The bushi forcibly hauled away all the rioters and took them down for interrogation.
The onlookers patted their chests, hearts still thumping with lingering fear. They looked up at the starry sky above.
Thankfully, no beautiful pink meteors had come crashing down.
The fate of the Kabane back at Aragane Station remained vivid in their memories.
"Lord Shunsuke, was that woman also your arrangement? How foolish! If she truly injured Misono Mika, we would all be finished!"
Three men stealthily emerged from the crowd and approached the man with the stubbled face.
"Shut your mouths! I want control over the Kotetsujo's power, not a VIP pass to the afterlife. Why do you think I specifically arranged for you to defend Misono Mika's reputation?!"
Kawakami Shunsuke rebuked them with a darkened face.
The three men exchanged glances, realizing he wasn't someone so brainless after all.
"Then what should we do now? Among those currently detained, five are our people. If someone leaks our names..."
One of them spoke with a face full of worry. The other two also looked troubled.
Shunsuke stared at them with a gloomy expression, his voice raspy. "That is not the problem we should worry about right now! Misono Mika has already set her sights on us. She might have even sensed our purpose long ago, and that madwoman just happened to assassinate her at this time.
"Even though it has nothing to do with us, do you think Misono Mika will let us off easily after such a thing happened?"
To drag them further into the depths with him, Shunsuke spoke with a mixture of truth and lies.
"This..."
The three looked at each other. Seeing their hesitation, Shunsuke snorted coldly. "Don't forget the reason we targeted that woman, Kajika, in the first place."
The reason was simple: placing their lives in the hands of an unknown woman was something they wouldn't easily agree to, even if they weren't vying for power.
Yet the root of the problem lay with Misono Mika.
Because her methods were too ruthless—to find and punish the culprit who harmed her, she chose the fastest and most effective solution.
By killing everyone, the culprit would receive their due punishment.
This approach, more decisive than executing an entire clan, made the three men standing opposite Shunsuke break into a cold sweat.
"What should we do now, Lord Shunsuke?"
Knowing they weren't far from death, the three panicked and lost their composure.
"Don't panic. Since we are still fine now, it means Misono Mika doesn't plan to be too heartless yet. Perhaps there are still people on the Kotetsujo she cares about."
Seeing that these three were successfully baited, Shunsuke's expression turned fierce. "This is good news. Why don't we go all the way? We'll bind the lives of everyone on the Kotetsujo to our own and force Misono Mika to back down. Even if we fail, we can pull so many people down to the grave with us. It's not a loss!"
This was his final means of survival. If he failed, he would drag everyone down anyway; either way, he wouldn't lose out.
The three understood this logic. Since they would be liquidated by Misono Mika sooner or later, they might as well make one last desperate gamble!
If they won, everyone would be happy. They might be hunted by Misono Mika, but they could cling to life for a bit longer.
If they lost, it still wasn't a loss! There would be plenty of company on the road to the land of the dead.
"Shunsuke, what should we do next?"
"Find a few trusted people to plant explosives on the Kotetsujo. Make sure no word of this leaks. In the meantime, I will use my status to cover for you..."
Shunsuke whispered the detailed tasks for each of the three. Regardless of the outcome, this was their final madness.
★ ★ ★
"Phew, Kajika's skill is unexpectedly good. Can you teach me?"
Misono Mika set down her bowl and chopsticks, breathing a sigh of relief.
As the hot soup entered her stomach, her entire belly felt warm, and even her mood improved significantly. It felt as if she had endless strength in her body—fully resurrected.
"Of course I can," Kajika nodded in agreement.
"Then teach me how to make grilled fish first!"
Mika pulled a lively, flopping fish from her backpack module and, under Kajika's guidance, completed the simple preparation. Then, she started holding it over the fire.
"Lady Mika! Don't put it too close, it will burn..."
"It's... it's on fire..."
"...It's okay, we can take it slow."
"Again!"
Mika didn't believe she could be so clumsy as to fail at the simplest cooking! She took out another fish and, under Kajika's frantic guidance, finally managed to keep it from catching fire.
To the side, Mumei cupped her face in her hands. She turned to look at Mika, who was showing a rare clumsy side, and couldn't help but ask, "Um... are we really not going to investigate personally?"
"There's no need. As time passes, those hiding in the shadows won't be able to help but jump out themselves. We just need to wait patiently."
After preparing the fish in her hand, Mika reminded Mumei, "Those people will likely make a move soon. You can go warn Miss Ayame, or call Ikoma and the others to help."
"Then... what about you, Lady Mika?"
"As you can see, I'll be here learning to cook with Kajika, waiting for your good news."
Mika looked back at Mumei. Seeing her expression of wanting to ask but not daring to, Mika chuckled. "I never said I wouldn't do anything. But if I move now, those guys hiding in the dark won't dare show their heads. We mustn't alert the enemy. As they say, the hero always appears at the last moment. I'll help you guys at the most critical time."
'I just don't know how many people Kawakami Shunsuke will drag down with him.'
However, it was certain that Shunsuke likely wouldn't let anyone go who was involved in the plot against her. One more person meant one more pair of hands, and if they failed, one more person to take with him.
Therefore, she couldn't put too much pressure on Shunsuke. Forcing him to fight her to the death prematurely would be more trouble than it was worth.
"I understand what you mean. I'll go find Miss Ayame right now."
Mumei suddenly understood. Misono Mika was casting a long line to catch the big fish, so she couldn't act lightly lest she startle them.
Knowing she had Mika as a backer gave Mumei a boost of confidence. She stood up quickly and headed toward Ayame Yomogawa's position without delay.
On the way, Mumei couldn't help but glance at Shino, who was chatting and laughing with others in the crowd. She moved her lips but ultimately gave up the idea of approaching to ask.
Her senses couldn't be wrong. That woman named Shino had definitely been bitten by a Kabane.
Yet, shortly after leaving with Misono Mika and returning, that feeling had vanished.
With Shino as proof...
Clearly, the words Mika had said to her weren't a lie. She really could turn her back into a human.
'Business first...'
Mumei shook her head vigorously, refusing to let her thoughts wander further.