In the afternoon, Hirabayashi and Endo gathered the villagers in the center. The crowd assembled in the square, eagerly awaiting the upcoming announcement. Hirabayashi stepped forward, cleared his throat, and began to speak:
"Dear villagers, we are here today to make an important announcement to you. We have finally filled the leadership void that has persisted for a long time. With your support, a new leader for our village has been chosen."
Excited murmurs rose from the crowd. Hirabayashi raised his hand to restore silence and continued:
"The new leader of our village is someone we all know closely, trust, and respect. Kamiya Naizen!"
Enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted in the square. Kamiya emerged from the crowd and came to Hirabayashi's side. His face bore an expression of both pride and responsibility. He raised his hand to request silence and began to speak:
"My dear villagers, I accept this role with a great sense of honor and responsibility. I know that we have challenging times ahead, but if we stand united, we can overcome any difficulty. I promise to do my utmost to lead our village towards a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future."
Kamiya's words elicited a great round of applause from the crowd. People were hugging each other in joy, celebrating their new leader. However, in the midst of this jubilant moment, a shadow moved silently through the crowd, unnoticed by anyone.
In a distant corner of the square, the Tiger Masked had secretly infiltrated the village. He was carefully observing the surroundings, particularly examining the new leader Kamiya. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, as if foreshadowing events to come. However, for now, his presence remained completely hidden amidst the noise and chaos of the celebrations.
During the celebrations, Kamiya visited Kinjo. "Kinjo, I want to see you as the village leader's advisor," said Kamiya.
Kinjo hesitated at first. "Are you doing this because I'm missing an eye? Do you underestimate me so much that you can't send me on missions?"
Kamiya shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with that. You're smart enough for this role, and our village needs you."
Kinjo let out a deep sigh. "So there's no other reason, huh?" he questioned, then added, "Maybe you're right, I guess I'm not strong enough to fight anymore."
These words suddenly saddened Kamiya; he hadn't meant it that way, but thinking about it, even though Kinjo Kohei was smart, he wasn't strong enough to lead a mission team anymore, at least not like before. Instead, it made more sense for him to be in the back lines as part of the brain team. "Look, that's really not what I meant. I need someone's help to support me."
A bittersweet smile appeared on Kinjo's face. "I know, Kamiya, I was just kidding. I can be more useful in the brain team, and maybe I can fill in for you when you need to go on missions. Even if I can't protect with my strength anymore, I can do it with my intellect. Don't worry, I accept this role. After all, isn't this the first task you've given to someone as a leader? I'm pleased."
With these words, Kamiya felt quite relieved. Now he had someone he could trust and entrust his affairs to, and someone who could also fill in for him if something happened to him.
Towards evening, a comprehensive meeting was held with the council. Despite still being injured, Kinjo Kohei also attended the meeting; he had now taken on an important role as the official advisor to the village leader. Endo and Hirabayashi had joined the council of elders and had transferred all administrative responsibilities to Kamiya. This represented a significant change in the village's governance structure.
As the meeting began, Kamiya spoke: "Thank you everyone. We need all of your support in this new era."
Kinjo nodded and added: "Kamiya, we trust you. I'm sure you'll lead our village to a better future."
Endo smiled and said: "From now on, all authority is yours. As our leader, you're free to make any decisions you want. I have full faith in you, son."
After hearing these words, Kamiya thought to himself, "Of course, I always have to do what you want. If people didn't need me or if Sato were here, I definitely wouldn't have taken on this role. Things turned out this way, and you pretending to care about me really gets on my nerves." He was quite angry inside, but maintaining his composure outwardly, he continued. "Thank you, Endo Naizen. Well then, since there's no matter here that concerns the council of elders at the moment, please excuse us."
Endo was a bit surprised, as his presence at the meeting was beneficial, but he couldn't go against the leader's wishes and undermine his authority so early on by disobeying his orders.
Hirabayashi said with a laugh, "Well, if our leader says so, our council has no business here. Let's go, Endo. We hope you'll report any developments to us, young leader."
Kamiya nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Kinjo continued to inwardly chuckle at Endo's bewilderment.
"I wasn't expecting you to choose a leader so quickly, Kamiya," said Akane Koga with a pleased expression.
Just as Kamiya was about to speak, Kinjo interjected, "Kamiya Naizen was already the best option for us. We had just postponed it until after the wars, as we couldn't celebrate while people were losing their loved ones. But of course, due to the urgent situation, we had to rush it. I hope your council enjoyed the feast and celebrations."
Akane replied with a smile, "It was certainly a lovely celebration, even if hurried. Now, to return to our topic."
Kamiya took the floor, "I'm not sure if you're aware of recent events, but to update you, there are two different groups of masked individuals roaming around. One group wears animal masks, while the other has numbers. Those with numbered masks call their organization Kaguyaku-chi."
Akane brought her hand to her chin, showing she was deep in thought. "I feel like I've heard this somewhere before," she pondered.
Kamiya provided more details, recounting his experiences and those of others. On top of this, Akane expressed that the Jun clan was willing to provide all kinds of support to the village. This was a promising development for the village's future.
Akane said, "I will relay this meeting as it is. We would be happy to cooperate with your village, but of course, we expect help from you in this agreement as well. We need to discuss what you can offer us."
Seizing this opportunity, Kamiya took a bold step: "Madam Akane, would you consider not just cooperation, but a full merger with a strong clan like yours? I'm proposing that you completely join our village."
Kinjo was suddenly shocked; he hadn't expected Kamiya to make such an offer. At the very least, he thought, it would have been good to know about it beforehand.
This proposal caused a brief silence in the room. Akane responded with a thoughtful expression: "This is an offer we need to seriously consider. We'll discuss it with our clan and get back to you as soon as possible."
Kinjo thought again and, giving Kamiya an approving look, added, "This could be a strategic move that would further strengthen the relationships between the two communities."
Akane Koga said, "We will discuss this proposal with our leader, Akira."
The delegation decided to rest for a day and then set out to return to their village the next day.
At nightfall, the Tiger-masked figure was observing the surroundings in the city center, hiding from the guards. He had secretly infiltrated the city with the aim of both taking revenge on Kamiya Naizen and finding out where Sato Ryo was. "I could never confess my love, there was no room for emotions in the work I did. But deep down, I always loved you, Hama." He was looking at his hand and suddenly clenched his fist in anger. "No matter what, I will have my revenge." In the darkness of the night, the light from the surrounding torches was illuminating his face. He was sitting with his back against the wall between two houses, continuing to dwell on his thoughts while waiting for the right moment.
A moment from four and a half years ago with Hama came to his mind. They were looking at the ocean from the city's massive walls, both of their long hair flowing in the wind, and the height difference between them was noticeable even from afar. "Tailo, do you think we could ever leave this work behind and live a normal life?" Hama questioned. Tailo lifted his Tiger mask from his face, wanting to savor the air and the sunset. A sweet orange tone in the air was reaching from the edge of the ocean to their faces. Tailo looked into Hama's eyes.
"Hama, I understand you. I'm thinking the same thing," said Tailo, not taking his eyes off Hama's. "Maybe in five years, after we've paid our debt to the state, we can leave this life behind."
A hopeful smile appeared on Hama's face. Tailo continued, "After we leave this life behind, would you like to set up a farm together and live in the north?"
Hama's cheeks reddened. She had harbored feelings for Tailo Zhang ever since she first joined this team, but had never received any attention. For the first time, she thought her feelings might be reciprocated, but answering now would be problematic for both of them.
"Can I answer when the time comes?" Hama replied with a smile. A tear fell from her left eye; it was a tear of happiness. Before more could fall, Tailo wiped Hama's tear with his hand.
Waiting was frustrating for Tailo, but there was nothing he could do. They both continued to watch the ocean in silence, full of hope for the future, yet aware of the weight of their current duties.
In the present day, the Tiger-masked Tailo could no longer control his nerves. He was resentful of those possibilities and dreams that could never exist.
He had memorized the paths of the guards along with his thoughts. From here on, it was a vital risk, but what did he have left to lose anyway? He left his spot and moved forward in the shadows, thinking, "You're probably in that big building, Kamiya Naizen. Your death will be by my hand."
Kamiya and Kinjo were taking notes on parchments in the village leader's office on the third floor when Kinjo interjected, "We need to do a lot of hiring, Kamiya. We can't solve this with just these meeting documents. We need to hire clerks and keep historical records, plus an education system and so on. Ah, we have so much work to do," he complained.
Exhaustion was evident in Kamiya's eyes, but he smiled and said, "We'll handle everything in time, Kinjo. Don't tire yourself out by rushing. First, we need to figure out how to simplify these writing tasks. Work on that; parchments are both troublesome and expensive."
Kinjo got up from his wooden chair and leaned on Kamiya's desk. "Yes, I was thinking about that too. We really need to find a solution for this." After thinking for a moment, "I had heard about books, a merchant from the city was selling them. We could do something like that."
Kamiya paused, "A book? Is it something like a parchment?"
Kinjo nodded in affirmation, "Yes, but instead of one long parchment, think of it as separate pieces of parchment put together and arranged one after another as a single unit. I'll do detailed research on this, and we could also assign a team to send to the city to gather information about their technologies."
Kamiya thought for a moment, "That makes sense. Alright, I'm leaving this task to you, Kinjo. You can even join the mission if you want."
Kinjo shook his head in refusal, "I don't want to. My duty is truly here. You've been right from the beginning, Kamiya. I'm weak, but right now I feel like I'm in the right place. If I go on missions, I'd be risking the lives of my friends. I don't intend to do that unless absolutely necessary."
Kamiya felt sad about Kinjo's thoughts, "Don't worry, Kinjo. As long as I'm here, my strength is your strength. Don't hesitate to use it," he said.
This reassurance made Kinjo happy, "After all, the strongest among us would be suitable for this leadership position."
Kamiya suddenly became serious, "If Sato were here, I wouldn't have accepted something like this."
The room fell silent for a moment. "But he's not here, and there's no going back from this now," Kinjo added.
Kamiya leaned back and said, "I know, I'm aware, and I won't dwell on it."
Kinjo turned back to his desk, "Good, let's continue with our work. We have a lot to do." He sat at his desk, picked up his quill pen, and continued writing on the parchment.