[Kujou Sara calmly replied, "As a subordinate, it is only natural to remain loyal to the Shogun. As a warrior, the Shogun's realm is also the pursuit of my lifetime."]
[Yae Miko asked, "Even if the Raiden Shogun... will eventually take your Vision too?"]
[Kujou Sara's attitude was resolute: "The Vision Hunt Decree is the Shogun's decision. I have no complaints."]
In reality, Kujou Sara nodded to herself—I spoke so well, truly worthy of myself.
She was now prepared to commit seppuku to atone for her sins after reporting directly to the Shogun. Losing her Vision was nothing in comparison.
Then, she saw the story's Yae Miko tell her about the Tenryou Commission's betrayal of the Shogun.
[Kujou Sara naturally didn't believe it. "Lady Guuji Yae, your accusations are not only dangerous but also laughable. The Three Commissions have served the Shogun since ancient times, with absolute loyalty."]
Kujou Sara closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any further.
Now, looking back at those words, it really felt like she was being proven wrong...
["Since I was adopted by the Kujou family, I've been immersed in their ways. Every member of the Tenryou Commission is utterly loyal to the Shogun—especially the head of the family, Takayuki-sama..."]
["His worship of the 'Musou no Hitotachi' surpasses that of anyone else. My reverence for the Shogun doesn't even compare to one ten-thousandth of his."]
Kujou Sara sighed. Indeed, Kujou Takayuki greatly admired the Musou no Hitotachi, but what he worshipped and revered was only that single strike, not the Shogun herself.
It seemed the brilliance of that strike had blinded him, making him unable to see the one who wielded the blade behind it.
[Yae Miko didn't refute her either, simply smiling and saying, "Three days later... come back here in three days, and I'll give you the evidence."]
Kujou Sara already knew what the evidence was—she had seen it with her own eyes. No, in fact, the Balladeer himself had told her about the collusion between the Fatui and the Tenryou Commission.
The Balladeer was as "honest" as ever—no need for interrogation, he just spilled everything unprompted.
However, the readers currently engrossed in the book didn't yet know what evidence Yae Miko was referring to, so they remained curious and read on intently.
In the story, Yae Miko took the Traveler to meet the "professional" responsible for intelligence gathering—little Sayu.
An illustration appeared: a girl dressed in a tanuki (or rather, a mujina) onesie, with a large hood and a clearly defined tail, paired with sleepy, half-lidded eyes—utterly adorable.
Everyone's first thought upon seeing this illustration was: "So cute! Whose child is this?"
But the next second, they realized—Wait, is this the "professional" Yae Miko was talking about?
And guess what? It was this "professional"!
When Yae Miko and the Traveler found Sayu, she was still in her "tanuki tumbleweed" form, fast asleep. Only after being disturbed by the group did she "revert" to human form.
[Paimon: "Eek! The tanuki doll turned into a human!"]
[Sayu: "Not a tanuki... a mujina... zzz..."]
"Oh, so it's a mujina?" That was what most readers thought at this moment, coincidentally aligning with Paimon—turning them all into "big Paimons" for a moment.
At first glance, most people assumed it was a tanuki, never expecting it to be a mujina.
But that wasn't the main point—the real shocker was that this little girl was actually a ninja of the Shuumatsuban!
And what was the Shuumatsuban? As Yae Miko explained, it was Kamisato Ayato's secret force.
In other words, while this little girl might seem young and unreliable, she was actually an elite!
Tiny in stature, mighty in skill!
With that height and those abilities... could she be another Anemo user?
Many readers flipped back to carefully examine Sayu's illustration—not out of any questionable interest, but just to check her Vision.
And sure enough—Anemo!!!
Sayu, of course, had no idea what people were so surprised about. She didn't even know she had appeared in the prophecy book.
She simply didn't read prophecy books—she spent that time sleeping instead.
Sayu's reasoning: "Don't underestimate those extra minutes of sleep—what if that's the difference between me growing one more centimeter or not?"
In the story, Yae Miko advised the Traveler to consult the Yashiro Commission on how to obtain the "evidence."
She herself couldn't openly intervene—after all, this was an anti-Shogun operation, and she was the Shogun's priestess.
But that was in the story. In reality, Yae Miko had already taken a stance.
She wasn't stupid—if the prophecy book was going to expose her rebellion anyway, why bother hiding? Better to pick a side early and resolve things faster.
That was why, in reality, Yae Miko had already visited the Kamisato Estate to discuss matters with the Kamisato siblings before the Traveler arrived.
Back to the story—the Traveler went to Komore Teahouse to discuss with Ayaka and Thoma.
[Kamisato Ayaka pondered: "Now that you mention it, there is one thing that's been bothering me. The Shogunate Army and the Resistance have been fighting for so long, yet the Shogun has never once inquired about it."]
["I initially thought the Shogun simply didn't care, but now it seems... perhaps the 'official reports' submitted to the Shogun by the Tenryou Commission were falsified from the start."]
The Shogun and Ei had no idea about the Resistance's existence—otherwise, Ei would've long since taken up her blade to suppress the rebellion, and Kokomi would've ended up as "Inazuma-style grilled Blazing Axe Marlin"—fully cooked.
But if that happened, the Tenryou Commission and the Fatui wouldn't have been able to exploit the chaos, so of course they made sure the Shogun remained unaware.
["The Tenryou Commission oversees military affairs. If they intended to conceal the truth, we'd have no way of knowing."]
["As a result, the Shogun misjudged the harm of the Vision Hunt Decree and continued to press forward. If we could obtain the Tenryou Commission's official reports, the truth would be clear at a glance."]
The people of Inazuma were furious—It's all the Tenryou Commission's fault that the Shogun couldn't see the harm of the Vision Hunt Decree, leading to so many tragedies!
Raiden Ei's intention in confiscating Visions was to prevent her people from taking dangerous risks. She knew pursuing ambitions could lead to some tragedies.
But due to the Tenryou Commission's deception, she never realized the Vision Hunt Decree itself would cause this much harm.
She had assumed there would only be minor repercussions that could be overcome with time.
This was a case of Ei—already politically inept—being further misled by treacherous officials.
"The poor girl's already a bit slow! And you had to go and trick her! Someone get Ei some tri-color dango!"
In the story, after Kamisato Ayaka finished her analysis, she began considering ways to steal the documents.
Thoma suggested using Yoimiya's fireworks to distract the guards while Sayu handled the theft.
It sounded unreliable, but it was actually quite solid—because the fireworks would be set off near the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
It was like if Klee decided to play with Jumpy Dumpties near the Anemo Archon statue in Mondstadt—can you honestly say the Knights of Favonius wouldn't go check it out?
Jean and Barbara would probably have heart attacks, while Venti himself wouldn't mind—if Klee lit the fuse, he'd probably fan the flames.
After all, Venti was exceptionally indulgent when it came to kids—as long as no one else was inconvenienced.
Realistically, though, Venti would stop her, because setting off Jumpy Dumpties near the cathedral would definitely inconvenience people.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice — Sayu: About the Prophecy Book, Act III
"Oh~, the shrine maiden sister mentioned this book to me. Said I... appeared in it."
"Huh? What happened next? Then... nothing... I fell asleep after that."