"How was it? How was it? Was it your first time touching a girl's body? Not counting relatives, did it feel exciting?"
"I don't know…"
"Don't be so bland. I know you're excited; your body is more convincing than your words. Based on your physical condition, you're only about sixteen or seventeen, and you've reached the age where you're interested in the opposite sex."
"It's okay to speak boldly; we'll accept your thoughts. We definitely won't treat you as an unloved single dog."
Since just now, Inaba Tsukiyo had been chasing Ikoma, asking him what it felt like when he pushed Shikomorikawa Ayame.
There was no other meaning, just like an elder asking a junior, making Ikoma so embarrassed he almost had an 'embarrassment attack'.
Even Mumei in the corner was attracted by Inaba Tsukiyo's words, looking at Ikoma curiously, making Ikoma even contemplate jumping off the train.
Just then, the locked front door suddenly opened, and three people were thrown in by the guards.
These three people were Ikoma's former companions when he was a steam mechanic: Biba, Suzuya, and Suzuya.
"Seriously, I didn't expect you to actually attack Ayame-sama. Good for you, Ikoma."
The chubby Boy, Biba, who was thrown in, rubbed his shoulder and couldn't help but tease.
"That's not it at all…"
Ikoma, due to blood loss and driven by Kabaneri instincts, had wanted to attack Shikomorikawa Ayame.
Because of Ikoma's actions, the calls to expel Kabaneri from the Iron Fortress grew louder among the populace, no longer discussed in hushed tones but openly declared.
"Oh, right, this is yours, Ikoma. I brought it for you."
Biba handed Ikoma the item from the bag—a more penetrating weapon they had developed together, called a Piercing Cylinder.
Ordinary steam guns couldn't destroy a Kabaneri's heart membrane, so they developed a more penetrating weapon to effectively strike the Kabaneri's heart.
"Let me see…"
Inaba Tsukiyo snatched the Piercing Cylinder from Ikoma's hand. She didn't open it but used the power of the First Herrscher to observe its structure.
"I see… enhancing penetration through the principle of gunpowder explosion? A good design. But why don't you research firearms that use gunpowder? Why use steam guns against Kabaneri instead?"
This had been Inaba Tsukiyo's question for the past two days: if they had gunpowder, why were they still using steam guns against Kabaneri?
If powerful firearms could be developed, even ordinary people would be able to fight Kabaneri.
"This… there's no way, because Hinomoto cannot produce large quantities of high-quality gunpowder, so many machines use steam engines."
Due to the lack of gunpowder, firearms couldn't be popularized. With no other choice, they could only research steam guns.
Hinomoto's technology was imported from overseas, and among the imported technologies, steam engines had seen far greater development than other items, so the steam industry began to flourish.
"Idiots, this is why you still haven't found a good way to deal with Kabaneri. [Backpack Engine]? That thing only affects movement, and not everyone can use it as flexibly as she can."
She pointed to Mumei next to her. That guy could jump around even with that [Backpack Engine] on her back. Could others do that?
No gunpowder? What exactly was this world's government doing? Did this world's scientists not realize the importance of gunpowder?
Compared to steam guns that could only blow away Kabaneri, gunpowder guns were clearly more useful.
Useless? Inaba Tsukiyo pulled out a large pineapple grenade the next moment to show these guys what so-called suppressive fire was.
Although these thoughts weren't put into action, the Piercing Cylinder was something Ikoma and Biba had researched. Perhaps they could develop a weapon against Kabaneri in the future.
"Because of this idiot, the people on the Iron Fortress all think that those Kabaneri were brought by you Kabaneri. There are shouts everywhere on the Iron Fortress to kick you off the train."
When Biba was escorted over by the samurai, he heard the Iron Fortress populace discussing the Kabaneri matter.
Some even wanted to kick Inaba Tsukiyo off, because she protected Kabaneri, and even if she was human, she was a dangerous element.
"Heh, completely useless at critical moments. At times like this, they cause so much trouble, a bunch of cowards."
Ikoma said disdainfully. They didn't contribute much when fighting Kabaneri, but they were very active when dealing with their own people.
If they were really kicked off the train, without her protection, if a powerful Kabaneri appeared on the Iron Fortress, everyone would be doomed.
"Um, Inaba-san…"
Kajika, who had been silent since entering, looked at Inaba Tsukiyo, hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and approached Inaba Tsukiyo.
"I'm truly sorry about what happened earlier. I actually knew that Shino-san was no longer human, and even the baby in her belly probably wasn't human either. But I still, like everyone else…"
When Inaba Tsukiyo killed Shino, Kajika, like others, had blamed Inaba Tsukiyo, thinking she was very cruel.
But when the Kabaneri appeared, the others who had blamed Inaba Tsukiyo even trampled Shino's body to escape, which made Kajika realize.
She and the others blamed Inaba Tsukiyo because they were incapable of eliminating Kabaneri, and could only vent their helplessness on others, using that method to feel at ease.
She had still wanted to bury Shino here; even if a formal funeral couldn't be held, at least dig a pit to lay her to rest, as she wasn't like the people of Aba Station.
It was just that the sudden appearance of Kabaneri prevented her from even doing that, leaving Shino's body to lie alone in the wilderness.
Ultimately, at such a critical moment, all she could do was blame others to soothe her fear of Kabaneri.
"…Not bad, compared to others who only blame, you see things very clearly. Hmm, good, good."
She nodded in satisfaction; this was the most satisfying thing Inaba Tsukiyo had heard.
Many people like to shirk responsibility. These people are unwilling to admit they are wrong and always like to find all sorts of high-sounding reasons for their mistakes.
A person who can only face success but not failure is truly pathetic.
Daring to face one's wrong judgments, wrong decisions, and wrong actions—only then can one truly learn from the current failures and grow.
"What do we do now? Those guys definitely won't let us off so easily. If I'm not mistaken, they'll definitely do something while we're locked up."
Suzuya, leaning against the wall, said that those guys definitely wouldn't miss this opportunity. Ikoma's attack was the best chance to abandon them.
The Six Leaders had been waiting for an opportunity for a long time. Perhaps they had already used this excuse to coerce Shikomorikawa Ayame, forcing her to agree to this demand.
Given Shikomorikawa Ayame's easily influenced personality, she would surely acquiesce to these guys, even if it wasn't her true intention.
"Hey! What are those guys trying to do?!"
Biba, standing by the window, noticed someone coming out of the door of the front carriage, doing something there.
"Those guys… they're trying to separate the last carriage from the front carriages!"
As a steam artisan, Suzuya immediately saw through their intentions and urgently shouted at those people through the window.
Facing Suzuya's shouts, the other party merely raised the steam gun in their hand and fired a shot through the gap in the window.
The bullet shot into the window, bounced around inside the carriage, and finally flew towards Inaba Tsukiyo's face.
[Clang!]
A white light flashed, and the bullet flying towards her was sliced, turning into ordinary iron pieces that fell to the ground.
Just as she thought, those guys really wanted to cause trouble. Did they really think she wouldn't kill people?
To unlock the carriages of a special train like the Iron Fortress, a special key was required.
The fact that these guys possessed the only key that could unlock the shackles probably meant they got it from Shikomorikawa Ayame.
[Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!]
"Hmm?"
Just as Inaba Tsukiyo was about to make her move, a large number of chaotic banging sounds came from outside the noisy train.
The area the Iron Fortress had just passed through seemed to be a tunnel.
At Aba Station, those Kabaneri had run from a high place towards the Iron Fortress. Could these guys actually jump onto the Iron Fortress using such a method?
"Kabaneri! It's Kabaneri!"
Sure enough, those who were about to unlock the train car saw the Kabaneri on top of the car.
Before they could even shoot, one special Kabaneri, wielding two blades, easily leaped over and split the man holding a steam gun in two with a single strike.
The remaining two, from the moment the Kabaneri appeared until now, had not made any movement, as if frozen in fear. The terror of a close encounter with a Kabaneri made them let out terrified screams.
But would screaming help? These Kabaneri had no so-called sympathy; they simply mimicked the strange cries and then used their dual blades to cut him down.
Because the door was not closed, this special Kabaneri entered the train car through the doorway. The civilians in the car, seeing the Kabaneri appear, rushed towards the front cars.
"This Kabaneri is different from the others; it can actually use weapons."
The Kabaneri they had encountered before would always grab humans and then bite them. They had never seen a Kabaneri wielding a weapon.
Could they undergo further mutation even after becoming Kabaneri?
"Bushi," Mumei explained, "they learn combat skills through accumulated battles. This type of Kabaneri is very troublesome."
Through the gap in the iron door, Mumei used her steam gun, intending to pierce the Bushi's heart.
But the Bushi flexibly dodged all the bullets, taking no damage whatsoever.
"I see..." Inaba Tsukiyo nodded, recalling what those people had done. Her hand, which had been resting on her waist, retracted. "Perhaps this is a good opportunity."
Since they were so afraid of the Kabaneri, she would let them see just how terrifying true Kabaneri could be.
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