Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 13 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.04 OPS3 Part 9 ==

Kakkou was a Mushitsuki who held the same dream as Shiika.

He was the strongest in the SEPB, a Rank 1, and was feared as a demon. Shiika didn’t think he was a bad person, but since he was at times heartless, he would definitely do this.

All in order to accomplish his goal as the strongest Mushitsuki leading the SEPB.

No matter who begrudged him, who hated him, he would wield his power and fear to advance.

As a surviving Rank 1—should Shiika choose the same path as Kakkou?

“…”

Having appeared on the Horiuchi household roof, Yuu was glaring at Shiika with an expression of rage.

Shiika stood up and faced Yuu. Being faced with this exposed hatred, she felt sweat form on her brow.

“You’re not Yuu-chan… you’re Erii, right?”

The dress-wearing girl offered no answer to Shiika’s question.

“Why are you staying silent?”

Perhaps feeling Shiika’s anxiety, the firefly overhead increased its glow.

[[File:Mushi Uta 13 p137.jpg|thumb]]

“…!”

The thing in Yuu’s shape grimaced.

She probably thought Shiika was about to harm the Horiuchi family. Shiika felt her heart throb at this fleeting sight of Yuu’s dismay.

Without any doubt, Shiika was threatening her.

She had supposedly resolved herself for this, but her chest was being constricted by guilt and self-hatred.

If this was Kakkou—he wouldn’t show any weakness here. Rather, he would destroy the entire building to agitate his opponent.

“Answer me. Erii.”

Shiika bit her lips, but she was unable to take any further action. Even now that she took those who treated her so kindly as hostages, she was crushed by extreme regret.

Herself and Kakkou.

Both Rank 1 Mushitsuki with the same dream.

Even so, she was unable to take the same action as Kakkou despite being a step away.

Was it because Shiika lacked resolve?

“Move away from C, Shiika.”

Suddenly a voice called at her from the side.

Having arrived at the roof at some point, Aijisupa stood in one corner. The hairband boy held his arm away a moment from snapping his fingers toward C.

“She really did appear… so Fuyuhotaru’s intuition was right.”

On the other side of the roof was Namie, her long hair fanned by the wind.

“It doesn’t seem like it was intuition, though.”

At yet another corner of the roof also stood Lucifera, who was glaring at her cellphone screen.

Something that looked like smoke gathered next to Lucifera and a petite girl appeared. —She was their comrade who had a teleportation ability. She’d apparently brought all of them to the rooftop.

“Fuyuhotaru-san had apparently meant to use these people as hostages to bring out C all along—wait, really? Fuyuhotaru-san did that?”

“What?”

“No way… Are you being serious, Fuyuhotaru?”

Aijisupa and Namie startled and looked at Shiika.

There was the sound of the roof creaking from further behind.

Coming up to the ceiling from the same direction Shiika came—was Kakkou’s older sister, Ayukawa Chiharu.

The girl called Satou Youko was also there.

“—I-I mean.”

She averted her eyes to escape Chiharu’s gaze and looked back at Shiika.

“I had no other choice… there was no time and we must have Yuu-chan back.”

Biting her lips, Shiika clenched her fists.

“Because we must have our strategy work—”

She heard a giggle from behind.

Shiika’s heart leapt.

Chiharu was finally about to curse her—

She thought this and was assaulted by unimaginable fear, but she was wrong.

“You’re just like—that person called Kakkou, are you not?”

The one who laughed was Satou Youko, who was standing next to Chiharu.

“I do think Kakkou wouldn’t use any excuse, though.”

“…!”

She felt her own face warming up.

No matter how much she tried imitating Kakkou, in the end it was only an imitation.

Shiika didn’t have the kind of strength Kakkou possessed—

“I do think you have it in you, though? I mean, I believe that she would’ve have appeared here so easily if you hadn’t made a performance like you really were going to kill her family.”

“…”

“Or did you actually seriously consider doing that for a moment?”

Shiika’s heart once more throbbed and jumped.

“If that’s true, you might be hiding even worse cruelty than Kakkou’s. Looks like you’re back to your senses for now, but it might be that this very fact—that very strength that allows you to mercilessly erase other people with any ‘excuse’—is the reason for you being a Rank 1, Shiika-chan…”

Just like a grim reaper’s scythe.

The blade of those cold words carefully stroked Shiika’s neck from behind.

However, since Shiika feared seeing what expression Chiharu was making, she couldn’t look around—

“Shut up.”

Aijisupa turned his arm toward Satou Youko.

“She’s right. You’ve managed to summon C like that.”

“…He’s right. Outsiders should shut up.”

Namie also glared at Youko.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry. I’ve said too much. I’ll shut up now, alright?”

She spoke in a completely different tone, then added something else.

“But one final thing. —Is this girl really C?”

Hearing those words, everyone focused their gazes on Yuu.

Yuu had not spoken a single word. Even while they were all talking among themselves, she simply kept glaring at Shiika, unmoving.

“You are Erii… right?”

Shiika asked again.

She had no idea what Erii was thinking, to control Yuu’s body like this. However, she kept glaring at Shiika, she had the heart symbol that fit her tastes, and above all else, she appeared to protect the Horiuchi family home—her own birthplace.

However, Shiika didn’t understand why the girl kept silent.

She didn’t even shower Shiika with curses after seeing her attempt to do something so horrible—

“…”

Yuu suddenly averted her gaze.

While being dyed by the setting sun, her profile was directed toward the western sky.

Judging from her severe expression, did she find even the mere act of speaking with Shiika disgusting?

“Doesn’t look she wants to talk. —We stand out too much here. Should we neutralize her and take her with us?”

White steam began rising from Aijisupa’s extended fingertips.

A heavy sense of tension drifted on the rooftop.

“…There is no need for that. I don’t know who she is, but she seems to understand the meaning behind our words and action. It should end with a single sentence from Snow-san.”

For some reason, Lucifera spoke with discontent while looking at her cellphone.

“’Come with us. If you refuse—I’ll kill the people in this house’ is all she needs to say.”

“…!”

Everyone gulped.

And—their gazes focused on Shiika.

“—”

There was no way she could say that—

When Shiika noticed Yuu looking at her with even more hatred in her eyes even as Shiika hesitated, she understood.

Shiika couldn’t allow herself to be swept away by her emotions right now.

“…Please do as we say.”

Biting her lips, she spoke in a low voice at Yuu.

Perhaps actually feeling Shiika being more earnest as she wrung out these words—the girl that looked like Yuu grinded her teeth so hard that even Shiika could hear it.

The girl let both arms fall to the sides. She was apparently showing that she wasn’t going to resist them.

“Wow, scary.”

Satou Youko’s mumble tore deep gashes into Shiika’s back.

“Alright… let’s move.”

Aijisupa cautiously approached Yuu and restrained her arms.

By managing to secure Ebina Yuu for now, the tension resolved. Aijisupa and Namie took Yuu and jumped off the roof. Lucifera also followed them.

As Shiika looked for a place she could get off the roof from—

“They say that you once turned most of the SEPB Mushitsuki into Fallen, right?”

Someone whispered in her ear.

“…!”

Having approached her at some point, Satou Youko now sat right behind her.

“What sort of an ‘excuse’ did you have back then?”

Several years ago, when Shiika was still an elementary schooler.

Shiika became a Mushitsuki and, as a result of her rampage, had annihilated the Mushitsuki from the SEPB.

Back then—

Shiika had been unable to restrain her Mushi.

She did nothing and it was the SEPB that came to attack.

She had this excuse.

“You actually haven’t thought of anything, right?”

As Youko grinned at her, over her shoulder—

Chiharu’s face was glaring at Shiika.

“As expected from a Rank 1—You’re all monsters, aren’t you?”

''No.

''I’m not a monster—

Before she could deny this, the teleportation girl cut between Shiika and Satou Youko.

Being glared by the girl, Satou Youko retreated with a smile.

“Ah, so scary. So truly scary.”

“…”

Shiika bit her lips and spoke toward the girl who was going to move her down.

“…I can get down by myself, that’s fine. You can go ahead first.”

The teleport girl made a worried expression, but nodded and became smoke. The puff of smoke moved from the roof to the surface.

Shiika, who remained alone on top the Horiuchi household roof, mumbled to no one in particular.

“—I actually thought that even if I didn’t come… Erii would come here.”

Just like she aimed for, Erii arrived at this region.

However, the reason for it wasn’t because Shiika made her family hostages.

Because she had a certain wish.

“Because if she really is going to vanish, she wanted to at least have her farewell before that…”

If Shiika had spoken of this reason, would her comrades have come all the way there?

They would probably refuse.

Since they had no time, this sort of naïve sentimentality wouldn’t pass.

“Because I was the same…”

Since she was a Mushitsuki as well—

These words shouldn’t be spoken by Mushibane’s leader.

Leaving these words behind in her heart, Shiika climbed down the roof.