokuro Arisu.

Saionji Ena.

She was friendly with anyone and was up to anything, thus she had many friends. Since she was blessed with all talents, she normally found everything boring, so he didn't know what her "serious" side was.

And so Daisuke, who had weaved his way through countless battlefields so far, had no idea why Ena was approaching him like this.

"Is that so? But still, I'm looking at you much more than the other boys."

Grinning in high glee, Ena leaned closer to him.

Daisuke's cheeks flushed and he couldn't do anything but avert his face. —If she was a Mushitsuki he could've handled her coldly, but she was a normal civilian. How to treat a non-Mushitsuki girl was outside Daisuke's knowledge.

By thinking so, Daisuke realized how ironic it was.

''It's natural for people to be scared of Mushitsuki… then isn't it like me being afraid of normal people—''

At the same time he also thought something else.

''…Then what about Arisu? She's not a Mushitsuki but she can approach us normally… No, since she's been recognized as a Mushitsuki then—''

"Hey, isn't it about time we go someplace else? Where should I take you next, I wonder."

"Uh."

Daisuke's thoughts were dragged back to reality by Ena's sensation and heat transmitted to him through his hugged arm.

''…I really am weak against her. And she's a normal girl—''

Since Ena was staring at him, he couldn't even sigh.

Ena had said she was thirsty, so they entered a café by the side of the road.

It was the kind of junk food place that students returning from school would drop by on their way home. Arisu was another matter, but it seemed like the sort of place someone like Kujou Takako would avoid. Yet Ena agreed to Daisuke's choice without batting an eye.

"Good boy, stay here."

Along with the tray containing a drink, Ena put a small stuffed doll on the table. The doll with evil-looking eyes looked down the main street from the window-side table.

In the games facility inside the bowling place there were also darts. The doll was a gift Ena had gotten by achieving the top score.

"There were plenty of prizes, but you've chosen a really weird one. Is this your taste, Saionji-san?"

Daisuke sat opposite to Ena.

"It was love at first sight! I wanted to give it to you as a present anyway, though."

"Well, it was my first time playing darts."

As he smiled wryly, Ena put the straw in her mouth. She grinned and looked at Daisuke.

"Even though it was your first time you achieved a ''normal'' score? And I think you're quite skillful."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Obviously Daisuke aimed for a score that wouldn't make him stand out just like in bowling.

Ena alone was able to persistently follow Daisuke who was working on not standing out. He was confused at that.

"Sorry for not being interesting."

He tried saying this with a pitiable smile.

"I'm just boring."

''Please call me boring. Or just act like you think so.''

He thought so from the bottom of his heart. Just like Kasuou thought before he'd left the Ichinokuro estate, a "date" didn't fit him in the first place.

"Huh? Why? That's not true! I'm still super excited!"

Ena's reaction betrayed Daisuke's expectations. He nervously bent forward. At least it didn't seem like acting.

"Aren't ''you'' bored when you're with me, Kusuriya-kun?"

"Huh? That's… not true."

As he answered this reflexively, Ena seemed relieved. She smiled happily and patted the doll's head with a muttered ''Good''.

In contrast to Ena who acted differently from her normal habit of saying ridiculous things, Daisuke had no idea what to say.

A strange silence flowed between the two.

''S-save me…! I don't even mind Arisu or Kasuou, but someone please save me from this situation…!''

Feigning calmness while using the straw to play with the ice inside his drink, he groaned in his heart. He never thought that he of all people would ever seek help from those two.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_4th_p019.jpg|thumb]]

"Umm…"

Daisuke started speaking as he was unable to bear the silence, yet he couldn't think of any conversation topic.

A popular TV show? Or her favorite musician? Talking about their classmates? About hobbies and practice? —This wasn't a marriage interview.

After thinking as hard as he could, the conclusion he reached…

He was at his limit.

He decided to recall some sort of business and cut the date early. Causing the friend of his monitoring target to dislike him would hinder his mission, but he also couldn't forcibly butter her up.

It would perhaps actually become much easier if she'd come to hate him.

"Saionji-san, I'm sorry but I have to—"

"Hmm?"

Perhaps feeling some air of unrest, Ena immediately looked at Daisuke with a lonely face. Since she always smiled carefreely when with Arisu, she looked like a completely different person.

"…I need to use the toilet."

Ena smiled with a relieved "Sure".

''…What am I doing…''

Walking toward the interior of the floor, he was assaulted by violent self-hatred. Entering the washroom, he washed his face with cold water.

Ever since coming to Akamaki City for his mission, he felt like he was going crazy. The more he got involved with Arisu and the people around her, the more the air of tension was destroyed.

He wanted to finish his mission as soon as possible and return to his original jurisdiction of Ouka City.

He needed to resolve himself again.

Being careless led to death. Daisuke couldn't allow himself to die. No matter who he had to sacrifice, he had to fight and survive.

Whatever brought danger to Daisuke's life—was an enemy. He couldn't allow himself to relax his guard against someone approaching him more than necessary.

As he wiped his face off with a handkerchief and returned to the table, Ena's smile welcomed him back.

"Good, you returned. Since you belong to me today, Kusuriya-kun, you have to stay with me until the very end, right?"

Ena said jokingly. He wanted to conceal it, but she had apparently seen through his desire to leave.

Daisuke retorted with the smile of an honors student.

"You have plenty of other people to date with other than me, Saionji-san. You also have many friends."

"Hehe, no way that's true, really."

''Liar'', he retorted behind his smile.

"Ah, your face screams ''liar''. So even you make faces like that sometimes."

"I don't really think so."

Forcing a smile, Daisuke was shaken on the inside. He was wearing nothing but a smile on the exterior, so how had she been able to see through him?

"It's true though. The only people I'm able to call friends are pretty much just Arisu and Takako."

Resting her chin on her hands, Ena played with the doll using her pointing finger.

"Even if I look like this, I'm quite talented. I can do basically anything."

"That's obvious. You're amazing."

"Yeah, it's obvious. That's why, even if I make friends, they distance themselves. They tell me it's good that I'm so talented and all that. Even if I date boys, I lack charm so they'll soon step aside. They also force themselves to show off in an attempt to get the better of me in some areas."

Daisuke normally had excellent physical abilities, but even if he went all out he probably couldn't reach Ena's feet either in bowling or in darts. He wasn't cool enough for a guy.

"And so at some point no one cared for me. Even at home. Never mind my sisters, but my family seems to think I'll be fine even if I'm left alone. I didn't like it, so I used to run away from home a lot long ago."

Grabbing the doll's hands, Ena made it take a fighting stance directed at Daisuke.

"Long ago… this isn't what an 8<sup>th</sup>-Grader should be saying."

"I guess. But somehow recently I've been feeling as if it really was a long time ago… actually, ever since our current class. Ever since meeting Arisu, I guess?"

"…"

"Because she was the first. She was the first to keep in contact with me without changing. Takako also, but before meeting Arisu I never would've thought about trying to make friends with an honors student like Takako. So I guess I really like my life now."

Daisuke considered.

The late Mushitsuki girl, Hanashiro Mari, had also opened her heart to Arisu. The investigation results so far spoke of that.

Ichinokuro Arisu—in Daisuke's eyes she simply looked selfish and insolent, so what drew all these people to her?

"I don't really have anything I want to do, and I can do anything, but since being alone is boring… I like this kind of life right now where I play and have fun my own way every day. I want these peaceful days to just continue like this forever and ever."

Ena seemed to be speaking from the bottom of her heart. Thinking of something, she leaned toward Daisuke and brought her face closer. He was startled.

"But lately, someone's been barging into these peaceful days."

"…Huh?"

Separating from Daisuke who made this idiotic sound, Ena took the doll in her hands. Raising it to her face as if to hide her expression, she stared at Daisuke with narrowed eyes.

"—Now then, who could that pest be, I wonder?"

For an instant Daisuke stared at her in puzzlement, unable to comprehend her words.

But he soon realized.

The emotionless eyes staring at Daisuke were cold. He felt intimidated just by having this normally amicable girl erase her expression.

''I see, so that's what you're—''

"…"

Daisuke smiled again. He received the piercing gaze directly.

He had the feeling he finally understood why Ena was clinging to him.

—She was trying to gauge him.

He was the intruder who'd one day suddenly appeared at Arisu's side and wedged himself into the peaceful days Ena spoke of. She was "monitoring" him in order to ascertain whether he was an enemy or not.

''So she's monitoring me who's monitoring Arisu. Fine, if that's what you want to do, then bring it on—''

Once again a silence befell the two of them.

Completely different from the one before, it was a stillness where nothing could be felt expect for hostility.

The first to open her mouth was Ena.

"Just kidding."

The two stared at each other seriously.

"…"

"…"

It was the millionth silence.

Still looking at Daisuke's whose thoughts completely stopped, the girl's eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Hehehe. Like I thought you're a diamond in the rough, Kusuriya-kun! I can't bear that cold gaze you show for an instant! Ah, I wish you'd look at me like this forever!"

Ena wriggled her body, her expression other than her eyes still hidden by the doll. Daisuke's confusion at her unimaginable action was real and not acting.

"Huh…? Wha…"

"This! This face is the best! You're too cute when you're caught unprepared! Oh, gosh, I'm so happy I rented you from Arisu for the whole day!"

''W-was I caught by her trap…? No, is this also acting…?''

His cheeks flushing, Daisuke sank deeper and deeper into the swamp.

"Calling you a hindrance is obviously a lie, Kusuriya-kun! You're also the first guy I've met who's my type. Even when you're with me you stay ''normal''. I still don't know if you're just acting or if you're really just a normal boy, though."

Standing from her seat while still holding the doll, Ena entwined Daisuke's arm with hers.

"Now, let's go to the next place! It's still bright outside! And if you're fine with it, Kusuriya-kun, even after the sun sets… hehehehe."

Roused from his seat by force, Daisuke was assaulted by larger self-hatred than before.

''I really am weak against her…''

This time, a true sigh leaked out.