Mushi Uta:Volume 7th Episode 25

Episode 25. The Secret Pledge of Dreams

The trailing note of Horusu Seijou Academy Middle School’s chime echoed in the campus.

Students started clamoring all over. Since there were morning classes today, the voices heard were livelier than normal.

“Not bad at all, dashing out right with the bell like that.”

Silence returned to the entrance to the stairs.

Breathing heavily, Kusuriya Daisuke stood to block it.

Plain face, plain hairstyle, average height. The boy who had no other distinguishing features other than the band-aid on his cheek was facing a single girl.

“You’ve anticipated my movements, then.”

Still getting her shoes out from the shoe racks, the girl—Ichinokuro Arisu—smiled boldly. She was petite, but her healthy-looking legs and cheerful, bouncy ponytail gave an impression of liveliness.

Daisuke blocked the entrance and Arisu bent forward while still holding her shoes. They kept the distance of a step between them and looked out for each other’s next move.

“I hadn’t been your monitor for these last few months just for show. —Even if I wasn’t, you’ve been acting shifty all morning. Everyone’d think it odd.”

“I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but being the monitor of a girl your age feels tactless. Do I have no right for privacy?”

Daisuke and Arisu were classmates. But they didn’t go to the same school by coincidence.

The girl called Ichinokuro Arisu was a fully-fledged student of Horusu Seijou Academy. Just like all other sons and daughters of the wealthy who went there, she was born to an ancient and noble house.

On the other hand, Daisuke was nothing more than an infiltrator who’d been sent to monitor her due to certain circumstances.

“What’re you scheming this time? You were trying to hide from me and go where, exactly?”

“Who ever heard of a manservant interrogating his mistress? I’m not obliged to answer you!”

Spitting this, Arisu spun her body. Still holding her shoes, she ran through the corridor.

“Tch… can’t believe you got away like that!”

As Daisuke rushed after the running girl, he could see a small glow flutter next to her.

It was a Morpho butterfly with silver wings.

At a glance it looked like an insect, but since it had four feelers, it differed from the real thing.

Mushi—

That was the name of the supernatural beings that suddenly appeared about a decade ago. They took adolescent boys and girls as their hosts and granted them special powers in exchange for feeding on their dreams and hopes.

At present, Mushi were being secretly captured and concealed by the government agency called the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Those possessed by Mushi—known as Mushitsuki—were caught, trained, and then used as vanguards to capture new Mushitsuki.

Kusuriya Daisuke was a member of this organization, called the SEPB for short, and was sent to monitor Ichinokuro Arisu, the girl possessed by the Morpho butterfly, who was unique even among Mushi.

“—Just kidding.”

While looking at the girl who vanished at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye, Daisuke grinned.

“Just in case, I’d stationed Kasuou over there. Don’t think I’ll allow you to do as you please forever, mwahaha!”

While chasing after Arisu, he suddenly felt empty.

“…Why am I playing along with her…”

Turning around the corner, Daisuke pushed through the corridor.

He instantly noticed a blond girl. She was collapsed at the end of the corridor.

“Kausou? What happened?!”

He rushed to the girl with an elegant face—Mitake Anneliese—and held her up. Just like Daisuke, she was a combatant sent by the SEPB to monitor Arisu.

“Kh, I lowered my guard. Nah, she’s too strong. Typical Arisu…”

Grabbing Daisuke’s arm, Kasuou grimaced. Next to the collapsed girl was an indoor shoe that had probably been thrown by Arisu. The window was open.

From the clues left at the crime scene, Daisuke instantly grasped the situation. He coldly looked down at the blond girl.

“Kasuou… what is that you’re holding onto?”

Kasuou averted her eyes.

“Sorry, I no understand Japanese.”

“No one even thinks of you as a foreigner anymore. Wait, you’re holding my arm to stop me here!”

“If you really wanna know then I’ll tell you! It’s the Kemono Man limited edition strap! Just shut up and let me hug you! This is all for the sake of my additional reward, the large Kemono Man towel!”

“So you’ve been bribed! You’ve got no intention of fulfilling your mission! I’ll seriously shoot you right here!”

“Right, you criminal scum! Unhand Kakkou right this instant!”

“Uwah!”

Turning around to this sudden voice, an elementary schooler climbed inside from the open window.

She had her hair in twintails and wore the blazer that was probably some elementary school’s uniform, both of them covered in heart-shaped accessories. This girl, called Horiuchi Erii, was also a member of the SEPB.

“Why’s C here as well?!”

“Because classes ended early, obviously!”

“Don’t try fooling me by lashing back at me! How many times do I have to tell you not to break security just so you can come hang out with—no, more importantly, have you seen Arisu on the way?”

“Oh, yes. I met her by chance and helped her climbed the fence. —Why are you holding your head, Kakkou-san?”

The blond girl clung to Daisuke and the elementary schooler tried pulling her off.

“Why have you been won over by her?! Anyway, we have to go look for her! —My phone? Who is it now right when I’m having an emergency!”

“Everyone’s favorite idol, Maimai-chan is here! My specialties are searching for people and the Maimai Exercise! The divine oracle Maimai-chan had the feeling she was neededfgh! I-I didn’t bite my tongue, I’m just barely safe!”

“I must’ve imagined that.”

Daisuke cut off the call and sighed.

While looking at his colleagues who not only did not support him but actively hindered him, Daisuke too wanted to forget all about his duty.

“—No.”

Shaking his head, he came back to his senses.

Recently, Arisu had been taking too much independent actions away from Daisuke’s eyes. Just the other day she used the opening where he went to the SEPB and came back covered in wounds. When he tried understanding what happened, she dodged his questions and didn’t tell him anything.

“She’s obviously up to no good at all, again. I’ll definitely find you and make you aware of your position…”

Dragging two girls behind him, Daisuke started walking.

Part 1

Akamaki City, Ichinokuro Arisu’s place of birth, was as lively as always.

Just by walking through the road connected to the station she passed by many people. It was a prominent metropolis within the country, and all passersby were stylish.

Since she was used to this scenery ever since she was young, she could see places full of memories everywhere she looked. Lately, in particular, all these places were etched intensely in her memories.

The Ferris wheel visible from within the gaps in buildings was where she made a promise with her deceased friend, as well as where she met the Mushitsuki called Yomori Neiko.

Within the high-rise buildings visible on the other side of the road was one where Daisuke had turned a girl into a Fallen after she suffered from the phenomenon called Maturation.

Right now, she passed next to the karaoke place she went to with an annoying Mushitsuki. If she turned back at the crossroads behind her, there would be the entrance to the SEPB’s Central Headquarters.

On yet another tower that rose on the other side of complex buildings—were the hanging gardens where she saw the heroic last moments of an unforgettable Mushitsuki, the Kind Magician.

Everywhere around her was filled with memories. Every day Arisu walked around Akamaki City, she recalled the people she’d met. Her meetings with them could be said to be a part of her.

Therefore—Arisu couldn’t understand the meaning of her meeting with the boy in front of her.

He seemed to be wearing some high school’s uniform, but it was painted over in gaudy colors so it had to be against school regulations for sure. His black tie was just stuck inside his loose shirt and a large compress was stuck on his right cheek. Arisu knew that there was a flame tattoo under it.

That boy stood in front of a hobby shop’s window, surrounded by elementary schoolers. Using his height, he held aloft a gashapon prize, apparently arguing with the kids.

“Don’t fuck with me! You were also hogging the machine! Are you tryna pick up a fight with me? Don’t underestimate adults, you little shits! Ready to bring it on?”

“Arisu Low Kick.”

“Ouch!”

The capsule fell from the boy’s hand as he collapsed to his knees. The elementary schoolers picked it up and dashed away.

“Hey! You brats, that rare character is mine—damn, I-I can’t get up. What’s up with that pinpoint kick that feels like it took a hundred days of training to perfect? Wait up, brats! S-someone catch them, please, Mr. Officer!”

“Why are you picking up fights with elementary schoolers…?”

Looking down the boy trying to reach out to the running children, Arisu sighed. —Recalling how much of an effort it took her to find this man, it felt like a complete waste.

Somehow standing up, the boy grabbed Arisu’s tie and pulled her closer.

“If that oh-so prestigious Horusu Seijou Academy really teaches you to greet people with a direct hit and snatch their precious treasures, then I can definitely greet you back with a no-holds-barred kick, right you little shit?”

“I have not heard of such a greeting. What nonsense are you speaking of, young man? Incidentally, grabbing a lady’s collar like that is sexual harassment. Hey, Mr. Officer!”

“Were you just imitating me? Yes, you were. I see, so I look that funny to you. Even though I’m reduced to tears because I lost that rare character I finally managed to get…”

“So you just wanted a gashapon… No wonder it felt like a stupid meeting spot.”

Arisu came to the crossroads near the station. Since many people passed that road, it had many stalls along it.

“But you really came. To be honest, I was half doubting you…”

“And you really did come here alone?”

The boy narrowed his eyes and looked around.

He was apparently called Sehateno Harukiyo, but she had no idea if it was his real name. He was also a Mushitsuki, and one of the people who appeared by being invited by her friend’s Mushi, the Morpho butterfly.

“I did come here ready for a fight, though.”

“If you’re talking about my usual punchbag, I left him at school and came here. If you fought here, it wouldn’t end well.”

Harukiyo had been granted a designation from the SEPB. If its member, Kusuriya Daisuke, was there with her, they probably wouldn’t be able to chat like this.

“What would you do if I’d brought comrades of my own?”

“But you like doing these things properly, right?”

“I did tell you to come here alone, but I can’t remember saying I’ll come here alone, too.”

Arisu was speechless.

“You really didn’t consider this, huh?” Harukiyo sounded shocked.

These last few days, her head was full of questions whether Harukiyo would come as promised or not.

That promise was made just the other day when Arisu had finally managed to find him—

“Alright, let’s go then.”

“Go? Where?”

As if some switch inside him had been toggled, Harukiyo rose up.

“To our date, obviously.”

Silence fell between the two.

What was he saying, all of a sudden?

Was he an idiot?

Arisu seriously thought about this.

She thought she was prepared for his random actions and words, but this was something so sudden that made her doubt his sanity.

“Hey, why’re you looking at me like that? Are you an idiot?”

“Eh? I’m the idiot here? —I-I mean, this isn’t what we agreed to! Since you told me we’d talk about Mari, I did nothing ‘that time’ and left, you know? First of all, why do I have to date you! No matter how you cut it, we’re not even a good match!”

“Is that really the issue here? Try questioning the more fundamental aspect of it! Eh, it’s fine, let’s just go on a date! That’s how I feel right now!”

“D-don’t kick up a tantrum here. You make it look like I’m the one at fault here. Look, people are watching.”

No.

It shouldn’t have been like that.

Arisu hid it with casual talk, but she was really tense as she came there.

After all, someone she’d been looking for a long time was right in front of her eyes. And when she looked for him and finally found him, he was angry at her as if ready to scorch her to ashes at any moment—

“Harukiyo…”

It was the room of a certain apartment building.

The person Arisu had been looking for was right in front of her eyes.

In the center of the living room filled with trash, a boy was sleeping on top of a large sofa. His bare upper body was thrown back, and he was breathing in sleep, no signs of him having noticed the unexpected intruder. His childlike sleeping face had nothing of the evil Mushitsuki often called a devil in it.

“Haru—”

As she reached out to the boy, she startled.

Harukiyo was not Arisu’s ally. Seeing that Arisu was fatigued from her battle against the Custodian, she stood no chance of standing up to him if they fought. She wouldn’t even have the energy to chase after him if he ran away.

Should she wake him up here?

Or perhaps she should act according to her original plan, call Daisuke there and borrow the help of Kororo, who possessed the power of past viewing—

“Ah…”

Although she was pressed for a choice, she lost her chance to reach out and answer.

Harukiyo silently half-opened his eyes.

“—So it’s you.”

Not only was he not surprised to see her, the boy acted completely calm. Just glancing at the visitor, he closed his eyelids again, moving only his mouth as if finding more than that a bother.

“Got any business with me?”

Arisu was confused at this unforeseeable response. She raised her voice without thinking.

“I-I obviously have some business with you! I finally found you! You always just show up and then vanish in a puff of smoke whenever it’s time to talk, so—”

“Shuddup, let’s do this later.”

Although he was the one who asked what she wanted, he said they’d do it later.

This was the selfish Harukiyo that Arisu knew.

However, she felt his behavior was strange. It didn’t look like he simply wasn’t a morning person.

“I-I can’t just wait for later. I have lots I need to ask you about. I couldn’t stand it if you run away again…!”

“…Tch.”

The boy clicked his tongue, looking to be in a bad mood. Softly opening his eyes, he glared at Arisu.

“If you wanna fight I’ll burn you in an instant. If you bring Kakkou or the SEPB I’ll massacre them. Running away is also a bother. I’ll kill as many people as needed, depending on your moves.”

“…!”

The room’s temperature suddenly rose. Feeling her entire body sizzling from his killing intent, Arisu froze on the spot. She felt that her lungs would burn if she tried breathing.

“I’m currently sleeping.”

Harukiyo exposed his anger for but a brief moment. He turned to the side as if nothing happened.

“I’ll talk all you want another time…”

“C-can I even believe you?”

“I always do things properly. —I mean, our match’s already settled anyway. I don’t care anymore.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

—This is now a contest. You or me—which of us is going to find Hanashiro Mari first.

Thus Harukiyo said in the past.

The Mushi of a person that died from sickness possessed another person.

Arisu was involved in this irregular happening. The Morpho butterfly, the Mushi that belonged to her deceased friend Hanashiro Mari, possessed Arisu at present.

Arisu wished to know why Mari had left her Mushi to her. In course of investigating this mystery, she met many Mushitsuki.

Harukiyo was one of those. He’d apparently been looking for Mari for his own goals. However, the person on his mind died from illness, so he was supposed to look for the traces of Mari just like Arisu.

And yet he said that he won—

“And if it was a win by default… shit, fuck.”

“W-what do you mean? A win, meaning—“

“I’m tellin’ you we’ll discuss this later,” he mumbled, looking annoyed. “Everything’s long over… all of you were half-hearted. Can no one survive but me? Fuck, now I’m too angry to sleep. Makes me so fuckin’ angry, not being able to sleep. Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

Just as Arisu thought he simply curled up and kept mumbling to himself, he suddenly named a certain time and place.

Several days from now, in front of a certain crossroads.

As he unilaterally decided their place of meeting, Arisu stood there frozen.

“Come alone. If you bring Kakkou with you don’t blame me for any trouble…”

“D-don’t just decide this by yourself! There’s no guarantee you’re even going to—”

She refused to back down, but Harukiyo didn’t even turn to look at her. Emitting a creepy anger, he just kept mumbling “fuck” again and again.

Arisu stood there in a shock, hesitating on what she should do—

Consequently, until she actually saw Harukiyo where they decided to meet, she kept worrying.

Wasn’t she too soft-hearted for letting Harukiyo go after going through such pains to find him?

On the other hand, she didn’t think Harukiyo was going to honestly talk to her. If she came to visit again with Daisuke, they’d be unable to avoid a battle. Whether they won or lost, there would be enormous damage.

As a result, Arisu chose to avoid battle. Until today, she hadn’t revealed to anyone where Harukiyo was. Especially to Daisuke.

She wanted to believe this was the right choice.

Thus Arisu was able to safely see Harukiyo again.

So far so good, however—

“Enjoy yourselves,” said the employee, closing the door with a practiced manner.

“Wow, it’s much wider than I thought. And sooo slow. How many years would it take for one round?”

“…Since you said a date, I thought you’d take me to some date spot… but no matter how much I think about it you’re not really the character for a romantic Ferris wheel ride, huh.”

In the end Arisu decided to play along with his idea for a date. She lost to the threats that he wouldn’t talk if she rejected him.

Since this was a weekday afternoon, the Ferris wheel in the suburbs of Akamaki City didn’t have a large crowd. There wasn’t even a line, just like the last time she came.

She hadn’t been to this Ferris wheel since meeting Yomori Neiko. At the time Neiko had battled against the SEPB that came to capture her and there was a lot of trouble. Thinking back on it, this was when her classmate Saionji Ena had started hating Mushi.

“Oho. So this is your first date, eh?”

On top of the climbing gondola, Harukiyo grinned.

“Wha…!” Sitting in quite a horizontal distance from this boy, Arisu felt herself blush. Being invited to a date and accepting it was definitely her first time.

“Got your first date. You’re sitting so far away ‘cuz you’re nervous?”

“It’s because I’m being cautious! Also, I don’t even think of this like a date! What are you scheming this time?”

Even while he was being glared by Arisu, Harukiyo’s face was calm. This wasn’t the first time she thought this, but she never could understand any thought that went inside that head of his.

“Not scheming anythin’. I’ve been a long time in town but never rode this. And if I’m gonna, it’s boring to do it alone.”

The boy looked at the glass window to his side.

“You can see this Ferris wheel from anywhere around town.”

The townscape of Akamaki City was slowly vanishing beneath their eyes.

Arisu raised a brow.

“I thought about this ever since I found you in that apartment… but you’re acting a bit strange. What’s up with you? Seeing you so docile is actually creepy in its own way.”

“Should I start partyin’ then? Not gonna pull back on being annoying!”

“Please stop. I beg you.”

“The Gods aren’t gonna get mad if I at least see the city one last time.”

Arisu became speechless for a moment.

See the city one last time—

The boy’s expression made it fully clear this wasn’t a joke.

“Adios, Akamaki City, until we meet again—that sorta thing. I won’t ever come here again, though.”

The boy’s profile looked refreshed, as if he’d gotten a huge load off his shoulders. On the other hand, for some reason he looked sad as well as disappointed about something—because of the cynical smile stuck to his mouth.

“One last time… what do you mean?”

“Just like it sounds. I’ve left nothing behind and I have no regrets. Nothing left to do, nothing I should do. To summarize, I lost all meaning to stay here.”

Harukiyo grimaced. Seeing the devil’s visage, Arisu felt a momentary chill.

“Most importantly I’ve been constantly lied to, so there’s no meaning in having fun here.”

“W-what’s up with that—”

“Only thing that might be worth something is Kakkou… but he’s still too hectic. Kinda hyped for his growth, I guess. No need to tag alongside him.”

“W-wait a moment—”

“The Central Headquarters’ network’s also freaking annoying. Maybe I’ll try and go west next—”

“Stop talking for a minute!”

Arisu leaned toward Harukiyo as he kept muttering to himself.

“What are you saying, all of a sudden? Didn’t you want to know about Mari? But then you say you’ll be gone… and being lied to, what was that about?”

“Oh, will you feel lonely if I’m gone?”

“As if!”

Arisu grabbed Harukiyo’s uniform. Stirred up by an impulse even she couldn’t understand, she asked him.

“After suddenly appearing and doing as you pleased, you’re just going to vanish without saying anything? I won’t allow that! What on earth happened?”

Harukiyo made no move. He simply returned Arisu’s gaze with cold eyes.

“—Are ya scared?”

Arisu’s heart leapt.

“You are. Being possessed by another person’s Mushi is fuckin’ creepy.”

Harukiyo kept rattling on without pause, not even giving her the chance to deny it. As his tone was casual and he mixed in gestures, he even looked to be having fun.

“But that Morpho butterfly’s your friend’s. If you think it’s scary, it’s the same as calling her a monster. You’re way too nice to acknowledge something like this.”

“I-I never—”

“That’s why you’re gatherin’ allies. You depend on Kakkou and drag other Mushitsuki to become your comrades. You can’t do anything on your own, so by getting them to help you, you’re making yourself think that Mushi aren’t scary.”

The boy’s words were ruthless. Even Kakkou, who liked to pick up fights with anyone, never gouged the inside of her heart so hard.

Fear—

The feeling that welled up in Arisu’s chest upon hearing that Harukiyo was leaving. Perhaps fear was a word close enough in meaning to describe it.

“Until now you managed to say it wasn’t scary because Kakkou was there. If somethin’ happened, he’d do something about it. But then there’s me, who despite being your enemy is just as—correction, even stronger than him. Once you heard I’m leaving, you finally remembered your fear. So now you ain’t got any idea how long Kakkou’d stay with you. Am I right or am I right? Hmm?”

“This—”

This can’t be true.

She wanted to reply this, but couldn’t speak. She felt as if something hidden deep within her heart was seen through, and her cheeks grew red.

“We’re not gonna meet again anyway. You can be honest to your big brother here.”

The boy’s hand lightly slapped Arisu’s hard cheeks.

“…ared.”

“Hmm? Can’t hear you.”

“Arisu Punch.”

As the boy turned his ear to her, Arisu’s fist dug into his solar plexus.

“—I am scared.”

Making the boy squat down to avoid his gaze, Arisu bit her lips.

“Yup, I’m sooo, so scared, boohoo. Satisfied?”

“Y-you’re not cute at all—egh.”

She stepped on top of the groaning boy. So he wouldn’t be able to see her face.

Her own face reflected on the glass window looked like she was about to cry—because of her complex emotions for Mari. She didn’t care about her pain and embarrassment at her worries being revealed for the first time.

“Not like I could do anything about it! I don’t have any idea what’s about to happen! But it’s different with Mari! I’ll never think about her as a monster!”

Who could she have confided in about her feelings so far? If she told Daisuke she was scared, he might have killed the Morpho butterfly right there and then. She couldn’t bear losing what Mari left to her, even if it was for her own sake.

Also—Arisu wasn’t the only one scared. All Mushitsuki were scared of their own Mushi. They couldn’t even tell when their dream would be devoured. She couldn’t just forget about them and be the only one to complain.

“Idiot. That isn’t something you need to hide.”

The boy rose up instantly as if nothing happened.

“Everyone’s fucking scared of those mysterious Mushi. Only difference is whether they ignore it or not.”

“…”

“Well, I’m not scared, though.”

“It’s been just a few minutes and I already want to push you off.”

“What are Mushi? —I didn’t give a fuck about that sorta thing in the first place. Couldn’t care less.”

Arisu froze at Harukiyo’s words.

“It just so happened that the person who can make my dream come true is a Mushitsuki like me. I’m all ears if you know anyone stronger.”

Arisu forgot to even let out a voice at this verbal abuse.

The identity of the supernatural beings called Mushi that appeared and messed up the country—this boy told her that he didn’t care for it. Even regardless of the fact he himself was a Mushitsuki.

The flame devil Harukiyo.

How strong did one have to be worthy of his attention?

“You and I were looking for Hanashiro Mari. But we were actually looking for something a bit different.”

Harukiyo grinned.

“Give it your best shot. No good would come out of it, though.”

His tone sounded like a joke—but it actually did end up encouraging Arisu.

Although this flame devil caused her nothing but trouble, he told her to do her best.

It was laughable, but—a bizarre strength of heart filled her chest. A ticklish kind of happiness, like being pushed by a longtime rival, welled inside her.

Which is precisely why she felt like this.

Him leaving this town without any advance warning was too unreasonable.

“So you found her? Your Mari?”

Arisu inquired Harukiyo.

He told her that he won their match. Arisu knew what he meant.

“Sure did.”

“…”

“Such a letdown. Shit. It’s worthless for me.”

Arisu intently glared at Harukiyo’s grimacing face.

“I won’t tell ya if you make that face. Don’t rely on other people—well, that was me just putting on airs.”

The boy looked pained as he clenched his teeth.

“Gimme a break. I really don’t wanna talk about this now. I’m suffering from heartbreak… oh, my sweet, delicate heart.”

“Weren’t you supposed to speak if I went on a date with you? You were all about doing this properly, right?”

As Arisu pouted, the boy groaned.

“Shit, make it another question!”

“I don’t have anything else I want to know, though.”

“How about my three sizes?”

“Arisu Kick.”

Having his flank kicked, Harukiyo doubled over. “Ugh,” the boy groaned. Rather than from pain, he seemed to be fighting against his own style of “doing things the proper way”.

Arisu sighed, looking down at the Mushitsuki who looked to be completely stuck.

Right, he too was a Mushitsuki.

Everything about him was a mystery, and he was trying to leave her while remaining a mystery.

“Hah… I’d never seen a Mushitsuki like you.”

“Whatever. You should treat a rare animal with more care, then.”

“I wonder what Mushitsuki are…”

“A gathering of idiots who don’t know their place.”

Raising his face, Harukiyo wore a bold smile.

“I’ve got no interest in anything beyond that.”

She wanted to know about Mari.

She wanted to know what Mushitsuki were.

Arisu wished for it and yet his words directly rejected her. Even so, he too was—

“Your dream…”

“Huh?”

Harukiyo was a Mushitsuki.

As long as that was true, he too was burdened with an inescapable fate.

He probably had a single wish as well.

“What is your dream?”

Just now, he said that the person who could make his dream come true just happened to be a Mushitsuki.

That person should be Hanashiro Mari.

She couldn’t understand anything about this boy, but he too was a Mushitsuki, and he too was living to make his wish come true.

“What’re you gonna do if you know?”

“You were looking for Mari to make your dream come true, right?”

“Well, yeah. But it ain’t a big deal. Nothing that needs to be said aloud.”

Harukiyo raised one brow as if this was something boring. Is that your question? he seemed to be asking.

“We only have one pass, right?”

Arisu and Harukiyo’s gondola passed over the zenith of the Ferris wheel.

Starting now, it was going to head toward the exit.

There was some time until the deadline.

“Don’t have any great expectations. Mushitsuki’s dreams are usually irrelevant to other people.”

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Nah, nothing like that. I’m not trying to boast or anything.”

The boy’s tone sounded much too calm.

Mushitsuki’s dreams were special.

Since Arisu thought this, when she heard the words from his mouth, she couldn’t immediately understand them.

“I wanna get punished.”

He spoke casually.

Way too casually.

Seeing his profile as he looked down Akamaki City’s townscape, she finally realized he was talking about his dream.

“Eh…?”

She felt as if time inside the gondola completely stopped.

Harukiyo didn’t seem to even notice Arisu was frozen.

“I like this world a lot. There’s only boring stuff in it, but it ain’t that bad. It’s actually relatively enjoyable. I’ve still not had enough of living.”

Since he spoke so disinterestedly, this wasn’t the tone of one talking about his own dream.

His eyes weren’t sparkling, and there wasn’t even a shred of any deep emotion. He kept talking as if he was merely serving as a guide on the side of the road.

“That’s why I’ve been looking for someone who can punish me.”

“…”

“I want someone who gives fuck all about how much I resist, what methods I use and how much I struggle. Someone strong enough to do it while laughing and kill me. I won’t compromise for anyone weak. Compromising’s the same as suicide.”

“…”

“Can’t be out of grudge or as a revenge. It can’t be a reason I’ve created myself. I want someone who’d punish me just like they stepped on a bug, forgetting all about me a second later.”

Arisu glared at him talking.

He wanted to receive punishment—

Could this dream even be called a dream?

However, she could understand some of it.

If he truly desired destruction to that extent—

Arisu unconsciously wrung out a hoarse voice.

“You wanted to be punished… so you looked for Mari?”

Harukiyo smiled as if it was obvious.

“Well, yeah. The Hunter I heard about would be perfect, right? ‘Oh, I found a Mushitsuki. Let’s kill them on the way. Alright, they’re dead. Next one, next one’—this kind of development is ideal.”

Why—

Arisu’s chest constricted.

How could he make that face—

She couldn’t understand.

The lone Mushitsuki reflected in her distorted line of sight.

The smile of the boy speaking of destruction was careless and innocent like a child.

“Haha.” Harukiyo let out a voice, laughing. “Why the fuck are you crying?”

It was only a single line of tear.

Only a single line streaked down Arisu’s eyes.

Unable to understand the reason for her tears, Arisu shook her head.

“You’re shocked at my stupid dream? Or are you pityin’ me? Sympathizing? Oh, it’s that. That’s rich. If you’re angry you might as well give me a good punch.”

Harukiyo presented his own cheek, mocking her.

However, Arisu kept shaking her head.

Even she didn’t understand why tears came out.

Perhaps because the boy’s too destructive dream was sad.

Perhaps she was disappointed his strength was built on such a hopeless foundation.

Perhaps she was shocked at her illusion about all dreams being beautiful getting broken.

Arisu knew way too little right now to know the reason.

The Mushitsuki who spoke with childlike face not of good or evil but just of pure destruction—

He, too, was just one of the people who got involved with the highly irregular Morpho butterfly.

Just like all other Mushitsuki she met so far, she wanted to remember his existence.

“You can either remember me or forget me. It’s not a big deal—I will probably never speak of your dream my entire life. Everything I heard here belongs to you.”

Harukiyo’s large hand grabbed Arisu’s head hard. He was neither petting her nor hitting her, but just pushed her back as if to make her face him as she crouched.

Arisu wiped her eyes once and smiled.

“Why do you have this dream… maybe this’ll become my second question.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

The temporary midair date was approaching its end.

The gondola carrying them both went down and landed on Akamaki City ground.

The door opened and Arisu and Harukiyo got down to the asphalt.

Buried in the crowd of people going around the Ferris wheel, Arisu stayed in place.

Meanwhile, the boy about to leave Akamaki City was distancing himself without even saying goodbye.

Arisu smiled and called out to his back.

“Hey, stay in Akamaki City a bit longer.”

Harukiyo, who tried leaving in a light gait without having any regrets, stopped in place.

“—Listen here, we already talked. Both about the fact Hanashiro Mari was meaningless and about my dream.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Are you still trying to pull me back, then?”

Harukiyo turned half of his face toward Arisu. He looked dumbfounded.

“You have nowhere to go anyway, right? Then please stay here and watch it to the end.”

To the end—

Hearing those words, Harukiyo wore a smile.

“The end, huh. Well, that’s true. You’re the one supposed to understand it the most of all.”

The boy’s words were dripping with sarcasm.

“The Morpho butterfly remaining even now is just a mistake. Mistakes will end up being corrected.”

Harukiyo started walking again.

“—However, that has nothing to do with me. It’s already past my ‘end’.”

Arisu tried catching up to him in a half run.

“I have plenty of things I want to do. Won’t you help me?”

“I’m surprised at how much of an idiot you are. Can I start by killing you, you annoying brat?”

Harukiyo kept walking ahead in large strides without even looking and Arisu followed.

“Come on, you miser. You’ve made me so much trouble until now, that’s the least you can do.”

“Don’t see any reason or obligation for me to do that. Don’t bother me. Stop following me.”

“I know someone who might be able to punish you. In this city.”

“Hanashiro Mari betrayed my expectations. Are you talkin’ about Kakkou, then? He’s still no good. Maybe in a few years. I won’t fight him right now.”

“It’s not Daisuke.”

“Then is it the Undying Mushitsuki?”

Arisu widened her eyes. She never thought that name would come out of Harukiyo’s mouth.

“Unfortunately, he seems to hate Mushitsuki. So him taking revenge on me ‘cause I’m a Mushitsuki is not gonna cut it. It’s meaningless if he’ll kill me happily. Actually, if my guess is right, that bastard… well, it’ll definitely end in disappointment. That’s what happens when you’re not a Rank 1. I’m tired of crooks.”

“It’s not Ichiku Kimitaka, either.”

Arisu cut the boy’s incomprehensible words.

Harukiyo’s strides were large, and Arisu could only just barely keep up.

“That person doesn’t hate you, nor are they thinking about revenge. There’s also no sense of duty—meaning, it’s fine as long as they’re stronger than you, right?”

The boy suddenly stopped his legs.

Arisu stumbled forward at this unexcepted stop. She overtook Harukiyo.

“—”

Turning back, Arisu gulped.

“You mean this is someone within my sight?”

The flame devil emitted a scorching pressure. He glared at Arisu, anger exposed.

She tried nodding, but she was being pierced by the boy’s flaming eyes and her body froze.

“That bastard—what was her name?”

Arisu was speechless.

“’The woman possessed by Hanashiro Mari’s ghost’, was it? I get the feelin’ I heard about her before, but I forgot.”

As if saying she wasn’t worth a look, Harukiyo left Arisu behind there.

“—I didn’t try to make fun of your dream. It’s not a joke, either.”

Turning toward the leaving Harukiyo, Arisu brought out her silver rod.

“I’m serious.”

She couldn’t let him escape.

Harukiyo was probably the only person who knew of her friend’s dying will. In order to look for it many of her comrades got hurt, and Arisu herself wanted to know that no matter what.

No—she had to know.

Because of that, Arisu kept running. She could no longer look back.

“—What a waste.”

The boy stood in place, dropping his shoulders.

“I really thought we could avoid that after having poor, heartbroken Harukiyo get a step closer to becoming an adult.”

Sighing, for some reason Harukiyo brought out a cellphone. Ignoring Arisu’s raising of a brow, he spoke to someone. She couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was soon over.

“—Come with me.”

Finishing the call, Harukiyo turned to Arisu.

Although it was suspicious, Arisu was led by him to a certain place.

It was a spacious event hall.

Until recently, this place had a large-scale motor show. She recalled hearing about it closing while being a great success.

As the event ended, the place was deserted. The vast premises had a small race track and a water fountain surrounded in green.

The main gate was open for some reason. Without looking like he questioned it in the least, Harukiyo entered. As they walked through the roadway, she saw that the giant building really was open.

“Why are we here… is it fine if we just enter like that?”

“Use your brain. It’s obviously trespassing. But we’re still going inside.”

Inside the building was an area about several times the size of Horusu Seijou Academy’s gym. There were lanterns hanging from the tall ceiling and it was enclosed by four glass walls. The corridors were empty, but until just recently there had been countless cars lined up for display there.

“Ah…”

Arisu stopped without thinking.

There were already other people there.

Leaning against a pillar was a thin, bespectacled boy. Sitting on the ground and holding her chin was also a freckled girl. The bike left there probably belonged to one of them.

“W-who are they?”

Leaving the confused Arisu, Harukiyo calmly approached the two people.

“So, I’m leaving this to you.”

“You know, it’s really a bother if you call us out all of a sudden. I was hanging with my girlfriend.”

“He’s lyin’. When I came to get him, he was here all alone.”

From the way they seemed to be familiar with each other, they were probably Harukiyo’s acquaintances.

The two glanced at Arisu.

“Oh, a middle schooler? And she’s a cutie. We’re gonna kill her? What a waste.”

“He didn’t tell us to kill her. Cleaning up’s going to be a problem so we can do it just halfway, right Harukiyo?”

“Wha—”

Harukiyo turned around. He leaned against a distant pillar and folded his arms.

“Why’re you surprised? Weren’t you gonna fight me?”

“B-but these people have nothing to do with it!”

“—Haven’t you been listening to me?”

Grimacing, Harukiyo spat in a low voice.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. Because my ‘strength’ is using anything I can think of. I’m only interested in opponents that can kick my ass easily no matter how much I struggle.”

“—”

“You, meanwhile, never doubt the words of your enemy, coming here alone all gung-ho. That is undoubtedly your ‘weakness’.”

Arisu’s hands grasping the rod were covered in cold sweat.

“Oh, and by the way—these two are ‘bout as strong as the Librarian.”

Harukiyo’s cold declaration shook Arisu’s eardrums as she stood there, frozen.

Part 2

“Hah, hah…!”

Grasping the Morpho butterfly spear, Arisu leapt backwards. Her uniform had been dirtied and there were lacerations on her hands and legs.

“…!”

There was a flash of light. An impact created massive cracks along the floor at Arisu’s feet the moment after she leapt aside.

Not even an instant after she dodged the attack, the white object gouging the ground moved like a living being, wrapping itself around Arisu’s legs.

“Eeek!”

Being pulled with incredible force, Arisu’s body floated in air.

“Kh…!”

The moment before she was pounded against the pillar, the object constricting her legs—a white string that resembled a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon—was cut by the silver spear. Spinning her body in air, she used her right leg clad in a silver pattern to kick the pillar and protected against the violent assault.

Other than the silver rod, the Morpho butterfly fused on with Arisu’s right leg. If her leg hadn’t been strengthened, she wouldn’t be able to avoid damage if she fell from the pillar to the ground.

“You just activated my trap card. It allows me to reduce your mobility.”

A boy’s light voice echoed.

Immediately following this, the ground Arisu had been standing on glowed in crimson. Both of her legs were suddenly equipped with shackles with iron balls that appeared out of nowhere. The surface of the iron ball was digital, and the number 60 showed on it, starting a countdown to 0.

“H-heavy—“

Another white flash pursued her.

As Arisu had her movements sealed, she swung her spear, blowing the ribbon away. However, she lost her balance and the second strike came to her.

She barely stopped it with the spear’s handle, but couldn’t fully cancel the impact. Enough power to make her feel as though her stomach was pierced stabbed her solar plexus.

“Cough, cough…!”

Grimacing, Arisu collapsed to her knees.

“Got some great power but your attacks are too dull, hon. Didn’t fight much, now did she?”

The freckled girl put a hand to her hip, calmly looking at Arisu. Her Mushi transformed into creepy arm bracelets was on both her arms, with each one having a white ribbon extending from it.

“She might be hiding some kind of ability. As long as we don’t lower our guards, though, this should be an easy win.”

Next to the bespectacled boy was a strangely-structured table. It was his Mushi, and he was piling up cards on top of it.

“Don’t go easy on her.”

Waiting at the back, Harukiyo wore a face of rage.

“You can kill her in one shot. No holdin’ back.”

“Eh, poor girl. Harukiyo, bro, arent’cha a bit too angry today?”

“We can’t go against him when he gets really mad. That’s an iron law. He tricked us thinking this’ll be an amusing opponent, but we’ll pay him back later.”

While fixing the position of his glasses, he mumbled “So you pass on your turn,” and placed another card on the table.

“Cough…”

Grimacing in pain, Arisu rose up. The iron balls attached to her legs reached 0 and burst and vanished.

The ground before her glowed and a soldier readying a bow appeared. He shot an arrow toward Arisu.

Arisu promptly protected herself with silver scales, repelling the arrow. However, the two ribbons attacking her from the side blew her back along with her scales.

“Weren’t you stronger than me?”

Folding his arms, Harukiyo spoke coldly. He hadn’t moved even a single step since the start of the battle.

“Kh… Ugh…!”

On the other hand, it took everything Arisu had just to protect herself. As she had to dodge the ever-changing ribbons and defend against the bespectacled boy’s incomprehensible ability, she couldn’t attack actively even once. Never mind defeating these two Mushitsuki, she couldn’t even come close to Harukiyo.

How on earth could she—

While dancing between the sequence of attacks, Arisu thought desperately.

Just like Harukiyo said, the two people standing in her way were definitely not weak. And even if she beat them, if she then fought the flame devil—

“You’re always half-assed.”

Glaring at Arisu being played with the two Mushitsuki, Harukiyo spat.

“Everyone’s just talk. No matter how serious they say they are, they always think this in the very last moment.”

Unable to fully defend against an attack, Arisu’s back smashed into a pillar.

“’I didn’t really want to give up, but I can’t do anything anymore’—”

Another trap card or whatever was activated. Arisu’s entire body was ensnared by thorns.

“What’s the reason for thinking that? A strong enemy? The limits of one’s ability? Death? —The fuck you think all those are? You lookin’ for a fight? Whether you give up or not depends on you. How dare they slack off at the very last moment, looking relieved!”

Silver scales blew around Arisu.

“But Hanashiro Mari was different. Since she couldn’t give up on her dream even after death, the Morpho butterfly’s still here.”

She made the bespectacled boy’s ability sleep and the thorns let go. Arisu grabbed it, bare-handed, and ripped it apart.

“—Or so I thought.”

She then received the white ribbon attack from the side, however. The impact blew her body away, and the scales nullifying the boy’s ability were scattered.

“In the end, she was the same.”

Even while rolling on the ground, Arisu immediately rose up. She tried thrusting at her opponents, but the ribbon’s mad attacks struck her back.

“The devil’s potion and the angel’s potion—I’ve realized which on Hanashiro Mari chose.”

Harukiyo’s voice was shaking. As if on the very limits of holding back his anger, he grimaced.

The devil’s potion and the angel’s potion.

These were familiar terms.

Oh, right, they were part of the picture book left in Mari’s sickroom. The title should be The Magic Potion. And the story was—

Harukiyo howled.

“Pieces of shit! Fuck! Everyone’s a fucking crook! Hanashiro Mari! Sensei! The Undying! Even that Morpho butterfly!”

As Patricia succumbed to her sickness, a witch came to visit her.

The witch told her,

Here is a potion received from an angel, and here is a potion received from a devil.

“I found out which potion Hanashiro Mari chose… thinkin’ carefully, I was an idiot too for not realizing this. I asked Sensei about all sort of things. About the Mushitsuki called Hanashiro Mari.”

If you drink the angel’s potion, you will lose the people most important to you, and in exchange heal from your illness, living forevermore.

If you drink the devil’s potion, you will die. However, the people most important to you will always console you at your side.

Now then.

Which will you choose?

“In the end, Hanashiro Mari—gave up at the very last moment. On her dream, that is.”

He was probably no longer even speaking to Arisu. She couldn’t understand what Harukiyo was saying.

“The question then becomes why the Morpho butterfly’s still alive and kicking. I got it, I understood everything. I now remember what Sensei said. That crook bastard, he knew everything. Looked so kind but he was actually a son of a bitch. Never seen anyone as savage.”

Harukiyo’s indignation did not calm down. Arisu had no idea why he was so mad.

In order to understand why—

Was there no other way of hearing the real state of affairs from him?

Therefore, she couldn’t let him leave, no matter what—

“The cruelest thing in this world is half-assed kindness. Sensei—Sanbikime, more like—was the incarnation of that. As are the Mushi he produces. I wish they’d all die.”

Harukiyo’s voice became even lower.

That was because he saw Arisu turn her body around and start running away from him.

She stepped to the side to dodge the attack coming from behind. Arisu dashed toward the exit like a rabbit.

“—Aah, shit. Shit. Shiiit! I’m so pissed off!”

However, unable to fully evade it, Arisu received the impact. Her petite body was thrown onto the ground.

Raising her sand-covered face, Arisu soon got on her legs.

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘I’m serious’? Everyone’s the same. In the end, they all just run away.”

Ignoring Harukiyo’s moans, Arisu ran at full speed toward the entrance.

“—Kill her properly. I don’t want even the slightest chance of seeing her ever again.”

“Whoa. I get the feeling he’ll burn us to a crisp if we don’t do what he says.”

“It’s gonna leave a bad aftertaste. Oh well, I’ll do it though.”

Even while covered in wounds, Arisu finally reached the exit.

There, she rotated her body.

“…!”

The two Mushitsuki’s mad attacks assaulted Arisu. Ground caved in and the surrounding walls were destroyed.

“Mari—”

Even while covered by a cloud of dust, Arisu stopped in place. The right leg fused with the Morpho butterfly stabbed into the ground, supporting her body.

“Please—”

Even as her mind started growing hazy from the damage, she faced ahead.

“Just for now, give me all of your power—”

Scales gushing out of the spear covered Arisu. She took a step.

Her left leg stepping forward had a silver pattern appearing on it.

—Arisu.

She heard the voice of her dead friend at her ears.

“You don’t need to think about my body, so—”

Another step.

She took another step forward.

Readying her spear, Arisu’s right arm glowed in silver.

Her fully open eyes glared at the enemy ahead.

“Uh—”

The freckled girl and the bespectacled boy changed their expressions. But they were pressured only for a moment, and then repeated their fierce attacks toward Arisu.

Engulfed in scales, Arisu was pushed back by the Mushitsuki’s attacks.

“In order to keep advancing forward—”

Arisu took another step ahead.

Her left arm was encroached by a glowing, silver pattern.

While protecting against the enemy’s attacks with scales, she took another step ahead.

The silver pattern crawled up half of Arisu’s face. A half of her lips distorted in the shape of a smile, moving on their own.

“—Yes, I understand.”

This time she could clearly hear her best friend’s voice. Her throat trembled because none other than herself uttered those words.

One eye glowed in silver, the other eye contained a strong will.

The two eyes looked only at Harukiyo, and Arisu started walking ahead.

“Eh, no freaking way. No way—”

“No way, this girl—”

The two Mushitsuki paled and kept increasing their attacks on Arisu.

However, she repelled these using the scales, getting ahead step by step.

Her walking turned to a canter, then slowly became running. The more she accelerated, the more the silver glow enveloping Arisu strengthened—

“Ran away so far just to get a run-up…?”

Arisu was accelerating in a straight line.

She entirely repelled all the pursuing ribbons.

Every few meters she advanced, the bespectacled boy activated his ability. Shackles came to restraint her four limbs and all sorts of attacks rained down on her.

However, as Arisu gradually increased her glow, she shrugged it all off. The restraints were blown off and scattered.

As she ran surrounded by scales, Arisu herself was transforming into a silver, glowing spear—

“I-I’m sorry, Harukiyo bro!”

The two Mushitsuki acted fast.

They leapt away from the course of Arisu who rushed toward Harukiyo as if possessed.

“This is too much for us to handle.”

“Good luck, Harukiyo.”

Harukiyo did not reproach the two Mushitsuki. He wordlessly detached himself from the pillar and stopped folding his arms.

“Haha, so you can do nothing but brute-force it.”

It certainly was brute-forcing it.

However, this was the only way Arisu could do it right now.

To stand against the devil of flames, she couldn’t spare any time to look to the sides.

“No way you’re thinkin’ I wouldn’t be dodging this, right? I will use everything at my disposal—”

Harukiyo wore a confident smile. But for a split second, his expression froze.

He seemed to have found something behind Arisu’s fierce pursuit. He turned a bold gaze toward someone who wasn’t Arisu.

“I see… so he’s your ‘strength’.”

Returning his gaze to Arisu, Harukiyo wore a delightful sneer. —It was the smile of a devil, one that could burn everything reflected in his eyes.

Arisu’s sight was filled by scorching hellfire.

The fire pillar with Harukiyo in its center created the form of a Great Yama tiger beetle in the air.

“Alright, come at me. —Ichinokuro Arisu.”

Part 3

She seemed to have lost consciousness for a short while.

As Arisu opened her heavy lids, she rounded her body on top of a desolate ground.

“Nngh…”

Even when she tried to move, her body was so frozen she couldn’t even stand up. This was probably a side effect of fusing with the Morpho butterfly. After great pains she looked up and confirmed the situation just using her eyes.

“Came here to pick up a fight? Seeing you all alone, you probably came here in a rush to save her. That means your comrades are heading over here, eh?”

“Your face is too stiff. You’re actually holding back the pain. If you want me to hold back a bit, just ask. Well, I’m not going to hold back either way, though.”

In the center of the now roofless, ruined building, two boys were glaring daggers at each other.

One was Harukiyo. His uniform was in tatters and his left arm was dyed by fresh blood.

The other was a boy clad in pitch-black long coat. His face was hidden by large goggles, but she was used to his voice.

“Ooh, is that Kakkou? He looks real strong.”

“What are we going to do? Should we try to escape?”

Speaking from a distance were the freckled girl and bespectacled boy.

“Come at me. Or are you hesitating whether to protect that woman first? Aren’tcha a nice demon?”

“You too, are you just going to keep groaning? Does it hurt? Trying to hold back the pain of your arm being wounded by that woman?”

Seeing the two creating that explosive atmosphere, Arisu realized.

Daisuke had searched for Arisu and rushed there. —Because he was behind her, Harukiyo had to dodge being targeted by the gun and was directly hit by Arisu’s attack.

“Can you move, Arisu?”

While still locking gazes with Harukiyo, Daisuke called to her.

“It’s a bit… difficult.”

She was unlikely to be able to move. She was assaulted by an extreme fatigue like someone having just finished running a marathon. Detached from the spear, the Morpho butterfly was fluttering carefreely in Arisu’s sight.

“Hah.”

Giving Arisu one bored glance, Harukiyo turned around. He was probably going to leave.

Arisu called to his back.

“Harukiyo… what do you mean that Mari gave up her dream?”

“You ain’t got the right to ask me. Because you’re weaker.”

“—You didn’t even think you’d get injured by me, right?”

Harukiyo’s legs stopped.

“Next time I’ll be stronger. Next time, I won’t settle for just one arm. Wouldn’t it be a waste, taking your eyes off of me?”

“…”

The boy was silent. He only slightly moved his wounded arm.

“I’ll be the one to make a move on you, next time. I will… make you answer everything.”

“I’m a wanted person, you know? Are you telling me to stay here right in front of the SEPB?”

Turning around, Harukiyo narrowed his eyes and looked at Daisuke.

“Stay? What are you even talking about?”

“I have an idea. Come here for a bit. You can stay there, Daisuke. …That’s way too close. What are you thinking, stepping on a girl’s face… it’s fine, come here, put your face close.”

After gesturing to him while still lying on the ground, the puzzled Harukiyo brought his face closer to Arisu. She loosened his tie and tied it around his face.

“It’s hard to fasten this. Got anything I can use?”

“It’s time for the arts and crafts club. I’ve got some tape used for dioramas, can you use that?”

“It’s time for the fashionable gal. We can use this hairpin too. Yup, this sloppy is fine.”

“You sure are natural traitors, you two.”

Daisuke looked at the three them starting to fiddle with Harukiyo’s face after they came closer, puzzled.

“What on earth are you…”

“Oh, how mysterious. I now have no idea who this is. The SEPB will never find out, either.”

Arisu let go of Harukiyo’s face.

The boy’s face was splendidly hidden by the tie and tapes. He resembled a mummy from horror movies.

While massaging his own face, Harukiyo grinned.

“Oh, truly mysterious. This solves the problem.”

“Are you thinking the SEPB is really that stupid…?”

“—And?”

This disguise wasn’t good in the least even as a compliment, but Harukiyo did not seem dissatisfied. The boy crouching next to Arisu emitted even more of a superhuman presence than before. He really transformed into something worthy of being called a devil.

Harukiyo’s arm grabbed Arisu’s collar. As she couldn’t move, he forcibly pulled her up, gazing into her face with crimson burning eyes.

“What do I get from staying in town? Are you gonna become strong overnight and kill me like a cockroach?”

“Kill? Don’t make me laugh.”

Arisu no longer flinched from his pressure.

They conversed within the distance of a meagre few centimeters. Never mind Daisuke who was approaching them, even the two Mushitsuki who fought her couldn’t reach there.

“—Something as easy as that wouldn’t solve anything.”

Arisu accepted the devil flame’s pupils glaring directly at her.

Harukiyo narrowed his eyes, looking pleased.

“Oho. And what is that, exactly?”

“I don’t have to answer. But I’ll soon become stronger than you—and make you listen to me. No matter how much you struggle or run away, I’ll never forgive you.”

“…”

“And as long as I don’t know whether what you told me about Mari is true or not—one day, I’ll definitely check your answers.”

Harukiyo’s head blurred.

Daisuke pushed his gun against the boy’s head.

“Let go, Harukiyo.”

“—Shuddup.”

Harukiyo glared at him with a side glance.

“I’m in the middle of something.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

Perhaps due to him feeling that Harukiyo really was angry, a green checkered beetle landed on Daisuke’s shoulder. Its body transformed and it fused with the boy.

“…Tch.”

Harukiyo grimaced, letting go of Arisu. The two boys glared at each other.

“Wait, Daisuke—”

“Hah, checking my answers. Also, a punishment worse than death. —Not bad at all.”

Harukiyo easily removed his gaze from Kakkou and looked down at Arisu thrown to the ground.

“The deadline’s tight, Ichinokuro Arisu.”

She knew.

Arisu’s body announced that.

Until now, after she fused with the Morpho butterfly she felt temporary pain and fatigue.

However, Arisu’s body now wasn’t assaulted by pain and fatigue—she couldn’t move, as though her body had taken roots. As if she was being hugged by an unseen spirit.

Despite not being a Mushitsuki, she fused with a Mushi.

The cost for this normally impossible action probably really did eat into Arisu’s body. —She already knew that since long ago.

“Haha.”

Looking at Arisu smile silently, Harukiyo smiled happily.

“You’re finally lookin’ serious. So you really can do it.”

She couldn’t go back.

The moment she decided this, she’d already been resolved. She wouldn’t doubt anymore.

She would find Mari’s will—

At first this was her goal.

However, for Arisu as she was right now—it was simply an opportunity.

—I… loathe Mushitsuki.

The moment she heard Ichiku Kimitaka’s words, she found her own kind of answer.

“…”

Arisu reached out both hands wordlessly.

The two boys exchanged glances. They clicked their tongues at the same time and also wore disgusted faced—looking like they really hated this from the bottom of her heart—but both grabbed one hand each.

Daisuke grabbed her left hand.

Harukiyo grabbed her right hand.

The two Mushitsuki helped her get up.

“Still, I’m not excited one bit about being chased from now on. I feel too refreshed without any ulterior motive.”

“How do you think I feel, then, as someone who lives with her?”

While strongly pulling on Arisu’s arms, the complaining boys butted heads.

Notes

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