Won't You Help Him?

Setting aside Mumei's reaction for the moment, watching Kurusu Kunoichi level his rifle at Ikoma with a menacing expression, Fang Li—familiar with the original story's plot—naturally understood why this situation had arisen.

As mentioned before, when the story began, two Hayajiro had rolled into Aragane Station, one by day and one by night.

Among them, in the daytime Hayajiro, someone had been falsely accused of being a Kabane and was shot dead.

And at that time, the one who stepped forward for that person was Ikoma.

This young man, brimming with a sense of justice and driven by the desire to defeat the Kabane, had long harbored resentment toward the samurai in this station.

Not only were they cowardly and timid, but because their fear of the Kabane had no outlet, they turned their gun barrels against the weak—fellow humans. In Ikoma's eyes, such samurai were nothing but cowards.

Thus, Ikoma, who had stepped forward for that cause, also fell under the samurai's suspicion. They believed he might become a Kabane and threw him into prison.

Under those circumstances, logically, Ikoma should have had no way to escape and would have been killed by the Kabane.

Yet here he was, once again stepping forward for someone else.

A man already suspected of becoming a Kabane suddenly appears here—who wouldn't be on guard?

It was with that mindset that Kurusu Kunoichi aimed his gun at Ikoma.

"You should be locked up in jail," Kurusu Kunoichi said coldly. "Why are you here?"

"...I pried the lock open myself and escaped," Ikoma replied, his tone equally unfriendly, his expression grim. "If I hadn't, I'd have been bitten by a Kabane in that cell thanks to you, wouldn't I?"

"Almost bitten by a Kabane?" Kurusu Kunoichi's gaze grew even sharper. "If you ask me, it looks like you've already been bitten."

The surrounding crowd collectively flinched, instinctively backing away from Ikoma, not daring to approach.

Even the Governance Official, whom Ikoma had just stepped forward to protect, distanced himself, looking at Ikoma with fear in his eyes.

As for Yomogawa Ayame, this kind-hearted young lady seemed to want to speak up for Ikoma, but Kibito Aragane held her back.

"Lady Ayame, please don't interfere," Kibito Aragane said, his expression serious. "If a Kabane has slipped in among us during this escape, everyone might die."

Yomogawa Ayame was startled, then fell silent.

This stirred Ikoma into agitation, and he shouted loudly, "I'm not a Kabane!"

Unfortunately, that frantic demeanor only deepened everyone's suspicion.

Now, not only Kurusu Kunoichi, but all the samurai of the Yotsuyu Clan raised their rifles, aiming at Ikoma.

"You all..." Ikoma wore a pained expression.

That was only natural.

This justice-driven young man had always believed that humanity's enemy should be the Kabane, not other humans, and he strongly rejected infighting among people.

But no matter the era, infighting among humans is inevitable.

Because humans have intellect, hearts, and all kinds of complex emotions.

When people cannot understand or tolerate each other, internal strife never ceases.

So, in essence, Ikoma was indeed a hot-blooded youth lost in a dream.

Unable to see the situation clearly, acting solely on passion—it sounds positive, but to put it bluntly, it's far too reckless and thoughtless.

Without plot armor, characters like this are usually among the first to die.

Yet, for those who can see the bigger picture, such a person isn't necessarily detestable.

Watching Ikoma become the target of everyone's hostility, Fang Li leaned toward Mumei, who was in his arms, and whispered with a smile, "What's the matter? Not going to give him a hand?"

"Help?" Mumei blinked, then lowered her head and said, "Why should I help him?"

"Is that so?" Fang Li stared straight at Mumei, his tone deliberately meaningful. "Are you sure you don't want to help him?"

Hearing Fang Li's pointed words, Mumei felt as though this man had seen right through her.

That feeling, naturally, wasn't very pleasant.

Mumei shot Fang Li a resentful glare, then, under his teasing gaze, propped up her somewhat weak body, lifted her head, and looked ahead.

Then, Mumei's voice rang out clearly, shattering the tense atmosphere.

"Put down your guns," Mumei said, her voice still somewhat weak and listless. "That person isn't a Kabane."

Mumei's words brought a flash of joy to Ikoma's face, while the people around exchanged glances.

"Not a Kabane?" Kurusu Kunoichi didn't lower his rifle, his voice still cold. "He's not a Kabane now, but who knows if he'll become one later?"

"For now, we can't rule out the possibility that he's been bitten by a Kabane," Kibito Aragane chimed in, though compared to Kurusu Kunoichi's coldness, his words carried a bit more humanity. "Unless we examine his body and confirm there are no bite marks from a Kabane."

At those words, Ikoma's expression froze.

Fang Li naturally knew why.

And Mumei, clearly, did as well.

"If you want to know whether he's been bitten by a Kabane, I can tell you that much," Mumei said, lifting her eyelids slightly, her childish voice slowly rising.

"He has already been bitten."

The temperature in the air dropped to freezing point.

"---?!"

Every single spear-wielding warrior reacted as if stung, their gun barrels swiveling in unison to aim at Ikoma, fear etched across their faces.

The surrounding civilians all screamed out, letting a panicked atmosphere spread through the crowd.

"W-Wait!" Ikoma couldn't help but take two steps back, shaking his head as if refusing to accept reality, his voice trembling as he said, "I... I'm not a Kabane... I'm not a Kabane!"

Yet not a single person believed him.

Everyone knew that anyone bitten by a Kabane would become a Kabane themselves.

Only Mumei's expression never changed.

"That's right, you're not a Kabane," she said.

With that, Mumei stepped forward, coming to Ikoma's side, looking him straight in the eye as she spoke each word clearly.

"But you're no longer human, either."