I've Already Become a Normal Person

The voice from outside the door was recognized by Fang Li almost instantly.

"Miss Ayame?"

The owner of the voice was unmistakably Yomogawa Ayame.

It wasn't just Fang Li; Ikoma recognized it too.

"Lady Ayame?" Ikoma asked in surprise. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to ask," Yomogawa Ayame's voice came through the door, clearly carrying hesitation and uncertainty even through the barrier. She said, "Do the three of you have any food with you? Should I prepare some for you?"

At Yomogawa Ayame's words, Fang Li and Ikoma exchanged a glance.

Both of them were well aware of the situation inside the Iron Fortress.

With the shortage of food and water, and given the position of Fang Li's group, if Yomogawa Ayame actually provided them with food and water, it would surely invite a great deal of criticism.

Yet Yomogawa Ayame had still come here specifically to ask this question, proving that she genuinely cared about them.

Only Mumei, a girl with little guile, failed to grasp Yomogawa Ayame's good intentions. She said listlessly, "We don't need human food, as long as we have blood... Mmmph mmmph!"

Mumei's voice suddenly turned into muffled whimpers.

Because Fang Li had covered her mouth.

Ignoring Mumei's struggles, Fang Li said to Yomogawa Ayame outside the door, "Please don't worry, Miss Ayame. We've brought some food and water with us. It should be fine for a short while."

"Y-Yes... that's right, Lady Ayame." Ikoma, apparently also unwilling to reveal their need to drink blood, quickly took over. "Please don't worry about us. We're doing well."

"That's good to hear." Yomogawa Ayame seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then continued, "Actually, the Iron Fortress will be stopping for a while soon. I came to tell the three of you about this."

"Stopping?" Ikoma couldn't help asking. "Why stop all of a sudden?"

"...Actually, the water tank was just found to be cracked. There's not enough water left inside. If this continues, the boiler will stop working, and the Iron Fortress won't be able to move." Yomogawa Ayame said helplessly, "So we have to stop and collect water."

"Is that so?" Ikoma hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Do you need me to help with the repairs?"

After all, Ikoma was a blacksmith, skilled at such tasks.

But given Ikoma's current status, even if he offered to help, others might not appreciate it.

So Yomogawa Ayame said, "Please don't worry. Your former colleagues are also on the Iron Fortress. With them here, the water tank should be repaired soon."

Ikoma's expression grew complicated.

Presumably, Yomogawa Ayame's words had reminded him of the companions he used to work with.

"The Iron Fortress will probably stop in a little while," Yomogawa Ayame said. "When it does, please try not to cause panic among the people."

"Understood." Ikoma nodded.

As for Mumei, she had already broken free from Fang Li's restraint. As if sulking, she turned her head away and said nothing.

Only Fang Li, gazing out the window at the gradually darkening sky, murmured softly.

"Just in time to take care of things..."

When night fell, the Iron Fortress stopped, just as Yomogawa Ayame had said.

One by one, the doors opened.

Warriors and civilians alike descended from the Iron Fortress one after another, gathering in a fairly secluded open space.

Then, under Yomogawa Ayame's direction, some people set out to collect water, others began repairing the water tank, and the rest gathered in the open space, busying themselves.

Busy with what?

The warriors formed a circle around the perimeter, standing guard.

The civilians, meanwhile, built a bonfire in the center, knelt before it, and began chanting prayers.

Fang Li, Mumei, and Ikoma also got off the train and witnessed this scene.

Watching the civilians praying around the bonfire, Mumei blinked and asked, "What are they doing?"

Ikoma remained silent.

Fang Li glanced toward the bonfire and said softly, "They're holding a funeral for the dead."

Mumei fell silent as well.

Gazing at the slowly burning bonfire, watching the people kneeling before it in prayer, Mumei and Ikoma both sank into silence.

"Sob... sob, sob..."

Before long, crying began to rise and fall among the crowd by the bonfire.

One by one, the people of Aragane Station could no longer hold back their grief, and tears began to flow.

Sorrow spread through the air.

It came from longing for those who had passed.

Faced with such a scene, even the warriors wore expressions of shared empathy, none able to speak a word.

Even Ikoma's mood grew somewhat heavy.

Mumei watched quietly, her expression betraying nothing, yet her heart was somewhat conflicted.

Faced with this scene, who could remain unmoved?

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Mumei suddenly noticed something.

Fang Li, standing beside her, gazed at the scene steeped in sorrow and grief, his eyes unlike anyone else's.

What kind of look was that?

—Calm.

A calm beyond the ordinary.

A calm so profound it was almost frightening.

It was as if he had grown numb to death itself, to the point of being utterly heartless.

This realization made Mumei's eyes flicker, for she had just thought no one could remain indifferent to this sight.

Then, unable to help herself, Mumei said to Fang Li, "Don't you feel any sadness?"

Hearing this, Fang Li turned his head to look at Mumei, his dark eyes carrying a suffocating calm.

The next second, Fang Li spoke.

"If I could feel sadness, I would have become a normal person long ago."

Leaving these words behind, Fang Li abandoned the stunned Mumei and walked toward the crowd ahead.

Fang Li's appearance naturally stirred commotion among those around him.

But Fang Li paid it no heed, walking straight toward a pregnant woman kneeling silently in prayer before the bonfire, her expression more devout than anyone else's, passing right by her.

As Fang Li passed the pregnant woman, his lips moved slightly, as if he said something.

The woman immediately opened her eyes.

But by then, Fang Li had already moved beyond the crowd, heading deeper into the forest ahead.