Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 7 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.01 Youko Part 6 ==
On the noon of her day off school, Youko was on the fifth floor of the department store.

White particles filled the floor.

The pure, white glow enchanted all the people on the floor. Just by touching the grains, the clerks, customers and other people on the escalators stood in place vacantly.

The suitcase placed on a rack was lined up with dolls and materials.

Separated by the miniature garden were Youko and a boy the same age as her. He was another person with the name of Satou, the one who played as the captain of the basketball team.

The coffin appearing from the floor swallowed the boy's Mushi. His body twitched.

"So you hadn't agreed to Diorestoi's offer, Miss Hero?"

Oogui, having eaten the boy's dream, looked at Youko with her rainbow pupils. It was the first time she heard the name Diorestoi, but it probably referred to Shinpu.

Youko ignored her, cleaning up the miniature garden. Loci riding her shoulder lowered its head.

"You look in a good mood, Loci-chan. I wonder if Genius is almost ready?"

The effective range and time of Loci's pheromone ability increased. Right now she could create Zones without carrying about any people around.

Oogui snickered.

"So once Genius is grown up you won't make any more dreams for me? A pity."

"She really pisses me off."

After finishing packing the suitcase, she slapped her dazed classmate. There was a large echo and blood spurt from the boy's lips.

"Oh my, poor guy."

"What was that about 'you're really cute lately, Satou-san'? Calling me here to confess to me means you'd settle for any good-looking girl, right? So creepy. Take some of that."

She used her suitcase to hit the dazed boy a couple of time. With some metallic part hitting him, one tooth flew out of his mouth. Now that his good looks went to waste, she finally laughed.

Ogata Akatsuki was nice to her even when she'd been plain. A man like him suited her.

"Hehe…"

"—What's so amusing?"

Looking up Oogui wearing an enchanting smile, she grinned at her.

''If you're done here, just scram''. Lately Oogui was acting like she was familiar with her and she didn't like that at all.

''I can eat you whenever I please—''

She cursed in her mind.

"Weren't you laughing as well?"

"Will you please not compare me to a monster like you?"

"Then who exactly are you, using a monster like that?"

"I'm the Hero."

She sat on the suitcase left on the ground and folded her legs.

Oogui narrowed her rainbow-colored eyes enjoyably while Youko's eyes were calm and deep like the ocean.

Now that Youko completed herself as a Hero, she had no enemies.

She came to know of the Demon Lord from her father's records.

Using the miniature garden method, she dragged out the dreams inside humans.

An incident had caused her to turn her classmate into a Mushitsuki.

The resulting Loci and Genius took her as a host, granting her power.

Only due to these conditions overlapping was she there now.

This probability, that could be called a miracle, gave birth to the Hero known as Satou Youko.

"As the Hero, I'll save the world."

She clearly declared her intents.

The long coat worn by Oogui rose as if flapping by the wind. Smiling enjoyably, her body was wrapped in purple-colored scales from head to toe.  

"You really like the world as it is now, don't you? You are willing to go so far to protect it, after all."

Youko furrowed her brows.

"But you can achieve something completely different, though."

Completely different?

Saving the world was Youko's dream.

She had nothing else she wanted to do.

"Do you think the Hero would listen to her enemy?"

"Hehe—"

In the midst of laughing, Oogui suddenly raised her face with a twitch.

"What is it…?"

This time, Youko was the one being ignored. Turning her face away from Youko, Oogui's rainbow pupils looked at another direction entirely. She licked her beguiling lips.

"Oh great Hero. The dreams you have brought me were delicious, but they nonetheless had the tastes of artificial products."

"Hmph. You're going to be particular about taste even though you're a monster?"

"What I really like is a dream left to boil, stuffed with sweetness…"

Glancing at her, Oogui vanished.

"Was that a request to do so by next time? Who are you even—"

Scowling, she noticed Loci kept shaking on her shoulder. Oogui was supposed to have left, but it turned its head the same way.

"What? So she wasn't gone?"

She rose from her trunk, confirming Loci's response. Loci's small doll-like red eyes turned to the distance.

"Oogui is moving…?"

The white grains were fading away from the floor as Youko bit her lips. Grabbing the suitcase's handle, she rushed to the escalator.

"Is she possibly giving birth to a Mushitsuki nearby?"

Jumping two steps at a time, she rushed down the stairs. She bumped into customers, but she didn't mind them and headed out of the department store at full speed.

"I won't allow that—"

She wouldn't mind any Mushitsuki being called in by the SEPB. That would be the same as them being called there by Youko. The warrior called Shiohara Shachito was a problematic opponent, but she let him go since she knew he would be gone soon.

This town was Youko's garden. It was both her safe haven as well as her fortress against the Demon Lord.

She couldn't allow a natural Mushitsuki to be born in town.

"You're not allowed to create any Mushitsuki without the Hero's permission…!"

Flying out of the department store, she got into a cab parked in the street. "Where to?" the driver asked her, and she merely ordered "to the north" curtly.

"I won't forgive you. I won't even turn you into a Spirit Zone. I'll just make you a Fallen. I hate Mushi. You're going against the Hero? That pisses me off—"

Youko mumbled in the back seat. She noticed the driver looking at her creepily through the mirror.

"Loci-chan."

White grains filled the car.

"If you don't want to be stuffed into a coffin then step on it. Idiot."

Kicking the driver seat, the taxi became twice as faster. Ignoring speed laws, he drove recklessly as Youko ordered him.

The taxi parked directly in the middle of the fields. The road Loci pointed to was in the car parking near there. There was a sign that said that no entry was allowed.

Getting off the car, Youko entered the thin road near the parking lot. She obviously didn't pay.

"Hah… Hah…"

Kicking dust with her long legs, she hurried up the road.

The setting sun lit the hero running with a suitcase in hands.

She could also see the mountain where she'd created a Zone beneath a cherry tree. The area was surrounded in mountains of the same height.

Even without Loci's ability, she could see a certain landmark.

The radio tower.

Even while abandoned, it looked magnificent.

"Hah…! Hah…!"

Oogui's reaction was not yet gone.

Youko was going to make it in time.

The more she approached the radio tower, she could see a purple glow.

While running, Youko grinned.

''I made it—''

In front of the fence surrounding the area, she could see Oogui was eating the dream of a petite figure. There was also another person there—their friend or whatever—but she didn't pay them any attention.

"Loci-chan…! Are you ready?"

Raising her speed, she passed near the fence.

Just about to unleash Loci's ability, Youko widened her eyes.

Seeing the two people next to Oogui, she stood there in shock.

"Ako…chan? Akatsuki-kun…?"

Akatsuki was shocked just the same. The boy, clad in his SEPB uniform, became speechless upon seeing Youko suddenly emerge there.

Oogui smiled enjoyably.

And Ako—

"You have finally showed yourself."

Was holding a digital camera as always.

A small insect was perched on top of the camera reflecting the sun. It was probably Ako's Mushi.

"Satou Youko. You are the one who schemes to distort the truth and destroy the world—"

The shining lens captured Youko's figure.

"The Demon Lord."