Pak! Pak! Pak! Bam-bam-bam!
"Sorry!"
"Stop!"
"What's going on here?"
Kaelis stepped into the passenger area, his brow twitching as he took in the chaotic sight before him.
Mumei was on top of two grown men, fists flying like a miniature storm.
The two unlucky souls didn't even have time to defend themselves before she drove them into the floorboards.
"What the hell is she doing!?" Ikoma rushed forward, grabbing Mumei by the shoulders and pulling her back.
The girl pouted but didn't resist. "They were scaring the kids!"
Kaelis crossed his arms, watching in mild amusement as Mumei tied both men together with a length of rope she'd somehow acquired—probably from the cargo hold.
"Listen here, you goons," she scolded, standing over them like a tiny warlord. "You're scaring the kids! You're never gonna do that again, understand?"
"Yes ma'am! Understood!" Both men cried, their voices trembling.
Their faces were a mess—bruised, swollen, eyes puffed, and tears streaking down their cheeks.
Kaelis sighed, half exasperated, half entertained.
"…Remind me not to get on her bad side."
"Hmph!"
"So what did they do to deserve this treatment?" Kaelis asked, stepping closer with his usual calm expression.
"They were frightening the kids with their fighting," Mumei replied curtly, her arms crossed and head turned away so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze.
"Is that all?" Kaelis tilted his head.
Before Mumei could respond, one of the children ran up to him, waving their hands frantically.
"Mr. Kami-sama! Mr. Kami-sama! Mumei got angry after they interrupted our game!" the little one explained, pointing toward the floor.
There lay a scattered mess of shogi pieces—though from the look of it, the kids hadn't been playing shogi so much as stacking the pieces into wobbly towers.
Kaelis followed the child's pointing finger, then turned his eyes back to Mumei, an amused grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
Her cheeks were already flushed, and she averted her gaze even further.
"I see," he said simply, suppressing a chuckle.
The two men, bound and bruised, sat there miserably like scolded dogs. Kaelis sighed as he looked them over.
"Mumei really doesn't hold back one bit, does she…" he muttered under his breath.
The door slid open with a soft clack and Ayame stepped in, her presence immediately softening the tense air.
"I see Mumei has already put an end to the gentlemen's quarrel," she said in her usual calm, polite tone.
Kaelis glanced at the two battered men still tied up on the floor. "If by 'put an end' you mean beating them half to death, then yes—peace has been achieved."
Ayame sighed, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "As long as no one's seriously injured…"
Mumei puffed out her cheeks slightly, avoiding their gazes. "They were being annoying."
Kaelis chuckled. "You don't say."
"Her way of doing is quite questionable," Kaelis added.
That earned a few chuckles from Ikoma and the others, the brief moment of levity easing the tension in the room—until the train suddenly lurched to a stop.
SCREEECH!
Everyone stumbled as the metal wheels screamed against the tracks.
"Why did we stop!?" Ikoma shouted, grabbing onto a nearby pole for balance.
"What happened up front?" Ayame asked, steadying herself.
…
Engine room—moments later
"We've received no whistle reply from Yashiro Station!" one of the engineers reported urgently. "That could mean they were attacked by Kabane!"
Inside the cramped engine area, Kaelis stood beside Ayame and Kurusu, listening intently as the scout relayed the situation.
"Search for any signs of a Kabane attack," Kaelis ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
The scout lifted his binoculars and scanned the horizon. A few tense seconds passed before he pointed toward a column of faint black smoke.
"There's a smoke signal! There could possibly be survivors!"
Ayame's eyes widened slightly , hope flickering across her face as she looked toward Kaelis for guidance.
Kaelis met her gaze, calm but firm. "Our primary goal is to secure resources. I won't stop you from helping survivors…" he said, his tone measured, "but do so in moderation. Don't risk the train for it."
Ayame nodded, understanding the weight of his words. "Understood."
He didn't want them rescuing more people than the supplies could support.
That would defeat the whole point of scavenging resources.
More mouths meant more management—and the chances are high that they may misbehave.
Not that he couldn't thin the herd if things went sideways. Picking off stragglers one by one, unseen, would be trivial.
And besides, he still had that new sword he wanted to try.
With Kaelis's nod, Ayame turned and gave the order. "Prepare for a rescue mission!"
Kurusu adjusted his sword at his side and stepped forward. "I'll lead the scouting group."
Kaelis gave a small nod. "Good."
While the others prepared for the rescue mission, Kaelis turned to the red-haired girl.
"Yukina, get us into the station's gate."
"Right!" she replied.
Soon enough, they arrived at Yashiro Station's gate. The train came to a halt, and the soldiers descended, taking up positions to stand guard.
Outside, the main crew—Kaelis, Ayame, Kurusu, and the others—gathered around Kibito, who spread out a map of Yashiro.
"Here," Kibito pointed, "the Tatekoyagura watchtower has fallen across the tracks. We won't be able to pass through."
Kaelis gave a small shrug. "Don't worry about that. I'll handle it. What you should focus on are the supplies and the survivors."
"Right!" the three bushi replied, confirming their understanding.
"You three, go find Mumei and Ikoma. Try to get any information from the survivors about what happened here," Kaelis ordered, dismissing them with a nod.
He didn't want any surprises—who knew if more kabane were lurking or if new variants had appeared?
The last thing he needed was something disrupting their smooth collection and departure.
"Ayame, inform Ikoma and the others to start resupplying and integrating the survivors immediately. Kibito, I'm leaving you in charge of keeping watch and maintaining order. I'll be back shortly."
Kaelis soared toward the fallen watchtower, cutting through the air with ease.
"Wow! Did you see that!?" one of the soldiers shouted.
"Yeah, man! That's kami-sama for ya!" another chimed in.
"As long as kami-sama's with us, we're safe!"
Not everyone shared that confidence. The few Yashiro survivors being escorted onto the train were panicking.
"What was that!?" one screamed.
"Is that a kabane!?" another cried.
"We're all gonna die!"
"Calm down! That's not a kabane!" someone tried to reassure them.
"It's… kami-sama!"
"Kami-sama…?" they echoed, trembling as they looked toward Kaelis flying overhead.
Chapter 20 end.