Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.01 The Others ==
It happened during the time spring was over and the scent of summer grew close.

The "Handyman Kirari☆" managed by Ikarino Kirari was as impoverished as ever. All she did was waiting for requests at the office day after day.

One such day, a girl came to visit the office. Apparently, she came there after seeing the advertisement Kirari had posted in a freely-distributed listing magazine for a small fee. —She simply added the line "We also accept special troubles related to 'insects'" on the page's smallest corner.

This girl, wearing a horned hat, named herself Sepia. Rarely, there were clients who didn't want to reveal their real names, but it was Kirari's first time to hear such an obvious pseudonym.

She had received quite a lot of Mushi and Mushitsuki-related requests back then.

Sepia's problem was also related to Mushi—but the particulars were on a whole different dimension than anything she'd ever accepted before.

"I want you to save my friend who's about to become a Mushitsuki."

Saying this, Sepia grasped the necklace hanging from her neck. It was an expensive-looking accessory with a golden ring attached to it.

Kirari had received requests to save Mushitsuki countless times before.

Yet being told to save someone who ''was about to become a Mushitsuki'' was a new one.

"I'll definitely be unable to withstand the 'hunger'…"

The story told calmly by the expressionless Sepia was quite hard to believe.

Sepia said that one of the Original Three resided inside her.

Kirari, who'd dealt with multitudes of Mushi, obviously knew about those designated as the Prototype Mushi who gave birth to Mushitsuki, called the Original Three.

The Original Three residing in Sepia was Sanbikime, the one producing Fusion Type Mushitsuki—she said their true name was Aria Varei. Unlike the other two they didn't possess a body; she explained that they possessed the person closest to the one with dreams of their taste.

And the one who drew Aria Varei to fused with Sepia—was the girl called Tanaka Momo, her childhood friend.

"Will you believe me?"

No matter how kind Kirari was, she couldn't immediately answer with a yes.

Even so she accepted the request—yes, because Kirari was kind.

She didn't care even if she was being tricked.

Even if Sepia was simply having a delusion, the girl looked truly troubled.

Even if it was some mischief, and Kirari was being made fun of, she would just end it with a smile. If it meant that nobody became a Mushitsuki and peace continued, that would be the best option.

Having her request accepted, Sepia smiled for the first time.

"Thank you."

The reward would be the necklace with the golden ring in it—

Making this promise, Kirari began work.

Thus she came to know Tanaka Momo. Since there were limits to monitoring her from afar, she pretended doing a survey to approach Momo. Using the pretext of the survey to conduct a psychological test, a few days later she came to her again to thank her—

Since Momo had a sociable personality, it didn't take long for Kirari to deepen their relationship. Using the opportunity to take care of another request, she hired Momo to help her out as a part-timer.

Being with Momo was very enjoyable for Kirari.

The time they spent together brought her the sense of youth she'd nearly forgotten.

Of course behind the scenes she was in contact with Sepia, but her request merely became a pretext to meet up with Momo.

If Sepia's request was fake—

If nothing had happened—

Although at first it was a calculated relationship, perhaps Kirari could come to call Momo her best friend—

She was about to think so.

"Anyway, my friend Sepia is a genius. She was accepted to a design high school in Akamaki City, but instead she decided to come to the same local school as me… what a waste, yeah."

Tanaka Momo always smiled brightly.

"But I won't lose, yeah. I plan on creating something even more amazing than Sepia and shocking the world. —No, I have to be more decisive. My passionate feelings will not be stopped by anyone, yeah!"

Even while laughing, her eyes were serious.

However, how many failures had she tasted, being near her friend hailed as a genius? She was probably suffering on the boundary between jealousy and friendship.

Yet the girl accepted it all and was intent on surpassing her rival.

"One day I'll fill the entire world with my art… I'll take over the world, yeah!"

Shudder—Kirari had a bad feeling about this.

The girl called Tanaka Momo was so bright that Kirari was jealous of her.

She shone with her dream to a frightening degree.

On the other hand, with Sepia—her mind became more and more eroded by the "hunger" with each passing day.

"That's an amazing dream."

Even while she was outwardly smiling, Kirari felt tense on the inside.

What if the things Sepia had told her were true?

What if Momo was shouldering the fate of becoming a Mushitsuki?

She, meanwhile, had no way of saving Momo, not a single one—

"—U-umm… there's a Mushitsuki I'm looking for."

During that time Kirari carried yet another worry.

Around the same time when she accepted Sepia's request, another person came to visit her through the "Handyman Kirari☆" advertisement. 

"I want you to look for the person using a 'red queen bee'… there's something I have to return to her, so I want to meet her…"

It was a girl with a tall, glamorous body that would make anyone jealous, yet unfortunately she hid it within plain clothing. Her long bangs and simple glasses hid her expression, and since she was whispering, Kirari thought she was trying to hide her own presence.

''If you're fine with it taking time then sure'', she readily accepted it, but it was a mistake.

"U-umm, have you still not found it? …I-is that so? Because I just requested it? Sorry, then please take your time."

The girl's second visit was a mere few days later. Like the last time she came in a plain outfit, carrying a classic-style suitcase.

"I was just a bit interested about how the investigation's going. It's fine, I don't have any expectations. …I see. Not yet, huh. Yeah, I get it, it's fine…"

Her third visit was a single day after the previous one.

She came for a fourth visit, then a fifth, and the girl kept indirectly pressuring her. 

"Haa… oh, not really? This sigh just now was, you see, just to wipe off my glasses. See? Haa, squeak, squeak. I hate that red queen bee-user, I can't do anything fun because of her—"

…She felt as if some wicked spirit was haunting her.

That somewhat creepy girl, called Satou Youko, came to the office at any opportunity, complained in the reception room then left. This continued for a while.

Kirari was already so mentally fatigued that she was about to reject the request by making an excuse she failed the job.

Satou Youko appeared again, complaining like the usual.

"Aah, will this never go away? But I also feel like it made me feel better as well, somehow. The little experiment I tried a while ago also seemed to have an effect… Oh, but obviously I can't make them not get born. Sealing them, though, should be theoretically possible."

''Sorry, I failed your request. Please leave already.''

Kirari wanted to say so, but swallowed her words.

Sealing—

Satou Youko would complain out of her own volition, not caring if anyone was even listening to her. Although Kirari barely understood anything she just said, that single word was exceedingly close to what she was looking for.

"Can't I find some good guinea pig somewhere? If possible someone with abnormal thinking who was just born, fresh from the oven… If only I still had Loci-chan it would be so easy to create one…"

"Will you tell me about this in more detail…?"

The bespectacled girl, Satou Youko was someone dangerous—

She didn't seem to be a Mushitsuki, but Kirari had this premonition. That was why simply facing her eroded her mind, and she wanted to decline her request and severe their ties.

But what if?

Perhaps the girl in front of her possessed what Kirari wished for?

As Kirari leaned closer, Satou Youko wore an enchanting grin. She licked her lips bewitchingly as if she smelled her prey.

"No, it is I… who wants to hear more."

And thus.

Kirari took the gamble of her life.

"—WAAAAHHH!"

Sepia, already unable to bear her hunger, went to the electrical substation, the location designated by Kirari herself. She chose a place where there would at least be no victims.

Yet something unimaginable happened.

She was probably quite hungry. Sepia had called Momo quite a lot earlier than planned, eating her dream.

By the time Kirari and Youko finished preparing and headed there, Momo had already become a Mushitsuki.

If that wasn't enough, the column of light was noticed by the members lying in town. The battle between the SEPB assassins and the rampaging Momo unfolded.

Kirari couldn't believe her eyes while watching that.

"WAAAAAAH!"

Momo fought recklessly while screaming. While she was mowing down her enemies, none of whom could be called powerful Mushitsuki, Kirari could see Sepia knocked out on the ground. —If what she'd said before was true, Sepia was no longer Aria Varei and had lost her memories of Momo.

"AAAAAH!"

Tanaka Momo's body, glowing with a rainbow pattern, was covered in wounds.

And flowing from these wounds was—

"Once they figure out she's a Fusion Type Mushitsuki, the SEPB will be gathering their forces to kill her."

While drawing a large mark on the ground with paint, Satou Youko spoke casually. She seemed somewhat cheerful.

"I don't know much about them… but after letting a few Mushitsuki like the Spear-user or Fuyuhotaru, as well as Kakkou, go free—they've had enough of trying to manipulate Fusion Type Mushitsuki."

"…"

Kirari understood everything.

She understood.

"Yet she's apparently already… ''way beyond that level''."

Having finished drawing the symbol, Satou Youko smiled happily like never before.

On the other hand large tears started plopping down from Kirari's eyes.

Something like this was definitely bad.

A Mushitsuki like this should have never been born.

The destiny carried by Tanaka Momo was much too heavy—

"I hope this goes well. I'm also interested in what happens if it fails, though. —Kirari-san. When we're done you'll do what I say? You need to recover Sepia-san and Momo-san… oh, and don't forget to destroy the SEPB's goggles, too. Since they have recording devices there'll be evidence, you know?"

"…"

"You don't have to be that worried, it'll be fine. The important thing is getting them to forget what happened here… during normal life, the brain arranges the small details of memories in the way most convenient for the person involved. Such is the way people's minds work."

Leaving a smile to Kirari who was still standing there and crying, Satou Youko approached Momo.

Even after defeating the SEPB members, Momo was still unable to stop her rampage.

[[File:Mushi Uta 8 p269.jpg|thumb]]

Aiming for her next prey, she stared at Satou Youko who appeared in front of her.

However—seeing Youko's black eyes peeking from within her bangs, she became paralyzed.

Her eyes, as deep as the abyss, restrained Momo by invisible arms.

"U-umm, my name… is Satou Youko."

This was the first time for Youko and Momo to meet. She politely introduced herself.

"Umm, I will save you. I promised to do so."

Momo didn't move.

"—This is… an experiment I've devised."

Smiling, Satou Youko removed her glasses. Sweeping up the bangs that hid her face, she revealed her bottomless ocean-like eyes. Removing a button at her neck, she showed a peek of her ample chest.

The beauty, having transformed to a completely different person, smiled bewitchingly at Tanaka Momo.

"Everything that happened here… is a mere dream created by a dream."

Momo becoming a Mushitsuki.

The large hole opened in the ground.

The SEPB members turned Fallen.

The unconscious Sepia.

Kirari who stood there dazed.

The large mark drawn on the ground that was watching over this nightmarish scenario—

"All of them will be erased here. Underneath this tombstone of Coatl Head—"

Just as this solemn announcement claimed, the nightmare was erased.

Making sure this nightmare would never be revived again was Kirari's job.

And so Kirari fulfilled her own mission.

"Mushitsuki of the Substation Ruins"—

That Mushitsuki, bearing the fate of not being allowed to be born, fell asleep without being disturbed by anyone.



—It was supposed to be asleep.

Anyone and everyone were supposed to forget about the Mushitsuki born back then.

The one who'd made Momo into a Mushitsuki as well.

And the one who became a Mushitsuki herself too.

They were supposed to forget this incident as a mere explosion of an unknown cause, with eventually even the SEPB calling the search off. 

Even so—

On top of the exposed ground, Ikarino Kirari bit her lips.

There was a column of light visible in the distant sky viewed from the empty field. 

She wasn't able to hide it perfectly—

Everything was supposed to have proceeded according to plan, so what went wrong?

"Why… why is this non-existent Mushitsuki waking up again?"

Barely raising her body, she glared at the girls with eyes full of tears.

"If only she'd been left asleep, everything would have ended peacefully…!"

If everything would be done and forgotten, then another peaceful today that was the same as yesterday would come.

They were supposed to be able to reach a tomorrow that was the same as today.

Not just Momo.

Kirari and including other people, everyone would live peacefully.

"Chiharu—"

The bespectacled girl called Chami was probably the leader. She clicked her tongue with an agonized face, turning toward the casket-wearing girl carrying the unconscious Ubuki.

"Yeah. The reason I was suddenly unable to sense Aria's smell… just like I thought, it was because they gave birth to a new Mushitsuki. I think they're gone back to sleep."

Hearing Chiharu's words, Chami cussed with a ''Shit''.

"Our goal is simply Aria Varei. —Well, I did think about getting to the new Fusion Type before the Annihilators and make them our ally if there really was one."

Chami glared back at Kirari on the ground.

"Also… you said that 'it would have ended peacefully'?"

"…"

"Does that mean for everything to keep peaceful like this for ''all eternity''?"

Kirari's expression tensed. She unconsciously grasped the ground.

"I now understand that Mushitsuki mustn't be born."

Kirari's agitation was probably apparent. Chami clicked her tongue again.

"But there's somethin' I still don't know. How have you hidden the Mushitsuki of the Substation Ruins so perfectly until now?"

Chami asked her.

"You couldn't've done it by yourself. Who put that idea in your head?"

Kirari hesitated whether or not she should talk about that.

The secret she'd kept close in her chest so far.

That could be said to be a kind of ritual.

That suitcase girl had erected a tombstone to seal a Mushitsuki.

On the other hand, Kirari's mission was—protecting that tombstone.

Without being found by anyone.

Without being revealed to anyone.

To hide a single grave, she hid it amongst countless identical ones.

"That person called Satou Youko-san…"

Yet everything ended in vain.

There was no point hiding it anymore.

"…That woman!"

Chami exploded.

"I warned her, but she's still involving herself with Mushitsuki? She's dashing through that road that leads to nothing but destruction without a moment's hesitation…!"

She apparently knew Youko already. Kirari already half-guessed it.

"The Mushitsuki using the red queen bee… she was probably looking for you. At first she apparently wanted you to lift the ability placed on her, but she probably started getting interested in your ability on the way…"

"This isn't fucking funny! I have my hands full taking care of ex-SEPB and ex-Mushibane members, not to mention an ex-Aria Varei… I don't want no ex-Demon Lord too!"

They were probably the girls' circumstances that Kirari didn't know about. Chami grabbed her shoulders violently.

"What have you done to her?! How have you hidden something as overwhelming as this?"

"Using suggestion… Satou Youko-san called it a 'burial ceremony', though."

It was a theory that an ordinary person like Kirari didn't think about.

Although dreams were exceptionally vague, they seemed to have deep ties to a person's deep psyche. It sounded fake, but Satou Youko had claimed to utilize this in order to give birth to Mushitsuki.

If so, then how could she seal a Mushi that was already there?

She said there were various methods.

Youko spoke about one proposal among them with enjoyment.

Since she was knowledgeable about the human mind, Youko proposed the method of suggestion, created by hypnotic effects.

"Suggestion? You mean like hypnotism…? Could such a thing even—"

"A very, very strong suggestion. To allow it to exhibit its effects continuously, you need to have a keyword close to the target at all times to maintain the hypnotism…"

Everyone there became speechless.

Never mind Chami, even Lucy who was in the middle of speaking on the telephone was frozen like a statue.

They probably all reached the same conclusion.

They probably all thought of the same symbol.

"That suggestion caused Momo-chan to… forget she was a Mushitsuki."

"—Y-you're insane… Both Satou Youko and you…"

Chami barely squeezed out a hoarse voice.

The other girls couldn't even get out a single word.

"''Are you saying that this entire marking fad was created just to hide a single Mushitsuki''?"

The hypnotizing and planting of a suggestion was a success.

Tanaka Momo had completely forgotten about her becoming a Mushitsuki.

And Kirari had fervently sought to spread this marking fad.

The suggestion was powerful, and the fad involved the entire country, continuing its effects.

The propagating Coatl Heads also had the meaning of hiding the true tombstone that was Coatl Hot—

"I'd understand it this was a temporary thing… but there really wasn't any other method?"

Just like Chami said.

The suggestion wouldn't hold forever.

The flow would be just temporary.

The fad would someday be gone.

So until then she would look for ways to save Momo.

Yet she didn't make it in time.

The fad was disturbed, and Momo reawakened.

She was unable to fulfill Sepia's request.

"Indeed… I can't think of any other method."

Chami groaned in anguish.

"What were you supposed to do other than seal that sorta Mushitsuki…!"

Yes, she could only "seal" it. Just looking for a place to hide it would mean nothing.

"Chami-sama. Just now, the Mushibane forces I called for support have arrived in town."

Lucy, handling her mobile phone, turned to her.

Chami interjected through this news.

"Have them all withdraw."

"So horrible. I wanna divorce. What a waste. —Actually, even if you didn't use me, the counselor, you could've just joined Mushibane directly. Or are you worried since you let Harensis' sister die? They're treating her as missing; they don't know yet, so it's fine.

Chami groaned "Shut your mouth already," while glaring at the distant sky.

"Since it's gotten like this, we lost. Nobody can win against the people related to that Mushitsuki…"

Exactly so.

Now that the situation was like this, no one would be able to stop Momo.

No one would be able to save her.

"Even so, if there's anyone who can do something in this situation—it's him."

Chami squeezed out a low voice. Kirari widened her eyes.

"The Annihilators said this earlier… he's in town, right?"

Raising her face was not only Kirari. Chiharu also looked worried, biting her lips.

The sky of the substation was dyed in a vivid blue color.

Kirari recalled that there was another Mushitsuki like Momo in town.

If it was him, then maybe—

No, he would be the only one who could save Momo.

"The only one who could handle a Fusion Type… would probably be a fellow Fusion Type."

Other than Ubuki who opened her eyes while groaning, all people there turned to look at the same direction.

"If you're really here, it's 'bout time you got out… Kakkou!"