That day.
Meteors pierced the horizon, falling from the high heavens to bring divine punishment upon the corrupt Shogunate!
When the divine lady arrived at Kongoukaku, the center of political power, the old guard led by the former Shogun immediately confessed to their monstrous crimes. To keep power firmly in their own hands, they tried to frame the pro-war faction, indirectly causing the deaths of the 400,000-man expeditionary army.
Ultimately, only one survived: Amatori Biba.
Knowing he was beyond redemption, the former Shogun abdicated his position, yielding the seat of Shogun to the divine lady—Misono Mika!
"Our Lady Mika is kind by nature. After stopping the former Shogun from committing seppuku to atone for his sins, she summoned Amatori Biba so the father and son could reunite. As we all know, reunions between fathers and sons are always touching..."
Beside a bustling commercial street, a small street vendor talked incessantly while several children sat nearby, listening intently.
"Eh? But I heard my dad say that on that night, he faintly heard the former Shogun's miserable screams," a boy couldn't help but interrupt.
"Does he know or do I know! No one knows history better than me! I was one of the witnesses, after all. I've personally verified many of the facts!"
The vendor's eyebrows knitted as he argued his point. Within a few sentences, the boy who questioned him was defeated.
"I can't outrun your tongue... Right, what happened to Amatori Biba later?"
"As for Amatori Biba..." The vendor sighed with feigned depth. Only after the children urged him did he slowly continue, "He committed suicide. He personally detonated the Kokujou, blowing himself and the Hunters inside the Hayajiro into the sky..."
The children all wore expressions of shock upon hearing this.
Just then, a black-haired girl in a pink kimono passed by, carrying a pot of blooming bellflowers.
'What is that man babbling to those kids? The major events are correct, but some of the details are just too ridiculous.'
Mumei curled her lips, strongly disagreeing with the history told by this 'Master of Knowledge' vendor.
'Brother's end... was a kind of release for him. After his great revenge was satisfied, his whole being must have felt much lighter.'
Mumei sighed silently. Only when she could truly read Amatori Biba did she understand the struggle and pain in his heart.
It had been over a year since the Battle of Kongoukaku.
After Misono Mika took power, Ikoma was heavily utilized. With the assistance of many outstanding steam gunsmiths, the design of the Jet Bullets became more refined, and their piercing capability improved significantly. They even improved the boilers of the Hayajiro, increasing their speed by thirty percent.
With the resources of all Hinomoto tilted in their favor, White Blood could now be mass-produced. Although production was not yet high, the news was enough to inspire the people!
The Kabane were not terrifying; what was terrifying was their infectivity and speed of spread. With weapons specifically for Kabane and a serum to immunize against the virus, Mika organized manpower to begin reclaiming lost territory, recovering fertile fields that had been desolate for years.
Everything was going smoothly. The casualties of the expeditionary army did not exceed a hundred, and even those were not killed by Kabane but by uncontrollable events like venomous bites during the march.
With the serum, abundant martial virtue, and an over-the-limit combat force like Mika, the Kabane were no longer a threat. After reclaiming a large portion of lost land, Mika stopped while ahead and returned to Kongoukaku. After all, food and weapon supplies were nearly exhausted, and with autumn arriving, they needed to store grain for the winter, or many would starve.
Soon, Mumei arrived at the second-largest flower shop in Kongoukaku and walked inside. The reason it was only the second-largest was that the largest belonged to Mika; Mumei's shop was essentially a branch.
In principle, they were the same business. However, the two shops were far apart, and since the flowers in both were personally cultivated by Mika, nearby residents would buy from the closest one for convenience. Thus, Mumei's shop never lacked customers.
"Mumei, you're back."
Horobi, behind the counter, saw Mumei return and stepped forward to take the flower pot from her hands.
"Did many customers come today?"
Mumei took out the ledger and glanced at it casually. As the owner of this shop, she cared deeply about the daily revenue. Money was important because buying stock from Mika required it. Aside from paying Horobi's salary, she could use the earned money to buy delicious food, fun things, and beautiful clothes and jewelry.
"Today is Tanabata. Most people, even if they want to buy flowers, will go to Lady Mika's shop. Most go for Lady Mika's reputation. Since distance is no longer an issue, it's naturally quiet here."
Horobi looked at Mumei's little adult act and smiled gratifiedly. Mumei had grown a lot over the past year; she seemed to have learned much during her time following Mika.
"In that case, let's suspend business for today. We can go find Miss Ayame and the others to play!"
Mumei snapped the ledger shut with her small hand. After jumping down from the tall stool, she pulled Horobi's hand and headed straight out. Horobi allowed herself to be pulled along with a helpless expression.
Seeing Mumei so carefree, doing whatever she wanted, Horobi's mood lightened considerably.
'A life like this seems quite nice... It's a pity, Young Master, that you can no longer see it.'
★ ★ ★
At the Yomogawa residence.
"Mumei, why did you come looking for us now? Aren't you running your flower shop? Today is Tanabata; business must be great," Kurusu Konochi couldn't help but ask as he led the way.
Mumei rolled her eyes at him. "Don't bring up what shouldn't be mentioned. If business were as good as you say, would I be so bored that I'd come to find Miss Ayame... Oops, I let it slip!"
"Play?! Mumei, you brat, aren't you being a bit too willful?" Kurusu's face turned dark.
"Eh? Aren't you going to kick me out?"
"Lady Ayame intended to invite you over anyway. It seems this was also Lady Mika's intention; she plans to gather everyone again to make a wish together."
"I see. No wonder you're so unusual today. I was ready to force my way in."
"Mumei!!!"
"Just a joke." Mumei laughed and ran ahead quickly, giving Kurusu no chance to retort.
Beside them, Horobi covered her face. 'Oh no, Mumei's been led astray! Who did she learn this from? Why does she enjoy teasing Kurusu so much?'
Inside the room.
As soon as Mumei opened the door, she saw Mika piteously complaining to Ayame Yomogawa.
"Why are there more and more documents to process? I can't even finish them working overtime. Now I can't even look after my own flower fields!"
"I saw the previous Shogun living quite comfortably, so why am I so tired!"
"I've been tricked!"
"I don't want to be Shogun. I want to rest, I want a holiday, I want to go grow flowers!"
Ayame kept trying to persuade her. The current Shogunate could not exist without Misono Mika. However, she also knew that Mika was only complaining verbally. The reason she was so tired as Shogun was perhaps because she was too responsible.
(End of Arc)