Less than a minute after Misono Mika and Kajika returned to the carriage, the Kotetsujo roared into motion, speeding toward the Shogunate's seat of power and the final destination: Kongokaku.
Thanks to the early discovery of the Kabane, the Kotetsujo successfully evaded the crisis without further incident. However, as the external threat faded, a coup d'état destined for failure was launched within.
Mika sat down just as the situation shifted.
"Nobody move! If I see anyone trying something, I'll detonate the explosives and take us all to hell!"
Suddenly, a man in the crowd pulled a Suicide Bag from his robe. He aimed it at a bundle of explosives held in his arms, his right hand trembling as he tightened the pull cord.
The surrounding people jumped. Seeing the explosives, they didn't dare act rashly. They could only offer soft, persuasive words, begging him not to do something so foolish.
But the man was beyond listening. He looked up at Mika, who was silently observing him, his face a mask of terror and supplication.
"Lady Mika... please, stay right there peacefully, I beg you... I'm not targeting you, I don't want to do this... but I just want to live..."
The man's voice shook with sobs, his tone saturated with heavy pleading. It was as if Mika were the one threatening him with explosives, rather than the other way around.
Perhaps in his eyes, his threats only worked on ordinary people; against Misono Mika, they were useless. She didn't seem to care about the life or death of others.
However, this was the mission Kawakami Shunsuke gave him. He had to test whether Mika cared about the people on the Kotetsujo. If she did, they might live. If not, the moment he detonated his bundle, the other carriages would chain-react, sending the entire train skyward.
The remaining passengers in the carriage turned nervous gazes toward Mika, hoping she would descend like a deity to pacify this lethal storm. The atmosphere became suffocating.
"Lady Mika, what should we do now..." Kajika swallowed hard, paralyzed by the sudden turn of events.
Mika gave her a reassuring look, then turned her gaze to the 'bomber' not far away. She nodded softly. "Fine."
"T-Thank you!"
"But I have a question in my heart," Mika said. "Just who stripped you of your right to live, forcing you to use self-detonation to beg for my concession?"
"B-Because we indirectly exploited your prestige and actively targeted Miss Kajika... we finally enraged you..."
The man's words allowed the others to finally grasp a bit of the truth. It also caused Kajika to feel a twinge of sadness. So, the reason she was targeted by so many was because someone was fueling the fire from behind. She thought she was doing a poor job, leading to the public's doubt.
"I am indeed very angry about this," Mika said, feigning irritation. Then, her tone shifted, softening as she continued: "As for the others involved, I will show mercy and leave them to Miss Ayame's discretion. Most of you were simply following orders, so I won't intentionally make things difficult for you."
"No one is perfect, but I fear those who know they are wrong yet refuse to change, walking stubbornly down a mistaken path."
Mika stood up, her long legs carrying her forward. The crowd automatically parted, clearing a path for her.
Seeing Mika approaching, the man clutching the explosives tightened his grip on the Suicide Bag's ring, but then, as if coming to a realization, he slowly loosened the cord.
"It seems you've made the right choice. In truth, this matter is nowhere near as dire as you imagine."
Mika stopped half a meter in front of him. "So, who was it that pushed you to this dead end? Who is it that doesn't want you to live? And who is the one who truly thinks they are doomed?"
"...It's Kawakami Shunsuke."
The man's pupils shrank, his body freezing as if struck by lightning. The Suicide Bag slipped from his unsteady grip and thudded onto the floor.
He suspected this for a long time, but lacked proof. Now, he understood instantly. This was all Shunsuke's conspiracy. Shunsuke wanted to drag as many people down as possible to buy himself a sliver of a chance.
The man's face darkened with fluctuating emotions, his eyes filling with hatred for Shunsuke.
Mika wasn't surprised by the name; she expected it. "Perhaps you can share this truth with your comrades who were similarly deceived. They have the right to know the truth, don't they?"
Having said her piece, she ignored the man's further reaction. This person wasn't a specially trained zealot, so he was easy to win over.
Mika leaned over to pick up the explosives and the Suicide Bag, then casually tossed them to one of the "Sliding Kneel Duo" members. She commanded: "Take him down and hand him over to Miss Ayame. She will handle the rest."
"Yes, Lady Mika!"
The duo immediately took the order, escorting the now-unresisting man to the next carriage. It was time for the cleanup; there was no longer a need to worry about alerting the enemy.
Before leaving, the man looked back, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as he thought of the person who almost cost him his life.
Once the man was taken away, whispers erupted in the carriage. Ordinarily, the bomber shouldn't have been alone; there should have been monitors or backups hiding in the shadows. But until the very end, they never showed their faces. Likely, having learned they wouldn't be liquidated by Mika, they wisely chose to stop throwing their lives away for Shunsuke.
'Now that the fuse of hatred is lit, I wonder if it will go as I expect. Will Shunsuke be "suicided" after he's caught?'
Mika couldn't be bothered to move against Shunsuke personally; she didn't want to get her hands dirty. It would be better to let Shunsuke's own men send him on his way.
★ ★ ★
Simultaneously, in the other carriages, the bushi who were lying in wait pounced, instantly subduing those who had just begun to move. With Mumei's help, the arrest operation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
However, a hitch occurred in the driver's cab.
Kawakami Shunsuke and three of his confidants were covered in explosives, threatening Ayame Yomogawa to hand over the master key of the Kotetsujo.
"Ayame, hand over the master key, now!"
Shunsuke held the pull cord for the explosives in one hand and leveled a short gun at Ayame with the other.
As long as he controlled the driver's cab and the key personnel, even if the men he sent out failed, he wouldn't be entirely helpless.
Kurusu Konochi and the others looked grim, wishing they could skin him alive. But for the safety of everyone on board, they dared not move an inch.