Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 14 Chapter 1 (section)

== 1.05 Rina Part 3 ==

The divine shrine looked as though it was falling down from heaven.

Reflected in Rina’s eyes was the solemn and austere forms engraved into the pillars that supported this structure. It was even larger than the dome on the surface. From somewhere in this large shrine, illuminated by the sun as though blessed by the heavens, a beautiful bell sound could be heard.

[[File:Mushi Uta 14 p074.jpg|thumb]]

“Recall...”

A soprano voice echoed on the surface.

The camo-suit man wrapped in heat haze clutched his chest and fell to his knees.

“Uuh—“

“The dream you’ve had in days past... those important feelings that you’ve already forgotten—“

It was a girl’s voice as clear as a bell. Rina looked around her.

“That voice... is it C? It sounds just like—“

“—Shinpu, yeah.”

Shachito spoke while looking above.

“Well, it’s gone through quite the makeover when compared with his Church, though...”

“Think of your dream... I shall purge all foul, worldly thoughts that made you forget it...”

The heat haze engulfing the camo man seemed to be trying to assume some form.

Watching this scene, Rina came to realize what she was witnessing.

“She’s taking a non-Mushitsuki person—and trying to make them a Mushitsuki?”

Those who could birth Mushitsuki were called the Original Three. They were numbered according to their title.

So had C become able to give birth to Mushitsuki by absorbing one of them? Not to mention, with a person who already went past puberty, too—

If so, then it would go past the category of a Mushitsuki.

She would already become—a new kind of Original Three.

“A-a lot of people haven’t woken up yet... And the noise’s becoming louder than before...”

Watching Lucifera desperately operate her cellphone with a side glance, Rina groaned.

“Miguruma said something about this. She’s sweeping off the old Mushitsuki—meaning us—to create new Mushitsuki?”

Rina gritted her teeth, leaping down from the seven-spotted ladybug. She made her Mushi fly up. It started getting absorbed into the large shrine.

“But if she’s thinking she can do that right in front of my eyes—she’s pissing me off.”

A small spot was gouged into the center of the floating shrine.

A spot became a hole, and a hole became a cave—

An explosive roar and shockwaves shattered the solemn shrine.

Violent sounds of destruction and gusts of wind rained down on the surface and all clouds in the sky parted, creating a perfect circle of sky. Electronic ringtones, beautiful bell sounds and C’s voice were all gone, and thin fragments of debris started raining down on them.

“Hah...! Hah...!”

While adjusting her breathing, Rina looked up the sky.

As if the scenery from just before was a mere hallucination or illusion, the large shrine was gone without a trace.

After having destroyed the shrine with a single, full-powered blow, the seven-spotted ladybug came down from above.

“If this was the conduit of her power like with Shinpu’s Church, then that should—“

As the surface regained its silence, people started coming back to consciousness, standing there in shock. Even the camo suit-wearing man who was wrapped in a heat haze seemed to come back to his senses without any issues.

“—I’m glad the first Mushitsuki I’ve met wasn’t you.”

Turning back toward Shachito’s voice, Rina was startled.

All of those who were late in escaping gathered around Rina.

“If it was, I would’ve fallen head over heels with how amazing you are.”

The boy carrying the hockey stick on his shoulder grinned as he passed next to Rina. His face was pale, perhaps due to expending almost all of his power. —Apparently he’d run out of power and gathered all the delayed Mushitsuki under Rina. And in a split instant, to boot.

“Still, if I would’ve relied on you—I definitely wouldn’t have gotten any stronger.”

Shachito spoke, then started running.

“Sorry, but that’s about as much as I can do. I’m a warrior, so I need to be part of the strategy to defeat the enemy. —Unlike you.”

“…Thank you. I will pray for your success in battle.”

As Rina thanked him, Shachito left a smile behind. He started running to where Haji Keigo and the rest went to, so apparently he no longer even had the power to teleport.

“Lady…”

Lucifera looked to Rina with a worried face. The other Mushitsuki did the same.

“…”

The camo-wearing soldiers couldn’t understand what was happening. They just stood in place, confused.

It didn’t seem like C was going to reappear. Had they managed to actually inflict some damage to her by destroying her conduit—or was she just preserving her powers?

It was their only chance to retreat.

“Let’s look for a safe place while we can.”

It would probably be impossible to catch up to Haji Keigo and the rest while carrying the wounded.

She recalled her past as Tachibana Rina.

That night of the meteor shower—

Rina had given up on directly participating in that decisive battle that gathered the Rank 1s.

It was the same as that time.

Although she knew she was just repeating her actions—

“I’m going! Come with me!”

She was simply the weak Mushitsuki called Tachibana Rina—

“I’ll protect everyone…!”

While dragging behind her both the Mushitsuki seeking help as well as the ghosts clinging to her legs—

She ran, aiming for a peaceful paradise.