Mushi Uta:Volume 14 Chapter 1

1.00 The Others

“Big brother.”

Hearing this small voice, Taiki opened his eyes.

As he opened his heavy lids and tilted his head, he saw his little sister Ririe peeking through the door. She had her hair in twintails and wore her middle school uniform.

“Mom says you need to hurry up and eat breakfast.”

After saying this, Ririe closed the door. He could hear her going down the stairs.

“Nngh…”

Rising from the bed, he groaned with his eyes still closed.

“—That weird dream again…”

He saw a bizarre dream.

He saw this same dream a lot lately.

No; to be more precise, the dreams themselves were different, but those that appeared in them went through the same things—

“…Ngh.”

He tried recalling his dream, but nearly fell asleep again. Taiki forced his eyes open again and exited his room with a sluggish gait. As he came down the stairs, his mom turned to him.

“Finally awake? Now, eat your breakfast already. You’re the only one left, Taiki.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Taiki, please remember to wake up on your own already.”

His father was glaring at him while putting on his suit. He worked in a management position at some company.

“Ah, you’re finally awake, big brother.”

Appearing from the corridor was the middle sister, Noa. Their father turned to her, his eyes narrowed.

“Noa, how many times do I need to tell you… tie your hair or cut it. It’s too long.”

“…Yes, dad.”

Watching from the side of his eye Noa obediently tying her hair with an elastic band, Taiki scooped up the miso soup on the table into his mouth.

It was a sight he was used to seeing every morning in his household.

His strait-laced dad would get dressed just on time while his methodical mother would take care of everyone’s preparations to leave for work or school. Taiki, the completely normal high-schooler in his second year, would oversleep, Noa who was one year his junior would get just about half-dressed, and middle-schooler Ririe would finish getting dressed perfectly.

Taiki’s family included five souls; two parents, then a boy and two girls.

Their family was just as always, but Taiki felt something was odd today.

“…”

It wasn’t Ririe, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room and watching TV. Everything about her, starting from her slender limbs to her hair tied into two pigtails, was the usual. She was meek, but she was a difficult little sister who often acted on her own, all the while wearing a composed face.

He was rather more interested in his other sister, Noa. She wore her school’s uniform properly and her conduct was fine. She supposedly had decent grades in both studies and athletics, but she apparently chose to live her life in school without standing out, not even entering any club. She released the hair she tied just now and was wondering whether to make it into a braid. That was the extent of her sense of fashion.

“Noa… did you grow taller?”

“Eh?”

She turned to him, her face in complete shock. Taiki got flustered without thinking.

“Ah, no, I mean… I guess it just felt this way?”

“What is this all of a sudden, big brother?”

Both Taiki and Noa tilted their heads.

“Ririe, please lower the volume a bit.”

Warned by her father, Ririe operated the remote control.

Shown on the screen was a scenery removed from normal life.

A swarm of armored military vehicles were blocking some roadway.

Residents were standing in front of the inoperative train station and the press corps were interviewing them.

A townscape full of tall buildings was filmed by aerial photography—

“…”

Taiki’s entire family went silent. They felt how tense things were even through the TV.

“—Unbelievable…”

His father sighed, sounding annoyed. His mother frowned in worry.

“It’s just horrible, what’s going on in Akamaki City. We’re fine since we’re far, but…”

“What’s the government thinking about, not even telling the citizens what’s going on?”

Akamaki City, the capital where the country’s central functions were gathered.

Just the other day, the residents had been issued orders to evacuate. As they were forced to evacuate just like that, and possibly because all news were suppressed, even the mass media was unable to pass along accurate information.

Since even the country’s functions were at risk, the TV obviously constantly focused on news programs. They reported about the state of the evacuees and the interest starting to gather from the international community.

In actual fact, Akamaki City and surrounding cities were in chaos.

But as Taiki’s region was far from it, they couldn’t stop schools or business. Just like always, most students went to school and most working adults went to work.

“It’s not Akamaki City, but is the neighboring Ouka City fine, dear?”

“What about Ouka City?”

“Isn’t he over there? You know, your sister’s kid. Kusuriya—”

“We’ve cut off ties. I don’t care about her kid.”

“But… it’s your nephew.”

Ririe twitched in her place and their father turned to her.

The reception was probably bad. For a split second, the footage showing the aerial photography of Akamaki City from the live broadcast camera was disarrayed. Static that lasted just a second shook the screen.

“—”

Both parents looked at each other wordlessly—and, perhaps not wanting to get into a fruitless topic, they both closed their mouths.

Taiki was quite a bit shocked. It was the first time he heard about his dad having a sister. And her having a kid meant that he’d be his cousin.

While seeing off their parents that headed to the front door as if nothing happened, Taiki asked Noa.

“Hey, Noa. Did you know we have a cousin?”

“Eh?”

Noa turned to him, surprised. For a moment she thought seriously—then shook her head.

“Nope, I didn’t know anything about it.”

“Right.”

Just in case he also looked to Ririe, but the girl shook her head to the sides.

The existence of a cousin—

While still pondering this small question, Taiki finished preparing for school and headed out.

His path to school, going along the national road, seemed quieter than usual to him. Even the cars running through it and the numbers of passersby were less than yesterday.

Taiki’s high school had a high deviation score in the area, with its alumni having high acceptance rates for university. The uniform blazer was quite popular too. Last year, Taiki—and his little sister Noa this year—managed to just barely squeeze through the fierce competition and get admitted to this popular school.

Even the school gate that was usually drowned in these blazers now almost looked empty.

The damage caused by the disaster striking Akamaki City did not reach all the way to Taiki’s region. However, it seemed like the anxiety and sense of danger definitely spread through the entire country.

Taiki was able to experience that by entering his classroom.

“Yo.”

The number of classmates that turned around to respond to Taiki’s greeting were about half their number yesterday.

“Heya, Taiki.”

“G’morning!”

“Oh, Taiki-kun’s here…”

About half the seats were empty.

A tall boy spoke to Taiki while putting an arm on his shoulder.

“Surprised? Everyone’s gotten scared of what’s going on in Akamaki and shut themselves home.”

“This isn’t an issue of being scared, is it?”

Taiki wore a wry smile and put his bag on his seat. Another friend approached him.

“Well, that’s right. Even if it’s far, you can’t tell what’s going to happen next. At least until things become clearer, it’s normal for parents to not send their kids to school, huh?”

“What does that mean about our parents, then?”

The girls also gathered.

“They should give us vacation time, then.”

“Teachers and parents are the same. No matter what’s going on in Akamaki, it’s important to not let our studies get affected.”

“So what’s going on there, anyway? Anyone here knows?”

“No, a lot’s being said online but it’s all fake news—”

His classmates talked about this and that.

Taiki sat in his chair and sighed.

They had no way of knowing what went in Akamaki City.

He found it difficult to believe something would happen in this region, so far away from the scene. He wasn’t intending to mock those who felt anxious and stayed home, though.

Taiki couldn’t feel anything changing around him. No matter what happened so far from him, Taiki’s daily life remained unchanged.

He had his parents—although they were a bit strict, he was never in want of anything, he had two little sisters, and schoolmates that studied together. Taiki had nothing to complain about. If anything, he was extremely blessed.

However, inside that blissful daily life—there was a small ripple, or rather a confusion.

This wasn’t related Akamaki City.

In fact, the reason Taiki sighed was completely different.

“What’s up, Taiki? Thinking you shouldn’t have come to school?”

A friend of his laughed while looking at him. Taiki put his chin on his palm.

“Not that. I just had a nasty dream…”

“A dream?”

Several classmates asked, and Taiki turned to them.

Should he tell them or shut up?

For a moment he hesitated—but he thought this was probably nothing to hide, so he opened his mouth.

“Say, have you guys—ever heard about Mushitsuki?”

A heavy silence befell the classroom.

Saying that they became even more anxious than when speaking about Akamaki City in a certain sense, Taiki felt flustered.

“Oh, err, it’s nothing. Sorry…”

So he apparently shouldn’t have said anything.

After all, those people called Mushitsuki were nothing more than a rumor yet caused some fear among the people—

And these people appeared in Taiki’s dreams.

In his first such dream the Mushitsuki that appeared was a beautiful girl.

“Yeah, never mind…”

Mumbling this, Taiki thought about that Mushitsuki girl—

He recalled that beautiful Mushitsuki who was could control a seven-spotted ladybug.

1.01 The Others

There were the supernatural beings called Mushi.

Suddenly appearing a decade ago, they possessed boys and girls in their adolescence. In exchange for eating their dreams—wanting to become someone, or wanting to do something—they granted their hosts various kinds of power. Since their appearance resembled insects, they were called Mushi.

Those possessed by Mushi were called Mushitsuki.

“Shortly, Terasu’s group will be returning from Operation 1!”

Japan, Akamaki City.

Several days passed since that largest city in the country had lost its functions as the capital.

And the reason for that—was Mushi.

The fight between the Original Three, who made people hosts of Mushi, and the Mushitsuki that resisted them, turned Akamaki City into a battlefield.

“Harukiyo’s group is also coming back after clearing Operation 2!”

In the already evacuated Akamaki City there was a dome facility meant for sports competitions.

Many boys and girls gathered inside the dome which was protected by military vehicles all around. They were groups of Mushitsuki, each equipped with coats and goggles of differing colors.

“The combined forces of Kabuto’s group and Mushibane return from Operation 3!”

These reports came one after another in the tent installed at the corner of the dome.

The Special Environmental Preservation Bureau—was a secret government agency created for capturing Mushitsuki, as well as for concealing the existence of Mushi and Mushitsuki from society at large. Called the SEPB for short, it trained the captured Mushitsuki and dispatched them as soldiers to capture new Mushitsuki.

Those gathered in the dome were the elite Mushitsuki from all over the country.

And inside the tent were the branch heads, leaders of the SEPB. There were also the cabinet minister sent by the government, as well as Mushitsuki in charge of information management.

The entire organizational powers that rose in order to stand against Mushi ever since their first appearance were gathered in that spot.

Why?

In order for them to resist against a single powerful Mushitsuki that made a sudden appearance—

And now their plans all ended.

That is, in the form of the failure of all operations.

“What about any follow-up attacks from C or Oogui?”

As East Central Branch Head Haji Keigo asked this, the Mushitsuki sitting in front of the communication device turned to him. His appearance was reflected on the goggle’s surface.

He had a slim and slender figure and a sickly pale face. His almond eyes made him look older than his late twenties of age. He was just like a ghost appearing under a willow tree—is what he himself thought.

“It does not appear that C attempted to strike back Terasu’s group in pursuit.”

“Same goes for Harukiyo.”

Someone smiled at this report from another Mushitsuki.

She was a woman of the same age as Keigo. Her eyes filled with fondness and the beauty mark under her eye were striking. If what she wore was not a suit but a robe, she might look like a saintess.

“What about Kabuto and Mushibane?”

Miguruma Yaeko. She was the Vice-Deputy of the SEPB, as well as the leader of the entire organization in practice.

“After the battle, Oogui vanished along with Ebina Yuu, the lure.”

“I see.”

Still grinning, Miguruma turned to look at Keigo.

“It seems that the operations to annihilate C and Oogui both have failed.”

C.

The appearance of the Mushitsuki called by this name was the cause behind the lockdown of Akamaki City.

The Original Three were the primal Mushi who gave birth to Mushitsuki—

And the Mushitsuki called C attempted to absorb even those monsters.

She was given the special designation as Super Class Rank 1. Defeating this unprecedented threat by annihilating it became the ultimate goal of all the assembled Mushitsuki.

However, the elites sent in order to annihilate C had the tables turned on them, and they went through many hardships—

All Mushitsuki had completely lost.

“However, damages were kept to a minimum.”

This saint’s smile was answered by Keigo’s faint smile.

“We have revived two of the Rank 1s and brought them back.”

“Clinging to the Rank 1s of the old generation… does this mean you don’t intend to accept the changes to this new world, Branch Head Haji?”

“A new world is coming indeed. However, that will be a world with no more Mushitsuki being created, Vice-Deputy Miguruma.”

Exchanging smiles that were completely inappropriate to the current situation, Haji Keigo and Miguruma Yaeko glared at each other.

At that moment, several camo-wearing soldiers burst into the tent.

“That woman is no longer the Vice-Deputy.”

A middle-aged man who was apparently talking with some other place through his cellphone turned his sweaty face to Miguruma. He was the vice-minister of the Ministries of Japan, dispatched there by the government.

“Miguruma, you are under arrest. You will obviously bear responsibility for C’s rampage… and as for you saying that everyone will become Mushitsuki now? We also have plenty to ask you about your clearly immoral ideas.”

“I will gladly answer any questions.”

Miguruma narrowed her already-narrow eyes and gave no resistance. The soldiers brought her arms behind her back, putting resin-made thumbcuffs on her.

“Vice-Deputy Miguruma… I know this is quite late as someone who’s worked with you thus far—but I can’t understand your thinking. Were you really this crazy…?”

The gentlemanly middle-aged man who wore his fancy suit perfectly groaned. He was Branch Head Takemi of the North Central Branch.

All other Branch Heads also nodded, their expressions hard.

“Not only have you given birth to the monster called C, but trying to fill the world with Mushitsuki created by her… it’s too much…”

“How ridiculous…”

Miguruma received their blaming with silence, looking at a woman who was standing a bit further away.

The one she was looking at was Goroumaru Touko. Although she was an adult woman in her mid-twenties, she had bed hair and wore her suit sloppily. While Haji hid himself, she led the East Central Branch as the Acting Branch Head.

“Do you also consider me mad, Acting Branch Head Goroumaru?”

“I-I—”

Goroumaru Touko’s face, that still had traces of tears on it, showed a moment of hesitation—and glanced at Keigo.

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes? My, how unexpected. Do you consider me to be the same as her?”

When he showed his flippant smile, Touko lowered her head and went silent.

He knew her for a long time and she was his direct subordinate. Until just yesterday she had fully trusted him, yet it seemed like a small change was occurring within her.

“Terau’s group is back!”

Along with this report, the outside of the Headquarters tent became noisy.

Haji passed next to Touko and exited.

“Oh my, look here…”

He witnessed a scene that couldn’t be called a triumphant return even in flattery.

It should have been the team of elites high-ranked Mushitsuki assembled in order to annihilate C. Including Rank 2 Terasu, it was the crystallization of the fighting force polished for close to ten years by the organization called the SEPB.

And yet—they were beaten down horribly.

“—”

As the Mushitsuki on standby cleared the way, Terasu moved forward as the team’s leader.

Although she was in her young teens, this girl was the ace of the North Central Branch and thus an elite among elite—but she was now a filthy figure dragging its legs. Her coat was ripped and her North Central Branch-issued visor was broken. Every part of her body was discolored, whether from the large amounts of dried-up blood or sweat or the burn marks from some kind of attack.

All her other teammates were covered in similar wounds, and even the Mushitsuki called Kasuou was no exception. Even this crazed warrior that always instilled fear even in her allies had her beautiful blond hair dyed black.

Even those Mushitsuki who didn’t hear the details of the operations now realized at a glance.

The operation was a failure.

Even the unit made of the strongest elites from all the SEPB ended up losing so pitifully—

“All—”

Finally, Terasu arrived in front of the Branch Heads in the dome wrapped in silence.

“All combatants dispatched for Operation 1 under Terasu’s command... h-have all returned safely...”

There wasn’t even a single casualty.

Terasu reporting it as though this was the best-case scenario was perhaps her putting up a bold front.

“T-the operation to annihilate C has failed… b-but, with our reserve plan—”

Saying this much, Terau’s dirty face froze.

Among the row of Branch Heads, she noticed Miguruma Yaeko being apprehended.

“A job well done, my beloved Terasu. I have promised you that upon your return from the operation you will be designated Rank 1, right?”

Miguruma Yaeko wore the small of a saint.

“However, unfortunately—I can no longer fulfill that promise.”

“Ah…”

For a moment, Terasu felt like she was drained from all strength, like her mind was full of mud.

“I—is that so… t-that’s fine… I-I don’t really… care about being Rank 1…”

As she lowered her face and smiled weakly, the girl looked like she lost the very last of her powers, despite her words.

“—Haji Keigo?”

A member of the elite team, Kasuou, was the one who mumbled this.

“Eh…?”

“Branch Head Keigo?”

“I-it’s true… the East Central’s…!”

“Wasn’t he in a coma?”

It wasn’t just the elites; this agitation spread throughout the entire Mushitsuki forces in the dome. His lack of presence was often acknowledged even by himself, but now he was apparently finally noticed.

The SEPB regarded him as if he was unconscious.

The reason for that was so that the man known as Haji Keigo could move freely. While he was at a standstill with Miguruma Yaeko, he concealed his awakening from all but a single person—his trusted confidant Goroumaru Touko—and began moving toward his envisioned plan.

That plan was the reserve plan in the operation to eliminate C.

Meaning—a counter against Miguruma Yaeko’s potential rampage.

That plan succeeded and, in addition to saving the SEPB fighting force that came to the brink of annihilation, managed to bring back a small hope. However—

“Great work, welcome back. —The feeling is mutual, right?”

There were only very few smiles on the faces of those who welcomed Keigo’s faint smile.

Most were shocked, and Kasuou looked even angry. Since he definitely wasn’t any kinder than their previous boss, apparently no one was going to wholeheartedly welcome him back.

One of the gazes, especially—

From among the elite team, the hostility he felt from someone wearing their hood low on their head was frightening.

He couldn’t see her face, but he knew she was no ordinary person.

Naturally. After all, while she was the small hope brought back through his plan—she was also, at the same time, his bitter archnemesis.

“Bi—big brother…?”

Keigo found another girl who was reaching out in shock and approached her.

Although the girl’s eyes were wide open, they couldn’t capture his figure. She was wounded, yet looked like she grew up splendidly. The girl’s sightless eyes filled with tears.

“Big brother… really…? W-where are you…?”

Keigo smiled and hugged his little sister, Haji Senri, who had her hands wandering through air.

“I’m right here, Senri. You became so strong… you really have.”

“Big—brother—”

His ill little sister now became an indispensable part of the SEPB’s fighting forces, the Special Class Rank 2 member, Himiko. He did feel conflicted about sending her to the battlefield, but—

Keigo had elected to protect her from behind the scenes until now.

Would he ever be able to tell his sister the reason for it?

“You’ve done well to survive. It’s fine, I’ll be here with you now.”

“Big brother…! Big brother…!”

As if expelling something she was holding back, Senri returned Keigo’s hug while shedding tears. She buried her face in his chest as though to confirm her brother’s warmth and scent.

“Big brother… D-Dai-kun… he’s…!”

“I know. It’s fine, you have nothing to worry about… you need to rest now.”

While he attempted to reassure her, Keigo noticed someone was glaring at him.

“Are you Haji Keigo? Senri’s brother…?”

East Central Branch Rank 2 member, Kaguya. Keigo was well aware that he was Senri’s friend and that he used to belong to the Mushitsuki resistance organization, Mushibane.

“Seems like you’ve already been awake for a while now, right? Have you any idea how much Senri worried about you!? Was the one behind this reserve plan not Acting Branch Head Goroumaru but actually you?”

“Eh, is that really truewuwu?”

Maimai, another Mushitsuki from the East Central Branch, rounded her eye not covered by an eyepatch.

“Well, it turned out like that.”

While stroking his crying sister’s face, Keigo spoke.

“Regarding my reason for acting stealthily—it becomes obvious by looking at the present operation, does it not? I made plenty of preparations to fight someone, so there was a lot to do.”

“We’ll have time to talk later,” he whispered to his sister, turning his face to the side.

A certain person that Keigo spoke about—Miguruma Yaeko—was still smiling despite getting restrained.

Seeing them both face each other, North Central Branch Head Takemi spoke to the vice-minister.

“—Mr. Vice-Minister. I recommend him to succeed Miguruma Vice-Deputy’s position.”

“What?”

“Haji Keigo… that man has many achievements as the East Central Branch Head. Even looking at this current case, it’s thanks to him that we were able to bring out this result despite the difficult situation. I bet the other Heads have no counterarguments.”

The other Branch Heads remained silent and agreed with Takemi Head’s recommendation.

Keigo smiled while fixing his glasses’ position with his index finger.

“I am honored you hold me in such high esteem, Branch Head Takemi. I was certain you hated me.”

“I will not let my personal feelings get in the way while this country is in an emergency state. We need to prioritize the abilities to take initiative and to make decisive actions. You were the one who made that outrageous zone called GARDEN because you were obsessed with researching Mushitsuki. Handling Mushitsuki’s your forte, right?”

Rather than assuming responsibility for trying to turn everything over, the ambitious Takemi probably judged it wiser to push it all on Keigo. It really was an apt decision, just like he spoke of.

“…If there is no other personnel, we have no choice.”

The vice-minister nodded.

Keigo wore a smile.

Finally—finally, this time came.

“Haji Keigo. I appoint you to be the Vice-Deputy of Central Headquarters—no, the Director of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. You are to use the power of the SEPB and everything at your disposal to get rid of C’s unprecedented threat.”

Keigo raised his face and looked at the people around him.

At the SEPB Branch Heads, as well as the soldier Mushitsuki.

In essence, the power to freely wield and move all Mushitsuki in the country—

Had now been obtained by Keigo.

And he’d waited for this for a long, long time.

“I accept.”

Wearing a thin smile, he looked to Miguruma Yaeko.

She was no longer smiling.

This wasn’t because she felt pained at having her authority taken, nor did she feel self-pity for falling from grace.

She simply made a disinterested sigh and mumbled.

“I wanted to avoid at least having the SEPB fall into your hands… what a pity.”

“For you, that’s right. —We really are complete opposites.”

The person called Miguruma Yaeko loved Mushitsuki.

Never mind the shape of her love, she wished for them to exist forever.

On the other, the man called Haji Keigo never loved Mushitsuki.

“I simply lament the huge misfortune falling to my beloved Mushitsuki.”

Miguruma Yaeko closed her eyes as if to offer a silent prayer. —Keigo had estimated her aim beforehand, and she probably also divined Keigo’s aims as well.

However, that was irrelevant.

The baton to control Mushitsuki—now passed to Haji Keigo’s hands.

Looking up at Keigo narrowing his eyes, Senri furrowed her brows.

“Big brother…?”

“You don’t have to make that face. It’s fine. There’s no need to worry anymore.”

Stroking Senri’s head, Haji Keigo turned to Goroumaru Touko.

“Goroumaru-kun. I now appoint you officially as the East Central Branch Head. Is that fine?”

“…Y-yes sir!”

Goroumaru Touko seemed to have complex feelings about her promotion, but she accepted it.

The voices of the intelligence division Mushitsuki came flying out of the operation tent.

“Harukiyo and Kabuto’s groups have returned! They will soon arrive here!”

Keigo stepped in front of the lines of Mushitsuki.

“Let’s reorganize. C is a powerful enemy, but she’s definitely not unbeatable. Our first operations ended in vain, but our forces suffered no major losses. Not only that, we can even say we managed to gain a few aces.”

He would not deny that Terasu’s loss lowered the Mushitsuki’s morale.

However, they could easily recover.

Keigo managed to gain so many forces, and he always thought about it.

How to end the fight of Mushitsuki—

He was resolved to stop at nothing in order to accomplish that one and only goal.

“Now you need to focus on resting and save your energy for when we can rechallenge—”

“Wait.”

The one who stopped Keigo was neither a Mushitsuki nor a member of Mushibane.

It was the vice-minister, his face covered in sweat. Perhaps having reported the situation to the government, he lowered the phone that he just used to talk.

“—I take back what I’ve said just now.”

Keigo tilted his head.

“Haji Keigo, you are demoted from serving as Director. At the same time—”

The air around froze.

Keigo was shocked, and before he could reason out the meaning behind the vice-minister’s utterance—

He gave a declaration.

“Starting now, the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau is to be dissolved.”

As Keigo turned his gaze toward her without even thinking—

He saw that Miguruma Yaeko was grinning.

1.02 The Others

“Furthermore, all Branch Heads as well as Mushitsuki are to be restrained.”

The vice-minister’s declaration echoed throughout the silent dome.

None could even speak; none could make a single move.

What he just declared to them—

Was the dissolve of the SEPB as well as arrest of all its members.

Every single person there required a moment to even understand the meaning of his words.

“The SEPB’s… done?”

Someone’s leaked mumble shook Keigo’s thoughts.

Dissolving the SEPB? Impossible—

The SEPB led by Miguruma Yaeko was not the kind of brittle organization that could be so easily dissolved. It obviously had many cooperators spread among the nucleus of the country, and if it was decided to be dissolved, then it would require the joint opinion of several ministries and organizations.

Keigo also did some careful work behind the scenes. He’d never neglected keeping watch on the SEPB’s cooperators as well as opposition. If there were any movements related to dissolving them, he would have known of them long ago.

“Harukiyo has arrived!”

Something impossible was happening—

Miguruma Yaeko did not seem surprised. This meant that she alone had expected this situation.

Something Miguruma had expected.

Meaning—the loss of the SEPB.

C’s victory.

By the same token, Miguruma Yaeko’s downfall.

If she in fact managed to estimate the current situation as well as allow it to happen—

“Does that mean this is also C’s doing?”

Keigo glared at Miguruma Yaeko with a side glance.

The decision for dissolvement came too fast. —It happened right after Keigo managed to grasp real power and impossibly quick in spite of all the normal formalities.

He could only think that an inhuman power moved right next to the higher-ups.

The fact this became reality—meant there was no mistake someone had fixed it up like this in advance. It was clear and obvious who set it up like this.

“Since C had won, she’s not going to allow even the smallest counterattack?”

Hearing Keigo’s words, Miguruma Yaeko tilted her head and feigned ignorance.

“C is doing nothing more than taking the next step in creating a new world. If only you hadn’t appeared, everyone would have gained the Undying without suffering…”

“As mere Revived who simply keep on living, no different from the Fallen, though. —You were the one who created C. What on earth are you trying to do with C?”

Miguruma called it a “step”.

Since she’d planted traps even for the higher-ups of the country, it was already certain that everything was advancing exactly like Miguruma Yaeko had envisioned it.

C’s rampage was no mere rampage.

She was following some grand plan and everything was advancing according to it—

“I am creating an Ark, Haji Keigo.”

Miguruma Yaeko smiled.

“You said we were opposites—but in the end we are very similar.”

“…?”

Keigo frowned, unable to understand the meaning of Miguruma’s words. At that moment some sort of commotion came to his ears.

“—Are you in the middle of somethin’?”

Mushitsuki covered in wounds all over appeared inside the dome.

They were much less numerous than Terasu and the others that came before, but they were powerful Mushitsuki. Especially the red-haired man standing in the front—Harukiyo—was a frightening person called the flame devil.

“Well, not like it’s got anything to do with me, though.”

While all his comrades looked like they’d fall down at any moment, only the blood-smeared Harukiyo acted all high and mighty. His firm arms were hugging a girl covered by a jacket.

“…Is that—Arisu?”

Seeing the girl Harukiyo holding up, Kasuou stepped ahead, staggering. The Central Headquarters Mushitsuki called Nene and Tamamo also paled.

“Arisu-chan…? Is it really Arisu-chan?”

“Arisu-san…! Is she reaaally awake now? B-but that means the Undying’s—”

“She was subbed out. A lying bastard’s now gone to bed with the Undying instead of her.”

Harukiyo casually threw the girl at Kasuou. “Don’t throw her, piece of shit!” she yelled at him and caught her with mist.

Next to Harukiyo, Kusezaki Ume argued, “Woah, what’re we gonna do if she wakes up and raises hell again?!”

“Arisu…? Who is that?”

“A Mushitsuki?”

“H-has Harukiyo really…? Why here… and that woman…?”

Following the disbanding of the SEPB, the flame devil’s appearance caused another uproar in the dome.

The girl brought back by Harukiyo was the Rank 1 Mushitsuki who was treated as non-existent. However, right now Keigo didn’t have the leisure to explain this to everyone.

“Good work, Harukiyo. However, she doesn’t seem to be back to normal...”

Harukiyo glared at Keigo who fixed the position of his glasses and approached him.

“Done pretending you’re asleep, then? That human sacrifice you’ve sent me was a great help.”

However, the flame devil passed right next to him and headed toward the restrained Miguruma.

“…”

“What is the matter, Harukiyo? You seem like you want to say something. Are you going to thank me for reuniting you with the lovely Sleeping Beauty?”

Harukiyo responded to Miguruma Yaeko’s smile with a smile of his own.

“You gotta pay the piper after playing with my buddies like that… I’ll need to put on my thinking cap and think really hard about it.”

The devil’s eyes were set ablaze. His red hair sizzled. Even the surrounding air produced a heat haze from the heatwave, causing the temperature inside the dome to rise.

“First of all, I really fuckin’ hate your ‘I don’t mind dying’ sorta look. I think you’ve got no siblings or parents… but if you die with some hope remaining, like some sorta samurai following his master to the grave, that wouldn’t serve as no punishment, now would it?”

While Harukiyo threatened her, Miguruma Yaeko’s face was cold.

Was she really unafraid of death? Or perhaps—

“…!”

Seeing how Miguruma acted, Keigo gasped. He turned toward the operation tent.

“Quickly, tell Kabuto and the others to not come back to the dome!”

“—They’re already here!”

When this voice came, the number of Mushitsuki in the dome increased.

They were the SEPB member Kabuto and a large number of Mushitsuki. Further added to that, Mushibane members showed themselves one after another.

Keigo softly clicked his tongue.

“B-Branch Head Haji…?”

His subordinate Kabuto was shocked, seeing him. Kabuto was yet another person who was convinced Haji was in a coma, but he didn’t have the time to handle that response.

“Kabuto, where’s Fuyuhotaru?”

Looking around the people returned, Keigo asked briefly.

Fuyuhotaru, leader of Mushibane and a Secret Class Rank 1 Mushitsuki, was nowhere to be seen. Other important people like Mushibane’s admins and Akasegawa Nanana assembled there, but the girl wasn’t.

“—She vanished while we were on the way back here.”

Keigo slightly widened his eyes beneath his glasses.

Voices of confusion rose from the Mushitsuki in the dome as well.

“We were so shocked at the operation failing and took our eyes off of her for a moment… we do not know why she had gone, and if this was done out of her own volition. But we have sent a few SEPB members to look for her. If the intelligence division also helps, we can quickly—”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer possible.”

Keigo spoke.

“…Ha?”

“As of a short while ago, the organization called the SEPB has lost its function.”

Kabuto and the other returning SEPB members, as well as Mushibane, all froze together. Harukiyo raised a brow and glanced at Keigo.

“T-that’s right. There’s also an order to apprehend Mushibane. No one is allowed to get out of here.”

The vice-minister loudly declared this, but his face was stiff. Since he was in front of those he regarded as monsters, he was obviously scared.

“If you resist even a little, it will be seen as rebellion against the country and you will all be put on the wanted list.”

The Mushitsuki all remained silent.

Soon this silence turned into a commotion, and their eyes moved from the vice-minister to Keigo.

“…”

“W-why are you silent, Haji Keigo! Order all of them to surrender and drop their weapons!”

Keigo could no longer even hear the vice-minister.

Their fighting forces—were too lacking.

There were two—no, three Rank 1s here. Originally, you could say that their forces wouldn’t lose even to a large-scale army.

However.

At present, most powerful Mushitsuki were exhausted and could barely stand. The reliable Rank 1 Fuyuhotaru was currently missing, and despite acting so brazenly, Harukiyo was visibly spent. Even Sleeping Beauty Arisu who was hoped to become the new leader of Mushitsuki remained asleep.

With things being how they were, the only way to break through this situation—

“W-we’ve also dispatched the JSDF. You can’t resist…!”

“None of this matters. Right now, our real threat is—”

Before Keigo finished speaking, something happened.

There was the shrill sound of something bursting, echoing from the corner of the dome.

If they were to supply electricity from the outside, there was the risk of C using it for an attack. As a countermeasure they prepared many generators, but now these were being drowned in golden light.

Standing next to a generator was a Mushitsuki clad in SEPB equipment. The golden light engulfing the generator extended from that Mushitsuki.

“No way… does Kabuto-san’s team not include a sensor?”

Kusezaki Ume muttered. Harukiyo snorted, sounding bored.

“Seriously lame. She not only tailed you but even set up a trap.”

While many Mushitsuki became restless due to being unable to understand the situation, Keigo groaned.

“So it’s not like we shook off her pursuit. —She simply waited so she could get all of us in one fell swoop.”

As Keigo turned his eyes to the side, Miguruma returned a silent, small smile.

“—This is C’s counterattack.”

The moment he muttered this, the Mushitsuki standing next to the generator collapsed.

Instead of them—an ethereal silhouette glowing in gold rose from the floor.

She was a petite girl wearing a slanted tiara that was covered in crown and heart symbols. Seated in a large chair—a throne—her figure with a thick cloak and wavy hair looked divine.

“—”

No one could do anything but gulp and watch her.

They all watched this fairy glowing in gold, serving as body double to C, launch many small C-butterflies, one after another.

They all watched the exhausted, powerless Mushitsuki get cornered by the golden wave.

While imagining the incoming destruction, they could do nothing but stand there.

“All old Mushitsuki will be purged by the ‘Flood’, while only the new Mushitsuki will board the ‘Ark’—”

Miguruma Yaeko spoke in a singsong voice.

“And… the ‘Dove’ will be unleashed.”

Along with Miguruma Yaeko’s prophecy of destruction, the number of C-butterflies increased.

While the dome was being engulfed by despair—

“Good grief, and just when I thought I finally got the SEPB in my hands… is this simply the fate of the East Central Branch?”

Keigo sighed. He turned back to the vice-minister.

“Vice-minister. Starting now, we will no longer belong to the government and will assume independent action.”

“Wha…?”

“This is—what you’d call a coup d’etat.”

Ignoring the speechless vice-minister, Keigo raised his voice.

“An announcement for all the SEPB, as well as Mushibane! Escape from this place with everything you have!”

The Mushitsuki overwhelmed by the golden fairies and C-butterflies all looked to Keigo.

“It appears that the government’s already under C’s control! If you don’t want to become Fallen—and then get Revived and become C’s underlings—you have no way other than retreat!”

There was no other choice nor any time. Keigo kept prattling on and on.

“Terasu! You take command of all the Mushitsuki. Help as many as you can get out.”

“M-me…? B-but, we’re too exhausted to even—“

Terasu argued against Keigo, her face shocked.

Just like she said, their comrades no longer had the power to fight. Even Harukiyo who could be called the strongest Mushitsuki was exhausted, and Keigo doubted he’d help other Mushitsuki without any reason. Sleeping Beauty Arisu also remained asleep.

However—there was a single person there who could still fight.

“Please buy us some time until we can retreat—”

Keigo turned back, calling out to one person among the Mushitsuki.

“Lady Bird.”

A silence spread throughout the entire dome as though time stopped.

Even the swarm of C-butterflies stopped their wings.

The following moment, a large tremor shook the surroundings—

This occurred due to the half dome-shaped giant Mushi that swelled into being right at the very center of the dome, as well as the shockwave whipped up by this Mushi’s wings.

It was a massive seven-spotted ladybug.

Riding on its back, the hooded person opened her mouth.

“I have no intention of following your orders.”

Keigo ignored her voice, wearing a faint smile.

It really was a nostalgic voice.

“I will simply protect Mushitsuki.”

Removing her hood, she revealed her face covered by a fox mask.

Tachibana Rina.

Lady Bird.

This Blaze Class Rank 1 Mushitsuki, who could also be called the archnemesis of the SEPB, had already lost her life in a past fight—and was now revived.

“That’s all I do, both before and now.”

Some worshipped her as a god, while some called her the weakest of the Rank 1s.

Did this Mushitsuki still possess the same strength and kindness she had before her revival?

Haji Keigo had to ascertain this before entering the final battle.

In the end—was she really the girl called Tachibana Rina?

1.03 Rina Part 1

Who was she, actually?

Tachibana Rina, who had had her dream eaten by her Mushi and died.

Lady Bird, who was being idolized and admired by many people even now.

Mimic, who had offered both mind and body to call Tachibana Rina back into this world.

As well as—something that got revived alongside her, swarming around like the dead clinging to a spider’s thread.

Right now, her being was a mishmash made from all of those.

“Lady…?”

“Lady Bird…! But she’s dead…!”

“…Lady! Are you really Lady?”

Many Mushitsuki in the dome, especially from Mushibane, started a commotion.

It was natural for them to respond like this, seeing their first leader who’d supposedly died in battle.

However, she—the one who came back to life in the form of “Tachibana Rina”—did not turn her gaze to them.

“I am… not Lady Bird.”

From within the fox-patterned mask, she glared at C’s body double standing next to the generator.

It didn’t matter who she was, right now.

As someone who stood there in the form of Tachibana Rina, there was something she was fully aware of.

The conviction that she’d been called back in order to fight again.

As well as—her strong sense of duty to save as many Mushitsuki as possible.

“I’m Mimic! I’m simply an imitation of Lady’s powers!”

At Rina’s feet, the giant seven-spotted ladybug spread its wings.

The shockwave created by the wings’ vibration blew C and the generator to smithereens.

“Do what Haji Keigo said! Escape and leave this place to me!”

Tachibana Rina and Mimic—Kitazawa Tamaki.

She had the memories and dreams of both inside her.

However, right now she shouldn’t put out her personality as Tachibana Rina.

Kitazawa Tamaki’s memories warned her of this.

Since Lady Bird had so many admirers, if she managed a true “revival” in the face of this adversity—even the faith in her would be revived.

And this despite the fact that her friend, Anmoto Shiika, had finally given them the power to stand up on their own legs.

It would also end up causing the silly split into the SEPB and Mushibane again.

In this situation—this sort of split would lead to the extinction of Mushitsuki.

“No—you are Lady Bird without a doubt.”

This soft voice echoed throughout the dome.

It belonged to Miguruma Yaeko.

“Although you are from the old generation, you are a Rank 1. Because you are Undying… you also embody it, in the form of a revival.”

Why was she speaking unnecessarily—

As Rina glared at her, Miguruma Yaeko narrowed her eyes.

“However, you are incomplete. In this incomplete world, you must be created anew…”

Above Rina and the rest’s heads, she could hear something crackling and bursting.

Golden light gathered near the high ceiling and reformed C again. Sitting on her throne floating midair, C unleashed lines of lightning from her fingertips.

These countless lightning bolts aimed for the Mushitsuki—or so she thought, but was wrong.

“—!”

This impact struck a person other than the Mushitsuki. It hit the suited men including the vice-minister and those who seemed to be his aides, as well as the soldiers restraining Miguruma.

“What are you planning…!”

Rina unleashed yet another shockwave, blowing C’s body double apart along with the lights.

Those struck by electricity, the vice-minister and the rest, fell.

“U-uh—”

They looked like they received quite the shock, but were still apparently conscious. The vice-minister held his head while raising his face, glaring at Rina with demonic eyes.

“Y-you pieces of—so you intend to resist! You terrorists!”

The Mushitsuki were all frozen at this sudden change to the vice-minister, who until then quaked in fear.

“You intend to use Mushitsuki powers to take over the country? Now you’ve shown us your true colors, you monsters!”

“—”

“An order to all forces on standby outside! Immediately enter and purge all Mushitsuki!”

While everyone was shocked, Haji Keigo wore a cynical smile.

“The ability to control electricity running through the brain nerves and thus manipulate memories—this was made possible through the experiments held at Central Headquarters by—”

“C, of course.”

Still bound, Miguruma Yaeko grinned.

Once more golden light was gathering near the ceiling. —Apparently, C’s figure on her throne was nothing more than insubstantial electricity. Although Rina’s shockwave was able to scatter it, it couldn’t completely destroy it.

“Now, Terasu. Retreat while we can.”

“Bu…! But, Branch Head—Director Haji! We’re all completely exhausted… our team wasted every last drop of power on coming back…! —Right, Harukiyo! Since things are like this, you guys also lend us—”

Terasu turned around flustered, then became speechless.

Although the flame of devil was there until that moment, he now completely vanished. The same went for his comrades.

“W-why you… pervert without any sense of cooperation! Uuh… If the soldiers out there are already our enemies, we’re completely surrounded… there’s not even space enough for us to go outside—”

“Lady will somehow handle that part. Am I wrong?”

Without even looking at Haji turning his gaze to her, Rina looked up the ceiling again.

C already reformed her lower torso, gathering a golden light in her raised arms. If she struck them with lightning, the number of victims would go beyond a few for sure.

As Rina dropped her gaze, she saw a Mushitsuki placing a hockey stick on his shoulder.

“…If the ceiling falls, I’ll leave it to you. You should be able to stop it.”

“Me? I don’t really get it, but can I expect something in return?”

This Mushitsuki, Shiohara Shachito, wore a flippant smile. He was somewhat suspicious, but they could rely on his powerful ability to control mass—thus told Rina the Mimic inside her.

“I can’t give you anything in return, but—”

Rina leaned forward on her own Mushi.

Her giant seven-spotted ladybug flew. With the shockwaves caused by its wings, she incidentally also pulverized the materializing C to smithereens, landing in front of the dome’s wall.

While the vibrations caused by landing had yet to settle down, the seven-spotted ladybug spread its wings again.

“If you refuse, I’ll do this.”

As Rina widened her eyes, she could see thousands, tens of thousands of thin fragments filling her eyesight.

The noiseless impact of destruction shook the entire dome.

“—”

Rina could feel something small deplete from somewhere within her chest.

It was a fragment of the feeling called a dream.

She never thought she’d once again experience this feeling of shaving part of her dream and using it. It even felt nostalgic to her, and it brought back Tachibana Rina’s memories from when she was alive.

Most of the time, she would direct her powers against a certain individual—the Mushitsuki who belonged to the SEPB’s East Central Branch, Blaze Class Rank 1 Kakkou.

During her battle with Kakkou, she also made her first friend, Anmoto Shiika.

According to Mimic’s memories, both Kakkou and Shiika continued their own fights even after Rina’s death.

However, in the end Kakkou became a Fallen and Shiika vanished—

Rina held the duty to save Mushitsuki.

However—there were definitely also an indescribable sensation of emptiness, as well as a sense of loss that felt like it would turn her to reckless abandon.

“—I was already gone, and yet…”

All Rina did was move a few dozen meters away from right next to the dome’s wall.

However, advancing while clad in this shockwave—she created a huge depression.

Neither thick wall nor asphalt, iron beams nor support pillars that held up the dome could stand up to her. Everything in Rina’s path was simply destroyed. She created a tunnel connecting the interior of the dome with the outside world.

Turning back, she could see all the shocked Mushitsuki standing there.

Apparently her worries about causing the ceiling to collapse were needless.

“L-let us retreat! Let the Mushitsuki that Kabuto took with him to Operation 3 lead the charge! Kasuou, can you carry the wounded? Tamamo, you protect the Branch Heads!”

Coming back to her senses, Terasu hurriedly issued orders.

Wind was blowing outside the dome, causing Rina’s hair to flutter. Beneath her rushed many groups of soldiers. They were all carrying small firearms.

The seven-spotted ladybug flapped its wings once, causing the soldiers to get blown away and collapse.

“I’ll secure the path of retreat! You must all get away as quickly—”

While the Mushitsuki started escaping in droves, Rina’s shoulders twitched in shock as they passed next to her.

She felt for a moment that her weight increased.

However, that was wrong.

What became heavier—was Rina’s heart.

In her sight through the fox mask, she could now see people who weren’t supposed to be there.

Some crawled up from inside the ground. Others tried embracing Rina from behind. One after another, arms reached out for her and clung to her.

Formless people only visible to Rina.

She knew their identity.

“—Ah, it really was awfully convenient for me to go and die on you after promising so much.”

They were past Mushitsuki.

The fragments of dreams of the Fallen sealed inside the Central Headquarters’ Database.

They were the dreams that sought salvation, clinging tight to Rina as she just came back to life on her own. Rina would never have been able to denying them who couldn’t give up on their dreams even after becoming Fallen.

“It’s fine. I’ll create a place for all of you… because that’s my dream…”

All the Mushitsuki were running away, leaving Rina behind.

She was Tachibana Rina—or at least had her form.

By sacrificing Kitazawa Tamaki, she came back to life along with many dreams.

“Because I have nothing left anymore…”

In this world where none of those she loved existed anymore—she mumbled in an exhausted voice.

1.04 Rina Part 2

Weaving through the path opened by Rina, the Mushitsuki ran away one after another.

However, not all were able to escape safely. Those too hurt to move were wrapped by Kasuou’s mist and carried. The problem was with those not hurt seriously enough to secure and those who could move freely, meaning the lightly wounded.

They clearly moved slowly and were thus delayed from reaching the frontline where those like Haji and Terasu were.

“Do your best! If you remain here, you’ll just became prey to C!”

Rina appealed to them while Shiohara Shachito rushed next to her.

“Lady-san… was it? That’s enough. Terasu-chan said to retreat. —Oh, and since the ceiling held on there’s no need for any thanks or punishment, right?”

“…I’ll follow soon after the last person evacuates.”

Shachito watched Rina assert this with a confused expression.

“You’re a Rank 1, right? You came back to life, so I think it’s a bad plan to use your precious fighting power on just the ‘last person’.”

“You’re not even part of SEPB or Mushibane, and yet you speak like the SEPB.”

“Because my teacher was SEPB. I do believe Terasu-chan’s right, though.”

“I won’t say she’s wrong.”

After saying that, Rina gasped.

Above the heads of Mushitsuki running away from the dome there were countless spheres of lightnings being created.

“This is bad…!”

Rina moved her seven-spotted ladybug, covering up for those Mushitsuki late in running away.

The next moment, a rain of lightning came down on the surface.

“—!”

The impact caused debris to swell up, opening up countless holes in the dome.

The seven-spotted Ladybug was hit by several of the lightning bolts. The Mushi’s wings were singed, causing a sharp pain to run through Rina’s heart as though a bomb exploded inside it.

“L-Lady…!”

Beneath the seven-spotted ladybug, a boy that seemed to be a Mushibane member raised his head.

“—Run! Before another attack comes…!”

Using her fox mask to hide her expression of anguish, Rina shouted. She just barely managed to save one person, but by passing her eyes around she could see that many Mushitsuki were hit and collapsed.

“Impossible—”

Still next to her, Shachito mumbled in a low voice.

“For you to sacrifice yourself for Mushitsuki who couldn’t even fight… you’re an important part of our forces to beat C. Rather than staying here, you should go with Terasu—”

“If you think you can drag me away by force, I dare you to try.”

As Rina glared at her, Shachito looked serious. He might actually be thinking of dragging her away by force. She knew from Mimic’s memories that he was strong.

“—L-Lady…”

Hearing the voice from behind, Rina turned back.

There was a girl wearing a fashionable outfit and holding a cellphone full of straps who stood there.

“…Lucifera? W-what are you doing there! Run away already!”

She was Rina’s old acquaintance, one of Mushibane’s admins. Her name was Lucifera.

“A-are you really Lady? I, I…”

“This isn’t the time for that. This place’s dangerous, your body is weak—”

“It might be too late. Everything’s gone pear-shaped.”

At Shachito’s warning, Rina raised her face.

A golden glow was born midair.

Would another of C’s body doubles appear, or would she strike with lightning? —She considered these two options, but just like Shachito said, a new change appeared there.

Blinding light passed through gold and changed to pure white. This divinity robbed one’s eyesight.

While her vision was dyed in white, she could hear an echoing sound from afar.

It was the sound of bells.

A shrill bell sound that was sublime and full of blessings.

That sound gradually grew louder and louder—

“—!”

When she came back to her senses, Rina found herself standing on a marble floor.

The floor was scrubbed completely white and there was also an absurdly high ceiling. Supporting those were countless pillars engraved with vivid patterns.

What on earth is this place—

She supposedly emitted a voice, but her mouth remained unmoving.

She could feel her mind grow flaccid due to the fresh air and sublime bell sounds.

“…”

When she came to, a rectangular box was placed in front of her eyes.

It was—Rina’s coffin.

She wasn’t told this by anyone, but felt it instinctively.

“You must be tired of dreaming…”

It was a young girl’s voice.

Although her ears were full of ringing bells, she heard that voice especially clearly.

“You have fought well… You are worthy to get invited to heaven…”

Rina’s body moved on its own. She kneeled and touched the beautiful casket in front of her.

“You will be allowed to rest in heaven without suffering… without sorrow…”

She would no longer need to fight.

She could forget everything—even her dream and attain relief.

Rina wished to be inside the coffin full of that tranquility.

However—

“—How conceited of you.”

Rina’s mouth moved and mumbled. Her fingers on the coffin stopped.

Her vague mind cleared up quickly.

“To think anyone would allow me to rest at this point… when I’m the one most unforgiving regarding myself.”

Biting her lips hard, she forcibly regained her sense of self.

Behind Rina, a huge shadow—the large seven-spotted ladybug appeared.

And not just her Mushi.

In this world wrapped by clean air, countless black arms were created. They clung to Rina as if seeking salvation, tearing her away from the coffin in front of her eyes.

“Also, they’re not going to let me rest, either—until I fulfill my promise to create a place for them.”

Behind the rising Rina, the seven-spotted ladybug spread its wings.

A shockwave broke through the world that had nothing but cleanliness in it.

The floor crumbled, the ceiling broke down, and the pillars were blown to smithereens.

The coffin was blown away, its stained glass ruined—

“—!”

Wind with dust and the scent of blood blew Rina’s hair.

Her sense of fatigue, as well as the pain in her chest that was the side effect of wasting her dream, nearly caused her to collapse. Coming back from the world that had no pain or uncertainty in it, this world was—like hell itself.

However, it was the world of reality Rina came back to.

This cruel world, that didn’t allow her to stop dreaming—that forced her to live.

“Oh, so you snapped out of it yourself. As expected of a Rank 1.”

Shachito next to her spoke casually. He was just about to swing his hockey, probably intending to save Rina using some method.

“It’s C’s mental attack.”

“…!”

Looking around her, Rina was speechless.

Butterflies glowing in gold filled her sight. Swarms of C-butterflies.

Standing on the surface filled with light were people standing there dazed.

These Mushitsuki who stood with dull faces—as well as camo-wearing soldiers who were gathered to attack them. Within this bizarre scene, only Rina and Shachito were able to move freely.

“Looks like they’re completely controlled by C’s domain. They don’t stand a chance without going through training to resist mental attacks. Have you done that as well, Lady-chan?”

“You constantly get attacked like that while fighting with the SEPB. —Lucifera!”

Although she called to the fashionable girl, she kept hugging her cellphone without any response.

“I see, so you grinded for a lot of EXP. —No use calling to that girl. The others are all completely infected. But why even people who aren’t Mushitsuki…?”

“Lucifera!”

Rina kept shaking the girl’s shoulders.

The girl called Lucifera was a Mushitsuki whom Rina once saved. She was relatively strong herself, but she was also weak to mental attacks. Although on one side she was aggressive enough to hurt others, she also tried withdrawing into her own shell. Rina too, even up to her “death”, had been unable to save the girl from herself.

However, Lucifera now got out into the world and threw herself into battle.

Rina was happy at that fact—and became convinced she was right to trust the girl’s strength.

“Lucifera, wake up!”

“I told you, it’s useless. Rather than that, what should we do? I don’t have enough power to save everyone here… no, even just us two should get outta here ASAP, I think. Or rather, we have no other choice—”

“Luciferaaa!”

She called especially loudly.

As she did—

“—!”

Lucifera’s body twitched hard. Light returned to her eyes that were glaring at empty air and she returned Rina’s glance with a shocked face.

“La…dy…?”

“—Ha?”

The boy carrying a hockey stick on his shoulder had his expression frozen.

“Lady’s… voice…”

“Sorry for forcing you to wake up.”

Rina smiled, hugging the girl’s head.

“I had the feeling that if I didn’t stop you, you would’ve gone to the other side… just a little more—there’s just a little more, so please try fight to the end…”

“U-uuuh… yes… yesss…”

Stroking the sobbing girl, Rina spoke.

“Sorry for cutting to the chase… but can you bring everyone here back?”

“…Yup!”

Lucifera separated from Rina and operated her cellphone with both hands.

Moments later, the silent space now had electronic tones echoing throughout.

The goggles worn by the SEPB Mushitsuki started ringing alarm sounds all at once. Furthermore, the cellphones of Mushibane members started ringing, and sounds also echoed from the camo suits’ wireless communication devices.

“I’ll send as much harassment as I can. I won’t give them a moment to rest…!”

While being swallowed by the deluge of electronic tones, people shook their bodies and came back to consciousness.

This was Lucifera’s ability. Using communication devices as a medium, she could interfere with people’s spirits.

“Still, why would C even attack normal people who are—”

While Rina was looking at one of the soldiers, a change came over him. It didn’t seem like he woke up yet—but the air around him twisted.

“Eh—”

Shachito also seemed to notice this. He turned to the man getting wrapped in heat haze.

“This forcefield… no way—”

He tried to say something when it happened.

A sublime sound of bells rang around.

They were without doubt in reality. Even so, what appeared above their heads—

“What is she trying to do…?”

Was a large structure supported by countless pillars.

It was a massive shrine.

1.05 Rina Part 3

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

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

“Recall...”

A soprano voice echoed on the surface.

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

“Uuh—“

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

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

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

“—Shinpu, yeah.”

Shachito spoke while looking above.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An explosive roar and shockwaves shattered the solemn shrine.

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

“Hah...! Hah...!”

While adjusting her breathing, Rina looked up the sky.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shachito spoke, then started running.

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

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

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

“Lady…”

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

“…”

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

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

It was their only chance to retreat.

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

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

She recalled her past as Tachibana Rina.

That night of the meteor shower—

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

It was the same as that time.

Although she knew she was just repeating her actions—

“I’m going! Come with me!”

She was simply the weak Mushitsuki called Tachibana Rina—

“I’ll protect everyone…!”

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

She ran, aiming for a peaceful paradise.

1.06 Rina Part 4

An eerie silence wrapped the residential district of Akamaki City.

It had been already several days since the region was evacuated. Normally, this would be around the time past people commuting to school or work, when housewives would vacuum up the house or do the laundry.

Not even a single person remained there now. Familiar sights such as postal trucks, old people out on walks or housewives chatting on the road were nowhere to be found.

Oppressive engine sounds echoed in the streets empty of people.

It was a military armored car. Apparently, it was patrolling the region.

From time to time, there were also figures that appeared on the roofs of private houses.

They had varied appearance; some wore bizarre long coats, while others wore casual clothes.

They were the Revived—those who had once been Mushitsuki and became Fallen or had died. —Resurrected through C’s powers, they were being controlled as pawns.

“—It’s fine, no more Revived. I finally managed to shake them off.”

Rina checked the situation outside from behind an automatic door.

Those who hid behind her all emitted a sigh of relief together.

“Let us rest here for a while.”

They were inside a certain supermarket. The place had enough space to hide Rina as well as the wounded Mushitsuki numbering several dozen people.

Fashionable Lucifera appeared from within the store.

“The breaker’s down and the alarms are all disabled as well. We should be able to hide here for a while as long as we use no electricity or Mushitsuki powers. …If we used even one of those, we’ll probably get found by C or a Revived with sensing powers.”

“Good job. Eat something while you can and recover your stamina. I feel bad about taking things without paying… but we can just send it to them later with an apology.”

Inside the gloomy place the Mushitsuki started stuffing their mouths with foodstuff gathered around the counters.

Rina ate a banana while watching the outside from the window.

“…”

Rina noticed while eating that the Mushitsuki would glance at her from time to time.

After all, they had the supposedly dead Rina—Lady Bird—right in front of their eyes. Although she claimed that she was Mimic, they obviously couldn’t get immediately used to it.

“No matter where we run to, we have to find a way out of Akamaki City.”

Trying to shake off the heavy atmosphere permeating the store, Rina made an effort to speak with a powerful tone.

“At this rate, even if we exit Akamaki City our prospects look grim… at the very least, if we go to a city with many people, it might get them involved. We first need to rest properly.”

While putting a nutritional jelly in her mouth, Lucifera was fiddling with her cellphone.

“Hmm… reception’s good again. But it’s a trap. If anyone uses a cellphone in the empty Akamaki City, C will be able to find them instantly.”

“Getting out of Akamaki City without getting found by C and resting our bodies… including our need to join up with Haji Keigo’s group, looks like we have a lot ahead of us. —That being said, even they have nowhere to run. Since it’s that cowardly four-eyes I do think he’ll do something, though…”

Lucifera meanwhile sank into silence for a moment. She mumbled while looking at her cellphone.

“Well, I did hear something about where Haji Keigo’s planning to run to when we were escaping from the dome…”

“Really? Did he really think of a place where they could hide from C in an instant…? That itself makes me angrier—well, tell me. Where is he planning to go?”

Lucifera wanted to whisper it to her ears, but Rina stopped her.

“It’s fine. We’re all comrades here. Tell everyone.”

“…OK.”

While the dozens of people focused their gazes on her, Lucifera spoke about where they ran to.

A certain place and how to get there.

The Mushitsuki all clamored.

“—I see now. He’ll definitely be able to buy some time like that. As long as they reach it safely, C shouldn’t be able to get there…”

Rina nodded in agreement.

He was as shrewd as always—no, he was a man who liked doing what his enemy hated best.

Since C controlled digital information, perhaps “that place” was even further away than the other side of the planet.

“So the issue is how all of us get there, then.”

“Yup. Since Haji Keigo’s group have Akasegawa Nanana with them, she’ll probably do something. But we have no way of contacting her, plus moving after requesting help will make it all too late. We must somehow prepare on our own a way to transport this number of people…”

While Rina and Lucifera were deliberating, a single Mushitsuki stepped forward.

He was wearing a white long coat. Apparently he was a Mushitsuki who belonged to Central Headquarters.

“Lady—no, are you Mimic?”

“…”

Rina made no answer. Even she wasn’t sure how to accurately name herself.

“Even if it’s just you alone, you have to reconvene with Terasu and others as quickly as you can.”

There were no sounds of surprise or arguing.

“You should be able to escape from Akamaki City on your own right now. If you’re going to fight C, then you should—no, you must join their forces.”

There was not a doubt in her mind that several people there all though the same.

After all, even Rina herself knew that this was right thing to do.

All of them here were wounded Mushitsuki and there were no high-ranked combatants. Rather than helping all of them escape, she should become part of the forces to fight their powerful enemy, C.

She needed to do this—even if everyone in here would get annihilated after she left the place.

Everyone would probably say so.

However, Rina smiled and answered thusly.

“I refuse.”

The white-coated Mushitsuki bit his lips. He apparently expected Rina’s answer, but didn’t want to give up.

“B-but…”

“If I could do that, I’d enter the SEPB. I’d get along better with Kakkou—”

The moment she mouthed that name, the form of this Mushitsuki called a demon passed through her mind.

And there was another person. —No, although this boy was the same person as Kakkou, she recalled his foolish expression that made him seem like a completely different person.

“—No, it’s impossible either way…”

While Rina lowered the tone of her voice, Lucifera for some reason puffed out her chest in pride.

“Telling Lady to abandon Mushitsuki in need would be like trying to rehabilitate Harukiyo. They’re both quite a handful, after all.”

“Please don’t compare me to that pervert…”

The flame devil she’d seen back at the dome had a completely different atmosphere to what she’d seen before. Perhaps he matured a little since the period of time where he’d sexually harass her whenever they met.

“Anyway, let us at least prepare so that we can move at any time.”

Following Rina’s words, everyone focused on eating and resting.

While wary of the outside of the supermarket, Rina thought about what to do moving forward.

“A way to carry this many people… can’t rely on Akasegawa Nanana… And we can’t get in contact with Munakata-san, either…”

Should they rather just try breaking through with Rina leading the charge?

If they really were cornered, they might have no other choice. However, the result was easy to imagine. The difference in numbers was just too great; it’d end up with them collapsing one by one.

“…”

There was something.

There was only one single thing Rina thought that she could do.

Not Lady Bird. It was a way she could use only as Tachibana Rina.

However, that would be—

That alone—

Even just thinking about it made her pulse quicken. She emitted cold sweat and her arms were slightly shaking.

“I have to do that… is that why I’ve been revived? B-but…”

As Rina mumbled to herself, someone pulled her from behind.

As she startled and turned around, she saw Lucifera mildly grabbing to Rina’s clothes.

“Lucifera? What is it?”

“Lady… err…”

Mumbling, she was trying to pull Rina to a detached place.

“If you have an idea you need to tell everyone—”

“It’s not that… err…”

She fidgeted, apparently finding whatever it was hard to say, but she finally resolved herself and spoke.

“I-I’m—a traitor…”

A sudden confession.

“Ever since you were gone, Lady… S-someone called out to me… and I leaked information about Mushibane… I deceived my Mushibane comrades…”

Lucifera was crying and trembling like a child afraid of getting scolded.

“And while that happened… I let Genesis die…”

“…”

“And yet—when I saw you, I ended up tagging along without thinking… I became really embarrassed… I have to apologize… I know an apology’s not going to be enough… I… I’m…”

In the end, Lucifera was shedding tears.

Rina put a hand on the trembling girl’s head.

“Idiot.”

Lucifera’s entire body twitched and tensed.

“I also have Mimic’s memories. So—I already know all about it. About that girl you’ve joined forces with and the people who were with her…”

“…!”

Startled, Lucifera raised her tears-stained face.

“It happened while I was gone, right? So it’s not my choice whether to forgive you or not. I don’t think I can get along with that girl—Konomura Chami, but… I am grateful. Because she made you stand up again. Because—I couldn’t do that.”

“N-no…! It’s only thanks to you that I…!”

“So I’m not the one you need to apologize to, right?”

As Rina smiled, Lucifera suddenly grimaced.

“Fuyuhotaru-san…”

“I already know… what Shiika’s answer is going to be, though.”

Anmoto Shiika might be angry. However, whether or not she would forgive Lucifera in the end—was crystal clear.

—Among all of us, Fuyuhotaru’s the strongest.

Kakkou’s words were revived within Rina’s mind along with a stab of her heart.

Anmoto Shiika would probably forgive Lucifera.

There were only very few things that kind girl would never forgive—

Only the Original Three.

“…Yes.”

Rina stroked Lucifera’s head again as the girl nodded.

“Lady… won’t you take off your mask?”

Being told this by Lucifera, Rina smiled. She turned her body back toward the other comrades.

“Oh, this? I can’t take it off. —I wonder if it’s cursed?”

She wanted to make it sound like a joke, but Lucifera startled and her face froze.

“If so, then it’s just desserts for me.”

Rina said this and started walking.

Right, this was just desserts. You could even say she was caught in her own trap.

If Rina’s revival had perhaps been acted out by some factor that wasn’t fate or someone’s plans—then this would be without a doubt the retribution for her actions.

Creating a place for Mushitsuki—

Although she chanted this and fought, she had selfishly retired in the middle. That was why she deserved this.

“Alright, everyone, listen to me.”

Therefore, she was going to rescue as many Mushitsuki as she could now.

And for that sake—she didn’t care whether she fell down to hell again.

“I’ve decided—that I’ll go on my own after all.”

Her being the only one to come back to life was too convenient—

She heard this voice coming from somewhere.

She had the feeling that a part of this was the voice that belonged to her parent, who could be said to be the origin of everything for her.

1.07 Rina Part 5

When she was little, the world she saw outside the small window was very beautiful.

A room that was like a cage. A luxury car that took her in and out. A private school where she wasn’t even allowed to make friends.

The space created for her by her parents was very cramped.

Therefore, she always gazed at the outside world from her room.

The first thing she recalled was that beautiful, red sunset.

She’d once even depicted the sunset etched into her memories in a painting.

She thought she was released from that room and that she became free in the outside world. She thought that as long as the walls didn’t enclose on her, she could go wherever she pleased.

Therefore—she believed she’d be able to find a place that accepted her one day.

“…Haa, haa.”

While running through the empty residential district, Rina glanced around her.

Noticing the engine sounds of an armored car, she leapt over the fence of a private home and hid herself inside the premises.

“…”

Silencing her breath, she waited for the vehicle to pass.

She unconsciously touched the pocket at her waist and made sure of that hard sensation. It was something she’d been handed by Lucifera right before she got out of the supermarket they hid inside.

—This is my spare cellphone. Please use it when push comes to shove.

Would she even have the chance to use it while C was monitoring the electronic web and all communication networks? She wondered about this, but Rina still accepted it.

—So you’re going to prepare our means of escape… well, that’s probably true because it’s you, Lady. But I hope it’s a lie. Please escape on your own without minding us…

As they parted, Lucifera said this. Even people other than Lucifera hid their anxious expressions and nodded.

—I’ll definitely come back.

Rina promised this and parted from Lucifera and the others.

It wasn’t a lie. She did intend to go to a certain place in order to escape Akamaki City with everyone. It wasn’t guaranteed to work—but first Rina needed to slip out of Akamaki City.

“…Alright.”

Confirming the armored car had passed, Rina flew out of the backyard.

Rina was headed—to Higano City.

It was the neighboring city to Akamaki, and Rina’s goal was located there.

“…!”

She saw a human figure on the apartment building straight ahead. It noticed Rina and put a hand to its goggles.

It was one of the Revived. They were probably transmitting the discovery of Rina to their comrades.

“Looks like C took over even the SEPB-use communication network.”

In front of Rina appeared her Mushi, the seven-spotted ladybug.

“Since I’m this far from the supermarket, it’s not an issue for me to get found.”

A powerful shockwave rocked the entire block. Several private houses and the apartment building the figure stood on were swallowed by a torrent of destruction.

Watching over the figure falling down to the ground along with debris, she climbed the seven-spotted ladybug’s head.

Ascending high above, Rina quickly checked the surroundings. The wind was strong so high up.

She could see flying-type Mushi trying to approach her from all angles. She could even see what looked like an attack chopper. Power lines around glowed gold; there was no doubt this was an omen of C about to shoot lightning.

“So running away through the sky is impossible, as expected. Any Mushi would get hit by missiles… as well as C’s lightning.”

It wasn’t just in the skies, either. Rina could see multitudes of Mushi on the surface heading for her.

“If I need to hide myself, then it’s better to do so on the surface…”

Rina’s body suddenly lost its support and started freefalling.

The seven-spotted ladybug left Rina in midair and started quickly descending toward the ground.

While using its thick body to repel the Revived’s intercepting attacks, the seven-spotted ladybug landed on the surface.

With a large thud.

Sounds of destruction that sounded even somewhat comical shook the ground.

The shockwave emitted by the seven-spotted ladybug knocked down everything around it in a circle. Dozens of buildings crumbled down, the Revived were all blown away and stopped moving. Even the lines glowing in golden burst without exception and lost their light.

“Sorry. I know you’re just being controlled by C, so I held back.”

Falling headlong, Rina spun her body. At the same time the seven-spotted ladybug leapt into the air again, killing Rina’s momentum well and letting her land on its head.

“So please—don’t die from just this much.”

The seven-spotted ladybug landed again with Rina.

It started running through the residential district transformed into a smooth wasteland.

“…”

Through her Mushi, Rina noticed the vibrations felt at its feet.

The seven-spotted ladybug swung its head, throwing Rina high into air. Getting thrown away by her Mushi like it was some trampoline, Rina was sent all the way to a private house’s roof.

A moment later—the road right ahead of the seven-spotted ladybug exploded.

A gigantic Mushi emerged from the ground. It wasn’t inferior in size even to the seven-spotted ladybug, and attempted to tackle it—

However, the ladybug gained crushing victory in their clash. With it accompanied by shockwaves as well, it simply crushed the Mushi as though it was made of paper and scattered it to smithereens.

“I’d knew the Revived would swarm like this once they found me.”

Getting a running start and leaping off the building, Rina was caught by the seven-spotted ladybug’s head. Several Mushi stood in her way then, but she soon blew them away with a shockwave.

Rina kept driving the hordes back of the Revived along with the buildings.

“There are a lot of them… but I can somehow handle them since I’m all alone.”

She mumbled to herself while defeated several dozen Revived in the blink of an eye.

There were apparently no high-ranked Mushitsuki in the area. If there were and they came to attack her alone, they’d never be able to compete with the Rank 1 Rina, even as imperfect as she was.

If so, then the largest obstacle was, just as expected—C herself.

As Rina ran through the alley, golden lights started glowing on the power lines.

“—I apologize, but I don’t really feel like fighting you for real right now.”

Bursting the power lines with a shockwave, Rina leapt inside an empty house lot.

Unsummoning her seven-spotted ladybug, she kept passing through homes by the fences.

“There shouldn’t be any more surveillance cameras in this area. Once you lose sight of me you shouldn’t be able to find me unless I use my Mushi, right?”

Rina’s reasoning hit the mark.

By getting mixed in the maze of residential district, she couldn’t sense C making any more attacks. She couldn’t see any Revived, either. Since Rina made her Mushi vanish, any sensors would also lose her location.

“I need to fight the Revived at several different locations and fool her so she won’t know where I’m going… once that’s over I can head to Higano City. Meanwhile, I’ll cut off as many of our enemies as possible, so that less of them will be able to head for Haji Keigo and Terasu’s group…!”

Even if she turned the Revived to Fallen, they’d end up getting resuscitated by C again. But this should be able to buy her time. Since she took off on her own, that was the least she could do to make up for it.

“I’m also used to guerilla fighting. They weren’t calling us a resistance group for nothing.”

She’d strike the enemy and vanish.

After vanishing, she’d appear in the midst of enemies and strike.

She recalled the time she’d led Mushibane and fought against the SEPB. Rina would become a decoy to let her comrades escape and played around with the SEPB while hearing hysterical shouts from people such as Kasuou or Minmin.

Compared to those times, now that all civilians had been evacuated there was no need to fear any damage.

For Rina, this was likely—the very first time she could exhibit her full powers as a Rank 1.

“For some reason I feel like I’m invincible right now… maybe I should do like Lucifera said—”

I should just forget about everything and run away on my own—

Even such feelings welled up in her chest.

If she lived according to her will without needing to protect anything—she might gain the freedom she’d dreamed about as a child.

“But if that happens—there’s be no meaning for me to be here.”

She smiled bitterly.

After saving many and trying to lead many to salvation, she’d used up her powers and died.

Even so, she’d been called back to help many Mushitsuki yet again.

Perhaps this was the destiny of the human called Tachibana Rina.

“I don’t really… care about myself. After all—”

When she escaped into the next house, something occurred.

Until then completely silent, the residential district was suddenly wrapped in a lot of noise.

“Eh—”

It was the voice of some announcement. An artist’s comment about some luxury food. A murder culprit was interrogated and cornered by the police. The voice of an anime heroine fighting against evil.

She knew where these came from. The sounds of television came streaming out from each and every house in full volume.

“—What on earth is she trying to do?”

Rina knew only one being who could accomplish this.

“C, huh… is she trying to catch my attention with this strange phenomenon and call me out?”

Rina approached one home and peeked toward the TV screen from the window.

“Even if that’s true, if I get found I’ll just destroy everything around and run away…”

Suddenly, the noise stopped.

As Rina furrowed her brows, she saw the display changing.

“The current Mushitsuki are a failure…”

A young girl’s pale face appeared there. She wore a tiara that had patterns of hearts and crowns on it.

“C…!”

“They are not qualified to board the Ark…”

C’s voice echoed around. All the TVs around were probably streaming the same footage.

“I will wash all of them away… and in this purged world, the real Mushitsuki will be born…”

C’s eyes moved around, and her mouth was completely unmoving.

“That will be a new world… A reborn world, full of the Undying…”

“So that’s the goal Miguruma Yaeko implanted into you?”

Rina spat, her voice cynical.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about at all… but I do understand you’re scheming something bad. —An Ark? Purging? Are you saying you’ve turned into some kind of God?”

“In order for the world to change… I need to wash everything away with the Deluge… I must unleash the Dove… And then I will bear children in this purged world…”

“C-children…”

Hearing these words coming from that cherubic face made Rina unconsciously blush.

“Does she mean new Undying Mushitsuki…? Stop being all weird about this, just show yourself and fight me already. If you bring out your real body I’ll play along.”

She had a bad feeling.

Not just a feeling.

This sensation was familiar—Rina had once felt it, and it fit.

It was her final moments.

Could it be called that? A sensation as though the grim reaper’s scythe was slowly reaching her neck and whispering a countdown in her ears.

Rina had actually been constantly feeling that mysterious sensation since the very moment she’d been revived.

“Are you scared of me? Aren’t you the strongest Rank 1? Then come attack me from the front.”

To mask her ominous sensation, Rina made a cheap provocation—

And then C inside the screen suddenly glared at her.

“Tachibana Rina… Lady Bird… I must purge the failure of the Undying… And release the Dove…”

“The Dove…?”

“The Dove will confirm the world has been purged and I will descend to the new world for the first time—”

After saying this, C moved her eyes again.

Moving just her eyes to the opposite direction of Rina—she sneered.

Rina felt that this pure expression of a face filled with malice was familiar. Once, she just so happened to be present at a place where he attacked people.

It was just like Shinpu—

The smile visible on the screen did not belong to Super Class Rank 1 C.

This face was just like one of those Primal Mushi giving birth to Mushitsuki—like one of the Original Three.

“She’s coming…”

Leaving that small mumble behind, the TV was cut off.

As if nothing happened at all, the surroundings went quiet.

“What…? She’s coming?”

Being suddenly abandoned like that, Rina stood there in shock.

C’s behavior was definitely not normal.

C might have gone to do something important for her, rather than fight Rina.

“Simply blurting out whatever and just leaving like that… who’s coming, exactly?”

Although she hesitated, Rina summoned her seven-spotted ladybug.

Riding its head, she rose high into the sky. —Although she risked getting found out by sensors, she intuited that she should try and grasp the meaning behind C’s change.

Looking at the sky, she could see four masses of light created above the area of Akamaki City.

These were probably made by C’s abilities. Four points of golden light were gathered in fixed distances, as if to draw a square.

However, even after watching it for a while, there were no further changes.

“What’s C trying to do? What on earth—”

The moment she muttered this while being fanned by strong wind, the distant sky gradually underwent change.

The color of the sky changed as though dyed by ink—and it became purple.

“—Eh… no way?”

That ominous purple was familiar.

A sky dyed purple, and C who spread a net underneath that sky.

Seeing these two phenomena, Rina—came to realize what was about to happen.

“Hadn’t all of Akamaki City’s residents been evacuated yet? So why—”

Behind her fox mask, Rina’s face froze.

“Why did Oogui appear here…?”

Rina was supposed to run around in order to escape Akamaki City along with her wounded comrades, but now yet another tragedy was about to occur in front of her eyes.

A sky dyed in purple—

It was an omen for the appearance of one the Original Three, Oogui.

“Meaning—there’s someone there and they’re about to become Mushitsuki? Also, C is lying in wait to capture Oogui… At this rate, she’ll end up just like Shinpu…”

This was an unexpected situation—no, it was completely unthinkable. The absolute worst-case scenario.

What was going to happen, if C managed to absorb Oogui?

Oogui could use the abilities of all people she’d made Mushitsuki.

If C ended up gaining that power, she would evolve to become a real nightmare, this time—

“I will not—let you do that. I won’t allow you to turn whatever person’s there into a Mushitsuki…!”

She had no other choice. Rina directed the seven-spotted ladybird ahead.

She had to stop at least the worst-case scenario from happening.

Rina flew with resolve, however—

“Can I do it, though? All on my own…”

She unconsciously wore a weak smile.

1.08 Rina Part 6

Rina thought of three ways to stop C from taking in Oogui.

One: Rina could defeat Oogui on the spot.

Two: Rina could defeat C on the spot.

Three: She didn’t know who it was, but she could find the person whose dreams were getting eaten—and do something about it.

“Who’s even dreaming right now, in this place and time…?!”

Methods one and two—were out of the question. If they were the kinds of opponents she could sacrifice herself to beat, she wouldn’t hesitate. However, Oogui could use Shiika’s powers and the location of C’s real body was unknown, so if she fought them Rina would just die in vain about nine out of ten times.

“There’s also Revived assembling there… if I don’t finish this quickly, this could be bad.”

The four glowing golden lights were apparently a trap in order to capture Oogui. Their middle was right above an interchange, where multiple roads crisscrossed each other.

Weaving her way through the assembling Revived, Rina made the seven-spotted ladybug land inside the interchange with great momentum.

She instantly found the human figure in question at this closed road that was empty from any vehicles.

“…There are two?”

There were two girls next to thick pillars supporting the interchange.

They seemed to be about Rina’s age. One had long, black hair and looked like a lady, while the other was a short-haired, androgynous-looking girl. They both supported each other.

“Which of them—no, I obviously can’t leave both of them here.”

The purple covering the skies turned thicker and thicker. Still controlling her Mushi, Rina rushed toward the pair.

“W-who are you?”

Seeing Rina, the long-haired girl spoke in a prim and proper tone of voice. Seeing as the other looked zoned out and made no response, it appeared like she was the one being targeted by Oogui.

“An ally! But I’ve got no time to explain! Let’s get away, right now!”

Pulling at the two girl’s arms, she made them stand up.

“A-an ally…?”

“I’m aware I suddenly showed up saying strange things. But please trust me. That girl’s in great danger. How do I put it—”

“She’s about to become a Mushitsuki… is that it?”

“…!”

Rina was so surprised she stopped moving.

“How do you—”

“Ena-san… experienced this before—”

“Before…? Ena…?”

A girl who was almost made a Mushitsuki before.

Ena.

These keywords raised sparks and booted up Rina’s memories—

“—”

She felt as though an icicle directly pierced her brain.

Letting go of the two girls, she took a step back.

“Ena—Saionji Ena…? From the night of the meteor shower…?”

As Rina unconsciously mumbled this, this time the long-haired looked shocked.

“Y-you know about it?”

She knew.

Rina obviously knew about that decisive fight.

After all, Rina was supposed to be one of its participants. She also heard the name of the girl who was supposed to be protected by it—Saionji Ena.

However, Rina had refrained from coming at the very last moment.

As a result, all the Mushitsuki who challenged this fight—

“Are you also phantoms…?”

“—Eh?”

Next to the long-haired girl furrowing her brows, she could see countless black arms reaching out.

They were the ghosts of the Mushitsuki Rina hadn’t managed to save. —Among them, there were also those who expired during the fight on that night.

That decisive fight had resulted in an almost complete annihilation and a loss.

During the Perseid Meteor Shower, the number of collapsed Mushitsuki among the falling stars was much more than a dozen or two.

“Were you two really there? O-or… are you two also ghosts that came back to life with me…?”

The line between reality and illusion was getting blurry within Rina.

“A-after all, why would you—appear in front of me now…?”

“W-whatever it is you are speaking about? I do not—”

Saying this, the long-haired girl’s face froze.

At some point, she noticed that many varied people were surrounding them.

They were the Revived.

Furthermore, there was a golden electrical discharge coming from the asphalt.

“…!”

Rina came back to her senses, and faster than she could turn around—

Reaching from the ground to the heavens, golden lightning pierced through the seven-spotted ladybug.

“—!”

A violent tremor and gale. As well as bursting air.

One of the four lights surrounding the interchange was unleashed by C. It was an electrical attack several times thicker than any of C’s lightnings she’d seen so far, and Rina bent backwards, voicelessly.

Not waiting for the aftershock of the lightning to settle down, the air was charging up yet again—

“—!”

The second lightning shot through the seven-spotted ladybug.

She might have judged that were she to strike Rina directly, she could have possibly also hit Ena who served as bait for Oogui. The seven-spotted ladybug hit by C’s powerful attack rose to the air from the impact, crashing against the intersection.

“This—”

Rina’s voiceless scream made her lungs vibrate.

Damage received by the Mushi would strike its host’s spirits.

Feeling an impact as though her heart was gouged, Rina slowly tilted to the side.

However, the moment before she collapsed—Rina fixed her position with all of her might, leaning forward.

“This is—nothing…!”

The scorched black seven-spotted ladybug unfurled its giant wings the moment before crashing down. As if to cover for the three girls, it began to hover above them.

“The other Rank 1s’ attacks—were much worse.”

The seven-spotted ladybug’s eyes were dyed in red. Its outer, scorched skin burst away, it vibrated its large wings in high speeds.

The scene in front of her eyes changed.

The road cracked, the Revived and their Mushi floated in air, and all high-rise buildings surrounding the road had haphazard cracks running through them.

Then—an explosion.

The soundless impact’s shockwave blew back everything that crumbled down.

“—”

The long-haired girl next to Rina opened her mouth wide in astonishment, unladylike.

This giant interchange could be said to be Akamaki City’s most important road.

Just seconds before, the modern cityscape was definitely there—but it became a plain of smooth debris in an instant. Here and there one could also see the Revived with half their body buried in dirt.

“N…Now, let us go! Get on!”

Hiding the fatigue and damage she’d accumulated, Rina brought the girls along with her on the ladybug’s back.

Stepping on the debris, the seven-spotted ladybug started running.

“Err… are you quite alright?”

While desperately clinging to the ladybug’s head, the long-haired girl spoke.

Rina smiled as she held up Ena.

“I’m perfectly fine. It was a nice refresher.”

That was a lie. The damage she’d received was large, and if they got surrounded again, she wasn’t confident she could burst through.

She needed to solve this situation as quickly as possible, so she needed to run.

“…”

Looking up at the sky, she could see it was dyed in purple as far as the eye could see.

“—I want to… see them… again—”

The girl called Saionji Ena mumbled as though in delirium.

Rina could see figures that seemed like Revived on the road ahead. She changed the seven-spotted ladybug’s course, running away with full speed.

“Why here and now…”

Rina asked Ena. The long-haired girl answered in her stead.

“Ena remained in her home even after the evacuation orders were sent. She said she felt that this tumult relates to Mushitsuki… so if she remained here, she might meet her past friends.”

Idiot—

Rina groaned in her heart, biting her lips.

“I also lied to my parents and remained in the house with her… but even I felt like we took it too far, so I dragged her away. Once I did, though, some Mushitsuki people appeared here and there—and apparently Ena ended up recalling the past after seeing them.”

Saying that, the girl looked at Ena. She wasn’t shaken even after seeing Mushi, and she was worried for her friend even in this situation. Unlike her appearance, she seemed to have some guts.

“Err, my name is Kujou Takako. May I inquire as to your name?”

“…”

Rina couldn’t answer.

Even she felt unsure who she actually was. On top of that—the name she should introduce herself as belonged to the person who’d abandoned Ena before.

“—I wonder what’s up with this feeling like I can’t escape… there’s probably nothing I can do already… no matter where I go… as long as I don’t settle everything—”

As Rina mumbled to herself, Takako looked at her confused.

“I beg your pardon…?”

“Anyway, let’s escape for now. I won’t let this girl become a Mushitsuki—I’ll definitely get you out of Akamaki City safely.”

“But how…? The previous time, many Mushitsuki saved us. But now…”

Rina looked at the sky turning purple and sighed.

There was no more time. Oogui’s appearance was only a matter of time.

“Hey, listen to me. Saionji Ena-san—”

Rina held up Ena and called into her ears.

“The dream you have is very beautiful. A monster lured by that dream is coming.”

Ena just mumbled something to herself and made no response.

Takako looked worried, furrowing her brows.

“That it no good. Ena doesn’t seem to be able to hear anything… it was like that before as well.”

“Right, she dreamed before as well. Recall that time. Many Mushitsuki have fought to protect you. And among them…”

Rina’s comrades were there.

Many of her comrades went to the fight in place of her—and not a single one returned.

“Among them—there were your friends, right?”

Rina kept whispering.

“Why have they fought? Many people fought to protect you. Not because they wanted you indebted to them. Because they were trying to protect—their own dream.”

Ena showed no response.

“Because they all regretted it. All of them let such a monster find out about their precious dream. So they didn’t want you going through the same thing. And not just you; they wanted to more people like to be created… so they fought.”

“…”

“They didn’t want you to become a Mushitsuki. They wished for it, so they fought. That’s why so many Mushitsuki gathered there. Like your friend—Arisu.”

Ena’s shoulders twitched.

Takako looked shocked.

“You know about Arisu-san?”

“So… please, Ena—fight. It’s your turn, now.”

That fight on the night of the meteor shower no one knew about.

Rina had once even blamed Kakkou for that loss.

However, that distorted mutual hatred—had to end already. She had to stop averting her eyes away from her own sins and settle everything one matter at a time.

“Your dream isn’t something you should tell a monster like that, right?”

Ena’s mouth stopped.

“Fight, Ena! Could you lose to that monster again—and yet face Arisu?”

“…”

“Wake up! If you beat that monster, you could meet Arisu!”

Ena’s clouded pupils retrieved their light.

“Wake up! Ena!”

“Ena-san…”

Takako looked at her back worriedly.

The short-haired girl—raised her face.

Rina felt that her hugged body was regaining its strength.

Ena’s eyes now clearly looked back at Rina. A lone streak of tears ran down the corner of her eye.

“…Who are you…?”

“Ena-san!”

There were also tears in the jubilant Takako’s eyes.

Looking up to the sky, she could feel the purple presence distancing itself. Seeming almost regretful, as if it was being pulled back by its hair, the sky slowly retrieved its previous color.

“I heard… your voice…”

Ena hugged back Rina strongly.

“Welcome back. …You’ve done well.”

Rina stroked Ena’s head.

She had no confidence she could actually cause Ena to wake up just by calling her.

However—she felt like the girl understood her feelings once she heard the name Arisu. She knew that this name was special for her, and that it held that much power.

Anyway, she managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.

“Now we need to find a way to escape. Hold on tight.”

“Thank you very much. Truly…”

Takako grabbed Rina’s armed and thanked her.

Rina couldn’t return her smile. She actually felt her chest constrict.

“Please. Don’t thank me… I actually—”

I actually abandoned you once before—

She couldn’t get these words out of her mouth. Rina looked back at Ena and Takako’s confused looks.

As if to escape their gazes, Rina turned her eyes to the front.

“It’s not going to be easy for the three of us to escape Akamaki City safely. The bridge connecting to Higano City’s probably sealed… I wish there was some way without any electricity so that C wouldn’t find us, but there’s no way a place like that—”

Ena and Takako who were with Rina were also in danger. Since Oogui had her eyes on Ena once, C might try to use her again.

“A place connected to Higano City without any electricity…”

Takako raised her voice.

“If that’s what we need—I have an idea.”

1.09 Rina Part 7

Seeing that straight line, without being able to see the road ahead, made her feel the extent of madness men could reach.

This was the elevated railway stretching over Akamaki City.

It stretched over many houses, bridging the gap over the river and connecting with Higano City in the vast distance.

According to Kujou Takako, this was apparently part of the shinkansen line still in construction. In several years from now the new Maglev train would go on it, and the plan was to have it connect Akamaki City with other large cities.

“…Well, it’s true this is the shortest route for us to use to escape to Higano City.”

Going up the footing from the surface to a high floor, Rina peeked at the railway.

“And it seems like the power lines weren’t installed yet.”

A deployed crane and materials remained there on the unfinished train line. There were probably many workers who worked here until the evacuation notice was issued.

Following Rina, Ena and Takako also rose to the line.

“Right, this place existed. Good job remembering it, Takako.”

“It’s just a coincidence because Father has invested in this project… it’s still going to take a while, but I have heard that this line connects to the entrance to Higano City.”

Seeing the embarrassed Takako, Rina suddenly recalled.

“Kujou… so you’re from the Kujou family. But what was a young lady like you thinking about, staying alone with a friend in such a dangerous place?”

As far as Rina could remember, Kujou Takako’s family were of an old lineage. They weren’t members of the secret limited-member club for rich people called the Round Table, but she did hear they were plenty rich.

“Do you know my family?”

“Well… just a bit.”

While evading the question, she began thinking.

What about having the Kujou family assist Rina’s group to escape through Takako?

However, Rina soon denied her own thoughts. Never mind Takako herself, Rina didn’t think her parents would want to cooperate with Mushitsuki. Furthermore, she couldn’t risk them any further.

So I have to do something by myself—

While groaning in her heart, she quickly walked to the center of the railway.

“Let’s try and gain as much distance as we can while they can’t find us. Let’s hurry up.”

Her body was heavy. She’d been hit by two of C’s attacks. Since she was in front of the anxious Ena and Takako she could feign calmness, but it wasn’t the kind of damage she could recover so easily from.

“You look like you’re hurt, but are you fine? Err… what’s your name?”

She apparently didn’t manage to hide it. She turned to the worried-looking Ena and smiled bitterly.

“I’m fine, really. I’m—Rina. You don’t have to add an honorific. We’re the same age.”

“Do you know even our ages?”

“So I’ve heard. From our… mutual acquaintance.”

Who was the mutual acquaintance Rina spoke of?

She’d already said the answer to that. The pair also probably intuited it.

“…Do you mean Arisu?”

Rina wordlessly affirmed Ena’s mumble.

“You know Arisu, right? How’s Arisu doing right now? Tell us!”

“Ena-san…! Calm down, we shouldn’t shout right now…”

As Ena grabbed Rina’s arm from behind, Takako tried pacifying her.

It was natural for them to be unable to remain calm. After all, she wished for their reunion so strongly that she managed to summon Oogui to her.

Rina averted her face from Ena and spoke.

“—Sorry. I can’t tell you.”

Once, there was a certain decisive fight.

That battle against Oogui with shooting stars in the sky all around—ended in the Mushitsuki’s defeat.

It was a huge loss of near annihilation. Oogui left and the one who arranged this fight became a Mushitsuki in the middle—then fell asleep for a long time.

With that, that fight became like an ephemeral night’s dream that no one knew about.

Even Rina herself didn’t know this truth.

However, right now she knew whatever knowledge Mimic assembled.

“It’s too complicated to explain what happened to her and where she is, so I can’t do it. I can’t even imagine whether you’ll be glad or in despair to hear that. At least until we reach a safe place in Higano City… I can’t tell you.”

In a certain sense, Rina and Sleeping Beauty—Arisu—were very much alike.

Both of them had been forced to wake up from their slumber in order to fight against C.

She didn’t know how Ena would accept this situation. Rina was worried the girl would pity her friend and break down into tears on the spot.

“So will you tell us once we get to Higano City?”

“Yes. There are some things I can’t say, though.”

She tried smiling, and it seemed like Ena accepted this for now. She released Rina’s arm.

“…”

Stop.

Rina realized the meaning behind the silence that befell the three.

Don’t ask anything else—

She unconsciously grimaced and wished for this in her heart.

“…Say, Rina.”

“No more talking. Just start walking.”

As Rina spoke coldly on purpose, new companions appeared next to her.

They numbered more than just one or two.

In front of Rina, behind her and next, the number of human figures walking through the rails grew little by little.

They were the Fallen or the deceased Rina hadn’t managed to save. They were the former shells of the Mushitsuki who got revived along with Rina—no, by clinging to her. They were already part of Rina.

Ena and Takako probably couldn’t see them.

However, to Rina’s eyes it looked like the march of a pandemonium—

“There’s another acquaintance that—”

“I told you to stop. I’m running!”

Perhaps it was to escape Ena and Takako’s eyes, or perhaps to escape the crowd of ghosts.

Rina started running, but Ena’s voice stopped her.

“It’s someone called Kusuriya Daisuke!”

All of a sudden.

She felt strength leaving her legs.

Just from hearing this unexpected person’s name, her legs stopped and her mind blanked out.

“…Rina?”

“Rina-san?”

As Rina stopped moving like a puppet with cut strings, the two puzzled girls caught up to her.

Kusuriya Daisuke. Of all names, to hear that one—

To think they would ask Rina not about Kakkou, but this normal boy’s name.

“…!”

Rina gasped and raised her face.

The ghosts walking alongside her all turned toward her. They all stopped in place as though by some signal and glared at Rina’s face.

“—No.”

Rina grimaced and weakly shook her head to the sides.

“It’s nothing… I was just a bit surprised… it’s not like I’ve forgotten about all of you—”

“What is it, Rina? What are you talking about?”

“You’re shaking so much… does it hurt somewhere?”

“It’s fine… I haven’t abandoned you… I wasn’t thinking of saving only myself…”

She was making excuses to the ghosts, but the more she spoke that more memories passed through her mind.

After meeting Kakkou, she spent many days constantly fighting him for the sake of revenge.

After fighting for so long and continuing to rescue many Mushitsuki, she reached her limit.

It was during that period of time—that she met a certain boy.

The boy called Kusuriya Daisuke was her classmate, a boy without any distinguishing features—but his real form was the monitor sent to Rina, Kakkou—

He’d come to Rina for advice about falling in love with a girl.

And all while being aware that she was his target, Lady Bird, and his archnemesis.

Rina had drawn a single picture of that boy.

And her feelings, even now—

“Ugh—”

Feeling a violent pain, Rina crouched on the spot.

She couldn’t remove the fox mask stuck to her face. It gave a sharp pain to Rina’s face as thought constricting it, or perhaps as though stabbing it.

“Rina?!”

“Waaaah…! No… I wasn’t planning on betraying you…! I just…!”

She started crying from the pain.

“That guy, and Shiika—”

Their faces pale, Ena and Takako hugged Rina who was writhing on the ground.

Unlike those two girls—the ghosts all glared at Rina.

As if blaming Rina for trying to escape alone. Or perhaps in scorn, for not fulfilling her promise, for being a coward who worked only to make her own dream come true.

“…!”

Ena, Takako and the ghosts all looked down at Rina’s face. In the sky visible on the other side, she could see a small shadow. Grimacing her sweat-covered face, Rina rose.

“We’ve been found…!”

Several Mushi were approaching from the sky, heading toward the rails where Rina’s group was.

There would probably be other enemies coming soon as well. Even if they got off the rails and hid for now, Rina wasn’t sure if she could preserve her sanity later.

“Let’s keep moving to Higano City in one go!”

Materializing her seven-spotted ladybug, she rode on its head along with Ena and Takako.

Knocking aside the abandoned materials and welding devices, the ladybug charged through the rails.

“R-Rina! Are you feeling fine? Your complexion is horrible…! Is it my fault?”

“Rina-san…!”

“It’s fine. Relax, I definitely… won’t let even a single finger touch you!”

Right now, this was Rina’s duty and role.

Now she understood this well.

Although she was revived in order to fight C, by splitting up like this—she could now save the girl who she’d once abandoned.

Rina could settle all of her past sins. But she herself would not be saved.

Even after saving Ena and Takako, she would have to keep fighting to save Mushitsuki.

“Arisu… it’s just like you said.”

Rina recalled the words of this girl who’d lost in that unknown fight.

—I’ll connect them.

This fight that supposedly no one should have known about became connected to the new battle like this.

“Everyone’s connected… I cannot—run away.”

A large river appeared in front of the groaning Rina.

They probably put it up in a hurry; the newly created overpass was blocked by a barricade made by the camo-wearing soldiers.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Kya…!”

She accelerated further, tackling the barricade. Ena and Takako’s screams overlapped.

The seven-spotted ladybug broke through, blowing the soldiers away.

It kept its mad rush through the bridge for a minute or so.

After passing the river, Rina’s group reached a new land.

It was the city developed to be a satellite of Akamaki City, called Higano City.

“We’re getting off…!”

The very moment she said that, Rina jumped down from the rails along with the seven-spotted ladybug.

“…!”

She landed on a road just alongside the river, causing a tremor. There were no people around, but in the distance she could something like a group of news reporters filming Akamaki City.

“Ena, Takako! Run!”

Recalling her ladybug, Rina leapt between the buildings located along the road.

While panting hard, she took a detour, running through several buildings—and she finally reached her limits. She stopped her legs.

“Rina?”

As Rina suddenly stopped in place, Ena and Takako turned to her with surprised face.

“…Keep going ahead. There should be a lot of people left in the center of town, so you should be able to shake off pursuit by heading there.”

“B-but what about you?”

“I have things to do. —Go ahead.”

As Rina said this, Ena and Takako looked confused.

However, they exchanged glances and then nodded at each other.

“Got it. Thank you…!”

Seeing off Ena and Takako thanking her and running off, Rina kneeled on the spot.

Fatigue overwhelmed both mind and body and she couldn’t move a single step.

Those two would probably be fine. Even this lone thought gave her a small sense of accomplishment.

She couldn’t move anymore, so her pursuers would catch up to her—but she didn’t care.

“Sorry, everyone… but please…”

Smiling at the ghosts haunting her, Rina gradually—

“Don’t wake me up again—”

Lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

1.10 Rina Part 8

As expected, Rina’s wish failed to reach God.

As she woke up, Rina’s eyes reflected two girls. One was a prim and proper young lady with her long hair tied elegantly, while the other was a short-haired girl.

They were Ena and Takako.

“—Ah, I see.”

Rina moved just her face to grasp the situation.

She’d collapsed in the emergency exit of a building complex. Packed between the rusted emergency stairway and the trash disposal area, it was a place that wouldn’t catch people’s eyes.

Ena and Takako returned and brought Rina there, most likely.

“I promised to tell you about Arisu… and that guy, right.”

She raised her upper torso from Takako’s lap. The inside of her head felt fuzzy again.

“Sorry. It’s not like I forgot. If things weren’t like this—”

“I won’t ask.”

“Eh?”

As Rina raised her face, she saw Ena arched her brows. Her eyes were misty.

“If you think we came back here to ask about all that—I won’t do that.”

Ena looked angry.

Looking at Takako, she smiled bitterly with a troubled expression.

Seeing the two of them, Rina’s expression crumbled. She understood why they came back.

“So you… worried for me. Thanks.”

While brushing back her hair, she thanked them earnestly.

The two girls suddenly looked embarrassed and blushed. They elbowed each other.

“…? What is it?”

“Say, Rina. You’re definitely a beauty, so why are you wearing that mask?”

“Ehh?”

“Err, I apologize. You looked like you were suffering, so I tried removing it while you were sleeping, but I couldn’t—”

“…”

“You have slender limbs like some actress, your voice is clear and you’re so thin… ah, no. It’s not like I was ogling you while you were sleeping! I just looked a little!”

“Also, you are very strong—I talked a little with Ena-san about this… you’re probably someone very incredible, Rina.”

“Ahaha, well, thank you.”

She was used to being viewed with eyes full of admiration and respect. In complete opposition to her own self-evaluation.

However, as she saw those two having fun speaking even in this kind of situation, she was shocked at their strength. Could two normal girls who weren’t even Mushitsuki be so strong and resolute?

“Ah… Rina-san, you can’t get up yet. You should rest a little more.”

“Sorry, are you mad?”

Takako and Ena stopped Rina from getting up. She smiled bitterly.

“Why are you mad? If you’re fine with my legs you can look as much as you’d like, though—”

“What about touching, then?”

“…”

“Please, don’t make that face—well, I can’t see your expression, but still. Ena-san has acquired the habit to latch onto the things she likes and not let go. The poor girl…”

“…That doesn’t really matter… sorry. I’m in a hurry.”

She pushed back Ena’s face leaning toward her rather forcibly as she spoke.

“I have comrades who are waiting for my return. I must save them as quickly as possible.”

It was still light outside. Apparently only little time passed since Rina fainted. As long as her body could move, she had to hurry.

“So, about Arisu—and that other guy.”

Rina put a hand on the wall to support her tottering body.

Several black arms came flying out of that dirty asphalt wall. The arms of ghosts, unseen by Ena and Takako, stuck to Rina’s body like heavy mud, clinging to her.

Ena and Takako’s faces twitched.

Although she said before she gave up on asking, she was probably still curious.

“Arisu… had been sleeping, but she’s woken up recently.”

It’s fine, I’ll definitely take you along—

She tried placating the ghosts in her heart.

“She’s apparently still unstable, though. Whether you’d be able to meet her again or not… depends on her.”

“S-she’s been asleep… is it some illness? Or—”

“Sorry, I can’t say anything further. …I really can’t say.”

Ena leaned again, and Rina pushed her back again.

If the information Rina, no, Mimic had gotten from people was correct, the general cause for Sleeping Beauty to fall asleep like that—was the person right in front of her eyes right now, meaning Saionji Ena.

No one wished for Ena herself to know that information, and Sleeping Beauty probably wouldn’t approve it either.

That fight ended without anyone knowing about it.

They couldn’t bring it up again after all this time. Let sleeping dogs lie, as the idiom said, and almost literally in this case.

This wasn’t about Sleeping Beauty having woken up. She couldn’t afford to stimulate Saionji Ena by accident because that might end up summoning Oogui again—

“So let’s speak about the other one instead…”

Averting her face from Ena and Takako, who didn’t look ready to accept this, Rina kept talking.

“That guy… right, Kusuriya Daisuke—”

She tried speaking, but her tongue wouldn’t listen to her.

Where should she start talking from?

As far as she understood from seeing how Ena and Takako acted, that man had probably acted out a normal person in front of them. As though he was just a harmless classmate. A normal friend one could find anywhere.

Right—just like he did to Rina, too.

“Oh, yeah… he’s—”

He actually was the worst Mushitsuki called Kakkou—

If she told them that, would Ena and Takako be disappointed?

He kept leading the frontlines of Mushitsuki and fought against the Original Three—

If she told them that, would Ena and Takako start treating him like a hero?

He fell in love with a girl called Anmoto Shiika and had fun with her like an idiot—

If she told them that, how would Ena and Takako respond?

He was the one who originally turned Anmoto Shiika into a Fallen, could be called the one responsible for Rina’s death, had been unable to protect Sleeping Beauty Arisu, and yet for each such failure there was also at least one case where he protected the country from the threat of Mushitsuki. That was the kind of guy he was—

If she told them that, would she end up telling them about each and every grudge she held against him?

Right now, he’s—

Should she just tell them about his ending?

He used up his powers and became a Fallen—

Just like that.

Thinking this far, Rina felt that truth finally seeping inside her.

He was gone.

Rina’s hated archnemesis.

As well as the classmate that caused Rina’s fleeting feelings.

He no longer existed anywhere.

“…Please wait.”

This word unconsciously mumbled from Rina’s mouth.

Ena and Takako furrowed their brows.

“Eh…?”

“I know you’ve waited plenty already… but wait just a little bit more.”

“…”

“Right now, Mushitsuki are fighting. And they end up involving even those who aren’t Mushitsuki…”

Rina grimaced. She shook off the arms of the ghosts clinging to her and finally took a step.

“I won’t know until everything’s over. I’m sure no one will know what happened to him, what kind of life he had… I believe no one could explain it until after everything’s over.”

The two girls stared at her in amazement.

It was the obvious response. Even Rina herself didn’t understand what she was saying.

“When everything ends, if it’s in our victory—she’ll definitely come and tell you. Arisu, that is.”

If she stayed there any longer, her consciousness might get taken away by the ghosts’ thoughts again. Rina spun around to hide her expression, dragging her heavy legs.

“I know I told you I’ll explain, so I’m sorry. —Thank you for saving me. But please think of yourselves from now and don’t do anything reckless. Please.”

Saying this, Rina tried leaving.

“W-wait, Rina!”

She heard Ena trying to stop her from behind.

She felt regretful, but if that explanation wasn’t enough, she planned on just ignoring her.

However—

“Say, won’t you be our friend?”

These completely unexpected words made Rina’s legs stop on the spot.

“I want to meet you again, Rina! Can’t I?”

“I ask as well. Will you please become our friend?”

What carefree wishes these were.

The two girls’ request brought a pleasant warmth to Rina’s heart.

Rina hadn’t wished for them to want to become friends. Because up until this point in her life, the only one who became Rina’s friend was the lone girl called Anmoto Shiika.

However, while Rina’s heart felt warmed by their offer—at the same time it also brought her an unbearable pain.

“—I can’t.”

Even she noticed that her shoulders were slightly shaking.

Rina couldn’t become their friend.

After all, Rina had abandoned them once before. If Rina had fought for their sake at the time, it could be that their precious friend Arisu wouldn’t have fallen asleep.

Even so, to want to become friends at this stage—

For Rina, this was the most shameless wish there was.

“…”

As she felt an atmosphere of disappointment from behind her, it gouged Rina’s stomach even further.

“But… I’ve been told this by Arisu before.”

Rina spoke.

“If there were any people who definitely couldn’t hold hands together—she’d stand between them, taking their hands into her own.”

She couldn’t turn to face Ena and Takako.

She was too scared to check what faces they were making while listening to her.

“So, once everything’s over… even if it ends up being through Arisu—will you become my friends?”

Thise was Rina’s shameless wish.

Rina’s cowardly wish that used a girl who wasn’t there. And Ena and Takako’s response to it was—

“…Sure!”

“Yes!”

Both gave a clear answer.

Rina’s legs—or rather her body bound by the ghosts—became ever so slighter lighter. She stepped ahead.

Running through the empty alley, she got out from the area of crowded buildings.

“…”

As she carefully watched the national road passing right to these office buildings—she could see civilians walking here and there. There was also the fact that it was close to Akamaki City, but most residents probably refrained from heading out on their own.

Although she’d escaped from Akamaki City, C’s pursuers could still be around.

Rina trusted her own intuition, chose safe roads and kept running. Since her destination was not too far, she didn’t need to ride her Mushi.

Was her safe arrival there good or bad fortune?

Rina reached the place.

“—Ugh…”

Hiding herself in the shade, Rina looked up—at a large general hospital.

It was just about evening.

To Rina’s eyes, the hospital illuminated by the setting sun looked as though it was dyed with fresh blood.

“Uuuh…”

She held her chest with a hand, feeling as though it was painfully constricted.

Why had Rina chosen to come here?

What was in there?

Those answers tormented Rina as she finally arrived.

“I-I have to go—so I can save everyone—”

She spoke to herself, but her legs wouldn’t go any further.

“I, I have to meet him—”

He should be in that hospital.

Because he’d been enclosed there for several years already.

The origin of all of Rina’s sins.

The reality that could be called her original sin, that she averted her eyes from all this time.

“F-Father—”

Her vision was completely covered by the arms of the ghosts. Her heart beat so fast it felt likely to rip her chest at any moment, and the legs praised by Ena were shaking all over.

“UuuUuh—”

Rina’s first action after becoming Mushitsuki.

That was—injuring her own father.

In order to fulfill her revenge against her father that abandoned her mother and enclosed her in a birdcage, Rina was reborn as a Mushitsuki.

As a result, her father bore grievous wounds and kept going through hell on earth in a comatose state.

She averted her eyes from this sin—

As a result of trying to save Mushitsuki and forget her sin—

The past became an inviolable trauma for Rina, slowly permeating her heart.

“E-even if it’s Father—the Tachibana family—as long as it’s to help everyone—”

She spoke to herself again and again as though she was a child and tried approaching the hospital.

However—she couldn’t take even a single step.

Before long the hospital her father was hospitalized in came in front of her, and the biggest obstacle in Rina’s heart blocked her path.

Meaning, Rina herself.

If she had the resolve to face her own sin, she could save her comrades.

Although she understood this—her legs trying to advance actually retreated back.

“I-I can still—”

Her eyes glaring at the hospital slowly lowered.

This was Rina’s limit.

“I-if I think of another way to do this—i-if I look for Ena and Takako again—if I get the help of the Kujou family—then maybe—”

It happened just as she flinched back and averted her eyes from the hospital as though trying to escape.

The ghosts’ arms and the vision dyed in the bloody colors of setting sun were blocked—

“…!”

An azure glow suddenly appeared there.

Mixed in with the arms of ghosts, a single arm glowing in azure flew to Rina.

“Wha—”

As she was caught completely off guard, the azure arm managed to touch Rina’s brow—then vanished.

That was all.

That azure arm completely vanished as though it was no more than an illusion.

“W-what was that now?”

As she raised her face while rubbing her brows, she felt someone at her back.

Behind her was the hospital. She didn’t want to turn back to it, but—

“—”

She felt like she had to turn around.

It was hard to explain—but she felt a certain nostalgia.

At the same time, another thing came up.

She felt feelings that nearly went forgotten welling up in her chest.

It was on the rooftop of the general hospital. Just outside the fence, a familiar figure stood there.

She couldn’t see that figure’s face due to the setting sun behind it. However, she’d never mistake that pitch-dark coat that looked like demon wings, as well as the hair that stood up like horns.

“…Aha.”

She felt goosebumps.

That presence—that pressure—was definitely no lie or sham.

He definitely existed there.

“So you’ve come back to life again, too…?”

The ghostly arms that filled her sight distanced themselves like a receding wave.

Even those who already passed from this world feared him—

“Kakkou—”

Looking down Rina’s pathetic figure, he looked as though he was slightly sneering.

1.11 Rina The Last

The figure was wrapped in a green glow, leaping down from the rooftop of the general hospital.

A normal person would definitely die falling from this height, but the guy landed easily. She wasn’t surprised seeing this superhuman feat at this point.

“…”

Rina exited the shadows and started walking to the hospital.

There were supposed to be people around, but there was no one there. Silence and loneliness controlled the area, as though the world became for Rina and that guy alone.

Is this a mental attack by C again…? Or maybe an isolated territory created by another Mushitsuki—

Witnessing this impossible phenomenon actually helped retrieve Rina’s calmness. Her thinking switched over to battle mode.

“If it’s a mental attack, it’s too crude. After all, his very presence here—immediately reveals that this is an illusion.”

The approaching figure was her archnemesis, one who’d already become a Fallen and dropped out from the battles of Mushitsuki.

Kakkou.

He wore a pitch-dark coat and had mechanical goggles covering his face. Also, his right hand grasped an automatic pistol. This was a familiar sight to her to a painful extent.

“If this is just an illusion, it should be erased with even the slightest resistance… but I have a bad feeling about this.”

In this world emptied of any hindrances, this was clearly abnormal.

Even so, the Kakkou approaching her had such a powerful presence she couldn’t believe him to be an illusion.

And there was something else.

“I don’t know if I’m Mimic or Tachibana Rina right now… but I’ve actually been feeling it all along since I was revived. The same kind of feeling I’ve had almost a year ago—”

Kakkou finally stood in front of Rina.

Rina looked at his nostalgic face calmly.

“The kind of feeling like, ‘Ah, I’m going to die’.”

How should she call the feelings she had now when facing her past archnemesis?

Loathing. Rage. Nostalgia. Self-hatred. Sadness. A certain kind of elation. All these emotions mixed together, becoming a completely different sort of feeling.

“So I thought I’m about to die soon.”

She didn’t know how to call these feelings inside her—but for now, she felt just a little bit of power welling out. It was only just enough power to stop her legs from shaking, though.

“Well, I don’t mind. I’ve already died once, and besides—after saving as many Mushitsuki as I can, I don’t mind dying by the roadside. No huge difference from what already happened.”

Kakkou was silent.

Right, he was originally taciturn. She recalled something so inconsequential.

Normally—when he acted out the part of the normal boy called Kusuriya Daisuke—he’d talk a lot. And yet.

“That’s why I thought I died when I saw you, though it’s a bit early. —Even though I know you’re just an illusion. Still, looking at you… I have the feeling that it’s wrong.”

She spat out toward the silent demon.

“What—are you? Aren’t you here to kill me?”

As if to respond to her words, Kakkou readied his gun.

His gun, fused with his checkered beetle, launched a flaming bullet from the muzzle.

“…”

Not moving at all, Rina made the seven-spotted ladybug flap its wings.

Kakkou’s shot bullet was easily repelled by the emitted shockwave. The aftershock created by the two competing attacks cracked the asphalt and raised dust.

Rina felt a presence at her back.

Having used his superhuman leg strength to instantly move behind her, Kakkou swung his fist glowing in green through the blowing screen of dust.

“…”

Rina spun ahead to dodge the attack. The ladybug spread its large wings.

“—!”

The shockwave caused the road to bulge and Kakkou was blown away. Pushing through power poles and the buildings built opposite to the hospital, he pierced through several buildings and finally stopped.

While the buildings with huge holes in them crumbled with an earth tremor—

In the distance, a green glow was rising.

Kakkou landed on top of the roof of a convenience store along the road. His long coat was dirtied with dust and the sides of his lips were bleeding, but that was all.

“This way of fighting… it’s just like the real one. In that he’s annoyingly tough, too.”

As Rina grimaced and folded her arms, Kakkou pulled the trigger again.

The bullet hit right in front of Rina. To dodge the broken asphalt fragments, Rina hid herself behind the seven-spotted ladybug.

While these fragments rained down, Rina felt a chill run through her spine.

Even while just standing there she felt a murderous impulse as though her inner organs were grasped hard—the feeling that Rina had felt many times before.

“…!”

The ladybug leapt up powerfully into the air as though it was making a backflip.

Rina instantly ordered it to do so.

The moment after, a green glow flew right at the space it inhabited.

Instantly approaching, Kakkou swung down his green-covered arm. If Rina hadn’t cause it to evade, the seven-spotted ladybug would have suffered a direct hit by that punch.

“You bastard—”

Rina’s eyes changed. She didn’t know the identity of this Kakkou in front of her, but there was no mistake he was trying to beat Rina for real.

The seven-spotted ladybug leapt to Kakkou. It tried biting him with its mouthpart.

Kakkou reflexively caught the mouthpart with both hands. However, this didn’t stop the momentum behind Rina’s Mushi. While emitting a shockwave, it charged forward along with Kakkou.

“I don’t know why you’re attacking me at this point… but since you’re raring to go, I’ll take you on.”

The roads and building surroundings them were being turned to deep moats as the ladybug charged.

However, this wasn’t a one-sided battle. Kakkou used his superhuman strength to block the seven-spotted laydbug’s momentum and threw its gigantic body to the surface.

“UOOO!”

“…! Even the voice’s the same…!”

Along with a vibration, pain ran through Rina’s chest. Half of the seven-spotted ladybug’s body was buried in the asphalt.

Kakkou immediately readied his gun, but Rina soon made the Mushi flap its wings.

A violent shockwave turned the surrounding debris to a barren plain.

“So you want to fight even without any reason? You really are the worst bastard, just like usual.”

As Rina put a hand on her waist and spat this, the seven-spotted ladybug came back to her side.

In front of her eyes—Kakkou advanced with a bleeding forehead.

“…”

Rina and Kakkou faced each other silently.

Even without looking at a mirror she understood. There was no doubt that she was currently wearing the kind of expression that she hated the most.

She wasn’t fighting to save someone.

She merely fought while using her accumulated anger and hatred as fuel; she was nothing more than an avenger.

“Begone.”

Rina and Kakkou—the two Rank 1s’ voices overlapped.

Their unrestrained attacks were altering the landscape of Higano City. Knocking down tall buildings one after another, both roads and shopping districts became uniform plains.

Rina had fought Kakkou for a long, long time without pausing. However, this might be the first time that both combatants clashed with their full powers.

When they faced each other before, Rina always had people she needed to protect next to her. And even Kakkou who was known as a demon never tried involving any innocent civilians.

“Die—”

While shedding blood from her forehead, Rina wanted to give Kakkou an extra-large shot.

“If I’m going to die anyway, I’ll take you along with me—”

Her premonition of death she’d felt near her was definitely going to become reality.

If she couldn’t escape that destiny—then even if she returned to reality by blowing away this phantasm in front of her, only hellish suffering would wait for Rina.

“I have no place I belong to.”

Enduring her attacks, Kakkou shot bullets.

Part of the seven-spotted ladybug’s wings was shot, and Rina’s chest was damaged.

However, right now—even that pain felt pleasant to her.

“Whether I die or live, I’m lonely…!”

As Rina laughed furiously, tears welled up the corners of her eyes.

She fought the wrong way and perished. —Then, she was called back into this world at someone’s convenience.

She didn’t know whether or not she really came back to life. It might be that her memories and dream were simply copied into Mimic’s body.

However, right now she possessed both the personality and the feelings of the girl called Tachibana Rina.

Therefore—she couldn’t escape her past sins.

Hurting her actual father, breaking her promise to help in the decisive fight... she tried saving others in order to avert her eyes from these—she already blamed herself for things so much that she never wished for her own happiness.

Although she died once, she was simply a struggling zombie given another temporary life.

If someone so pathetic was simply going to commit suicide with an illusion—

It would be a fitting end for her.

“Die with me, Kakkou!”

Trying to use her full powers—her final attack—she made the seven-spotted ladybug spread its wings.

Kakkou, who was standing on top of the debris, raised his gun to intercept—

“—Eh?”

Kakkou’s next action made Rina doubt her own eyes. Before she could think about its meaning, her body moved on its own.

“Wa... uh—“

She tried stopping the ladybug at her side, but it was too late. Rina’s impulsive action caused her to get blown away as the shockwave toward Kakkou was unleashed.

However—she managed to alter the direction ever so slightly.

Escaping a direct hit, Kakkou was still blown away by the aftershock. He was easily blown away as though his earlier toughness was a dream, he rolled on the ground, then landed spreadeagled on top of the debris.

“Wha—what is this...!”

While covering her bleeding right arm, Rina stood up. She approached the collapsed Kakkou.

“After coming here, how dare you—hold back like that!”

Her eyes weren’t mistaken.

The moment before Rina unleashed her attack—Kakkou released his fusion with his Mushi. As a result, he received Rina’s attack on his unprotected body, getting covered in wounds.

“…Kill me.”

Looking up at Rina through cracked goggles, Kakkou mumbled softly.

“I’m already—tired…”

“—”

Rina’s body tilted.

Hearing her nemesis’s unexpected words, she felt dizzy.

“Ha...? What the... so it’s that kind of mental attack...?”

“I don’t wanna fight anymore...”

Even with his goggles on, she knew. Kakkou was grimacing in pain.

In the end, it was a mere illusion.

The Kakkou Rina knew would never make that face, and would never make those complaints.

Rina knew he wasn’t like that—

“Stop relying on me... Don’t call my name anymore...”

“Stop—”

She felt dizzy again and stopped herself from falling. Instead—she felt unfathomable rage rising within her.

Rina stepped on Kakkou’s stomach with her full strength.

“Don’t say things like that...! You’re the one who started this!”

Rina didn’t know this before, but now she did.

What did this Mushitsuki often called a demon fight for? Since Rina was also Mimic, she came to know this truth.

“You’ve fought against the Original Three... to create a world where no Mushitsuki are born anymore, right?! You’ve sacrificed so many Mushitsuki for that! You’ve survived so far just for that!”

She stepped on Kakkou again and again, wielding her hatred.

“And you’ve brought me back for that, right? You’ve even used a Mushitsuki as a tribute! You’ve brought me back in this pathetic form, nothing more than a copy!”

Rina gradually became angrier and angrier at the defenceless Kakkou. Now she stepped on his chest.

“So despite all this, for you to rest first... how dare you tell people to not call your name!”

Kakkou was speechless. He simply bit his lips a little.

“And to think the ones calling me… are only these arms of Mushitsuki who don’t exist anymore…”

At some point the countless ghost arms started clinging to Rina.

Rina could neither abandon them nor escape from them. Since they became a part of Rina, she’d probably fall even to hell with them.

“I… just wanted to stay alive. No matter what I sacrificed…”

Even while being grabbed by Rina, Kakkou didn’t move a single finger.

“But while I did that… so many things happened. Arisu was the one who started the goal to defeat the Original Three, and I—”

“I know! That’s why Arisu will call your name! Definitely!”

“…”

“And that girl, too!”

Forgetting that the one she was yelling at was a mere illusion, she grasped the boy’s face.

She pulled hard on his goggles and they easily came off, since they were so tattered.

“Shiika will obviously call your name!”

This exposed a boy’s face that looked exceptionally gentle.

Other than it being bloody as well as the band-aid on his cheek, his face looked completely normal. However, Rina knew that face better than anyone.

After all, she’d once painted in onto a canvas.

“…I just wanted a place where I belonged.”

This normal boy’s face grimaced with agony.

“I didn’t want any fight, but a place that needed me… I just wanted that—I wanted to wait for Shiika, who had the same dream… that’s all…”

“…!”

I also—

She wanted to shout this, but just barely stopped herself.

“But it’s already useless… I’ve fought too much… I already don’t know myself why I’m fighting… I want to end it all already…”

“No…! I also…!”

It was as if he spat out the very complaints that she wanted to say in place of her.

Perhaps it was that kind of illusion.

Not caused by anyone’s attack, but an illusion born from her own weak heart—meaning, she really reached her limits.

“Someone like you still has people waiting for you, so if you’re gone first… making someone like me, who has no one like that, fight against my will—isn’t that just living hell?!”

She was revived into this empty world for nothing other than to taste the pain of hell.

That was—way too cruel.

“You definitely have people like that…”

Kakkou bent his face.

How dare you speak so irresponsibly, try to leave everything to others—

Along with this anger she followed his gaze, and gulped.

“—”

In the far distance of the devastated Higano City, she could see a building standing there as if by a miracle.

It was the general hospital.

“…No! Once you’re gone, I’ll probably go there again, right…? But I can’t—it’s too much…”

Rina spoke.

Kakkou smiled. With Kusuriya Daisuke’s face.

“Ah, right… I also don’t want you to go back.”

“The heck? Are you saying you want me to stay? Is this some sort of love confession?”

Without noticing, Rina ended up sitting near the collapsed boy. Oddly, it was just like when Rina died, though their positions were reversed.

Still smiling, he said nothing.

Silence wrapped them both.

Was it really fine this way—

Rina’s chest swelled with these emotions.

Nothing but debris surrounded them and instead of a field of flowers it was a hell of crawling ghostly hands—but that scenery already passed the realm of creepy to look more like a farce.

“…So, what do you actually mean?”

When she could no longer understand how much time passed, Rina spoke.

Thinking she was unable to bear even that short while of happiness—she really lacked any charm.

“…If you go back, you’ll just end up fighting again.”

The boy said.

“Right, Tachibana-san?”

Using Kusuriya Daisuke’s face, he sighed.

Kakkou and Kusuriya Daisuke—which of them was his real face?

No—both of them were him.

Just like she was Tachibana Rina and Lady Bird.

“And so… well, I don’t really understand it…”

Just like when she saw him at the same classroom, after making a stupid face and stumbling over his words, he spoke.

“I feel like I’ve gotten—somewhat motivated.”

Ah—

Hearing those words of his, Rina finally understood.

She finally recalled how to call that sensation—what she felt the moment she’d seen Kakkou’s form again in this mysterious world, that she wasn’t able to put into words.

“I’m too late…”

As Rina groaned, her vision blurred.

The face of the lying boy was gradually losing color.

“The moment I saw you here I already felt motivated…”

While Rina stared at him with eyes full of grudge, she saw that the disappearing boy was wearing a bitter smile.

If the world Rina inhabited right now was an illusion created by her—

Then the fact her consciousness started slowly vanishing reluctantly and full with regrets was also probably in response to her feelings.

Wearing a resigned expression, Kakkou—no, Kusuriya Daisuke—slowly raised his arm.

His fingertips touched Rina’s fox mask—

“—”

Rina came back to reality.

She was hiding in the shade next to the general hospital dyed by the sinking sun. Passersby going in and out of the hospital here and there remained unchanged from before she’d gotten caught up in the illusion.

There was only one change.

Rina’s fingertips touched a fox mask lying on the floor.

“—What was even that…”

Mumbling this, Rina wiped her eyes with a sleeve. Instead of that inorganic hard surface, she finally felt her smooth, exposed cheek.

The world of reality she’d returned to was the same hell as always.

The towering silent hospital still blamed Rina for her sins, and she could see the arms of ghosts. She had no way of knowing whether the illusion she was caught in until just now was an attack by someone—or perhaps salvation.

However, Rina raised her face and started walking to the hospital.

“...Yes, I know. I have to go there—“

Her body, that felt as heavy as lead—because just the slightest bit lighter. It shed weight equivalent to about that of a fox mask.

Her body, as heavy as lead, just a little bit—became slightly lighter, about as much as a fox mask.

Not bothering to pick up the removed mask, Rina entered the hospital.

Passing through the reception desk and waiting rooms, she went to the elevator—and headed to the very back of the inpatient ward.

“...”

Both perspiration and heartbeats became fiercer.

She recalled Kakkou’s face she’d seen just before.

That face—that seemed to say that they had to fight, made her angry.

She was immensely angry and pained by this, but she thought he was right.

Whether alive or dead, the only path they knew in the end was that of battle.

“—”

Rina finally stood in front of the VIP-use room.

She put her hand on the doorknob. There were no guards and wasn’t locked either. Although he’d been quite important when hospitalized, they probably decided he no longer needed security as the years passed.

As she opened the door, expensive-looking equipment and a large bed immediately entered her sight.

Moving her shaking legs, she entered.

She approached the bed, step after step, feeling as if the past was coming back to her.

“—I’m sorry.”

When she stood next to her father attached to the ventilator, Rina felt like she regressed a few years back.

She saw her emaciated, completely transformed father.

Looking down at his form, Rina reverted to her young self from the time she became a Mushitsuki.

“Father… I’m sorry…”

Kneeling on the floor, she grabbed her father’s thin arm with both hands.

This was Rina’s original sin.

She became a Mushitsuki and some years passed, but she finally—reached her starting point.

“I know it’s already in the past, and I’m not actually myself right now, but still… I might die soon too, but—”

Thinking about it, Rina tried moving on while still young.

Seeing those being oppressed and suffered due to those more powerful than them—their figures overlapped with her own young self, so she obsessed over trying to save them.

All in order to forget her own sin and justify herself.

However, even that was already over.

Once they won this fight, Mushitsuki would no longer be born.

Her young self—would never appear again.

“If I’m able to return alive—I’ll remain at your side. Until you wake up… I’ll apologize to you properly, until you curse me…”

She swore clearly.

At the same time, she also made a wish.

“So please—help me.”

Being obstinate, until now she tried saving anyone at all with her own powers.

However, she reached her limits. Now she was able to acknowledge that fact.

“Please lend me your power…”

She wished this, removing one hand, and pulled out a cellphone.

Lucifera had handed this to her just in case.

However, what she brought out—was broken in half, for some reason. She might have broken it in the fights until now.

Giving up on the cellphone, she took the communication device on the wall. Switching to the outside line, she pushed in the number from her memory.

“—This is Rina.”

The phone soon connected. She pushed in the number of her father’s former secretary.

“I’m next to Father right now. I’m sorry to have worried you for a long time now…”

Her father used to be someone very powerful, and some of his influence remained even now. However, this meant that she would have problems with lawyers, her mother’s side of the family and whatnot, so she couldn’t miss the secretary now.

After answering all her questions, Rina spoke.

“I would like to use whatever power of the Tachibana family I can to prepare a certain something.”

Not only had she hurt her father badly and escaped, she was even going to use his personal funds.

There was no doubt that her comatose father would lambaste such an unfaithful daughter.

“I must have a ship… as large as possible—go out into sea.”

That was why Rina had sworn.

All so one day, her father would be able to squeeze her neck with his own hands.

And also in order to wait for him to call out her name, Rina would come back here.

“I need it to end all of this.”

Doing this, she was finally able to move on from that day—

So she felt.

Notes

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