The thought that Lu Heng's home already housed four women made Raiden Makoto's scalp tingle. (She still didn't know about Shenhe yet.) Could she just give up?
Absolutely not.
Lu Heng was wonderful, and she truly liked him—giving up was never an option.
Seeing her sister's expression grow conflicted, Yae Miko couldn't help but try to comfort her.
"Don't be so upset, Sister. The fact he has so many companions just proves your taste is excellent."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Makoto glared at her in exasperation.
Still, Miko's words did carry a hint of comfort.
Makoto sighed and shook her head. "Enough, let's not talk about this. Let's go have a look."
Ei's mood was heavy. She had never realized her sister harbored feelings for someone.
"No wonder everyone says you're clueless," the puppet Shogun sneered. "You can't sense anything at all!"
Ei didn't have the energy to argue. She only muttered, "My sister still belongs with me now, but soon she'll be part of another family, won't she?"
"That's right," the puppet confirmed mercilessly. "She'll move in with Lu Heng, her eyes filled only with him. Her heart won't have room for you anymore."
"Ah…"
The puppet sighed with mock sympathy. "How pitiful. You've barely reunited with your sister, and already she'll be leaving you again. From then on, her home won't be yours—it'll be his. If you want to see her, you'll have to go to his house."
Ei lowered her gaze, her hands clenching tightly.
How could this be?!
The more she thought about it, the angrier and more fearful she became.
It was just like a family where two close sisters are forced apart because one is getting married. She couldn't bear it.
Ei could not accept separation.
"What should I do?" she asked herself.
She knew she was powerless. Her strength meant nothing against Lu Heng, and she could never raise a hand against her sister.
But apart from force, she had nothing. That realization left her lost.
"It's simple," the puppet said lightly.
"Simple?" Ei looked up, bewildered.
"Of course." The puppet's tone grew sly. "Why not just marry him alongside your sister?"
"…?"
Ei froze, then flushed with anger. "That's your grand idea?!"
This wasn't advice—it was just the puppet exposing her own desire to marry Lu Heng!
"It makes sense," the puppet replied coolly. "Think about it. Lu Heng already has four women. Do you know their personalities? Love makes people selfish. They won't want to share. And your sister is a newcomer—do you think she won't be pushed aside?"
"Your sister isn't strong. If you're not around, who will protect her? But if you join her, everyone will know your strength. Who would dare bully her then?"
The puppet grew increasingly delighted. If she could persuade Ei, then she herself could join the household as well.
She pressed further, whispering like a devil tempting a soul: "Just imagine—being together with your sister all the time, never having to part again. Doesn't that sound perfect? But if you refuse, you already know what your future looks like. Your sister will leave you. Miko too. Both will become part of Lu Heng's family. And you… will be nothing more than a relative."
Relative?!
Ei trembled violently, her chest tight as if her heart had been crushed.
The word pierced her like a blade.
"My sister… and Miko… both leaving me?" She clutched her chest. Her heart ached unbearably. She felt fragile, like she might shatter at the slightest touch.
The puppet, seeing this, grew ecstatic.
She pushed harder: "And afterward, who will remain in the Tenshukaku? Probably just you. But don't be sad—on holidays, Lu Heng will bring his wives to visit you. Like any family paying respects to their relatives."
Ei's eyes widened.
Yes… they would only come on holidays, like people visiting distant kin.
The rest of the year, she would be left alone.
Abandoned.
Cast aside.
Her body shook. She couldn't endure such loneliness.
"So," the puppet asked slyly, "now that you've calmed down, what do you think of my suggestion?"
Ei forced herself to breathe deeply and think. She realized two things.
First, the puppet was definitely manipulating her—if she agreed, the puppet would get what she wanted.
But second… everything the puppet said was true.
It was a trap in plain sight, a scheme she couldn't refute.
Ei's mind was a tangled mess. She was completely lost.
"Sister…" she finally whispered, turning to Makoto.
"What is it?" Makoto asked gently.
"After you and Miko are with Lu Heng… will we still see each other often?" Ei's voice trembled, her beautiful face taut with unease and hope.
Makoto blinked, then laughed softly.
"This silly girl. Don't overthink. I'll still be ruling Inazuma, working in the Tenshukaku every day. Why wouldn't we see each other?"
Ei exhaled in relief.
But her heart still felt strangely empty. Makoto was right—yet Ei couldn't shake the hollow ache inside.
She turned toward Miko.
"Afraid of losing us again?" Miko asked with a faint smile. She felt Ei's emotions clearly, and for once she didn't tease. "Don't worry. We'll see each other often."
Ei nodded, but the heaviness in her heart didn't lift. She had realized, with painful clarity, that she was on the verge of becoming an outsider.
Makoto tried to soothe her with a few words, though she didn't understand Ei's true fears. Miko, however, guessed. The puppet must have whispered something poisonous into Ei's ears.
As they pondered, the three returned to the shop.
"Lady Makoto!" Hanachirusato greeted nervously, always feeling like a mouse before a cat.
"I've heard about your situation," Makoto said gently. "Don't worry. Live well from now on."
"Yes." Hanachirusato bowed deeply.
Makoto's gaze swept over Miko and Ei before settling warmly on Lu Heng. "Do you have time today?"
Their eyes met, and Lu Heng smiled. "From now on, for everyone else, I'll be busy. But for you—I'm free."
He really knew how to talk.
Makoto sat beside him, looking slightly uneasy with others present.
"I worked hard to clear my schedule today…" Her lashes trembled, cheeks faintly pink, eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Ei and Miko may be biased in their views of Inazuma, but you're different. I want to hear your honest thoughts."
Lu Heng chuckled. "Then let's walk around together, and I'll give you some sharp criticism." He extended his hand.
Makoto placed her slender fingers in his palm without hesitation, letting him pull her up. She smiled radiantly. "Alright."
The two left side by side.
Back in the shop, three curious heads peeked out.
"Tsk, tsk. Our sister's running out of excuses," Miko teased.
"Lady Makoto's words are always so subtle," Hanachirusato remarked.
"As long as Lu Heng understands, that's all that matters," Miko replied casually.
They chatted, but Ei remained silent, weighed down by her thoughts.
Miko patted her shoulder. Ei looked up, expecting comfort. Instead, Miko said, "I'm heading back to the shrine."
"What?" Ei stared. "Why so suddenly?"
"Lu Heng isn't here, so why should I stay? Hanachirusato, come with me."
"Yes," Hanachirusato replied, following her out.
Ei glanced around the shop. Empty.
Her chest tightened. Does no one want to stay with me?
"You're thinking about eternity without partings again, aren't you?" the puppet's voice echoed inside.
Ei stayed silent. She'd thought about it, yes, but she didn't want to lose herself in that spiral.
"Take over," she whispered, yielding control.
The puppet blinked in surprise, quickly seizing command of the body before it collapsed.
"You don't even value your own body," she muttered with disapproval.
Standing before the shop's mirror, she turned in a circle, admiring the reflection.
"Mm~ The conditions are excellent. Another point of confidence!"
…
In Inazuma City—
"Is that… the Shogun?" Gorou gaped at the sight ahead.
Lu Heng and Makoto were buying snacks at a street stall. The Shogun's gentle expression was so different from the cold, severe figure of legend that it nearly gave him a heart attack.
"That's Lady Makoto," Kokomi corrected calmly.
"Oh—right!" Gorou smacked his forehead. "Almost mistook her. I still can't wrap my head around this."
"Shall we greet them?" he asked.
"No need," Kokomi said, smiling playfully. "Look how happy she is. Do you really want to interrupt and risk her displeasure later?"
Gorou scratched his head awkwardly.
"Come. Let's head to the Shogunate."
Kokomi hadn't come all this way just to look at a card shop. That was only a detour. The real purpose was to discuss the affairs between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate.
At the Tenshukaku gates, Kokomi felt a chill.
"They say many were executed here," she murmured.
"They deserved it," Gorou said bluntly.
Inside, they met Kamisato Ayato. His faint dark circles made both Kokomi and Gorou pity him. He looked utterly exhausted, as though he might collapse at any moment.
"Please, sit," Ayato said with a weary smile. Once they were settled, he asked slowly, "You must already understand the reasons behind the Vision Hunt and the isolation decree, correct?"
"We do," Kokomi nodded.
Who could have imagined? The Raiden Shogun had borne so much grief and loss. If she had been an ordinary woman with no power, people would pity her descent into obsession. But she had been the ruler of a nation, and her personal anguish had shaken the very foundations of Inazuma.
That was why Watatsumi Island had risen in rebellion.
Their land was poor, unable to produce enough food. Most goods had to be imported, and their main resource—coral pearls—were sold abroad. When the isolation decree cut them off, it was like choking them by the throat.
No subsidies came from the Shogunate. Instead, they cracked down harder—because of the Vision Bearers.
What choice was left? Resistance was inevitable.
And thus the rebellion was born.
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T/N:
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