Mushi Uta:Volume 10 Chapter 3

3.00 Kanon Part 5

“Please, Kanon! Put out your hand!”

“—Eh?”

In a high-class boutique store at the capital, Kanon spread out both arms to the sides like a scarecrow.

There were chandelier-style lights, a window shop ornamented with gold and silver, and mannequins dressed in expensive clothes rather than flesh-and-blood humans. It was far too removed from reality. Like seeing a dream.

The other customers walking around were not as dirty as Kanon, and there were no kids. Just passing within several meters from them, their perfume would tickle one’s nose.

“Hmm, this might feel a bit unnatural… but how about this?”

Putting a hand on Kanon’s chin to raise it, Tamaki smiled.

The one putting something like a coat on the stiff Kanon was a female employee. She wore a dubious expression, a mix of her business smile and confusion.

“This is our first time to handle such tailoring, but are you satisfied?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad at all. We’ll take it.”

“And how is this staff you have ordered?”

“Try holding it, Kanon. Yup, doesn’t it feel good?”

The stick was longer than Kanon was tall. The employee called it a staff, but since it had a crest with a full moon motif attached to the top of the grip, it just looked like a weapon.

“How will you be paying?”

“Use this, please.”

Tamaki held out a black card between her index and middle finger to the employee. Unlike Kanon, who would choke breathing the same air as rich people, she acted as if she was used to it. Perhaps often frequenting stores like this, she confidently signed the paper handed to her by the employee and turned around.

“Now, shall we go to the next place?”

The smiling Tamaki next took them to—

“Please sign here.”

A place Kanon had never been to before.

An unthinkable place.

“Here, Kanon. Sign it.”

The 25th floor of the highest building near the station.

They were on the overly spacious floor, inside one of the cubicles separated by many small walls. Sitting on a warm chair, they faced an adult man the likes of which Kanon had never exchanged words with before.

The tea brought out was expensive and bitter. Completely different from the free oolong tea, and the teacup itself was also made of something that wasn’t plastic.

“Eh?”

Kanon pouted. Tamaki sitting nearby and the suited middle-aged man both looked serious.

“Sign it.”

Tamaki smirked, repeating this. Kanon looked at the man, surprised.

“W-why do you want Kanon’s signature? Are you Kanon’s fan?”

“Hahaha, how amusing.”

The man laughed. However, as a liar, Kanon knew. His eyes were not laughing at all, actually saying something like “as if, you stupid brat” in his heart.

“Uh…”

Dealing with adults was hard. Also, facing that man was paralyzing. Armed with strength, words and knowledge that Kanon didn’t possess, he always looked down at people.

“It’s fine, Kanon. I’m here with you.”

Tamaki whispered kindly as Kanon shrank down before the man.

“It’s fine. You just need to write your name here, Kanon.”

“…”

“If you do it—you’ll get something very good.”

As Kanon looked up, a woman with a different face than usual smiled back. Wrapped in an expensive suit, it was Tamaki transformed to a lady in her thirties.

“R-right.”

Kanon nodded, grabbing the pen.

“I admire you, leaving some assets for your daughter despite looking so young.”

The man said while smiling. Kanon’s hand holding the pen stopped.

“Your daughter really is blessed.”

“Because no one knows the future.”

Tamaki wore a mild smile. Her calm demeanor meant to mask her real age.

“And since this is real estate, it will not vanish no matter what happens.”

“However, why the Abandoned Land? There is nothing around there.”

“I will not deny a bit of a greed on my part. Right now the price is the lowest, right?”

“I see, so you expect the price to rise by the time your daughter becomes an adult… However, what about that? Just as I have explained, that place is—”

The man was flapping his mouth amiably, but his true opinion was as clear as day.

He was suspicious.

Kanon had no idea what Tamaki was talking about with the man. However, it was obvious from the man’s behavior this was something unnatural.

“If I may be so rude, do you have children?”

Tamaki asked softly but suddenly. The man furrowed his brows.

“Me? Yes, I do have a boy and a girl…”

“If so, don’t you understand? ‘This kid has an immense potential’… do you not understand the heart of a parent who thinks this?’

Seeing Tamaki smile while saying that, Kanon gulped without thinking.

This wasn’t just acting. Although this girl was supposedly around the same age, the affection and strength of a mother could be felt from her. Even Kanon, who knew no mother, could call it ideal.

“Kanon doesn’t actually need anything. No, actually—”

Tamaki’s lie was perfect. Much too perfect, that it caused a tinge of anxiety.

Why did Tamaki help Kanon so much just because they were childhood friends? Someone like her could abandon this at any time and succeed at whatever she tried her hands in.

“This much isn’t enough.”

For an instant the man seemed charmed by Tamaki’s elegant smile. Coming back to his senses, he shrugged, presenting the paper to Kanon again.

“…Na, ka, ya, ma.”

Kanon slowly signed the document.

“Ka, non…”

While writing, another question rose to mind.

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Delivering the signature, Tamaki wore a motherly smile.

Tamaki could become anyone, and her acting was perfect.

If so, then the way Kanon’s childhood friend normally acted—was that even the real Tamaki? Wasn’t she actually acting as someone else?

That unanswerable question rose to a corner of Kanon’s mind.

“Now the contract is complete. You’ve received quite the nice thing, young lady. No—”

Looking down at the horrible handwriting, the man spoke.

“Princess.”

Kanon was puzzled.

“Eh?”

That building stood in a dusty space.

Back when the private railway worked, it probably only barely managed to retain its functions as the town center. Old-fashioned buildings stood in rows, signboards of places to eat and drink like clubs and pubs were in tatters, and there were no footprints on the cracked asphalt.

Exposed to many years of wind and rain, that place filled with stagnated air was named the “Abandoned Land”.

Apparently this was originally the transportation relay point using the private railway. However, when the rails were discontinued, more sex establishments started popping up and public order worsened. After the local residents expressed worries about this criminal hotbed, the country bought the entire area under the pretext of a development plan.

However, that plan too was stopped in place by the recession, and it became a ghost town. Nowadays, to make even a little bit of money, they sold it wholesale at dirt cheap prices to local companies, biding their time until buyers appeared.

There was no way anyone would ever buy that land.

Everyone thought so. Even the companies who bought it from the country did so just to increase their own assets.

However, someone with strange tastes appeared.

This land, abandoned and forgotten by the people, suddenly found out someone who wanted to buy its center.

Right, and that savior was—

“…Eh?”

Looking at the building ahead, Kanon’s mouth opened wide. Seeing how it towered the other buildings complexes around, it looked like some sort of joke.

First the cylinders poking at the skies were prominent. There were three in all, pipes that looked like they were wearing three-cornered hats, one in the middle and one on each side.

Also, in the center of the wall enclosing the premises, there was a metal-made fence—no, a gate. And not just any gate, but a fancy one with double doors opening.

This was a castle.

Kanon knew no other word to describe that building.

“Well? Do you like it?”

Standing nearby, Tamaki asked in a good mood. She was no longer in her lady form but the original girl.

“No matter what we’d do, we need a place to live, right? —Come on, guys!”

Winking at Kanon, Tamaki turned around.

“Starting today, this is our home! Please choose any room you’d like!”

Loud cheers rose. Kanon’s shoulders twitched.

The comrades behind stepped inside the castle like a surging wave. Kicking the gate open, kicking off the walls, one after another they passed by and leapt inside.

“Well, originally it was a cheap love hotel, though. If we all clean it up and renovate it just a little, it’ll look much better.”

“Eh? Eh? Really…?”

Kanon’s mind was on the verge of panic. Tamaki’s words and everyone’s cheers, gradually brought back the sense of reality.

“…”

Looking up at the castle, Kanon’s face wore a smile.

It was dirty and its shape was somewhat strange, and yet it looked like a castle. It really resembled the sort of castle built from sand.

That was why—Kanon’s eyes looked like they were sparkling.

The castle created during that day in the small sandbox at the park.

It became real and bigger, and was right there.

Tamaki laughed.

“Finally… right?”

“Yes… yes.”

Kanon nodded many times, eyes full of tears.

They held hands. Just like they did that day in the sand.

“I finally made one lie become truth.”

“Our castle.”

Several hours after nodding to Tamaki’s words—

Kanon stood at the center of the floor inside the hotel.

According to Tamaki, including this hotel the entire premises was purchased as a donation to their comrades. Kanon was somewhat curious how much money it all cost, but Tamaki just laughed at it, “You’d need several rich people for this much,” and wouldn’t reveal the sum.

The inside had been abandoned for many years, so it was very dirty and ruined. However, apparently it originally was very-high class, so the first floor that included the reception desk was spacious. The atrium at the center had a large flight of stairs that led to the second floor.

On top of those stairs stood Tamaki, and Kanon after changing clothes. Looking down at the floor, there was an assembly of their comrades.

“—Is there a way to save Mushitsuki?”

That lone voice echoing inside the now-silent hotel was Tamaki speaking with a clear tone.

“Possessed by Mushi, you will one day get your dream eaten and die. That is the fate of Mushitsuki, and no one can escape that. If there was any salvation to be found at all—”

Tamaki touched the shoulder of Kanon standing next to her.

Everyone’s gazes focused there.

“…”

Kanon’s expression stiffened at receiving everyone’s gazes and warm eyes while wearing an entirely different outfit from yesterday. Those were the clothes purchased by Tamaki at the high-class boutique store.

“It’s right here. Kanon alone can save all of you.”

Tamaki presented Kanon’s new form.

Since the clothes covered everything from the shoulders to the ankles, perhaps it looked like a trench coat from afar. The collar around the neck was tall, hiding not only the chin but almost the mouth as well. The sleeves were loose-fitting and fluttering like those of a furisode. Kanon’s flat chest was sewn with a symbol modeled after a full moon.

Tamaki called that outfit a vestment—a robe.

—This is what pastors and bishops wear.

Explaining this, Tamaki had ordered Kanon to wear it and match their stories.

Other than that robe, Kanon also grasped a large cane. It was a monk’s khakkhara staff with an ornament designed after the full moon.

“In this era, when the devil called Mushi runs rampant, Kanon possesses the one and only power that can give save you. If you all believe in Kanon, you will all be saved.”

Everyone zealously listened to Tamaki’s speech.

Some bit their lips, some looked hazy and delirious, some were gazing with fierce eyes—everyone was going to rely on this miracle.

Kanon knew everyone’s circumstances.

They gathered every day at the family restaurant and wasted time talking about nonsense, including all of their worries.

“However, saving you is the only thing Kanon can do. You probably know this, though.”

Everyone in the floor nodded. It was a bit sad how they all agreed on that.

“Therefore—I want you to help Kanon until your turn comes. You must all protect Kanon.”

Tamaki’s speech continued.

“First, we need more money. And this castle alone isn’t enough. If we don’t gather more allies, the SEPB will finish us off before Kanon can save you.”

Again, everyone nodded.

No, it wasn’t everyone. One person alone leaned on the wall with an absent expression.

It was Nii. He alone was staring at Kanon’s face and not moving.

Right. Almost everyone there told their stories, but Nii alone didn’t. Kanon still had no idea why the boy took the bag with a Mushi inside it everywhere he went.

“So, Kanon. Give everyone their first order.”

“Eh? Order?”

Suddenly having this topic brought up, Kanon looked down at everyone there.

Even hearing that large word, order, no one stated their displeasure. On the contrary, they all had eagerly waiting eyes.

“An o-order… something so important…”

Kanon can’t do it—

The situation did not allow these words. The hotel was now fully silent and everyone was waiting for orders.

Looking at them, Kanon was resolved.

If everyone wished for it.

If they would be granted hope by seeking salvation.

Then, it could be done in exchange for their protection—

“F-for now…”

Kanon picked up a piece of dusty wood lying nearby, a mop, and spoke.

“Let’s have a cleaning operation!”

WOOH! This cheer rose. Everyone on the floor scattered wherever they pleased, picking up cleaning utensils and pieces of cloth. As they smiled and laughed at each other while preparing to clean, the grim determination from just before was gone from their expressions.

Seeing them having fun, Kanon also felt happy.

“Kanon’s going to work hard too!”

Shouting this and leaping toward the comrades—

“I too… must work hard on many things.”

Kanon had the feeling that Tamaki said this in a cheerful voice from behind.

3.01 Shiika Part 1

Inside the forest, there was the smell of clear water.

Inhaling the cold morning air into her lungs, she raised her chin to feel the sunlight. Mixed with the cries of birds, she heard footsteps approaching her.

“Namie’s group returned.”

Being called out, Anmoto Shiika opened her eyes. She stood up from the tree stump she was sitting on and turned around.

Having come there to get her, Shirotani Reiji stood between the tall trees.

“Several people were injured, so Chafer’s healing them.”

“Injured?”

Shiika rushed toward Reiji. She walked through the trampled animal trail in the grass next to the boy.

“It’s fine. But they’ve apparently fought with Kasuou. If Namie wasn’t there, it would have ended much worse.”

“I see… I’m glad.”

“What were you doing here, Shiika?”

Reiji asked. As he always took a natural stance, even if he walked in a place with bad footing, he never lost his balance. He stuck both hands into his pocket and his sleepy eyes peeking from under the headband he wore low on his head gazed at Shiika.

“Um… I just wanted to breathe to forest’s air for a bit.”

While stepping over a dead tree, she spoke vaguely. The cardigan she wore over her camisole slipped, revealing her thin shoulders. Since she looked so young, the wireless for emergency use attached to her waist like a gun belt or the outdoor boots she was wearing did not suit her to an embarrassing degree.

“Are you feeling bad?”

“I just woke up, so I tried shaking off my sleep, that’s all.”

As Shiika smiled back to him, Reiji looked at her with eyes that were hard to read. He was the type to not put any emotion into his expression or tone, but she knew he was worrying for her.

“Ah, w-wait a moment.”

When they saw the entrance to the forest, Shiika stopped in place. Using both hands to massage and loosen her cheeks, she swept the hair stuck to her face from moistness and tucked it behind her right ear with her fingers.

“…I don’t think there’s any need of you to put up a front like that.”

“I decided to, so I have to do this properly.”

She knew well that this new hairstyle that only consisted of putting her hair behind her right ear and the guerilla warrior-like equipment did not fit her in the least.

However, Shiika decided on carrying this through.

To that end, she needed to show at least this much resolve.

She couldn’t lose focus.

“…If you’re tired, just say it. You’re not Rina.”

“Thank you very much.”

Grinning at him, Shiika resumed walking. She exited the thick and luxurious forest.

Their campsite was there.

The mountainous land was flattened and cottages were built on it, but as if saying it wasn’t enough there were also tents. Boys and girl in casual clothes passed one another as they cut firewood or carried boxes full of daily necessities. At a distant empty area, she could see several people sparring in mock battles.

This campsite served as the main base of the Mushitsuki resistance organization, Mushibane.

“Good morning.”

Wearing the face of Mushibane’s leader Snow Fly, Shiika called to the members. Several turned to look at her, returning her greetings.

As she kept walking, she saw a crowd of people. Familiar people were gathered in the square that could even host a large barbecue party.

“Namie-san! Are you fine?”

Shiika raised her voice, rushing toward a woman sitting on a folding chair.

“Oh, Fuyuhotaru. No problem.”

Turning toward her was a tall woman who looked to be in her twenties. Namie originally belonged to the SEPB, but then joined Mushibane to protect Shiika. Her hand thrust to the front had lacerations on it, and her cut clothes were dyed in fresh blood.

“This much you can just leave be and it’ll heal right up. Man, what a bother.”

A tall boy was mumbling complaints while he grabbed Namie’s arm. This person, called Chafer inside Mushibane, had a glow the same color as the piercing on one of his ears enveloping both of his hands. He was a Mushitsuki with the rare healing ability, so as he moved his hands, Namie’s wounds began slowly closing up.

The two girls nearby shrugged.

“Who was it that went on and on about healing her until we came back?”

“Because she was injured while covering for him. So slow. So uncool. So weak.”

The girl with glossy, black hair was Halensis. And the girl with frilly fashionable clothing and makeup completely unfitting the place was the girl called Lucifera. Both were central figures in Mushibane.

“Ah, I’m not gonna apologize! I told you I don’t want to be dispatched for battle!”

“Wow, you’re so dishonest, such a tsundere, not moe at all.”

Seeing their exchange, Shiika giggled.

Several months passed since Shiika decided to become the leader of Mushibane. During that time, she slowly gathered more allies, even managing to divide their roles into those who head out to fight, those who take care of the secured Mushitsuki, those who support their livelihood, et cetera.

They would protect Mushitsuki from the SEPB without ever fighting back—

It was a lofty ideal and had yet to come true, but they could all walk this path together.

So she began to think.

“And the result?”

Aijisupa asked in his usual detached tone of voice.

Namie used her healthy hand to raise a thumb, grinning. Then she pointed it behind her.

“We were quite cornered by the SEPB, but somehow managed to secure her.”

A girl of about 12 or 13 years old wearing dirty clothes stood nearby. She was wrapped in a blanket by Mushibane members, shivering.

“I see… that’s good.”

Shiika headed to the girl. She leaned and spoke to her.

“Hello.”

The girl’s shoulders shook. Her fearful eyes reflected Shiika’s smile. She was a girl with possibly natural curly hair that suited her and a round face.

“It was scary, right? But you’re alright now.”

“…”

“Are you hurt? It’s amazing how you didn’t get caught by the SEPB until we found you.”

“…”

“I got captured many times before, you know.”

Shiika spoke while smiling. She could see her past self in the trembling girl.

When she was alone and ran away without anywhere to go, she was probably just like this girl now. She had no idea who was a friend and who was an enemy. And so, being afraid and shrinking was the only way to protect herself.

Shiika caressed the silent girl’s head. The girl shivered again, but didn’t reject her.

A few speechless minutes passed. The girl then mumbled.

“…Will you help me?”

“Yup, we will.”

“…I wanna go home.”

“Sorry, but you can’t right now.”

The girl turned with a start. With a face like she could begin crying at any moment, tears welled up in her eyes.

Smiling, Shiika hugged the girl.

She couldn’t lie to her. She couldn’t promise her lies.

When Shiika nearly gave up upon becoming Mushitsuki, the things that saved her were always real promises.

—One day, recall your dream.

—Let’s meet up at next year’s Christmas.

Because that was the truth.

Because she could believe in true promises, she was able to think of getting stronger.

“Everyone here’s the same. They all want help, and they want to go back home. But right now we can’t go back.”

“…”

“So we need to help each other. We help and we get helped in turn. Doing that, we grow stronger by the day.”

Letting go of the girl, she grabbed her arms and looked in her eyes.

“I will help you. So one day… when you become stronger than you are now, perhaps the time will come for you to help others.”

The girl was silent. She tightened her lips and held back her tears.

“Become stronger and then go back home with everyone, alright?”

Shiika smiled at her.

The girl cast down her gaze for a while as if holding back something, and then slightly nodded.

Perhaps she couldn’t understand what Shiika was telling her right now. Perhaps she just nodded because she didn’t want to be scared.

But she would definitely remember this.

When she was really pained or sad, she would recall her promise with Shiika.

And—feeling the same emotions, she should gain the courage to take just one more step ahead. Because she was like that, Shiika could believe in Mushitsuki like her.

“You’re probably tired, right? Rest for now.”

“I’ll take you. There’s an empty bed in that cottage.”

Halensis took a blanket from one of their comrades and hugged the girl’s shoulders. The curly-haired girl nodded, looking at that cottage—

“Eh? Wai…!”

The girl and Halensis’s body suddenly scattered to small particles, vanishing. The faces of the girl and the confused Halensis glanced at Shiika and then vanished as well.

After they were gone, only gas-like particles remained. These danced in air, vanishing into the cottage that Halensis pointed at.

Shiika left her mouth open.

“W-what was… eh…?”

“I guess she’s a Special Type Mushitsuki with the ability to gasify and reconstruct organic matter, huh. By the time we caught up to her—other than Kasuou, all other Mushi were in pieces and the SEPB members became Fallen.”

“I-I see.”

These last few months, after receiving habitual trainings, there were some Mushitsuki whose talents bloomed. Among these saved Mushitsuki, some powerful ones became their allies. That round-faced girl looked likely to be another one.

After that, Shiika and the rest heard the detailed battle report from Namie and performed a simple strategy meeting, then parted. The Mushitsuki gathered in the square all scattered.

“Oh, Halensis-san. Umm… is everything alright?”

“If you’re talking about the kid, she fell asleep almost instantly. …If you’re talking about me, my hands and feet are still attached.”

Halensis came back from the cottage and everyone started preparing for mealtime.

However, Shiika then found a figure loitering around the camp.

“Oh? Nanana?”

The petite girl wearing an expensive dress and spinning around a walking stick that looked like an upside-down letter J approached Shiika.

“A good day to all of you dirt-poor people of Mushibane.”

She looked drunk again. With her cheeks flushed, Akasegawa Nanana greeted everyone with her abusive language as always. —Nanana was the chairman of the large conglomerate called Akasegawa Group, as well as Mushibane’s sponsor.

Shiika tilted her head. She couldn’t see Nanana’s usual secretary anywhere.

“You came here alone?”

“Nyahahaha, is there a problem? If you’re thinking about the secretary, she finally married that teddy bear of hers, so right about now she might be on her honey moon, sightseeing in the Pisa Tower or something.”

It was hard to judge whether it was a joke or not, taking everything into account the secretary and Nanana’s bad personality.

“I feel peckish. How about lunch? I came here to eat.”

“Will you help us prepare it?”

“Why would I, stupid? I’m the one giving you money, so I’m the one being served.”

Everyone knew Nanana had a sharp tongue. With others taking their distance quickly and avoiding her, Nanana brought Shiika’s face closer.

“…By the way, has Alpha not woken up yet?”

Oh, Shiika understood.

The First Mushitsuki, Alpha.

He was a mysterious Mushitsuki they’d saved by working together with Nanana. He was supposed to hold some hints regarding the origin of Mushi, but was currently in a coma.

It seemed that Nanana’s true goal wasn’t a barbecue, but coming to check on Alpha.

“No, apparently not yet. We even thought to get Chafer to heal him, but it’s not like an injury or something like that…”

“What are you doing, you dunderhead. I even prepared a new hiding place for him and everything.”

“S-sorry.”

“By the way, you assigned a Mushitsuki as a guardian, right? What kinda person is it?”

“A very strong person. Right, they all come swarming… it’s very wow.”

“What the heck, do we even speak the same language?! Geez, why’d I have to be stuck with guard work again…”

“Eh?”

As Nanana put her hand around Shiika’s shoulder and tried caressing her face, Shiika looked back at her.

“Didn’t you tell us, Nanana? It’s an important person so we have to guard him… and you were also the one who told me to do it since I’m the leader.”

“Oh, was that really so? Yahahaha. —Hey, you there! What are you slacking off for, you peasants!”

Nanana averted her face from Shiika. Namie, Aijisupa, Halensis, Lucifera, and their logistical manager—the boy called Chouya Nihei—stuck out their heads and conversed. Nihei looked back.

“Oh, what great timing, Nanana-chan’s there. —Wait, sorry for being poor, I guess!”

“What happened?”

“There’s something strange.”

As Shiika came closer, Halensis said.

“…The number of our comrades is decreasing.”

Namie said in a low voice.

Shiika’s expression clouded over. Although the number of full Mushibane members was larger than it used to be, some people appeared to just disappear.

It wasn’t like they were lost or that the SEPB did something to them.

“Didn’t they just run away again? You really are unpopular, Snow Fly-chan!”

Making a snide remark, Nanana kept patting Shiika’s head.

One reason for their comrades to decrease was, just as she said—desertion.

There were countless people who vanished from the campsite or the shelter because they were unable to accept Shiika as their leader.

“I thought so too, but… it’s way over that level for this month.”

“Is that so? How many people are gone?”

“…Thirty-two.”

Everyone including Shiika gasped at Halensis’s words.

That was too much. Never did this many comrades run away during the space of a month.

Shiika had a bad feeling.

While she stayed silent, she looked at Lucifera who was just fiddling with her cellphone. She was Mushibane’s tactician.

“What do you think, Lucy-san?”

“That’s obviously pretty bad. One or two people is fine, but if so many run away, we can’t tell who’s going to hand over our information to anyone. And it’s not just leaking the location of our bases, but even the situation of our forces would become clear.”

“I wonder why this is happening…”

“Who knows.”

Playing with her hair, Lucifera stopped using her cellphone. Seeing her act as if this wasn’t her problem at all, Namie clenched her fist.

“I’m against violence. Got it, I’m thinking, wait a minute. …Right, I know.”

Looking at the cellphone she operated, Lucifera spoke.

“There might be some kinda—kind of agitator.”

“What’s an agitator?”

“I mean a person who was working to extract people from Mushibane. I’ll be clear enough so that even your childish mind can understand it: someone who’s going like ‘Hey, that place is much better, come here’ to instigate people to leave.”

Aijisupa glared at Lucifera.

“Meaning it’s someone inside Mushibane who drew out our members?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If everyone decided to leave by themselves, there wouldn’t be so many people at once. And since we have thirty-two people, it means they were either invited by sweet words or a powerful ability; it’s obviously something very organized.”

“No way… is it the SEPB?!”

Namie’s expression changed, but Lucifera soon denied it.

“Probably not. Judging from the damage they did to us, you can probably assume that they already have some information about Mushibane. The SEPB would’ve already struck us long ago. Since our enemy doesn’t do this, it means that they don’t feel ready to face us yet despite gathering some people, or perhaps gathering people is their goal…”

“As usual, your brain is the only thing good about you.”

Lucifera ignored Halensis’s teasing.

Shiika intertwined her fingers, fidgeting.

“Umm… I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, but…”

“Wow, so I just explained this all for nothing, how sad.”

“What should we do, then?”

Shiika looked directly at Lucifera. The girl who looked dumbfounded glanced at her and smiled.

“The culprit will probably soon be revealed.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t know who they are, but they’re not afraid of being discovered by us. It feels like they don’t care what would happen to them as long as they got out as many people as possible. I believe that we’ll be able to find some clues if we search among our allies.”

“…Namie-san?”

Shiika noticed that Namie was furrowing her brows as if she recalled something.

“A rumor… I’ve heard about something strange.”

“Eh?”

“Well… they say that there’s a god who can save Mushitsuki.”

Silence befell the square.

Namie wore a serious face, but everyone including Shiika turned worried eyes at her.

“A god…?”

“She probably just hit her head during the fight.”

“Hey, call Chafer.”

“I’m right fucking here. Unfortunately, this woman’s a lost cause…”

“Nanana-san, can you sell us psychiatric drugs real cheap?”

“Sorry, Namie-san, you must be crying inside. Come here for a headpat, good girl.”

“W-wait, everyone! I just heard about this…! Don’t pat my head!”

“What’re you doing? Oh well, there’s no way around it, I’ll help you with looking for the culprit as well.”

Looking at the upset Mushitsuki, Nanana shrugged with exaggerated movements.

“Shouldn’t we check other bases as well? Give me your lists.”

“Eh?”

Nihei, who was touching all sorts of places on Namie in the confusion while pretending to stop her rampage, turned back.

“Don’t you know them already, Nanana-chan? Most of them are places you received from Munakata-san to help us.”

“As if I can remember all that… I left those to the secretary. C’mon, Halensis probably has the list, right? I’m busy, do it already.”

“Is that fine? Snow?”

Halensis turned to look at Shiika. She tilted her head.

“Is the secretary gone?”

“I told you, she’s on her honeymoon. C’mon, oh great leader, bring out the order.”

While spinning her stick, Nanana cackled. Her behavior that looked as if she was drunk was the same as always.

However, Shiika felt something—was out of place.

What was this small ill feeling that took hold in her chest?

“What’s wrong, Fuyuhotaru?”

As Namie asked her this, she realized.

Right, Namie always called her like this. Not Snow Fly.

“Say, Nanana?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“Right, of course. What about it?”

Nanana’s calm answer made everyone other than Shiika to look at her in shock.

“Ha? What are you all looking so surprised about? Me and Snow Fly are friends, right?”

“Yes, right. —This is the first time I’ve seen you admit this, however.”

Aijisupa said. The others also exchanged glances.

“Say, Nanana. Do you know my name?”

Shiika asked, smiling.

Nanana smiled too.

“Snow Fly.”

“Yeah.”

“Fuyuhotaru.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“Is that it?”

Shiika and Nanana looked at each other.

Anmoto Shiika. —Only few people within Mushibane knew her true name. But Nanana was supposed to know it. She always called her like this.

Shiika.

Being told that someone with Nanana’s face didn’t know Shiika’s name—was sad.

“Yahahahahahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Nanana roared with laughter. Aijisupa and Namie and the rest took quick action, protecting Shiika.

“Oh boy, looks like I’m getting suspected! You’re the worst, suspecting your own sponsor! I’ll give you no more money! You’ll all stay here and starve to death!”

Nanana shouted in a voice loud enough to spread throughout the entire campsite. All of the members around turned to look at Shiika and the rest, wondering what happened.

“If you have no money, Mushibane will be finished! Scatter! Begone!”

Shouting loudly, Nanana began to run. She was trying to escape.

“Wha…!”

Since this was so sudden, their reaction was slow.

“Are you all fine being here?! There’s a much better place!”

A clamor rose through the camp. The expressions of those seeing Nanana claim to stop her support were permeated in anxiety.

“Don’t listen to her! She’s not Akasegawa! She’s an impostor!”

While chasing Nanana, Namie yelled.

Aijisupa readied himself.

“I’m going to attack.”

“Stop!”

Shiika suddenly grabbed Aijisupa’s arm.

“She might just be controlled by someone…!”

“I’ll make sure. Where’s Akasegawa Nanana-san right now?”

While running, Lucifera operated her cellphone.

“Yahahaha! Hey, do all of you know? There’s a divine child who saves Mushitsuki! You should all go there!”

“Eh?”

A strange voice came from Shiika’s mouth.

“We’re no longer afraid of Mushi! Because we have the power of God! If you fear Mushi, go seek that child’s help! If you believe, you will all be saved!”

While running, Nanana kept uttering the word “God”. She ran around the camp as if preaching to them.

“You’ve got mail!” a voice was heard from the side, and then Lucifera shouted.

“This is from Nanana’s cellphone! ‘What do you want, I’m in a boring meeting at Akasegawa HQ right now’! My ability can’t lie! That one over there is a fake Akasegawa Nanana!”

“Alright!”

Aijisupa and Namie prepared for combat.

As Nanana tried running into the forest, a Common Albatross butterfly wrapped in white flames and a steam explosion assaulted her.

“Ahahahaha!”

“Wha—”

Seeing the giant object coming out of the explosion, Shiika and the rest were speechless.

Leaping off the entrance to the forest was a large Mushi with a red body and seven black spots.

And, standing calmly on its head—

“Should I have used this form in the first place?”

Tachibana Rina.

This girl was once Mushibane’s leader, and was not supposed to exist in this world anymore.

“If you all seek salvation, we’ll welcome you as well. Goodbye now!”

The mysterious Mushitsuki smiled with Rina’s face. Along with the Seven-Spotted Ladybug, she rose to the sky.

Seeing Rina’s face, everyone there clearly had their attention taken. By the time they were ready for a counterattack, the Seven-Spotted Ladybug was already far in the sky.

“W-who on earth was that…?”

Mumbled the shocked Shiika.

That wasn’t Nanana or Rina. Probably a Mushitsuki with shapeshifting abilities.

That much even Shiika understood. However—

“A God…? What’s their goal?”

Even Aijisupa looked confused for a change. Seeing the face of his past friend, he probably lost his calm.

“She probably fulfilled her goal already. This might be an especially bad situation.”

At Lucifera’s words, Shiika and the rest looked back to the camp.

The Mushitsuki members were all clearly agitated. Those who heard Akasegawa Nanana say she wasn’t going to support them anymore, as well as the sweet invitation to save Mushitsuki, all looked anxiously at each other’s faces.

It was a lie—

If Shiika said this, would everyone really agree?

She didn’t know who it was, but the lie told by the Mushitsuki just now was what they feared the most—what they desired the most.

Just a lie.

However, all Mushitsuki wished for that, and so—

“A God… who saves Mushitsuki.”

Shiika mumbled.

They were neither the SEPB nor Mushibane.

It was something completely different—an organization never seen before was being born.

This bad premonition filled her chest.

3.02 The Others

About two months passed since people began calling him Nii.

During that time, he did practically nothing.

He just kept staying at the side of a certain girl.

Kanon, who possessed the power to erase Mushi.

He ran away from a certain town under certain circumstances and was found by Kanon. He stayed at her side ever since. If anything changed at all, they now gathered not at the family restaurant like in the beginning, but in a large castle.

Kanon’s group simply called that place “The Castle”.

Although originally it was just a love hotel, it was in the center of the ghost town the local people called the Abandoned Land. According to what he heard, the group legally bought the land with money contributed from their comrades. That was a few weeks ago.

And now, the present.

The Castle served as the base of Kanon’s comrades—no, believers.

All furnishing was removed from the main hall and a giant curtain was installed along the wall. It had a full moon drawn on it and in front of it there was a line of silver candlesticks. The large stairway had been cut roughly to create a landing, and an antique chair was left there.

A big chandelier was hanging from ceiling along with a large lcd monitor. Nii had no idea what it meant to broadcast.

The fact it used to have been a dirty love hotel almost seemed like a lie.

The center of the space fully transformed to this solemn, religious place obviously had Kanon in it. Sitting on the chair in front of the stairs—her throne—with the staff touching the ground, she was eating melon bread from a bag.

“Nom, ngh, mhn. …Eek!”

Loud sounds heard from outside the castle caused Kanon to tremble.

After procuring money from somewhere, they apparently kept buying land around the Castle. They were destroying aged buildings and doing repair work to build places for the believers to stay in.

“…Nom, ngh.”

Looking around her, Kanon resumed eating. Although she wore robes with the mark of the full moon and her hair was combed and brushed, there was nothing divine about her form.

“Ah, what about you, Onii-chan? This is really good.”

Turning toward Nii who was hugging his bag and sitting next to the wall, Kanon held up a curry bread.

“…”

“Catch. Oh, oops.”

He stayed silent like always as she tossed the bag at him from above. However, it didn’t reach him but fell to the ground. Kanon went down the stairs to pick the bag, put it next to Nii, then returned to the throne.

“Haa, haa… nom, ngh.”

Getting out of breath just from this simple run, Kanon kept nibbling on the bread.

“…”

While gazing at Kanon, Nii picked up the bag and brought the bread to his mouth.

Although they were together for about two months, Nii didn’t really understand the girl called Kanon.

Nii believed that she possessed the ability to erase Mushi.

Other than that, what could he say? The only thing remarkable about Kanon was that she was below the average girl in everything other than eating.

Even so, in just two months, Kanon’s circumstances fully changed. She gathered more allies, fixed the castle, and wore those robes, so her comrades became believers that revered her.

When he first saw Kanon erasing a Mushi, he clung to her.

The worn-out Nii saw Kanon as his sole salvation.

But looking at her like this now, he could think that she possessed another sort of special power other than erasing Mushi. That was the thing called conviction.

In a certain sense, it was much more special than her ability to erase Mushi.

“…”

“What is it, Onii-chan? You’ve been staring at Kanon for a while now… you’re gonna make Kanon blush.”

To obtain salvation, he was willing to wait as much as needed. Since he was at the very bottom, just waiting wasn’t painful at all.

However—

Kanon having another kind of special power was out of his calculations. No one seemed to mind it yet, but Nii knew. He alone could be able to feel the danger from that.

At this rate, this could turn out ugly.

Nii felt anxious for the first time.

“Kanon-sama.”

The entrance door to the large hall opened. With the sun at their backs, several figures appeared.

“Is now a good time?”

“Y-yes.”

It was the time for the Initiation.

Following the believers dressed in formal garb, several boys and girls walked on the carpet. They went up the stairs and kneeled in front of Kanon’s throne.

“Starting from the left they’re 118, 119, 120—Hyakujuuhachi, Hyakujuuku, hyakunijuu.”

The one who introduced these new comrades—believers—to Kanon was Ichi, clad in a robe. Ever since they came to this castle, he soon became the believers’ representative.

“U-umm, I… w-we heard rumors of Kanon-sama and got out of Mushibane—”

“There is no need for you to be this nervous. Ichi-san, didn’t I tell you not to call me Kanon-sama? Come on, friends, stand up.”

“But…”

“Oh, are you hungry? Will you eat this?”

“Kanon-sama, stop eating that sort of thing…! I told you I’ll make you a proper meal.”

“See, isn’t your stomach growling? Here, take it. It’s delicious.”

The solemn atmosphere continued but for a moment. Drawn by Kanon who smiled with her canines showing, the front of the throne ended up becoming a small picnic.

“Kanon’s just in a position to treat everyone, so it’s not particularly admirable or anything. Everyone here is like family. —Eek!”

Kanon shrank again after hearing the sounds of construction from outside. As they saw her acting like this, all tension was gone from the believers’ faces.

At some point they just started chatting and even laughing.

Just like he thought it was becoming dangerous—

It happened just as the anxiety within Nii rose again.

“Kanon, there’s a person who wants to be introduced.”

In the grand hall a new person appeared. They were the girl called Tamaki and a boy Nii didn’t know.

“I found him loitering around the Abandoned Land and brought him here. He’s apparently really knowledgeable about Mushitsuki.”

Tamaki wore no robe. She was Kanon’s childhood friend and not a Mushitsuki. This girl had a good head and she was responsible for everything around, including the Castle, to protect Kanon.

“Oh, this really isn’t the SEPB or Mushibane. Didn’t know such a thing existed.”

The boy following Tamaki carried what looked like a stick used for the sport of hockey on his back. He looked around the main hall while cackling and wearing a frivolous smile.

“Welcome back, Tama-chan. —Is he a new believer?”

“Nah, I’m a Mushitsuki, but I’m an atheist. That’s good enough for me.”

“Don’t you want your Mushi erased?”

“I still need it.”

Nii raised his head with a twitch. At a glance, the hockey stick boy looked defenseless, but he knew that he was moving his eyes to search the number of people and the structure around.

“He’s apparently going to train our comrades. As long as we pay him.”

“Well, I’m on a journey, is all. I gotta make some money when I can, you can’t tell what’s going to happen, right? Hire me for a bit. You won’t lose anything.”

The boy introduced himself as Shachito.

Tamaki climbed the stairs, putting her arm on the throne’s back.

“Kanon, I think it’s for the best to train everyone in order to protect you. Since we have the chance, what do you think?”

“If you say this, Tama-chan, then Kanon’s fine with it.”

“Okay. Hey, someone, spar with Shachito-kun for a bit. If we let him teach us how to fight, we have to make sure he’s actually strong first. Is that fine, Shachito-kun?”

“I’m fine with not knowing my opponent and going against all of you at once. Do come at me whenever you’d like.”

Perhaps confident in his skills, the boy called Shachito was completely calm.

Ichi and the others wearing robes all nodded at each other. They probably didn’t like his attitude. Four of them took out their Mushi and leapt at the boy.

It didn’t even take ten minutes to understand the true strength of the mysterious visitor Shachito.

“…Wow.”

Tamaki rounded her eyes, impressed in her place next to the throne.

The alternating assaults of the Mushi didn’t even graze Shachito. One moment he vanished before the Mushi, the next he was doing a headstand on top of it as if ridiculing it. Even when another Mushi tried to attack, he left an afterimage behind as he vanished again. From time to time an orange glow flew around the hall, but it was too fast to see any details.

“Tama-chan…! T-this person’s amazing!”

“Yes, it appears so. I’ve found quite the bargain.”

Kanon was getting excited and Tamaki was grinning.

As if to not shame themselves before their admired Kanon, Ichi and the rest did not stop their attacks. Shachito, who kept dodging these attacks, wore a warped smile.

“Hihah. Then should I counterattack a bit? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt ya—”

When he swung his hockey stick, Shachito’s warped smile froze.

For a simple reason.

That is—because he saw right in front of his eyes the appearance of Nii wielding a large object.

“Wha…”

“OOOOOooooh!”

Shouting with his mouth fully open, he swung what he held toward Shachito.

A large noise shook the Castle. The lone attack from Nii cracked the main hall’s floor and walls, opening large holes.

“Eeek!”

“Eeep!”

Kanon and Tamaki raised shrieks as the entire structure shook by the vibration caused by this impact.

“—Oi, oioi! A serious surprise attack all of a sudden?”

Nii turned to face Shachito, who’d just barely managed to teleport to the center of the main hall.

In his hand, Nii held his own Mushi, a Red Ogre snout beetle that transformed to a weapon. Its back turned to a thick blade and its surface shining with countless eyes, it was an axe about twice as large as Nii. The mouthpart on the back of the blade opened like a machine, emitting breath along with a large amount of vapor. He could feel the Mushi’s heartbeats from the grip.

“Ichi, San, protect Kanon, and don’t come any closer to this guy! Hachi and Juuni, block the entrance! Everyone else, gather near me!”

Nii strained his voice as he pulled the axe from the wall and readied it at his waist.

However, excluding him everyone was frozen with shock. Kanon widened her eyes, mumbling.

“O-Onii-chan spoke for the first time in a while…”

“Do it, quickly! This guy’s—”

The arm of Nii gripping the axe trembled. Fear was reborn within him, and his teeth chattered.

“From the SEPB!”

The one surprised at these words was none other than Shachito himself. He looked around him hurriedly, pointing at himself.

“Eh? SEPB… you mean me? Why?”

Hearing the word SEPB, the followers started hurriedly moving around. They acted according to Nii’s orders.

“Don’t play dumb. Your movements are obviously from someone trained by the SEPB!”

“My movements… oh, I see, so SEPB training was practically all thought up by Inuko? Then that means my training’s also…”

Leading the believers, Nii slowly closed his distance to Shachito.

Until now, he didn’t care at all about getting attacked by the SEPB. If push came to shove, he could just take Kanon along and run off. If he did it, then the SEPB probably wouldn’t follow them.

However, right now he couldn’t do it.

“Since you know about this place, we can’t let you get away…!”

A waterfall of sweat streamed down Nii’s forehead.

The fear reborn in the depths of his heart caused him dizziness.

“I-if we let you escape, that guy might come here…”

“That guy? No, I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I’m not from the SEPB, I’m telling you. Well, I did receive their training… geez, this is too complicated!”

“Everyone here’s different… I’ve already deserted… Kanon’s also different, and yet…!”

The arm wielding the axe felt as heavy as lead. His breath got rougher and memories from the past resurfaced.

The shouts of people who were more important than anything.

The eyes of his comrades, losing all light of vitality, helpless.

And his vision dyed in red—

“We were already finished…!”

“O-Onii-chan…?”

Kanon raised a brow at Nii’s mumbling.

“Y’know, I’m gonna fight if you don’t believe me, but… can I just say something? You’ve only shown me very little, but I can tell.”

Shachito readied his hockey stick for the first time, speaking.

“You’re actually the one from the SEPB here.”

“…!”

The believers all turned to look at Nii.

His axe was still spouting vapor. The heavy axe flew up, falling heavily toward Nii himself.

“East Central Branch Blaze Class Rank 3—Akaoni.”

“Hiha, a Rank 3? Strong.”

Shachito lowered his body, assuming a battle position. Autumn Darters glowing in orange were produced from the body of the boy wearing a warped smile, flying around.

“But I’m stronger.”

Supporting his axe with one arm, Nii used his other hand to open the bag hanging from his waist. He brought out the thing inside and wore it on his head.

It was an object like a branch bent into a ring shape.

Like a crown made of the leaves of bay laurel.

However, unlike its appearance, it was no plant. Along with a sweet fragrance, one could feel a small heartbeat from it.

It was a Mushi—

This wasn’t Nii’s Mushi.

The Mushi shaped like a laurel wreath belonged to a past comrade.

“…Hold hands.”

Nii mumbled. The followers waiting at his back went “Eh?”, raising their heads.

“Don’t worry about it, just hold hands.”

Ordered this, the confused believers started holding hands.

Nii put one of his hands on the shoulder of one of them.

The next moment, the laurel wreath on Nii’s head emitted a golden glow. The glow went through Nii’s arm and pulsated through the axe he was holding.

“…!”

Shachito widened his eyes.

The axe wielded by Nii swelled larger and larger. It also crackled, surrounded by a pale blue cold vapor. One of the followers raised a surprised voice.

“T-that’s… my ability!”

“Now I’m about Rank 2…”

Nii glared at the enemy ahead. Shachito strained his cheeks.

“So you can compound others people’s abilities? That sorta thing actually exists…?”

Nii and Shachito glared at each other.

Tension went between the pair, and something happened just as it was about to burst.

“—Please wait!”

Kicking the floor and coming between them was a petite person dressed in robes.

It was Kanon.

“What on earth happened to you, Onii-chan! Stop doing dangerous things!”

“Move…! This guy’s from the SEPB! If I don’t defeat him right now, they’ll find this place…!”

“Kanon’s telling you, you’re wrong about him!”

“If they found us now, it’ll be bad… If so many Mushitsuki gather here… that guy would definitely come…! If he comes, that’d be the end of everything…!”

“Who are you even talking about? That guy or whatever.”

Shachito’s calm gaze bore through Nii through Kanon’s shoulders.

“I’ve seen that you’re pretty strong. Is that guy even stronger?”

“Strong? Me? Hah, right! You thought I—we were strong, right! We thought our team was invincible! Because we’d never lost!”

“P-please calm down, Onii-chan…!”

Kanon tried desperately stopping Nii from approaching Shachito.

“But we weren’t strong at all! Both our confidence and the team itself vanished easily! —As well as the South Central Branch!”

“…!”

It wasn’t just Shachito. Everyone in the hall gasped.

Special Environmental Preservation Bureau, South Central Branch.

It was a branch that, when compared to the Central Branch or East Central Branch, gathered exquisite Mushitsuki. The strength of the team he led was known not only within the SEPB but even to Mushibane. In their area of jurisdiction, their rate of capturing wild Mushitsuki was astonishingly high, and they hardly ever failed in missions.

Overflowing with confidence, they were satisfied with their achievements.

And so—one could say that they gave in to temptation.

They simply got a bit too curious about outside their jurisdiction.

“Although we had no interest in outside our region… who said it? ‘In the near future, there’ll be another huge fight’… that simple sentence brought us in contact with Kakkou… that’s it… that was the only reason that guy appeared… and I lost everything…”

He was just strong.

Nii wasn’t in the level to face him.

He found himself unable to do anything other than pitifully run away.

“The survivors from our team were me, and… the Mushi of one of my comrades who even now had not regained her consciousness… because of that, the South Central Branch stopped functioning…”

Mumbling in a trembling voice, he touched the laurel wreath.

“That guy intended on burning to ashes anyone who didn’t fit the next battle… he sneered at us, looking at us like mere worms… there was no way we could have beaten that devil…”

The one to continue Nii’s words was, surprisingly, the one standing near the throne, Tamaki.

“—Harukiyo.”

Nii’s body pathetically trembled all over. He threw his axe away, hugging his own body. Just by recalling it, the sensation of the flames and the screams of his comrades was reborn.

“I’m so scared! What’s this next fight…?! Doesn’t that just mean that the next era is one where only strong Mushitsuki survive… If I don’t erase that Mushi quickly, he’ll find me again…”

He tried shaking off not only his fear.

Who was the one who offered “Let’s join the next fight”?

No.

It didn’t matter who said it—as the one who decided so was Nii himself.

His careless lapse in judgment caused him to lost his place.

He held his head, shaking the laurel wreath.

“If it can’t be me, then at least this Mushi… I’m so weak… I couldn’t protect anyone…”

As if repenting, he put his forehead against the floor, leaking sobs.

“I’m weak…”

As he cried like a child, something touched his back.

“If you really are this weak, Kanon will protect you.”

Nii widened his eyes.

“Kanon’s weak, but keeps living while being protected by you all. So if you say you’re weak, Onii-chan, this time Kanon will protect you.”

“…”

He slowly raised his head.

Kanon was smiling. This girl, who would beat anyone in being weak, wore a radiant smile.

“Kanon’s going to save you, so please don’t worry.”

Nii was anxious.

Kanon’s special ability other than erasing Mushi.

That was gathering people around her.

He thought that it was dangerous to be drawing the strong, but—

If Kanon, who was so weak, could smile so radiantly…

Perhaps someone as weak as him could be saved.

He began to think that.

“So we’re all calmed down…? Seriously, though, I was so surprised, compounding abilities is such a broken technique.”

Shachito sighed as he lowered his hockey stick.

“It’s not compounding, it’s combination… anyone wearing this gathers the ability of all Mushitsuki in touch with them, gaining the right to command those abilities.”

Nii groaned painfully as he grasped the laurel wreath.

“I only know about this from rumors, but I heard that Spear User from the past, and the giant mantis that appeared recently in the North Central Branch’s jurisdiction, were supposed to also be Mushi separated from their hosts… I want to save this one before it becomes like that too…”

Seeing him, Tamaki mumbled.

“…Looks useful.”

3.03 The Others

The lace curtain shook with the salty-smelling wind.

With the window displaying the receding white waves at her back, a girl was playing the piano. The light melody and the salty wind made the twelve-year old girl’s dress flutter.

A white-haired old man was fixated upon the form of the girl playing the piano. His barrel-like body was seated in a legless chair and he seemed unable to tear his eyes away from the girl. An unceasing stream of tears fell from his deeply wrinkled eyes.

The girl finished her performance.

“Ooh…”

A sob leaked from the old man’s throat as if he was unable to bear it any longer.

The girl rose, bowing. She pinched the hem of her dress and approached the man. Grabbing his shaking hand, she calmly snuggled to his shoulder.

“How was my piano, Grandfather?”

“Yes… yes… it’s just the same before you passed away… your piano is the best.”

Obviously. The girl’s performance replicated the image in the man’s mind, after all.

“Thanks.”

The girl smiled, reaching toward the man’s order-made suit. She pulled out of his pocket a black card. On the surface of the card the letter “V” was written.

“So, I’ll be taking this card for Kanon-sama…”

“Yes… yes…”

“Goodbye, Grandfather.”

Kissing the man’s forehead, the girl detached. She walked toward the entrance.

“Are you leaving already…?”

“I must be by Kanon-sama’s side.”

Turning back, she grinned.

“If you believe in Kanon-sama, we can meet again.”

“Understood… right, yes.”

The old man nodded many times at the girl’s words. His hunched form watching over the world had none of his dignity as one of the country’s leading billionaires.

Leaving her grandfather behind, the granddaughter left the room. She casually flung the card in air.

As the card spun midair, the moment before it fell down—

“Hmph.”

It landed in a wrinkled man’s hand. Dressed in a formal, order-made suit, he shook his barrel-like body as he walked.

“…A guest?”

An overly thin middle-aged woman waited in the end of the corridor.

The old man replied to his secretary.

“No.”

“I heard some voices…”

“Mumbling in my sleep, most likely. I’ve been dreaming. …About my cute granddaughter who died in an accident.”

The man raised the corners of his mouth. He ordered the puzzled secretary.

“Put money into that account; you know the one.”

“Again? The other day you also put in quite a lot…”

“It is my freedom to choose what I do with my money. Anything else?”

“…A visitor is waiting for you.”

His secretary’s looked further into the corridor.

Standing there were two women with a large height difference. One was a girl in a dress with red, drunken cheeks. Standing next to her was a beautiful woman in a suit holding a teddy bear.

“Aren’t you acting a bit too luxurious for your age? Yahah.”

The Akasegawa Group Chairman, Akasegawa Nanana and her secretary.

He ignored her and tried passing by. However, Nanana followed him.

“Lately you’ve been having fun making some extravagant spending. As a representative of those who are worried about you, I, the newcomer, have come to check on you.”

“I too have only a few years to live. If I leave any money, the country will take it.”

“Oh my, words I wouldn’t have expected from someone who was in the Round Table for so long. I wonder what kind of beautiful woman you have been spoiling.”

“Don’t mind me, Akasegawa.”

Hastening his steps following after him, Nanana gave up. “Yahah,” she laughed and spoke at his back.

“…Don’t forget that I supervise all money flowing through this country.”

He grinned at her, then mumbled.

“I do know it.”

That was why Akasegawa Nanana’s eyes would be doing their best to follow the flow of money.

If she did that, she wouldn’t have the leisure to look after Mushibane—

While walking through the corridor, the man chuckled to himself.

Countless lights were hanging from the ceiling and there were countless cameras on the floor.

The improvised spectator seats were open to the general public, so many viewers gathered there. There were possibly some people meant to rouse the mood among them, prepared in advance by the show’s staff.

Meanwhile, entertainers known throughout the country were gathered around the semicircular long table on stage. An industry veteran and a news announcer served as the MCs, gathering idols, actors, performers and other famous people.

The large monitor installed behind the table displayed the title of the program in big letters.

“Live Debate! Do supernatural phenomena truly exist?!”

The studio, overflowing with laughter and loud voices in the live broadcast just a few moments ago, was now frozen as if time itself stopped.

“…Eh?”

The host asked back with a stupid-sounding voice.

The teenage idol sitting at the edge of the table spoke in a light tone while playing with her hair.

“I mean, like, shouldn’t we talk about Mushi rather than aliens and such? You know about them, everyone, right? These people eat people’s dreams, and there’s even a secret organization that captures and conceals them. They’re called something like the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. SEPB for short. I heard they’re using Mushitsuki to capture Mushitsuki.”

The studio turned quiet. Never mind those performers whose job was to speak, even the spectators of the audience were completely speechless.

“Ah! Maybe Mushi are aliens, actually! That’d be really funny! Kyahaha!”

“—Well, our conversation suddenly strayed off, so let’s go on commercial break.”

The announcer bowed his head, and the director ordered a commercial break.

“Sowwy, I’m gonna go touch up on my makeup for a bit.”

The idol girl left her seat, leaping over the table and ran away inside the studio. She shook off the confounded staff and the makeup artists trying to stop her, leaping outside the studio.

She existed to the corridor, rushed down a floor and entered the women toilet.

The furthest door was closed. As she knocked there, she heard it unlock.

“…I just have to pretend I don’t know anything, right?”

Inside the toilet was a girl with an identical face to the idol’s. She smiled.

“Yes, please.”

“So, please let me have it one more last time…”

“Sure.”

Being entreated by the identical girl, she closed the toilet door.

Without even waiting a few seconds, she soon opened the door again.

By that time, she—turned into a he. It was a young actor with a handsome face.

“Ah…!”

The idol girl leapt into his chest.

“Please, tell me you love me! You’ll always love me, right!”

“I love you. Forever and ever…”

He smiled, gently caressing the idol’s hair.

“I’m so happy!”

“You might face tough times from now on, but you’ll do your best, right?”

“Yes, I will…”

“Well then.”

The man smiled and detached from the girl. He hurriedly went out of the women toilet, wearing a hat to hide his face.

He passed many boys and girls as if they were switching places with him. All of them were carrying large enough bags to be holding long coats and goggles within. He confirmed with a glance that they all rushed into the women toilet.

“She has so many fans… you’ll take quite a while to clean up all that, dear SEPB.”

Smiling, the man removed his hat.

Within a space surrounded by thick metal walls all around, a man was smiling while receiving a full body check from the guards.

“I don’t want to take along a person who’s not even part of the Round Table, if possible.”

He had a slim, lean figure and thin hair, wearing glasses with a platinum-made rim; perhaps he could be described as a scholar. While a metal sensor was being passed over his body by the security, he presented the card with the written numeral “V” on it.

“Your master trusts me so he gave me this member certificate.”

“Although it is a mere certificate, it’s part of the Chairman’s property. Protecting that is a secretary’s job.”

A middle-aged woman undergoing the same body check said bluntly.

“Truly a model secretary.”

“Enough with idle compliments.”

Approval came from the guards. A large electronic lock with the radius of about two meters opened with an electronic tone.

Behind it was a narrow corridor with its walls full of drawers. Each one had a panel for inserting PIN numbers in it.

They were in the safe deposit box used by the country’s prominent banks.

The bespectacled man stood next to the secretary, advancing through the corridor.

“Has the Chairman truly left this card to you?”

“I have a handwritten document from him, do you want to confirm it?”

The bespectacled man shrugged, but the secretary’s dubious gaze didn’t change.

“…Who are you doubting here, me? Or your employer?”

“The Chairman has undergone some changes. He was always so strong, and yet he became weak as if it was all a lie…”

“So it really was a lie. His current form is the real him, and he was just pretending to be strong until now.”

“Even when his granddaughter died, he showed not a single tear… and now he often speaks of her…”

“Isn’t he seeing delusions? He concealed the first shock, but his imagination reopened his wounds.”

The man grinned.

The secretary grimaced at his arrogant behavior. Averting her eyes, she moved to another topic.

“What are we looking for?”

“The secret of the birth of Mushi.”

“…!”

“—Or simply a clue or a hint about it, I should say.”

As the secretary raised a brow, the bespectacled man shrugged again.

“These are the records of past Round Table members’ fees. There’s no doubt that it also contains information regarding Alpha…”

“Alpha?”

“Oh, no, never mind. Anyway, ever since I also entered the Round Table, I’ve been curious about Alpha. However, I was simply unable to gain the key here.”

“That key is…”

“Yes, it’s the member cards ranging from ‘I’ to ‘V’.”

The man showed the member certificate of the number V to the woman.

“—And then, the second one you need is one of the newcomer cards, up to XII.”

He grinned. The man showed another member certificate. A card with the letters “XI” on it overlapped with the “V” card.

“Your master’s and my certificate card. We have finally assembled the key.”

“…Isn’t it dangerous? Even someone like me knows the SEPB can’t stay silent about getting involved with Mushi.”

“Right now the SEPB’s too busy for that. There was apparently an uproar related to TV.”

“You’re very well-informed.”

“Your master told me about it. —Actually, he was the one who just told me about the key, too.”

“…I did not know you and the Chairman were that close.”

“Not too much. Haven’t you said it too? Your master has been acting strangely recently.”

The man and the secretary went through the corridor, exiting to a wide room. It was something like a VIP room that held especially important items even within this safety deposit box.

“Now, stop doubting me. Let us look for the right number.”

“…Right.”

They soon found the shelf they wanted.

The special shelf at the center of the room seemed to be it. It was much larger than others and had nothing like an electronic lock, number verification or fingertips reader, but only two thin slots.

“Alright, now we just need to put the two member cards inside at the same time.”

The bespectacled man held the member cards and was about to insert them. The secretary asked from the side.

“Why are you trying to expose this secret?”

“Because it’s the Round Table’s secret? Think about it, this allows me to grasp the weakness of all the Round Table’s members. Is there anything as attractive in the world?”

“…”

“Now, it’s time to see what it is.”

It happened the literal moment after the man inserted the card.

Golden light burst and a violent electrical discharge assaulted the entire safe. Plasma was emitted from all shelves, binding together, forming behind the bespectacled man into a human figure.

It was a beautiful, nude girl in command of butterflies—

There was no other way to express it. Appearing together with the electrical discharge was a teen girl with a silhouette made from bursting plasma. There were heart marks on the surface of her body and the wings of the shining butterflies were adorned with the letter “C”.

“Wha—”

The glasses man and the secretary tried retreating, shocked.

“What the hell is that…!”

“Confirmed individuals trying to interfere with first-class secret item. Scanning said persons—”

Floating in the air with a vacant gaze, the golden girl opened her mouth. Her digital-like voice mixed with noise echoed in the vault.

“Fingerprints, voiceprints, veins, internal electrons, none clear. Concluding this is not Mister Ichinokuro—”

The bespectacled man widened his eyes.

“Ichinokuro… THE Ichinokuro?! Meaning, he’s the only one who can access it?!”

“No other person than Ichinokuro is allowed interfering with present item. Activating trap program.”

“I-I heard nothing about this! Ichinokuro, you bastard, don’t tell me—”

Cussing, the bespectacled man hurriedly ran from the spot. He leaping outside the room and entered the corridor.

“…!”

The golden girl vanished from the secretary’s sight.

The glowing lightning instantly surged through the corridor—

“Did he pose as the Chairman and observed the Round Table—”

The man’s voice was erased by a sound like thunder. The bursting electrical surge and sparks filled the corridor and the impact was transmitted all the way to where the secretary was.

“—”

She gulped.

The golden girl gently floated back into the room. She stopped in front of the secretary as if nothing happened.

Swallowing her spit, the secretary looked at the safe deposit box.

The two member cards remained there, still inserted. The secretary slowly reached out to them—

“…!”

The golden girl’s eyes looked at the secretary. She stopped her hands a moment before touching the cards.

Having no choice, she gave up and turned back. The golden girl didn’t go after her.

Exiting the room and into the corridor, she found a black charred mass on the floor. Going over the twitching thing there, she quickly headed toward the exit.

As she exited the safe deposit box, a guard raised his voice to her.

“What about the other one?”

“He’s still looking for something. He’s planning on staying inside for a bit longer.”

Curtly asserting this, she hastened her steps to get out of the place.

The secretary exited the bank, rushed through the crowds, and finally stopped when she reached an empty back alley.

“Hah…! Hah…!”

As she went out of breath, her form changed back to that of a teenage girl.

“That was too close… I knew it was the right call to use that man as sacrifice.”

Wiping her cold sweat, Tamaki let out a huge sigh to calm herself. The fear of knowing she could have died if she made even the smallest mistake crawled all over her skin.

“I thought that if I’d figured out what Mushi were, I’d be able to find a way to erase them… was it really naïve to think I make Kanon’s lies come true like that…? No—”

Although she was still shaking in fear, Tamaki still felt it was a good result.

“I was able to approach a truth that even the Round Table wasn’t aware of… if I continue like this, I’ll definitely find it! Until then… I just need to keep lying.”

More and more believers were worshipping Kanon, and Tamaki was able to get many out of the SEPB and Mushibane.

She had confidence.

“I can… we can do something even more amazing.”

The time was night.

The next full moon was approaching.

At which full moon would Tamaki and Kanon be able to turn their lie into reality?

Thinking this, she felt so elated she couldn’t stay still.

“I need to keep going… the greatest ever seen… for that purpose…”

Mumbling to herself as if singing, Tamaki walked through the back alley.

3.04 Kanon Part 6

The two childhood friends reunited on the day of the full moon.

Thinking back, that was when Kanon’s lie started taking a life of its own.

On the second full moon, their comrades became friends.

Thinking back, that was also because they all believed Kanon’s lies.

And now—

The third full moon came.

“Kanon-sama!”

“Kanon-sama!”

On top of the ruins of the old desecrated building there was a ritual altar. Kanon, who climbed there with awkward movements, was cheered loudly by the many believers.

The darkness of night enveloped the Abandoned Land and a round moon was floating in the sky.

The Mushitsuki who was to receive salvation this night was already on top of the altar. Clad in ceremonial robes, Ichi already had his Mushi out. He held out a hand and helped Kanon climb to the altar.

As the two faced each other, the believers’ cheers reached their peak.

Kanon waved toward them in response.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Ichi smiled. Kanon nodded.

All the cheers immediately stopped. Instead, gazes full of zeal stabbed into Kanon.

The moon was floating in the sky.

Just like before, Tamaki couldn’t be seen anywhere.

“…”

Kanon reached out to Ichi.

Ichi wore a calm smile as he stood there. He probably had no doubts whatsoever.

The believers surrounding the altar were the same. All of them had faith, were invited there by the lie, and worked together to protect Kanon.

And so—Kanon, too, wanted to believe that lie.

And in Tamaki as well.

She would definitely come to the rescue again. Without a doubt, she would work to make Kanon’s lie a reality.

This place, once called the Abandoned Land, transformed into paradise.

Everyone believed in Kanon and were thus able to live for the future.

And—

Tonight too, lie would become truth.

“—”

A soundless cheer rose around the altar.

Ichi’s Mushi was vanishing as if melting into thin air. The Mushi’s body floated in air, overlapping with the shining moon, and was gone.

“Ooh…! Oooh…!”

As the Mushi fully vanished, Ichi’s face was filled with happiness. He tried straining himself and making movements as if to summon his Mushi—

“Whooooah! There’s no Mushi! Kanon-sama erased my Mushi!”

He yelled toward the believers gathered down the altar with a jubilant expression.

There was a large cheer.

They were all so happy they couldn’t stand still. Ichi ran down the building’s debris, nearly stumbling and falling, and dove into the crowd. The believers who caught him and Ichi who was being mobbed by them all looked happy.

Someone also climbed the altar and approached Kanon.

It was Nii.

As usual, he wasn’t wearing any robe, but his expression looked softer than before.

“It’s your turn next, Onii-chan.”

“Yeah. So, until then… can I leave this to you?”

Saying this, Nii put something on Kanon’s head.

“Just in case something happens to me. It doesn’t affect anyone who’s not a Mushitsuki, so it’s fine for you to wear it.”

The laurel wreath.

It looked like leaves tied together, but it was much warmer than expected. A sweet scent and a faint heartbeat could be felt from it.

“Looks good on you.”

Pointing at Kanon with both hands, Nii smiled. Perhaps he originally used to have this bright personality.

Kanon shook a head toward the sounds of cheering that seemed like they’d never stop.

No one in this crowd was suffering. There were no lonely people, and no one shaking in fear.

During the last full moon, Kanon felt guilty for tricking them.

But it was different now.

They were saved by the lie.

The people who believed and protected Kanon were saved.

“I’ll be counting on you next.”

“…Yes!”

Kanon nodded at Nii energetically.

The day after the full moon.

With sleepy eyes, Kanon exited the bedroom at the Castle’s top floor. Fighting with the robe’s buttons while going down the stairs, Kanon climbed on top of the large hall’s throne.

“Good morning, Kanon-sama.”

“Kanon-sama, here’s breakfast.”

The robed believers held a hot cake on a platter. All of the followers greeting Kanon looked happy.

Despite it not being their turn, everyone was happy at Ichi’s salvation.

That fact made Kanon unbearably happy. Living at the same place, eating the same things, they shared all emotions.

Wasn’t that exactly the “family” Kanon admired?

Gaining comrades, becoming friends, and finally gaining a family—

“Morning, Kanon.”

While Kanon nibbled on the cake, Tamaki appeared. That older childhood friend was looking especially pretty as of late. If there was anything to complain about, she would probably look better with short hair, but upon being told that she’d obstinately shake her head, so there was nothing to be done about it.

“Good morning, Tama-chan.”

“Have you slept well?”

“Yes. How about you?”

“I’m exhausted. I’m glad you had it easy.”

Exchanging morning greetings, they smiled at each other.

“By the way, umm… what exactly have you done last night?”

“Hehe, it’s a secret.”

Bringing their faces closer together and whispering secretively, was like usual. Perhaps to the believers around it would look like they kissed.

Even if they did, it was fine.

After all, Kanon probably trusted Tamaki the most of everyone, and liked her very much.

And Tamaki probably reciprocated those feelings as well.

That was also their secret.

Just one among many.

“What about Ichi-san?”

“Oh, about that…”

Tamaki’s expression clouded over.

“Ichi left this morning.”

“Eh?”

“Actually, I made yesterday happen with Ichi’s cooperation, so we thought that if he stayed here some holes in the story might come out… he also said that no one would find it strange if he was gone, since he’s not a Mushitsuki anymore.”

“N-no way…”

Although it was Tamaki saying this, Kanon couldn’t readily believe it. Since Ichi said he’d stay at Kanon’s side even if he wasn’t a Mushitsuki, him leaving without even announcing anything—

Tamaki looked pained as well. She gently petted Kanon’s head.

“He probably thought it’d be too painful to say goodbye if he saw you, Kanon.”

“B-but…”

“He was thinking of you. As his friend, you ought to be happy for him… right?”

A friend.

Right, the first person who called himself Kanon’s friend was Ichi.

Just like Tamaki said, he vanished exactly because he was a friend.

“Right…”

Kanon nodded.

“Umm, Kanon forgot the wreath back in the room, so Kanon’s going back.”

Wearing up a forced smile, Kanon rose from the throne.

“Cheer up, Kanon.”

Tamaki tried a vain consolation.

With the door closed behind, Kanon bit back the sadness.

“…You told me you’d stay with me.”

Mumbling, this voice leaked unconsciously. Kanon had to reject those words.

Ichi’s action was made out of friendship.

And—it wasn’t a betrayal.

Ichi didn’t want Kanon to get depressed, and didn’t want his actions to be for naught.

“Ichi-san’s gone away for Kanon’s sake. So Kanon also has to…”

“—If you really think so, you really live quite the sweet life.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

Twitching and looking back, Kanon saw two girls standing in front of the open window.

One had bangs hiding her eyes and wore a white coat. And the other was a petite girl with glasses. Neither one was familiar.

“W-who are you…?”

“Nice to meet you, Kanon-sama.”

Speaking with a tone dripping with cynicism, the bespectacled girl threw something at Kanon.

“Here is a token of our newfound friendship. If you put it on your head, you’ll be able to see a video.”

Kanon received large goggles. Other than the lenses there were many mechanical parts on it and it was quite heavy.

“You’ll find out where the guy you call Ichi has gone to.”

“Eh?”

Kanon looked from the faces of the sudden intruders to the goggles and back.

She apparently didn’t intend to speak any longer. She raised her chin as if to tell Kanon to wear it already, not revealing who she was.

“…”

Not having any choice, Kanon awkwardly put on the goggles. Obviously, finding out where Ichi went was immensely interesting.

After putting it on, a video began to play on the lenses’ surface.

The place was apparently the Abandoned Land at night. The buildings around were familiar.

Two people faced each other, discussing something. Who were they? Just as Kanon thought this, the video zoomed in and revealed the answer.

They were Tamaki and Ichi.

“My pawn filmed this last night. Before your salvation nonsense began.”

There was no audio. However, Kanon could see Ichi bringing out his Mushi angrily.

“—Eh.”

This voice leaked out unconsciously.

Tamaki became a different person.

And—

“—”

A sharp pain ran through Kanon’s heart.

In the footage, Tamaki transformed into an unknown Mushitsuki, and used their ability—

To kill Ichi’s Mushi.

And then, looking happily at Ichi’s collapsed form as she turned around…

“Ah, ah—”

She became Ichi.

Leaving the Fallen Ichi behind, Ichi who wasn’t Ichi walked outside the footage as if nothing happened—

“Aaaaah—”

Knees shaking and powerless, Kanon fell backwards.

The Ichi that Kanon faced on the altar last night—

Wasn’t Ichi at all.

It was Kanon’s childhood friend pretending to be Ichi—

“T-this is definitely a lie—”

“Not a lie at all.”

The video ended. The lenses became transparent again, reflecting the form of the bespectacled girl standing at the window.

“Unlike the things you’ve been doing.”

Kanon’s head shook.

No.

This lie was meant to save people.

Tamaki was trustworthy; she was the kind childhood friend who always saved Kanon.

Therefore, it couldn’t be the truth.

It had to be a lie.

That lie—was the kind of lie that should never be told.

“If this is just a game for you, you should stop it here. If this becomes any bigger, when the SEPB finds you, they’ll arrest the lot of you at once. …Such boring lies only serve to create further victims.”

Asserting this calmly, the bespectacled girl took back the goggles from Kanon. Along with the girl who was seemingly her comrade, she threw her body out of the window.

Even forgetting to see them off—

“AAAaaaAAAaahh…”

Along with a groan, Kanon’s forehead bumped against the floor.

Notes

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