Kawakami Shunsuke, as one of the six retainers, held a status on the Koutetsujo second only to Yomogawa Ayame. Consequently, he could not be stopped from entering the control room without a substantial reason. Moreover, everyone had been so preoccupied with fleeing for their lives earlier that there was simply no time to organize personnel or assign carriages to others.
Coupled with his extremely cautious nature, Kawakami began his own move the moment he dispatched men to take hostages in the other carriages. Caught off guard, Yomogawa Ayame and several other retainers were taken down in one fell swoop.
Forced by the situation, Ayame took the master key from around her neck and handed it over. "Inciting others to target Miss Kajika was also your doing behind the scenes, wasn't it? Why do this? What benefit does it bring you?!"
"Too much chatter!"
Kawakami Shunsuke snatched the key away violently. Looking at the delicate Ayame before him, a surge of anger suddenly rose in his heart. He raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap.
Slap!
Ayame staggered from the blow. Her fair cheek slowly grew red and swollen, and a trace of blood even leaked from the corner of her mouth.
"Lady Ayame!"
Kurusu and the others were about to erupt at the sight, but Kawakami's confidants pressed guns against them, subsequently binding the rest with rope.
"Damn it! Everything is your fault! If the one who died was you instead of the Lord, how could I have fallen to this state!" Kawakami was so enraged he wanted to step forward and land a kick.
If not for this woman, he would never have dared to seize power. Yomogawa Ayame was merely the eldest daughter of the Yomogawa family—a tool for a future political marriage. Without that status, she would have been lying in some high lord's bed years ago. He could not accept the Koutetsujo being commanded by such a vase. What if he lost his life because of one wrong decision she made?
Kawakami's motive for inciting the crowd against Kajika to lure Ayame out was simple. When it came to matters involving Misono Mika, no one could achieve a good outcome unless they possessed superior martial force. If Ayame handled it, there was a high probability of failure, after which he could manipulate the situation to make her lose public support. Only then could he legitimately force her to relinquish power.
The reason he didn't dare act openly before was that members of the Yomogawa family still held high positions within the Shogunate.
"If you truly respected the Lord, you could not treat Lady Ayame this way! You are merely making excuses for your own selfishness! If you understood even a shred of gratitude and hadn't forgotten the Lord's kindness in recognizing your talent, things would never have escalated to this!"
Seeing Kawakami shift all the blame onto Ayame, Kurusu felt disgusted by the man's' shamelessness.
"Shut up!"
Enraged, Kawakami kicked Kurusu in the abdomen, cursing, "You're just a dog raised by the Yomogawa. What right do you have to criticize me?!"
Kurusu doubled over from the heavy blow, his face turning a bruised teal.
"Kurusu, say no more!" Ayame looked over in worry, clutching her swollen cheek.
Kawakami had been driven mad by Misono Mika. Continued verbal attacks would only result in more beatings without any positive outcome. She could only pray silently in her heart. She prayed that Mumei, outside, would notice the upheaval here and quickly seek help from Misono Mika. The current situation was not something ordinary people could easily break.
Kawakami, equally worried that Misono Mika might come looking, stopped paying them any mind. He turned his sights on the pilot, Yukina, threatening, "Change the route immediately. Set the destination to Yamagoe. Don't try any tricks with me!"
Yamagoe was the shortest route to Kongokaku, but one section was quite dangerous. It was a stretch surrounded by mountains with many tunnels, making it easy for Kabane to invade the Hayajiro from above.
But Kawakami wanted exactly that kind of danger.
If his men's' actions failed, he could detonate explosives to disable the control room, leaving the Koutetsujo stranded in that perilous area. Even if Misono Mika could save everyone, the mental and physical toll of protecting so many people while traveling on foot to the next station would be immense. Shortages of food and water alone would be enough to give her a headache. Kawakami would not give up any bargaining chip.
"...Understood."
Yukina had no right to refuse. She could only divert the Koutetsujo toward Yamagoe. After driving for a few kilometers, they reached the track switch. As Yukina pulled a lever, the rails shifted automatically. The Koutetsujo followed the new path, heading toward the mountains.
Inside the control room, Kawakami nodded with satisfaction. His gaze swept quickly over everyone before finally landing on Ayame. As he scanned her graceful figure, a shapeless fire of lust suddenly rose in his gut.
'I don't even know if I'll make it to Kongokaku alive. I might as well go all the way and do the things I wanted to do but never dared.'
While Ayame generally didn't compare to Misono Mika, she wasn't bad. She was a beauty rarely seen in a hundred years; it was impossible not to have certain thoughts. Kawakami knew well that his chances of survival were slim to none. His only hope, aside from Mika agreeing to a deal and letting him go, was to rely on the powerful firepower of Kongokaku to kill her.
Ordinary bullets might not hurt Mika, but large-caliber fortress cannons were a different story. He would find a way to contact the Shogun in the Shogunate and coordinate from the inside. He didn't believe she could take a cannonball to the face and remain unscathed.
But the most pressing issue was: could he actually reach Kongokaku alive?
Ayame felt her skin crawl under that naked stare. She instinctively hugged her chest with both hands, trying to shield herself from his gaze.
"Come with me for a moment. I have some important matters to discuss with you in private, Lady Ayame."
A smile suddenly appeared on Kawakami's face. He grabbed Ayame's wrist, ignoring her resistance as he tried to pull her toward a nearby clearing. Since he didn't know how much longer he had to live, he might as well enjoy himself now. No explosion had come from the rear yet, so it seemed Misono Mika wasn't bothered with him for the time being.
'Good. It looks like everything is moving in the right direction.'
"You three, keep an eye on them. Don't let them interrupt my fun," Kawakami said to his three confidants. "Don't worry, you'll get your turn."
"Understood!" the three replied immediately.
Ayame seemed to realize the fate that awaited her. Her lips turned pale, and the light in her eyes dimmed instantly. The bound Kurusu and the others struggled frantically, their eyes fixed on Kawakami's back, wishing they could tear him apart.
At that moment, outside the tightly shut door...
At the front of a group of fully armed bushi, Misono Mika and Mumei stood before the steel gates. Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone present—
Misono Mika stared at the door and slowly raised her fair, delicate pink fist.