Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8th Episode 31 (section)

=== Part 2 ===

The night sky full of streaming stars was suddenly covered in thick clouds.

No. What looked like clouds were actually swarms of small tardigrades. As Ichiku Kimitaka stood on the very top of this black mountain that filled the sea, more and more tardigrades gushed out into air, trying to cover the entire beach like the arm of a giant.

In the center of the comrades overwhelmed by these numbers, a crimson ball of fire broke through.

“You’re an eyesore!”

Causing sand to dance and the sea to split, the flame-clad Harukiyo pursued Ichiku. The Great Yama tiger beetle raised a loud howl, boiling the black cloud of tardigrades with an invisible heat wave.

Harukiyo’s fist pierced Ichiku’s chest. The impact and explosive wind caused part of the sea surface to explode.

“It really seems like you only come when people are angry, how are you even able to pinpoint these moments! Ya really want me to vent it all on you? Hmm?”

“You’re the unsightly one, Sehateno Harukiyo.”

Ichiku Kimitaka’s body crumbled down. The tardigrades moved to the sea surface, turning to Harukiyo’s back.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave, though? You know how it ends for the people around you when you come—surely you haven’t forgotten. Is this devil from hell pretending to be human and make friends?”

Tardigrades gathered, transforming to Ichiku’s upper torso. Harukiyo grimaced for a moment.

“—I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”

“I’m tired of hearing those words.”

Harukiyo had apparently decided on fighting against Ichiku Kimitaka. Not even looking at Oogui, he kept shooting down the endlessly gushing tardigrades with hellfire. His body perhaps supported by an invisible heat wave, the boy standing above the sea surface had firework-like flames emitted from his feet, boiling the seawater.

“…Mari…”

“—Tch.”

Glancing at the unmoving Arisu, Daisuke turned to look at Ichiku Kimitaka.

“Why’s the Director of the SEPB protecting Oogui! Aren’t the Original Three the SEPB’s enemies?!”

Shouting, he crushed to smithereens the Mushi assaulting him.

Ichiku emitted a ''Kuha'' with white breath.

“Don’t misunderstand, Kakkou. It’s not like I’m protecting Oogui.”

Every time Harukiyo howled, he produced a gigantic flame pillar that connected land to sky, and Ichiku ate the flames using an overwhelming quantity of tardigrades. This spectacle went way past a fight between Mushitsuki and into the domain of a natural disaster.

“This world has already accepted the existence of Mushitsuki. Mushitsuki’s existence would become natural, and will not change. If it’s not going to change—isn’t the only thing we can do is to advance?”

“Advance… advance, you say? What are you talking about!”

“Someone like you wouldn’t understand. That’s fine. You just need to keep being a Rank 1 Mushitsuki. However, if you can’t accept a world with Mushitsuki in it—if you uselessly struggle to change this present world, and stand in the way of advancing things—”

Harukiyo’s flaming palm crushed Ichiku’s body straight from above. However, soon the tardigrades welled up in a different location, reforming Ichiku’s body.

“We’ll annihilate each and every one of you as the SEPB’s enemies.”

Ichiku’s form, laughing with his mouth wide open, blurred and vanished to the side.

“…!”

Arisu put her hand on the sand, turning around.

“WOOoooOOooooHHHHH!”

Kasuou’s scream was erased by the sound of impact and a tremor. All the Eyes floating in the night sky all fired their heat rays at once, aiming at Kasuou who was protecting Ena.

These Eyes, made of insectile compound eyes that were connected with red, nerve-like strings and a human eye in their center—emitted from their pupils heat rays that had horrifying power.

“Kuh…! Come down here and fight, you bitch…!”

The pale blue heat ray shot by these several dozen Eyes were shaving the black mist. Even if she tried to counterattack, Kasuou’s attacks couldn’t reach the Eyes in the sky.

“Kasuou!”

The blond girl’s blue eye gazed at Daisuke who suddenly raised his gun.

“Don’t mind those! By the time you defeat one or two nothing’s gonna change! —You too, Nene! Don’t mind me! Save your power for the other small fries!”

“B-but…!”

Being protected by the mist along with Ena and Takako, Yomori Neiko was confused. It was obvious she’d hesitate. Kasuou was putting on airs, but it was obvious she was quickly exhausting herself.

Daisuke grimaced and turned toward the breakwater.

“Don’t come out, Himeko! You go back to Kasuou too!”

With bat wings on her back, Isa Himeko ran on the beach, weaving between enemy attacks. Ignoring Daisuke’s orders, she kept firing her millipedes toward the night sky.

Daisuke clicked his tongue and tried opening his mouth again.

Then, the Perseid meteor shower suddenly split the night sky. The bands of light changed direction and began raining down on the beach.

The roar reverberating on the beach let everyone know that this wasn’t stardust. A carpet bombardment like napalm bombs assaulted the beach, raising explosions.

“…!”

Arisu managed to escape a direct hit only due to pure luck. The aftershock blew her and she rolled on her beach. The ruined silver spear fell at her legs.

“M-my ability…!”

Seeing the rain of explosions assaulting his comrades, Aki gritted his teeth with pain.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_8th_p157.jpg|thumb]]

Pouring down from the night sky was a swarm of leaf beetles created by Oogui. They possessed explosion abilities and were originally Aki’s Mushi.

“Eek!”

Himeko, who had no defensive abilities, was hurt by the gust of wind created by the explosion. Her small body rolled on the sand like a doll.

“Himeko!”

“—‘Mfiiine!”

Himeko stopped Daisuke from rushing over to her. She slowly raised her body and produced millepedes. —However, fresh blood streamed down her forehead, and her right arm hung limply at her side.

“There’s no one but me! I’ll create a path for you, Kakkou-san!”

“…!”

“So Kakkou-san, all you need is to do it again…!”

“Don’t just stand over there, Kakkou! Get on already—”

Kasuou shouted too. However, looking up the night sky, she wore a harsh expression.

“You need to do it again—”

Himeko and the other Mushitsuki were all the same. They bit their lips and couldn’t continue their words.

“Hehe—”

With the meteor shower at her back, Oogui’s rainbow pupils narrowed.

Harukiyo and Ichiku Kimitaka fought one-against-one, and Kasuou and Aki were engaged in a uniliteral defensive battle. Now that Ayuyu, who had no attack capabilities was stuck standing there and Himeko confused the net of Mushi enclosing them, there was no possibly counterattack other than having Daisuke directly attack Oogui.

However—

All Mushitsuki standing on the beach thought of the same thing.

''Do it again'', said Kasuou and the rest.

Even if Daisuke’s attack smashed Oogui apart once again—what would happen then?

The tardigrades would simply revive Oogui’s form as if nothing happened—

“Kuh…”

Daisuke didn’t try running toward Oogui because of that. If he went, his comrades would probably create a path. While wringing out their last powers.

However, at the end of that path—there was no hope.

Using the power of Undying, Oogui would revive.

“…!”

A single Mushi attacked Arisu. She hurriedly grabbed the silver spear.

“Why you…!”

She swiped the Morpho butterfly spear at the assaulting Mushi.

“Eh—”

However, the scales spurt from the spear merely engraved some small wounds to the Mushi’s body.

“Arisu!”

Even if Daisuke were to swing his gun, he’d be too late.

“M-Mari—”

Arisu could see neither the pursuing enemy nor the shouting Daisuke. She simply stared at the spear losing its brilliance, unbelieving.

The Mushi bit down the stunned Arisu—or attempted to.

The moment before, an azure explosion swallowed the Mushi.

“—Get a hold of yourself!”

It was Aki. He rushed to the listless Arisu and scolded her.

“You’re the one who called us here! How long do you plan on being like that?!”

She knew that.

Arisu was the one who gathered everyone here. She also knew that everyone’s morale was low because she couldn’t make any move.

But.

Arisu called all of them because none other than Mari was there—

“No… don’t go, Mari—”

Clinging to the Morpho butterfly spear, she felt its warmth vanishing.

“Arisu!”

While beating down the assaulting Mushi, Daisuke turned to Arisu.

“Mari’s—gone.”

“…!”

Arisu’s shoulders twitched.

“’Thank you’. —She said with a smile.”

Mari’s smile.

''—Arisu… you’re fine already, right?

She recalled the words of her smiling friend.

''You’re fine already, Arisu?

What meaning did that have?

Since Mari was gone, Arisu was obviously not fine.

She wanted to stay with her.

She thought she’d stay with her forever.

As long as Mari was there, she had the feeling she could do anything.

Even so—

“No—there’s no way Mari’s gone…”

With eyes full of tears, Arisu looked back at Daisuke.

“I mean, I haven’t even said goodbye yet… and she told me we’ll see each other tomorrow… so Mari will definitely…”

Even when Mari passed away from an illness it was sudden. She felt the same way she did when she came to the sickroom for her usual visit, only to find Mari’s parents silently waiting there.

The feeling that her head blanked out.

After that, an indescribable anxiety welled up.

It was supposedly sealed deep within her heart after that time—

Arisu recalled that.

“Mari will definitely come back—”

The fear that her friend, naturally at her side, would be gone.

Since she recalled it, Arisu couldn’t move even a single step.

Just like she stood in the sickroom at the time—

“N-no way, you—”

Daisuke was paralyzed.

“Always—thought that?”

See you tomorrow.

The two made this promise.

Mari—protected that promise.

“You thought this all along since Mari’s death…?”

When she’d just met Daisuke, she told him that she had no basis to be convinced about the Morpho butterfly being her friend’s dream entrusted to her.

“Isn’t it obvious? After all—”

She didn’t need any basis.

Arisu knew it.

She could clearly feel Mari at her side.

Right, just like Arisu wished for—

''”Ever since I and Mari met, we haven’t parted even once…”

Seeing Arisu wear a weak smile, Daisuke’s expression hardened. He became speechless and stood in place.

“She was always at my side. So—she’d never just vanish without saying anything.”

This girl was the first one she could feel proud at saying she was her friend.

''—Hello!

''—Sorry. I don’t know my classmates’ names and faces…

Her precious friend.

Therefore, when Mari left this world due to her illness, this was the first “parting” for Arisu.

No—it wasn’t a parting.

Since Mari was the host of a Morpho butterfly, she came back. She simply made Arisu a little bit lonely.

“Mari… would come back again…”

Right.

Arisu had actually never parted from someone important to her before—

Daisuke held his head and groaned in a shaky voice.

“H-have I—always had this outrageous misunderstanding…?”

Since he was always rational, why was he so shaken by this—Arisu couldn’t understand.

“No, it’s not just me…! All of the people involved with the Morpho butterfly were mistaken right from the very beginning…! We thought that the origin of everything was Hanashiro Mari—kuh!”

The stunned Daisuke was attacked by a large swarm of Mushi. Even the famed Kakkou found it difficult to protect himself against this overwhelming difference in numbers.

Kasuou and Himeko, Ayuyu and Neiko, Aki and his many comrades all approached their limits. Even Harukiyo was having a tough fight against the tardigrades that wouldn’t run out no matter how much he burned them.

Arisu’s eyes caught the Librarian that remained collapsed and unmoving on the sand.

At this rate everyone, just like her—

It would advance toward the path of parting Arisu was the most afraid of—

“Let’s—”

Words came out unconsciously.

“Let’s run away—”

Arisu spoke toward her comrades engaged in this mortal combat.

She couldn’t think of any other word.

She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt anymore.

She couldn’t bear losing the people important to her—

“Let’s run away! Right now, run away!”

She shouted desperately.

“Let’s stop fighting…! It’s time to run away, quickly…!”

“Oh, you finally gave up.”

Oogui floating in the night sky raised up her red lips in smile.

“—Looks like it’s only you, though.”

“…!”

Arisu widened her eyes. She looked around the beach.

None of her comrades seemed about to stop fighting. Although hurt and about to collapse, they gritted their teeth and faced the enemy ahead.

“W-what’s wrong, you guys! We’ve got to escape…!”

Were they so absorbed in the fight they hadn’t noticed?

Did they not hear her due to the sounds of the battle?

Although these comrades supposedly gathered her after being invited by her, they wouldn’t lend her their ears now, for some reason.

“—Arisu. Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

Daisuke’s low voice gripped Arisu’s heart. As he beat the assaulting Mushi with power and crushed them, the boy didn’t even turn to look at her.

“Are you going to abandon Ena?”

Saionji Ena who was being protected by Kasuou started and looked at Daisuke.

Arisu gulped.

“T-there’s no way! We’ll take Ena as well and run—”

“That would be a problem for me.”

With a jesting tone, Oogui put her index finger on her chin, craning her neck.

“You must leave that girl to me… alright?”

“…!”

“We’re neither comrades nor anything. Even if you called us here, normally we’d fight the first thing after seeing each other. However—”

Daisuke glanced at Arisu and spoke.

“We’re all Mushitsuki.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“We became Mushitsuki and keep living as Mushitsuki, and one day—we might die as Mushitsuki. In that alone, we’re all the same.”

The form of the comrades who struggled to death was burned into Arisu’s eyes. None of those who stood against this despairing challenge lost their fighting spirits.

“Did you really think people like us would stay silent, seeing a Mushitsuki being created right before our eyes?”

“…!”

Grasping the spear that was losing its shine, Arisu raised a groan.

Right.

Arisu had called those Mushitsuki.

These people, each and every one of them embracing a single dream and suffering, hurting and fighting for it, were all called here by Arisu.

“Ha! You’ve misjudged them, Ichinokuro Arisu!”

Ichiku Kimitaka opened his mouth even wider, sneering.

“That’s what Mushitsuki are! They’re nothing more than an animal fantasizing about an unfulfillable dream and then head for ruin!  A stupid being that only knows of self-destruction! Since such creatures became natural in this world, I can do nothing but laugh! We can only keep moving forward!”

“Shut the fuck up, you shitty brat!”

Harukiyo’s hand burning bright smashed Ichiku’s face. Harukiyo grasped the black ashes, but Ichiku regenerated behind him, still laughing derisively.

“You too, bitch!”

The flame devil turned to Arisu.

“I really was fuckin’ naïve, to find this good dream and go along with your bullshit! Don’t put a damper on things at this stage!”

“A good—dream?”

“Yeah.”

The one who answered was Aki.

“If we beat Oogui—if we can beat the Original Three, then tomorrow… it might become a world without any new Mushitsuki born.”

While protecting Arisu from the assaulting enemies, the boy smiled. His comrades were wounded and he kept challenging an unbeatable fight—but he wore a carefree smile.

“A truly dreamlike world.”

Arisu lost all words.

''—I already told you, right? Even if it’s impossible for you alone, then if we get all Mushitsuki.

Daisuke.

Rina.

Harukiyo.

And—Mari.

Back when all powerful Mushitsuki gathered, Arisu said this.

At the time she fully believed in it.

That together they could do anything—

“The one who showed me this dream is you, you know?”

At Aki’s words, Arisu’s strength left her knees.

She exhausted, kneeling on the sand, glaring at the sight unfolding in front of her eyes.

“WO—OOOhhhh! I toldja to leave me, Nene!”

“But at this rate…!”

“T-there’re too many enemieees!”

“I-I can’t hold any longer, Kakkun…!”

“Kororo! Retreat to Kasuou! —Kuh!”

Arisu unconsciously reached out with her hand.

“Ah… ahhh…”

Toward those Mushitsuki who never retreated even while becoming bloody.

She couldn’t stop them anymore.

None other than Arisu herself caused this.

“So…”

She had to admit it.

Beating Oogui was impossible in the first place.

Daisuke had warned her, and her insistence on this was stupid.

Thinking that if Mari was there along with many other people they could win was an outrageous mistake.

“I’m sorry—”

There was nothing to be done anymore.

Arisu’s vision distorted with tears.

She could see—no hope in their fight.

“It’s my fault—”

It was all Arisu’s fault.

They were supposed to keep living, yet because of her that future was being closed up—

“I was wrong—thinking that we’d be able to win—”

“You’re not wrong!”

The voice echoing in the battlefield made Arisu gasp.

The one to shout this was Daisuke.

Although he was supposed to be against Arisu’s plan of the decisive fight against Oogui from the very beginning, he strained his voice.

“What you were trying to do wasn’t mistaken! The one mistaken—was me.”

“Dai…suke…?”

While beating away Mushi one after another—groaning from his wounds and fatigue, Daisuke gritted his teeth.

“Us Mushitsuki kept fighting among ourselves, mistaking our opponents…! We thought that we’re going to end up killed by Mushi anyway—so we gave up on winning against them… as well as the Original Three!”

“The one who said we came here to win was you!”

Kasuou shouted. Her pretty face twisted, she used her full powers in desperate defense of Ena and Takako.

“You say that’s your fault? Don’t fuck with me! Think someone’s here stupid enough to let you lead them by the nose? The thing you were trying to do—all of us Mushitsuki actually wanna do it!”

Arisu became speechless.

“We were scared and couldn’t say it… we thought it was impossible…! But actually—”

Yomori Neiko also shouted. Normally she only spoke in a low voice, but, as if unleashing what she holding back, she now shouted at the top of her voice.

“We wanted to change this world with Mushi! It’s weird for us to get killed by Mushi just because we have dreams…!”

“Arisu-san’s not mistakeeen!”

“*Grin*. If you think you were mistaken, I really should have not accepted your invitation, hated rival of mine.”

“If there’s any mistake at all—”

Himeko, Ayuyu and Harukiyo all turned to Arisu and spoke.

“It’s just you right now. —If you don’t wanna fight, ya can be a cheerleader or something. Now that’s proper!”

Arisu bit her lips and grasped the spear that almost lost all of its light.

“I…! Understand that even if you don’t…!”

Her throat felt clogged and she couldn’t form words properly.

She didn’t have to be told this.

In such a helpless situation, they told Arisu she wasn’t mistaken.

She’d obviously want to cheer on these wonderful people.

“But—”

Actually, she wanted to shout at the top of her voice.

Even if her throat ripped.

She wanted to shout more loudly than anyone, and yet—

“Winning here is… I…”

It was too pathetic, how she was unable to fight.

The enemy they were facing was much too strong.

It was painful to see them unable to do anything and about to collapse.

She felt that it was too convenient for her to wish for this now, and she couldn’t let out a loud voice—

“…I…”

Someone’s hand touched Arisu’s shoulder as she drooped her head.

“Kakkou!”

It was Aki. While supporting Arisu who was liable to collapse at any moment, he called out toward his comrades in arms who was busy exterminating Oogui’s Mushi.

“If you hit Oogui one more time—can you beat her?”

Arisu raised her face.

“I can only try.”

Daisuke said clearly. His face glancing at her was caked in red blood.

“—Other than that, there’s no other way for us to survive.”

“Yeah, right… if you say it, it’s for sure. Your judgment always saved us at crucial times. Since long ago.”

Seeing Aki wear a nostalgic smile unbefitting the occasion, Arisu raised a brow.

“Aki…?”

“B-but, there are too many enemies for Kakkou-san to get closer to Oogui…!”

Himeko, also fighting in the frontlines with Daisuke, groaned while only just barely avoiding the enemies’ attacks.

“Yeah, so that means I simply have to lessen the enemy numbers, right? As long as there’s even one less.”

“…Eh?”

“Don’t be so surprised. —I did think about what to do if Rina was here.”

Aki’s expression was bright. Although he was shedding blood there wasn’t even a shred of suffering on him, and he even looked somewhat happy.

A very bad feeling came to Arisu’s chest.

“If we’re talking about mistakes… I made one, too. I forgot about fighting Mushi and only thought about how to survive. —I wanted to tell it to Rina too. Rather than fighting between Mushitsuki, it’s better for all of us to hold hands like this… that’s how you can see the future. —Right, you guys?”

At Aki’s voice, the comrades that accompanied him all turned. They all nodded, seemingly resolved.

“I did intend to bring the strong Mushitsuki among our comrades. The fact they’re still alive is proof. —I never thought the enemy would have the same exact ability.”

The boy’s words were right. Even while fighting Oogui, most of his comrades remained. It was obvious they were all used to fighting.

Thinking about it—Arisu recalled.

The leaf beetle user that was at Aki’s side not being there, was probably because she wasn’t specialized in fighting. She probably stayed with Rina, along with the other comrades that weren’t combat-oriented.

Before she could ask the meaning of Aki’s words, an explosion happened right next to Arisu.

One of the many azure leaf beetles exploded.

However, that wasn’t the fake Mushi created by Oogui—

“Aki…?”

Seeing all them exchange glances that had not a shred of doubt in it, the one to twitch wasn’t just Arisu.

“You—no way—”

Daisuke froze.

“We came here to win. That alone—wasn’t a mistake.”

Looking at Arisu, Aki smiled.

All his other comrades also looked at her.

“S-stop—”

Realizing what he was trying to do, Arisu weakly shook her head to the side.

And then it started.