Mushi Uta:Volume 9 Chapter 1

1.00 Enclosure

It could see a source of light.

After repeating slumber and awakening, it was still being invited by the light, so it headed toward it.

Leaping into its midst, it was instantly enveloped by a blinding radiance.

What appeared in front of it was a vast sea.

Reflecting the sunlight, it sparkled prettily.

Ah, it’s been a while—

It thought this. Looking closely, the sea was slightly clouded and not marine blue at all. Even so it looked really pretty to it, probably because it had been closed in the darkness for so long.

The strong wind was pleasant.

Getting tired of simply floating, it ascended to the sky.

After flying all the way up to the clouds, it started moving horizontally. Leaving the sea behind and leaping over mountains, it passed through the sky above manmade cities.

While it had its fill of freedom, the sun had sunk.

Flying beneath the starry sky, suddenly something stopped right next to it.

“I reached the coordinates of the sensed unidentified Mushi—w-what the heck is this? I’ve never seen—“

It was a human riding an insect-like monster. Clad in a large coat, their face was covered by mechanical goggles.

The person shouted as they put their hand to the goggles, but it couldn’t hear well because of the wind.

“Roger that—I’ll attempt attacking it to test the waters—”

The person riding the monster removed a hand from the goggles. The monster rotated and headed toward it.

Feeling hostility, it moved to the side.

“W-what—where did it—it moves too fast—”

The next instant, the air oscillated.

“Gwaaaah!”

Getting hit by the attack it fired, the monster’s shell broke. Losing half of its body, the monster fell to the ground along with the coated person.

Having eliminated the nuisance, it returned flying in the night sky as it pleased.

It flew through the sky calmly.

When it passed near the base of a mountain, it stopped its movements entirely.

For a moment it had the feeling that it sniffed something nostalgic.

Curious, it started lowering itself.

It then noticed a small point of light moving through a pitch-dark forest.

Several cars were travelling in this woodland path that had no lights in it. The front and back had cars painted in black, and between them a long limousine colored pure white.

With this being so different, it aroused its curiosity.

The nostalgic scent was only momentary and had already vanished. But perhaps that car’s owner had called this scent.

Let’s watch them for a while—

Feeling elated due to its release in a long while, it thought so on a whim.

1.01 Nanana Part 1

She heard that this mountain, far from the capital city, currently had no residents.

At some point there were talks about a dam project, but a collusion between the government and the construction company came to light and everything was stopped. Although next came an offer to turn it into a highway, as an aftermath of the budget’s revision caused by the change of authorities, the plan was dissolved.

Then the neighboring village raised funds, created a camping site and tried calling tourists there. Many cottages were built along the thin roadway. That apparently failed as well, however. There wasn’t any lake with a nice scenery nor a mountain stream to allow rafting or fishing. Nowadays, even outdoor activities required certain arrangements.

Thus, this mountain that was supposed to bring a large profit vanished from people’s memories. All that remained was the winding woodland road and the cottages that were barely used.

It was a mountain that dashed many hopes. The current owner would probably sell it for cheap.

No, if it was her, Akasegawa Nanana—since this mountain had no scent of money, she wouldn’t have bought it in the first place. Even if she knew it would cost her only a thousandth of her vast assets.

Inside one of the cars rushing through the woodland path, a long limousine, Nanana widened her eyes.

“You saw that? You saw it, right? Wasn’t it a deer? Definitely a deer.”

The vast car was built such that there were two seats on opposite sides along the window. In the middle was a long table with a wine cooler and several glasses.

“It’s my first time seeing one. Its eyes were shining. Was it getting ready to shoot out some sort of beam? Deer beam! Yahah. We have to run away or it’ll burn us to a crisp.”

As she tried pointing outside, the glass she was holding bumped against the window. She saw her reflection there. Clad in a cheongsam. Slightly curly long hair and flushed cheeks, as well as the slanted eyes she inherited from her grandfather that were now looking at her. This year she turned seventeen, but had a much more petite and slender body than girls her age, perhaps due to eating less meat, as she disliked the taste of blood.

“That wasn’t a deer, it was a boar. You can tell because the position of its eyes was closer to the ground. So it’d be a boar beam.”

Calmly pointing this out was the woman sitting across from Nanana. She was beauty who looked good in her skirt suit and glasses; Nanana heard that she was 23 years old. Other than the stuffed teddy bear left near her as if she was snuggling with it, she exuded a cold and calm atmosphere.

Nanana curled her lips, thrusting her glass before the woman’s nose. She then asked with a drunk-sounding tone.

“How could you even see it from there? Do you have eyes on your back? Never mind that, you’re going against what your boss said, so you’re fired, fired!”

“I saw it reflected on the window.”

Her expression set in stone, for some reason she bit the edge of Nana’s glass. Nana’s good mood was instantly restored. “Yahah. How amusing. Yeah, keep biting it,” she laughed. Following that request, the woman kept chattering her teeth.

“Hey, Pochi, you saw it as well, right? What do you think? Was it deer? A boar? Or perhaps a ghost?”

Turning toward the back of the car, she saw two suit-wearing boys sitting there.

“Huh? Umm…”

The boy Nanana called to mumbled in a low voice and hung his head. Perhaps having coarse hair, his bangs were disordered and spiky. On top of his suit, he wrapped a white cloth around his arms and legs.

“Don’t ‘umm’ me! Which is it?”

Moving on top of the seat, she thrust her glass at the cloth boy’s forehead. The recoil caused the back of his head to hit the back window, raising a dull sound. While wearing a painful-looking face, he smiled wryly.

“You haven’t seen it at all, right? Are you trying to trick me?”

“I…I’m very sorry, mistress…”

“What about you, Iruka-san? Did you see it?”

“…”

The other boy, a bit older than the other one, meaning he looked around Nanana’s age, was staring at the ceiling. He stripped the jacket of his suit, unfastened the first button and loosened his tie. Looking at his face covered in gangster-like sunglasses, she thought that he was quite the looker as long as he stayed silent. Leaning near him was a stick used for the sport of hockey.

Without thinking Nanana ended up gazing up the ceiling as well. Yet it was simply coated with soft leather and had nothing special about it. “What’s this… a forcefield of a kind I’ve never felt before. Should I go closer and investigate?” the boy was muttering about something.

“Iruka-san!”

She hit the boy’s forehead with her glass. “Agh,” he groaned, noticing her line of sight. Perhaps dull to pain, he didn’t even rub his forehead despite Nanana having hit him quite hard. He lowered his sunglasses.

“Hmm? What is it, Nanana-chan? Wow, this is such a bold approach from you. Wanna kiss?”

“Eeek!”

Seeing the boy thrusting out his lips, Nanana bent back.

As Iruka still attempted to draw near, his face was grabbed by the other boy. He directed a fierce glare at him from between his parted bangs.

“C’mon, it was a joke! I’m not doing anything! Don’t make that scary face at me, senpai! —So, what did you want, Nanana-chan?”

“Will you stop acting as if we’re friends? You suddenly told me to make you my bodyguard, and you do seem to be somewhat strong, so I hired you. Isn’t it common knowledge not to call your employer with the honorific ‘chan’?”

“Yeah yeah, sorry ‘bout being rude, Princess.”

“What’s up with him? Have you actually disciplined this guy?”

Nanana raised her eyebrows, turning toward the front. The suit-wearing woman averted her eyes.

“There’s a limit to what can be done in a few days.”

“Ah! Wait, my glass! You drank from it!”

“I did not.”

“The glass’s clearly emptier, you’ve brought out another one, and you’re still feigning ignorance? Ah! Looking closely, your bear’s mouth is purple! You made that thing drink my precious wine? How much are you going to dote on it?! I’ll forbid you bringing it along next time!”

“I am allowed to bring it under my current contract,” the woman played innocent.

“Geez, I can’t take it anymore! You’re all a bunch of freaks!”

Except for the driver, there were only four people riding the limousine.

Angry, Nanana kicked at the stick lying on the floor. It was her favorite stick, shaped like an upside-down “J”.

“That’s why I loathe Mushitsuki!”

Mushi.

Having appeared a little over ten years ago, these beings resembled insects and so were called like this.

Mushi possessed adolescent boys and girls, and in exchange for feasting on their hopes and dreams, granted their hosts supernatural abilities. Those possessed by Mushi were called Mushitsuki.

The country created an organization called the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau and concealed the existence of Mushi. They captured Mushitsuki and used many methods to hide them. They trained those captured Mushitsuki and regulated them as soldiers to capture further unaffiliated Mushitsuki.

But there was no way that abnormal things as Mushi and Mushitsuki could be fully hidden. Rumors spreads among the populace and they became abhorred as targets of fear and discrimination.

“I am not a Mushitsuki.”

The suit woman said calmly.

“I’m aware.”

“In the first place, if you hate Mushitsuki, why have you launched this project?”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“The risks are too simply large. At present, there is no need for our Foundation to take such a dangerous gamble.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, but money is something like a nutrient. You have to distribute it or you’ll rot. I know many people who smell horribly because they only accumulate money.”

“That’s why if you just spread it senselessly, you will only rot your crops.”

While tilting the wine glass, Nanana ignored the calm woman’s warning. Wiping off her soberness, her bad mood was fixed.

“Oh?”

The hockey stick boy looked outside the window, raising his voice.

“What is it, Iruka-san? Another deer? Or boar?”

Nanana’s eyes sparkling, she looked outside. The woodland night path was silent again, and she couldn’t hear anything except the limousine and the cars behind and ahead grinding gravel. From time to time there was perhaps a bird’s call as if it suddenly recalled to act its part.

The boy answered readily.

“Nope. A human.”

Nanana furrowed her brows. But soon she directed a wide smile at the white cloth boy.

“Collect them.”

The moment he heard the command, the boy opened the limousine door. He unhesitatingly threw his body into the night, running in the darkness.

“—Ouchhh! It really hurts! Huh? Can an arm even bend that way? This is really bad!”

With his hand brought behind his back by the wrapped cloth boy, another boy was dragged into the parked limousine. He was brought to forcibly prostrate in front of Nanana’s feet.

“Go.”

Grinning, Nanana ordered. The limousine drove through the woodland path again.

“Huh? What? What’s this? A prank show?”

The boy’s first impression was “a bundle of bags”. He was probably around Nanana’s age. His slightly dirty face, bangs pushed back by glasses and a swept back haircut were nothing special. But he carried a large leather bag on his back and had several other bags hanging from his shoulders. Perhaps his real body was the bag.

Nanana used her stick to raise her wineglass, rotating it and thrusting it against the boy’s shoulder.

“Say, Iruka-san. Is this ‘bag boy monster!’ a Mushitsuki?”

“A monster? What, where? Wait, you mean me! Where are you even looking… eek, a bag monster!”

As the boy became shocked to see his own reflection on the window, the hockey stick man reclined with his legs crossed. He shook his pointer finger to the sides.

“Hey, boss. Mai name iz, Shachito. Owkay?” he spoke in horrible English.

“But a dolphin’s much cuter than a killer whale. Anyway, how about it? You can tell, right Iruka-san?”

“I can just feel if a Mushitsuki’s using their abilities, alright? Well, doesn’t feel like he is one, though. Never mind abilities or whatnot, he didn’t seem wary in the least and I doubt he has any battle experience.”

“Hmm, so he’s not. —Say, you. Why are you here, then?”

There was no way a mere civilian would be there. He was too far from any private home to have been out gathering herbs, and it was too late for that too. Also, even if he kept going there, there were nothing but empty cottages.

“And why are you here? Who exactly are you lot?”

With tears welling up in his eyes, the boy asked back.

Stopping her subordinate from hurting the boy’s joints further, Nanana narrowed her eyes.

“My name is Akasegawa Nanana.”

“A…Akasegawa Nanana?”

The bag boy widened his eyes.

So he is related—

Confirming his response, Nanana smiled.

“No way, for real? That Akasegawa Nanana? From Akasegawa Group? You’re much cuter in real life than in that business magazine photo!”

“…?”

Nanana raised a brow. She noticed that the boy’s words and actions differed from her expectations.

Few people didn’t know the name Akasegawa Nanana. Not so much for the general populace, but among those in this country who dealt in finances, there was no one who was unaware of her.

Ironically, what caused her name to become well-known could only be said to be her grandfather’s death. He was the one who made his money-lending business a success and gathered the fortune of a lifetime. Acquiring many companies by using forceful methods and creating the joint enterprise known as Akasegawa Group was also his doing.

However, one day, her grandfather had met a sudden death. Even now the cause was uncertain.

And an unexpected person had inherited his position as the foundation’s chairman. Since his son and daughter-in-law had already been killed in an accident, he’d left the entire company to his granddaughter, Nanana. Since she’d inherited his vast properties and his job as a chairman while only a middle-schooler at the time, it became big news for a while.

But the only ones acting excited were unrelated civilians. The eyes of people around her were as cold as ice.

They probably all thought that Nanana had inherited the position in name only and would soon be driven out of the job. The foundation’s executives obviously thought this, but rival companies also all predicted this result.

However, Nanana still served as the chairman even at present.

Not only that, the Group was gathering even more momentum than when her grandfather was alive.

The reason for Akasegawa Group—or its more common name, the Akasegawa Foundation—to be still prospering was probably incomprehensible to everyone.

Only because they never thought the seemingly normal middle-schooler had inherited things other than her grandfather’s vast assets and company—

“This is my secretary. Her name is…”

Feeling some discomfort about the boy’s reaction, she pointed with her stick at the suited woman.

“What was your name again?”

She’d completely forgotten the name of her own secretary. She had the feeling she’d often referred to her as “hey” or “you there”.

“I do not mind being known as a mere secretary.”

The suited woman spoke with a cold face. When Nanana fired her previous useless secretary, she’d heard about a skilled individual in one of the companies she bought, and so brought her over to her.

She left her at her side for about a year, but now she could use her. She was somewhat strange—hauling around that stuffed teddy bear wherever she went—but at least Nanana hadn’t gotten tired of her.

“Really?” laughed Nanana, now pointing her stick at the boy with cloth wrapped on his limbs.

“And this is Pochi.”

“Pochi…?”

“Yahah, it’s actually pretty funny. When I first found him, this boy was living inside a cardboard box. He looked like a dog so I tried taking him in. He’s not a stray dog anymore; he ranked up to a watchdog.”

The boy called Pochi looked bashful. Normally he was quiet, but he was a martial artist Mushitsuki who was once used in a struggle between organized crime syndicates. Nanana hated stuffy-looking bodyguards, so she hired him as her personal guard. Incidentally, he had some comrades, and these Mushitsuki were being trained by her as well.

“And that deadbeat over there is Iruka-san. He’s Pochi’s kouhai. He looks like a bum, but he had a good fight against Pochi and I think he’s pretty strong in his own right.”

“Hi there, I’m Iruka! I can catch a ball with my mouth better than anyone!”

Perhaps having given up on his real name, the hockey stick boy raised his finger with a smile.

“A secretary with a teddy bear, a doggie and a dolphin; doesn’t it look fun?”

Perhaps it differed quite a lot from what the bags boy imagined. While Nanana wore a full smile and spread her arms, he merely gazed up absently.

“Our introduction is over. So, who are you?”

She raised the boy’s chin using the end of her stick.

“Chouya Nihei.”

After thinking for a bit, the boy gave his name. It was an awfully archaic-sounding name.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“Huh? Well… no, I was just trying to meet someone—ouch!”

Pochi constricted the boy’s arms as he feigned ignorance.

“S-stop it already! Why do I have to go through all this? This is some prime information I have for sale here! Although I’m an amateur, I have my pride as a merchant, so I won’t speak without any compen—ouchhh!”

“I have a good idea. Why don’t we make a trade: your information for your arm?”

“Got it! You convinced me! I’ll talk!”

What an unexpectedly cheap pride. Nihei readily consented after Nanana exposed her true nature as a bully.

“…Geez, what a disappointment! I didn’t think that millionaire Akasegawa Nanana would be like this!”

“Pochi.”

“I was going to meet up with someone in that cottage! They chose the time and place, so I know nothing about what’s there!”

“Someone? Who?”

“Who knows. —Ouch! I don’t know, honest! I was introduced to them, so I have no idea who they are!”

“Hmm. —Oh, aren’t we close to your goal already? Then let’s settle this immediately. What have you gone up here to do?”

“…I just ended up in a bit of trouble. I want their protection, but I thought I might be able to get them to buy something on the way.”

“I’ll buy it.”

“Huh?”

“Whatever it is you’re trying to sell, I’ll buy it. Since you haven’t even negotiated anything with the one you’re meeting, it’s not like I’m snatching it from them, right?”

As Nanana grinned at him, Nihei could only mumble “Yeah, but…”

Speaking honestly, she had a hunch about the “someone” he was going to meet.

The current owner of this mountain abandoned by many ambitious people.

That person wouldn’t normally buy this mountain that had no scent of money. It had low value as real estate and wouldn’t serve well for a vacation home. If he wanted to house a hidden lover, it would be much better to buy an apartment at the capital.

At any rate, this was a rich landowner that stood in opposition to the Akasegawa Foundation. You could even call him Nanana’s business rival.

Since that person had bought this withered land, he should have something to hide there.

What is he hiding—

Nanana had a guess about that as well.

“It’s simply an item that you need to be a little cautious about. I mean, it is causing the scary organization called the SEPB to come after me.”

Having had his arms twisted too much, Nihei’s face was half-buried in the carpet on the car floor. Looking so worried was probably an act in order to raise his price.

“Eseepibi? Oh, you mean the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Meaning, this is something related to Mushitsuki.”

Seeing Nanana say this so calmly, Nihei was stunned. If he was seeking to discuss business with this land’s owner, it had to be quite the item—so she thought, and hit bullseye.

“Then I simply must have it. I loathe the SEPB.”

Skillfully spinning her stick with her fingertips, she cackled.

Once, she’d been shown quite the unexpected sight by the SEPB—specifically the man called the strongest Mushitsuki. It would feel great to cause them some trouble.

“We have arrived.”

The secretary spoke in a mechanical tone, and Pochi opened the door. “Agh,” Nihei raised a shriek as he was kicked out, and Pochi himself leapt outside as well.

The limousine parked at the end of the woodland path.

It was an open plot of land around two times the size of a soccer field. There were several cottages there, none of them with any lights. She could also see a water-drawing place on the dust-covered region.

“Huh? What? What is it?”

Ignoring the confused Nihei, Pochi nimbly leapt to the front of the limousine.

Following Pochi came several other figures from the black cars escorting the limousine. The boys and girls clad in black suits—were the Mushitsuki who were Pochi’s comrades. Their trust in their leader deep, they followed Pochi’s actions rather than Nanana’s orders.

The empty camping site had a tense atmosphere.

The moon hung silently in the sky and the call of an early cicada echoed from somewhere.

Pochi and the rest surrounding the limousine to protect it took battle positions while not moving a single muscle.

On top of the soft seat, Nanana craned her head.

“Oh, was I wrong?”

“The ground is covered in people’s footprints. They also took perfect care of that water-drawing well. Furthermore, there’s not a speck of dust on the cottage.”

Folding his arms, Shachito spoke from the backseat.

“And most importantly, I can feel the power fields of Mushitsuki around there. Quite a lot are hiding.”

“Get out too, Iruka-san. Haven’t you come here to protect me?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you, Princess. And with my full powers.” The boy shrugged exaggeratedly. “However, it is yet to be my stage. I’m not good at coordinated movements,” he asserted calmly.

As Nanana puffed her cheeks in annoyance, there was movement at the camp.

The lights turned on in one of the cottages.

At the same time several people appeared from behind the building’s shadow.

“Now then, let us begin negotiations.”

Supported by her secretary as she had poor control of her legs due to drunkenness, Nanana got off the car.

While spinning her stick, she tottered as she passed Pochi and the rest and stepped to the front.

“Yahah.”

Seeing the person revealed by the cottage’s lights, Nanana laughed.

Appearing there were several boys and girls. Since there were barely any adults among them, she could easily surmise their identity. Since they were waiting for them, they’d probably installed security cameras around.

“I knew this was connected to Mushibane. So you were taking refuge in the middle of nowhere, huh?”

Three men and women faced against Nanana’s cheerful laugh.

“Who are you?”

A tall, jacket-wearing woman glared at Nanana. From her tall nose and distinct facial features and cold atmosphere, she was apparently closer in age to Nanana’s secretary. However, unlike her mechanical secretary, this woman had a feral impression.

“If you know we’re Mushibane you’re no normal civilians.”

Her tone was like that of a samurai from some period drama, but it suited her well. She acted older than she was, so perhaps she was this place’s leader.

“Good evening, I am Akasegawa Nanana.”

From her wide smile Nanana switched to a business grin.

“I have come to talk business.”

“Business? I see.”

The one who sighed in boredom was a boy wearing a headband. With both hands in his pockets, not even looking wary, he glanced at them in a relaxed manner.

“You’ve got guts, coming here for that.”

“In business it’s important to have face-to-face meetings. Even when I know my opponent’s dangerous, nothing would come forth by being scared.”

They didn’t seem to be the mood to welcome her. But that was already within her expectations.

She was trying to do business where no people attempted before. She also acknowledged the risks. But to make her plans come true, she couldn’t avoid negotiating with the owner of this land—and consequently with Mushibane as well.

“So horrible…”

The one who muttered this was a petite girl. Her short hair suited her. Unlike the other two, she didn’t seem to be a combatant at all.

Ignoring the girl who mumbled incomprehensible things, Nanana decided to continue the negotiation.

“I would like to speak more concretely, sooo, who’s the one in charge—”

“What’re your demands?”

The jacket-wearing girl said with obvious hostility.

“Is it fine for us to discuss this out here? Isn’t our audience a bit too large?”

“Hmph. Then, come inside the cottage—”

“I think that what you are doing is the worst…!”

The short-haired girl interjected again.

Nanana let her business smile crumble in spite of herself. Since she loathed people hampering her negotiations, she unconsciously unveiled her true nature as she narrowed one eye.

“Can you make that kid over there shut up? She’s been very annoying.”

“Annoying? What’s annoying about her, you bastard!”

For some reason their leader started shouting at her angrily. Maybe that girl was her sister. She seemed to be awfully overprotective.

That was why Nanana hated negotiating with amateurs. She sighed.

“Understood. This is enough.”

“W-what’s enough? We have not had enough!”

Seeing the girl puff her cheeks angrily, Nanana snapped.

Nanana and the short-haired girl glared at each other, opening their mouths at the same time.

“I can’t have this talk with you. Will you bring out Munakata-shi already?”

“W-where have you hidden Munakata-san?!”

Munakata Kaiji.

Just like Nanana’s father, he was an entrepreneur who managed to raise an enormous fortune on his own.

Although his one-man business style resembled the Akasegawa clan’s, since he made use of no forceful methods he was more positively famous when compared to the Akasegawa Foundation.

Munakata Kaiji himself was this mountain’s current owner.

Since it was Munakata Kaiji, who wasted nothing while conducting business, there had to be a reason he’d bought this empty mountain.

Nanana’s surmise was apparently correct, but—

“…”

Nanana stood stunned in the silent camping site.

Her brain stopped thinking for a few moments due to this unforeseen situation. Finally, she spoke again.

“Munakata is… gone?”

“Are you not his kidnappers?”

The jacketed woman also unexpectedly groaned.

“U-umm… I’m sorry.”

She didn’t care about the small girl apologizing in a barely audible voice. Nanana bit her lips, turning back to the jacket woman.

“I would like to hear what happened in detail. Are you Mushibane’s leader?”

“No—”

Both the jacket-wearing woman and the headband-wearing boy moved their gaze to the short-haired girl.

“I-I’m sorry…”

For some reason, the girl apologized again to the speechless Nanana.

Notes

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