[Mushi Uta v0 ] Chapter 1.04: Rina Part 4

She certainly does have the abilities and skills to save everyone else, but ... who's gonna save her??

Enjoy.
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Version: 1.01
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1.04

Rina Part 4



The existence known as (Mushi), which devours human’s dreams, had been concealed by the government from the public.

The organization that they created solely for this, was the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau; An agency that issues trained Mushitsuki to capture or eliminate other Mushitsuki, against whom normal firearms were not very effective against.

And now, in front of Rina appeared a person who claimed to be a member of that Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

A mild-mannered and elegant teenage boy, Mr. Hat House.

“Uu…Ahh…”

Kazufusa suddenly turned pale as his body all stiffened up.

“After all, I have gotten tired of this game of tag. Let us just end it right now.”

On top of the smiling boy’s head, the decoration-like hat suddenly floated. On its smooth surface, a crack appeared, wriggling like a living creature. Looking through the crack, numerous tiny compound eyes could be seen. In addition, sharp fangs grew on the edge of its bottom open hole.

“Nice to meet you, the young lady over there. I’m Kashu level 6 ranked personnel, (Mr.Hat House). I’ve been waiting for the chance for him to be left alone… but it seems like you do not have the intention of leaving his side; that’s why I will have no choice but to eliminate you as well. I can’t leave any witnesses alive after all.”

The abnormal hat began to stretch out like a rubber band, becoming bigger and bigger. It opened its mouth, and stabbed it’s fangs onto the teenage boy’s face as if it was biting him.

From another person's perspective, it looked as if he had pulled the black hat all the way down near his lips. In place of his eyes that were covered, the numerous compound eyes on the hat’s surface stared at Rina’s direction simultaneously.

“Uuaaa!!!”

Kazufusa screamed in panic, before turning around and fleeing.

“Didn’t I say, the chase game is already over?---”

Beneath the hat, a smile began to form from the corner of his lips. He picked up a few stones next to his feet, playfully tossing them into the air, and then catching them. On the teenage boy’s hands --- beneath the skin of his hand, numerous black shadows flashed through. Nematode-like insects quickly moved from the tip of his fingers onto the stones.

“I won’t let you escape.”

Holding onto the stones that were infested by the black-colored nematode, the teenage boy threw them at the direction where Kazufusa was running to.

Right after that --- the light resulting from the big explosions blinded both Rina’s and Kazufusa’s vision. The ground where the stones had landed completely disappeared. In place of them were deep huge ditches one after another.

The weirdo who covered the part of his face above his mouth with a hat, slowly walked towards them.

“Shouldn’t you guys have given up by now? Stop making this look more disgraceful than it should.”

“Uuahh…Ahhhh---“

“Kazufusa!”

Rina pulled Kazufusa’s hand, and ran straight towards the sluice.

Stones immediately followed right after, and exploded all around the running duo.

“Ahh..!Uahhh..! I-It’s over… W-We can’t get away from him…!”

“Idiot! We’ve already come this far, and you’re still thinking about giving up?! Get your (Mushi) out now!”

“Uu-Uuu--”

“If this continues, both of us will get killed! Come on!”

In front of Kazufusa, who was moaning as if he had given up on himself, a small centipede jumped onto the ground. The centipede’s body swelled up in an instant like a balloon, and carried Kazufusa and Rina onto its back. The giant centipede carrying the two children, nimbly passed through the explosions with its limbs.

However, due to them being unable to evade the incoming cement fragments and debris resulted from the explosions and gusts, numerous cuts were carved onto their bodies.

“Uaghh! Uu—“

“Listen to me, Kazufusa! If we can’t get away from him, then all there’s left for us to do is fight back!”

“F-Fight back?! T-That is ---“

That’s impossible! ---

Just when Kazufusa was about to shout that line out, Rina suddenly slapped both of his cheeks with her hands. Facing Kazufusa’s stunned expression, Rina looked straight at him with a firm gaze:

“Do you want to get killed without even trying to do anything? Or are you telling me that, you dare to hit an ordinary girl who’s not even a Mushitsuki, yet you don’t even have the courage to stand and fight against a stronger opponent?! This centipede that was birthed from your dream --- is it something so weak that you can’t even do that?!”

“…!”

“Tell me! Is that dream you harbored--- something that you can easily give up to an end like this?!”

Just then, Mr.Hat House appeared in front of the duo that was gazing at each other.

“I’ll be troubled if this doesn’t come to an end, you know?”

The teenage boy who was hiding his face under the hat, forcefully slapped his hand onto the ground. The black-colored nematode immediately jumped out from underneath his skin and dyed the concrete floor into pitch black.

In an instant, the floor in front swelled up --- and then a big explosion happened.

Rina instinctively shut her eyes tightly, yet the impact that she had expected never came –

For the sake of protecting Kazufusa and Rina, the giant centipede coiled its body around them. The hard carapace on its body bounced away the flying debris, thus dividing the force of the explosion into the surroundings.

“Kazufusa---!”

“I don’t ---!!”

He clenched his teeth before pausing. To avoid the incoming rubble raining from above, the centipede carried them onto its back and moved swiftly once again.

“I don’t want to get killed in such a place…!”

Seeing Kazufusa showing such a desperate expression, Rina could not help but show a shallow smile.

“B-But, how are we going to fight back against such an opponent…?...”

“Listen to me, I have a plan. First, head over to that sluice and then ---“

“Mm, Mhm…Eh? T-That sort of thing, I won’t allow it! Rina you’re not even a Mushitsuki to begin with…!”

“That doesn’t matter!”

Facing the hesitating Kazufusa, Rina continued firmly with a smile:

“We’re doing this together, it doesn’t matter whether I’m a Mushitsuki or not! Or are you trying to say that --- you don’t want to believe in me?”

“…..”

“I wish you can believe in me, just like how I’ve always believed in you!”

Kazufusa bit his lip for a moment before nodding as he refocused his gaze at the sluice.

“Of course I do!”

In the meanwhile, the centipede continued to dodge the storming gale caused by the explosions as it slowly accelerated. Moving its countless wriggling legs towards the opposite direction of (Mr.Hat House) --- gliding towards the sluice that was separating the river into two.

“Still intending on running away eh?”

(Mr.Hat House) heaved a sigh, and started chasing after the centipede.

The centipede that endured the impact from the explosions finally arrived in front of the sluice. It hurriedly carried the two kids on its back and climbed the wall vertically. After having to overcome gravity and reaching the top, it pushed over the fence and went straight for the rooftop.

The rooftop of the old sluice had already become very worn-out from many years’ weathering. Even the fence that the centipede just knocked over was covered in rust; the ground overgrown with moss. The hallway designed for electrical panels and the water meter channel were only wide enough for two adults standing shoulder by shoulder.

(Mr.Hat House), who just climbed up the stairs by himself, was then ambushed by the centipede.

“So you guys were intending to ambush me at such a place huh… how naïve…”

Facing the giant centipede that seems as if it was going to crush his skull --- (Mr.Hat House) casually swung his hand outward. It seemed as if he had used some kind of ability; the centipede’s huge body was instantly knocked back as if it was reflected by a rubber band.

But, ---

“Right now, Rina!”

With Kazufusa’s voice as signal, Rina came out from hiding behind the electrical panel and tackled (Mr.Hat House)’s legs, who was focusing his attention on the centipede in the moment.

“What---!”

(Mr.Hat House)’s surprised shout, was erased by the gale.

Without the slightest hesitation, Rina leaped into the air together with (Mr.Hat House).

Through the fence that the centipede had knocked over, both Rina and (Mr.Hat House) fell towards the ground at the same time.

“----“

The fierce wind that was blowing against her face, and the sense of liberation from gravity which embraced her, the Rina whom was free falling in the air recalled of the memories that happened a few days ago. The feeling that she had when she jumped down from the roof with her childhood acquaintance, a silent pleasure that was exactly the same compared to what she was feeling right now.

Since that time, she began to have this thought ---

If she had just thrown away everything, and flew to somewhere distant --- then she would be free.

As long as she continued to fly towards that endless horizon ---

One day, she would definitely ---

“….!”

While sinking into the pleasure of free falling, Rina’s body suddenly stopped moving in midair.

The reason for that was because the centipede had caught Rina with its body. It stretched its thick body like a bridge hooked onto the sluice’s gate, and caught the falling Rina in a nick of time

“Wooahhh!”

On the other hand, (Mr.Hat House) fell hard into the river. Due to the sluice being closed, the cement bed of the reduced-current river could be seen.

Rina and Kazufusa furrowed their faces simultaneously when they saw (Mr.Hat House) fall onto the cement river bed with such force.

The assassin of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau did not move at all after that. His body followed the shallow stream, and started floating along.

“W-We…did it?...”

Right when Rina had come back onto the rooftop, Kazufasa was standing with a stunned expression of disbelief. His eyes were gazing at the body of (Mr.Hat House) who slowly floated downstream.

“R-Really…? Did…we really win…?”

“Yup! We did it!”

Rina showed a bright smile, Kazufusa seemed to have also finally felt relieved.

“Ah-Aha! Wooo! We won---!”

“See?! Didn’t I tell you, we can definitely do it!”

“M-Mhm!”

The two of them immersed themselves in the joy of a great victory, and celebrated for quite a while on the sluice’s rooftop.

After laughing till exhaustion, the two of them sat down back to back against each other, indulging in the after breeze of a complete victory.

“I-I still can’t believe it, the fact that we defeated such a terrifying opponent…”

“No matter what kind of enemy comes in our way down the road, we will definitely win! Because we are strong!”

“……Mm.”

“Even though we are just kids right now, as we grow… and become adults, we will become even stronger.”

“Mm…Mmm.”

Hearing the excited voice replying from behind, Rina slowly shifted her gaze down at the floor.

Her chest was aching as if it was being strangled tightly.

“You think --- you can escape on your own from now on?...”

Looking back down at the ground that was blasted into a mess from the explosions, numerous cars could be seen driving in their direction.

“Eh?...W-What’s up with those cars?! SEPB again?!”

“No, it seems like they’re here for me.”

Rina bit her lips after replying.

No matter where they go.

No matter where it leads them, she wants to keep on running.

The feelings she held when she spoke those words, were definitely her real wishes.

But --- at the same time, she knew that it was something that will never come true.

There was no way that she could escape under her father’s eyes.

Needless to mention police, the fact that even the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau this kind of secret government agency was under his influence --- She had already expected it.

No, other than that, there was one more reason as to why Rina could never escape.

And that --- was the existence of her mother.

“I’m going home.”

Rina stood up, and brushed away the dirt on her waist. Kazufusa stood up along with her, gazing at Rina while making mumbling noises as if he wanted to say something.

“Someone is waiting for me, that’s why I can’t leave that person behind and just go…”

The fact that she couldn’t bring herself to leave her mother behind --- she was already well aware of it since the beginning.

During the past few days she was absent from home, she hoped that her mother made up her mind to separate from her father.

Seeing the Rina who showed a bright smile to cheer him up, Kazufusa bit his lips as if he was feeling reluctant to part ways. But soon, he raised his head with an expression filled with determination and smiled:

“Thank you, Rina…… Because you were with me, I …“

“Even though I don’t know when can we meet again, you have to fight on! Don’t lose!”

“…Mm!”

The Mushitsuki boy that was saved because of Rina, showed his brightest smile ever.



Right after Rina sat into the car, the sound of the door closing next to her came.

The luxury car carrying Rina quietly left the sluice she was just at.

“……”

Turning her head to look at the sluice, she could see a figure of a boy standing on the rooftop, watching her getting further away. In order to make things more complicated than it is, Rina told Kazufusa to momentarily hide over there.

When they were bidding farewell, Hibino Kazufusa showed a smile --- the terrified expression that she had seen before was now nowhere to be found.

With this, Rina had saved another person.

And this time, it was a Mushitsuki.

In addition, she had saved “two people” at once.

Her heart was filled with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

The two who have now obtained their freedom, they would definitely be able to continue their escape.

No matter where they go.

No matter where it leads them.

This made Rina feel happier than ever.

“Master has taken a break from work, and already came home.”

Even after hearing the driver’s sudden line, Rina still put up a smile.

She had already saved them, there’s nothing that could change that.

But ---

Just thinking about the fact that she would soon return to her enraged father’s side, Rina subconsciously tightened her fists.

Even though she had already prepared for this when she made her decision to run away ---

Even so, she could feel her heart gradually sinking, while slowly being dyed into pitch black.

“…..”

Wearing a mask-like smile on her face, Rina once again returned to the tiny birdcage.


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Thank you for reading~
Feel free to leave comments for any questions or feedback~


Poor Rina T^T... I really hope her dad can juz drop dead man, I really do.