Three people were following her—two men and one woman.
As for their identities, in Inazuma, there were only a few types of people who would dare to tail a Shuumatsuban ninja: Treasure Hoarders, Kairagi, or the Fatui. But given how precisely these three were tracking her, the only possible answer was the Fatui.
Strange… did my identity get exposed somewhere?
Gendou Ringo's brows furrowed tightly.
Most Fatui agents could wield Delusions. Even if these three happened not to, they still outnumbered her three to one. Realizing she might not win in a direct fight, she picked up her pace, hoping to shake them off.
Unfortunately, all three of them did have Delusions. Even without activating them, their physical abilities were easily on par with hers—perhaps even superior.
The distance between them rapidly closed. Soon, Ringo was surrounded. They thought they knew who she was, and she thought she knew why they were here. Neither side spoke, a tense silence hanging in the air.
She used the lull to observe carefully.
The only good news: since they'd followed her from the busy marketplace, none of them carried obvious weapons. That meant she wasn't in immediate danger of being cut down by a blade—though, of course, hidden daggers couldn't be ruled out.
Unable to flee and unlikely to win, she immediately began to consider playing dead—or at least feigning unconsciousness.
"Blame Lyudochka for this!"
The female agent couldn't help sneering before lunging at her barehanded. Since Ringo herself carried only the bare minimum of defensive tools, she was forced to fight back hand-to-hand.
For a brief moment, the two women were evenly matched—Ringo even gained the upper hand. But when the other two men joined the fray, the tide turned instantly.
Eyes, throat, knees, ankles—their strikes were ruthless, all aimed at vital points.
Ringo struggled to hold on, enduring several heavy blows before deliberately allowing one hit to send her sprawling. Her head struck a rock she'd already chosen as part of her ruse. Fighting off the nausea and dizziness, she used her Shuumatsuban training to suppress her breathing completely.
"She's dead already? Tch. Shrine maidens really are fragile creatures," the female Fatui agent said coldly.
One of the men crouched down, grabbing Ringo's chin and examining her face closely. "She really does look just like Lyudochka. With a little makeup, she could easily take this maiden's place. You said she worked at the shrine doing fortune readings?"
"Yes, teacher. I saw it myself this morning—she was carrying the fortune box and interpreting omikuji. And Lyudochka, she actually brought a newly published Yae Publishing novel to get that fox mask's autograph!"
"Hmph, Lyudochka… once she's settled into the shrine, I'll give her a special assignment. As for you—you did well this time."
"Thank you, teacher!"
"Strip this shrine maiden's clothes and deliver them to Lyudochka. Make sure the body's handled cleanly. It's a sensitive time—don't let anyone find out."
"Yes, sir!"
The leader's footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the woman and one of the men behind.
The woman crouched and lightly slapped Ringo's cheek, smirking. "Lyudochka, oh Lyudochka… this shrine maiden looks so much like you—could she be your long-lost sister, hmm? Hehe~ You'll wear her clothes, take her job, and then die just like her!"
Three had come; now only two remained. Ringo's heart burned with anger, but all she could do was listen in silence.
Her shrine maiden robes were stripped away, leaving only her inner garments. They tied her up carefully, attached a heavy stone, and tossed her into the nearby sea.
Instantly, the cold water clung to her like serpents, her soaked clothing plastered to her skin. Every bruise throbbed with stinging pain as the weight dragged her down deeper and deeper.
Ringo's eyes snapped open.
Geta… the geta…
Bending her body with desperate effort, she fumbled for the hidden blade stored in the heel of her wooden sandal. With it, she sawed through the ropes on her wrists, then the ones on her ankles.
She didn't know whether the enemies had gone, but she had to swim as far as possible—to stay alive a little longer…
"Huuh—! Haa—! Huuh—! Haa—!"
After several ragged gasps, her fading vision began to clear. Clambering ashore, the first thing she saw was an infuriatingly familiar face.
"See? I told you she didn't need rescuing," Yae Miko said smugly, patting Victor Wang's shoulder.
"Hey! I did need rescuing! If you were watching, why didn't you save me?!"
"Oh, don't be so hasty. If we interfered, we wouldn't have gotten to see Momoya's true feelings, now would we?"
"What are you even talking about?! Tell me what's going on!"
"It's nothing complicated. I happened to discover that a certain new Yae Publishing employee—who looks a lot like you—is a Fatui agent. So, I arranged for you two to meet. I'm quite curious how things would play out after that. Consider it… an experiment."
"You insufferable—!"
"Insufferable what?" Yae Miko tilted her head, clearly enjoying herself.
"Insufferablewoman! If you knew she was with the Fatui, you should've told me earlier!"
"If I told you sooner, I wouldn't have gotten to see your anxious pacing, your heartfelt confusion, or this delightfully furious expression you're wearing now."
Ringo could only shake her head at the hopeless fox.
At last, Victor Wang stepped in, offering her a simple brown cloak. "Here. Cover yourself first."
Though she still wore an undershirt and safety shorts, both were white—and nearly see-through now that they were soaked.
She accepted the cloak with a word of thanks, then turned back to Yae Miko. "So, what's your next move?"
"My next move?"
"You're just going to let her sneak into the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
"Why not?"
"But they clearly have some sort of plan—"
"I can eliminate her any time I wish. Or would you prefer I do that right now?"
"I…"
"I've heard from Aratani that she's quick and careful with her editing, and she's quite passionate about light novels. It'd be a waste to dispose of her too hastily. If her performance at the shrine pleases me, I'll do nothing."
"A test of character, then?"
"Precisely. Let's wait and see~"
After parting ways with them, Victor Wang took a moment to reflect.
From one nation to another, his very existence had already altered the world in ways that couldn't be undone. He'd done his best to keep the main threads—Traveler Lumine's journey and the gods' stories—intact, but events beyond his sight inevitably shifted.
He had saved the Ninth Company at The Chasm, prevented the destruction of the sealing wards on Yashiori Island, possibly changed the timelines of both The Balladeer's departure and The Fair Lady's death, and even caused a stir with the infamous triple Duel Before the Throne.
Somewhere along those ripples of fate, the Shuumatsuban operative Momoka—who should have died—had survived and brought Gendou Ringo into the organization.
Because of that, Lumine never obtained Momoka's keepsake, never drew Ringo's suspicion, and thus the events where Ringo was ambushed by the Fatui and replaced by Lyudochka never occurred.
But as the saying goes, character shapes destiny. Lyudochka loved light novels, so she still chose to moonlight as a proofreader at Yae Publishing. There, the story-loving Yae Miko discovered her resemblance to Ringo, orchestrated their meeting, and—because of that uncanny likeness—the Fatui once again devised a plan to attack Ringo and replace her with Lyudochka.
Fate truly was a curious thing.