"I'll fetch Ei. Big Sis Makoto, you rest here," Reisen Riou said.
"Mhm," came a faint reply.
If Reisen's ears weren't so sharp, he might've missed it—her voice was barely a whisper.
"Big Sis Makoto's awake," Reisen whispered to Raiden Ei, who was buried in paperwork.
A crash of thunder echoed from the next room. Ei grabbed Reisen's hand and bolted for the Serenitea Pot.
If the entry protocols weren't mandatory, she'd have leapt into her sister's arms instantly.
"Ei, slow down! Big Sis just woke up; she's still weak," Reisen cautioned.
Ei finally reined in her emotions. "You're right. I shouldn't rush."
"Big Sis has been moved from the Soul-Nurturing Chamber to the Thunder-Rich Field," Reisen explained. "She says she doesn't need soul therapy now—just lots of Electro."
"She needs quiet rest."
Before he finished, a purple lightning bolt shot toward Makoto, the Lianshan Secret Curse array kicking into overdrive.
Reisen noticed Makoto's condition improve drastically after the strike.
"Is this the twin Archons' healing edge? She's recovering that fast?" Reisen quipped.
"Electro Creation!" Ei called softly.
A golden Electro Slime appeared where Makoto stood.
"(⊙﹏⊙)!"
"Uh… wanna try that again?" Makoto said, popping out from behind the bouncing, mutant Electro Slime.
Classic case of eyes bigger than skill.
Ei rubbed her forehead. "Sis, leave body creation to me. I'll upgrade your divine body to something unbreakable."
"Why does that sound so scary coming from you?" Makoto said nervously.
"Big Sis, can you get off me? I'm scared Ei'll slice me," Reisen said helplessly.
"I'll nap a bit," Makoto said, heading for the healing pod.
Reisen, rubbing his head, scooped her up and placed her in the pod.
"Didn't know you and Big Sis had such a connection," he said to Ei.
"It's our essence. When we're together, it's like positive and negative charges—we complete each other. Like back when…" Ei trailed off, designing Makoto's new body.
"So you two sense each other clearly?" Reisen asked.
"Pretty much."
"Then about us—"
"Stop with the wild thoughts!" Ei bonked his head. "You're right, though. Sis could sense us if she wanted, but you think she's that bored?"
With Makoto's soul awake and joking, Ei felt a weight lift. She'd trusted Reisen's skills, but until Makoto's consciousness returned, she couldn't relax.
Now, her sister's recovery lightened her mood.
"No rush on rebuilding Sis's body," Ei said to Reisen. "Right now, we need to find who's targeting the great youkai."
Reisen got it—she feared Makoto could be next.
"They won't be easy to track," he said.
From Chiyo and Saiguu's unnoticed curses, their foe wasn't weak.
But they weren't stronger than pre-Gnosis Ei could handle.
(Note: Ei used the Gnosis early on, as seen with Scaramouche's creation, but later abandoned it after crafting the Shogun, either deeming her strong enough or for other reasons, passing it to Yae Miko.)
"With effort, we'll find clues," Ei said.
"Oh, Alice is in Inazuma, right? Let's give this to her," Reisen suggested. "I hate to admit it, but her luck's something we don't have. We could use it."
In this timeline, Alice choosing Inazuma for refuge was a smart move. Among Teyvat's seven nations, Inazuma's forces were the most intact, its situation the most stable, and the beast tide's impact the smallest.
Reisen suspected the witch was up to something, though.
Alice often ditched her samurai escorts, causing headaches for him and Ei.
But she had some sense of the bigger picture, keeping her chaos minor during her stay.
Her reputation in Inazuma? Barely above "everyone avoids her." Civilians and samurai steered clear instinctively.
"You're fighting trouble with trouble?" Ei rubbed her chin. "I'm in. I wanna see this legendary adventurer."
…
Inazuma, Adventurers' Guild.
"What?! A task just for me? Haha, my fame's spreading across Inazuma!" Alice crowed.
"Miss Alice, quieter, please. This is a confidential Shogunate commission," Guildmaster Eiichirou said, wiping sweat. "It's demanding, but the reward's huge."
"Lemme see!" Alice snatched the scroll. "Investigation task, huh? Details: contact Okuzumeshu General Banjiao Yanya at the Shogunate…"
"Shh, Miss Alice, confidential!" Eiichirou hissed.
"Got it, you're so naggy, Guildmaster," Alice huffed.
"Hmm, looks lucrative. Perfect for research funds."