Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 8 Epilogue

==Epilogue: Restart==
She put the last of the costumes hanging in the closet inside the cardboard box.

Since she only left the bare minimum of living supplies, it was easy gathering them all. Even if she gathered the things from the bedroom or other places, they only amounted to a handful of boxes.

"…"

Ikarino Kirari looked around the office that had all windows and doors open. The ferret Sepia rubbed its head against her legs.

She had also assembled all documents and finished cleaning. She'd let the workers get rid of the sofa and television set.

This empty office spoke of everything.

The end of Kirari's actions and life spent as a handyman were this scene.

She didn't save anyone.

Even the boy who called himself Kusuriya Daisuke and her friend Tanaka Momo were gone.

And Kirari remained alone.

"…"

The handyman office closed down today.

She walked in the corridor to take care of one final thing—removing the metal plate on the entrance door.

There were still actually a few days remaining until her eviction, but there was no more meaning in staying here. She had nowhere else to go, but staying here brought out only bitter memories.

Opening the glass door, a tall person was standing in the doorway.

"Hello."

The first customer of the day, Satou Youko, grinned.

"—Thanks for everything."

Kirari said her thanks while bringing out tea from the cardboard box as Satou Youko sat down on the sofa. Shocked at the ferret being scared of her, Youko hung her head.

"N-no, this is… you don't need to thank me, I learned a lot as well."

She shook her head to the sides, causing her long bangs to sway.

If Youko hadn't used the suggestion of Coatl Head, then the new Mushitsuki Tanaka Momo would have kept rampaging and would have self-destructed. No matter how it ended, Youko definitely managed to extend her friend's life.

"Also—you've managed to fulfill my request."

"…"

"You've found the red bee Mushitsuki, right?"

The dark pupils behind Youko's glasses glistened. She stroked the suitcase at her feet.

Kirari had indeed gotten in contact with such a Mushitsuki.

Yet she felt hesitant to mention it to Youko. She had the intuition that this woman was someone dangerous from the very moment she'd met her.

"—Looks like another customer."

Satou Youko was the one who responded to the bell's sound.

"Excuse me," Kirari said as she rose up. As she went to the corridor and opened the glass door, a petite girl was standing there.

Lowering her head at the entrance was today's second visitor.

"U-umm, is this the handyman that helps with… special Mushi problems?"

The girl called herself Ebina Yuu. She'd apparently seen Kirari's fliers.

"I am very sorry. Starting today, the office is—"

She wanted to apologize and deny her request but was stopped by a voice from the living room.

"Won't you just listen to what she has to say? Oh, don't mind me. I can wait."

"…Please come inside."

She hesitated a bit, but definitely felt reluctant to turn away a client that came all the way there.

Guided by Kirari, Ebina Yuu sat in the living room.

Next to the scared ferret and the amused-looking Youko, Ebina Yuu began her explanation.

"So, a certain person actually told me that I'd better go elsewhere, but I just thought that—"

Yuu explained that she was looking for a necklace her friend had left behind. Nothing in the details or her way of getting here mentioned Mushi, but they were probably somehow related. The girl dodged the subject well, but Kirari felt so.

"So it's a necklace with a golden ring on it…"

"Yeah! I was unable to get in contact with a person who told me she was a teacher in the local design school… so I came here—"

Kirari rose up wordlessly. Leaving Yuu with a puzzled expression, she went to her room and opened the closet. She retrieved the thing hidden between her costumes and came back to the living room.

Seeing what Kirari held, Yuu widened her eyes.

A necklace with a golden ring hanging from it.

"Aaah! T-that's the one!"

Leaning forward, Yuu exclaimed.

"T-t-that's the one! No way? Eh?"

She had received this necklace from Sepia when she'd been Aria Varei.

The reward for saving Tanaka Momo.

According to Sepia, it was very special. She'd said that it would serve as a "mistletoe" after she'd forget everything.

However, Kirari had been unable to fulfill her request. She wanted to entrust it to the other Kusuriya Daisuke, but in the end couldn't return it.

"U-umm, will you give me that? Of course, I'll pay for it—"

Kirari smiled.

She put the necklace on the excited Yuu's neck.

"Take it."

"…Huh?"

"I have succeeded in fulfilling your request. Thank you for using our services."

While Kirari lowered her head, Yuu was frozen with shock and at a loss for words.

Then, the bell announced the last visitor of the day.

"You sure are popular, Handyman-san."

Youko said in a mocking tone. Though the effect was diminished by her having been counterattacked by the ferret and driven to the corner of the room, huddled there.

Kirari had been doing nothing but going from the corridor to the living room and back for a while now. Putting her hand on the glass door, she heard a familiar voice.

"Is it really here, Chiharu?"

"Umm, I think so? Since the smell's weak maybe it's still a cocoon and that's why it took some time to find it…"

"Chiharu-tan, this is an emotional reunion. Press that bell harder, go go go!"

The bell sound echoed an annoying amount of times.

A bang came from the living room.

Looking back, Kirari saw that Yuu attempted to rise from the sofa and stumbled. Her mouth flapping open, she peeked at the corridor.

"T-that voice… no way… I don't get it anymore…"

"Seems like the person I looked for is there, too."

She apparently understood it just by hearing them. Youko opened the suitcase at her feet. From within spilled a large amount of bills.

"Thank you for completing my request. I'll pay you."

As Kirari widened her eyes, Youko tilted her head quizzically.

"Why are you surprised? The suggestion case just aligned with my interest… oh, and why are you packing your stuff?"

Kirari stood frozen, but Yuu rushed over to the door, unable to wait any longer.

She opened the glass door.

"Ubuki-san!"

"Waoh. …Umm, have we met somewhere?"

"Eehh?"

"I don't know such a small scardey-cat so I'll just hug you."

"It's this! This necklace! Aria? Wake up, Aria! Good morning! Oh?"

"I-it hurts… who're you?"

While everyone grew excited, only the girl supposedly called Chami saw Youko smiling while waving toward her and scowled in disgust.

"You're not quitting your handyman job, right?"

While waving toward Chami, Youko spoke.

"From now on, plenty of people will make requests of you."

Kirari clenched her fist.

From now on, surely—

Was it fine to believe those words?

Would people who'd show her their smiles ever appear in front of her?

"…"

Kirari smiled, turning toward her new clients.

There was only one thing she could in order to find out the answer—

Welcome her clients with her usual smile.

"Welcome to Handyman Kirari☆."

To Ikarino Kirari, it didn't matter if one was a Mushitsuki or not.

All of them were people who sought her help.

"Striving to be reliable and quick, I shall help you."
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