Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5th Episode 17 (section)

=== Part 1 ===
"…"

"…Hey, Arisu. It's about time you explain why you've been looking at my face this entire morning like you’re seeing trash.”

By the time they arrived at their Horusu Academy classroom, the boy made up his mind and said this.

Compared to her other male classmates, his height and build were average. Even his usual lifestyle was in harmony with his surroundings, so he never got in any trouble with his classmates. His only distinguishable characteristic was perhaps just the band-aid pasted to his cheek.

His name was Kusuriya Daisuke. After they met up at a certain incident, the boy began living with her to monitor her unique case. Normally he acted the part of an honors student, but when he fought, he changed to the cold combatant Kakkou.

"Oh, Saionji-san, Kujou-san."

Daisuke looked at the classroom entrance.

Arisu's friends have just arrived.

The girl who had a stylish impression even among her classmates, Saionji Ena. Although the school regulations were strict, her clothes were worn out of shape and her healthy-looking chest and thighs were partly exposed. Since she liked Daisuke, it was worrying that she might have gone too far as of late.

The other one was Kujou Takako. She could be said to be a model student of Horusu Seijou Academy that housed many sons and daughters of wealthy families. With her short-cut black hair swaying, she entered the classroom in a relaxed gait.

"Something's wrong with Ichinokuro-san. Do you two know any—"

Before Daisuke approached, Arisu grabbed Ena and Takako's arms and stopped them. Pulling them away, she whispered in their ears.

Their expressions changed instantly.

"W-why are even Saionji-san and Kujou-san looking at me with cold eyes now…! Heeey! Didn't Kasu—I mean Anne passing by in the corridor looked at me the same way just now? What have I done?!"

Kasuou's real name was Mitake Anneliese. She had infiltrated the school to assist his mission. The instant when the blonde girl passed through the corridor, her elegant smile transformed to a scorning gaze. Along with a gesture as if she was spitting.

"Think it over carefully until you find an answer in your heart. —Or have you found it in another person's heart already? Through touching their chest, that is."

"Why would he do it with that woman…? If only he'd asked me, I…"

"How indecent…"

"I-indecent? Wait, Arisu's 'that was a good one' face is pissing me off…!"

Although they'd changed classes when they advanced to their third year, Daisuke and Arisu as well as Ena and Takako all stayed in the same class. It was a coincidence, or perhaps the SEPB acted with the school behind the scenes.

Perhaps because the faces from second year were unchanged, their normal life was also unchanged from before. The days passed with friends smiling together. Since there was a system of automatic advancement in this school, the studies for advancing to the High School Department were easy.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_5th_p017.jpg|thumb]]

When the morning bell rang, a sparkle passing outside the window caught Arisu's eye.

It was a silver Morpho butterfly.

The Mushi she'd inherited from her friend Mari was always near Arisu. It did so as if to draw her attention, as if to insist that it wasn't an illusion.

However, Arisu—

"…"

Unconsciously averting her eyes from the Morpho butterfly, she returned to Ena and Takako's friendly chat.

How many days passed ever since she met the Mushitsuki called the Kind Magician?

These days without socializing with any Mushitsuki brought back stability to Arisu's heart. After losing her friend she began looking for Mushitsuki, and since meeting Daisuke she came in contact with many Mushitsuki.

Arisu herself wished for this.

She wanted to know more about Mushitsuki.

She wanted to know why there were fighting, hurting others, and getting hurt in turn. She thought that by doing so she'd find out why her friend had left her Mushi behind.

But now that she went back to her peaceful daily life, it was different from the past boring days.

Days without any pain of hurting others and getting hurt in turn.

The completely normal life of a middle schooler healed Arisu, but at the same time it also seemed to melt away something boiling in the depths of her heart—

"So, pervy Daisuke. Have you reflected on your actions a little?"

After school, Arisu called out to Daisuke. Confirming that no one was looking at them, he threw away his mask as an honors student.

"I'm not a pervert, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to reflect on… what do you want?"

"There's apparently a new amusement park in front of the station. Will you go with me there?"

Saying this, she pointed behind them. Ena and Takako were flipping through a listing magazine and chatting.

"No, I have other business to take care of. Your monitoring will be done by Kasuou as usual."

"What? Isn't that too many times lately? Since her blonde hair always stands out wherever she goes, Ena and Takako will start getting suspicious soon."

"My duties aren't just monitoring you."

Asserting this, Daisuke took his bag and left the seat. As he glanced at her with a suggestive look, Arisu noticed what he was trying to say.

"Oh… I'm also thinking of investigating about Mari. My leg is still bad, but once that's healed—"

She hurriedly gave excuses. But Daisuke didn't avert his eyes. He'd probably already seen that her leg was healed for a long time already.

"You don't need to do anything. It'd help me much more if you don't cause trouble like you always do."

"W-what's that supposed to mean. Your way of saying that—"

"Mushitsuki will take care of Mushitsuki's business. That's obvious."

Unusually, the boy wore a smile. Arisu heard that his organization had acknowledged her as a Mushitsuki, but he apparently didn't share their opinion.

"This is a good opportunity. Think again on where you belong to."

Leaving this behind, the "Mushitsuki with the cruelest life" according to Kurisaka Ayuyu left the classroom. Ena immediately approached her.

"Oh? Kusuriya-kun's not coming? …Tch, I was going to take him to a haunted house and assault him while he was scared."

The Daisuke-addict said something so outrageous nonchalantly, but her expression suddenly turned serious.

"Say, Arisu."

"Yes?"

"Kusuriya-kun won't even leave us, right?"

Arisu felt her heart leaping.

Daisuke was infiltrating Horusu Seijou Academy to monitor Arisu. Obviously, if the Morpho butterfly case ever got resolved, he would probably go back to Ouka City, where he said he was stationed before.

"W-what's up with, all of a sudden? He's just somewhat busy recently…"

"Because we managed to end up in the same class again, I guess. I was thinking about this recently. Our current relationship is simply the best… or maybe, once it was sometimes boring, but now it doesn't feel that way anymore."

The smart Ena rarely sank in deep thought like that.

"Sorry, maybe I don't really understand it myself. It's like the first time I felt this ever since I was born? I mean, finding something that I really want."

"You're being really vague…"

"True. I haven't really given any thoughts about the future until now."

Although she was able to be above average in anything—no, perhaps ''because'' of it, that usually unserious girl now smiled embarrassedly. Suddenly having some hopes for the future, Ena's expression seemed much livelier.

What Ena felt was perhaps similar to what Arisu currently felt.

Daisuke being with them became natural, and Ena and Takako also accepted that. They spent more and more time together, and it became all the more pleasant.

"Right. This kind of daily life isn't bad at all."

Mumbling this, Arisu smiled.

However—

The peaceful days didn't continue for long.

A few days passed.

Seeing the girl standing near their teacher during the early morning's short homeroom class, Arisu could hear her peaceful daily life crumbling away.

"Uno Noiru-san came here as an exchange student from our sister school. I hope you can all learn about the differences in culture between her school and Horusu Seijou Academy and get along—"

The teacher was introducing a slender girl. Her long hair was held up by a hair clip with a scales motif, and she wore a white hoodie on top of her uniform. Her limbs were long and her figure was eye-catching. However—

"Ughh, so it's finally happening… why did I have to come to this placeee…? Ugh, sob."

With her black eyes tearing up, Uno Noiru suddenly collapsed on the spot. Seeing the girl suddenly breaking down in tears caused a stir in the classroom.

Looking at Noiru's pupils was the one who sat directly behind Arisu—Kusuriya Daisuke.

"There's no way that ''demon'' wouldn't kill meeee. Nooo, I don't wanna die so younggg… I'm sorry, I'll do whatever you say, please don't kill me! Oh, this hoodie? It really is against school regulations. If you don't like it, I'll just take it off so don't kill me… the hoodie's not enough? Uh, I got ittt, I'll take off my uniform toooo…"

Stripping off her hoodie, Noiru started unbuttoning her shirt as well. This unbelievable happening caused everyone including the teacher to freeze.

Breaking down in tears, Noiru intersected her arms in front of her body, turning the palms of her hands upwards. She shook her body to both sides in the imitation of a set of scales.

"Fear scaleee, plus oneee… Uuugh, since the demon is here then which of them is the Spear-Form…? Why do I have to inspect thattt… I'll definitely die… I'll strip more so don't kill meee!"

Arisu rose from her seat with a thud.

"Teacher. She seems to be confused in this new environment. I will take her to the infirmary. —Can you help me, Kusuriya-kun?"

Before receiving the teacher's permission, Arisu promptly adjusted Noiru's uniform and brought her back to her feet. Daisuke also quickly rose from his seat.

With both of them grabbing Noiru's hand, they brought her outside the classroom without leaving her any choice.

"Aaah, so I'm being taken to the gallowsss. How horrible… as expected from the person called a demon… Cruelty scaleee, plus oneee…"

Holding the swaying Noiru's head, Arisu glared at Daisuke with a strained expression.

"There's no doubt she's from the SEPB, right? Do they only have such weirdoes? Definitely. And she's also a Special Type Mushitsuki, right? Isn't it so? Please say no, for goodness' sake."

"No, I’ve heard that a member was going to come here, but… why are you here?"

Noiru's crying reverberated in the corridor leading to the infirmary for a while.