Mushi Uta:Volume 9 Chapter 5
5.00 Payment[edit]
There was a change in the girl it was watching over.
She was degraded, she was dejected, and she was supposed to have been knocked down.
She was supposed to sink to the depths of despair just like it did.
However, the girl overcame it.
What had happened to her? It couldn’t understand.
There was only one thing for certain. Passing from despair to hope there was a large change—a paradigm shift.
Even while looking down from the high skies, the girl’s change was clear. Neither her appearance nor actions differed from before, but now there was a powerful will in her eyes. She had broken her past self that just ran away from everything and now had a powerful resolve to never run again.
Watching over her for a while after that, she started to move.
In the white limousine it’d seen before.
It kept following her from the air while she moved a large, large, large distance.
While flying through the heavens, it felt a déjà vu at the scenery.
Oh, I see. It’s this road—
The route it’d once taken.
A road it had come to while jubilant at its transient freedom and dreaming about flying all around the world.
Led by the girl’s white limousine, it finally returned whence it came.
When it could see the familiar sea far ahead, it was convinced.
Why had it been drawn to this girl?
Enclosure, Bubble, and Paradigm Shift—
Becoming surrounded and impounded, bursting after an overblown valuation, and calling forth the great revolution.
That was exactly the same as those that had been swept by these three phenomena, including itself.
Or not.
Its own Paradigm Shift was not yet complete.
It didn’t overcome it as well.
Even while it was flying around here, it hadn’t yet retrieved its freedom.
That was why it returned.
Even if one couldn’t escape despair, simply running away would never solve anything.
It had to overcome it, just like that girl.
Overcome the era—
Overcome despair—
And it returned to itself in the truest sense.
5.01 Shiika The Last[edit]
“’I have acquired Sanbikime, y’all’—”
Inside the limousine, Ikarino Kirari said this.
“That is the message from Shirakashi Ubuki-san. There’s also one from Ebina Yuu-san.”
For Shiika, these messages from her friends were, above all else, reassuring.
“’It looks like it’ll take a bit of time for Sanbikime to wake up, so you do your best as well, Shiika-san’.”
Kirari raised an index finger, putting it on her lip.
“Actually, since a certain someone told me not to reveal anything about Sanbikime, this is a secret.”
She was happy.
Ubuki and Yuu were both safe, and both were even now continuing to fight—
Even afar, they walked the same path.
What on earth lay ahead on that path? Until they found out, everyone would continue walking.
“Pochi’s funeral is over.”
“…Right.”
Nanana’s reply to the secretary’s words was brief. Apparently, the boy’s real name was engraved on the tombstone. Nanana didn’t tell Shiika that name.
“Shiika, do you know about Oogui’s power?”
Nanana’s question made Shiika tilted her head.
Did those Original Three have any power other than giving birth to Mushitsuki?
“…Well, even if you don’t know, we still have to defeat that thing.”
Saying this, she looked outside the window as if recalling something.
“If you intend on ending this, gather allies. More, more. After all, someone gave me the chance for that time that would come one day…”
With that, Nanana spoke no further about Oogui. Shiika thought it strange, but she nodded. If she said so, she had to have a reason.
Outside the window, several sceneries flowed by.
Sea and mountain, towns, all were left in the distance behind.
Not only the limousine was running on the road. Ahead and behind it was accompanied by cars painted in black and some helicopters were also following from above.
The drive that seemed like it would continue forever finally reached its destination.
After leaving the Akasegawa Offices early morning and going straight without any stops, it was already sunset when they reached the place.
The pure red sun was sinking into the sea that expanded ahead.
A small fishing harbor was there.
It was probably a long time since it was last used. The ground made of poor-quality asphalt was cracked. Entering the pier, they could see the wharf meant for ships to land was broken. Half of the fishing boats there sunk and the gantry crane near the wharf was rusted black. Even Shiika, a complete amateur, could see that the ships and crane were old.
Even the town they passed on their way there did not seem to have many people living in it. Perhaps they could no longer catch any fish there, or else there were large fishing wharfs built elsewhere. No one would even think of this place, so utterly bereft of any human presence.
“This is…?”
Going down from the limousine, Shiika looked around her. The scent of the sea stimulated her nostrils and she could hear the cries of waterfowl from the calm sea.
The wharf also had an old open storage yard and container port. A bit further was a line of warehouses. All of them were completely rusted and were on the edge of ruin.
“Apparently so. Yahah, it smells so salty.”
While spinning her stick, Nanana walked here and there with her pump heels clacking.
Shiika, Nanana, the secretary and Kirari—these four people got off the limousine. After them many other figures also did.
The wheelchair-bound Munakata Kaiji was also there. After Shiika scolding him about everything that happened and asking Nanana to let him attend, she agreed as a matter of course. She came to know that Munakata was being slowly afflicted by an illness immediately after the auction’s end. Now his wheelchair even had an attached IV drip.
Other than Munakata, Aijisupa, Namie, Halensis, Lucifera, the pierced boy and even Chouya Nihei who barely survived the ordeal were there. “Wow! This is so authentic!” the cowardly merchant’s voice echoed on the wharf.
Once, it was probably swarming with people.
However, no trace of that remained on this wharf.
“He’s here.”
Looking toward the edge of the wharf, Munakata announced that person’s arrival.
Dragging his weathered shoes behind him, the shabby-looking auctioneer appeared.
While spinning her stick, Nanana stepped ahead.
“I apologize to have kept you waiting, Akasegawa Nanana-sama…”
“Forget about the greetings. Where is Alpha?”
“Of course, he is nearby… however, before that—”
The auctioneer Sotheby bowed deeply toward Nanana.
“I would like for you to pay…”
“Fine. Take it.”
Nanana raised her stick.
Next to Shiika, the secretary put a wireless device to her ears. Receiving their orders, all helicopters descended from above at once.
The wind and noise made by their propellors enveloped the wharf.
And—
“Ooh… oh—”
Sotheby looked at the sky, raising a voice of ecstasy.
The sky of the wharf was filled with shining objects.
The gold nuggets carried by the helicopters were raining down on them.
The golden rain reflecting sunlight poured on the harbor.
“Bfft… bwahaha! I do thank you for your patronage, Akasegawa Nanana-sama!”
Blessed by the gold, Sotheby shook with delight.
Shiika, Munakata and the rest of Mushibane watched over him with cold eyes. Chouya Nihei alone groaned, “Wah… what a waste.”
As the helicopters finished their business and left, Nanana narrowed one eye.
While the helicopters finishing their business were leaving, Nanana narrowed one eye.
“Bfft… bwaha—please go that way. It is right there!”
Sotheby looked like he was trying to soak up the rain of gold until the very last drop. Spreading both arms excitedly, he pointed at the furthest warehouse.
“Yahah.”
Nanana started walking toward there.
Shiika also followed the girl, but she suddenly stopped.
“…”
As Shiika turned, her vision was once again filled with gold.
Although the gold nuggets supposedly fell to the ground, they now blew around like a storm with Sotheby in the center. Even his torn clothes had golden strings in them. Surrounded by the wind of gold, Sotheby’s clothes sparkled.
Seeing Sotheby—a Mushitsuki that used the medium of gold—Shiika bit her lips.
“All this time… all this time me and Christy have kept guarding this thing… while slowly, slowly making the walls thicker… but—“
Sotheby spoke. That voice was undoubtedly filled with murderous impulse toward Shiika and the rest.
“My hatred toward Alpha kept growing and growing, and now it reached past the point it could be suppressed…”
Sotheby’s form wrapped by the golden glow resembled that of Christy when she was clad in the darkness. He pressed closer to them, ready for an attack at any time.
“If you’re prepared to welcome him, be resolved to destroy the world…”
Aijisupa and the rest of Mushibane made no move.
Munakata and the secretary said nothing, just looking at Sotheby.
All were calm and silently watching the storm of gold.
Nanana laughed.
“You realize your actions and words don’t match? Aren’t you the one who led us to him?”
Sotheby was silent.
“All that money’s yours. Congratulations for your comeback.”
“…”
“—I will not pity you. You’ve experienced Enclosure, Bubble and Paradigm Shift. You should have had countless chances to notice this.”
“…”
“No matter how much money you gather, you will never be able to buy her that dress.”
The body of Sotheby wrapped in gold shook.
Clear droplets gathered at his feet.
—He said it… That he will allow me to, once again, wear a beautiful dress…
When Shiika had told Nanana about Christy, the girl grimaced as if this was about her.
And she told Shiika what actions Sotheby would make.
Everything now happened just as Nanana predicted it would.
“—”
Seeing the auctioneer, Shiika bit her lips.
Nanana’s words were like a spell. As if she used a curse to turn him into stone, Sotheby didn’t move a muscle.
That was—the end.
The storm of gold nuggets kept blowing around the wharf. But Sotheby just kept shedding tears from his face hidden by the hood, making no move at all. She felt like she could see a rusty prosthetic arm from within the holes in his sleeves.
Once a member of the Round Table, Alpha’s “lookout”, and an auctioneer.
The man who wore several shabby masks kept standing with the gold around him.
“You can’t make that face.”
Nanana lightly tapped Shiika’s shoulder as she was standing frozen just like Sotheby.
“It’s much too early to stop in place again.”
Nanana turned her body and started walking.
The amount she paid to Sotheby was more than half of her own personal funds. To retrieve the portion she lost, she would probably undergo many challenges.
But the magician’s gait was light. As if she was just talking a walk on the beach, she spun her stick and went ahead.
“—Yeah.”
Shiika nodded.
Glancing at Sotheby who let himself drown in a sea of gold—Shiika, too, turned on her heels.
Her Mushibane comrades waited for Shiika to slowly walk to them.
Nanana, Munakata, and Nihei also watched her.
Those three merchants were all completely different in their ways of thinking and living until the very end.
However—
All three of them were there right now.
Nihei decided to keep acting with Mushibane from now on and Munakata apparently decided to retire from the frontlines and undergo treatment.
And Nanana—would become Mushibane’s patron instead of Munakata.
She wouldn’t treat Mushitsuki as commodities. She said that she would watch over the fight of Mushitsuki by being along with Shiika and the rest.
The Paradigm Shift from over ten years ago.
Nanana said that the era changed from the tumultuous time.
From a world without Mushitsuki to a world where you could live with Mushitsuki—
That great change was continuing even now.
“Well then—“
Shiika stopped Nanana from getting closer with her hand.
“—”
Something came down from above Shiika’s head.
That was—an “Eye”.
She couldn’t think of any other way to describe that object.
Inside the fragments split like an insect’s compound eyes was a human pupil. Those fragments were all clustered together, connected by red strings that resembled veins.
The pupil goggled around, reflecting Shiika’s face.
Both looked at one another from up-close.
The Eye moved.
Ignoring gravity to float, it flew toward the warehouse.
Shiika had a hunch that she knew what it was.
“—I’m going to greet him.”
Shiika smiled to Nanana and Mushibane and followed after the Eye.
Passing over the wreckage of chapped asphalt, she followed the Eye to the warehouse ahead.
She couldn’t see any difference from the other warehouses. It was made of reinforced concrete and was about as large as an elementary school gym. Its paint was peeled and the roof was red with rust.
Suddenly.
She noticed a crack on a part of it.
There was a hole in the wall of concrete. Its size was just about enough for the Eye floating near Shiika to pass through it.
Creak—the crack moved.
Although it looked no different from the other warehouses around, Shiika standing in front of it felt her heart hasten.
Inside it there was something.
It was crowded to the extent it looked like it could rip at any moment.
—Alpha’s hatred will continue increasing; even now he is beyond his seal…
Recalling Sotheby’s words, Shiika realized.
Why did that auctioneer betray the Round Table now?
Why did he look to sell Alpha in the form of the auction now of all times?
That reason was probably within that crack.
Even now something was growing inside, trying to break its seal—
“…”
Shiika softly touched the door.
That was all it took.
The wall of the warehouse had countless cracks running through it.
As if she’d pressed some sort of switch, those cracks made the wall crumble—
“…!”
When the warehouse wall was destroyed Shiika’s hair was blown back.
Eyes, eyes and more eyes—
The swarm of hundreds, thousands, millions of Eyes flew outside to the wharf.
Behind the released eyes—inside the warehouse enclosed in darkness, she felt like she could see a different kind of Eyes, ones of a red color.
Is this the real body—
She only thought so for a moment. The Eyes flying out to the island all emitted a light.
As if trembling at their happiness of freedom.
As if scared of the light that they saw for the first time in a while.
The tens of thousands of Eyes started rampaging and destroying the wharf.
The mighty Eyes attacking one by one changed the shape of the wharf within seconds. They broke the asphalt, destroyed the other warehouses, and caused tremors big enough to change the terrain itself.
That was—a curse.
Alpha’s hatred.
Just like Sotheby and Christy said.
If these many Eyes were unleashed into the world and went wild—she couldn’t even imagine the number of victims. —Despite these apprehensions, the Eyes tried taking off to the sky.
However—
“Break…”
The snow pouring from the sky struck down the mad dance of the Eyes.
Destruction and destruction clashed, and the grating sound of space creaking echoed throughout the entire wharf.
One after another the Eyes were exterminated and Shiika approached the warehouse little by little.
“Please, don’t be scared—”
Shiika’s snow kept falling on the warehouse and pushing back the Eyes.
The outer wall was already completely destroyed, and the facility inside was revealed.
Shiika didn’t know what it was, but apparently the entire warehouse was some sort of apparatus. The steel and concrete camouflaging it as a warehouse were gone, and the exposed thick power lines and metal frames were blown away with sparks.
There was something like a tank. Although there was liquid inside, most of its contents were air. Or perhaps it was simply broken and the colorless, transparent liquid boiled away.
She recalled what Nanana and Munakata said.
They said that the Round Table used their exorbitant member fees to pay for something. Thinking about those words, the swarm of machines that Shiika could see—looked like a large life preservation device.
“I’m just like you—”
Withstanding the Eyes’ attacks.
Pushing it back.
Even while feeling her Mushi urgently eating away her dream.
Shiika slowly advanced to the back.
Notes[edit]
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