Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 4th Episode 13 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

"Eeek…!"

On the escalator leading toward the movie theater located in the topmost floor, Ena raised a small shriek.

With nimble movements, Daisuke thrust his fist to a few centimeters away from Ena's face.

"W-what? What is it, Kusuriya-kun?"

"I thought there was a bug. But it was apparently my imagination."

While grinning amicably, he secretly glanced to his hand.

''A flea…? No, this is a Mushi…!''

The flea, crushed inside his hand with its bodily fluids oozing out, was melting into thin air. Mushi left no corpses behind.

Since it had leapt toward Ena, he reflexively caught it. Feeling some discomfort on his neck, Daisuke flicked at it with a finger. He knocked off a flea that was attempting to prick him with a needle.

"A bug? In this season?"

While Ena quizzically tilted her head, a sudden change came over the department store.

Small fleas came falling from the ceiling in large amounts. The people in the department store were being stung one after another, collapsing to the floor. They had apparently been injected with something that paralyzed their bodies.

Looking around the department store filled with groaned and vague cries, Daisuke's expression turned rigid.

''Is this… the work of a Mushitsuki? Who would do that—''

Even while he stood there in shock many people were falling down.

"Eh? Eh? What's going on?"

"I-I don't know. For now let's get out of here…!"

Pretending to be confused, Daisuke pulled Ena's hand as they'd gone off the escalator. He picked a spot where there were relatively not many fleas and stopped.

Almost simultaneously, the chime of an announcement reverberated throughout the whole department store.

"…Do you know the organization called the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau?"

It was the high-pitched voice of a girl. That nervous voice, possessing a certain resolve in it, was slightly shaking.

"And do you know about the beings called Mushi? And about Mushitsuki?"

Even while the collapsed people paled, many of them were still conscious. Yet it was still unclear whether or not they understood the meaning of the girl's voice echoing from the announcement.

"I believe all of you know Mushi as rumors. But Mushi actually exist. The things attacking you right now are Mushi. And I am… a Mushitsuki. My Mushi are occupying this department store, and they're also blocking all entrances."

Daisuke was about to click his tongue, but since Ena was there he endured.

Judging from the flea-like Mushi that attacked people, its host seemed to be able to control multiple Mushi at once, a rare kind even among Minion Types. It was same as the Mushitsuki Aki who'd belonged to the SEPB until recently.

''…Also, never mind her timing to launch this simultaneous Mushi attack on the entire department store, there's no way she's a mere Mushitsuki. She's probably gone through training to control her Mushi. And if so, then it's possible she's—''

"The Special Environmental Preservation Bureau is the government agency that trains Mushitsuki and uses them secretly to capture other Mushitsuki. And until yesterday… I also was part of that organization."

Daisuke's reasoning hit the mark.

She was an SEPB agent gone rogue. Meaning, a traitor. Defecting from the organization that Daisuke also belonged to was a serious crime.

She was probably part of Central Headquarters. So Daisuke who was originally under the jurisdiction of the East Central Branch didn't know about her Mushi.

"But I ran away from the SEPB. I… I… can no longer take it!"

The girl from the announcement was suddenly flooded with emotions. She shouted as if to throw out all the fear, pain and sadness that she'd been suppressing so far.

"Living while making sure no one knows I'm a Mushitsuki, capturing other Mushitsuki, turning them into Fallen… I can't do it anymore! We're normal humans too! We should've been able to normally go to school and have fun with our friends without needing to fight anyone!"

''This is bad—''

Daisuke glanced at Ena near him. She seemed unable to comprehend the situation she was involved in. She looked up to the speaker on the ceiling with a deathly pale face. Already Daisuke and Ena were the only people around to still be standing.

"W-what the? What is she talking about? Mushitsuki… That monster-like thing again…?"

Ena latched onto Daisuke's clothes with a frightened expression. —She had once already been involved in the fight between the Mushitsuki trying to capture the runaway Yomori Neiko.

"Why does this have to happen to us? Fellow Mushitsuki fighting and hurting each other… why do have to get our dreams eaten by Mushi without anyone knowing? Maybe if the SEPB hadn't existed we would've been able to finish this without fighting—"

Surmising the goal of the unseen girl, Daisuke grimaced.

"…I am sorry, everyone, but you will become my hostages. I will create as big as a fuss as I can, all in order to let as many people as possible know about us Mushitsuki and the SEPB. And if you really knew about the SEPB… maybe they'd stop making us do such horrible things. I have to act at least until I'm caught by an SEPB assassin…!"

''This… idiot!''

Daisuke cursed the girl in his heart.

Hadn't that girl noticed the contradiction in her actions? Even simply using her Mushi to hurt people, it wasn't difficult to imagine what the general public would come to think of Mushi after they learned of their existence.

"I can't take it…! Why are all Mushitsuki like this? Why are they such monsters?"

Ena said, teary-eyed. Even the last time she had been involved with Mushitsuki her life had been in danger despite her having nothing to do with the situation.

—That was the obvious response for those that lived normal lives.

If that girl's scheme worked, everyone around the country would come to know of Mushi.

And when that happened, would people save Mushitsuki? Would they look at them as fellow people?

The answer was no.

They would look at Mushitsuki as hostile. And if so, then what awaited them was worse than having Mushitsuki fight amongst themselves.

A war between Mushitsuki and civilians.

Would this country be able to withstand that war once it broke out?

"…You're right."

At hearing Ena mention the word ''monster'', Daisuke's heart made a sharp throb. Although he was supposed to have been used to this pain, he bit his lips.

"There's no place for Mushitsuki in this world."

Daisuke asserted with disgust. That would be the response of a normal person. Because it was the normal response.

—Perhaps they could be accepted by those who weren't Mushitsuki. Perhaps, if they knew of their existence, they'd be able to understand that Mushitsuki were normal boys and girls.

Daisuke also had a time when he thought this.

Yet he knew that period was nothing but a sweet illusion. Ever since joining the SEPB, he instilled fear into many people and hurt many people.

Mushitsuki and normal people could never become friends—

That was the true opinion of the Mushitsuki called Daisuke.

"S-Saionji-san, come here. Let's check if we can escape."

While still continuing to act scared, he spoke to Ena.

Leaving the girl's motive aside, Daisuke couldn't leave the situation be as an SEPB member. He couldn't let normal people hear about the organization.

"No!"

Yet when he tried separating from Ena, her arm pulled him back.

"She just said that the entrances are blocked…!"

"Y-yeah. But maybe there's some place we can go out through—"

As long as he was with Ena, he couldn't move as he pleased. Because she was a hindrance, Daisuke couldn't reveal himself as a Mushitsuki.

Perhaps thinking of something, Ena took an unexpected action. They were in an area with sports equipment lying around. Her face stiff, Ena picked up a golf club nearby. 

"I'm also coming."

"Huh?"

"I can't let you face danger alone, Kusuriya-kun. It's fine, I have good reflexes you know?"

Daisuke stood in shock.

It was obvious at a glance that Ena's smile was a facade meant to hide her fear. In order to trick her trembling limbs, she used the golf club to hit the fleas at her feet.

"Y-you can't! It's too dangerous!"

"Hehe, I made you worry about me. I'm so happy."

Seeing Ena's expression sparkle while she jested, Daisuke became speechless. He almost wanted to tell her that he wasn't worried about her but that she was a hindrance. Or so he persuaded himself.

"But I feel the same, Kusuriya-kun. I'm also worried about you."

Perhaps becoming slightly less scared while talking to Daisuke, Ena wore a carefree smile.

"Didn't I tell you? I love my peaceful life right now and hate everything that disturbs it. So I hate any Mushitsuki that stands in the way, but as for you… geez, don't me say it, you bully!"

Ena blushed and wriggled.

On the other hand, Daisuke felt dizzy. He also had a headache. He also felt drained of energy.

''So stupid… why are there only weird people around Arisu?''

"Umm, Saionji-san… How do I put it, umm…"

"If you don't do it quickly I'll go first."

While he put a hand to the shelf and supported his head, Ena warded off the fleas using her golf club, trying to advance in the corridor.

"W-wait a minute! I wanted to say that it's not simply dangerous… If I were alone I could move better, and—"

"Huh? But my physical abilities aren't that different from you guys', though. Perhaps my scores are even better than yours, Kusuriya-kun."

"That's irrelevant! No matter how smart and athletic you are, Saionji-san, you're a normal girl, right? Just now you were really scared…"

He rattled on while following Ena. As he did she turned around, surprised.

"…W-what? Is something wrong?"

"Hehehe. Hehehehe…"

"You're a bit scary… Saionji-san?"

"It's the first time someone treated me like a normal girl. I'm gradually becoming unable to live without Kusuriya-kun, whatever shall I do? Will you take responsibility?"

Smiling happily, Ena turned forward again and kept walking.

"…!"

He very nearly shouted in anger toward the heavens. His arms trembled while he suppressed his voice.

No. No. That wasn't what he meant. Then why had she reacted like this? Daisuke couldn't understand what the girl in front of him was thinking about at all.

Before long they reached the front of the stairs. Ena who walked on ahead probably hadn't noticed, but Daisuke had finished off the fleas that escaped her. Because of that they were able to reach there safely.

They came to the stairs to reach the department store's guide map pasted to the wall.

"We heard that girl just now through the speakers, right?"

"…Yeah, that's right."

Ena's face looking at the guide map paled. She peeked inside a narrow corridor on the other side of the wall with stiff movements.

"The announcement room's apparently this way."

Following Ena's line of sight, Daisuke narrowed his eyes.

Since she'd used the department store's announcement system, the fleas' host was probably there. Meaning that while the pair looked for an exit, they'd come closer to the root of it all.

Ena gulped loudly, readying her golf club. Daisuke was startled.

"S-Saionji-san?"

"Say, can't we finish off the Mushitsuki? Besides these fleas our opponent should be just a girl…"

Daisuke who struggled to keep up pace suddenly felt his heart go cold.

"I-I mean, it's unforgivable. We haven't done anything, so why should we all—"

While Ena slowly walked through the corridor, Daisuke directed a sneer at her back.

Mushitsuki and normal people would never reach mutual understanding.

He'd realized that long ago. Mushitsuki hurt normal people, and so normal people hated Mushitsuki. It was impossible for them to mingle.

"Say, Saionji-san."

Even he thought his voice was cold. He directed his question at Ena's back.

"What will you do if I or Arisu were Mushitsuki?"

"Huh?"

Ena seemed surprised at the sudden question. Turning around, she stared at him.

As Daisuke went silent, she sank into thought. Alternating her eyes between Daisuke and the announcement room at the end of the corridor, she finally looked up to the ceiling.

As he expected, Ena seemed to be seriously considering this. Lowering the club, she made a wry smile.

"That's… I'm sorry. I don't know, I think?"

''Here, you see''—Daisuke muttered cynically inside his heart.

Although she said she doesn't know, her expression denied it. Mushitsuki causing fear was an unchangeable truth.

But Ena raised her face, smiling toward Daisuke.

"Because I only know you and Arisu as you're now."

Daisuke stiffened his expression.

"But if the two of you become Mushitsuki… You'll definitely be kind Mushitsuki. Not the kind of Mushitsuki that hurt unrelated people like this."

Kind Mushitsuki.

Never in his wildest Dreams did he think he would be called that.

But it was probably a mere illusion when viewed by Ena, who felt favorably toward him. Normally Daisuke would just smile at her and leave it at that.

But only now—for some reason a genuine smile rose to his lips.

"I see."

Daisuke grinned, and the confused Ena returned his smile.

—He then looked at the girl's back, pretending to be surprised.

"Watch out, Saionji-san!"

"Huh?"

He nimbly hit the nape of Ena's neck as she turned around. Receiving an impact to her medulla oblongata, Ena raised a small groan and lost consciousness.

He'd saved her quickly when attacked by the fleas, but this way was faster. —Even though he knew this, he realized that he was still apprehensive about using violence against Ena.

"Can we keep pretending to be friends for a while?"

As Daisuke sighed, a green checkered beetle alighted on his shoulder. It transformed explosively, its tentacles sinking into Daisuke's skin.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_4th_p047.jpg|thumb]]

A glowing, green pattern glowed on Daisuke's cheek as he fused with his Mushi.

"If that's what you wanted I would've stepped up to the challenge. Seems like I was the only one to think that, though."

When he raised his face, Daisuke's face had changed.

He now spoke using the low voice not of Ena's friend Kusuriya Daisuke, but brought out his true form as the SEPB's Blaze-Class Rank 1 member, Kakkou.

"But from now on it's a problem between us Mushitsuki."

Leaving Ena behind, he kept walking toward the announcement room.

Hitting Ena left Daisuke with an unpleasant sensation. It was a while since he'd hurt people that weren't Mushitsuki.

At the end of the corridor, there was a door.

Daisuke pulled out his pistol from the holster hidden on his back. Since he was separated from Arisu that day, he hadn't brought with him the SEPB goggles and coat.

Kicking off the door with his strengthened legs, the large space welcomed Daisuke.

"…So you came after me like I thought, SEPB…"

The moment after he heard a girl's voice from the hollow space, a swarm of fleas assaulted him from overhead.

Caught by surprise, Daisuke was helplessly swallowed by the avalanche of fleas.