Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5th Episode 17 (section)

=== Part 3 ===
The following day after Uno Noiru's arrival, Arisu's daily life completely changed.

During Math lesson, Arisu's face was strained with anxiety.

It wasn't just Arisu. A tingling, tense atmosphere engulfed all the other students as well. 

It wasn't that their Math teacher was strict. If anything the teacher was gentle, and his hand writing equations on the blackboard was stiff.

The teacher turned around, and with slightly hesitant mumble of "Now, please solve this equation, Ichinokuro-san," he pointed at Arisu.

"Yes sir."

Arisu rose from her seat, advancing to the blackboard. When she solved the problem that wasn't really difficult, the teacher said, "Correct," and nodded.

''Bang''! In the center of the classroom, one girl rose vigorously from her seat.

"Calculation abilityyy, plus oneee."

Uno Noiru intersected her arms, her body swaying to the sides.

While everyone in class stared in wonder, Noiru returned to her seat as if nothing happened.

The teacher's cough echoed in the silent classroom. "U-uh, let us move to the next question," he continued as if he saw nothing.

"Why isn't she being scolded…?" Ena mumbled.

"Let us have Uno-san solve it," said the teacher, pointing at Noiru. The girl rose from her seat and stood in front of the blackboard while passing by Arisu.

After thinking for a while, Noiru put her hands on her uniform as if thinking of something.

"…Uuh, sorry for being an idiot. Will you kill me if I don't solve it? I'll strip so don't kill meee…"

"So you can't solve it?"

While everyone was completely shocked, only Daisuke's voice rang through the classroom.

During Gym class, Arisu and Noiru were in the same team playing basketball.

"…"

"Good movementsss. Athletic abilityyy, plus oneee."

"…"

"Nice pass. Decision-making abilityyy, plus oneee."

"…"

"Nice shot. Decisiveness abilityyy, plus oneee."

Kujou Takako, playing on the same team, tilted her head innocently.

"Say, Arisu-san. Why is that person not playing and just shaking like that?"

"I have no clue…"

Arisu could only mutter this in a muffled voice with her fist shaking.

When gym class was over, the girls went to the changing room.

Perhaps checking even the way she undressed, Noiru started stripping unnaturally and stared at Arisu’s underwear.

Swearing in her heart to not mind this, Arisu chatted with her friends. But Noiru seemed to be calmly comparing Arisu to Ena and Takako with her eyes.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_5th_p031.jpg|thumb]]

Noiru intersected her arms with a sad expression.

"Physical development scaleee, minus—"

"Arisu Dropkick!"

The vibration caused by the girl slamming against the lockers shook the changing room. "V-violence scaleee, plus oneee…" she left behind as she stopped moving.

Noiru's "inspection" continued day after day with no signs of stopping.

When Arisu had picked up fallen objects for students on the corridor, a voice saying "Kindness scaleee, plus oneee," echoed next to her.

When Arisu went shopping with her friends after school, Noiru looked at the clothes she bought, said "Fashion senseee, minus oneee," and left.

During elective class, when Arisu crafted something out of clay, Noiru glanced at it, and when comparing it her own statue of a nude woman, she gloated "Skillfulness abilityyy, minus oneee."

At any rate, Noiru would grade anything and everything in Arisu's life around the clock.

Arisu's stress levels were about to explode.

"Ngh, nmnm, fourme shcaleee, flas oneee."

During lunch break, when Noiru snatched the side dish of Arisu's bento, her body swayed and she seemed to be saying "Gourmet scale, plus one".

"…"

Having even the final article of her enjoyment taken away, something snapped inside Arisu. Rising from her seat, she cornered Daisuke who was eating lunch with classmates.

"W-what's the matter, Ichinokuro-san—Gwah! It hurts… wait… a minute…!"

Daisuke's collar was grabbed as he was playing the part of an honors student and he was dragged to outside the classroom.

"Cough, cough… what're you doing all of a sudden! Are you trying to kill—ouch! Hey, sto… hitting me with a body blow while smiling… guhah!"

"So, Daisuke-san… how can I vent my anger about my inspector? By hitting you, right? This choice is correct, right?"

"You said you were fine with the inspection! Don't hit me!"

"Do all SEPB members get such stalkers as their inspectors? Have you gone through the same thing when your Rank was determined?"

While asking this in a low voice, she again buried her fist in Daisuke's solar plexus.

"I obviously didn't have this stupid inspection."

Daisuke stated as he stopped Arisu's fist. She raised her brow.

"They never used one of the members to designate another member's Rank. She herself told us that this is a test case."

"So starting now this sort of thing will become the norm… the SEPB's going to be destroyed."

"As if. —Did you find out anything, Kasuou?"

Being pressed against the wall of the corridor, Daisuke glanced behind Arisu.

Turning around, she saw that a blonde girl was standing there starting at some point. When she glanced back to her classroom, Arisu saw that Noiru started stealing even Ena and Takako's bento.

"Oh, I threatened that Rank 6 to tell me."

Unlike how she usually acted, the girl responded in her normal way of talking.

"Don't threaten Ranked people when you're Unranked… oh well, so?"

"Kanakana, was it? There aren't many people who know that woman even in Central Headquarters. That Rank 6 wasn't able to get any information."

"According to what I investigated with my Rank 1 authority she definitely belongs to the Central Headquarters. Even so other people from there don't know her… what does that mean?" 

Apparently, they'd been secretly looking into Uno Noiru.

"In other words, despite her being a member of Central Headquarters, they have no idea what missions she'd been doing. —Ain't this interesting? I'll take any excuse to fight that I can find."

Revealing her berserker nature, Kasuou smiled.

"Stop being so violent… Daisuke, don't be silent, stop her."

Daisuke was silently watching Noiru. It was an expression he showed only rarely while outside of battle.

"Kasuou, do you have a minute? Let's have Nene help us investigate into the intelligence division—"

"Ah, wait, Daisuke…!"

Pushing Arisu to the side, the boy walked along with Kasuou.

"You're excluding me again? Even though this is about me…"

Pouting, she saw off their two backs.

Was he going to say "it has nothing to do with you" yet again?

They lived under the same roof, and were supposed to be spending their daily life with Ena and Takako. The more days passed the more comfortable they felt with each other, and they had so much fun that she nearly forgot everything about Mushitsuki or the SEPB.

It wasn't just Arisu. Even Ena and Takako were already thinking of him as a friend.

Even so, Daisuke would never attempt to close the distance with Arisu.

Thinking about it, perhaps even Hanashiro Mari, a Fusion Type just like Daisuke, acted the same.

She had taken the fact of her being a Mushitsuki from Arisu to the grave—

"What's up with that…"

Turning to look at Noiru who was being chased by Ena, Arisu mumbled softly.

After school.

Refusing an invitation to hang out, Arisu left the classroom.

"Hey, Arisu. Where are you going?"

Her monitor Daisuke hurriedly chased after her. Yet Arisu ignored him with an indignant expression.

"What are you sulking about?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

Declaring this, she left the campus. By the time she reached the shadowy back of the campus, she could no longer see anyone other than herself and Daisuke.

Yet she noticed the presence of another person. She turned back and called to them.

"Noiru. You're there, right?"

When Arisu's voice echoed, she felt a presence from behind a nearby tree.

"Sensitivity scaleee, plus oneee."

Revealing herself, Uno Noiru swayed her body to the sides. It was the usual, but she didn't look guilty at all about tailing her.

"Noiru, I have a request for you."

"Uuh, the demon and Spear-Form are staring at meee. I'm gonna be killeddd. I'll strip, so don't kill me…"

Whether or not she heard what Arisu said, Noiru started removing her clothes.

"I definitely said I'll go through your so-called inspection. But can't you be less conspicuous while doing that? You're causing problems not just for Ena and Takako… but for the entire class."

"I refuse."

Her swaying body with the intersected arms stopped in place.

"My inspection is the SEPB's will. No one can stop my inspection so please don't kill me. Ah, you're finally going to make me strip down to my underwear—"

"Stop that already."

Annoyed, Arisu spoke in a stronger tone. The most curious thing about Noiru's action was that she always acted scared.

"After spending a few days with me you already understand, right? Never mind me, but even Daisuke's not going to kill you. Do you think we are monsters?"

"Obviously, why wouldn't I?"

Arisu was shocked. The paling Noiru shook her trembling body.

"For my inspection, I have investigated the Morpho butterfly's previous host Hanashiro Mari and its monitor Kakkou. Both of you are monsters. Hanashiro Mari alias Hunter and the Rank 1 Kakkou… Uuh, so scary. Don't kill me. Even while knowing you're a cruel monster that turned countless Mushitsuki to Fallen, I beg you. Please don't kill me. I'll do anything. Please, please!"

Shaking all over, Noiru even shed tears. Seeing this girl's abnormal behavior, the shadow of fear creeped all the way even to Arisu.

"…"

Glancing at the boy next to her, he was simply looking down at Noiru with a cold gaze.

Had even the late Mari worn this very same face where Arisu didn't see her?

"Out of the only three discovered Fusion Types, two are monsters… so the last one has to be a monster as well. Other than that there's the berserker, so this school is way too scaryyy. I'm definitely going to be killeddd…"

"Please stop this already…!"

Arisu finally raised her voice.

"Mari wasn't a monster, and neither is Daisuke! Never call them like that again!"

"Monsters are monstersss. My judgment as an inspector is absoluteee."

While shaking her body to the sides, Noiru pouted.

Anger welling up inside her, Arisu walked to the girl.

"Stop, Arisu."

Daisuke grabbed her shoulder.

"Her behavior is just her mocking us. This is probably just part of the inspection, anyway.”

"Loyalty scaleee, minus oneee. Please don't hinder my work as an inspector. Don't kill me."

With a calm face, Noiru once again shook her body. Glancing at Arisu, she added "Composure scaleee, minus oneee". 

"What will you do if we make you angry? I'm used to being called a monster. It's not a big deal so mghbg…"

"You shouldn't be used to it!"

Receiving a punch from Arisu in his solar plexus, Daisuke stumbled. Immediately she turned wrathful eyes to Noiru.

"I'll say it again, Uno Noiru! Don't call people's friends monsters!"

"I'm gonna be killed, I'm so scareddd!"

Her eyes glistening with tears, the girl shook her body like usual. Arisu heard a groaning voice stating that "before deciding on calling other people your friends, do something about your habit of hitting friends…"

Interrupting this heavily explosive and tense atmosphere was a ringtone.

It was Daisuke's cellphone. After asking something, he replied "got it" while clicking his tongue.

"I'll be going for a while. As always, your monitoring will be left to Kasuou, but please stay put."

"What happened so suddenly?"

"Well, the woman who served as the Central Headquarters' ace retired, and because of that they'd been giving me missions outside of my jurisdiction. That stupid Wanko causes nothing but trouble for me…"

Turning his back to the head-tilting Arisu, Daisuke brought the cellphone to his ear. He was probably going to call Kasuou.

"The mission is just like the first time I met you—capturing an unregistered Mushitsuki."

"…!"

"Great timinggg!"

Uno Noiru called out.

"Please let Ichinokuro Arisu-san go on that mission too."

Arisu and Daisuke both looked back at the girl.

"…What did you say?"

"Don't stare at me, I'll be killeddd. —There's only one final thing remaining for my inspection. The most important part of a Mushitsuki's Rank, meaning their combat capabilities."

Arisu widened her eyes.

“By letting her join live combat, I’ll be able to inspect her battle prowess.”

"No way. There's no way that would've been permitted."

"Denied. I permit it. There is information that she had already fought against Mushitsuki in the past. This time will not be too dange—"

Noiru's words were suddenly cut off.

Daisuke's expression changed. Perhaps not wanting to take Arisu along no matter what, he watched the girl with a gaze full of calm anger.

"It's a mission they handed over to me. This is different from the Mushitsuki she'd met by chance this far."

"U-uhh… p-please don't kill me…"

Noiru acted like she was being overwhelmed by Daisuke's murderous impulse; her movements stopped.

"However, denied."

"Don't get carried away, Kanakana…"

"Ichinokuro Arisu-san. Have you any objection?"

Arisu's shoulders twitched.

Normally she would have instantly agreed. She herself wished to meet as many Mushitsuki as possible.

By knowing Mushitsuki, she might learn more about the late Hanashiro Mari—

"I will—"

''I will go with you.''

She wanted to nod, but couldn't continue.

A dull pain ran through her chest.

''—What do you think Mushi are?''

The words of the Kind Magician she'd heard the other day after taking a peek at her life passed through Arisu's mind. Just like a dam opening up, the faces of all Mushitsuki she'd met so far rose to her mind and then vanished.

"I will…"

She tried replying again, but the words wouldn't come out.

She noticed she was slightly shaking.

If she ended up agreeing here, would Arisu end up facing those people who led special lives, known as Mushitsuki, yet again?

Far removed from fun and normal daily life, if she once again saw the deaths of Mushitsuki such as Mari and the Kind Magician—

However, Arisu had to meet Mushitsuki for her friend's sake—

"I-I will—"

"That's enough."

Suddenly her vision was blocked.

Daisuke covered Arisu's face as if hugging her from behind.

She didn't know what expression she was currently wearing.

She didn't know what expression Daisuke made as he covered her.

"I can't take her."

"Then you will be violating orders. Please don't kill me."

"If you want to make me obey, then do so through Haji. If not for his order I wouldn't have come here in the first place."

Daisuke's arm brushed against Arisu's eyes.

"She's not a Mushitsuki. Just a normal civilian."

Stating this, he went away from Arisu.

"Defiance scaleee, plus oneee."

While hearing Noiru's voice, she looked at the leaving Daisuke's back.

The silver Morpho butterfly was fluttering between the two of them.

The figure of the boy leaving without looking back overlapped with that of her dead friend.

"…"

She bit her lips.

Hanashiro Mari never spoke with Arisu about her being a Mushitsuki.

Daisuke would never show his true heart to Arisu and always took his distance.

Somehow—

She had the feeling that their reason for doing so wasn't out of malice.

If she let them do as they wished, she'd be able to recover her peaceful life.

But if she did, she had the feeling her hand would never reach them again.

The backs of Hanashiro Mari, who had distanced herself, and Mushitsuki like Daisuke would be forever beyond her reach—

"…I'll go."

Daisuke's legs stopped in place.

His expression when he turned around was rigid.

"Don't. You're not part of 'this' world."

"Then take me with you."

She extended her arm to Daisuke who was rejecting her. Although she was smiling, her hand was still shaking.

"Please, Daisuke."

Daisuke scowled.

He probably noticed that Arisu was hesitating.

However, she noticed that he was hesitating just like her.

Hesitating meant that he was thinking of her. He was seriously considering what would be a good choice for her.

Just by understanding this, Arisu could believe in Daisuke.

[[File:Mushi_Uta_Bug_5th_p045.jpg|thumb]]

If he was a true monster, he wouldn't worry about it at all—

"…If you go over the line, I'll take you back immediately."

Daisuke started from the conclusion.

"Whether or not I'll let you take me back quietly is another matter."

The smiling Arisu's hand stopped shaking.