"Hey, lolicon — why wouldn't you let me reveal my identity?" Mumei trailed behind Ryuji, her cheeks still flushed.
"Do you have a habit of showing your bare back to outsiders?" Ryuji stopped and eyed her with suspicion.
Probably not. She always wore safety shorts under her short kimono and combat gear — there was no way she had that kind of fetish.
"Of course not!" His words made Mumei puff out her cheeks.
She turned around and, right in front of Ryuji alone, shrugged off her outer coat.
Only then did he notice her back was covered by a shirt as well — the heart unique to a Kabaneri glimmered faintly through the fabric.
"See? It's not like I'm used to letting people see my body." She slipped her coat back on, turned, and glared at him.
"Alright, my bad. As an apology… here." Ryuji awkwardly produced a lollipop.
"Hmph. At least you know your place." Mumei snatched it, popped it into her mouth, and huffed.
When they reached the private compartment in the first car Kenshō had arranged for him, Ryuji took out the crystal he'd obtained from Ikoma.
"This is just an ordinary crystal — so why can I sense a retainer's aura from it?"
He activated his heightened perception and examined it closely. The crystal was absurdly sturdy; by his estimate, even using every method he currently had, he wouldn't be able to damage it.
Suddenly, through the crystal, he faintly made out a humanoid shape. He held it up to the light filtering in through the porthole and looked harder — there really was a tiny girl, about eight or nine, asleep inside.
"Could that be Ikoma's little sister?"
Recalling the original story, Ryuji's first thought was Hatsune.
"But why? How did she end up like this — and why can I sense a retainer's aura on her?" He scratched his head, completely at a loss. In the end, he decided he'd ask Ikoma tomorrow.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Late at night, Ryuji lay down on the simple iron bed.
Knock. Knock-knock.
A light tapping came at the door.
Ryuji got up to open it — and saw Ayame standing there. Her cheeks were red; her hands were clenched as she lowered her head. It was… kind of cute.
But her tightly clasped hands only drew attention to her impressive bust, and the way her shy, trembling hips shifted was downright tempting.
"Ah…"
Ryuji glanced left and right. Seeing no one, he quickly pulled her inside amid Ayame's soft cry.
Bang!
The compartment door shut. At the far end of the corridor, a small head peeked out.
"Why is Ayame going to see that lolicon so late at night?"
Curious, Mumei had been following her — and watched Ayame get dragged in. She tiptoed to the door, tilted her head, and pressed her ear against it.
"Mmm… Ryu-kun, suck — mm…"
"Tch… you're still far from good."
"Ah… no, that spot is too sensitive…"
"Ayame, yours are so big — my hand can't even hold them all."
"Mmm…"
Hearing the sounds, and remembering the things her mother had told her — things only adults did — Mumei's face burned.
"So it really is a pervert…"
She said that, yet for some reason she didn't leave. Instead, she pressed her ear even closer.
Inside, Ryuji had Ayame bent forward. He breathed in her scent while his hands lifted and bounced her generous breasts through their clothes.
"Not only are they big… they're heavy, too. Doesn't that get tiring, Ayame?"He murmured against her cheek, nibbling at her small, glossy earlobe.
"Mmm… i-it's… it's okay, I guess. But when I run, they bounce and it feels… uncomfortable."
That made Ryuji remember: in this era, bras and panties didn't seem to exist.
No wonder yesterday's touch had felt so direct — she hadn't been wearing a bra. And if there was nothing up top… what about down below?
A flicker of curiosity rose in him.
But he didn't rush. Ayame was already cooked — like boiled Saeko. She wasn't going anywhere.
"Since it's uncomfortable, come here. Let me massage you." As he spoke, his hands went from supporting to grasping.
"Hah…"
The moment he clasped her fullness again, that numb, tingling sensation from yesterday surged through Ayame. Her legs trembled, and her perky hips pressed against his hard abs.
Ryuji kneaded the soft flesh in his palms, shaping it however he pleased, uncaring of wrinkled fabric.
Rustle… rustle…
Cloth rubbed against skin. Even through their clothes, he could feel the heat rolling off her body.
As he sat on the plain iron bed and worked her, his rigid shaft found its place and wedged between her buttocks.
"Mmm…!"
Startled, Ayame instinctively tightened. As she squeezed her buttocks together, the burning hardness became even clearer.
"Tch… Ayame. Just like that — clamp down, then rock up and down. Yes… just like that."
Ryuji exhaled, guiding her while kneading harder, determined to work the huge "dough" into the softest, smoothest "bun".
Ayame, like a diligent trainee obeying a coach, began doing small up-and-down squats.
"Hah… Ryu-kun, my legs are numb…" Before long her knees shook, and she collapsed onto him.
Sweat soaked her long dress, and even his pants became an innocent victim — one large patch had turned damp.
"Since you're tired, Ayame… then I'll do the workout."
Ayame lay back on the bed. After the exertion, her clothes were half undone: the red outer garment hung open, revealing most of her pale softness. Only a few buttons held their ground, preserving what little "chastity" remained.
Out of curiosity, the first thing Ryuji reached for wasn't the nurturing white mounds, but the red skirt that fell to her calves.
A strip of white cloth wrapped around her full hips was exposed.
"A fundoshi?"
It looked uncomfortable. But Ayame's wasn't wrapped thick and tight like a sumo wrestler's — only a loop or two, and the bottom was a little loose.
Ryuji could easily tug it aside, but she shyly reached out to stop him.
"Come on. I'm curious — let me see…" Ryuji chuckled like a creepy old man as he brushed her hand away.
"Uu… Ryu-kun is so mean…" Ayame's ears turned bright red, but she couldn't do much about him.
As if thinking that if she couldn't see it, no one could, she pulled her hands back to cover her face.
When the cloth shifted, a wave of moist heat, carrying a maiden's faint fragrance, rose up. For a moment, Ryuji even thought he saw a thin white mist.
"Sniff, sniff… it smells pretty good."
Ayame covered her face and turned her head away.
Hmph… I didn't know you were like this, Ryu-kun. Pervert.
Yet her body obediently relaxed, her legs parting.
When the mysterious cloth finally came undone, a holy, beautiful scene appeared. A spring trickled; the mountains and forests were lush — within the valley, a little pink butterfly fluttered, capturing Ryuji's gaze.
He inhaled the sweet scent in the air and swallowed, suddenly thirsty. Perfect — right in front of him was a fragrant spring.
He lowered his head and drank deeply, thick and sweet.
"Eeh…!"
Before long, Ayame cried out as her body arched. Her legs clamped involuntarily, and an even richer, sweeter "spring" poured into Ryuji's mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
The swallowing echoed. The strange sensation below nearly made Ayame cry out again, and she had to clamp a hand over her mouth.
Ryuji struggled a bit before he finally pulled away.
He licked his lips. Looking at Ayame — top half undone, one hand covering her mouth, eyes dazed — he couldn't hold back any longer.
His rigid shaft bared its fangs.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
"Ah, it hurts…"
"It's fine — after a bit, it won't hurt anymore."
Outside, Mumei listened as her face grew hotter and hotter — she even felt the place where she peed becoming strangely sensitive.
She knew it was wrong, yet her hand still drifted there unconsciously.
"Mmm…" The moment her finger touched, a soft moan slipped out.
Luckily, in the dead of night no one would pass by — otherwise the image she projected to others would have shattered.
Mumei, who'd been a war goddess slaughtering Kabanes earlier, was now pressed against someone else's door, listening while "rewarding herself".
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
The next day.
Ryuji opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Ah… in a strange world, only boobs can give me warmth." After sighing, he squeezed the soft thing in his hand.
Looking down, he saw a completely naked Ayame sprawled on top of him, asleep.
"Uh… so it's her butt…" Ryuji felt a little awkward. He'd thought he was squeezing her breasts, but it was her soft, plump ass.
"Mmm…" Ayame groggily pushed herself up.
Duang! Duang!
Her flattened breasts were finally freed, and as she moved they bounced together.
Ryuji stared at the two glossy red buds swaying in the air and swallowed. They almost looked… delicious.
"Mmm… good morning, Ryu-kun…" Ayame rubbed her eyes.
"Uh… good morning." Only then did Ryuji realize his shaft was still buried in a warm, tight place.
As Ayame rose, it pushed even deeper.
"Hah…!" She seemed to realize it too. A soft moan escaped her, and she blushed, hurrying to get up.
Pop!
The sound was like pulling a cork from a wine bottle. Mortified, Ayame grabbed the sheet and covered her face.
In her panic she nearly rolled off the bed, but Ryuji laughed and pulled her into his arms.
"You rest. I'll go get some breakfast — I'll be back in a bit."
After settling her down, Ryuji left the compartment.
He glanced at the floor. A dark patch looked like water had been spilled and left to dry overnight. Grinning, he pulled a camera from a gap beside the wall's piping.
"I only brought it just in case. Didn't think I'd actually catch something… now I've got even more material to threaten Mumei with."
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Meanwhile, in the engine car, Kenshō was dealing with the nobles' complaints.
"Lord Yomogawa, how could you allow a Kabane to travel with us?!" The leading middle-aged noble was furious about yesterday's unilateral decision.
"It's not too late — hurry up and throw the Kabane off the train!"
"Yes, throw them off!"
Kenshō met their resolute stares and replied calmly, "Ikoma will stay in the last car and won't come out. And we're short on combat personnel — Ikoma, who will no longer be infected by the Kabane virus, is also decent fighting strength."
Seeing them hesitate, he continued, "Besides, the piercing gun Ikoma invented is the most effective weapon against Kabanes. Throwing him off would only lower our survival rate."
He added silently, Of course, that's assuming Lord Ryuji isn't here.
The nobles fell quiet, thinking. They didn't truly mean harm — they just wanted to be safer.
It had to be said: Kenshō was a capable lord. A few words were enough to calm them. If this were the original story — where Ayame, who'd never dealt with this, had to take charge — she'd probably be led around by the nose.
Just then, several elderly people, along with a group of middle-aged men, arrived at the engine car. Ignoring the guards' attempts to stop them, they sat on the floor as soon as they saw Kenshō.
"What is this?" Kenshō asked, baffled.
A warrior beside him stepped forward to explain, "They're demanding we stop the Kōtetsujō. No matter how we try to persuade them, they won't listen."
"Please stop the Kōtetsujō so we can hold a funeral."
"We want to mourn our family."
"If we keep moving forward, our prayers won't reach them."
"I don't want my grandson to become a wandering ghost…"
As the leading old man spoke, the others joined in.
"Lord — bad news. Our emergency water tank is broken. At this rate, we won't make it to the next station."
A blond, curly-haired middle-aged man stepped up to report.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Ryuji's sharp hearing let him catch everything said in the engine car. He wasn't interested and headed for the second car instead.
This was different from the original story: Kenshō was in charge, so Ryuji wasn't worried about things getting too out of hand.
"Yo, good morning, Mumei-chan."
Ryuji pushed open the only compartment door in the second car and greeted Mumei, who was lying on the futon with an expression of utter despair.
Seeing her heavy dark circles and that "I did it too many times" look, he smiled in satisfaction.
"And you two, Kajika and Shino — morning as well."
"Morning, Ryuji-kun." ×2
Kajika and Shino answered in unison.
Mumei saw his pleased smile and her anger flared. She shot up at once, ready to have it out with him.
Who knew why she'd followed Ayame last night — and then, because of those strange sounds, ended up… making a mess.
Damn it. That dead pervert actually did that kind of thing…
When should I use the video to make Mumei submit? Ryuji thought slyly as he looked at her with ill intent.
Mumei's hair nearly stood on end. She immediately went on guard.
Ignoring her wariness, Ryuji pulled out some simple cooking tools in front of Kajika and Shino's shocked eyes.
"Kajika — you can cook, right?" He laid out ingredients on the floor.
"Huh?! Y-yes."
Kajika snapped out of it and stepped forward to start cooking.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
After breakfast with Mumei and the others, Ryuji carried chicken soup and other nourishing food, planning to bring it to Ayame.
It was also Mumei's first time eating rice, and the resentment she'd been holding toward Ryuji softened a little.
The aroma of chicken soup immediately drew the other passengers' attention, but when they saw it was him — the person even the nobles' leader didn't dare offend — they quickly looked away.
Ryuji couldn't be bothered with them either.
However, within the crowd, someone watched his back with jealous, hateful eyes.
✦✦✦
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! (-‿◦)