Mushi Uta:Volume 8th Episode 31

Episode 31. The Prayer of a Shining Dream

Running inside the light, she could see a back.

“Mari!”

Ichinokuro Arisu extended her hand, calling her now dead friend. With her ponytail shaking, she desperately chased after her, but she couldn’t reach Mari’s back.

Scared and saddened to be left behind, Arisu’s eyes became moist.

“Wait, please…!”

Hanashiro Mari stopped in place. Her long hair fluttering, she turned around. —Her face was unchanged from when she’d opened her picture book in her bed, and was very beautiful.

“Mari—”

Seeing her friend stand silently in place, she felt a lump in her throat. She had too many things to ask and didn’t know where to start from.

Did you find the answer?

What sort of answer is it?

Will you stay with me from now on?

Will you watch the continuation of your dream with me?

“—Thanks, Arisu.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

Mari’s smile was bright.

“If you—and all the others—remember me, I’m no longer scared.”

“Eh…?”

“Can I ask you again?”

Looking back at the stunned Arisu, Mari faintly craned her neck.

“’Can I leave my dream to you?’”

The words Mari told her in the sickroom that day.

Thinking back, that was the start of everything.

Of Mari’s life.

Her dream.

Her doubts.

This single question packed all of Mari’s feelings inside it.

At the time Arisu couldn’t answer anything. She couldn’t understand the meaning of Mari’s words.

And—fate was twisted.

Mari was supposed to have passed away from this world, but resided within her Mushi the Morpho butterfly and was inherited by Arisu.

And now she thought.

What if it happened because of that time.

Since Arisu couldn’t answer her question, perhaps everything became twisted like this—

“I…”

And now as well, Arisu couldn’t get an answer.

If she answered, she felt that Mari would be gone.

She wouldn’t be able to meet with her precious friend anymore.

The outrageous loneliness and anxiety sealed Arisu’s mouth.

Mari made a somewhat troubled face.

“You’re—fine already, right Arisu?”

“—Eh?”

Seeing Arisu surprised, Mari giggled and smiled. She remembered her making the same face even during the time Arisu had mumbled that she got a bad result on her test. Whenever something bad happened to Arisu, Mari would let Arisu put her head on her lap while sitting on the bed.

At such times, Mari would say this.

“You’re fine already, Arisu.”

You’re fine.

In a gentle voice.

A little jealous-sounding voice.

Being told that, Arisu thought.

She wanted to do her best for Mari’s sake too—

Since Mari couldn’t move from her bed, Arisu wanted to do what she could for her.

So she felt.

“Mari…?”

Leaving a smile, Mari turned her body. Her hair bouncing, she distanced herself in a light gait.

“Mari! Wait…!”

Being afflicted by helpless anxiety, Arisu chased after Mari. However, unseen walls stood in her way, and she couldn’t approach Mari.

Mari was leaving.

She would be gone from Arisu’s side.

“Don’t go—”

What did her “fine” mean?

How was Arisu supposed to be fine with her precious friend gone—

“Mari…!”

Arisu desperately reached ahead, but Mari ran inside the light.

Her back was growing smaller—

She was wrapped in a blinding light, and vanished.

Part 1

The rain of light streaming in the night sky was the Perseid meteor shower.

Standing in lines on the greatly curved beach were the many Mushitsuki.

Clad in a long coat with his face hidden by large goggles, was the member of the SEPB called a pitch-black demon, Kakkou—Kusuriya Daisuke.

Swallowed by crimson flames, with his bright red hair standing on end, was the flame devil, Harukiyo.

Other than these two Mushitsuki who were named among the strongest there were Kasuou, Yomori Neiko, Kurisaka Ayuyu, Isa Himeko, and—Aki and the dozens of his comrades.

Even among the Mushitsuki in this country, a really powerful group of warriors was gathered here. He could puff his chest and say that. There shouldn’t be an enemy that they can’t beat.

Even so—

“—Hehe.”

Destroying the large door in the night sky, a woman figure floated in air.

With her long hair blown by the wind and her rainbow-colored pupils glittering under her round sunglasses, this beauty looked like some heavenly woman wearing an angel’s raiment. However, her beautiful features wore a sadistic smile as she controlled vile Eyes emitting pale blue heat rays that seemed as though they could tear both heaven and earth asunder. She calmly looked down at the Mushitsuki on the surface.

While wearing a human form, she was inhuman.

One of the Original Three, the Prototype Mushi who could give birth to Mushitsuki—

Oogui moved her bright red lips.

“Yet another rare visitor has arrived… my, this is quite the party.”

“If this is a party, the performance has already ended.”

The swarm of black tardigrades filling the sea surface swelled up, producing the upper half of a person.

SEPB Director, Ichiku Kimitaka, put back his sunglasses that had lenses of different colors and emitted a white breath with a Kuha. His speaking sounded mismatched, as he had a boyish voice yet an adult tone.

“It’s already time to eat the main dish—so let’s call it a night.”

“Oh, are you going to assist me?”

Oogui floating in air and the Undying Mushitsuki floating on the water. —These grotesque monsters’ eyes looked behind the Mushitsuki standing in the surface.

“—”

The two girls holding hands near the breakwater froze.

Saionji Ena and Kujou Takako. They were both Horusu Seijou Academy middle schoolers and Arisu’s classmates. Ena’s dream had invited Oogui there.

Their goal was to protect Ena.

As well as—to defeat Oogui.

Daisuke, Harukiyo and the many Mushitsuki all gathered there for that.

And the one who called them there was none other than—

“Arisu!”

Daisuke shouted.

“You’re Arisu, right! Get a hold of yourself!”

In the gathering point of all the comrades’ gazes, she—Ichinokuro Arisu—kneeled on the sand.

“…”

She widened her eyes, stunned, looking at the collapsed silver spear next to her.

The Mushi left by her friend, the silver Morpho butterfly that transformed into spear—was now a mere shadow of its former self. The tip had been eaten by the tardigrades and lost its brilliance. Even its grip that always seemed so powerful lost its power, so it became a mere inorganic rod.

“Arisu!”

Even Daisuke’s call didn’t enter Arisu’s ears. As she touched the spear with her fingertips, the glow became shards that scattered into thin air, melting.

Arisu grabbed the spear with shaky hands.

Although until now a violent power would try to rob Arisu’s body whenever she touched the spear, it showed no reaction. The broken tip merely scattered the remaining glow.

The Morpho butterfly—was dying.

She knew that well.

“Mari—”

She grimaced and looked back at Daisuke’s face.

The eyes of Daisuke, the other Mushitsuki as well as Oogui and Ichiku Kimitaka all focused on Arisu.

“Mari’s—gone—”

The existence of Hanashiro Mari couldn’t be felt anywhere.

Even though she was always at her side.

She always felt Mari watching over her with the Morpho butterfly nearby.

However, now she—could no longer feel it.

“There’s just no way—”

The comrades on the beach all gasped.

Ichiku Kimitaka loosened his mouth into a smile with a Kuha.

“So even when Hanashiro Mari’s personality vanished, the dregs of her power still remain. —Disgusting Mushi, how much do you want to keep existing in this world?”

“Sunnova—don’t fuck with me.”

The one to mumble in a low voice was Harukiyo. His blazing eyes glared at Arisu.

“Hanashiro Mari found her answer! Out of her own free will and with a smile, she decided to kick the bucket! Then why the fuck are you surprised!”

“No!”

Arisu raised her face and shouted without thinking.

“There’s no way that’s right! Mari would never leave me like that!”

“Arisu… no way, are you—”

Seeing Arisu confused, Daisuke was shocked. He wrung out a hoarse voice.

”Did you actually want… Mari to take over your body?”

Not only the other Mushitsuki became paralyzed at his words.

Arisu herself became speechless. She felt as if something tightened over her heart, not allowing her to breath.

Being told this by Daisuke, she noticed.

She hadn’t clearly wished for it.

However, perhaps Arisu had unconsciously wished for a single answer of Mari’s “answer comparison”.

“After all, if she did that—”

Arisu’s mouth moved on its own. A harsh voice that didn’t sound like her own leaked out.

“From now on… we can’t be together—”

Right.

Arisu wished for it in the bottom of her heart.

—See you tomorrow.

Although she’d promised this, Mari left this world.

However, Mari did not forget her promise with her.

Her best friend—changed into the Morpho butterfly and came back to this world.

Therefore, starting from now, they’d live together.

If Mari replaced Arisu, she thought that the Morpho butterfly’s power would also be perfectly revived. If so, then Daisuke and Harukiyo, with the powerful Mushitsuki called Mari as their ally, could perhaps defeat Oogui.

Saving Ena and beating Oogui—

As well as laughing and living together with Mari. Such a day would come.

A future where everyone was happy.

Even if it was a twisted fate where the dead came back to life.

Even if Arisu’s personality was erased by Mari, and only her body remained in this world.

They would all be there in that future.

Arisu and Arisu’s important friend.

There would not be a painful parting there.

“It was supposed to end without anyone saying goodbye—”

Mari was gone.

Her friend that was supposed to become a Morpho butterfly and come back was nowhere to be found.

The unbearable anxiety and sadness shook her body. She couldn’t accept that unforeseen reality.

She didn’t want that answer.

Where did she go wrong? Perhaps the very act of trying to compare their answers had been mistaken in the first place?

She invited so many Mushitsuki. She was supposed to keep advancing with her.

Even so, why now.

She wouldn’t even mind if she was wrong.

The fate that was supposed to be twisted was trying to return to normalcy at this stage—

“—Kuha.”

Kimitaka’s sneer echoed on the beach wrapped in silence.

“Haahahahahahahahahahaha!”

Roaring laughter that sounded as though it came from the depths of hell ridiculed the Mushitsuki standing on the coast.

“Arisu—”

“Y-you bastard—”

Not only Daisuke and Harukiyo, but even Kasuou and the rest were also speechless.

Those gathered in this place were all Mushitsuki who originally clashed and were nothing but enemies. Seeing the ringleader that invited them being beaten down, everyone all lost their opportunity to move.

“Mari…”

Arisu’s voice calling the spear that lost its power echoed in vain.

“Mari…!”

“It’s too amusing, I can’t stop laughing! This really is how you should look, Ichinokuro girl! Haahahahaha!”

Mari did not answer. Ichiku Kimitaka’s sneer just grew louder.

A wrecked, ruined door appeared on the beach that housed the gathering of Mushitsuki. It slowly opened, revealing a girl sitting in an antique chair.

Harukiyo gritted his teeth.

“The Librarian…!”

“—”

Nihi.

Although the girl wore a smile fitting to be accompanied by her signature creepy laughter, her body tilted forward. She fell from the chair.

In fact—the Librarian didn’t move at all. After saving her allies from the brink of annihilation, fresh blood spread around her.

Seeing the horrible state of the Librarian, Arisu fell straight on her rear. Neiko hurriedly rushed over to her and activated her regeneration ability, but she did not stand up again.

“In this state, if I use Rina-chan’s Mushi I’ll destroy even that delicious dream, right?”

Purple scales blew around Oogui. These gathered and formed into Mushi of all sizes and shapes, filling the night sky. Although they recovered to a certain degree while the Librarian bought them time, Oogui probably saw that Daisuke and the rest were exhausted.

“So it’s time to close the curtain. Before I laugh too much that my jaw hurts.”

Saying this while stroking his wide-open, ripped mouth, Ichiku Kimitaka made countless tardigrades gush out of his body. The large swarm of black Mushi multiplying again and again started pushing toward the beach.

“Arisu!”

Readying his gun again, Daisuke shouted.

Arisu couldn’t stand up.

“You’re pissing me off—”

A pillar of hellfire surged toward the night sky like gushing magma. Controlling his Great Yama tiger beetle made of flames, Harukiyo glared at Arisu with eyes full of murder.

“That what you wanted to show me? This ain’t the time to get disappointed from Hanashiro Mari… this was the number one disappointment of my entire life!”

Ichiku Kimitaka sneered.

“Hmph, didn’t I tell you? All of them are half-baked! Were you really expecting something, you idiot?!”

“I also told you—I hate you to death! Don’t think that if you so brazenly appear before me again, I won’t burn ya to a crisp, you Undying fucker!”

Daisuke faced Oogui floating in the night sky, while Harukiyo faced Ichiku Kimitaka.

While these battles restarted, Arisu—

“…Mari…”

Couldn’t move even a single step.

Part 2

The night sky full of streaming stars was suddenly covered in thick clouds.

No. What looked like clouds were actually swarms of small tardigrades. As Ichiku Kimitaka stood on the very top of this black mountain that filled the sea, more and more tardigrades gushed out into air, trying to cover the entire beach like the arm of a giant.

In the center of the comrades overwhelmed by these numbers, a crimson ball of fire broke through.

“You’re an eyesore!”

Causing sand to dance and the sea to split, the flame-clad Harukiyo pursued Ichiku. The Great Yama tiger beetle raised a loud howl, boiling the black cloud of tardigrades with an invisible heat wave.

Harukiyo’s fist pierced Ichiku’s chest. The impact and explosive wind caused part of the sea surface to explode.

“It really seems like you only come when people are angry, how are you even able to pinpoint these moments! Ya really want me to vent it all on you? Hmm?”

“You’re the unsightly one, Sehateno Harukiyo.”

Ichiku Kimitaka’s body crumbled down. The tardigrades moved to the sea surface, turning to Harukiyo’s back.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave, though? You know how it ends for the people around you when you come—surely you haven’t forgotten. Is this devil from hell pretending to be human and make friends?”

Tardigrades gathered, transforming to Ichiku’s upper torso. Harukiyo grimaced for a moment.

“—I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”

“I’m tired of hearing those words.”

Harukiyo had apparently decided on fighting against Ichiku Kimitaka. Not even looking at Oogui, he kept shooting down the endlessly gushing tardigrades with hellfire. His body perhaps supported by an invisible heat wave, the boy standing above the sea surface had firework-like flames emitted from his feet, boiling the seawater.

“…Mari…”

“—Tch.”

Glancing at the unmoving Arisu, Daisuke turned to look at Ichiku Kimitaka.

“Why’s the Director of the SEPB protecting Oogui! Aren’t the Original Three the SEPB’s enemies?!”

Shouting, he crushed to smithereens the Mushi assaulting him.

Ichiku emitted a Kuha with white breath.

“Don’t misunderstand, Kakkou. It’s not like I’m protecting Oogui.”

Every time Harukiyo howled, he produced a gigantic flame pillar that connected land to sky, and Ichiku ate the flames using an overwhelming quantity of tardigrades. This spectacle went way past a fight between Mushitsuki and into the domain of a natural disaster.

“This world has already accepted the existence of Mushitsuki. Mushitsuki’s existence would become natural, and will not change. If it’s not going to change—isn’t the only thing we can do is to advance?”

“Advance… advance, you say? What are you talking about!”

“Someone like you wouldn’t understand. That’s fine. You just need to keep being a Rank 1 Mushitsuki. However, if you can’t accept a world with Mushitsuki in it—if you uselessly struggle to change this present world, and stand in the way of advancing things—”

Harukiyo’s flaming palm crushed Ichiku’s body straight from above. However, soon the tardigrades welled up in a different location, reforming Ichiku’s body.

“We’ll annihilate each and every one of you as the SEPB’s enemies.”

Ichiku’s form, laughing with his mouth wide open, blurred and vanished to the side.

“…!”

Arisu put her hand on the sand, turning around.

“WOOoooOOooooHHHHH!”

Kasuou’s scream was erased by the sound of impact and a tremor. All the Eyes floating in the night sky all fired their heat rays at once, aiming at Kasuou who was protecting Ena.

These Eyes, made of insectile compound eyes that were connected with red, nerve-like strings and a human eye in their center—emitted from their pupils heat rays that had horrifying power.

“Kuh…! Come down here and fight, you bitch…!”

The pale blue heat ray shot by these several dozen Eyes were shaving the black mist. Even if she tried to counterattack, Kasuou’s attacks couldn’t reach the Eyes in the sky.

“Kasuou!”

The blond girl’s blue eye gazed at Daisuke who suddenly raised his gun.

“Don’t mind those! By the time you defeat one or two nothing’s gonna change! —You too, Nene! Don’t mind me! Save your power for the other small fries!”

“B-but…!”

Being protected by the mist along with Ena and Takako, Yomori Neiko was confused. It was obvious she’d hesitate. Kasuou was putting on airs, but it was obvious she was quickly exhausting herself.

Daisuke grimaced and turned toward the breakwater.

“Don’t come out, Himeko! You go back to Kasuou too!”

With bat wings on her back, Isa Himeko ran on the beach, weaving between enemy attacks. Ignoring Daisuke’s orders, she kept firing her millipedes toward the night sky.

Daisuke clicked his tongue and tried opening his mouth again.

Then, the Perseid meteor shower suddenly split the night sky. The bands of light changed direction and began raining down on the beach.

The roar reverberating on the beach let everyone know that this wasn’t stardust. A carpet bombardment like napalm bombs assaulted the beach, raising explosions.

“…!”

Arisu managed to escape a direct hit only due to pure luck. The aftershock blew her and she rolled on her beach. The ruined silver spear fell at her legs.

“M-my ability…!”

Seeing the rain of explosions assaulting his comrades, Aki gritted his teeth with pain.

Pouring down from the night sky was a swarm of leaf beetles created by Oogui. They possessed explosion abilities and were originally Aki’s Mushi.

“Eek!”

Himeko, who had no defensive abilities, was hurt by the gust of wind created by the explosion. Her small body rolled on the sand like a doll.

“Himeko!”

“—‘Mfiiine!”

Himeko stopped Daisuke from rushing over to her. She slowly raised her body and produced millepedes. —However, fresh blood streamed down her forehead, and her right arm hung limply at her side.

“There’s no one but me! I’ll create a path for you, Kakkou-san!”

“…!”

“So Kakkou-san, all you need is to do it again…!”

“Don’t just stand over there, Kakkou! Get on already—”

Kasuou shouted too. However, looking up the night sky, she wore a harsh expression.

“You need to do it again—”

Himeko and the other Mushitsuki were all the same. They bit their lips and couldn’t continue their words.

“Hehe—”

With the meteor shower at her back, Oogui’s rainbow pupils narrowed.

Harukiyo and Ichiku Kimitaka fought one-against-one, and Kasuou and Aki were engaged in a uniliteral defensive battle. Now that Ayuyu, who had no attack capabilities was stuck standing there and Himeko confused the net of Mushi enclosing them, there was no possibly counterattack other than having Daisuke directly attack Oogui.

However—

All Mushitsuki standing on the beach thought of the same thing.

Do it again, said Kasuou and the rest.

Even if Daisuke’s attack smashed Oogui apart once again—what would happen then?

The tardigrades would simply revive Oogui’s form as if nothing happened—

“Kuh…”

Daisuke didn’t try running toward Oogui because of that. If he went, his comrades would probably create a path. While wringing out their last powers.

However, at the end of that path—there was no hope.

Using the power of Undying, Oogui would revive.

“…!”

A single Mushi attacked Arisu. She hurriedly grabbed the silver spear.

“Why you…!”

She swiped the Morpho butterfly spear at the assaulting Mushi.

“Eh—”

However, the scales spurt from the spear merely engraved some small wounds to the Mushi’s body.

“Arisu!”

Even if Daisuke were to swing his gun, he’d be too late.

“M-Mari—”

Arisu could see neither the pursuing enemy nor the shouting Daisuke. She simply stared at the spear losing its brilliance, unbelieving.

The Mushi bit down the stunned Arisu—or attempted to.

The moment before, an azure explosion swallowed the Mushi.

“—Get a hold of yourself!”

It was Aki. He rushed to the listless Arisu and scolded her.

“You’re the one who called us here! How long do you plan on being like that?!”

She knew that.

Arisu was the one who gathered everyone here. She also knew that everyone’s morale was low because she couldn’t make any move.

But.

Arisu called all of them because none other than Mari was there—

“No… don’t go, Mari—”

Clinging to the Morpho butterfly spear, she felt its warmth vanishing.

“Arisu!”

While beating down the assaulting Mushi, Daisuke turned to Arisu.

“Mari’s—gone.”

“…!”

Arisu’s shoulders twitched.

“’Thank you’. —She said with a smile.”

Mari’s smile.

—Arisu… you’re fine already, right?

She recalled the words of her smiling friend.

You’re fine already, Arisu?

What meaning did that have?

Since Mari was gone, Arisu was obviously not fine.

She wanted to stay with her.

She thought she’d stay with her forever.

As long as Mari was there, she had the feeling she could do anything.

Even so—

“No—there’s no way Mari’s gone…”

With eyes full of tears, Arisu looked back at Daisuke.

“I mean, I haven’t even said goodbye yet… and she told me we’ll see each other tomorrow… so Mari will definitely…”

Even when Mari passed away from an illness it was sudden. She felt the same way she did when she came to the sickroom for her usual visit, only to find Mari’s parents silently waiting there.

The feeling that her head blanked out.

After that, an indescribable anxiety welled up.

It was supposedly sealed deep within her heart after that time—

Arisu recalled that.

“Mari will definitely come back—”

The fear that her friend, naturally at her side, would be gone.

Since she recalled it, Arisu couldn’t move even a single step.

Just like she stood in the sickroom at the time—

“N-no way, you—”

Daisuke was paralyzed.

“Always—thought that?”

See you tomorrow.

The two made this promise.

Mari—protected that promise.

“You thought this all along since Mari’s death…?”

When she’d just met Daisuke, she told him that she had no basis to be convinced about the Morpho butterfly being her friend’s dream entrusted to her.

“Isn’t it obvious? After all—”

She didn’t need any basis.

Arisu knew it.

She could clearly feel Mari at her side.

Right, just like Arisu wished for—

”Ever since I and Mari met, we haven’t parted even once…”

Seeing Arisu wear a weak smile, Daisuke’s expression hardened. He became speechless and stood in place.

“She was always at my side. So—she’d never just vanish without saying anything.”

This girl was the first one she could feel proud at saying she was her friend.

—Hello!

—Sorry. I don’t know my classmates’ names and faces…

Her precious friend.

Therefore, when Mari left this world due to her illness, this was the first “parting” for Arisu.

No—it wasn’t a parting.

Since Mari was the host of a Morpho butterfly, she came back. She simply made Arisu a little bit lonely.

“Mari… would come back again…”

Right.

Arisu had actually never parted from someone important to her before—

Daisuke held his head and groaned in a shaky voice.

“H-have I—always had this outrageous misunderstanding…?”

Since he was always rational, why was he so shaken by this—Arisu couldn’t understand.

“No, it’s not just me…! All of the people involved with the Morpho butterfly were mistaken right from the very beginning…! We thought that the origin of everything was Hanashiro Mari—kuh!”

The stunned Daisuke was attacked by a large swarm of Mushi. Even the famed Kakkou found it difficult to protect himself against this overwhelming difference in numbers.

Kasuou and Himeko, Ayuyu and Neiko, Aki and his many comrades all approached their limits. Even Harukiyo was having a tough fight against the tardigrades that wouldn’t run out no matter how much he burned them.

Arisu’s eyes caught the Librarian that remained collapsed and unmoving on the sand.

At this rate everyone, just like her—

It would advance toward the path of parting Arisu was the most afraid of—

“Let’s—”

Words came out unconsciously.

“Let’s run away—”

Arisu spoke toward her comrades engaged in this mortal combat.

She couldn’t think of any other word.

She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt anymore.

She couldn’t bear losing the people important to her—

“Let’s run away! Right now, run away!”

She shouted desperately.

“Let’s stop fighting…! It’s time to run away, quickly…!”

“Oh, you finally gave up.”

Oogui floating in the night sky raised up her red lips in smile.

“—Looks like it’s only you, though.”

“…!”

Arisu widened her eyes. She looked around the beach.

None of her comrades seemed about to stop fighting. Although hurt and about to collapse, they gritted their teeth and faced the enemy ahead.

“W-what’s wrong, you guys! We’ve got to escape…!”

Were they so absorbed in the fight they hadn’t noticed?

Did they not hear her due to the sounds of the battle?

Although these comrades supposedly gathered her after being invited by her, they wouldn’t lend her their ears now, for some reason.

“—Arisu. Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

Daisuke’s low voice gripped Arisu’s heart. As he beat the assaulting Mushi with power and crushed them, the boy didn’t even turn to look at her.

“Are you going to abandon Ena?”

Saionji Ena who was being protected by Kasuou started and looked at Daisuke.

Arisu gulped.

“T-there’s no way! We’ll take Ena as well and run—”

“That would be a problem for me.”

With a jesting tone, Oogui put her index finger on her chin, craning her neck.

“You must leave that girl to me… alright?”

“…!”

“We’re neither comrades nor anything. Even if you called us here, normally we’d fight the first thing after seeing each other. However—”

Daisuke glanced at Arisu and spoke.

“We’re all Mushitsuki.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“We became Mushitsuki and keep living as Mushitsuki, and one day—we might die as Mushitsuki. In that alone, we’re all the same.”

The form of the comrades who struggled to death was burned into Arisu’s eyes. None of those who stood against this despairing challenge lost their fighting spirits.

“Did you really think people like us would stay silent, seeing a Mushitsuki being created right before our eyes?”

“…!”

Grasping the spear that was losing its shine, Arisu raised a groan.

Right.

Arisu had called those Mushitsuki.

These people, each and every one of them embracing a single dream and suffering, hurting and fighting for it, were all called here by Arisu.

“Ha! You’ve misjudged them, Ichinokuro Arisu!”

Ichiku Kimitaka opened his mouth even wider, sneering.

“That’s what Mushitsuki are! They’re nothing more than an animal fantasizing about an unfulfillable dream and then head for ruin! A stupid being that only knows of self-destruction! Since such creatures became natural in this world, I can do nothing but laugh! We can only keep moving forward!”

“Shut the fuck up, you shitty brat!”

Harukiyo’s hand burning bright smashed Ichiku’s face. Harukiyo grasped the black ashes, but Ichiku regenerated behind him, still laughing derisively.

“You too, bitch!”

The flame devil turned to Arisu.

“I really was fuckin’ naïve, to find this good dream and go along with your bullshit! Don’t put a damper on things at this stage!”

“A good—dream?”

“Yeah.”

The one who answered was Aki.

“If we beat Oogui—if we can beat the Original Three, then tomorrow… it might become a world without any new Mushitsuki born.”

While protecting Arisu from the assaulting enemies, the boy smiled. His comrades were wounded and he kept challenging an unbeatable fight—but he wore a carefree smile.

“A truly dreamlike world.”

Arisu lost all words.

—I already told you, right? Even if it’s impossible for you alone, then if we get all Mushitsuki.

Daisuke.

Rina.

Harukiyo.

And—Mari.

Back when all powerful Mushitsuki gathered, Arisu said this.

At the time she fully believed in it.

That together they could do anything—

“The one who showed me this dream is you, you know?”

At Aki’s words, Arisu’s strength left her knees.

She exhausted, kneeling on the sand, glaring at the sight unfolding in front of her eyes.

“WO—OOOhhhh! I toldja to leave me, Nene!”

“But at this rate…!”

“T-there’re too many enemieees!”

“I-I can’t hold any longer, Kakkun…!”

“Kororo! Retreat to Kasuou! —Kuh!”

Arisu unconsciously reached out with her hand.

“Ah… ahhh…”

Toward those Mushitsuki who never retreated even while becoming bloody.

She couldn’t stop them anymore.

None other than Arisu herself caused this.

“So…”

She had to admit it.

Beating Oogui was impossible in the first place.

Daisuke had warned her, and her insistence on this was stupid.

Thinking that if Mari was there along with many other people they could win was an outrageous mistake.

“I’m sorry—”

There was nothing to be done anymore.

Arisu’s vision distorted with tears.

She could see—no hope in their fight.

“It’s my fault—”

It was all Arisu’s fault.

They were supposed to keep living, yet because of her that future was being closed up—

“I was wrong—thinking that we’d be able to win—”

“You’re not wrong!”

The voice echoing in the battlefield made Arisu gasp.

The one to shout this was Daisuke.

Although he was supposed to be against Arisu’s plan of the decisive fight against Oogui from the very beginning, he strained his voice.

“What you were trying to do wasn’t mistaken! The one mistaken—was me.”

“Dai…suke…?”

While beating away Mushi one after another—groaning from his wounds and fatigue, Daisuke gritted his teeth.

“Us Mushitsuki kept fighting among ourselves, mistaking our opponents…! We thought that we’re going to end up killed by Mushi anyway—so we gave up on winning against them… as well as the Original Three!”

“The one who said we came here to win was you!”

Kasuou shouted. Her pretty face twisted, she used her full powers in desperate defense of Ena and Takako.

“You say that’s your fault? Don’t fuck with me! Think someone’s here stupid enough to let you lead them by the nose? The thing you were trying to do—all of us Mushitsuki actually wanna do it!”

Arisu became speechless.

“We were scared and couldn’t say it… we thought it was impossible…! But actually—”

Yomori Neiko also shouted. Normally she only spoke in a low voice, but, as if unleashing what she holding back, she now shouted at the top of her voice.

“We wanted to change this world with Mushi! It’s weird for us to get killed by Mushi just because we have dreams…!”

“Arisu-san’s not mistakeeen!”

“*Grin*. If you think you were mistaken, I really should have not accepted your invitation, hated rival of mine.”

“If there’s any mistake at all—”

Himeko, Ayuyu and Harukiyo all turned to Arisu and spoke.

“It’s just you right now. —If you don’t wanna fight, ya can be a cheerleader or something. Now that’s proper!”

Arisu bit her lips and grasped the spear that almost lost all of its light.

“I…! Understand that even if you don’t…!”

Her throat felt clogged and she couldn’t form words properly.

She didn’t have to be told this.

In such a helpless situation, they told Arisu she wasn’t mistaken.

She’d obviously want to cheer on these wonderful people.

“But—”

Actually, she wanted to shout at the top of her voice.

Even if her throat ripped.

She wanted to shout more loudly than anyone, and yet—

“Winning here is… I…”

It was too pathetic, how she was unable to fight.

The enemy they were facing was much too strong.

It was painful to see them unable to do anything and about to collapse.

She felt that it was too convenient for her to wish for this now, and she couldn’t let out a loud voice—

“…I…”

Someone’s hand touched Arisu’s shoulder as she drooped her head.

“Kakkou!”

It was Aki. While supporting Arisu who was liable to collapse at any moment, he called out toward his comrades in arms who was busy exterminating Oogui’s Mushi.

“If you hit Oogui one more time—can you beat her?”

Arisu raised her face.

“I can only try.”

Daisuke said clearly. His face glancing at her was caked in red blood.

“—Other than that, there’s no other way for us to survive.”

“Yeah, right… if you say it, it’s for sure. Your judgment always saved us at crucial times. Since long ago.”

Seeing Aki wear a nostalgic smile unbefitting the occasion, Arisu raised a brow.

“Aki…?”

“B-but, there are too many enemies for Kakkou-san to get closer to Oogui…!”

Himeko, also fighting in the frontlines with Daisuke, groaned while only just barely avoiding the enemies’ attacks.

“Yeah, so that means I simply have to lessen the enemy numbers, right? As long as there’s even one less.”

“…Eh?”

“Don’t be so surprised. —I did think about what to do if Rina was here.”

Aki’s expression was bright. Although he was shedding blood there wasn’t even a shred of suffering on him, and he even looked somewhat happy.

A very bad feeling came to Arisu’s chest.

“If we’re talking about mistakes… I made one, too. I forgot about fighting Mushi and only thought about how to survive. —I wanted to tell it to Rina too. Rather than fighting between Mushitsuki, it’s better for all of us to hold hands like this… that’s how you can see the future. —Right, you guys?”

At Aki’s voice, the comrades that accompanied him all turned. They all nodded, seemingly resolved.

“I did intend to bring the strong Mushitsuki among our comrades. The fact they’re still alive is proof. —I never thought the enemy would have the same exact ability.”

The boy’s words were right. Even while fighting Oogui, most of his comrades remained. It was obvious they were all used to fighting.

Thinking about it—Arisu recalled.

The leaf beetle user that was at Aki’s side not being there, was probably because she wasn’t specialized in fighting. She probably stayed with Rina, along with the other comrades that weren’t combat-oriented.

Before she could ask the meaning of Aki’s words, an explosion happened right next to Arisu.

One of the many azure leaf beetles exploded.

However, that wasn’t the fake Mushi created by Oogui—

“Aki…?”

Seeing all them exchange glances that had not a shred of doubt in it, the one to twitch wasn’t just Arisu.

“You—no way—”

Daisuke froze.

“We came here to win. That alone—wasn’t a mistake.”

Looking at Arisu, Aki smiled.

All his other comrades also looked at her.

“S-stop—”

Realizing what he was trying to do, Arisu weakly shook her head to the side.

And then it started.

Part 3

What was happening—

She rejected her feelings of understanding.

Her head blanked out and she stared wordlessly at the scene ahead of her.

“WOOOOooooHHHHHH!!”

Aki howled. He controlled one leaf beetle after another and blew up Mushi.

These weren’t the fake Mushi created by Oogui.

“S—stop—”

The voice leaking from her throat were so hoarse it didn’t sound like her.

“—OOOoooHHH!”

Every time an explosion echoed, one person standing on the sand fell down, and then another.

They all lost their strength and stopped moving. The life was gone from their eyes and they looked at Arisu emotionlessly.

As if they fell into hell.

A fear like the sense of falling caused Arisu’s legs to paralyze.

“S-stop this—”

“OOOH!”

The Mushi that Aki’s azure leaf beetle blew up again and again.

These were—his comrades’ Mushi.

He was blowing with his own hands the comrades that he himself had brought there.

They made no attempt to dodge Aki’s attack. Some of them looked at Daisuke, some as Kasuou and the rest, and some at Kasuou. All of them stood upright as they received the baptism of the azure leaf beetle.

An explosion and then a person collapsing.

At the same time one of the Minion Type Mushi melted into thin air.

When that happened, the same Mushi that Oogui produced also vanished.

This bizarre scene—

Arisu, Daisuke and the remaining Mushitsuki all watched it in complete astonishment.

As if these people left something to them.

As if these people yielded themselves to their important feelings.

Arisu could do nothing but stare at how their pupils lost all light.

“—Kuha.”

Ironically, the first to grasp this situation was their enemy.

“Haahahahahahahahahahaha!”

The Undying Mushitsuki, Ichiku Kimitaka, spread his mouth wide, laughing loudly.

“You’re trying to kill some of Oogui’s power by suicide? So shallow—and ridiculous! You are fools beyond salvation! Haahahahahaha!”

A devilish resounding laughter.

The comrade Mushitsuki falling one after another.

As if to exemplify the scene that Arisu had feared the most—

“—Akiii!”

Aki stood there, completely unable to accept the reality in front of her. This shout made her shoulders twitch.

“Stop iiit! Do you really think we’ll be happy if you do that?!”

Daisuke lost control of himself and shouted. He tried to violently grab the people around, but as an explosion resounded, they lost their powers. Losing their Mushi, they lost both emotions and memories to become Fallen and looked at him with dark eyes. Daisuke raised a wordless scream.

“What the heck’s that…?”

Even Harukiyo on the surface of the ocean forgot about Ichiku’s existence and turned to the beach with a tense face.

“Are you kidding me…! What the fuck are you doing on your own! Why did you give up! Saying ‘alright, see ya’ and leaving everything to the survivors, are you fucking looking down on us?! I can’t understand why you’d kill you own Mushi, you pieces of shiiit!”

It was natural to not understand. As Harukiyo always fought for his own sake and declared that he celebrated his life for his own sake, there was no doubt that the term of self-destruction never even rose to a corner of his mind. This caused the flame devil to be shaken like never before.

Although both Daisuke and Harukiyo tried to put a stop to it, the explosions kept going without ceasing.

Living corpses piled up on the beach one after another.

Even Kasuou who was supposed to be completely emaciated twisted her face in anger.

“Hey, you think this is some sort of pity, letting us live like this?!”

Even the wounded Himeko screamed with tears in her eyes.

“This… this is no fiiiiight!”

“*annoyed*… *annoyed**annoyed*…”

Ayuyu bit her nails, glaring at the sight in front of her.

“Wait…! Wait, all of you…!”

Neiko, heedless of whatever little energy she had, began singing loudly. However, she couldn’t save even a single person turned into Fallen by these attacks.

“Haahahahahahaha!”

“If you decide to do that, then escape! I can beat Oogui even without you doing this…! Stop this right now!”

“Fucking hell! So it turns out like that in the end! Why do I hafta see only things like that?! Why does nobody other than me ever tried to keep living?!”

Ichiku Kimitaka’s laughter and Daisuke’s, Harukiyo’s and the others’ shouts all overlapped.

However, it kept going.

One after another, the comrades collapsed—and stopped moving.

“S-stop…”

Seeing that, Oogui did nothing but look down and sneer.

“STOP IT!”

Arisu couldn’t help but shout as well.

He probably made another one of his azure leaf beetles self-destruct with one of his comrades. She clung to him as he rapidly weakened and became paler.

“Please, stop this! This… this is too much…”

Arisu hadn’t called them over there to do this.

This was no longer win or loss.

Even if they were to win this battle, if these guys weren’t there—it wasn’t the future Arisu wished for.

“Rina really… wanted to come here.”

While his body was being shaken by Arisu, Aki smiled listlessly. The boy’s hand grabbed an azure leaf beetle.

“’That girl says some outrageous and unimaginable things—but if we can make them come true, everyone will definitely be happy’. —She said this and smiled.”

Arisu came back to herself with a start.

Already, other than Aki himself, all of his comrades were collapsed on the beach.

The azure leaf beetle he was grasping was the final one.

“—“

Arisu turned back to the boy and shook her head.

She couldn’t think of any words to say to this boy that was on the verge of exhausting his powers. She wasn’t even sure if he could see her or not.

“Everyone’s thinking about the same things. After all, all of us—are the same, we are Mushitsuki.”

They were all Mushitsuki.

While the boy used the same words as Rina, in his hand—

“You’ve united all of us. —Thank you.”

The last azure leaf beetle exploded.

Arisu…

Was supposed to shout with her mouth open.

However, no voice came out and she just looked up.

“—”

The boy was stuck to the spot, unmoving, his pupils dark.

Although she could hear a pulse, she felt no warmth.

Although they were supposed to conversing just moments ago, Arisu felt nothing in those pupils.

Arisu buried her face in the chest of the Fallen Aki and sobbed.

Silence befell the beach.

Oogui was in the night sky, the meteor shower at her back.

On the ocean, Harukiyo and Ichiku Kimitaka wore opposite expression.

On the ground—the cluster of Fallens that looked like corpses.

On this beach, where not a single person moved, Arisu pressed her head against the chest of the boy who’d never smile again and leaked sobs.

She loved Mushitsuki—

Arisu once said this.

They told Arisu that she wasn’t mistaken.

She was very happy.

Because she was so unbearably happy—she didn’t want it to turn out like this.

Right now, Arisu couldn’t think of even a single way to save them.

“…ri…”

Arisu, who was overwhelmed by Ichiku Kimitaka’s laughter and felt powerless—

“…Hey, Mari…”

Could only cling to her late friend even in a situation like this.

“…What are… Mushitsuki…?”

The doubt she had at the very beginning.

A doubt she’d embraced this whole time.

This unanswerable question spilled vainly out of Arisu’s mouth.

“…Tell me… hey, Mari…”

The puzzled Arisu could no nothing but repeat that same question to everyone—

Everything she’d done this far.

All paths she’d taken so far.

These were all useless, as if she just came back to square one.

“—WAAAaaaAAAaaah!”

A high-pitched howl echoed throughout the beach.

It was Himeko. A green shadow surged from her body as the girl screamed toward the sky full of streaming stars.

“Fight! Fight, fight, fight, fight…!”

Subduing her fury, Himeko shouted as if talking to herself. Her eyes sparkled with fighting will, and she shot more and more millipedes toward Oogui floating in the night sky.

Daisuke readied himself. He took the posture to be able to jump onto a flying Mushi at any moment.

“Harukiyo!”

“I hate this… I hate this, but I can’t be picky here! If there’s no other way I’ll join hands even with you, Kakkou!”

Harukiyo changed the direction of his body and turned from Ichiku to Oogui.

In order to hit Oogui directly, there was no choice but to lessen the number of enemies.

They could only bet on the small chance Aki gave to them—

Everyone on the surface understood that.

However, Ichiku Kimitaka stood in his way.

“Weren’t you going to kill me, Sehateno Harukiyo!”

“Ayuyu!”

Daisuke shouted. He bit his lips and went silent for a second—then spoke in a low voice.

“—I’m counting on you.”

“*grin*. I’m happy for you to count on me, Kakkun.”

The sea surface exploded and a large water pillar rose. It fully enveloped Ichiku who was trying to attack Harukiyo’s back.

“Kuha, what a boring attack. —Nngh!”

Ichiku Kimitaka changed his expression.

All waves vanished from the ocean surface. It was way too calm to be even called a lull in the sea. The water surface was just like a mirror.

Ayuyu wore a twisted smile.

“*grin*. I never thought that the SEPB director would be a Mushitsuki. —You certainly possess some very important memories, right? Let me see those.”

The sea surface rippled and echoed noisily around the area.

And—

“Is this world about to become one that has Mushitsuki in it—”

Ichiku Kimitaka’s form was reflected on the ocean surface that became a giant screen.

However, it wasn’t the same suit-wearing form, and he wore no sunglasses either. Even if his appearance was unchanged from how it was now, he kneeled with a face full of despair.

“Will another useless Undying person like me will be born again—”

Ayuyu’s ability—was past viewing, the ability to dig out the memories engraved into a Mushi.

“Kororo, you bitch!!!”

Ichiku Kimitaka now wore an expression of pure anger. Perhaps really not wanting it to be seen, he let the tardigrades swarm eat the water pillar with intensity.

“Then I… we will—” the vision continued.

“Arisu!”

Daisuke turned to her.

“You need to run away!”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“Hanashiro Mari’s no longer binding you. So you—don’t need to keep holding onto her, either.”

Arisu?

Was holding onto Mari?

She couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Despite this—Daisuke’s words pierced her like a scorching sword.

“You’re already fine, right?”

For just a moment, the boy who was supposed to be by her side—

Wore a kind smile.

—You’re already fine, right Arisu?

Mari’s smile overlapped with Daisuke’s.

“…Ah…?”

Arisu mumbled a voice.

Mari’s and Daisuke’s smile—their two voices brought out a memory sleeping deep within Arisu.

“WOOoooOOooh!”

Kasuou wrung out her last powers and expanded her mist protecting Ena, Takako and Neiko. Although her mist defenses were just about erased by the Eyes’ heat rays, it retrieved its thickness using support from Neiko’s singing voice.

Above the enduring Kasuou, the numbers of Eyes lessened.

“Oh my… have you gone to sleep again? This child sure likes to nap.”

Seeing the vanishing eyes, Oogui leaked a giggling sneer.

“Ya! Ya! YAAaah!”

Even while spreading bloody spittle, Himeko kept launching intangible millipedes. —Since Aki took out his powerful allies, the number of fake Mushi created by Oogui also lessened.

However—

“—Ugh.”

A single Mushi of the rampaging, cannibalizing enemies managed to slip through the millepede attack. Unable to dodge the giant Mushi, Himeko was directly bit by its sharp teeth from the side.

“UH—AAAaaah! Kakkou-saaan!”

Although her SEPB coat was very resistant, it wasn’t able to fully defend against the Mushi’s biting power. The girl that became the fangs’ fresh prey vomited fresh blood.

Daisuke leapt. Jumping between all the Mushi that lost control due to Himeko’s ability, he rushed toward Oogui.

There were no longer any Mushi to stand in his way.

“This is useless…!”

Ichiku, who had yielded himself to anger and sneered, let his tardigrades eat the sea that became a large screen. The footage showing Ichiku Kimitaka’s past was almost literally worm-eaten.

“Ugh…! UuuUuuh…!”

Ayuyu was rapidly paling.

Undying and Mushi-eating—

Those were probably Ichiku’s abilities. The tardigrades were eating Ayuyu’s Mushi itself.

Everyone bet on the last ray of hope, using the remainder of their powers.

Everyone shouted, everyone fought in this situation, and Arisu—

“Ah… aaah—”

She remembered.

She noticed.

Widening her eyes, she covered her face with her hands.

“Aah…!”

Seeing the state of her fighting comrades covered in blood deteriorating rapidly, she received a flashback of the past.

In the usual sickroom, she saw Mari who’d never smile again and stood shocked.

That time, hadn’t Arisu thought the same as she did now?

She didn’t want to say goodbye—

This sad parting couldn’t be reality.

Wasn’t she just seeing a nightmare?

She couldn’t accept this unavoidable destiny in front of her eyes.

—See you tomorrow.

No such destiny could exist. Mari doubtlessly kept her promise and would come back tomorrow.

Hadn’t she thought this?

“…I-it’s… me…?”

And fate was twisted.

It was true that Mari tried to keep the promise. As well as the fact that she couldn’t give up on her dream to keep living.

However, it wasn’t Mari.

Arisu wished for it as well.

“I… I did it…!”

A tomorrow where the two of them would be alive.

That pair’s wish—

Was connected.

“I was the one…! Who dragged Mari back…?”

Another person’s Mushi used Arisu as its host.

This situation couldn’t possibly happen and it toyed with everyone.

They thought that the cause of everyone was just the lone girl called Hanashiro Mari. Even Arisu thought so, and looked for the vestiges of Mari’s dream for a long time.

But she was wrong.

What connected the Morpho butterfly to this world wasn’t Mari’s one-sided wish.

Hanashiro Mari and Ichinokuro Arisu.

Wishing to live, Mari reached out to this world—

And Arisu grabbed her hand.

Unable to accept the first bitter “parting” since she was born, Arisu, who felt lonely and anxious, grabbed Mari’s hand—and pulled her back.

“I made Mari…!”

And destiny was twisted.

The pair’s wish that shouldn’t exist of not giving up on a lost time connected to a Mushi that shouldn’t exist to this world.

While being a Mushi, the Morpho butterfly also possessed the possibility of erasing the being called Mushi.

It was natural for Arisu to inherit it from Mari.

After all, the Morpho butterfly that was there was the Mushi born from Mari’s wish, as well as the Mushi brought back to this world by Arisu’s wish.

The Morpho butterfly was two in one.

The defect in the world created by wishing to overturn fate, brought back even the host that was supposedly gone once.

The bug in the system created this way still continued—

“I’m sorry…! Mari…!”

Tears gushed out of Arisu’s eyes. The deadly fight she could see from the gaps in her fingers covering her face was distorted.

It wasn’t that Arisu got involved in it.

Coming back to reality, unable to remember her dream and crying, was Mari.

Arisu also had responsibility in making her friend shed so many tears.

“I’m sorry—”

She looked down at the silver lance at her feet.

The glow—

Was already fully gone from it.

“—Thank you.”

As Arisu reached out with great loneliness, Mari’s fingers intertwined with hers.

Giving her a “tomorrow” where they both lived.

Mari kept her promise.

Arisu got just a little bit of time to get stronger.

“Thank you… Mari…”

Arisu also didn’t get an answer.

Ever since that time Mari died from an illness.

Arisu couldn’t take even a single step forward since she was scared of parting, but Mari gave her the chance to move ahead.

And now—

Mari got out her answer.

Snap—the spear losing its luster made this small sound.

“WOOooOOooOOOH!”

“ORAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Daisuke and Harukiyo howled at the same time.

The gun with its overwhelming destructive power crushed Oogui’s body to smithereens.

Furthermore, the giant Great Yama tiger beetle floating down from the night sky burned down these fragments.

This incredible impact made the ground shake. This tremor shook the entirety of the coast, and the ocean surface behind Oogui instantly boiled. Seawater began to drain down into seemingly bottomless caves gouged inside the water, creating a giant waterfall.

A full-powered attack by the two Rank 1 Mushitsuki.

There was no doubt that an attack stronger than that was impossible for any other Mushitsuki in this world—

“—”

Arisu raised her tear-stained face. She slowly lowered her hands covering her face.

Like a receding wave.

The purple Mushi produced by Oogui vanished one after another—

Along with a roar, the boiling sea surface was being filled with new seawater, making the cavity vanish.

“—”

They bet on a single hope.

Paying for this with many victims, they reached out to the future.

And what waited them at the end—

“—Kuha.”

Was the dark spot of despair.

Rising in the sky that had streaming stars in it was a lone Mushi.

Shaped like a tardigrade, it multiplied explosively. It quickly restored the shape of a human.

“Haahahahahaha!”

Blessed by Ichiku Kimitaka’s laughter, the tardigrades created the nude body of a woman, and along with a purple glow it wore a long coat. Above lips twisted in the shape of a crescent moon were produced round sunglasses.

Psssh, the sound of water bursting echoed.

The stumbling Isa Himeko near the breakwater had her body tilt. Her entire body dyed in blood, the girl tottered a step ahead—and fell.

There was the sound of stepping on sand.

Kurisaka Ayuyu lost her strength and kneeled on the beach. The girl whose Mushi was eaten by Ichiku Kimitaka’s Mushi—lost the shine of life in her eyes.

A groan echoed.

As Kasuou brought out all of her remaining strength she was now on all fours. Neiko who’d supported her was the same. Wringing out hoarse breaths, they both collapsed painfully.

Standing on their own legs were only three people.

Daisuke and Harukiyo who stood in shallow water.

As well as Ichinokuro Arisu.

Looking down these last three survivors—

“—Ehehe.”

An inhuman form that looked like it came from hell narrowed her rainbow eyes and sneered.

“Haahahahaha!”

The coast was filled with the madman-like continuous laughter of Ichiku Kimitaka.

Snap.

Arisu heard this small sound from the spear rolling at her feet.

Part 4

The Mushitsuki all lying in heaps.

Aki and his comrades killed their own Mushi, leaving their hopes for the ones remaining.

The Librarian, Himeko, and Ayuyu all fought desperately to grasp the string of a counterattack, and collapsed one after another.

The two great rivals, Daisuke and Harukiyo as well—expended their powers.

“Harukiyo… Take Arisu and the others and run off… I’ll buy time—”

Daisuke who was shedding blood from his forehead couldn’t even hold his gun.

“Haha… I’ll pass, it’s finally what I like—isn’t this the worst stage possible now? You’re the unneeded one here… grab the woman and scram…”

On the other hand, the hellfire surrounding Harukiyo’s body became no more than sparks and was burning down.

Complete annihilation—

The Mushitsuki gathered there for the future without any Mushi all yielded to the source of the disaster called Oogui.

“Ah…”

Arisu wailed.

The scene in front of her eyes was nothing but a nightmare.

The people important to her were having their futures closed—

“Nice face, Ichinokuro Arisu.”

Ichiku Kimitaka leered at Arisu with a mouth wide open.

“Drown in your despair—die.”

Die.

Everyone was going to die there.

Endless tears streamed down Arisu’s black eyes.

“Kuh…! Arisu—”

“You fucker… don’t ignore us…”

The two boys grew lively.

However—

The incoming attack by Oogui did not come, however long they waited.

Ichiku Kimitaka erased his smile. Grimacing, he looked up at Oogui floating in the night sky.

“Oogui? You bitch, what are you—”

Daisuke and Harukiyo also gazed overhead, looking surprised.

Oogui was unmoving, a bewitching smile on her face.

“—Arisu-chan?”

She opened her lips drawn with a bright red lipstick.

“There is a delicious smell coming from you, you know?”

“…!”

The men at the sea all changed expressions.

Arisu stood there shocked, just keeping on shedding tears.

“Daisuke…”

She looked at the boys looking at her.

“Harukiyo…”

Were they going to die there, too?

Because they were Mushitsuki?

Just like Mari—

Just like those collapsed on the beach—

Arisu would lose them.

“You can’t, Arisu! Don’t think of anything!”

“Fuck…! This is way beyond being the worst!”

“Oogui, you bitch…! Have you aimed for this from the very beginning and gone easy on—”

While all of them spoke together, Oogui looked down at them with a bewitching sneer.

Daisuke told her not to think of anything.

But seeing this horrible situation, how could she not think anything?

Ichiku told her to despair.

This was the opposite.

Seeing her dreaming friends lying down, she’d never be able to feel despair. She’d never be able to give up.

“Arisu-chan.”

Oogui whispered softly.

“—”

While shedding tears, Arisu thought.

All Arisu did was dream of a future where she lived with those important to her.

What were Mushitsuki—

She didn’t know the answer. She’d probably never find it.

However, there was something she knew for sure.

Right now, the people that Arisu was looking at—were Mushitsuki.

As she saw them fighting, getting hurt and collapsing all for the sake of their dream, she thought of a single wish.

“Will you tell me your dream?”

Oogui asked her.

“I—”

Arisu’s mouth moved on its own.

She couldn’t help but wish for it.

She couldn’t help but speak the small wish engraved into her heart.

“Don’t answer her, Arisu!”

“I won’t accept this, Arisu!”

While smiling at the boys yelling at her, Arisu—

“I want to save Mushitsuki.”

Clearly voiced her dream.

Part 5

—My dream, can I entrust it to you?

That day, on top of the sickroom bed, Mari asked this.

Arisu, without understanding the meaning of those words, couldn’t nod.

Months passed—

Mari asked that same question to Arisu again.

—Can I ask this again?

Mari became the Morpho butterfly and returned to Arisu.

One miracle was being able to erase the being called Mushi while being a Mushi, while the second miracle pulled her back into this world, reviving her.

However, Mari was gone.

The moment this important friend of hers vanished, she asked Arisu again.

—“My dream, can I entrust it to you?”

Arisu’s friend who asked her this, filled with all emotions.

The normal girl who wished to live.

The Mushitsuki girl who embraced a single dream and left.

Arisu—would never forget any of them.

Arisu spoke clearly.

“I want to save Mushitsuki.”

Oogui widened her rainbow eyes in exhilaration, rapidly falling down to the beach.

“What a nice dream—”

Daisuke grimaced and shouted.

“Arisu!”

Snap, there was a hard sound at her feet.

“—It’s fine.”

As Arisu smiled at Daisuke, she was surrounded by light.

“…!”

Oogui’s movements stopped midair. Her expression had the color of confusion for the first time.

“I’m already fine.”

The light enveloping Arisu was of a color familiar to everyone on the coast.

A blinding, silver light.

A warm, silver glow that rustled in the wind along with small particles.

“I’m sad at having said goodbye to Mari… but I’ll never forget her.”

She didn’t need words of farewell.

It wasn’t like before, where she couldn’t accept that parting.

Now, for the first time—she was able to part with Mari.

“I won’t forget.”

Her precious friend called Hanashiro Mari.

This girl who fought with her illness, lived for her small dream, and—after her death, came back because she worried for Arisu. She’d never forget this kind girl.

“Thank you…”

Mari had saved Arisu just as she was about to vanish into loneliness.

Daisuke and the other people she’d met all strengthened her.

“Because I wasn’t strong—”

Arisu became strong.

Just a little bit, but she became stronger than she used to be.

Thanks to the “tomorrow” Mari had given her.

The dream’s continuation where both Arisu and Mari lived together—

Although it was impossible, these were irreplaceable days.

Thanks to these humble days Mari had given her, Arisu was able to meet many important people.

Ena and Takako.

Daisuke.

And the people called Mushitsuki.

All of them gave Arisu power.

“So… I’m already fine.”

She would keep her best friend Mari in her memories and keep walking to tomorrow.

That was the answer of the stronger Arisu.

She was no longer alone.

With her memories of Mari and her still-living precious friends.

She was able to walk with them, live together in tomorrow—

The one emitting the light wasn’t Arisu herself.

A stick that fell to her feet.

The spear of the deceased Morpho butterfly was retrieving its vivid silver light again.

With small crackling sounds as though something was breaking, something that covered the surface of the spear was shattering down. Instantly melting into thin air, it looked like chains of rust.

She heard about it from Daisuke. The rod that served as the spear’s medium had been sealed by a Mushitsuki called Yakugami due to some circumstances.

However, Arisu no longer needed that limit.

“So you still cling on to life, Hanashiro Mari’s ghost—”

Ichiku Kimitaka twisted his face in hatred, emitting tardigrades. The black tsunami assaulted Arisu.

However, a fragment of light floating to the breakwater blocked the great swarm.

“…!”

The fragment of light morphed into a single, beautiful butterfly.

A silver Morpho butterfly.

Flapping its four wings, it stopped the tardigrades’ charge with overflowing scales.

“…!”

Daisuke and Harukiyo gulped.

Another appeared.

And then yet another.

Fragments of light rose all around the beach, as if to caress the fallen people there. They then changed forms one after another.

It was a swarm of silver Morpho butterflies.

This surface of glowing light took flight with Arisu in the center.

“It’s not a ghost. Mari left this to me.”

The continuation of Mari’s dream as she’d seen it.

Arisu received it. Now, Arisu finally realized its true meaning.

The days she would keep on living.

Arisu would keep living from now on, walking toward tomorrow with the people precious to her—

“I can see the continuation of Mari’s dream.”

Arisu reached for the horizon.

Silver tentacles shot from the spear at her legs, instantly encroaching Arisu’s entire body. The tentacles extended through her fingers, picking up the spear to her hand.

It wasn’t just Mari’s Mushi.

The Morpho butterfly that existed here was connected to this world through both Arisu and Mari’s wishes—

She felt this clearly.

“Let’s live all together! From now on, forever!”

As if rising from her legs, a pattern covered Arisu’s entire body. The blade tip that had been eaten by the tardigrades was restored, and it emitted a great quantity of scales.

This wasn’t the dregs of Mari’s left dream.

She could feel the Morpho butterfly eating the dream that Arisu imagined and shaking in happiness.

The silver lance that retrieved its full powers.

The swarm of small Morpho butterflies that danced on the beach.

These pressed back the assaulting swarm of tardigrades, not allowing them a single step toward Arisu.

The Morpho butterflies surrounded the shocked Daisuke and Harukiyo. They were engulfed by silver scales as if being protected.

“If you say the ghost’s gone and you made a new dream—all I need to do is eat you up again.”

Ichiku Kimitaka’s mouth ripped in the shape of a smile. The tardigrades multiplied so much they hid the night sky, became an avalanche and tried to cover Arisu.

“…!”

She widened her eyes and glared at the tardigrade swarm.

Following the will of their new host, the small Morpho butterflies set flight toward the tardigrades. The spread silver scales became a shield and stopped the avalanche in place.

Arisu swung down the spear in her hands with her full powers.

“Ah…!”

Ichiku’s expression of shock was erased by a silver flash.

The scales emitted from the spear became a huge blade, crossing the sea into two. The scales that swallowed the tardigrades created a valley that reached all the way to the horizon. The impact of the seawater flowing into the valley turned into an earthquake and shook the coast.

“It was such a delicious dream—and yet you snatched it from me, you naughty Mushi…”

Oogui floating in the night sky erased her smile and glared at the spear held in Arisu’s hand.

“Our dreams aren’t something to be given to you.”

Arisu glared back at Oogui.

Mari’s dream.

The dream of Mushitsuki.

They belonged to those that wished for them.

Therefore, Arisu would protect them—

“—Kuha.”

Tardigrades gathered on the sea surface, creating Ichiku Kimitaka’s form.

“Doesn’t change the fact it’s a pathetic dream. You will soon despair again, Ichinokuro Arisu—”

Harukiyo who stood in the shallow water came back to his senses and wore a weak smile.

“Haha, about time you woke up… you’re late, you idiot.”

“No—”

However, Daisuke stayed with his face tensed.

“—This is the worst.”

“Huh?”

Daisuke was looking at Arisu. Harukiyo did as well.

At least Arisu would protect them.

Ena and Takako as well.

She wouldn’t let anyone get hurt anymore—

“From now on, all of us together—”

Fanned by the storm of scales, Arisu’s hairpin flew off. Her ponytail crumbled and her long hair danced in the wind.

“Starting tomorrow—”

The pattern on Arisu’s body suddenly strengthened its glow.

For an instant, her black pupils and long hair were dyed in a vivid silver.

“The fact that so little remained of Mari’s dream was because she held the controlling power of the Morpho butterfly in check… so if she poured a new dream into it—“

Harukiyo could no longer hear Daisuke’s hoarse mumble.

Even Oogui and Ichiku Kimitaka stood in place as though frozen.

“We’ll live…! Live…! Together, foreveeeeer!”

With no one unable to move, they stared at the girl standing on the surface.

Daisuke mumbled with a shaky voice.

“It’s starting to Mature—”

While controlling the swarm of Morpho butterflies.

The girl with her eyes and hair glowing in silver.

Ichinokuro Arisu howled while holding the silver lance.

Notes

Back to Episode 30

Return to Main Page

Forward to Episode 32