After Yae Miko had spent a good twenty minutes venting her frustrations to Yuki, she felt as though she had undergone a kind of spiritual elevation, utterly unburdened.
"Hah! It's been so long since I've felt this at ease! Thank you for listening to all my griping." Yae Miko dipped her head slightly, expressing her gratitude. To have a friend by one's side, patiently listening to one's troubles—that was a very fortunate thing indeed.
In the past, aside from Ei, she had never had anyone like that around her. But now, there was Yuki. This made Yae Miko feel immeasurably grateful.
"It's nothing," Yuki shook his head, entirely unbothered.
He hadn't lost anything by it anyway. On the contrary, he had learned a great deal about Ei's other side. Had Yae Miko not told him, it would have been very hard to imagine—Ei actually had a tearful side too.
When faced with certain governmental affairs she felt utterly helpless about, she would come sniffling to Yae Miko for help.
"Speaking of which, have the matters with the Kujou Clan been settled? What have you and Ei discussed doing about it? Will Kujou Sara be put in charge of the clan and made the head of the Tenryou Commission?"
As the topic turned to governance, Yuki suddenly recalled one of the most vexing matters—the issue of the Kujou Clan's leadership.
The former patriarch was now confirmed dead, and the clan urgently needed someone to succeed him and stabilize the situation.
"The Kujou Clan, ah... that is indeed what troubles Ei the most." Yae Miko nodded, her dark brows furrowing. "Although Kujou Sara is currently managing the situation... After all, she is merely an adopted daughter. She has no qualification to inherit the position of the patriarch. And the current situation within the Kujou Clan is that the eldest and second sons are locked in a struggle for the position. One can only hope nothing goes amiss. Otherwise..."
Yae Miko sighed, feeling a pang of regret for Kujou Sara. At the same time, when she mentioned the conflict between the eldest and second sons, a sharp glint flashed through her eyes.
As she uttered that final sentence, her tone grew slightly cold, as though issuing a warning toward the Kujou Clan.
"It seems you and Ei have already noticed something," a faint smile surfaced on Yuki's handsome features as he looked at Yae Miko and spoke softly.
Yae Miko nodded, her voice laced with icy indignation. "Even without you telling us, Yuki-kun, we could guess—the Fatui's business could not have happened without the involvement of the former Kujou patriarch."
It was clear that Yae Miko and Ei had already surmised that the former Tenryou Commissioner had been secretly colluding with the Fatui. After all, for the Fatui to be able to grasp the movements of the Shogunate's soldiers so precisely, and to withdraw so effortlessly after launching attacks across Narukami Island—the Tenryou Commission, which was in charge of all security and policing matters throughout Inazuma, must have been pulling strings behind the scenes.
Within the Commission, Kujou Sara would naturally never do such a thing, so her possibility was ruled out.
As for the other members of the Kujou Clan, although some were under suspicion, the greatest suspect remained the former patriarch. Once the scheme was exposed, he vanished as if evaporating from the face of the earth, and moreover, the Fatui Harbinger had appeared in his likeness.
This indicated that the two had been together at the time. Thus, it was precisely this that made Yae Miko and Ei so certain that he had colluded with the Fatui.
Yet, even though they knew the former patriarch had conspired with the enemy, Ei ultimately decided not to make the matter public. The reason was to preserve the Kujou Clan's reputation.
Should such a scandal ever come to light, the Kujou Clan would be utterly finished in Inazuma. Even if the other members deserved to be implicated, Kujou Sara, as the family's adopted daughter, would also be dragged into it.
To spare her from being reviled by the people, Ei chose not to pursue the matter against the rest of the clan.
Of course, another reason was that this affair had been the act of the former patriarch alone. None of the other clan members had participated.
In consideration of the clan's many years of service to Inazuma and the loyalty of its other members, the Kujou Clan was spared any punishment.
"What if Kujou Sara were to assume the position of clan head?" Yuki posed an intriguing idea.
"That wouldn't work at all!" Yae Miko shook her head, rejecting the notion outright. "Kujou Sara is an adopted daughter. On that basis alone, it would be very difficult for her to be accepted as clan head."
Such was the cruel reality: even someone as loyal as Kujou Sara would find it hard to sit in that seat. She was not of the Kujou bloodline. The clan's members would naturally never allow her to take that position.
Besides, the clan was not without blood descendants. The former patriarch still had two sons, more than enough to choose a new head from.
"Ha, under normal circumstances, that would indeed be the case," Yuki said. "But if you and Ei wish for Kujou Sara to control the Kujou Clan, I can make it happen."
A playful smile graced Yuki's lips as he fixed his gaze on Yae Miko's eyes, closely observing her reaction.
Upon hearing his words, a look of shock appeared on her face. She could not help but secretly wonder how Yuki intended to accomplish such a thing.
"I can't say for certain. I think for something this significant, you should ask Ei," she replied, unable to make the decision herself, passing the matter back to Ei.
"Fine, I shall discuss it with her once we return," Yuki nodded, agreeing that this was how it should be.
Afterwards, Yae Miko took Yuki for a stroll through the forest outside Inazuma City. They arrived at a tranquil clearing, where bake-danuki stone statues could be seen everywhere, along with torii gates scattered quietly among the trees, and a shrine hidden deep within the shadows. It felt as though one had stepped into a dark and eerie painting of a haunted forest.
"This place is called Chinju Forest. In the daytime, there isn't much to it, but at night—don't be fooled by how gloomy it looks now—it's actually quite beautiful!"
Yae Miko smiled as she introduced the place. She then gently pointed to a flower on the ground. "Look, just like those flowers. At night, under the moonlight, they emit a faint, soft glow. It's truly a lovely sight!"
Taking Yuki's hand, Yae Miko led him over to the flowers. These blossoms could be said to be everywhere in this forest, so if what she said was true, the scene of every flower glowing faintly at night would be beautiful to imagine. Tranquility and subtle mystery—these words perfectly described this forest.
Just as the two had taken a few more steps, a sudden sound broke the silence around them, startling them both.
Ding-dong—!
A clear ringing note suddenly echoed through the forest.
"Wh-what is that? It's not the sound of the wind. Could it be... Eek! How terrifying! What shall we do, Yuki-kun? I'm so scared!"
Yae Miko's expression instantly shifted. Putting on a look of utter panic and fright, she hurriedly clung to Yuki's arm. Her delicate body pressed closer and closer against him, like a frail maiden seeking a sense of security.
"Miko, you..." Feeling the soft sensation, Yuki was secretly astonished. As expected of a fox, she truly knows how to win hearts!!!
"You may not know this, Yuki-kun, but this forest has long been rumored to be inhabited by mysterious spirits that play tricks on those who pass through," she said. "So it's very likely that we've caught the attention of one of those spirits! How terrifying, to actually encounter such a mysterious being~~~"
Yae Miko explained, looking utterly distraught and restless, as though she had encountered something truly frightening.
Yuki, however, felt the corner of his mouth twitch upon hearing this. You, the illustrious head shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine, whose very job is to perform exorcisms for others—are actually afraid of an urban legend like this?!
Do you even hear what you're saying right now!!!