Ei knew that the "big bird" Neko referred to was Kapatcir. Although Ei had slain Kapatcir, she couldn't completely eradicate it.
Despite its bird-like appearance, Kapatcir was closely akin to an Elemental Dragon, making it extremely difficult to kill.
In the end, they could only seal away Kapatcir's lingering power to prevent it from wreaking havoc on Seirai Island.
This had always been the way in Inazuma: powerful beings that no one could directly seal were killed first, and then their residual power was sealed.
After all, not everyone was like Zhongli, who had some knowledge of sealing techniques.
Ei excelled in martial prowess but wasn't particularly skilled in other mystical arts, perhaps even less so than Lucian in this regard.
Some of her subordinates were capable of sealing, but directly sealing a demon god or powerful elemental being was still beyond them. The only option was to kill first and seal later.
Things were fine initially, but later, for various reasons, the seals were broken, and those skilled in sealing—both humans and youkai—had mostly perished.
As a result, both Seirai Island and Yashiori Island became disaster zones, forcing the islanders to abandon their homes.
The Suppressing Stones were the tools originally used on Seirai Island to seal the Thunderbird's residual power.
In the story, the Traveler shared her experiences with Taisuke and Etsuko. Taisuke was thrilled, being a cat lover, and eagerly wanted to see the talking cat.
Etsuko was more composed, suggesting they focus on resolving the seal issue first, as there would be time to visit afterward.
Understanding the purpose of the Suppressing Stones gave Taisuke's research a clear direction, and together with Etsuko, they gradually figured out how to use them.
Once the Traveler learned how to operate the Suppressing Stones, she embarked on her sealing journey.
Lumine was ready to fight! Battling while sealing, Lucian had written the puzzle-solving process for Lumine to use as a guide.
After completing the final seal, the Traveler single-handedly defeated the Thunder Manifestation, and with its defeat, the thunderstorm was successfully restrained and sealed.
However, the story wasn't over. Afterward, the Traveler returned to Asase Shrine to find Neko.
[Neko: "It's you! Not long after you fixed the offering box, two green-looking humans came to the shrine. It really worked!"]
["But that tall, green human got so excited when he heard me speak. Humans are so dramatic."]
Neko remarked that the offering box was truly amazing—once it was fixed, people came to donate. If they fixed a few more, wouldn't the shrine become instantly popular?
Thankfully, the Traveler stopped Neko's absurd idea and chose a more practical approach—cleaning the shrine.
In truth, no matter what they did, it was futile because Seirai Island was almost entirely deserted.
But to comfort Neko, the Traveler helped with some cleaning.
Neko's idea of cleaning involved using a spiky stick to gather leaves, sprinkling water, and then using crisscrossed metal blades to snap snap at branches.
In the past, Neko loved chasing the stick and playing, but now she couldn't, as she was the "substitute shrine maiden" and had to maintain a dignified demeanor.
Back then, she was just a cat, eating and sleeping every day, chasing sticks, and rolling in piles of leaves.
But now, as the "substitute shrine maiden," she had to uphold a proper image, only watching the little ones roll in the leaf piles.
She thought, Wait for Hibiki to return. Once Hibiki is back, I can lie in her arms again and be the sleepy, cuddly Neko.
After the Traveler finished, Neko said speaking human language for so long was exhausting and that she needed a rest, asking the Traveler to come back tomorrow.
The next day, the Traveler returned, and not only her—the two "green" humans had visited as well.
Neko noticed that the green humans seemed very interested in the wooden rack, which reminded her that past visitors would make offerings and then play with the wooden structure.
Since humans liked it, wouldn't fixing the rack bring more people?
Fixing things with her paw pads was impossible, so she had to ask the Traveler for help again.
The Traveler naturally didn't refuse, as they already considered Neko a friend.
Besides, tasks like this gave Lumine a chance to "slack off" and rest during her adventures.
After repairing the Ema rack, the Traveler informed the two green humans to come hang their Ema.
Neko was overjoyed at the sight. These two would tell other humans about this, right? Then more people would come, wouldn't they?
Maybe word would reach Hibiki's ears. If she knew I was waiting, would Hibiki come back?
[Traveler: "Why do you want to restore the shrine?"]
[Neko: "Mew, why…? Because I'm the substitute shrine maiden of this shrine. I have to take good care of it."]
["Also, if Hibiki returns and sees the shrine in ruins, she'll definitely be sad…"]
Readers were already starting to feel heartbroken. Another tale of waiting for someone who would never return!
At first, they thought they could enjoy Neko's cute antics and feel happy, but with their experience reading prophetic books, they knew the story was about to turn painful.
Shikikan, enough! Stop with the lifespan tragedy!
A few days later in the story, the Traveler wandered around Seirai Island and returned to Asase Shrine.
Her timing was perfect—Neko was worried about not finding the shrine's furry children.
Though Seirai Island had few people, it had Hilichurls, making the outside dangerous.
The shrine was protected by its Torii gate, keeping ordinary monsters out, but beyond the shrine was far less safe.
Neko asked the Traveler to help find "Konbumaru" and "Happo."
The Traveler curiously asked about the strange names of the two cats.
Neko explained that Konbumaru was a name Hibiki used to say, and though Neko didn't know what it meant, Hibiki seemed happy when she said it, so it must be something good.
Neko liked using good things to name the kittens, passed down through generations. When one passed away, the name would be given to the next.
This generation's Konbumaru was a good kitten who liked sleeping in high places.
As for Happo, it loved eating fish, so it was likely by the seaside.
The Traveler began searching for the cats, even mimicking cat speech.
[Traveler: "Meow, meow…"]
Lucian stirred things up, drawing an illustration of Lumine with cat ears in this scene.
Readers commented that the Shogun was truly a pillar of the court—this move was absolutely morale-boosting!
It wasn't clear if the kittens heard Lumine's cat speech, but they obediently ran into her arms, rubbing against places they shouldn't.
Both kittens did the same, darting into Lumine's arms at lightning speed without resistance.
Perhaps it was because the Traveler's otherworldly succubus charm worked on animals too, and the kittens couldn't resist Lumine's "innate catnip sacred body."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Kitsune Saiguu: About Neko
"Quite adorable, just like my Miko when she was young. Oh, I really wish Miko would turn back so I could pet her again."