The battle between the impromptu unit “Mom’s Mummies” and the “Hyahha Army” begins.
Hoverbikes, accelerating towards the rising black smoke, race up the hills to investigate the cause of the disturbance.
“…Is that it?”
In front of a barricade built from piled-up scrap, Bikermen, weaving their motorcycles and firing their guns wildly, clash with residents throwing Molotov cocktails, just like in a Mad Max movie.
Maximize the zoom function. The Hyahhas are a mixed bunch, but the residents are all Izuruha people or Natsume people.
Is this Little Tokyo or Little China in the middle of the wasteland?
The village’s self-defense force looks to be about ten people. And the Hyahhas are…
“Hinomaru… the Hyahhas are about forty in number.”
“Thirteen per head, Older Brother. Should be easy.”
“Let’s hurry and save them? The barricade looks like it’s about to break.”
A ridiculously large convoy, presumably doubling as the Hyahhas’ base, arrives. They hook a chain with a grappling hook to the barricade and start pulling.
“The enemy’s numbers and quality are not an issue. It’s just right for killing time until sunset!”
We rode our motorcycles down the hill and attacked the unfortunate Hyahhas.
The Hyahhas, who had fallen from being the plunderers to the plundered, were trampled by attackers wrapped in bandages.
A double mohawk, exceptionally large, seems to be the leader.
“Natsume, kill the convoy driver.”
“Okay.”
As I ride my motorcycle alongside the convoy, Natsume leaps from the back seat onto the roof of the convoy.
She somersaults into the vehicle, kicking through the door window. In an instant, a scream erupts, and the windshield is stained with blood.
I grip my sword in my right hand, accelerating with my left.
Pointing the motorcycle towards the double mohawk, I open the throttle and slash with my sword as we pass. Mugen Ittouryu, Rider’s Slash – Sea Swallow… The unleashed white blade, like a swallow, severed the double mohawk’s thick arm, along with the chain.
“Guaaah! Wh-what are you!”
“Me? Just a passing hero of justice.”
It’s fortunate that Mugen Ittouryu, the secret sword art of the Hachioki family of Terukyo’s Big Three, has many techniques usable on horseback.
Having lived a comfortable life in the capital, it was assumed that one might need to fight on horseback.
“You, you bastard! I’ll kill you!”
He’s still energetic despite having an arm severed in two. Well, Bio-Metal creatures are like that.
Dodging the swinging chain, I show a little consideration for my unfortunate opponent.
“The next line will be the last words of your life. Try reciting your death poem?”
I can’t judge it, though. Shigure-san’s father is apparently famous not only for his swordsmanship but also as a haiku poet.
“Kanryusai” wasn’t his real name, but his haiku pen name.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you! You damn midget!”
Hey, hey, it’s actually five, seven, five. No seasonal word, and not exactly brilliant.
Dodging the flying chain, I bring down Hishou Yousougeki towards the center of the mohawk’s head.
The blade, brought down with force, splits the double mohawk’s body cleanly in two.
With the boss, the double mohawk, defeated, the battle comes to an end.
The Hyahhas begin to flee… but they don’t escape.
A newly appeared group in white clothes obliterates the pathetic Hyahhas.
Particularly striking was the woman who led the charge against the Hyahhas.
Her strength was captivating, but even more so was her swordsmanship. Could it be…?
Without a glance at the Hyahhas whose corpses lay scattered in the wilderness, the woman, clad in Izuruha attire, approaches me.
Natsume and Rick position themselves on either side as if to protect me, but I stop them with a gesture.
This woman doesn’t seem like an enemy. She’s a swordsman who “uses” her sword far better than the double mohawk.
“It seems you’ve saved our village from peril. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s my business.”
“Business? Isn’t killing outlaws more of a volunteer act than business?”
Mm, not only is she beautiful, but her voice is also lovely. Alright, alright. Natsume-san, please don’t look at me with such a cold gaze.
“Outlaws have vehicles, right? They fetch a good price if sold.”
“I see. I am Yaotome Shizuru. And your name?”
“…Mommy No. 1.”
“Does hiding your face and using a false name mean you are a descendant of Hachioki?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. Sea Swallow and Hishou Yousougeki. I wouldn’t mistake a user of the same style.”
So this woman was also a user of Mugen Ittouryu.
Yaotome Shizuru… her surname starts with “Hachi” (eight), and she uses Mugen Ittouryu… which means…
“Are you from the Hachioki clan?”
“Yes… Forty years ago, we were driven out of Terukyo, and the Hachioki clan and its followers were scattered. If you are also one of the descendants, answer truthfully.”
“I am neither of the clan nor their followers. I learned Mugen Ittouryu from someone.”
“There is no traitor who would teach outsiders the secret sword art of the Hachioki clan!”
“Not forty years ago. Times have changed. The glory of Hachioki is a thing of the past.”
“It is not a thing of the past! I will surely revive the Hachioki clan!”
(Kanata, now is not the time to linger. If your true identity as the head of the Hachioki lineage is revealed, it will become troublesome.)
I see, Natsume was ordered by Marika-san to investigate Agito’s background.
(Right, let’s get out of here quickly… no, that’s not good.)
(Why?)
(This woman may resent the Mikado clan, which destroyed the Hachioki Soke and drove the clan out of Terukyo. In some cases, she might side with the Mechanists.)
(…Then should we deal with her here?)
(Don’t say scary things. Can I kill someone just because they might become an enemy?)
I’ll pass on the idea of “killing snakes while they’re still eggs.” If they become man-eating snakes, then killing them might be unavoidable.
In any case, I need to confirm whether this woman is someone who would harm Lord Mikoto.
As I ponder, I speak to the descendant of the Hachioki clan.
“I apologize for lying. Actually, I am also of the Hachioki clan. I wanted to see if you were someone I could trust.”
Upon hearing my words, Shizuru-san’s face brightens.
“Oh! So it was true! Which branch of the clan are you from? Hachisuka? Or Yatamaiki?”
“For certain reasons, I cannot reveal that now. I am on a secret mission related to Hachioki. I cannot speak of the mission’s details here. Is there any place we can talk privately?”
“I see, so that’s the situation. I will lead you to the village. My residence should be undisturbed.”
Shizuru-san signals me to follow and starts walking towards the village.
(…Kanata, you’re really good at lying.)
(Older Brother, I don’t understand anything at all…)
(I’ll explain later. Finish packing up the campsite with Natsume and bring me the luggage. We’ll be staying in this village tonight.)
Still, to run into someone from the Hachioki clan here. Am I lucky or unlucky?
Inside the barricade stood houses in the Izuruha style. “The ancestors must have built them to remember our distant homeland.”
Shizuru-san’s hut is in the center of the village, surrounded by a bamboo fence.
It’s more robustly built than the other houses, suggesting Shizuru-san is likely the leader of this settlement.
“I apologize, but please wait here until I return. When I asked the maid why the people I left in charge were gone, she said they went to the aid of a nearby colony that had been attacked by Road Gangs.”
“What’s the distance to the nearby colony?”
“About an hour by motorcycle.”
We’ll depart tomorrow morning. That gives us plenty of time.
“I will join you. My two companions will guard this village. They should return shortly after packing up the campsite.”
“Thank you. I will instruct the maid to inform the villagers of your companions. Let’s hurry.”
Borrowing a village motorcycle, I head towards the attacked colony with Shizuru-san and ten members of the self-defense force.
“What am I even doing in a place unrelated to the war?”
In the end, no rescue was necessary. The Hyahhas who attacked the colony had already been repelled by Shizuru-san’s subordinates who were supposed to be guarding the village.
As I heard the details of the attack, my heart sounded an alarm. Something felt odd.
Returning to the village while having Natto Bacteria analyze the situation, I am shown to the main room of Shizuru-san’s residence.
A tatami-matted room is, after all, calming. I am Japanese.
As I relax with my legs crossed, a girl, presumably a maid, brings tea for Shizuru-san and me.
“This place is humble, so I cannot offer a lavish welcome, but I hope you will make yourselves comfortable.”
“What about my companions?”
“They have been shown to an empty house. The sun has already set. You are welcome to stay in the village tonight.”
“Thank you. We will stay tonight and depart early tomorrow morning.”
“I see. So, about your secret mission?”
“Before that, may I ask, is it okay to call you Shizuru-san?”
“Aren’t we of the same clan? There’s no need for formality, Shizuru is fine. If possible, I’d like to know your name as well?”
“That will be revealed in time. First, there’s something that’s bothering me. Doesn’t it strike you as odd?”
“Odd, how?”
“While you were away, a nearby colony was attacked, and the remaining self-defense force members went to their aid. And then this village, left with fewer guards, was also attacked… It’s too coincidental. When more than two coincidences occur, I suspect the possibility of design.”
“…Indeed. It does seem too coincidental. If you and your companions hadn’t been here, this village would have been in danger. We returned because our supply trailer broke down, but was that also a coincidence?”
A U-turn due to a broken trailer. Too many coincidences are piling up. I believe our presence nearby was truly a coincidence, but…
“Let me have my companion examine the broken trailer. I want to know if the trailer’s malfunction was a coincidence.”
“Understood. I will send for the maid.”
Shizuru-san claps her hands to call the maid and sends her on an errand.
“What do you make of this situation?”
“I suspect there may be a collaborator colluding with the Hyahhas.”
“You mean there’s a traitor in this village!”
“Please calm down. It’s still just a possibility.”
“…Let me prepare dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”
“I am indeed hungry, but didn’t the maid just go out on an errand?”
“I will cook. That girl has a good heart, but her cooking is still lacking. I am in the process of preparing it.”
Shizuru-san rolls up her sleeves and stands up.
To think that someone who, in a different time, would have been an upper-class young lady of Terukyo is now the leader of a remote village frequented by Hyahhas.
Fate can be cruelly ironic.
