Seeing Yae Miko's unhurried silence, Raiden Ei grew anxious in an instant.
If Yae Miko could use that comparison to critique her pursuit of eternity—and even bring up how eternity couldn't bring Makoto back—did that mean there were ways outside of Inazuma to revive her sister?
Or at least... hope?
When it came to resurrecting her sister, Raiden Ei couldn't stay composed. She could even set aside her lifelong quest for eternity. After all, it was Makoto's fall that had driven her into this unyielding path in the first place!
"Miko!"
"Say something!"
Raiden Ei's eyes brimmed with urgency. She even sheathed her blade, pacing circles around Yae Miko in a frenzy.
Watching her desperate flailing, Yae Miko couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Oh, so now you're in a panic?
Just a few days ago, when I brought it up, you brushed it off like it was nothing.
Back then, I was the one on the verge of tears, and you? Completely unmoved.
Now, the tables had turned completely. It wasn't Yae Miko who was anxious anymore—it was Raiden Ei.
"Miko, please, just tell me." Raiden Ei pleaded, her voice thick with desperation. She yearned for answers from her friend.
But now, it was Yae Miko's turn to ignore her!
With her arms crossed, Yae Miko stood there before casually rolling her right shoulder.
Raiden Ei's eyes lit up at the sight. She teleported behind Yae Miko in a flash, reaching out to knead her shoulders. "Miko, won't you tell me? Please?"
Well now...
Look at you, so quick on the uptake.
That's a rare treat.
Yae Miko wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Normally, with this blockhead, a simple shoulder roll would leave her clueless. She'd probably just ask, "Is your shoulder sore? Or itchy?" But now?
With the idea of reviving her sister firing on all cylinders, Ei's brain was actually working overtime.
Reading the room now, are we? Progress at last.
"Oh dear."
Yae Miko feigned surprise, gently brushing Ei's hands away. "I wouldn't dare let the Almighty Shogun give me a shoulder rub."
Raiden Ei's face brightened with hope. Whatever words came out of Miko's mouth didn't matter—as long as she was talking again!
"Miko, you're my closest friend. No need for formalities between us. It's fine!"
Raiden Ei said earnestly.
Yae Miko rolled her eyes, her pale shoulder twitching. "Easy there—watch your strength!"
Raiden Ei withdrew her hands awkwardly.
A warrior through and through, she could pen a thesis on sword strikes. But massage technique? That left her utterly baffled.
"Miko..." Raiden Ei gazed at her with wide, pleading eyes.
"So now you know how to listen?"
"Oh..."
Yae Miko let out a long sigh, her voice laced with wry amusement. "What a feat. After all my scheming, I've finally gotten a few words out of our esteemed Shogun."
Raiden Ei froze for a moment.
"Surprised?"
Yae Miko chuckled softly. "You've always been haunted by loss. To escape it, you chased eternity, right?"
Raiden Ei nodded.
Gazing at Yae Miko, piecing together her earlier words and this latest remark, Ei sensed what was coming.
"You holed up in that Plane of Euthymia, leaving everything behind. Must be nice for you." Yae Miko's smile didn't reach her eyes, her tone flat with quiet resignation. "But what about me?"
The year Makoto fell, Yae Miko had been young but old enough to understand. Thrust into managing the Grand Narukami Shrine amid a torrent of death notices from their comrades.
For Raiden Ei, it was loss. But for Yae Miko? No less devastating.
She just never wore it on her sleeve, never let anyone glimpse her cracks.
"You're one of the few friends I have left—the only one I can truly rely on." Yae Miko sighed softly.
Only she could say it like that. Anyone else—say, someone like Zhongli—might've snapped right then. So many loved ones gone, and the one survivor? Off brooding alone.
That Yae Miko had held it together this long spoke volumes about her inner strength.
If she'd been a god herself, the emotional toll would've dwarfed five centuries of wear and tear.
"Miko, I..."
Raiden Ei wanted to explain, but the words caught in her throat.
"But Lady Yae is magnanimous and forgives you~" Yae Miko said with a playful lilt.
"Miko, I..."
Raiden Ei was overcome.
Miko's too good to me.
On second thought, these past years, she'd carried so much of Ei's burden.
[Ying]: Lu-ge, you buying this? One more emotional beat, and they're hugging it out!
[Lu Heng]: Oh, I'm sold. Quick, make it happen—I wanna see that scene!
Guy-on-girl cuddles? Pass.
But girl-on-girl? Always a win.
Lu Heng leaned in with a grin, four freshly woken heads crowding around his screen.
"Alright, alright."
Yae Miko waved it off, getting back to business. "Let's talk real matters."
This hasn't been the real talk?
A pang of guilt hit Raiden Ei. Miko must feel so hurt that she thought her own pain didn't count.
"Don't overthink it." Yae Miko tapped Ei's forehead lightly, exasperated.
Raiden Ei winced, clutching her head in a daze.
"You're hopeless at hiding your feelings anyway." Yae Miko teased before continuing. "Makoto really can be revived."
"!"
Raiden Ei's expression turned deadly serious.
"There's a place called the Card Shop. It sells cards with all sorts of impossible powers."
Yae Miko gave a quick rundown of the shop, then pressed on. "Godly erosion can be cleansed. From what I hear, Morax and Barbatos are nearly free of theirs. Even the crazed Orobashi's been fully healed."
"Erosion... cured?"
Raiden Ei blinked in shock, glancing skyward.
"Forget up there."
Yae Miko shrugged dismissively. "Compared to the Card Shop, what even is the Istaroth's so-called medicine?"
"Miko, watch your tongue!" Raiden Ei frowned. "Others might not care, but I won't risk you getting in trouble!"
"I know, I know."
Yae Miko drawled. "What I mean is, the Card Shop has everything. The key to bringing Makoto back might be right there."
"Miko, it's not that I doubt you... it's just..."
Raiden Ei's face twisted with conflict. Excitement warred with dread.
Thrilled at the possibility, yet terrified it might shatter like a dream.
She knew she wasn't dreaming.
But Yae Miko had mentioned it: cards came from draws.
What if she never pulled the right one? Hope dangled just out of reach... but how long until she grasped it?
Yae Miko ignored Ei's turmoil, turning instead to the drone that had quietly drifted closer. "Mr. Lu, there are cards for that, right?"
"Who are you talking to?" Raiden Ei tensed.
"The Card Shop's owner." Yae Miko replied. "He's seen everything."
"The Card Shop's owner..."
Raiden Ei's demeanor sharpened.
[Ying]: Yep, sis! For reviving folks, there are nine categories total!
[Lu Heng]: If you can dream it, a card can do it.
Yae Miko held up her phone for Ei to see.
Raiden Ei's breath caught. So many options...
But the question lingered: How long?
"Mr. Lu, hello. How can I obtain a card like that?" Raiden Ei asked.
[Lu Heng]: Luck of the draw.
Luck...?
That sounded precarious.
Raiden Ei fidgeted uneasily.
"Don't stress."
Yae Miko soothed. "At least there's a path now. Better than nothing, right?"
"...You're right!"
Raiden Ei exhaled, tension easing.
Yes!
Hope beat despair every time.
She didn't know the wait, but as an archon with erosion's cure in sight, she could endure millennia.
"Exactly."
"Even the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata fell once and came back. Why not Makoto?" Yae Miko added.
She hadn't known that at first. But friending Lu Heng let her scroll his feed, where pics of the pint-sized Rukkhadevata popped up.
Raiden Ei gaped. "Rukkhadevata's revived?"
Her fall was no secret—a guardian of the World Tree, her role too vital. The Archons all knew when it happened, but none could intervene.
[Lu Heng]: Yup, Ei. I'm back in action now.
"?"
Raiden Ei pointed at the screen, baffled.
"Contextually, that's Rukkhadevata posting. She's probably with Mr. Lu." Yae Miko explained.
"Ah, got it."
Raiden Ei nodded, then smiled. "Congratulations."
[Lu Heng]: Thanks. Don't worry—you'll have Makoto back soon too.
"Mm!" Raiden Ei nodded vigorously.
"Now, about Inazuma." Yae Miko's tone grew grave.
"Inazuma's issues?" Raiden Ei waited.
"You still don't grasp the damage from the Vision Hunt and Sakoku Decrees, do you?" Yae Miko chuckled dryly.
Twenty minutes later.
After Yae Miko summed up Inazuma's doomed timeline, Raiden Ei fell silent.
She'd known about the Vision Hunt, sure.
But the fallout for those who lost their Visions? Not a clue. She figured Visions were rare anyway—no big loss.
Now?
This bad?
Seeing Ei's dawning horror, Yae Miko's words cut like thorns. "Should we just cut our losses? Execute all Vision holders and call it a day?"
"Miko, I've seen the error of my ways. No more jabs, please."
Raiden Ei shook her head, drawing a deep breath. "I'll own up and fix it. But the Shogun..."
Like an emperor.
Emperors didn't err.
Courtiers took the fall.
Prestige demanded it.
"Things being what they are, does the Shogun still get a free pass on mistakes?" Yae Miko pressed.
"Er..."
Raiden Ei blinked, then nodded. "I see."
With everyone seeing her flaws through this "game," the people of Inazuma would know soon enough.
"Your mindset hasn't shifted yet." Yae Miko sighed.
"I'll issue a decree admitting fault." Raiden Ei declared.
"That's more like it." Yae Miko nodded approvingly. "And the Kujou and Hiiragi clans?"
"For colluding with the Fatui to poison Inazuma? Unforgivable—execution." Raiden Ei said coldly.
"And the Kamisato clan and my rebellion?" Yae Miko asked lightly.
"Rebellion? What rebellion?"
Raiden Ei blinked innocently, a hint of a smile. "Wasn't it just... cleaning house?"
[Ying]: So what about me?
[Lu Heng]: Verbal commendation.
Raiden Ei straightened. "The Traveler's role in averting that future is pivotal. She deserves..." She paused, glancing at Yae Miko.
Recalling Ying's broadcast, Yae Miko teased, "Traveler, how about a handmade amulet from the Saiguu Clan's chief priestess, infused with stellar wisdom?"
[Ying]: Yes! Gimme!
[Lu Heng]: Can't unsee this.
Traveler, oh Traveler—you're hopeless.
Bribed with a trinket?
"Of course, the amulet's just a token. We should add something tangible." Yae Miko smiled. "Inazuma can't outdo Mondstadt or Liyue too much—a million mora, say. But Miko and Ei will chip in five million privately as thanks."
Mondstadt: a house, a million mora, gear, phone, and Knights' quarters.
Liyue: 1.2 million from Ningguang.
Ten million from Inazuma outright? It'd make the others look stingy.
Private gifts sidestepped that nicely.
"We'll reserve a room in Tenshukaku too." Yae Miko added.
[Ying]: You know, since hitting Teyvat, my fave perk's been the beds!
[Lu Heng]: Room for more? (Heh.)
[Ying]: What about the Grand Narukami Shrine?" Yae Miko asked.
[Lu Heng]: Works for me. He asked—he digs it. All those shrine maidens. (Wink.)
[Ying]: Wait, not you posting that?
"Then both Tenshukaku and the Shrine it is." Yae Miko grinned, glancing at Ei. "Any objections?"
"None!" Raiden Ei shook her head firmly.
Tenshukaku was huge—two rooms were nothing.
The Shrine? Miko's turf.
[Ying]: What?! Lu-ge gets Tenshukaku and the Shrine? What about me?!
"The Shrine's short on space~" Yae Miko said sweetly.
[Ying]: Favoritism! Straight-up favoritism!!
"Wah—!"
The ageless girl let out a wail.
"She's playing favorites!!"
Ying pounded the bed.
"Quit your howling."
Paimon wiped her face. "You two side by side? Anyone with eyes picks Lu-ge. Gotta hug the right thigh. You? Snoozing through a run-in with the Raiden Shogun."
"Damn it, shut up!"
Ying balled her fist. "Hmph! Raiden Shogun? I've got iframes. Dodge fast enough, and her Musou no Hitotachi's got nothing on me!"
"I know, fighting the Shogun means 'experience insufficient' every time." Paimon sighed.
"Paimon!"
"You're not cute anymore!"
Paimon rolled her eyes. "Blame yourself! Dragging me into those stream draws... Now everyone's calling me abstract. I could've coasted on my charm, but nope. Good thing I've got some skills to fall back on."
Skills, huh.
Ying stared blankly.
[Lu Heng]: No room? Share with your Lu-ge.
That wasn't Lu Heng.
Ying knew it.
He wouldn't joke like that.
"What, you done with the abstract memes?" Paimon snatched the phone, typing furiously.
[Ying]: Heck yeah! Bring it! Me and Lu-ge in one room—bonus if Miko joins!
Yae Miko: "?"
Girl, what goes on in that head of yours?
Lu Heng: "..."
This Ying online... terrifyingly unfiltered.
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T/N:
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