"Th-the... thing from daytime?"
Looking quite puzzled, Kageyama stared at Yae Miko, as if hoping she would explain herself.
But upon seeing Yae Miko's persistently eerie smile, Kageyama hesitated before continuing, "You mean... Her Excellency, the Shogun's matter?"
Kageyama had thought she'd passed the crisis during the day, but now it seemed otherwise.
"Yes, Her Excellency, the Shogun's matter."
Still wearing that mysterious smile, Yae Miko nodded but said nothing more.
Why did Lady Guuji stop talking again...
Kageyama had expected Lady Guuji to continue, but now she was silent, leaving Kageyama extremely tense.
"Th-then... does Her Excellency, the Shogun have any further instructions?"
After a moment of thought, Kageyama cautiously asked this.
She didn't know if the Shogun had more orders, but this was the only way she could phrase it now.
"No instructions, but do you know why Her Excellency, the Shogun came here?"
Now it was Yae Miko's turn to question her.
Kageyama: "!"
Hearing this, Kageyama's heart sank halfway.
But even so, she clung to a sliver of hope.
"Of course I know. Her Excellency, the Shogun came here today to process several island-entry permits. She must have friends arriving on the island. I never imagined even Her Excellency's friends would need permits. Her Excellency truly treats everyone equally."
By the end, Kageyama even sounded somewhat emotional.
"Indeed, Her Excellency, the Shogun naturally treats everyone equally."
At this point, Yae Miko paused, then looked at Kageyama and continued, "But... have you done the same?"
Kageyama: "!"
Faced with this simple question, Kageyama's heart jolted again.
Though it seemed ordinary and unrelated to her worries, her heartbeat still accelerated uncontrollably.
"If everyone must be treated equally, I believe I couldn't do it. Only a god like Her Excellency, the Shogun could achieve that."
After another moment of thought, Kageyama slowly replied.
No matter what, she wouldn't forget to praise the Shogun.
"We naturally can't compare to Her Excellency, the Shogun, but in fulfilling the duties she entrusted to us, we must achieve this, right?"
Yae Miko's expression had now turned cold, her tone icy.
"Y-yes..."
Hearing Lady Guuji's words, Kageyama's last shred of hope vanished completely.
She knew that at this point, Lady Guuji's meaning was clear: she knew about Kageyama pocketing money from the Ritou entry inspections.
"Lady Guuji, it's my fault."
Kageyama knelt directly before Yae Miko, hoping to lighten her punishment.
This scene left Kaito, who was watching from not far away, stunned. He hadn't expected Yae Miko to act so quickly—scaring Kageyama into kneeling the moment she arrived.
As for why he was here, Kaito had been in sage mode at the inn, feeling bored, so he came to check on things.
Though things with Acheron were fun, even fun had its limits.
Additionally, the idea to come check the situation occurred to him after Yae Miko left the inn; otherwise, he would have followed her directly.
Hm...
She even knows I'm here...
As Kaito pondered, Yae Miko suddenly turned to look at him from afar.
She looked surprised at first, then wore a strange smile that puzzled Kaito.
Then, under Kaito's gaze, Yae Miko turned back to Kageyama, said something, and walked toward him.
I didn't expect a chance to meet Mei's boyfriend alone so soon.
But we're not familiar yet...
Asking now...
Probably won't get any useful info...
As she walked over, Yae Miko silently thought this to herself.
Truthfully, she never imagined Mei's boyfriend would suddenly appear here.
"I didn't leave anything at your place, did I?"
Soon, Yae Miko reached Kaito.
She knew she hadn't lost anything; she just wanted to know why he was here.
"No, Acheron just asked me to come check the situation since she couldn't."
Understanding Yae Miko's intent, Kaito used Acheron as his excuse for coming.
"I see. But doesn't Acheron worry I'll steal you away?"
Nodding, Yae Miko said this playfully.
Her guess was right; Acheron had sent him.
"Of course not."
As he said this, Kaito thought not to mention Wendy or Kiana.
Clearly, Yae Miko thought he only had Acheron.
"Speaking of which, Mei... I wonder why she has so many ties to death, whether in her name, vision, taste, or sight."
Smiling again, Yae Miko casually brought up the topic.
She was truly curious why Mei had so many death-related traits.
Of course, mainly because she was actually dead, which piqued her interest.
"It's related to her abilities."
Seeing Yae Miko's persistent curiosity, Kaito gave a simple explanation.
"Abilities?"
Surprised that Kaito actually answered, Yae Miko was taken aback.
"The ability to send people away."
After that, Kaito had no intention of saying more; he'd already shared enough.
If she wanted more details, they'd need to get closer later. He didn't like revealing his abilities so clearly to just anyone.
"Send people away?"
Stunned, Yae Miko hadn't expected such an answer.
But as she continued looking at Kaito, who showed no sign of elaborating, she began pondering what "send people away" meant.
Does it mean killing them?
But that's not a special ability...
Anyone can do that...
Wait...
Forgotten River?!
Does "send people away" mean that?
Suddenly, Yae Miko seemed to understand.
At that moment, Kageyama, who had gone somewhere, walked back over.
"Lady Guuji, I've written it."
Written it?
Curious about the paper in Kageyama's hand, Kaito wondered what it said.
___
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