Editing Mushi:Vol3 Ch1

== '''Night 1: Black Dragon Black Snake Black Rat''' ==

(Omitted) -- Earlier, we discussed how many of the myths and tales in this world share similarities, and the universal ideas underlying them all. Here, I want to emphasize again that the similarities and common ideas between those myths come from the fact that the basic human psyche (the subconscious, or you could say the original ego) is the same for everyone.

One need only spend a day being human, and one would share those universal ideas (this is what I have, up to today, called "God"). Those universal ideas, obviously, are inseparable from human biological developments: being born, growing up, becoming old and dying.

Thought and body are both unable to escape maturation and deterioration. Just so, people created "God" over and over, and "myths" grew prevalent. And because we are human, despite a few differences, they were all basically the same.

For proof, and to clarify, I have organized the "Seven Properties of God" that I just discussed, that can also be called the "Seven Universal Items of Myths". Even though these are present in every type of myth, let's use the Christian Bible as an example, considering this may be a difficult concept to understand. 

1. Single Room/Genesis. (God creates the world. The birth of the world.)

2. Sterilization Disinfection/The legend of Noah's flood. (God is lost. Failure in creating the world → Reconstruction.)

3. <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Poison|Catastrophe}}</span>/Tower of Babel. (God's lesson. Paradise is lost.)

4. Unpleasant Counter-current/Angel. Sodom and Gomorrah. (God's judgement. Karmic retribution and humanity's resultant suffering.)

5. <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>/Moses and the Ten Commandments. The Savior. (Setting the commandment, heavenly revelation, miracles, prophet.)

6. <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span>/Devil. False prophet. (Neither a lesson nor a judgement. God's attack on humanity.)

7. God Mushi Emperor/Mark of the beast. Armageddon. (The final battle, end of the world.)



Every "myth" can be classified under one of these seven categories, each representing one of God's different personas as He rules this world, some kind, some harsh.

What I fear though is that these seven existences act as "God's personas", not "God" Himself. Earth has long ago lost the conscious being known as "God". We merely see a ghost of "God" through those seven personas.

Eternal life, the salvation of mankind, or miracles wrought by individuals; none of these things exist anymore. We have no recourse, no way to escape fate's torrents -- (Omitted)

-- "The Unified Structure of God and Me" by Akutagawa Shirayuki, student of Class 1-D of Kajōya Prefectural High School




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"So annoying."

Takamikado Mitaka - this peculiar name belonged to an average high school student in society, one who wore the uniform of Kannonsakazaki Private High School and had no outstanding traits.

That was clear -- at least, it should have been this way.

"Mitaka, did you get the notice? I will also be studying at this school starting in April."

It was lunch break in the area behind the Kannonsakazaki Private High School's dark main buildings. Just as Mitaka decided to eat in this deserted place, a girl said this to him.

Her clothes stood out in this place sullied with countless graffiti, grime and moss. Though Kannonsakazaki High School required students to wear its uniform, she wore everyday clothes in disregard of this rule. A black western-style dress adorned with a black ribbon; her gorgeous clothes and her cute, childish face didn't quite go together.

"Surprisingly, you have not come to pay your respects to me, the black dragon. Mitaka, have you no self-consciousness as a servant?"

She should have been --

"Mitaka" tried to remember, and recalled the name of the black-clothed girl who stood by leisurely.

"Kuroki Tatsue."

"Oh my, how arrogant, you dare call me directly by name?"

Kuroki Tatsue frowned, and held her black fan over her mouth. "Even considering that you are my childhood friend, and that you are older than I am, I would never permit you to address me by name! The Takamikado family are servants under the Kuroki family; have you forgotten that you have always been my servant? Mitaka, I am outraged!"

"Mitaka" remained silent, pulled out the raw egg that he bought from the convenience store as his lunch and put it in his mouth without even breaking it open. ''Crack.'' Even though it broke in his mouth, he calmly swallowed the thick liquid as well as the eggshell.

He thought back while eating his meal. No -- it was more like flipping through a book, reading through the memories of the Takamikado Mitaka he had eaten -- through the memories of the young man whose skin he wore. His childhood memories. Being badly injured after Tatsue kicked him down the stairs, being forced to do homework, and in the name of playing doctor having his belly cut open by Tatsue who was never fazed.

But they weren't all hateful memories that would send chills through people.

Saying "The little bird I raised is dead", Tatsue had cried in Mitaka's chest; she had sneaked into Mitaka's servant rooms in the wealthy Kuroki home and acted like a spoiled child, saying "I can't sleep after seeing a scary movie"; she had said to him with an innocent smile, "Mom praised me for my grades" -

Staying by that girl's side, he had watched her mature while developing a sense of inferiority due to his own unchanging self. He was jealous of Tatsue, he felt so inferior -- and yet he loved her deeply.

His feelings were a disgusting mix of love and hatred.

The young man named Takamikado Mitaka seemed to gloomily love Kuroki Tatsue, and when reading his daily thoughts it was hard to differentiate between curses and loving thoughts towards Tatsue. "Mitaka" sighed.

While eating the physical body, had he also consumed the soul? It was extremely troublesome, for he was now affected by Mitaka's thoughts and memories -- he too had special feelings toward Tatsue.

"Kuroki Tatsue."

He called out, and Tatsue immediately turned red and angrily replied, "You addressed me by --!"

"You should stop associating with me."

"Mitaka"'s eyes shone with golden light...just like a reptile's.

"I am not the Takamikado Mitaka whom you know."



"What... do you mean?" Kuroki Tatsue showed her bewilderment.

As the eldest daughter of the Kuroki family, a branch family of the Sakaki Organization that controlled the world with its wealth, she had not once been disobeyed by the lowly servant Mitaka. That childhood friend who wasn't manly in the least, who had neither confidence nor decisiveness and was always trembling in fear, should not have had this kind of courage.

But, Tatsue had always waited for this. From the past up to the present, she had waited for this boy named Takamikado Mitaka. For Tatsue, who spent her life being trained in the giant Kuroki family holdings and lacked a happy childhood, he -- was her only companion.



-- Mitaka, you must marry me one day.

-- Right, Tatsue, I will become an amazing man and marry you.



They had made such an innocent promise. That was when they were younger, before they understood anything. For Tatsue back then, the Kuroki holdings were her entire world, and the only male of her age in that narrow world was Mitaka. 

Girls remember past events more clearly than boys. No matter what, Tatsue could not forget that precocious promise, and not knowing better, thought it was the same for him.

The result was betrayal.

She was betrayed over and over again.

''Mitaka's such a liar, what was that about becoming an amazing man from so long ago? He's just becoming more and more useless and addicted to video games and otaku manga. His grades aren't good, he's physically completely inept, and even his face is incredibly average.''

Because of this, Tatsue would frequently take out her anger on Mitaka, hoping he would react by working to improve himself. But it was meaningless, nothing changed, and she ended up being betrayed again and again. 

Soon enough, Tatsue shook off these kinds of feelings, and stopped putting hope in him.

That was how it should have been.

"Mitaka."

Tatsue noticed her quickening heartbeat as she looked at the childhood friend that she had not seen for a long time. The person in her memories -- had messy hair, dressed weirdly, wore glasses that old people wore and was always downcast.

But the person in front of her -- didn't seem quite the same. How should she put it, this... how should she put it?

Handsome?

"Don't make jokes like that --"

With how things had been, how could she have feelings for Mitaka again? This was a mistake, a trap for her to be betrayed yet again.

But, but --

Perhaps he had dyed his straight hair, as the light color was quite beautiful. With a bit of gold, his strange eyes were bewitching. He looked straight at her without any timidity, yet spoke quietly as if he were whispering. He was captivating.

Tatsue couldn't stop her face from turning red, and shook her head firmly. What was she thinking?

"You are too arrogant, Mitaka! In front of I, the Black Dragon, who will one day defeat Guryū-onii-san and control the world, what kind of expression is that? Those rebellious eyes! And those kinds of words!"

"That's why I said -" Mitaka sighed in exasperation, not fearing Tatsue's threatening attitude in the least. "Man, didn't you understand me? Really - it's because of things like this that I think humans are annoying. Stuff like interpersonal relationships is too much for me."

He mumbled those confusing words, as he looked over at her with pupils that each contained a vertical golden slit.

"Tatsue, I doubt I can explain this well, so I won't talk too much. You, you're really better off cutting off contact with me. This world domination, black dragon stuff, no matter how much you brag you're just a normal human. A normal person shouldn't get associated with the world where I live."

Then, he added in a soft voice to himself: "I don't want to see Tatsue getting hurt and feeling pain because of me."

"Eh --"

Because of these profound words, Tatsue was red up to her ears. What was the matter? It hit the nail on the head, or perhaps it was more accurate to say the mood was getting dangerous. What was with this fascinating behavior, completely unlike his past self?

"Wh-what do you mean?"

''What's this, not wanting to see me hurt because of Mitaka? He's worrying about me, treating me as something precious? Wh-why?''

Tatsue's mind fell into a chaotic mess incapable of clear thought.

''I'm being weird today. It's all Mitaka's fault.''

In order to know more about her elder brother, Sakaki Guryū, the heir of the Sakaki Organization and the person she will have to defeat, Tatsue started to attend Kannonsakazaki High School, where Sakaki taught, from this spring. Tatsue had long known that Mitaka was a student at this school, and though she was sure that no miracle could have occurred, she called him out to check his growth.

And now Tatsue was bewildered.

Her confusion was caused by Mitaka's astonishing change.

"Do you get it?" Mitaka held his hand to his chest, speaking sincerely, "Takamikado Mitaka truly cares about you. If you were to be harmed, even I'd feel his pain."

"Ah. Ah -"

Thanks to these love-confession-like words, Tatsue giddily stepped backwards.

Was it a dream? Or reality? Her hopeless childhood friend had become so impressive, and even said he valued her - what was going on? Was - was it some kind of trap?

Tatsue looked around her, turning suspicious.

Mitaka watched Tatsue without saying a word. Tatsue wasn't accustomed to and couldn't stand that kind of tense atmosphere, and pointed at him with her fan, "D-don't look down on others, al-alright?"

She was too disturbed to even speak properly. Tatsue knocked on her head and seriously looked at Mitaka. ''How can I be disturbed by a small thing like this? One day, I will control the world. Stay calm, stay calm...''

Inhale. Exhale. After breathing deeply, Tatsue opened her fan with a flap. "I hope you will refrain from insulting me, Mitaka. To be honest, I still cannot understand what you were saying, but -"

Tatsue hastily used formal language to hide her loss of calm, and narrowed her eyes, "I am not a weak woman who requires your protection! No - I can prove it to you right here!"

''More accurately, I want to prove it.''

''I want to show my strong side and make him, who's being expressionless for some reason, smile and praise me.'' Upon noticing where her thoughts were going, Tatsue again turned red. She thought ''What in the world is wrong with me today?'' and shook her head.

Had those words reached Mitaka? Maybe he was on some sort of special treatment, swallowing that egg whole, and he was currently looking hungrily at a small bird perched on a nearby tree.

"What is it?" His expression seemed inhuman, almost...'reptilian' was the best way to describe it. But thinking about that could come later.

"Mitaka, look." Kuroki Tatsue had recently discovered this supernatural ability.

After watching something on television, she had decided it would be fun to try using her mind to levitate her teddy bear. When nothing happened a few attempts later she felt foolish, and in the end just fluttered her fan and shouted, "Fly!", as --

It flew.

The teddy bear was blown upward.

The brother who was not related to Tatsue by blood, and whom she needed to defeat, was a perfect being. Though Tatsue herself had a certain amount of artistic skill and studying ability, her brother was on a completely different level. With a PhD, an Olympic gold metal, and fame throughout the artistic world, his talent eclipsed hers by an incomparable degree.

Naturally, he was the heir to the Sakaki Organization, while Tatsue was merely a "spare". But just as Tatsue started to despair over this, her ability awakened.

''Brother definitely can't do something like this - this is my only advantage over him.''

She wasn't sure how her ability worked, nor did she know why or how she'd suddenly gained it.

But, for Tatsue, that ability was the only thing which she could proudly show to the world as the proof of her existence. "Mitaka, I don't know what you're so worried about, but no matter who becomes your enemy, no matter what happens, I, the Black Dragon, will magnificently help you to triumph!"

''So - watch carefully, and praise me.''

''Acknowledge me.''

And as her feelings were about to burst, Tatsue rapidly fanned her fan.

"Like this!"

Her long black hair rose up with the wind, and instantly - a cyclone appeared in front of Tatsue.

This caused Mitaka, who had his back to Tatsue, to finally pay attention, turning to stare at her with wide eyes. Seeing that poker face finally crack a little, Tatsue smiled smugly. "Ohohoho! Look at this mystery! This power! This is the mighty breath of a dragon!"

In front of Tatsue, the cyclone picked up fallen leaves as it advanced directly toward the giant tree planted behind the school.

Struck by the wind, its branches and leaves rustled and shook, the thick trunk cracked. Even the ground rumbled fiercely.

Suddenly-

"Whooaa -" came a sharp voice. ''Crash -'' Something fell down.

"Huh?"

Tatsue, who was starting to get full of herself, came back to her senses thanks to the unexpected event. She stared at the object that had fallen - a girl with her limbs outstretched and seeing stars.

A girl? Yes, it was a girl. After Tatsue had assaulted the tree using wind without warning, a girl had come tumbling down as if she was a little insect dislodged by the windstorm.

"Waaah. It hurts, it really hurts! Why?"

Suddenly, the girl got up. She wore a conspicuous hat with round ears attached and sported a curled up tail. With tears in her eyes, she started complaining. "Why? Why, why? What just happened? My afternoon nap was so peaceful, so why'd you bother me? Waaaahh, hyaa!"

Tatsue noticed that her right foot was bent in an unnatural direction. However, with a ''crack'' she twisted it back in place and easily stood up.

"Wah... Mmm? Who are you guys?"

The girl was startled. Her eyes opened wide, she seemed to be contemplating something. Perhaps unable to understand, she properly stated her name.

"As I am summoned, I shall gallop to present myself. Dundundundun ~ I am the unparalleled Unpleasant Counter-Current - Saibara Mitsuki."

"..."

"..."

In front of the girl holding a perfect pose, Tatsue and Mitaka were speechless.

They had no clue what she was saying.



There really were too many incomprehensible things, "Mitaka" sighed inwardly. He thought Takamikado Mitaka was just an ordinary student, so how could there be so much weirdness surrounding him?

And - as "Mitaka" suspected, could the world itself be losing its order?

"Mitaka" thought back to when he became "Mitaka".

It happened about a week before.



It was a coincidental opportunity.

"Mitaka" liked the night. It was tranquil, and more importantly, there were very few people.

For beings like "Mitaka", humans were merely food; however, about half a year ago - after being tortured by that person, "Mitaka" tried to avoid contact with people.

"Mitaka"'s original form was that of a black snake.

Just as he was skulking in the darkness, enjoying a late-night walk - he heard a sharp scream. A human. "Mitaka" didn't care if a human was about to die, or if someone suffered pain. But when humans approached death, it was likely for them to obtain an "Apple" that granted immortality.

And it was rather easy to snatch "Apples" away from humans who had just gained them. If he was lucky -- "Mitaka" thought like this, and in the end his greed carried him over to look.

He should have ignored that scream.



There was a monster, and a boy.

The monster glowed with a silver light; it was an ominous being. Its form was similar to that of a human, but its body was not made of flesh; rather, it was formed of sharp blades. Only its fiery red tongue looked organic as it stuck out, covered with saliva.

Recently, more and more beings called monsters had come to the town, and "Mitaka" knew this. Compared to humans or ordinary snakes, "Mitaka" was an existence more like a monster himself. So he knew that monsters, beings that waited eagerly in the other world invisible to humans and occasionally appeared to cause trouble or to endanger humans, were indeed multiplying. Though he wasn't particularly interested, the number of victims was increasing.

The boy was one of those poor victims.

"Mitaka" at the time still did not know that the boy's name was Takamikado Mitaka.

"Grrr, sssssssss."

Maybe the silver monster was satisfied with its kill, as it made an interesting sound and left.

But it didn't eat him, merely leaving him for dead.

This was rare for monsters, being more akin to human crime, but at the time "Mitaka" didn't find it strange.

"Mitaka" climbed onto a lamppost, and stared steadily at the teenager.

"I don't want to die..." the boy had moaned, sobbing with grief. "Mitaka" perfectly understood that sentiment, but knew that the boy's wounds reached his internal organs, and he would die for sure.

"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die..." Despite what must have been great pain, the boy continued to struggle.

"Why?"

"Mitaka" couldn't help asking. "Mitaka" also wanted to deny death, but why? Why did he want to live forever? Half a year ago that frightening girl had asked him that, yet "Mitaka" had no answer. From then on, he had constantly felt lost.

Why did he seek eternal life?

Was it just as the girl said - did he only want to fulfill his ancestors' dying wish, and gain the praises of those already in Heaven?

It seemed the slowly-dying boy did not know the reason either. He kept on enduring the pain, until he could no longer, and died.

Till the end, it seemed he was unable to understand why he wanted to live.

He was not gifted with a miraculous Apple, and he left behind only an unmoving corpse. "Mitaka", who watched his final moments, found him pitiable.

Not understanding his reason for living, and not knowing why he didn't want to die; just like that, he died in pain.

In that boy, "Mitaka" saw his future self.

Anger and confusion rose within him.

And so, "Mitaka" ate the boy's corpse.

By consuming every bit of flesh, "Mitaka" transformed into Mitaka.

Taking the form of eaten humans was an ability carried throughout "Mitaka"'s bloodline. Using that ability to repeatedly deceive humans, each successive generation sought "Apple"'s to the fullest xtent of their ability --

The clan of the Original Sin. The last snake was "Mitaka".

Was it for the final wishes of his ancestors who desired immortality? Was it to prevail over the words of that girl who denied him completely? Was it for the boy who pitifully died without understanding why he lived? Even "Mitaka" himself wasn't sure.

"I will find the meaning of living - both for me as well as for you."

"Mitaka" murmured to himself, and his transformation was complete. He also gained Takamikado Mitaka's thoughts and memories.

His goal to find immortality did not change. Though he would encounter endless cruelty, this was "Mitaka"'s instinct, his dearest wish. There was no way it could change.

But why did he want eternity? Why did he wish to push death aside?

The answer to this - became "Mitaka"'s objective.



And now.

Before achieving that goal, "Mitaka" couldn't even deal with unexpected situations.

That was because two incomprehensible beings had appeared at the same time.

One was was the object of this body's - Takamikado Mitaka's - twisted yet deep love, Kuroki Tatsue.

It seemed the body would react out of its own will to her slightest frustration, cry, or injury, making him suffer too. And there was her ability to manipulate wind. Even "Mitaka" did not understand the basis of that ability.

As for the other one, how should he put it, it was a girl who seemed to transcend this mortal world -

"It hurts." She lifted her right arm and made a pose.

"It hurts a lot." 

Then she raised her left hand, and with full-faced smile shouted enigmatically, "Fly away -"

The girl with the eared hat, a curled tail, and brown hair tied into pigtails remained unmoving in that pose. She wore Kannonsakazaki High School's slightly mundane uniform, and she gave off an air that seemed to clash with her childish voice and movements.

She clapped together hands encased in giant gloves, and looked over, "Mm, the pain flew away ...Wait? Huh?"

Then she stared at "Mitaka" and Tatsue, and blushed for no apparent reason.

"Aaahh, a boy and a girl behind the school, this I LOVE YOU scenario -- I-I, interrupted it. I'm leaving."

Like a panicking caged bird, the girl ran into the wall and then the tree, trying to escape while saying strange things.

But after walking a bit she suddenly stopped and ran over the backpack that was probably hers, which had fallen down with her.

The girl picked it up and seemed to be at a loss. "Aah, I forgot. Sis, sis are you okay? Are you hurt?

She said so as she nonchalantly took out a head--

--From the bag.

''She took out a head.''

"Wh-"

"Mitaka" gasped, and Tatsue turned pale.

It was the head of a young woman, with beautiful white hair tied into braids. Wearing her gloves, the girl delicately stroked the head, and her eyebrows dropped as tears started to appear in her eyes. "Are you alright, sis? Do you need me to make the pain fly away?"

"This --" Suddenly, and unbelievably, the head opened its eyes and looked over. They were cold eyes showing neither emotion nor mercy.

The head muttered, "Whatever, my situation isn't important."

She spoke in a monotone, but her words were ominous.

"Over there, there's a guy who's similar to a monster, and - though it's incomplete - there's someone with <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>'s powers."

The female head looked at "Mitaka" and Tatsue, and hatred twisted her expression. "A dirty monster and the traitor <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>, today's meeting is the first in a hundred years -- no, it's been longer then that, right?"

Then she raised her eyes to the girl holding her, and calmly ordered, "Mitsuki, God's conviction, God's angel. Use your merciless excretory organ -- your Unpleasant Counter-current 'role', and cleanse these two."

"Eh?" The girl that was commanded turned with confusion.

And with a frightful, emotionless voice completely different from her earlier innocence, "Since sis said so, I will obey."



The girl named Saibara Mitsuki instantly disappeared.

At least, that was what Tatsue saw.

Only flying dust and Mitsuki's afterimage remained.

"Bam, bam bam bam."

The sudden fierce noise made Tatsue look upward, and her eyes widened. How was that possible? She didn't understand.

Mitsuki was running up the vertical school wall, which was covered with vulgar words and graffiti with unclear meanings. She ran at an incredible speed as if she were on the ground.

"Wh - what."

Tatsue was frozen in fear. She merely watched that superhuman action without knowing its intention.

The windows scattered all over the wall were broken under Mitsuki's mad sprint. It was no illusion - then, in this situation, what was going on with movement like this?

"Haa -" With a battle cry, Mitsuki neared the roof with a single step and then turned to unhesitatingly jump down.

"No way!"

Facing Mitsuki's string of strange actions, Tatsue was completely unable to respond. Tatsue was great at studying, and she had no shortage of artistic talent, and she was decent even in athletics.

But she had never received any training for when an overwhelming opponent took such strange actions.

Saibara Mitsuki spread her arms, and fell with a smile on her face. "You'll be crushed flat as a pancake."

Jumping from that height that defied reason? But she couldn't be deceived by that action that seemed like a child's frolicking. Though she didn't know how much Mitsuki weighed, upon thinking about several dozen kilograms of flesh falling from the fourth floor, Tatsue's quick mind could understand the amount of force involved.

"What --" She'd be flattened.

"What kind of joke is this --" She would be flattened, just as Mitsuki said. Tatsue imagined her and Mitsuki's bodies mixed together in pieces on the ground, and turned white.

Yet her legs were already paralyzed, unable to move.

In this absurd situation, she was infuriatingly unable to move her body properly.

"Tatsue, stop spacing out!"

Suddenly, she was knocked from the side. Tatsue realized that Mitaka had forcefully rammed her, and the two rolled on the moss-covered ground.

It hurt, and -

"Please don't just touch me as you wish." Tatsue turned faintly red, and scolded Mitaka who was currently right in front of her face.

Her mind fell into chaos.

"Wow, you dodged it?" As Tatsue was busy being shy, a flesh comet with the appearance of a girl plummeted down.



''-- Splat.''



An unrealistic, manga-like sound. The ground shook, and a dark red liquid flew everywhere. Tatsue screamed.

Though she was unharmed thanks to Mitaka's help, the scene of the girl who fell from the roof and hitting the ground seemed to have been mentally scarring.

"Ahaha, I lost."

Saibara Mitsuki, who had become a devastated mess thanks to that fall, laughed whole-heartedly.

"Hee." She got up as if nothing happened. Her flesh was absolutely squashed, she bled profusely, a number of her bones stuck out of her skin and her face was also deformed.

"Since I took away my sense of pain, I can still fight, Ah, what's up with you two?"

With that face that was unbearable to look at, Mitsuki smiled. "Why so afraid?"

Then, she dragged her broken leg and walked over. That appearance was a bit dull compared to what one could see in horror movies developed with recent technology, but the feeling of reality was something movies could never replicate.



"Ah... ee -- Aaaaahhhh!" Tatsue collapsed on the spot from fear.

Upon seeing Tatsue like that, Mitaka immediately stood up and proffered his hand, "Tatsue, let's go!"

"Eh -- what?"

Tatsue could not respond quickly; her education was insufficient for an abnormal situation like this. In the human life she had been living, she stayed distant from these strange affairs as she should have --

Mitaka grabbed Tatsue's hand, and spoke seriously. "Falling from such a height yet still still surviving, how could that girl possibly be a normal human? My body's only that of a human, and it doesn't seem like you know how to fight... Damn it! Just hurry up and go -"

"That's right." A tranquil, female voice suddenly chimed in.

"Ki-chan, you are truly unsuitable for battle."

Tatsue looked over and saw the head, which had rolled out from the bag that should have fallen with Mitsuki, poke its face out. But, probably due to Mitsuki's protection, it was unharmed. "Don't I always say this? You must think everything through, like a cat on the hunt, for the smallest actions can produce the maximum results."

"I'm not a cat."

Like a mouse who had only ever been hunted and now that she was the hunter, Mitsuki tilted her head perplexedly, and walked over. "Sis, this time I'll beat them up directly."

"Tatsue, get up! She's coming!"

Though Mitaka was shouting at her, her limp body couldn't easily be put back into action. Tatsue tried to push herself up from the ground using her arms, but she slipped on the moss and fell.

"Uuh --"

Looking at the slowly approaching Mitsuki, Mitaka began spewing foul words. "What the hell is this, Takamikado Mitaka. You're a worthless coward, a weakling with no sense of courage."

He spread his arms, and stood as if protecting Tatsue. "Why? Why can't I abandon this person and escape by myself..."

Tatsue watched Mitaka, who shook as he protected her, and words slipped out. "Mitaka-chan."

She had once addressed her beloved childhood friend this way. Though he had started falling in depravity later, leading her to lose hope -

That was how it should have been.

''Why is he protecting me now? He's clearly frightened, but he's willing to stand up and save me.''

"Bang -" That would normally be a sound made by some innocent child. Mitsuki's pose with clenched fists lacked any sense of coherence. She just swung downwards with her arms spread wide open. If a professional martial artist -- like, say, a karate master -- saw this, he wouldn't be able to stand looking at the mistake-riddled movements.

However, her fist's destructive power belied its clumsy appearance.

Mitsuki swung her gloved hand and struck Mitaka directly. He flew like a playground ball, hit the school wall, and then fell down.

"Mitaka!" Tatsue screamed, and, unsteady in her movements, crawled up. She thought that just standing up was so difficult... while adjusting her pose.

Mitsuki looked into the backpack she carried, still without showing the slightest malice.

"How was that, sis? Did I -- punch well?"

"Why are you so foolish? You're still in the middle of a battle... Don't go easy, mercilessly beat down your enemies until they can no longer draw breath!"

''It seems like the head in the backpack is giving Mitsuki advice. I don't know whose head it is, but maybe I can gain an advantage if I separate it from her.''

"Actually -" From behind Tatsue, whose entire body was shaking as she gripped her fan, the woman's head looked at Mitaka. She said, "It seems we have gained something unexpected from this. Ki-chan - That monster is Snake. Look carefully!"

"Snake?"

Mitsuki stared at Mitaka with her bloody face, and Tatsue also turned to look. Mitaka trembled with his knees on the ground, trying to stand up.

His uniform had blown apart at his stomach where Mitsuki had punched him, revealing black skin that resembled a reptile's scales. But even as she watched, human skin suddenly flashed into existence, covering the black skin.

"What?" Tatsue looked on with a deathly pale face.

She couldn't understand. What was going on?

Though she may have simply seen wrong, it seemed too implausible that she had only mis-seen this one part of her ridiculous situation. Was there truly skin like black scales under Mitaka's human skin?

"The ones who scattered the Seven Great Fragments, who cast all humanity into damnation, the ultimate sinners on the earth - Snake."

The head smiled in delight, and said to Mitsuki who did not understand, "Kill him! Ki-chan, torture him to death! It was because of his ancestors that our bodies have become like this!"

Mitsuki looked at her own bloodied body. "Ah --"

She looked at the monster-like body that would not die no matter how badly it was injured, "His crime is really serious..."

And then, she continued to watch Mitaka with those empty yet bright eyes.

He'd be killed. Tatsue could feel Mitaka's impending death.

How scary. This girl with overwhelming attack power and an immortal body was terribly scary. It was indeed enough to make one think of fleeing.

But, sooner or later she needed to surpass her brother and become the most powerful person in the world. How could she possibly do that if she ran away here, unable to save even one person?

Besides, Mitaka was injured from protecting her.

"S-slow down!" Tatsue pointed her fan at Mitsuki, and gave a resounding order.

"If you want to kill Mitaka, you'll have to cross over my dead body first!"

"Tatsue!" Mitaka stood up with a pained expression, and shouted at Tatsue's back.

"Stop that, hurry up and go! Don't you know that you'll only get killed?'

"You're too loud for a subordinate."

Tatsue imagined the wind. Flying throughout the world, the wind was a symbol of freedom.

She had longed for the wind, in awe at its unrestrained might.

''So please, at least for now, wind - lend me your power.''

With her shivering fingers, she entwined the wind and blew at Mitsuki.

The breath of a dragon.

Tatsue still didn't understand the magnitude or source of this power, but it probably wasn't lethal. With good luck, though, she should at least be able to blow Mitsuki away. She would blow her far away, and the escape to a safe place with Mitaka.

"Aha." Mitsuki innocently smiled.

"You can't hit me with an attack this weak."

She spread her arms, looking at the tornado that flew over while picking up dust and leaves. "Even divine punishment would be deflected, and nuclear weapons can't harm me. If God Himself wishes me harm, I would dare to even kill Him. Unrivaled in this world, that's me, the unparalleled Unpleasant Counter-current!"

Mitsuki fluidly stretched her hand forward.

Her palm covered by her glove was hit by a blast of wind -

"Get you!"

And she grabbed it.

What??

She grabbed the wind, and rolled it together like she was kneading dough. She took the destructive power of the invisible wind - and rolled it into a ball.

"Begin!" Unbelievably, a hole opened on Mitsuki's belly.

Fierce, sharp teeth bit through her uniform, revealing her true form. Dripping with saliva, the teeth clattered. Mitsuki put the dragon's breath that she had rolled into a ball between the teeth.

"Chomp chomp chomp."

It ate the wind.

"What the..."

Tatsue was shocked into silence, only able to describe the action as "eating". The second, large mouth on Mitsuki's stomach that had bitten through her uniform forcefully wolfed down Tatsue's power.

"Ahaha."

Mitsuki seemed dazed as she put her hands on her cheeks and wiggled.

"Mm, mm, mm - There just isn't enough malice, but it's pure, and so tasty."

The change took only an instant.



The severe injuries that Mitsuki's body had sustained from dropping from the roof gradually disappeared, like time was rewinding. Wounds closed, bones re-entered her flesh, and the scattered blood rushed back into her body.

After a few seconds, Mitsuki's body had been completely restored.

"Bang -- Mitsuki's - Great - Revival."

Unbelievable.

Tatsue stood idly, her face pale, and lost her will to keep attacking. Victory was not possible against such a ridiculous opponent - this monstrous enemy with an unknown identity.

As Tatsue trembled in fear, Mitsuki smiled brilliantly. "It's not over."

She muttered to herself, and pried open the mouth on her stomach. "Karmic retribution, the angel of judgement; that's Unpleasant Counter-current's 'role'."

Mitsuki spoke with a smile, her voice truly seeming as innocent as an angel's.

"Pretty much any religion includes 'judgement on sinners,' - Karmic retribution, or punishment of humans based on the severity of their crimes. You guys watch closely. This is the power of Unpleasant Counter-Current, which annihilated the Cities of Sin, Sodom and Gomorrah, by causing their sins and evil to flow back into them!"

And instantly, a bullet filled with destructive power shot out from Mitsuki's stomach.

This attack was very similar to the impact of the wind Tatsue created, and its sole purpose was to strike down enemies.

Apparently to protect her, Mitaka rushed over, but he was too late. Tatsue's entire body tensed in preparation for dodging the bullet, but because everything happened too quickly she was unable to move.

Easily reflecting all of Tatsue's power, Unpleasant Counter-Current's attack -

"Bang."

"Huh?"

- brushed past Tatsue, merely lifting her long black hair.

That was all.

Mitsuki made an inane sound. Tatsue, shaking in fear, felt around herself, but she was completely unharmed -- she couldn't even feel any pain.

Tatsue found it strange, and looked at Mitsuki. Mitsuki was hugging herself and seemed to be contemplating.

And then, Mitsuki looked to her backpack - with a deep sigh, she mumbled, "Seems like it really won't work."

Her expression softened, and she approached Tatsue. Though Tatsue took a few steps back, she was too slow and couldn't help but allow her to get near.

Tatsue had no experience whatsoever with being beat up or trampled, and her fear rose. But --

The hand with which Mitsuki reached out was a request for a handshake.

"It's not working?"

Seemingly bothered by something, Mitsuki gripped Tatsue's hand. She could feel the glove's softness. Tatsue looked at Mitsuki with confusion, and Mitsuki said, "I can only fight against evil."

"Wait, what?"

Tatsue asked, and Mitsuki replied with puffed cheeks. "Basically, I'm Unpleasant Counter-Current - If my enemy doesn't think 'I want to kill this person', or 'HATE HATE HATE', or "I hate her so much', or 'So disgusting, it's way too disgusting', or other things along those lines, I can't fight. That's my 'role'."

Mitsuki unhappily turned around.

And then with a shake of her pigtails, she stared at Tatsue over her shoulder. "Why'd you two only care about protecting each other. Attacks that only have physical force, that only have pure feelings, it's useless for me to regurgitate them. There's nothing I can do, so I won't fight anymore."

"Wait - Ki-chan?" From her backpack came the head's voice.

"What are saying all on your own? If you can't beat them with Unpleasant Counter-Current, you can just eliminate them with your bare hands. With your physical strength it would be easy to take them out in a fight. "

"I don't want to do that." Mitsuki murmured, in absolute rejection. "These two don't seem to be Gankyū or <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span>; and besides, I just want to be Unpleasant Counter-Current, not Sterilization Disinfection like sis. I can't and don't want to kill people who aren't evil."

And with that pledge, the absurd girl who called herself Unpleasant Counter-Current smiled. "Then, excuse me."

"Wait - Ki-chan! Stop!"

It seemed that voice was still angrily shouting something, but Mitsuki ran away without listening to it. Mitaka fell into silence, and Tatsue also did not speak.

Once they could no longer see Mitsuki's back - a bell finally signaled the end of lunch. 



"There's a spirit of death living in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town."

"Rei-chan, what's that idiot Miku talking about now?

"Heehee.

"Three years ago, didn't a factory close down due to the recession or something? I don't know which factory it was, but it's said that a spirit of death started living there at one point."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Miku's always bursting with pointless rumors, I like it!"

"Your boobs should just shrink and you can just die!"

"You i-idiot. Stop dragging me."

"Plus, that spirit of death actually fights for justice. Every night it goes to exterminate the monsters wreaking havoc in town."

"The monsters you're talking about... eh? The one in the rumors lately - what was it called again?"

"Ah, I think I saw it in the newspaper."

"Right, I heard about it too. It seems a lot of people have been seeing weird beings recently. What a pain, Long-Armed Demon is finally gone, but monsters are coming to slaughter people in its place. Man, this world is so weird!"

"Don't just ignore me. Don't ignore Miku and chat happily!"

"Rei-chan, the idiot got lonely and she's saying disgusting things."

"Why do you have to consult me whenever Miku does something?"

"Hehe."



This silver monster was a humanoid blade. Its basic shape was the same as a human's, but no one would have confused its body made of blades, which cut with every touch, for a human.

"Clank, tssss."

The monster walked in the abandoned factory while making a sound like rubbing metal.

What was this factory? Was it a building that had, after being shut down for some reason, become corpse-like and uncared-for? The monster was not sure, and it did not care either.

"Clank, tssss."

It may have felt excited, as thick saliva dripped from its outstretched red tongue.

There was a skillfully concealed open hole in the factory's wall. That person used it as an entrance and lived here.

The monster wanted to kill that person very much.

"Tssss, clank."

There were unmoving conveyor belts, mountains of cardboard boxes, fine machinery with unknown purpose and a workstation that was slightly dirty. Sand and dust accumulated on the ground like snow, and small footprints imprinted on top led further in.

The monster looked deeper into the building and gave an ominous smile.

There were no eyes on its face, only a mouth cluttered with uneven sharp teeth. Its tongue hung outside its mouth, sliding across its face. It walked forward while keeping its body low.

It silenced its footsteps, and held its breath.

"Ggii, huhu."

Yet, it still made excited breathing sounds, and its voice sounded different because of its joy.

There was a wall of cardboard boxes in front of it, and though it couldn't see clearly from its current position, there was something shining deeper in.

A lamp? Or a flashlight? The dim light couldn't sufficiently light up the gloomy factory, but - it could sense that that person was here.

"Nn -" The monster walked over, and heard a voice. It was like a young boy's, but listening carefully, it could tell that the speaker was actually female. In a guilt-free voice, "Ah, man. This thing's so - what's the word, novel? <span id="Konnyaku">[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes#Konnyaku|Konnyaku]] jelly? Is it konnyaku or jelly? Mmm, what a novelty... I need to try eating every once in a while."

[[Image:Mtm3_chap2.jpg|125px|thumb|Guriko]]

She seemed to be eating, what with the clanking of cups and plates and that contemplating voice.

The monster noiselessly approached the voice that kept going "What a novelty", and, standing in front of the wall of cardboard boxes, it raised its blade arms -

It grinned in joy.

"Who is it?" The girl suddenly shouted, noticing its movements. But it was too late.

"Ooohhhh!"

With a giant roar, the monster spun its body and tore down the cardboard wall. It raised its blade arms and swung as it stepped forward, one foot after another. It spun forward, cutting through the cardboard boxes. Right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg.

"Right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, right leg -" Suddenly, from above the monster's head, where pieces of cardboard it had chopped were sent flying, came a voice. "Slicing while spinning -- just like a top."

After hearing that, the monster shook with surprise - and it slowed down.

"In other words, if your head is stopped, the rest of your body will follow suit and stop."

With a thump to its head, it was forced to a standstill.

"Once you stop... it's easy to strike you down."

As that voice came from its back, the monster was knocked into the cardboard pieces it had cut up. It stopped with a violent thud on the wall - and turned to look at the enemy who had struck him from behind.

Still in her kicking position, a girl coldly looked over. "What -- it was a monster."

She had emotionless eyes like the barrels of a gun, and bizarre, wolf-like hair. She wore jeans and a jacket that for some reason had the words "Rock'n Roll" printed on it.

"Then, let's go." The enemy who had struck the monster - Gankyū Eguriko, thus declared.



As Guriko faced the silver monster, she thought of the days after she separated with Rinne and Sakaki.

Her ancient, thousand-year-old body had long lost a sense of time. The days passed through Guriko's flesh at a startling speed.

Half a year, it had been half a year.

Rinne had been turned into a Meat Doll by Sterilization Disinfection, and Guriko had spent the time since wandering the world, searching in vain for a way to turn her back. Despair started to fill her thoughts, almost driving her mad at times.

But her imperiled sanity was supported by -

The days, though incomparably short compared to her own life, that she spent in happiness with Rinne and Sakaki.

''I just want to re-live our time together. As long as I succeed, I don't care what I need to do.''

Guriko thus pledged to herself; though weakness was growing within her heart, she continued to press on.

"I thought I could find something just by coming here."

"And then? Did you find what you were looking for, Yono?"

Far away from Kannonsakazaki, it was the road she had long ago walked with the companions who had given her their Apples and then disappeared - <span id="Kudan and Kirigirisu">[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes#Kudan and Kirigirisu|Kudan and Kirigirisu]]</span>. Guriko thought that if she traced her journey with those two, who had known so much more than herself, something would come out of it. But she didn't find anything noteworthy. In the end, she came to the place where she died, where a gloomy man awaited her.

"Zekiguchi Nashinori."

"Hehe. I am honored that you remember."

His black hair was tied intricately, and, standing exceptionally tall, he had eyes resembling a wolf's.

He was a man with both a priest's air elegance and a beast's fierce temper.

A thousand years ago - back when Guriko was still called Yono, this man had killed her.

"Zekiguchi... what's going on?" Guriko took out her spoons, and looked at him, her voice shaking.



"Why is there nothing here?"



Guriko shouted. The entire area had nothing. It was a flat wasteland that was difficult to describe. Without even a weed, the barren plain stretched to the horizon.

A millennium ago, Guriko and her adoptive parents lived here with their tribe.

The natural stone home that she would surely have been shut in during the plague.

Even the waterfall from which she had fallen to her death was no longer there.

She had considered that the landscape changed over a thousand years. But even so, no matter how she thought about it, it was impossible for her home from a thousand years ago to disappear without a trace.

"Hehe." Zekuguchi gave an unsuitably innocent laugh, and calmly spoke to the rattled Guriko.

"This time, you've gained suspicion." For some reason, those unclear words rang in her heart.

"Does my hometown really exist? Was I really picked up by those parents, living in that impoverished tribe? Did I really die falling from that waterfall? Are my memories accurate?"

Facing the cheerfully sneering Zekuguchi, Guriko shouted, "What do you know!"

She rapidly threw her spoon.

"Talk! What do you know about me? If you lie I'll gouge out your eyeballs!" Guriko pointed at the spoon sticking out by Zekiguchi's feet, and glared at him seriously.

"That was my last warning. Now talk!"

"Eyeballs?" Zekiguchi, for the first time, withdrew his smile and put on an incredulous expression.

"I never taught you that, where'd you learn that. Oh well, do as you wish, gouge them out if you so desire."

As he spoke, on his cheeks, his forehead, his chin - even outside his face, on his neck, his shoulders, and palms, countless eyeballs appeared.

"Wh-what..."

All of his eyes simultaneously looked at Guriko, and Zekiguchi smiled leisurely. "My ability is to transform and modify my body. Well - that isn't important."

Zekiguchi looked at Guriko with a sincere expression, and said with a low voice, "If you want to know the truth, then go back to Kannonsakazaki."

Kannonsakazaki, where Sakaki and Rinne lived. The town where Guriko's hope and despair coalesced - the truth was there?

"What's going on?"

Guriko asked, but Zekiguchi smiled with answering.

In the end, he merely looked at Guriko with kind eyes. "Investigating the past is useless. In this world, only the present exists."

He said those baffling words softly, and then disappeared like an evening cloud.



After Guriko thought it over, suspecting a trap, but in the end she followed Zekiguchi's words.

And after a few weeks, she returned to the town.



"Again -" She quickly noticed the town's unusual atmosphere.

There were too many monsters.

"Monsters."

Monsters - they normally hid in another dimension, popping in from time to time to eat humans. They were beings only at that level. Their breed was a mess of oddities, and there were many mysteries about them. For example, they did not leave corpses after they died, disappearing into the air instead, and there were many other unclear things.

Because of Guriko's resolution, she would not return to Rinne's place before finding a cure for her. As a result, for the time being, she decided to hide and secretly eliminate monsters that threatened Rinne's safety.

She didn't know why this abnormality with monsters was occurring.

But, she felt, unless she found and eradicated its source, she could not set out on another journey with peace of mind.

"Clack, clack, tsss."

The silver monster made a shuddering noise as it stood there; she couldn't tell if it was laughter or scraping metal. Its entire body was inorganic, save for the red tongue hanging outside that seemed particularly disgusting. Guriko frowned, and took out a spoon to throw at it.

"Clank."

The monster didn't even budge as the stainless steel spoon bounced off of its solid body and fell to the ground.

"Speaking of which, this guy doesn't have eyeballs. How troublesome."

Guriko mumbled to herself, watching the smiling monster that was stationary save for its tongue. Guriko was only armed with spoons. Actually, she had a last resort, but that would squander her Apple's power, so she couldn't overuse it. Plus, a few months back she had lost an arm to the enemy known as Sterilization Disinfection, and though her immortality provided her with regenerative ability, it did not seem able to restore that arm which had been completely dissolved.

Then, how should she proceed?



"The most vile crime that can be committed - what do you think it is?"

Suddenly, a voice came from somewhere. It clearly sounded like an old person's raspy voice, yet somehow it resounded within her mind.

Who was talking?

It wasn't the monster in front of her. As she thought that the voice seemed to come from the abandoned factory's ceiling, it suddenly came again, this time from behind her.

"Murder? That's definitely heinous. Corruption? Newspapers target that all the time. Imprisonment? Suddenly taking away a person's freedom, that's excessive without a doubt. Deceit? Even elementary schoolers know not to lie."

The voice seemed like it was playing with Guriko who had raised her guard, as it unhurriedly continued.

"Then. After make a list of crimes like this, it can be seen that a single factor links them all together. That is, to take something from others without heed to rules or principles - that is crime. The act of breaking the law for self gain is known as crime, and one will be punished as a result."

"Who are you?" Guriko shouted, aiming spoons in every direction for the purpose of scaring the speaker. But, it seemed - the only ones in the factory were herself and the monster in front of her. Could it have been something like a pre-prepared recording? Or was this monster in front of her speaking with some mysterious method?

"Taking money, taking lives, taking hearts, taking trust. Stealing, nothing but stealing. What are crimes like that called? What is the ultimate crime that covers every type of crime? Hmm, you should know -- '<span id="Berobōchō">[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes#Berobōchō|Berobōchō]]'?"

The monster that was called Berobōchō spat out its red tongue, and while laughing it replied to the voice: "Robbery!"

Demonstrating a hominid-like behavior, Berobōchō noisily rubbed its hands together and sliced cardboard boxes apart for no particular reason.

"That's right. It's robbery. You over there. This monster's original name was Shigure Benimaru, and he committed the ultimate crime, robbery, for a living. He took lives, he took money, he took jewels, and he took dignity. The evil <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span> liked that about him, and changed him into this."

With a tone like that of a superb movie, the voice spoke to the surprised Guriko.

"Ahh, no response. Is this person like your brothers?

These unintelligible words made Guriko's expression change.

"What are you talking about. Who are you! Just how much do you know about me?"

"Me? I am <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>. I do savior-esque things."

It gave its name as if making a joking, but each word came from a different place, and like before it was impossible to locate.

"Ahh. You do not need to be so worried about me. I am a timid coward who cries a lot, and that is why I am called <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>."

In that string of unexplained terms, Guriko recognized a few words. That is - a few months back, Sterilization Disinfection had said those words. God Mushi Emperor, Unpleasant Counter-current, Single Room, <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Poison|Catastrophe}}</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>.

"Are you the same as Sterilization Disinfection?" Guriko thought of that fearsome woman, and held onto her shoulder to which no arm was attached.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> unhappily raised her voice. "I'm terribly sorry. The Seven Great Fragments are all separate individuals. It would bother me if you considered us all companions. But, you seem like you do not know anything, so I cannot blame you for misunderstanding."

The voice gathered at one point, and gently said, "Mmm, is there anything you wish to know?"

Guriko's expression disappeared from her face.

''There are things I want to know that I would trade for with my life. I want to know how to cure Rinne, who turned into a Meat Doll because of me -''

Possibly realizing something from Guriko's face, <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> cheerfully spoke.

"There's something you want to know, correct? You should be fine with me telling you, right? I, the savior <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>, will show the divine way to the lost lambs. Guiding toward the proper path - that is my 'role'... and this."

After thinking for a short while, the voice muttered, like a demon, "One Fragment, or five Fragments."

Just as Guriko scrunched her eyebrows, <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> coldly stated her request.

"So, what I was saying was - I will tell you what you wish to know. So you must pay an appropriate price... this will take five of the small Fragments you call 'Apples'. Or, one of the Great Fragments that act as God's personas."

The savior demanding for equivalent exchange calmly said, "Sterilization Disinfection's goal seems to be collecting all of the pieces, and restore 'God's existence. This goal is quite different from mine or <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span>'s. After all, no matter how many fragments you collect it will not be enough. Why? I am the omniscient <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>. So as long as you pay with Fragments, I can answer virtually any question you have."

Faced with this offer, Guriko thought for a while. <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> might have been the same kind of being as Sterilization Disinfection, and getting favors from such a being made her feel uncomfortable; she even felt a sense of danger. But Guriko had made an oath, that even if she had to sell her soul to the Devil - she would let Rinne recover.

"Fine." Determination shone in Guriko's eyes as she lifted her head and faced the emptiness. "I don't know what your goal is, but as long as you get the information I want I'm fine with it. Five Apples, or a Great Fragment, correct? I currently do not have that, so I will go collect them."

"Mmm. I have heard that you fought with Sterilization Disinfection. Her heart that you took, that is a Great Fragment!"

Hearing <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>'s surprised voice, Guriko coldly sneered.

"That's your goal? Too bad, I don't know about that. I tossed that thing back when I killed her.”

“Oh –” The intriguing echo reverberated throughout the abandoned factory.

“That’s fine. It’s fine as long as I receive the Fragments. I await your struggles… Berobōchō, let’s get back.”

“Gyah!” 

With a roar, Berobōchō charged at Guriko like a wild animal. Though Guriko responded quickly, some of her hair was sliced off.

“Ugh, what are you doing!”

Guriko pulled out her spoons and prepared to fight, yet <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>’s admonishment stayed her actions.

“Hey! Berobōchō, do not move without permission!”

“Clank, tssss, Katsssss.”

Berobōchō made a metallic rubbing noise as it wriggled its tongue, laughing as it jumped around in provocation. And then, it turned and turned in an all-destroying tornado, bringing ruin to the factory’s equipment.

“Aagh, this person’s unstable right now. Losing Long-Armed Demon was indeed a big loss. She was easy to order around… That vile <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Ultimate Shield|The Weakest}}</span>, dumping on me such a troublesome subordinate!”

“!”

A surge of power burst out. Berobōchō shrieked “Wuah?” like a whipped dog and ran out of the factory as if fearing something. Apparently <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> did something – but what exactly was done was unclear. Guriko didn’t see anything, but her hair was blown by wind. 

<span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span> seemed to have calmed down for the time being, and continued speaking with the same tone as before. “Then – Gankyū Eguriko, I await your good news. I am the all-knowing sensory organ – if you need anything you may call for me directly.”

Upon finishing that statement, this person left behind a wondrous echoes and disappeared.

Guriko subconsciously gazed over the wrecked factory for a while, and then sighed and stared at the spoon she tightly held. “Steal Fragments from other people – and then find out the means of curing Rinne through a deal with <span style="text-decoration: underline">{{H:title|Melodia Noise|Tear Song}}</span>.”

She muttered to herself, and feebly lowered her eyes.

“This isn’t wrong, is it? I didn’t make another mistake, did I? Rinne, Sakaki – mom, dad.”

She thought of those important people who were not by her side, and whom she may never see again.

Tear out the heart, or take it after dealing a severe wound – those are some of the few methods to take Apples. Yet Guriko could not imagine herself doing such things to humans she did not know.

But…

“I’ve already decided to become a monster.”

Alone, Guriko quietly murmured.




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