Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 6th Episode 21 (section)

=== Part 2 ===

They were taken by Erii in front of a strange building in the suburbs.

It could probably be called a national art gallery. The premises were made of several cube-shaped buildings placed haphazardly, and in the center there was a half-dome shaped art object towering over the rest. A pathway made of bricks on the lawn led to a gate, allowing anyone to enter.

The plate stuck to the large gate was small. The words “Akasegawa Group Private Library” were engraved on the golden plate.

“Private Library…?”

Standing in front of the modern building, Arisu tilted her head. She thought that libraries were supposed to be public facilities, so she couldn’t help but feel it was strange for it to be private property.

“Is Harukiyo here?”

Kasuou and Neiko turned doubtful gazes toward Erii.

“I have no idea.”

“Huh? Huh? Is my memory fucked up? Didn’t you say just now we’re going to meet Harukiyo, you little bitch?”

“This place is, most likely—the center of the network that includes Harukiyo.”

“What does that mean?”

“Recently, the SEPB has managed to capture a few of Harukiyo’s comrades. The equipment thief called Robber, or the one who’s guarding the West Central Branch—they’d been made into a Fallen by the new recruit we call Guillotine, but anyway… the captured people’s possessions were investigated.”

She spoke quite calmly of robbers and guillotines with that cute face of hers. Both were unfamiliar names for Arisu.

“Although they had different cellphones or communication devices, there were traces that these all transmitted some kind of data in fixed intervals. They skillfully covered the route, but as far as I was able to investigate, they were all sending their data to the same server. And the location of that server is, most likely… this library.”

“I don’t really understand it, but… does that mean this is Harukiyo’s base?”

“Their information base, yes. However, I don’t know if he and his comrades actually gather here.”

“…But C-chan, if you were able to investigate this… then the SEPB probably already did as well…”

Erii puffed her cheeks at Neiko’s words.

“Even if a new recruit told them ‘I found Harukiyo’s network’ no one would believe her. If it was my excellent seniors from the intelligence department, they would find out it’s right? …After about a year.”

“You have it tough as well, huh…”

Petting Erii’s head as she walked ahead, they arrived at the entrance to the building.

The automatic door opened and a spacious lounge appeared. Between the spotless floor and tall ceiling, they could see sofas and chairs and a stage the library lay upon.

Between the lounge and entrance were machines that resembled ticket gates often seen in train stations. There was a slot for cards and a passage blocked by metal rods.

“Here on is enemy territory. Do not lower your guards.”

Even while Erii wore an austere expression, she put some money into the ticket-purchasing machine nearby.

“You call it enemy territory… but it doesn’t look like it at all.”

Lining up for the machine, Kasuou mumbled.

Arisu felt the same.

Their group was not the only people inside. Students that looked like they came there for self-study, the elderly who came to meet on the sofas, and others all created a tranquil atmosphere.

“Say, Erii…”

“W-what is it! Everyone’s looking at me with those eyes… I’m serious! This is definitely the place!”

Watching the girl insisting on this with lukewarm eyes, Arisu and the rest passed through the ticket gates and into the building.

Even when they stepped inside nothing happened. If some enemies came to attack them it would make things easier.

Anyhow, Arisu peeked around the library.

“I wonder where this… server, was it? Is supposed to be.”

“All you ladies in charge of manual labor, can’t you just run around the building and look for it?”

Erii was definitely sulking.

“W-we’d better find someone in charge around here. If they feel guilty about something here, their reaction would probably show it.”

Arisu’s idea was accepted. They went through the corridor in the library divided into blocks and began looking around.

It didn’t take long to feel something was wrong.

“Found it?”

“…No…”

“Nope.”

“There’s no one.”

After they split to march around different areas, Arisu and the rest met in the lounge again.

“There’s no staff…?”

They couldn’t see anyone who seemed like they were working in the library. Not a single one.

It didn’t seem that this private library had any lending system. Although there were many shelves, all of them were for browsing only. Apparently they could pass through different areas through the ticket gates in every block by purchasing different types of cards at the entrance.

“Never mind whether Harukiyo is here or not… I never even considered there’d be no one other than guests.”

“Right, it’s too much of a bother so let’s go home.”

“What are you doing, Nene-san?”

Neiko wordlessly operated the floor map. Apparently the stage had an LCD touch screen with library search functions.

“Since we’re here… I thought of investigating some things… like Harukiyo, the Original Three, or Aoharima Island…”

“…Umm, Nene-san. None of those would be published in a civilian information storage. Even the name of Aoharima Island had been almost completely scrubbed clean from records. You see, the SEPB has a Mushitsuki with an ability of information lookup and computer worms—”

“Looks like they have it, though…”

“Anything infected by that worm is as good as destroyed—eh?”

Not only Erii raised a voice of surprise. Arisu and Kasuou also leaned forward and peeked at the panel.

The keyword “Harukiyo”.

The result was, “3 collections were found. Please follow the staff’s guidance”.

Right—that was written there.

“There is? Really? And three?”

“N-no, it’s definitely just something different… like an energy drink or something.”

“Sounds like a nasty fucking drink. Try the others too.”

Neiko input the words “Original Three”.

Just like before, the information that 20 collections were found, et cetera, was displayed.

“So many! Neiko-san, try Aoharima Island?”

87 collections et cetera et cetera.

Naturally, all eyes focused on Erii.

“D-don’t look at me like that! T-this is definitely strange! I wasn’t lying! —Nene-san, what did you press just now?”

“There was this button that said ‘call’, so I tried it…”

“W-what’s going to come out?”

“Idiot, since this is a library, then obviously—”

They heard sharp footsteps.

Responding to the sound, Arisu and the rest looked toward the stairs leading to the 2nd floor.

“Please be silent while in the library.”

Speaking in a calm yet assertive tone was a slim girl.

She wore thin, elliptical glasses and had black hair cut short—no, behind her head were two long braids that hanged all the way down to her waist. As she carried a book under her arm and wore a dress reaching all the way to her feet, she almost looked like a nun carrying her bible. She was pretty, but quite young to be a worker here. She was probably around Neiko’s age.

“So you’re the ones who searched for these collections. Please, follow me. I will show you to the archive.”

Speaking gentle-mannered, the girl unnaturally raised one corner of her lips.

“Nihi.”

Arisu noticed that this was a laughter—only after several moments of being glued in place.