A certain carriage on the Kotetsujo served as a temporary interrogation room.
Kurusu Konochi and Kibito Aragawa led the teams responsible for the questioning.
Ayame Yomogawa waited outside for the results; she needed to give Misono Mika an answer as soon as possible.
This assassination attempt served as a wake-up call for Ayame. Even for someone as powerful as Misono Mika, there would always be those who wished for her death. In the future, there was no guarantee that others, unafraid of dying, wouldn't find trouble with Mika.
To prevent everyone from perishing under Mika's meteors, Ayame intended to arrange personnel to strengthen supervision and stop those with ill intent before they could act.
"Lady Ayame, that Kabaneri named Mumei is here to see you."
A bushi walked over from outside and reported to Ayame.
"Let her in quickly."
Upon seeing Mumei, Ayame asked with confusion, "Mumei, is there something you need from me?"
Mumei didn't answer immediately. Instead, she scanned the nearby bushi.
Understanding the silent request, Ayame—considering the ambiguous relationship between Mumei and Mika—waved her hand and signaled for the surrounding warriors to leave temporarily.
"Understood. We will stand guard outside and ensure no one approaches!"
Once the bushi left, only the two remained in the carriage. Mumei sized up the interior, walking back and forth to check if anyone was eavesdropping.
"Did Lady Mika send you?" Ayame guessed, watching her busy figure.
"You guessed right. She sent me to remind you that some restless people will be popping up recently. If no one watches them, they'll cause quite a bit of trouble for you."
Mumei finished her sweep of the carriage. After confirming there were no issues, she casually returned a pot lid to its original place.
"And what is Lady Mika's intention?"
"She won't act easily. She probably wants to wait until the last moment to strike, wiping out all the trouble at once for good."
Mumei sat on a bunk, resting her chin in her right hand, looking frustrated. "But that's just my guess. I don't know what Misono Mika is really planning. I can't quite read her..."
She had been secretly observing Mika all this time, yet yielded no harvest. Misono Mika was like a mass of fog—clearly right in front of her, yet impossible to see through or grasp.
"It's hard to truly see through a person, let alone someone as unpredictable as Lady Mika."
Ayame offered a word of comfort before continuing, "However, I can roughly tell she is a kind person by nature. Even if she just committed an act of killing, I believe Lady Mika hasn't changed."
She sat down beside Mumei and said softly, "From start to finish, she hasn't done anything detrimental to us. All her actions seem willful, but in a sense, they all benefit us.
"For example, because she saved you and Ikoma, we gained a high-level combatant like you and the specialized anti-Kabane bullets Ikoma developed."
Whether it was Mumei's terrifying strength or Ikoma's Jet Bullets, both were significant assets to the Kotetsujo.
"But aren't you afraid of beings like us?" Mumei looked up, puzzled.
"Of course I was afraid at first. But with Lady Mika standing behind you with such a forceful attitude, there is nothing left to fear." Ayame gave a bitter smile, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "Compared to you two, we fear Lady Mika—who can easily destroy all of Aragane Station—much more..."
Mumei: "..."
There was no arguing with that.
Ayame patted Mumei's head. "If you want to understand Lady Mika, I suggest you don't start with her mysterious behavior. Instead, get to know her through the series of 'results' she ultimately produces."
After saying this, Ayame left to let Mumei reflect in silence. She couldn't ignore Mika's warning.
Judging by the 'results,' Mika wouldn't intentionally harm them. Ayame summoned Kurusu and Kibito, ordering them to secretly observe anyone with suspicious movements and memorize their faces.
★ ★ ★
Outside the Kotetsujo, after the series of farces settled down, people began holding a memorial service to mourn their lost loved ones.
As everyone closed their eyes in prayer, two groups in the shadows began a contest of wits. One was a group of desperadoes led by Kawakami Shunsuke; the other represented Ayame's forces.
Both sides did their best to hide, ensuring their actions remained undetected.
In an inconspicuous corner of the Kotetsujo, a man stealthily set explosives before moving nearby cargo to cover them. Once finished, he signaled his lookout companion and quickly retreated to the next location.
Not long after he left, Kurusu walked in with a grim expression. He pushed aside the covering cargo and discovered the explosives planted near the boiler.
'If this successfully detonated, the Kotetsujo would need to return to the factory for a total overhaul.'
"Damn it...!"
Elsewhere, as another man planting explosives snuck away, Mumei slipped in like a ghost and found the charge.
'Do they really intend to drag everyone to their deaths?! Is Misono Mika really that terrifying?'
Mumei carefully disarmed the explosives. She suddenly recalled Aragane Station being leveled and the assassin being decapitated in one strike.
'Fine, she really is that scary.' She seemed to understand Ayame's perspective a bit better.
★ ★ ★
As time passed, the night reached its latter half.
Someone, needing to relieve himself, left the crowd and ran to a distant patch of weeds.
"Eh? Is something moving on the mountain? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
The man rubbed his eyes and stared at the distant slope. Countless red dots flickered through the cover of the leaves. Realizing what that represented, his face paled. He scrambled to pull up his pants, running while screaming at the top of his lungs: "Kabane! The Kabane are coming!!!"
The crowd, who had just finished their prayers and were enjoying a moment of peace, jolted. Once they confirmed that a massive swarm of Kabane was surging down the slope kilometers away, everyone grabbed their luggage and rushed toward the Kotetsujo in a panic.
"Lady Mika, we should leave early as well..." Kajika's heart tightened, and she looked at Mika anxiously.
"These Kabane arrived just in time. Let's go. It's time to watch a fine show that's been in the works all night."
Mika stood up, the wings on her back stretching out. As the first light of dawn fell, every pure white feather on her wings shimmered with a faint glow.