When they entered the front car of Kōtetsujō, Ryuji spotted Mumei crouched in a corner, completely wrapped in her cloak.
He walked over and poked her shoulder. No reaction. A creepy-uncle smile crept onto his face.
He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms without hesitation, the cloak still covering her. Half-asleep, Mumei seemed to sense the warmth; she shifted into a more comfortable position and went still.
Ryuji felt Mumei snuggle a little closer. A pair of soft sensations pressed and rubbed, and a small, perky butt rested on his lap. Mumei's petite body also gave off a faint, sweaty fragrance that teased his nerves.
"Ryu-kun, what's going on with Mumei-chan?" Ayame saw him holding Mumei in his arms and walked over, asking curiously.
"It's nothing. Just a little tired."
"Oh, I see…"
Ayame looked at Mumei with a bit of envy, then ran off to see if there was anywhere else that needed help.
"Don't push, don't push — I was here first!"
"People are more important than stuff. Stop moving things and wasting time!"
"Can we still not get in?"
…
After Kōtetsujō's front car was connected to the other cars, the survivors all anxiously tried to get inside.
Mumei was also startled awake by the noisy shouting outside.
"Mmm… so comfy…" Even before opening her eyes, she felt warm all over.
When she finally did, the first thing she saw was Ryuji's smiling face.
The drowsiness vanished in an instant. She twisted free, hopped away from his arms, and stared at him warily.
"Mumei-chan, no need to be so tense, right? Just now in my arms, you looked like you were pretty comfortable." Ryuji wore an amused expression, constantly poking at her nerves.
"You damn lolicon!" Mumei immediately closed in and kicked at him.
She was originally nowhere near a match for Ryuji. Naturally, the kick was easily caught.
"Let go!" Knowing she wasn't a match, but still annoyed at being so easily caught, Mumei puffed her cheeks a little.
Ryuji held her slender ankle and gently pinched it. Mumei's pink, smooth leg trembled slightly, and a blush spread across the face that had been annoyed a moment earlier.
"Alright, Mumei-chan. Consider this an apology."
Reluctantly, Ryuji let go of her foot, took a loaf of bread from his Storage Space, and tossed it to her.
"This is… bread?" Mumei pulled her leg back and looked at the bread in her hand.
"That's right. It's something you can eat too."
Mumei looked at Ryuji suspiciously, then brought the bread to her nose and sniffed.
She, who normally had no appetite for ordinary food, immediately caught a fragrance so enticing it made her swallow. She looked surprised.
Her small lips parted slightly, and she took a tentative little bite.
"Hm?! It's good!"
Of course it was good. This was a special food item Ryuji had exchanged for points in the Reincarnation Space before coming to this world — something that could be eaten by any creature.
It was a bit expensive, but 200 Reincarnation Points bought quite a lot — enough to feed Mumei for nearly a hundred years without issue.
Mumei finished the bread, which was almost as big as her face, in just a few bites. Her amber eyes sparkled as she looked at Ryuji.
"Do you have more? I want to eat more."
Having tasted food other than blood for the first time, that sweet, soft texture left Mumei craving more.
"Oh? You still want some?" Ryuji took out a lollipop and shook it in his hand, tempting her, "If you want to eat it, then agree to let me hold you while sleeping tonight."
Smelling the sweet scent in the air, Mumei swallowed, but seeing his smile, she became wary again.
"No. Mother said you can't sleep with the opposite sex. Only spouses can." Forcing down the desire for delicious food, Mumei shook her head.
"Oh, what a pity. I've got plenty, too." Ryuji spoke as both hands flipped, and a large gift bag of assorted snacks appeared in his hands.
When Mumei's eyes widened and a trace of drool nearly spilled from her mouth, Ryuji flipped his hands again, and the snack bag vanished from her sight.
"Since you don't want it, then forget it."
Ryuji stood up, dusted his hands, wore an expression that said 'you really don't get it,' and left.
'Damn pervert! Damn lolicon!' Mumei puffed her cheeks, cursing in her mind.
Realizing her drool almost fell out, she quickly swallowed. The lingering aroma of bread entered her taste buds.
Wiping her mouth with a hand, Mumei found a few crumbs stuck to the back of her hand. After thinking for a moment, she still extended her soft pink tongue and licked them off.
'What the heck… if you'd insisted a bit more, it's not like I couldn't have slept with you.' Remembering the sweet taste of the bread, Mumei felt even more annoyed, "I want to go outside. Mother is still outside… No. Outside is full of Kabane."
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Ryuji came to the first car and found it full of supplies. There were only two or three small compartments, so he lost interest and moved on to the next car.
When he arrived at the second car, he saw a girl with chestnut-colored long hair soothing two little girls who looked a few years old.
Zzt! Clang!
"Danger!"
Maybe the repair crew had been careless — one of the screws securing the steam pipe behind the chestnut-haired girl suddenly snapped, and the steel pipe swung down toward her.
The girl's first reaction wasn't to run or scream. She closed her eyes tightly and used her body to shield the two little girls beside her.
And yet, when no pain came even after a long moment, she opened her eyes. A handsome face appeared before her, and she stared blankly, forgetting to speak.
Ryuji pushed the steam pipe back. With his right hand, he pressed the screw into place with force, firmly securing the pipe.
"Are you alright?"
His voice snapped the girl out of her daze.
Blushing slightly, she replied softly, "Thank you…"
Ryuji smiled, then stood up and looked around.
The people in this car were all women, children, and the elderly. Ryuji also noticed that the Shadowkhan he had sent out were here. In the shadows of the chestnut-haired girl and the two little girls she was protecting, there were members of the Shadowkhan residing.
What puzzled Ryuji was the woman in the corner near the pile of bedding — a mature woman clearly pregnant. There was also a shadow soldier within her shadow.
Ryuji activated his perception and was immediately surprised. That pregnant mature woman — no, that milf — was actually still a virgin. Even her aura was very pure, and the child in her womb was a girl. It left him confused.
Suddenly, he thought of the Retainer Contract and immediately sensed a hidden retainer aura on the pregnant woman. He thought for a long time but still couldn't make sense of it.
"Um… sir?"
Kajika looked nervously at the quiet Ryuji, afraid she'd done something wrong.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking." Ryuji waved a hand, "Just call me Ryuji. You can cook, right?"
"Yes, Lord Ryuji. My name is Kajika."
Ryuji nodded.
'Looks like I didn't mistake her.'
"Kajika, bring these two little sisters and come with me." As he spoke, Ryuji walked toward the pregnant woman.
Although Kajika didn't know what he intended to do, she obediently brought the two little girls and followed behind.
Ryuji stopped in front of the pregnant woman, who was weaving clothes for children.
She raised her head in confusion and asked gently, "Sir, do you need something?"
As he got closer, the contract aura became even more obvious. Although he didn't understand what was going on, he didn't think too much about it.
"It's nothing. I just want to move you somewhere better — for you and your child."
The pregnant woman — Shino — blinked in confusion, inexplicably feeling a favorable impression toward the noble-looking youth before her.
Ryuji didn't explain further and simply swept her up in a princess carry.
"Ah!" Shino let out a small cry, and her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.
People around them glanced over, but seeing that Ryuji's clothes, while not flashy, were very finely made, they assumed he was a noble and didn't dare interfere. They quickly looked away and went back to what they were doing.
Ryuji ignored the others and carried Shino toward the front of the car. Considerate of the child in her belly, he supported her with one hand near her hips.
It was Shino's first time being so close to a man. Feeling the hand under her legs so near her private area, she immediately blushed and her breathing grew hurried.
Perhaps because of pregnancy, she not only had a maidenly fragrance — her breath even carried a milky scent. On top of that, she seemed quite voluptuous. The soft fullness pressed against Ryuji's chest and the tender flesh under his hand made the lust he had suppressed start to flare up again.
"Hah… Kajika, from now on, you'll all live here." Ryuji pressed down the heat, pointed to the large compartment in the second car near the connection to the first car, and said.
"B-But, Lord Ryuji… later this room will be for noble lords. We don't have the right to live here." Kajika said with some difficulty.
"It's fine. You live here. If they dare cause trouble, I'll come deal with it." Ryuji set Shino down on the soft bed, secretly inhaled a breath of that milky scent, waved a hand, and left after speaking.
Shino noticed his little sniffing gesture and her cheeks reddened even more.
Only Kajika still looked worriedly at the closed compartment door. But thinking about how Ryuji had just saved her and the children, she felt more at ease and began talking with Shino.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
"Still… that pregnant woman's scent is really intoxicating."
On the way back to the front car, Ryuji sniffed the milky scent lingering on his hand and sighed — pregnant women really did smell different.
With the matter handled, he planned to go back, grab some snacks, and tease Mumei again. Just thinking of her angry yet helpless puffed-up cheeks made him feel it was cute.
As Ryuji reached the compartment between the first and second cars, he bumped into a petite figure.
"Ugh!"
Mumei covered her nose, which hurt from the collision, and looked up angrily — only to see Ryuji staring back with a strange expression.
"What, you want to sleep with me now?"
Ryuji's teasing immediately made Mumei puff her cheeks in anger.
"Like I'd sleep with you. Only little dogs would sleep with you."
After speaking, Mumei went around him and headed toward the rear cars.
"Uh… weren't you coming over because you wanted to eat snacks?" Ryuji scratched his head in confusion and followed behind.
When he followed Mumei to the rear cars, he saw a Kabane sprawled at a crack in the iron wall, both arms waving wildly at the people inside.
Ryuji couldn't help but complain — this locomotive's repair staff were way too unqualified.
And then the world's protagonist, holding the corpse-piercing gun he had invented, rushed at the Kabane like he'd taken some kind of stimulant. To everyone's horror, he opened the way and let the Kabane in. The moment the Kabane got inside, it opened its sturdy arms toward the 'good person' who had opened the door, and even opened its bloody maw as if to take a bite out of Ikoma as thanks.
As the Kabane lunged, Ikoma braced the corpse-piercing gun (Tsuranuki Zutsu) in front of him.
Bang!
The Kabane was blasted back and stuck in the doorway.
"Aaaah!" Ikoma roared and charged forward, pressing the gun against the Kabane's chest.
With another bang, he killed the Kabane and it fell off Kōtetsujō.
Ryuji was speechless. If you weren't the protagonist and you charged in like that — if you failed even once — everyone in this car would've died with you. As expected, you really can't expect much from a 2D-world protagonist.
After that, it went roughly the same as the original: Ikoma's identity as a Kabaneri was exposed, and Kurusu appeared at the right time, pointing a Steam Gun at him.
Throughout the whole process, Mumei didn't move.
That couldn't help but make Ryuji curious, "He seems like your kind, Mumei-chan. Aren't you going to help?"
Mumei rolled her eyes at him and said, "Mother said that reckless kindness only harms yourself and the people around you."
"Oh? Then Mumei-chan's mother must be very learned."
Ryuji was curious — Mumei's catchphrase wasn't 'big brother', but 'mother'. But this was even better — his damned possessiveness was satisfied a little.
"Yeah. Back then, my mother was a private tutor." Mumei held her chest, looking a bit wistful and a bit lost.
✦✦✦
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $1, as well as smut chapters ($2) or spicy images ($5) or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)