Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 10 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.04 Shiika Part 2 ==

“Alpha has been stolen?!”

Namie’s angry shout echoed in the camp that served as Mushibane’s base.

It was early morning when Shiika had been called to this square wrapped in a thin fog. By then, her main allies like Aijisupa and Namie have already gathered.

In the center of the gathering was a boy with glasses. He kneeled on the ground, looking clearly exhausted.

“Everyone, please calm down.”

Stopping the clamoring members, Shiika looked down at the kneeling boy. He was in charge of watching over the warehouse hiding Alpha.

“Are you fine, Peedwood-san? Can you explain what happened?”

“I don’t know if I can even explain properly… this is the first time I’ve seen that kind of Mushi. I couldn’t even land a hit… All of my puppets were destroyed by that ring monster…”

The boy speaking in a hoarse voice was a new member who joined after Shiika became the leader. He possessed an especially powerful ability even among the Mushitsuki who agreed with Shiika’s policies.

If he didn’t even manage to land a hit, it was no doubt something incredible. The comrades who knew of Peedwood’s strength began clamoring again.

“The fact of your ability requiring money is a huge minus. On top of that, Alpha was snatched right under your nose.”

After receiving contact, Akasegawa Nanana also came running in along with her secretary. Shiika lightly glared at Nanana who blamed the groaning Peedwood.

“Nanana.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. —You don’t need to explain anything. Well, secretary?”

“I have finally finished downloading it from the database. Here you go.”

Hugging a teddy bear, the secretary presented the small laptop in one hand.

“This is footage from the harbor’s security cameras. There are some unclear portions, but there should be no problem to generally assess the situation.”

Shiika and the rest huddled to look at the screen of Nanana’s computer.

“I’ll be playing it now.”

The first thing displayed on the lcd screen was darkness.

But soon a girl wearing strange clothes appeared and Peedwood noticed the trespassers and came to confront them.

After both sides finished talking, they charged into battle—

“What the heck’s that…”

Mumbling this with a shudder was Halensis, aka Sugitsu Matsuri.

Inside the screen, people wearing strange clothes—ceremonial clothes that could be called robes—all held hands and formed a circle.

When they did, something like a ring rose above the center girl’s head.

It became a shining halo and evaporated the puppets using all kinds of abilities.

“I-is this a Mushi…?”

“Who’s the host? Who’s controlling that?”

“No, in the first place how can it use several abilities?”

“Even Aijisupa and Namie’s powers…”

As the comrades bustled, the video continued.

“This is a Holy War!”

They could faintly hear this shout. The position of the camera was distant and they could only hear screams and shouts, but Shiika knew that someone shouted this.

“Holy War…?”

Shiika mumbled.

She knew that it wasn’t the SEPB with a glance. Apparently it was a gathering of Mushitsuki, but she never heard of any organization with this many Mushitsuki.

“Who on earth were they?”

Aijisupa’s mumble was answered by one of their comrades.

“It’s Kanon-sama…”

“Right, no doubt about it…”

“Eh?”

As Shiika turned around, the voice stopped completely. Halensis answered instead.

“Do you not remember? That rumor about erasing Mushi…”

“Oh, what that Mimic person said?”

Chouya Nihei said as if suddenly recalling.

Now Shiika recalled it too. There was the mysterious, shapeshifting Mushitsuki they called “Mimic” who’d boldly infiltrated their camp.

“I have a baaad feeling. I know a Mushitsuki like that!”

While fiddling with her cellphone, Lucifera’s expression turned severe.

“A Mushi that can use several abilities… the mantis destroyed by the SEPB’s North Central Branch was similar to that. It was a Mushi-eating Mushi controlled by a person other than the host. Nearly an entire town was destroyed.”

“Yeah? I remembered something different, though.”

Akasegawa Nanana also grimaced while exposing her disgust.

“There was this person who was much worse than any Mushi, and it wasn’t an issue of just a single town… oh no, I really didn’t want to recall that night of the meteor shower.”

“Meaning… that this ring is as least as dangerous as that?”

Everyone turned silent at Shiika’s question. That said everything about how serious this was.

Who on earth was Kanon?

When had she managed to build such an organization?

Also—what was the identity of that ring of light?

No one in this entire foggy camp could answer those questions.

“Lucy-san, do you know anything?”

Shiika asked the girl still playing with her cellphone.

“Ask that collaborator if they have anything about this Kanon-san and the ring—"

“What are you even talking about? I dunno, can’t understand you, how mysterious.”

Lucifera was apparently playing dumb. Not only that, but recently she had the feeling that girl started giving them less and less information.

“But in my personal opinion…”

Lucifera glanced at Shiika.

“Alpha’s recapture should take highest priority. For that, we need even the smallest hints. Anyway, since they spoke about a Holy War or whatever, they seem to be looking for a fight.”

“That’s… right.”

Shiika gnashed her teeth.

Mushibane’s organizational reform continued, and they were just about the taste the fruits of their labor. Just when they felt like they were really starting—Alpha had been stolen away from them.

And not by the SEPB, but a mysterious new gathering of Mushitsuki as their rival. Although Shiika didn’t want to fight, the other side challenged them so they had to protect themselves.

Even if it wasn’t the time to be doing this sort of thing—

Those feelings welled up from her chest.

She was currently acting to have Mushitsuki cooperating with each other, so she wanted to avoid any new rivalry forming.

“Snow Fly!”

One member ran toward Shiika and the other silent members.

“Someone came to our camp! Two unfamiliar people!”

“…!”

Tension ran through all comrades in the square.

“Secretary.”

“Yes, ma’am. I synchronized the camp’s security cameras, so I will bring out their broadcast.”

The secretary started typing on the laptop brought by Nanana. Operating the keyboard as if letting her fingers dance on it, she soon returned it to its owner.

“Wha—”

Everyone peeking into the lcd display became speechless.

A boy and a girl were walking through the mountainous paved road.  Even looking at their rough clothes, they obviously weren’t there for hiking or a picnic.

What surprised Shiika most of all was when she saw the girl’s face.

She mumbled without thinking.

“Kanon-sama…?”

Approaching their base were the robed girl they just saw in the video—none other than Kanon. She and a boy wearing a headband were climbing the mountain.

The other Mushitsuki at the square grew clamorous.

“What’s she come here for, after stealing Alpha from us…?”

“How did she know about this place? No way, is she planning on attacking us…?”

As some lost their cool, Namie shouted “Calm down!” and gave an order.

“Wake up everyone’s who’s still sleeping! Only those who can fight stay, other members go to seek refuge!”

“Can we win…? Against that kind of monster.”

Halensis wore an anxious expression but Aijisupa answered calmly.

“I dunno, but we have to try. We have to hold out here until we evacuate all the noncombatants.”

“I’m fighting too…!”

“You can’t fight without any puppets. You evacuate too, Peedwood.”

Nanana held back Peedwood who was trying to stand up.

“—No.”

Shiika said.

“Everyone, get away from here.”

“Don’t be stupid. You can’t do this alone—”

“I’ll be fine.”

Shiika interjected with a smile.

—Several dozen minutes later.

Shiika alone was sitting on a bench at the square that was now clear of mist. She played with a butterfly that came close to her as the people she’d been waiting for arrived from within the mist.

“…Excuse me.”

They were Kanon and the headband boy. While looking around the empty camp, Kanon inquired from the seated Shiika.

“Isn’t this place the Mushibane’s…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Shiika answered with a grin.

“I want to meet up with the person called Snow Fly.”

“I am her.”

“Eh?”

Kanon made a surprised face. She fidgeted while looking at Shiika’s face, then spoke.

“Kanon thought that since she was a super powerful, she’d be super scary… but you were actually this cute, huh. Oh, sorry, Kanon didn’t mean anything strange.”

“Eh. U-umm… I mean… thank you.”

Shiika and Kanon.

Although their positions were different, both stood at the top of many Mushitsuki and lowered their heads at each other.

“Don’t be fooled by her appearance. Fuyuhotaru—she really is a dangerous Mushitsuki.”

“Eh, but—”

“R-right. I am probably a dangerous Mushitsuki. So—”

Shiika smiled at Kanon.

“So… if you use that ring here, I will fight.”

If it was a scary opponent, she wanted to fight them alone if possible.

This was an action based on that.

However.

“No, we’ll all fight.”

She heard a voice from behind.

“Eh?”

Aijisupa, Namie and the rest who were supposed to be hiding—and other comrades—all appeared from within the mist together.

“Sorry, but we can’t listen to your orders. If we fight then it’s all of us.”

Namie said. The other members all nodded at once.

Shiika wanted to rebuke them—but nodded back.

“…Thank you.”

''Hey, Rina. If this were you, you would’ve gotten even farther and fought on your own, but—

In this situation, Shiika suddenly recalled her dead friend.

''It’s impossible for me. It’s scary, so I want everyone at my side—

Shiika was weak.

Was that good or bad?

The answer would probably come out in the future.

“F-fight? We can’t! Kanon’ll be killed in an instant!”

Looking scared, Kanon hid behind the headband boy.

Shiika tilted her head.

Something was strange about this.

“Kanon came here to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. Kanon does think it’s impossible, but, well…”

Even while fidgeting and hesitating, Kanon finally managed to wring out the words.

“Kanon wants you to cooperate so that we can put a stop to ‘Kanon-sama’.”