Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 11 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.02 Daisuke Part 12 ==

The hospital’s interior was dominated and occupied by caterpillars as far as the eye could see. They wriggled on both ceiling and floor, making it seem like he was inside some huge beast.

Daisuke took the lone path without any caterpillars in it.

Walking, he could see a hole ahead. It appeared to be the elevator entrance, but perhaps due to the caterpillars, the door and the elevator body itself were crumbled rotten and became a mere cave.

“Meaning, I need to go down from here?”

Daisuke flung his body inside the hole.

The vertical hole became like a cave for growing caterpillars. Daisuke barely leapt over the remaining steel, diving deeper and deeper inside.

“…Entering’s fine and all, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to get out.”

Looking above, the hole Daisuke came through was being blocked by caterpillars.

“If this is a trap they’re inviting me inside here… is it meant to trap me along with the Central Headquarters? Well, managing to do would inflict a heavy blow to the SEPB’s fighting forces, but—”

How deep was he by now? He finally landed on the floor that appeared.

Raising his face, he saw as expected a corridor filled with caterpillars.

“So that’s what Shinpu is thinking?”

Kicking the floor, he rushed through the corridor.

The camouflaged entrance on the surface allowed him to reach the highest section of the Stronghold. It was mostly the area where Mushitsuki members lived, so it was the closest to the surface.

“I didn’t think the Original Three would act so humanlike…”

The Original Three were drawn by people’s dreams and ate them—

That was the answer that the SEPB, as well as Daisuke himself, had gained this far from experience.

Just like bees drawn to honey.

Just like moths to the flame.

These were such absolute instincts that it felt like they were born for this.

Was thinking this way a mistake?

“I have no proof that Central Headquarters is even safe. If they were all annihilated long ago, I’m just an idiot walking right into a trap—”

Seeing the corridor ahead, he smiled.

“—Looks like I wasn’t, though.”

Until now he could see nothing but caterpillars, but now there was a change to that.

They were blocked from going ahead at a certain point as if there was an invisible line drawn there.

“Looks like they’re safe for now.”

Ahead of him was a Mushi with a blurry outline.

It was a millipede, long and narrow, its body about 2 meters long with dozens of small legs.

That Mushi was familiar to Daisuke. There were about 5 millipedes and the caterpillars blocking the corridor couldn’t move ahead as though scared of them.

Passing through the boundary that the caterpillars couldn’t charge through, Daisuke approached the millipede.

“Tamamo. It’s me, let me through.”

The gigantic millipede crawled up Daisuke’s legs, bringing its fangs near his face. Looking into the eye of this Mushi that was green smoke given form caused the pit of Daisuke’s stomach to constrict.

It was a Mushi that controlled the sense of fear. He knew its host for a long time.

The millipede released him. Sliding noiselessly and separating from him, it opened the path.

“The situation really is severe…”

As he ran in the empty corridor, this time black mist stood to block his path.

As Daisuke approached, the mist coagulated midair, transforming to sharp claws.

“Kasuou.”

Responding to his voice, the claws stopped in place.

Behind the passing Daisuke, the black claws dispersed and became mist again.

Both Tamamo and Kasuou were elite combatants here in the Central Headquarters. For the two of them to directly spread this sort of defensive net meant they were in a huge predicament.

As he kept running ahead, he saw a door. The entrance to the residential area.

Daisuke stepped in front of it and the door opened.

“—”

Clamor greeted him.

It was a spacious hall.

Combatants clad in white coats—the Central Headquarters’ standard issued equipment—formed a defensive circle and surrounded Daisuke. Further around them many white coats turned eyes full of caution at him.

He could hear voices. “Is that really Kakkou…?” “Is there some path connected to the surface?” “How is he unhurt—“, all confused at the sudden visit from this Rank 1.

“—Is your body fine, Tamamo?”

Among the present white coats, there was a person wearing a different color. Beneath her coat she wore a miniskirt with a lamé and there were small wings on her back.

“Pfft, are you still stuck in the past, Kakkou-san? Ever since the Night of the Meteor Shower I can’t make any extreme movements, but I became really good at using my Mushi, y’know?”

The girl who said this while wearing an impish smile was the host of the millipede from before.

“Kasuou-san and the rest are inside, though.”

“Got it.”

Finishing this short conversation, Daisuke cut inside through the barrier of white coats.

While being directed with gazes of shock and fear by the members of Central Headquarters, he went through several doors—

“Are you the real deal?”

As Daisuke stepped into a new room, vivid azure eyes pierced through him.

It was a blond girl clad in a white coat. Members that looked to be her subordinates were following from behind.

“Because there’s recently been this faker called Mimic or somethin’ roaming around. And well, it’s an emergency anyhow. Gotta be careful.”

The girl clad in black mist, Kasuou, glared at Daisuke with exposed hostility. Her wild, beastlike murderous intent filled the room, striking even the members that were supposedly her allies.

“—Where’s Miguruma?”

Not even making any greeting regarding their reunion, Daisuke looked around the room.

“There’s something I need to ask that woman.”

“…Tch.”

Kasuou clicked her tongue, looking displeased. She erased the black mist standing in the room.

“Since you’re not even listenin’ to what I’m saying you gotta be the real one… how’dya even enter the Stronghold? Is there a place you can use to get out? If you’re here as reinforcement, where’re the other members?”

Although she was no longer cautious, Kasuou stayed blocking his path to the door that led further inside.

“It’s just me. I just wanted to check on things and came to the opening—and somehow managed to get inside. The exit’s already blocked by caterpillars though.”

“Huuuh? Are you an idiot?! That’s gotta be a trap! What were you thinking, getting captured here so easily like that? I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Where’s Miguruma? Is she dead?”

“Listen to what people are saying, you piece of shit! Look at my damn face! If that woman died I’d be cracking a huge smile right about now!”

The dangerous atmosphere made the surrounding members tense.

However, this was how Daisuke’s and Kasuou’s conversations were for a long time now.

“Let Kakkou through.”

A woman’s voice was heard from the goggles.

It wasn’t Goroumaru Touko. Now that he entered the Stronghold, he could hear the transmissions coming from the Central Headquarters.

“He is no fake.”

“…Ha, you were unconscious not too long ago but you seem to be back to yourself, our great Vice-Director.”

Spitting this, Kasuou stepped away from the door.

Daisuke tried passing next to Kasuou, but then stopped.

“What about Harukiyo?”

As he asked in a low voice, the blond girl grimaced.

“Don’t care. This’s what happened ‘cause he’s not here. Pathetic.”

“How much longer can you hold out?”

“Maybe five hours or so… we look so safe because of Nene’s regeneration ability. But she’s also approaching her limits.”

“…”

“It’s time to attack. We focused everything on defense so far, but in the unlikely case I’m done for, if we have you—”

“Don’t count on me.”

Kasuou widened her blue eyes and glared at Daisuke.

“I don’t know how much longer I can fight.”

Once another person heard of it, it would become irretrievable.

Kakkou was the SEPB’s last resort. Although most felt hatred to him, he knew that he also served as their mental pillar.

“…Piece of shit.”

Spitting this, Kasuou averted her eyes. Was she angry—or perhaps disappointed?

“Still haven’t fulfilled your promise to me, either.”

Daisuke stayed silent. He passed next to Kasuou.

A promise.

It wasn’t just Kasuou.

Daisuke still had other promises left unfulfilled—

“—So you came, Kakkou.”

As he passed through the door, that woman stood there.

The spacious room was gloomy, and several dozen boys and girls in white coats sat on the floor.

Facing machines that looked like computers were the Mushitsuki of the intelligence department. They were probably trying to revive the connection with the outside and checking how things were inside the base.

The woman in her late twenties standing in the center of the room faced Daisuke with a kind smile.

A smile that made whoever witnessed it feel both relieved and awed so they couldn’t move from the spot. The smile of shackles—

Daisuke had witnessed the moment it was born.

“Or should I say, welcome back? Because you have safely returned from ‘that world’.”

Daisuke removed his goggles. Revealing his face, he glared at the woman ahead.

“—Mikko.”

“It has been a decade since I was called that.”

Daisuke’s most hated woman in the world.

Special Environmental Preservation Bureau Vice-Director, Miguruma Yaeko, said this—

And then gestured as if she was making a cough.