Due to Lucian's "regency" behavior, Editor-in-Chief Yae had no choice but to personally buy the books herself.
Now that the books were on sale, Miko had only just gotten her hands on the new releases.
In contrast, Lucian had it much easier. As the editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, he didn't need to do any work and could read whatever he wanted, even launching a writing contest for his favorite themes—using Yae Publishing House's money, of course.
As editor-in-chief, he didn't do any proper work, purely abusing his authority. Fortunately, he only slacked off and didn't cause any disasters, as Inagi Hotomi could handle things.
Poor Miko had been without the joy of new books to read during this time, so anxious that she was crying and throwing a fit.
"Sigh, the great editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House has to buy her own books to read because her authority was usurped. Crying and making a fuss, waaah, so pitiful~," Kitsune Saiguu teased Yae Miko.
Kitsune Saiguu knew this phrase because Yae Miko had previously said the same about Ei to her.
Was she teasing Miko for fun, or was she standing up for Ei?
"…" Yae Miko fell silent for a moment. Truly, one thing subdues another.
Though she had indeed been "usurped," she hadn't been crying or throwing a fit.
If she wanted, with her control over Yae Publishing House, finding out what Lucian was up to or what the new books were would be effortless, even if she wasn't the editor-in-chief.
But she was a fox who honored her promises. Naturally, she wouldn't resort to such loopholes. Lucian was from Liyue, and a "contract" could not be violated.
Still, Miko hadn't expected to be mocked one day, and with her own words, no less.
The one mocking her was Kitsune Saiguu—what could she do? She'd just have to find a chance to tease her back later!
"Hahaha, even the mischievous fox has her day," Lucian laughed.
Since Paimon had already sold him out, he figured he might as well call it out openly.
As for Paimon? Hmm, her cheeks had gotten chubbier—nice to pinch.
Yae Miko looked at Lucian, a smile creeping onto her face. Without a word, she gazed at him with a slightly seductive expression.
Seeing her like this, Lucian knew this fox was up to some mischief.
So, you don't want to mess with Kitsune Saiguu, so you're picking on me instead? God damn! Thanks, man!
Am I that easy to bully? I just don't want to argue with you! Wait till I recover from this cold! For now, I'll read!
Let's talk about Seirai Stormchasers first, since Lumine was heading to Seirai Island—this was her guide.
The story began with the familiar Katheryne, who was recruiting adventurers to explore Seirai Island.
Hundreds of years ago, a thunderstorm struck Seirai Island, sinking much of the Shogunate's fleet. Under the influence of the storm, people gradually stopped visiting, and Seirai Island became a place of mystery.
Thus, this trip to Seirai Island was indeed an adventure, and it made sense for adventurers to pave the way.
Lumine, ever restless, agreed to Katheryne's commission right after finishing the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual and headed to Seirai Island.
Besides Lumine, two other adventurers, Etsuko and Taisuke, had already gone to Seirai Island ahead of her.
When Lumine arrived, Etsuko and Taisuke were studying how to dispel the thunderstorm, which seemed related to some strange stones on the island, though they didn't know how to use them.
After studying for ages, they hadn't made any progress. Their only discovery was a pile of cat paw prints near the Suppressing Stone.
The Traveler followed the paw prints and eventually found an abandoned shrine.
[???: "Hmph… finally, a human has come."]
A black cat actually spoke, causing Paimon to cry out in surprise.
[???: "Oh my, are you that shocked to see me?"]
[Paimon: "I've just never seen a talking animal…"]
[???: "How rude. You're a talking animal too."]
[Paimon: "Paimon is not an animal!"]
Their bickering brought a smile to the readers. That's more like it—write more of this! This is the "light-hearted essence" we need.
We'll pretend the last Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was your dark phase. Now, let's keep things bright.
The cat introduced itself as "Neko," saying it had deliberately left the paw prints to guide humans over.
She remarked that the Traveler was clever, unlike those two dim-witted adventurers who only studied the stones and didn't follow her lead.
In reality, Taisuke and Etsuko gave wry smiles. Lumine had brought the book as a "guide," but they hadn't expected to see themselves being mocked by a cat.
When Lumine had explored Inazuma, she had activated a teleport waypoint on Seirai Island but hadn't explored thoroughly, so she arrived quickly.
In the book, Neko said she could tell the Traveler about the strange stones, but in return, the Traveler had to help her with something.
She asked the Traveler to fix the offering box, believing that if it was repaired, people would come to donate, and the shrine would become lively again.
As a cat, Neko didn't understand why the shrine had fallen into such disrepair. She was a diligent substitute shrine maiden, so why was no one visiting?
Neko thought the shrine's dilapidated state and broken offering box were why no one came. Her powers weren't enough to take human form or repair the shrine, so she could only watch it decline.
As the substitute shrine maiden, she felt she was failing, but thankfully, the Traveler came and helped repair the shrine.
Neko thought to herself, "I've managed the shrine so well, and the offering box is fixed. Now humans will come to worship, right?"
"When Hibiki returns and sees a lively shrine, she'll surely be happy."
And so, she guarded the abandoned Asase Shrine, a place no one would visit anymore, waiting for "Hibiki" to return.
As a cat youkai, she couldn't comprehend human lifespans. To her, Hibiki was just temporarily away and would return someday.
She only hoped that when Hibiki came back, she wouldn't be disappointed by a dilapidated shrine.
Hibiki, Asase Shrine—the moment readers saw Asase Shrine, they immediately thought of Asase Hibiki, the shrine maiden who once served alongside Kitsune Saiguu. There must be a connection, right?
Neko called herself the "substitute shrine maiden of Asase Shrine," which, in theory, made her similar to Yae Miko. Both were substitute shrine maidens after the original ones left.
But unlike Yae Miko, who knew the previous shrine maiden wouldn't return and thus became the full shrine maiden, Neko still hoped for the return of Asase Shrine's maiden.
Moreover, Neko wasn't like Miko. She was just a small youkai who didn't understand human affairs. Her powers were limited, and even speaking human language was a struggle, let alone taking human form.
Once the Traveler fixed the offering box, Neko, satisfied, shared the details about the Suppressing Stones.
On Seirai Island, there were four sets of Suppressing Stones meant to seal a very, very large bird.
Cloud Retainer: "Outrageous! Which big bird?"
This big bird, of course, wasn't Cloud Retainer but the Thunderbird—Kapatcir.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Kitsune Saiguu: About Asase Hibiki
"She ended up doing something like that… Sigh, I didn't teach her well. It seems I have no right to lecture Ei."