"Mumei, don't look back. Listen to me, the man who spoke to you back at Yatsushiro Station is watching you not far from here."
"Yatsushiro Station…!!! It's Amatori Biba!"
Mumei was about to turn around when her left hand was grabbed, halting her movement.
The man named Amatori Biba was still staring at her, and with her current weak body, any movement could potentially lead to her being killed.
Not long after, Amatori Biba turned and left, heading towards a certain place.
Although Amatori Biba's steps were not fast, it did not affect his speed in going home, as if this place was his true home.
"We'll follow him and see what he intends to do."
"Okay."
Inaba Tsukiyo and Mumei secretly followed behind, keeping a distance to avoid being discovered by Amatori Biba.
While tracking, Inaba Tsukiyo inquired Mumei about Amatori Biba, wanting to know his identity.
Amatori Biba's strength was very high, even surpassing Mumei, who was a Kabaneri.
At the same time, Amatori Biba was Mumei's former partner, and they both fell into an abyss during that so-called mission, but because of his strong will, he was not infected.
"His strength is not inferior to yours. For a human to achieve this level, it's quite impressive."
One-eyed, and still able to move freely despite losing a leg, this guy was clearly no small fry.
The name of the 'Big Brother' in Mumei's mouth was Amatori Biba.
Amatori Biba was the leader of the Kataribe, and his subordinates were called Liberators.
The Kataribe was an independent unit formed to eliminate Kabaneri, and it was said to have achieved continuous victories in battles against Kabaneri.
Wherever the Kataribe went, the Kabaneri there would be eliminated, allowing the land to return to human hands.
"That powerful? If that Kataribe really has this capability, why have so many stations still fallen? And this guy, is he really the so-called hero?"
She didn't believe that someone who said 'the weak have no right to live' would become a hero against Kabaneri. Don't people with such antisocial ideologies just want the world to experience pain?
Amatori Biba arrived at a very dilapidated small house, seemingly to meet someone there.
Using the power of the Herrscher of the Void, Inaba Tsukiyo stealthily entered the room and saw Amatori Biba meeting with an old man.
The two didn't say much, just a simple identity confirmation, then left the small house together.
The old man Amatori Biba met seemed to be a relatively important official, which made sense.
If Amatori Biba was still a member of the Kataribe, then it would be understandable for him to meet this old man. However, they were no longer members of the Kataribe, so why meet an official?
"Wait, Mumei. Are you clear about the identity of that guy named Amatori Biba? Besides being the leader of the Kataribe, does he have any other identities?"
"Other identities? I don't know much about that. I did hear from a partner before that Big Brother seemed to be the general's eldest son, but it seems they've cut ties."
Amatori Biba seemed to dislike talking about his past, but other members of the organization had spread rumors that he was the general's eldest son, though whether it was true was still unknown.
"The general's eldest son? That old man Amatori Biba met was the general's subordinate. When you and this old man met, did he reveal his intention to return to the Kataribe?"
When Mumei met this old man during this trip, he also revealed his intention to return to the Kataribe.
To return to the Kataribe, he was trying to demonstrate his value, so he could go back.
But this guy's actions completely contradicted his demeanor. Assuming Amatori Biba was the general's eldest son, and a son who had cut ties, something must have happened between this father and son to make them like this.
Given that, Amatori Biba must hate his father, the general, and the general's location is Kongokaku, where the Iron Fortress is headed.
Mumei's reason for going to Kongokaku was also Amatori Biba's order.
"Mumei… it seems your 'Big Brother' intends to do something big."
"Something big? What does Big Brother want to do? Does he want his father to accept him again by retaking the territories occupied by Kabaneri?"
This was the only thing Mumei could think of, and the best outcome.
"No… I don't think the same as you. Since this guy believes the weak don't deserve to live, then humans who only know how to defend are weak, undeserving of life."
"Although we haven't met him, it's highly likely that guy wants revenge. We just don't know what he wants revenge for."
The two followed Amatori Biba to a relatively dilapidated place, which was the lord's mansion of this station.
Although the lord's mansion had guards, they couldn't stop Inaba Tsukiyo and Mumei.
The two quickly arrived at a room where the important contents of this meeting were discussed.
Basically, the Kataribe would arrive at this station tomorrow, and Amatori Biba would also come to Shitori Station with the Kataribe.
While Amatori Biba was meeting the old man, the old man secretly instructed Mumei to assassinate Amatori Biba.
It seemed Amatori Biba knew there was no possibility of returning to the Kataribe, so he wanted to take revenge on the Kataribe, even sacrificing his former partner.
Amatori Biba and the old man's conversation didn't contain any important information, so Inaba Tsukiyo took Mumei and left the lord's mansion.
Back on the street, Mumei saw people celebrating Tanabata. There were children running everywhere, and people hanging long strips of poetry on tree branches.
The moment Mumei saw this scene, she recalled an unexpected event from the past—her mother.
Her mother had also hung long strips of poetry on tree branches before; it wasn't her first time celebrating Tanabata.
But as she recalled this, she also realized that the saying about wishes coming true was a lie.
Her mother was shot dead with a steam gun, even though her mother's wish at the time was to live a peaceful life.
But her mother still died, and it happened right in front of her.
Recalling this made Mumei feel agitated, and she no longer had the desire to continue strolling.
Inaba Tsukiyo noticed Mumei's emotions, took her hand, and led her away from the street to an unmanned small shrine nearby.
Mumei sat on the steps of the shrine, resting her chin in her hands, her emotions clearly off.
"What's wrong? Did you remember something unpleasant, Mumei?"
"…I remembered."
"Hmm? Remembered what?"
Sitting beside Mumei, Inaba Tsukiyo asked curiously.
"I celebrated Tanabata before, but I've mostly forgotten. Every Tanabata, Mother would always decorate the Tanabata bamboo leaves and smile as she told me, 'Hozumi, it's sunny again today, that's wonderful. We can see the Milky Way.'"
Mumei reminisced about the past. The stars appearing in the night sky reminded Mumei of memories about her mother.
"Hozumi… is that the name Mother gave you?"
"Yes, that was my name before I met Brother."
"I see. Then do you know the meaning behind the name your mother gave you?"
"Eh?"
Mumei looked at Inaba Tsukiyo, puzzled. She had never considered the original meaning of this long-abandoned name.
"'Hozumi' refers to accumulated rice. Your mother gave you this name because she hoped you could live a life where you could eat rice every day."
"She didn't wish for you to achieve anything great in the future; she just hoped you could eat your fill every day. Although it's a very simple wish, in this environment, being able to eat your fill every day is a luxury. Such a simple wish can reflect your mother's love for you."
"…I never knew that."
Mumei said with a hint of bitterness. During the time her mother passed away, Mumei was still a child who needed protection and understood nothing.
"Hehe~ Because you didn't have time to think about it. The belief you once held, that only the strong can survive, is actually wrong."
"…What do you mean?"
Mumei didn't refute Inaba Tsukiyo's words, but instead looked at her curiously, anticipating her answer.
"Humans are weak, but precisely because of their weakness, they fight with all their might. To resist the Kabaneri, they built the Junjo and established stations. Because of their inherent weakness, they can create hope that shouldn't exist from despair. This is humanity; this is the wisdom that belongs to the 'weak'."
"Humans are truly weak, possessing no natural talent. But precisely because of this, they have the potential to accomplish anything. The weak are not terrifying; what is terrifying are those who abandon hope before even acting. This is the value of humanity; this is humanity's greatest strength."
Humans in other worlds, through continuous learning, pass on the torch of knowledge to the next generation.
Inaba Tsukiyo's words deeply moved Mumei; this was a value system unfamiliar to her.
From a Kabaneri's perspective, if she doesn't kill Kabaneri, she has no value. But from a human's perspective, is value simply about survival?
Mumei, not adept at pondering such matters, shook her head in frustration. As she was about to ask further, Inaba Tsukiyo suddenly produced a piece of bread and put it in her mouth.
"Eat well. Your so-called Brother will be here tomorrow. I'm curious to see what's so special about this guy."
Inaba Tsukiyo always felt that Amatori Biba was not as simple as he seemed.
This world still needs someone to save it, which means someone wants to destroy this world?
Although she didn't know if the one who wanted to destroy the world was the so-called Demon King, or if they were doing such things to take revenge on the world.
But she suspected that Amatori Biba might very well be the one causing the world's destruction, and thus the key to solving the problem.
"Oh, right. The Mumei who was a Kabaneri in the past is dead. Even if you see Amatori Biba tomorrow, I won't allow you to meet him."
"To prevent him from recognizing you, I must make some preparations."
"First, let's start with you. Mumei… no, I should call you Hozumi."
"Eh?"
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