Mushi Uta:Volume 6th Episode 23

Episode 23. The Snail Slithering Toward Dreams

The chime for the end of lessons echoed in Horusu Seijou Academy.

“You feel like someone’s watching you?”

Having put her textbooks back in her bag, Ichinokuro Arisu raised her face. Her trademark ponytail bounced.

“Yes. Recently. Only sometimes though.”

Sitting on the desk next to Arisu and swinging her healthy-looking legs was her classmate, Saionji Ena. The girl that was very stylish even among her classmates started blushing.

“Kusuriya-kun really is shy. He doesn’t need to spy on me from afar, I’d show him anything if he just asked.”

“…I’m saying that just in case, but since he’s not here today there’s no one to make a comedic retort to that.”

“Tch.”

“Hah, a recurring cold is sure a bummer.”

Putting a hand to her cheek with a cute gesture next to Ena was another classmate, Kujou Takako. Her hair, cut short and elegant, shook gently because of her tilting her face.

The Kusuriya-kun Ena was talking of—Kusuriya Daisuke—was the boy the same age as Arisu who was currently staying at her home for various reasons. His plain face, dull in appearance other than the bandage on his cheek, rose to her mind.

Normally he was her classmate, but today Daisuke was absent. Making use of the lie that he had a cold, he said he wanted to check something he was curious about, and returned to the agency he originally belonged to.

“Telling us he doesn’t allow a visit is quite horrible to his friends. Even though it was my chance to do all kinds of nasty pranks to the weak Kusuriya-kun… haa, haa.”

“If he knew his friend was just a pervert he’d be shocked.”

“Is it true that someone’s been watching you?”

At Takako’s question Ena fell silent. Swinging her legs on the desk, she looked out the window.

For an instant—Arisu could see a silver glow get sucked into the clear sky.

It was a Morpho butterfly with silver wings. And that butterfly was not a normal insect.

Mushi.

They were supernatural beings that possessed adolescent boys and girls, feeding on their hopes for the future and growing. Since many of them resembled insects, they were called Mushi.

At present, the existence of Mushi, and those who were possessed by them, called Mushitsuki, was not officially revealed to the public. However, the many eyewitness accounts became rumors, and they became targets of fear and hatred.

“Weeell, rather than being watched, maybe I should just say I feel like I have some eyes on me—”

The Morpho butterfly had once been the Mushi possessing Arisu’s friend, called Hanashiro Mari. However, after Mari passed away due to an illness, for some reason the Mushi passed to Arisu.

Being possessed by another person’s Mushi—since this was an extremely abnormal case, a government agency dispatched someone to monitor her, and that agent was the currently absent Kusuriya Daisuke.

“This mean it’s… a stalker, right? Shouldn’t you report to the police?”

“But whenever I turn around there’s no one there.”

Seeing that both Arisu and Takako looked worried, Ena smiled as if gaining her senses.

“It’s just my imagination then. The next time I feel like that, I’ll imagine it’s Kusuriya-kun watching me.”

That was also absurd.

The fact that Arisu worried about Ena in many different senses probably came out in her expression.

When she came out of the school wanting to go home, a blond girl was waiting for Arisu.

“Are you worried about something? Ichinokuro-san.”

It was a student from another class called Mitake Anneliese—Kasuou. The half-German girl walked next to Arisu.

“Yeah. Someone from my class might be targeted by a stalker.”

“Oh, sounds like trouble. By the way, I want an extra-special yakiniku for dinner.”

“At least act a bit like you’re interested… oh, so you’re staying at my place instead of Daisuke, then. Usually you’d ditch out on being my monitor halfway through.”

“I hold nothing but loyalty and pride for my missions.”

Kasuou, who brazenly wore an elegant smile, belonged to the same agency as Daisuke.

From what Arisu knew, the government agency known as the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau, the SEPB in short, was an organization used for concealing Mushi. Secretly capturing Mushitsuki, training them and forcing them to be members, they would then use them to capture even more Mushitsuki.

“So, what will we do today? If we keep on looking for Harukiyo, we should have Neiko-san and Erii help us.”

“Don’t do anything.”

“…Eh?”

“Just stay home until Kakkou comes back.”

While walking toward the school gate, Kasuou grinned. “Kakkou” was Daisuke’s codename.

“Ichinokuro-san, you only need to feed me meat and stay quiet. Give me some sushi too. There is no need for you to do anything other than that.”

“What do you mean…?”

She usually let Arisu have a free rein, so this was quite unlike her. Not to mention she added some ridiculous requests.

“What’s wrong, all of sudden? —Thinking about it, Daisuke also told me not to speak a word about what happened back at the playground. But—we need to tell everyone about Oogui’s ability ASAP.”

“—Shuddup. If you keep complaining I’ll drag you home by force.”

Suddenly exposing her true personality, Kasuou glared at her with sharp eyes. Arisu groaned sullenly.

Why was it?

Ever since fighting against Oogui—the Prototype Mushi that created Minion-Type Mushitsuki—at the public sports ground just the other day, both Daisuke and Kasuou seemed to be overly nervous.

“Meat, I wanna meet a meat, a bloody meat.”

“What’s up with that suspicious song…”

“It’s the new Carnivorous Army theme song. Meat, I wanna meet a meat, sukiyaki~”

As Kasuou retrieved her elegant smile, Arisu puffed her cheeks, but they exited through the school’s security gates and went outside.

Now that she was unable to investigate her dead friend, she was worried about her present friend.

“Is Ena going to be fine? Apparently she’d taken a car back home today…”

“First thing’s first, what’s a stalker? Is it tasty?”

“…You’re joking, right? You’re definitely joking, right, Kasuou? A stalker means that if you, say, turn around right here—”

Arisu calmly turned to look back.

Twitch.

There were two people that seemed to actually emit this sound effect with their exposed reaction.

A boy who looked a bit older than Arisu and a girl who looked a bit younger.

“…”

When Arisu and Kasuou intently stared at them, the girl was the one to first come to her senses.

The first thing that popped into Arisu’s eyes was the eyepatch on the girl’s eye. It was made of leather, covering one of her eyes just like a pirate, with a spiral mark drawn on it in thick lines. Also, the plump, round hat she was wearing and the extra-long belt dragging on the ground were also curious. The choker around her neck had something like a thin cord going all the way into her pocket.

“…”

Trying to escape the girl’s gaze, Arisu slowly moved to the sides.

However, the girl definitely responded to Arisu. She curled her fingertips and stuck them forward, shaking her body to the sides. She even bumped against students coming out of the gate, stumbled, got back up again and lowered her head with amazing vigor.

“She an acquaintance of yours?”

“No… seems like I wasn’t aware that I have a stalker as well.”

Arisu’s words made the girl look like she was shocked. Bang, reacting as if this sound effect of shock was heard, she timidly started approaching her.

She advanced sluggishly toward her with her round hat, jutting out both fingers forward and with her belt dragging behind her. Her form was just like that of a snail seen right after a rainy day.

“I think we shouldn’t get involved with her…”

The moment Arisu thought of escaping, the other students shouted, “It’s Maimai-chan!”

“Eh…”

Immediately all the students around turned to look. Seeing this suspicious girl, they gathered and spoke, “The real deal?” “Show us your Maimai Exercise!”

“Maimai…?”

Was it her imagination? The name sounded familiar to Arisu.

Just as she tried to remember, Arisu heard the cellphone in her pocket ring.

“Hello?”

“P-please save me, Arisu-san! Maimai-chan’s in a pinchbfh! —I-I didn’t bite my tongue, I’m just barely safe!”

Once she heard that voice in the phone she remembered.

“Right, Maimai. Just now I’ve seen someone suspicious with the same name…”

“Ubwah! Who just touched my chest?! I’m against sexual harassment! And if that’s not bad enough, the one who did it looks disappointed! Don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! I’m still undeveloped, but I’m sure a bright future is—”

This was a call from Maimai who she only ever heard as a voice—but she felt something was wrong.

“Y-you’re just looking and it doesn’t seem like you’re going to save me! I-I don’t have any strange inclination to feel happy when I’m abandoned! I came on purpose to meet up with you while the scary Kakkou-san isn’t there, so it’s a terrible thing to do to me!”

“Eh… N-no way…”

The movements of the girl who reached out toward Arisu and the voice on the phone matched completely. It was too much to be a coincidence.

However, never mind not using a cellphone, the girl wasn’t even moving her mouth.

“You’re Maimai? For real?”

“Yes!—Nooo! Sorry, you can only watch Maimai Exercise on my site, so please tell everyone… gweh!”

Maimai. Arisu had heard that she was actually from another city and Daisuke’s colleague. Although they’d ended up speaking countless times, this was the first time they’d met.

“Then this man is…?”

The boy that appeared with Maimai wore a loose tie in the chest of his open shirt. One side of his hair was arranged into small braids, and sunglasses were hanging from his breast pocket. Describing him simply, he looked like a worker in a male host club.

“Hmm?”

The boy, who was watching over Maimai as if this all had nothing to do with him, noticed Arisu’s gaze and turned to look at her. His grinning mouth felt familiar to her.

“I don’t know him! He’s just Passerby A! He gave me candy!”

“What, do you not remember me? Is your memory that bad?”

Calmly mumbling something rude, the boy put on his sunglasses. Seeing that the lenses had different colors, Arisu widened her eyes.

“I’ll try guessing what you’re thinking right now. ‘I’m so excited I’m able to meet this dandy man again’, right?”

Upon seeing that insolent behavior, the mature tone unlike his visible age and the unique sunglasses she remembered who he was. Incidentally, what she’d been thinking wasn’t even close to what he just said.

“Is Hanashiro Mari’s ghost doing alright?”

The person she’d met at the school trip and heard about from Daisuke later.

He was the Director of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau—Ichiku Mikitaka.

“Arisu-san, hurry up and save me! Of course, I’m not telling you to do that for free!”

Through the cellphone still at her ears, the girl in front of her shouted.

“I’m going to take you to Harukiyo!”

The eyepatch girl toyed with by the students, and the boy who wore sunglasses with differing lenses.

The Morpho butterfly fluttering overhead watched over them calmly.

Part 1

In the thick jungle with trees taller than buildings, two tyrannosauruses roared at the sky. The dinosaurs rushing toward them shook the ground.

The cry of the Pteranodon spreading its wings overhead echoed, and the distant sky was dyed in red by an erupting volcano.

“Maimai-chan’s in a lotta trouble! But I will not back down! My latest, cutting-edge bazooka… is gone! I’m out of ammo!”

On the backseat of a jeep, Maimai fired her machinegun. Since her voice came through the cellphone to the earphones and directly echoed in Arisu’s ears, it was extremely annoying.

“…”

Wearing a dissatisfied face, Arisu kept firing her shotgun next to the eyepatch girl.

“If you don’t focus we’ll be killed.”

Ichiku Mikitaka’s encouragement came flying at her from the passenger seat. —The handgun that was his weapon was thrown to the seat and on top of his legs.

Trying to escape the two pursuing tyrannosauruses, the jeep Arisu and the rest were riding rushed into the forest at full speed. However, the dinosaurs finally caught up to them and their large jaws bit into the car.

GAME OVER

With these words displayed on the large screen behind them, a cheerful-looking Maimai got off the jeep. Along with a gesture as if she was wiping off her nonexistent sweat.

“Phew, this was a splendid battle! I feel so bad for losing! And I’ll never tell anyone that only Arisu-san was fighting in the latter half!”

“Say, Maimai.”

While also getting off the car, Arisu looked at the girl with a lukewarm gaze.

Arisu was obviously not transported back to Cretaceous Period and the jeep was obviously not real. The large LCD display, the jeep’s vibration functions and the large speakers around them were all part of a new gun shooting game.

Other than the game Arisu and the rest played there were many other kinds of game machines filling their sight.

Arisu and the rest had come to a certain large amusement park in Akamaki City.

Kasuou was supposed to be monitoring Arisu, but after exchanging a word or two with Ichiku Mikitaka she clicked her tongue and went back on her own; perhaps she’d been ordered not to come with them.

“Haa, you’re worried about me not hiding my face, right! Well, me being an internet idol—Maimai-chan—who got her break and is popular among primary, middle and high school students with her Maimai Exercise, is a secret from the SEPB too, you know!”

The eyepatch girl stuck out both hands forward, shaking her body left and right.

As the girl was apparently showing off her Maimai Exercise or whatever, Arisu smiled.

“That’s amazing. But no. You know, I…”

“I see, so you’re very curious about how I’m speaking! Since I don’t have a voice due to certain circumstances, I convert the voice emission in my esophagus to digital form through my choker and use my cellphone for my highly praised broadcast! Wow, a maiden telling her secret really makes me blush!”

“I see, that’s an amazing ability. But please calm down and listen to a person speaking? What I want to ask is…”

“Oh, about that guy over there!”

Her hands thrust out like the horns of a snail, she turned toward the man walking behind Arisu.

As she also looked back, the boy hummed a “hmm?” while raising a cold face. He had his sunglasses removed and stuck his hands inside his pocket.

“No need to worry! I was also shocked that Passerby A-san that we met by coincidence was the Director! I’m so nervous, meeting nobility! By the way, oh great Director, I’ll pay you money so please put me on a Rank higher than Kakkou-san!”

“Hmph, even without earphones I can more or less understand what you’re saying. You want candy. Here, I’ll give you one.”

“Do I really seem that greedy?! Unfortunately you were wrong, but I might as well take the candy! It has a mysterious taste but it’s good!”

“This is a trial product from the West Central Branch, it has lots of iron in it for a certain member of ours. We’re now testing it to see how many candies it takes for a normal person to get poisoned.”

“Bfhaa! D-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! Even if my head spins, I will never look sight of my bright future! If I only took five I should be just barely safe!”

“And by the way. Being a net idol is a protocol violation at best. I’ll demote you.”

“Nooo! Everyone’s idol Maimai-chan is in big trouble!”

Arisu’s hand caught from behind the head of the girl who walked unsteadily in the interior full of game sounds.

“Say, Maimai? Weren’t you supposed to take me to Harukiyo?”

“Eeek! I can feel a murderous impulse like Kakkou-san’s coming from Arisu-san!”

“So isn’t it strange you’ve taken me here to play around? It is strange, right?”

A clank resounded from nearby. Perhaps uninterested in Arisu and Maimai arguing, Ichiku was buying coffee from a vending machine. He opened the pull-tab and put it to his mouth.

He apparently cared nothing for manners or reputation. The sound of him sucking all the coffee in one gulp reverberated around.

A second passed. Kuha, the moment the boy breathed, the can became empty. After throwing the empty can to the trash can, he noticed Arisu’s gaze.

“’It’s not fair for you to be drinking alone!’ your face seems to be saying. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you.”

“I was just surprised at you drinking like a vacuum cleaner…”

Arisu raised a brow. “Please get me apple tea!” “Alright, here.” “This is red bean ice! This isn’t even a drink!” She didn’t care for the pair’s exchange.

“I took you here because there’s been eyewitness reports of Harukiyo here! Look at this shooting game we just played, the top scorer is called Harukiyo!”

“Eh?”

Turning around, she saw that the screen showing a rampaging dinosaur now displayed a ranking list of points. Indeed his name was in the top.

“There is no doubt that this is his home turf! So if we wait here, he’ll definitely appear! Also, if we mimic him and play, we’ll naturally be able to read his psychology, his name is also on that game there so let’s charge ahead!’

Shaking off Arisu’s hand, Maimai headed to the next game. However, as she walked with both hands stretched forward and belt dragging behind her, she was slow.

Stopping her legs completely, the girl turned around.

“Mr. Director, watch my movements as well! This is my chance to appeal to him!”

Arisu wanted to know the reason why her dead friend Hanashiro Mari had left the Morpho butterfly to her. —For this wish of hers, Arisu had met many sorts of Mushitsuki.

Harukiyo was also one such person. He was a Mushitsuki powerful enough to be called a devil, and he too was seemingly investigating Mari.

If he really was here and she could meet him it would be a wish come true. However—

“I don’t think it’ll be this easy…”

“It obviously won’t be this easy.”

There was again a sound like a vacuum cleaner.

Ichiku, having finished his second can of coffee, crushed the empty can in his hand.

“What do you mean by… won’t be easy?”

“This brat will never find him.”

Asserting this, Ichiku Mikitaka folded his legs while sitting on the bench near the vending machine. He took out a cigarette.

Harukiyo was heavily wanted by the SEPB. Ichiku’s words meant that he valued Harukiyo that highly, most likely. Or perhaps he just wasn’t thinking of Maimai as talented.

“Nwoooh! Doryah! I will not lose to that little girl C!”

Apparently zealous in some game, her war cries came from the earphones connected to the cellphone.

The reason why Maimai had suddenly appeared to Arisu.

Apparently it was because of her rivalry with the Central Headquarters’ promising rookie, C—the girl known as Horiuchi Erii.

The two of them were Mushitsuki excelling in information gathering. She could understand that about Maimai.

However, Maimai wasn’t the only one who appeared to Arisu without any advance warning.

“Hmm? You wanna play with me? Can’t you play alone at your age?”

“…I’m suspicious of you.”

Arisu stood imposingly in front of the bench.

“Why have you come to me?”

No matter how she looked at Ichiku Mikitaka, he appeared to be not much older than her. His sharp facial features were cold and the body peeking from his open shirt was slim. If he tucked those strange glasses into his collar and let down the hair made into braids—a plain figure would definitely suit him more, in a different sense from Daisuke.

“But this doesn’t matter at all. Don’t mind it. I’m fine if you just think of me as empty air.”

Arisu groaned sullenly.

“Even if you’re supposedly a government official, is it fine for an underage boy to smoke?”

“I’m not underage. I’m in my twenties.”

“…Eh?”

“Obviously the one who supervises the entire organization isn’t going to be so young. Have some common sense.”

She glared at him again, but he didn’t appear to be anything else than a teenage boy. However, if what he said was true, he was actually a young man.

“I don’t want to hear that from someone whose appearance lacks common sense. —Are you actually in your twenties? No matter how I look at you, you look like a bad-mannered delinquent.”

“I don’t think being a delinquent has anything to do with age… but since I’m not yet thirty, the fact that I’m young is unchanged. Show some respect. Speak more politely to me.”

It really pissed her off that someone who looked around her age spoke with such an air of importance. She really didn’t want to listen to him.

“Are you actually… the Director of the SEPB? Meaning you’re the most important person there?”

“No, it’s the Director-General who’s the most important. Well, that position is nothing more than a decoration meant to inherit the organization and take responsibility if anything happens, though. If we leave that aside, I’m at the top.”

“…Unbelievable.”

“Then you’re free to not believe. I don’t care.”

Saying this and turning his cold eyes away, he looked at Maimai who was using her cellphone to take pictures of dinosaur models. She got too excited and got pinned down under one of them.

This was definitely fishy.

It was a complete mystery why this boy—this young man—had come there along with Maimai like this. At the very least Arisu knew that Daisuke had no positive feelings about him.

“Come on, don’t be so cautious.”

“…”

“I get it. It’s a bother, but I’ll explain. In a certain sense it was a coincidence that I appeared to you with Maimai. Kakkou came to meet me. Facing him was too much of a bother so I came to see how the Morpho butterfly’s doing to kill some time. You at least know that HQ’s interested in that Mushi, right?”

“I did hear about it, but… you said Daisuke went to meet you? Why?”

“Why? What a strange question. —No.”

Kuha, the young man exhaled a lump of white smoke after sucking down the entire cigarette until even the filter barely remained.

“I see now. Haven’t you heard anything about me?”

“Anything…? I knew you’re the Director of the SEPB.”

“That bastard, no, I should say those bastards… Kakkou and Hanashiro Mari. That’s why I can’t stand Fusion-Types. They never go according to what you expect.”

“…? What are you talking about?”

“In the end you’re nothing but an ignorant civilian. Those Mushitsuki never trust you.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

She knew from Daisuke’s words and actions that he was hiding things from her for a while now. Kasuou also seemed to be hiding something this afternoon.

And above all else—she’d found out that her supposed best friend Mari was a Mushitsuki only following her death. Arisu never heard anything from Mari herself.

“I’ll tell you what you should do.”

Ichiku’s line of sight sought the eyepatch girl who was leaping into yet another game.

“This is a good opportunity. Maimai’s a fine example. Look closely.”

Putting on his sunglasses, the young man grinned.

“This is all you can do as someone who merely got involved in things.”

What she could do right now.

While watching the girl engrossed in a game, Arisu couldn’t make any reply.

Two hours later—

“Huu, seems like Harukiyo wasn’t here! Don’t mind it, Maimai-chan!”

Arisu greeted the refreshed-looking Maimai with a warm smile.

“What did you just say?”

“Arisu-san, your killing intent despite that kind expression is scaring me out of my mind! And your hand’s in the form of a karate chop as well! Please allow me to explain myself before you hit my head!”

“You have ten seconds. Ten, two, one.”

“Gyaoooh! That was only three seconds! —Actually, this wasn’t the only place Harukiyo had been sighted in! I’ll show you to the next spot!”

Saying this, Maimai started cheerfully—no, slowly walking toward the exit of the amusement park.

“The next spot, huh.”

Arisu followed the one-eyed girl. And behind her she could still feel Ichiku’s cold expression.

Following Maimai’s lead, who put her fingers forward like the horns of a snail, wore a round hat that was like a shell, and dragging a belt that was like a snail’s body, the next place they came to was—

“Maimai-chan’s gonna sing! I’ll use Kakkou-san for a sticky love song! Lalala, lululu~”

A party hall/karaoke.

The spacious hall was illuminated by a gaudy mirror ball, and an extremely long sofa was set on the wall. On the stage were large karaoke equipment and speakers, and even a large display screen.

A vacuum cleaner-like sound came from near Arisu who sat at the very edge of the sofa. Next to her, Ichiku used a straw to finish his drink in one gulp, and then exhaled a Kuha.

“Say, Maimai?”

Even when Arisu called to her, Maimai was so engrossed with her singing she didn’t notice her. Although she was waving around her maracas and not holding any microphone, for some reason her voice echoed through the speakers. And, for some reason, that voice was just like Kakkou.

“Next, I’ll sing with Kasuou’s voice! Lalala, lulilila~”

“Maimai?”

“Next it’s Arisu-san! Nooo, don’t touch me~”

“Don’t use people’s voices without permission!”

Even as Arisu finally grabbed the microphone and protested, Maimai still kept singing in a daze.

“What on earth is… how can she even sing in the first place?”

As Arisu gave up and put the microphone back, Ichiku lit his cigarette and finished it with a single inhalation.

“This girl’s ability is controlling machines that have her Mushi in them. Or maybe we can call it a splitable arithmetic processing system. Since she also has parts that function like memory storage and isolated communication architecture, we can call it a parasite computer. She probably put her Mushi into the karaoke equipment as well.”

“Is that… something amazing?”

“That ability’s not such a big deal. If you have money, you can reproduce all that using technology. Furthermore, the ability’s user is incompetent as hell. It’s wasted on her.”

Arisu responded to the word “incompetent”.

“Don’t make this face, you don’t have to worry, it’s fine. Apparently there really were eyewitness reports of Harukiyo here, and I told the front desk to alert us if anyone like that appears.”

“Your predictions have all completely missed the mark. I wasn’t thinking about that at all.”

“Oh? But you’re supposed to be worried about Harukiyo right now.”

True.

However—she just didn’t like any of that.

The cold expression of the young man called Ichiku Mikitaka, his indifference toward everything, his way of speaking that seemed as if he was always looking at people from above. Arisu rejected all of those.

“Don’t call people incompetent so easily.”

“Can’t change the facts. The Mushitsuki called Maimai is incompetent. She was and will be so forevermore. She’s useless.”

“…!”

She was speechless.

Was it really allowed to have someone so perfectly deny the existence of a person?

“Lalala…”

Perhaps it was Arisu’s imagination, but Maimai’s singing voice seemed to lower in volume.

Ichiku lit another cigarette and fully inhaled it in one breath. Arisu grabbed hold of his collar.

“I’ll try guessing what you’re thinking about. —‘I agree. She’s really incompetent.’”

Kuha, he exhaled the white smoke on Arisu’s face. Waiting for the smoke to vanish, she narrowed her eyes.

“Actually, since all of your predictions were dead wrong, you seem like the useless one to me.”

“All you’re doing is denying your own boring pride. I’m actually right on the mark, right?”

“You don’t even seem to understand what I’m angry about.”

Just as Arisu swung her arm, a high-pitched howling echoed inside the party room.

“Gyaoooh!”

Perhaps stumbling as she danced, Maimai apparently bumped into the karaoke set. Intense noise echoed and the music cut off at once.

“Just when I thought about showing off my love and pride, the Maimai Exercise, I was so nervous I fell down! D-d-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! We can no longer do karaoke, so let’s head out to the next place! Right this instant!”

Pulling on Arisu’s hand, Maimai left the room. Ichiku also followed them with a delay.

“Maimai, you’re bleeding…”

“I banged my head on the mic! There’s no blood coming out!”

“B-but, you are.”

“Ah, Arisu-san, umm, since the other person is very important, please don’t make a fuss!”

“Eh…? Have you listened to us? That guy’s not important at all. He called you a…”

“You can’t fight! If it’s about me, there’s no need to worry! I’m used to it!”

Arisu stared at the girl pulling her arm. Maimai’s arm was shaking.

“You just can’t fight. Fights are scary…”

“Maimai…?”

Being led by the eyepatch girl who got quieter, Arisu came to yet another new place.

It was a small playhouse theater near a large highway. On the shutter full of posters there was a board plastered with advertisements for live performances or concerts.

It was already night. Underneath the night sky, the lights of cars passed to-and-fro in the background.

“This time for real! Apparently Harukiyo comes to see the comedy act here every week! As expected from Maimai-chan! C isn’t a big deal at all!”

“But, Maimai… this paper right here says that it’s closed…”

Arisu pointed at a posting noting the place was closed and that they were looking for a new custodian.

Kuha, Ichiku came exhaling white smoke from behind.

“We came here for no reason, then.”

To stop Arisu from glaring at the young man, Maimai hurriedly waved her hands.

“Well, this is something that even I didn’t know! So there’s no doubt that Harukiyo doesn’t, either! There’s still some chance he’ll show up here, so I’m just barely safe—aah! That person over there looks a bit like Harukiyo! Go, Maimai-chan!”

Maimai slowly walked toward a person who looked like just a random salaried worker.

“Well, rotten as she is, she’s still my subordinate. I have Maimai’s full profile in my head.”

Arisu glared at Ichiku.

“Her birth was not blessed at all. Her losing an eye and her voice is also related to her previous family environment. As well as her being so cowardly. Not going to speak about it in detail, though.”

“…”

“However—all that doesn’t matter at all.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“This is not rare for a Mushitsuki. Developing a dream amidst harsh surroundings. —Such cases occur mostly with Special-Types, but in short… have you never thought that pitying someone less blessed than you is nothing short of self-satisfaction?”

Removing his sunglasses, Ichiku looked at Arisu. That gaze had no sense of pressure nor strength of reproaching her. —It was simply cold.

As Arisu was born in a healthy household and had no issues, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t blessed.

“Misfortune is not a contest. However, in your case—”

Ichiku Mikitaka gazed intently at Arisu.

“You’re not even a Mushitsuki.”

He probably laughed. Kuha, as the young man opened his mouth to suck the cigarette, she could see his sharp canines.

“I was the one who designated you as Mushitsuki based on your control of the Morpho butterfly. —But you’re absolutely an outsider. I’m telling you this for your own good. With regards to Mushitsuki… you should do nothing but watch.”

Arisu kept glaring at the young man. —She could do nothing else.

“You don’t have a single reason to get angry for Mushitsuki.”

His words held neither scorn nor contempt; these were merely heavy, cold words.

The young man had said that he came to watch over the Morpho butterfly.

However, in reality he only came to say—“you’re an eyesore, so don’t do anything” which wasn’t even a warning. Arisu clearly knew that.

“Don’t mind it, Maimai-chan! I got the completely wrong person! But I will not lose sight of my bright future! Next, let’s—”

“Where are we going next?”

“It’s fine, next time we’ll definitely… eh?”

“A place where people saw Harukiyo. There’re others, right? Now we simply must have to find him!”

Arisu clenched her fist and raised her voice.

Do nothing but watch, Ichiku told her.

However, the existence of her late friend Mari was not so light that she could stand to watch from the side just from being told so.

If there were any clues that would lead to finding out her friend’s last will, she wanted to try reaching them.

“Ooh! So you finally understand my burning passion! With this momentum we’ll find Harukiyo, and I’ll definitely be of help to you, Arisu-san! That is my mission, after all!”

“Your mission?”

“Yes! Actually, I’ve been dispatched from the East Central Branch to the Central Headquarters right here in Akamaki City for re-training! My Branch Director probably implicitly ordered me to come here so I could be of help to Kakkou-san who’s working hard here, or to you!”

“I-is that so?”

“No doubt about it! After all, the Branch Director told me ‘and if you don’t like it, you may as well stay in Central Headquarters’ and sent me off with a smile!”

“HQ has no need of you,” Ichiku cut from the side.

“I-isn’t that just a joke? I don’t know what kind of a person that Branch Director is, though…”

“A person who can’t grasp the line between joking and being serious! But he was definitely serious… and so, unless I be of help to you, I have nowhere to go back to.”

The girl’s tone of voice suddenly fell.

“Nowhere other than the East Central Branch will take me… and even if they will, they’ll give me no rank and send me as a soldier to the frontlines… I-I don’t want to fight… fighting is very scary.”

Maimai looked down, her shoulders shaking.

“’Don’t act so spoiled’.”

Arisu turned around. Maimai’s shoulders twitched.

“That’s probably what Kakkou would say. Since he always fights on the frontlines ahead of anyone.”

Ichiku asserted.

“But as far as I’m concerned, both of you are worthless.”

The eyepatch girl averted her gaze from the young man exhaling smoke.

“K-Kakkou-san hates me… That person only ever smiled when he captured me… the problem is me being incompetent…”

“That’s not true.”

Arisu spoke as she grabbed the girl’s shoulder. The eyepatch girl raised her face.

“Daisuke likes you!”

Arisu declared. She heard Ichiku saying, “You… you’re saying some really irresponsible things…” from behind, but she ignored him.

“He likes you so much he can’t help it!”

“R-really? Am I loved? I’m going to blush!”

“At the very least, if you find Harukiyo—if you manage to complete something, he’ll definitely love you! That’s the kind of guy he is!”

This wasn’t irresponsible.

The Kusuriya Daisuke that Arisu knew was emotionless and oftentimes she had no idea what he was thinking about. However, he wasn’t the sort of person to hate someone who was trying to do something to the best of their ability.

Right—unlike Ichiku Mikitaka.

“Woooh! Maimai-chan’s suddenly all fired up! I’ll have to say no thank you to a demon courting me, but I’ll do my best to prove myself to him!”

“You don’t have to pretend to be energetic from now on! You were trying to hide how frustrated you were, right?”

“No, this is the place!”

“R-right. —Anyway, let’s do our best!”

Seeing the girls join their hands, Kuha, Ichiku exhaled smoke.

“So, where will we go next?”

“So you’re fired up as well, Director! Next, we’ll head to the movie theatre—“

“Movie theatre inside the station.”

“Inside the station… ooh? This is the first time your guess was correct!”

“And next it’s probably the toy store in the mall? Then the public pool, a gym on the outskirts of town, as well as the museum and art gallery. This isn’t a guess.”

Arisu and Maimai exchanged glances.

Ichiku furrowed his brows.

“Idiots. All of them are diversions made by Harukiyo’s comrades with disguise abilities. And all of them are meaningless. They’re probably just playing with the SEPB.”

“Eh… uh…”

“Including C, the HQ’s intelligence department ignored all of those. It’s all inconsequential, meaningless information. —You’ve performed quite the pleasant dance to this tune of trash intelligence.”

“You… if you knew all that, why have you stayed silent?”

Ichiku took in stride Arisu’s reproach, wearing his cold expression. She bit her lips.

“Maimai! Isn’t there anything else? A place that the HQ doesn’t know about…”

“Uh… no… umm…”

The eyepatch girl started paling. She probably went silent because she had no other idea.

“So, we can start investigating from zero starting tomorrow! Right?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Eh?”

“I can only stay in Akamaki City for today… my re-training is made of supplementary lessons and I still failed… my teacher is tired of me…’

Arisu gulped.

“W-will I be sent to the frontlines…? I-I’m scared… I’m so scared…”

Arisu hugged the girl’s trembling shoulders. As she turned around, Ichiku was just exhaling a lump of white smoke.

“Judging from your face, are you expecting anything from me? ‘No need to bother the Branch Director. Order her to be sent to the frontlines with your authority as the Director’.”

Maimai’s face blanched.

“Why you…! Don’t worry, Maimai! I’ll tell Daisuke about this and we’ll do something…”

“It’s useless. Fusion-Types choose what they need to protect. Other than that, they’re more emotionless than anyone.”

“Even so—before that he’ll listen to what I have to say…!”

“It’ll have the opposite effect. They hate deals.”

“I… I…!”

While hugging the shaking Maimai, Arisu glared at Ichiku.

What did he think about that he was able to corner this girl so calmly? —Even if he really was telling only the truth, she couldn’t understand his aims.

“So you can’t even watch?”

Kuha, exhaling white smoke, Ichiku turned his body around. He put on his sunglasses and spoke suddenly.

“Come with me.”

The klaxon of a vehicle.

The board lit up in gaudy colors.

The clamor of passersby talking and laughing.

The hustle and bustle of the capital probably sounded so awfully loud because Maimai grew completely silent. Her complexion was like one who was headed for the gallows.

Meanwhile, Arisu kept drilling holes in the young man’s back with her gaze. She didn’t know where he was heading, but while knowing that she and Maimai had no other choice but to follow him, he would probably lead them without speaking.

“It’s here. Get in.”

Late at night, Arisu’s group reached in front of a strangely-designed building. The large structure had a sharp roof and five lines of vertical, round windows; judging from those, it probably had about five floors.

The metal gate opened easily with a touch.

The wall of the entrance had metallic shelves. There were numbers and surnames lined there.

“…An apartment building?”

“Obviously? Shut up and get inside.”

Still, she was surprised.

They entered the lobby. Rather than an apartment building perhaps it was more like a hotel.

Raising their brows, Arisu and Maimai walked inside. There were ornamental plants around.

“Gweh.”

Hearing a strange noise, Arisu turned around.

Ichiku grabbed Maimai’s collar. Naturally, it meant that only Arisu walked ahead.

“…?”

Having followed Arisu inside the building, the Morpho butterfly started emitting blinding light.

The next moment, Arisu’s legs stopped moving. This unexpected, sudden stop made her vision shake.

As she looked at her feet, shocked, she saw that something like cord was wrapped around her legs.

No. —It was vines.

The ornamental plants extending from the flowerpots restrained Arisu’s movements.

“Wha—”

The lobby Arisu and the rest were in started rapidly changing.

The flowerpots broke and the ornamental plants became quickly larger. The sofa inside burst and the plant that came out rapidly grew into a tree. The many vines that climbed the walls all collapsed and vanished as if they were made of papier-mâché.

Instantly everything in her vision transformed into a thick jungle.

At some point the ceiling vanished and above her there was the shining sun.

“This is…!”

Arisu instantly drew the silver rod from her pocket. As she lengthened it the Morpho butterfly landed on top of it, transforming it into a glowing spear.

However, she wasn’t given any chance to swing her weapon. The vines that reached all the way to her neck restrained Arisu.

“A Mushitsuki ability…!”

This was different from the amusement park set. The humid air, a bird’s call she could hear from somewhere, and the sense of being surrounded by trees—these were all exceedingly similar to the real thing.

This phenomenon was impossible in reality. Arisu had experienced this sort of situation before, where a place had been instantly overwritten to become a different space.

“Ah… uh…”

Maimai froze in place, fear on her face.

“I was just starting to feel comfy; what do you want?”

Appearing from within the thick trees was a boy with ruffled hair. He wore a pajama and had a cup in his hand. That appearance as if he’d just woken up looked even more abnormal inside this abnormal jungle.

“Have you not seen the notice? Only residents are allowed inside.”

Arisu who was restrained by the ivy and Maimai shaking with her sleeve still grabbed from behind. Both girls looked at Ichiku.

Kuha, Ichiku exhaled the cigarette smoke. His stance was unnaturally calm.

“So it was a trap…!”

Arisu’s voice, full of pain, was drowned out by the call of some bird somewhere in the jungle.

Part 2

“Kh…!”

The strength of the vines constricting Arisu gradually grew stronger. When the Morpho butterfly’s lance emitted light, the vine’s power slightly lessened.

“Oh, is it a power that weakens Mushi abilities? Looks quite useful, but then you need to focus on protecting your own body.”

There was a tremor. A giant tree grew from beneath the ruffled hair boy’s feet, its branch becoming his chair. With an expression as if he was just sitting in his room, the boy put the cup to his mouth.

“—A trap, you say?”

Ichiku Mikitaka let go of Maimai. He walked ahead, completely defenseless.

Instantly the young man was restrained by the vines crawling up from his legs. Even though he ended up the same as Arisu, not even a single muscle twitched on his face.

“Why do I need to do anything like that for you lot?”

“Wha…”

Seeing Ichiku completely bound and strung up, Arisu became speechless.

“Uuh…!”

Only Maimai alone stayed standing in place. Her body was frozen and unmoving.

“Who’re you?”

The ruffled hair boy threw them a simple question.

“Y-you’re asking us… but I’m the one who wants to ask! Just who are—”

“We’re the SEPB.”

Ichiku answered simply.

“Hmph. Have you come after my tenant? What a bother. Well, since he’s paying me I can’t really complain as the Custodian, though.”

The boy with ruffled hair—Custodian or whatever—nodded as if he understood the situation. Him not moving even while knowing about the SEPB made Arisu have a sense of déjà vu.

“But well, if you’re the SEPB… for now, you’re my enemies. Perhaps I should turn you into fertilizer for my children.”

Arisu felt a chill at the pajama-wearing boy’s gaze on her. Those eyes were emotionless as if he was looking at, just like he said, not humans, but fertilizer.

“And you, eyepatch girl over there. Decide if you want to come closer or run away. By the way, if you come here, I’ll strangle you, and if you run away, I’ll stab you. Choose what you want.”

Maimai’s shoulders twitched.

“Well, since this is inside my domain, you can’t run anyway. So, will you approach me to save your friends?”

The Custodian laughed.

Among Special-Type Mushitsuki, some were able to create a space that was controlled by their own ability. This jungle was also likely such a space created by the Custodian’s ability.

“W-what does this mean…! Why were we suddenly attacked? Who’s that Mushitsuki, anyway!”

Moving her face, she shouted at Ichiku.

“What will you do once you know that? We’ve barged into his turf. That’s why we were attacked. It’s as simple as that.”

“Well, if you can’t move, that means the choice is up to me. Then, thank you for your kindness, I’ll just do it.”

The trees around Maimai swayed. Extending their sharp, lifelike branches, they assaulted the girl.

“Maimai!”

“Eeek!”

Covering her face with both arms, a lone drop of moisture fell from below Maimai’s eyepatch.

The moment after the girl’s tear touched the mossy ground—that lone tear became a fierce stream of water. The girl’s small body was engulfed by a transparent water fountain.

“…!”

The water current blew away the sharp tree branches. The thing covering the girl became white and hard.

A white, large lump was created inside the jungle. Shaped like a whirl, it resembled—the shell of a snail, about as large as a human.

Maimai’s figure could be dimly seen inside the shell. She rounded her body like a fetus in its mother’s womb, closing both eyes hard.

“W-what’s up with her…!”

The Custodian produced new branches and attacked Maimai. However, the hard shell was unmoving, and the attacking branches just snapped.

“So that shell itself is Maimai’s domain, then. It’s awfully small, but apparently negates all attacks from the outside.”

The Custodian was shaken at Ichiku’s calm words. Perhaps fearing to get closer to them, he surrounded himself with a cage of trees.

“Hmm…! If you come any closer, I’ll tie you up!”

“…”

There was the small sound of dragging.

A small water stream was produced around the shell covering Maimai. With the width of only a single meter, the large snail shell began moving toward it.

Slowly, even slower than a child’s steps, the shell was moving—toward the direct opposite direction from the restrained Arisu and Ichiku.

“Haha… ahahaha!”

Seeing the shell slowly, slowly sliding away, the Custodian burst laughing.

“So you’re going to run away after all! Even though I told you there’s nowhere to run to! This girl’s leaving her friends behind and running!”

Receiving the branches’ attacks, the large shell fell to the ground with a thud. It slowly rose up and slowly ran away again.

“Uh… egh… hee…”

Arisu heard those sobs through her earphones.

Maimai’s face was barely visible from outside the shell. A lone tear fell on the cheek of the face that looked like she was sleeping.

“I-I’m sorry, Arisu-san… I’m, scared… Sorry I can’t do anything… ugh… ehh…”

“…”

Arisu bit her lips. She looked at Maimai who was still sobbing while trying to escape.

“D-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan… even if you run away now, you definitely have a bright future… next time, for sure… tomorrow for sure… uugh… eh…”

“Haha!”

The Custodian’s attacks continued insistently. The branch attacks made her fall and roll around as if playing with her, and when the Custodian saw her sluggishly rising up again he laughed.

“It’s simply a really dense domain. Without any medium, it probably wouldn’t last for long.”

Arisu moved just her face to gaze at Ichiku who spoke as if none of this had anything to do with him.

“Watch closely, Ichinokuro Arisu.”

Ichiku Mikitaka, the man leading the whole SEPB, looked at Arisu, asserting with scorn.

“This is a Mushitsuki.”

Arisu widened her eyes.

“I said that Maimai can’t do anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s only her. Just by virtue of being Mushitsuki… every single one of them is the same.”

“…”

“You’ve seen her all day. Harboring a wish while forgetting one’s position leads to doubt, the inability to find anything, loss and then finally to escape. —All Mushitsuki are the same. They can’t do anything. No wish of theirs will come true. They’re the embodiment of futility. Even their existence has no meaning. Seeing those unshapely creatures, it makes me even abhor them.”

Arisu fell a chill run through her spine.

Ichiku Mikitaka showed some emotions for the first time.

And what he felt was—hatred.

As if it precipitated for long months and years in the depths of his heart, solidifying to pitch-black loathing.

Every part of him, whether the eyes glaring at Arisu, the voice wrung out from him, from his fingertips to the top of his head, the young man’s entire body was permeated in unfathomable hatred.

“I loathe Mushitsuki.”

The pure anger Arisu had never felt before solidified with the man’s words.

“Even death is too good for them.”

It was completely different from the flaming fury that she’d felt from Harukiyo before.

An anger which was dark, gloomy, and could never be purified—

“Pity I’ll allow. —However, if any person wanted to save Mushitsuki, I myself would consume them.”

It was a warning—most likely.

Telling her to not get involved with Mushitsuki anymore.

The man who possessed the most power within the SEPB said this to Arisu.

If she ignored his warning, the entirety of the SEPB would become her enemy.

Even the Mushitsuki stronger than anyone, Kusuriya Daisuke, was a subordinate of that powerful organization, so Arisu knew she had no chance against it.

“…Nngh!”

Arisu struggled against the vines restraining her.

“Ngaaah!”

Just moving her wrists took everything she had. Mustering her strength, she threw the Morpho butterfly spear with just her wrists.

“—Idiot.”

Ichiku’s mumble overlapped with a great noise.

“Wha…!”

Turning into a line of silver light, the spear pierced the Custodian’s head—no, it grazed Maimai and hit the tree behind her.

For an instant the jungle scenery distorted. Inside the jungle, a large hole opened up in the tree pierced by the spear, and a familiar scenery spread behind it.

It was the apartment’s lobby.

Even while clicking his tongue, the Custodian sneered.

“Are you glad you were finally able to throw your weapon? If you’d attacked me, you might have managed to beat me, though. —Well, I’d have been able to easily dodge it, though.”

Arisu also hadn’t fought many Mushitsuki until now just for show. She noticed that the further away one was from the Custodian in the jungle he created, the less plants he could control.

Trying to show as if the jungle spread around endlessly was probably also meant to cover for that weak point. Now she was convinced that the further they got, the less control he had over his domain.

“Run, Maimai—”

Letting go of the Morpho butterfly spear and becoming powerless, Arisu’s body was strung up by the vines.

“Run away… and call Daisuke.”

“…!”

She could feel Maimai was shaken.

Ichiku made a bored-sounding sigh.

“It’s useless. Do you really think we can stay alive until Kakkou comes here?”

“Please, Maimai.”

“Uuh…”

Leaking a sob, Maimai started moving again. She sluggishly advanced toward the hole where the lobby was visible.

“Daisuke would definitely find a way to save us.”

She knew his strength more than anyone.

If it was that boy, who was stronger than anyone—he should be able to save them even from this deadlock.

They only knew each other for a short while, but after walking this path with him, he made Arisu believe in him so.

“Ueh… eh… d-don’t mind it, Maimai-chan, tomorrow your bright future will definitely… ugh… Kakkou-san can definitely…”

“Kakkou, huh. That might be bad for me. I’ll just kill those remaining and run away.”

He apparently wasn’t even looking at Maimai anymore. Speaking with a light tone, the Custodian turned to look at Arisu and Ichiku. The power of the vines constricting her strengthened.

“So you’re going to die for a Mushitsuki… and for that kind of brat. For simple pity.”

“…This isn’t… pity…”

“Ehh… uugh…”

“You don’t even know anything about Maimai’s life, and you’re not even a Mushitsuki. Since you don’t even understand her, do you have any reason to save her other than pity?”

“A reason… I do have one…”

“Tomorrow for sure… my, bright future… uugh…”

Even while her face distorted, she smiled. Her lungs were constricted so she couldn’t even breathe properly.

“Because I like her.”

“…!”

Maimai reached the hole.

“It’s amazing how she always does her best…”

Lacking oxygen, her vision became blurry.

Ichiku Mikitaka looked at Arisu with a cold face.

The Custodian was engrossed in playing and torturing the groaning Arisu.

Because of that—only Arisu saw what happened next.

She smiled happily.

“Right… Ichiku Mikitaka—thanks to you… I finally understand…”

“…?”

Ichiku raised a brow against the paling Arisu.

“Try to guess what I’m trying to say… if you can, that is…”

“’You’re right, dying for Mushitsuki is stupid. Please save me’, right?”

Wrong.

Arisu too was human. There was a part of her that really feared death.

However, seeing what happened in front of her, a feeling much stronger than that welled up from inside her.

“I’ll never understand you…”

Certainly—Ichiku Mikitaka might have been right.

Perhaps Mushitsuki could only cling to a large dream, lose their way and never have it come true.

However—there were those who were not trying to lose.

There were Mushitsuki who kept walking forward without running away.

Arisu’s friend, Hanashiro Mari, had lost her life while doing that—but there were other Mushitsuki who tried finding what she was dreaming of together.

On the way to fulfill her simple wish to know of Mari’s desires, Arisu had met many Mushitsuki—and before she noticed they were not merely “on the way” anymore.

“…!”

Ichiku Mikitaka and the Custodian.

They both turned at the same time.

“Uuuuh…!”

The pure-white shell was now approaching Arisu.

“Uuuh… eh… hic…!”

Without anyone noticing.

Even if her steps were awfully slow.

She looked as though she would soon withdraw back if one touched her horns, just like a cowardly snail, but even so she was advancing toward Arisu slowly but surely.

“You…!”

The Custodian hurriedly sent an attack at Maimai. He tried stabbing her with sharp branches and constricting her with ivy.

However, Maimai’s walk did not stop. Whenever she fell she rose again, she tore through the vines, and she slowly, sluggishly slithered her way to Arisu.

Finally, the white shell touched Arisu’s body.

“Uuuuh…! My bright future! Is right in front of my eyes!!!”

The vines wrapped around Arisu raised a scream.

Forcing its way past the vines, the shell’s charge tore them one by one.

“Tch!”

The Custodian looked anxious. He created a huge tree and brought it down on Maimai.

The jungle shook.

“Waaah!”

Maimai’s willpower reached its limits at last. Being crushed by the tree that weighed dozens of tons, the white shell finally broke.

As Maimai collapsed, Arisu covered her. Perhaps because she also protected Arisu from the tree’s weight, blood was dripping down her forehead.

“Shit… that’s enough, I’ll just kill all of you!”

He probably could no longer afford to toy with them. The Custodian shouted, assaulting Arisu and the rest with a concentrated tree attack.

However, the next instant a blowing storm of silver scales blew away the verdant trees.

“I simply—”

Arisu’s hands, released from the vines, were grasping the spear transformed by the Morpho butterfly. —Maimai had picked up the rod and brought it back to her.

“Love Mushitsuki.”

While enveloped in scales, she looked at Ichiku Mikitaka.

The cold-faced young man said the exact opposite of Arisu.

That he hated Mushitsuki.

But Arisu did not think so.

The Mushitsuki she’d met so far…

They had dreams, hesitated, and—were still dreaming. And she loved them for this. All of them were fighting and trying to push forward.

“Even if they get lost, even if they get hurt, even if they’re cowards… I love the Mushitsuki who so desperately try taking steps forward.”

Even her late friend had definitely been like that.

She was convinced of it.

“There’s no doubt that Mari too was such a Mushitsuki.”

A silver pattern rose on the smiling Arisu’s body. One hand and one leg—although the fusion with the Morpho butterfly was imperfect, the scales released from Arisu instantly boiled away the trees pressing on them.

Arisu turned to face the Custodian.

“Cancel your ability.”

“Uh—”

The difference in power was evident. The Custodian himself probably felt it as well.

“I don’t want to turn anyone into a Fallen… but if you keep attacking us, I’ll make it painful for you.”

Mushitsuki were all fighting against something—

Who was it that said this?

She didn’t want a needless fight, but if she had to fight in order to understand Mushitsuki, Arisu would not run away anymore.

“…Shit!”

The Custodian’s cussing voice became the signal of surrender. The trees around stopped moving.

“I never heard about such a powerful Mushitsuki being after me. That tenant bastard definitely isn’t worth it…”

“That bastard?”

“Huh? What, are you not looking for—”

In the middle of his words the Custodian suddenly raised his face. He quickly paled.

“What’s wrong?”

“The heck’s this…”

Furrowing her brows, Arisu followed the boy’s line of sight.

Seeing it, she was speechless.

The jungle created by the Custodian was being buried by black objects.

Looking closely, these were innumerable swarms of little beetles. Their short and stout bodies had eight, short legs and they were covered in a tough carapace.

This dreadfully large swarm started biting, devouring and eating each and every tree in the jungle with great momentum.

“…Idiot.”

Arisu turned around and widened her eyes.

Ichiku Mikitaka.

Even the vines tying the man who served as the Director of the SEPB were being torn and eaten by the black Mushi.

No.

The black Mushi covering their sight…

The atypical-looking tardigrades all came from the young man called Ichiku Mikitaka.

“Hanashiro Mari had once ignored my warning.”

With a cold expression, Ichiku Mikitaka began walking.

Being pierced by that excessively cold gaze, Arisu couldn’t move a muscle while hugging Maimai.

A step.

Another step.

Every time Ichiku Mikitaka stepped forward, the swarm of tardigrades ate the jungle.

“The proof of that is her leaving the Mushi to you.”

Arisu’s heart made a giant leap. Great fear circulated her entire body, even piercing her brain.

As Arisu stood still, taking ragged breaths, Ichiku Mikitaka passed her. Kuha, as he opened his mouth to exhale, she saw a glimpse of his sharp canones.

“However, soon… I will give Hanashiro Mari one more chance to choose.”

He was probably laughing at her. Leaving this low mumble behind, the young man passed in front of the dazed Arisu.

“Uwaaah!!!”

Ichiku was progressing toward the Custodian. The remaining trees reached with their branches and pierced the young man.

“Uh—”

The branch certainly did pierce through the young man’s living flesh. His limbs and chest and even his face were stabbed by the hard branches. His skin was torn, his flesh scraped off, his bones broken.

However, what flowed out of his wounds was not blood.

It was a stream of tardigrades.

The Mushi overflowing from his body started covering his damaged parts, flexibly changing their bodies, and transforming into the lost organs. It was much more grotesque than anything Arisu had seen before—and caused her unimaginable horror.

“Immortality or death—I will have her choose again which she would drink, the angel’s medicine or the devil’s medicine.”

Supplementing his body and eating the branches, the tardigrades fell from Ichiku’s body. They joined their brethren Mushi to keep eating the jungle.

“…!”

In the end, they managed to devour the entire jungle. The moment the scenery returned to being that of the lobby from before, the host fainted and bent backwards.

The boy who became Fallen collapsed on the apartment’s lobby with a thud.

“Me and Hanashiro Mari were similar… but you’re the exact opposite, Ichinokuro Arisu.”

Wearing his sunglasses, Ichiku Mikitaka walked toward the exit.

“You should thank Hanashiro Mari for surviving today.”

He left with a cool face as though nothing happened, until she couldn’t see him anymore—

Arisu was still slightly shaking, unable to move a single step from the spot.

Part 3

“—Hah! Hah!”

Perhaps even her breathing had stopped.

Sinking on the lobby’s floor, Arisu sent a mouthful of oxygen to her lungs. Her entire body was leaking cold sweat.

It was fortunate that Maimai who was collapsed with her was unconscious. If that cowardly girl had seen what just happened, she might have possibly lost her mind.

Even Arisu couldn’t be said to be mentally stable. Her arms hugging Maimai were still shaking. The only reason she hadn’t fallen into panic was because the lobby they returned to had a firm sense of reality. She could just barely cling to the possibility that everything that happened just now was only a nightmare.

“I-Ichiku Mikitaka’s a Mushitsuki…?”

While regulating her breathing, she desperately tried organizing the chaos in her mind.

Looking to the side, she saw the Fallen boy collapsed there. He’d called himself the Custodian.

“The SEPB’s… Director is… a Mushitsuki—”

And not just any Mushitsuki.

Despite having accrued grievous wounds, Ichiku Mikitaka was calm.

It seemed that he was—

“The Undying… Mushitsuki?”

She no longer knew what was what.

She had too little time to regain her calm.

There was a small clunk as the silver rod fell to the ground. Having absolved the fusion, the Morpho butterfly began flying, grazing the ceiling.

As Arisu waited dazzled for her reasoning power to return, she heard a light tone in her ears.

It was her phone’s ringtone, coming through the earphones. Pulling out her cellphone, she switched it from her conversation with Maimai.

“Nihi.”

Once she heard the other party’s characteristic laughter, she immediately realized who it was.

It was a person she’d fought against and now waited for a certain favor after a long time with no communication.

“The Librarian…”

“I’ve found him.”

The woman’s voice spoke without any greeting.

Who exactly had she found—not letting Arisu the time to recall the query, the Librarian gave a certain address and the name of the building there.

“He is being sheltered there.”

“…”

“However, since he’s protected by a certain peculiar Mushitsuki, you might find it hard to handle him. Then again, since he’s not as powerful as me, you should win easily. Nihi.”

“…”

“Are you there? He’s at the highest floor in the building.”

“—I’m there right now.”

Arisu rose to her legs, staggering. She put the still-unconscious Maimai on the floor.

“Eh?”

“Thank you, Librarian.”

After cutting off the call, her body moved on its own. She removed the earphones, and pressed the button of the elevator near her, practically punching it.

She leapt inside as the door opened with a light electronic sound and instantly pressed another button.

The elevator climbed toward the topmost floor.

The name of the building the Librarian had just told her was the same as where Arisu was. Since she’d looked at it before entering, there was no doubt about it.

Leaving the elevator that reached the last floor, she came to the corridor.

The long corridor had only one door other than the elevator’s.

Rushing full speed, she put her hand to the doorknob.

It opened.

Opening the door that even had no lock, she rushed inside with her shoes still on.

She also opened the door at the end of the corridor and the scene immediately jumped to her eyes.

“…”

Arisu narrowed her eyes.

Should she be surprised or angry?

She didn’t know what expression to wear.

The living room had no furniture in it and trash was strewn all around. In its center, on top of the one and only sofa, a shirtless boy was sleeping.

“Harukiyo…”

Seeing the devil of flames sleep like a baby, Arisu ended up naturally—smiling.

Notes

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