Even though it had been a long time since they last met, Raiden Ei still recognized Yae Miko at first glance.
The vivid, cute shrine maiden outfit spread in layered folds, delicate like blooming crimson sakura. Her soft pink hair fell like a waterfall, making her face look even paler. In those clear purple eyes was the slyness and allure unique to kitsune.
The Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine—her familiar.
The anger that had just surged in Ei eased slightly. Her amber-like purple eyes were icy. Though she didn't slash out immediately, the lightning coiling around her crackled as she walked—zzzt, zzzt.
Clearly, she hadn't lowered her guard.
Being forcibly dragged out of the Plane of Euthymia made Ei feel more than anger. As a warrior, she felt the humiliation of being provoked.
"Long time no see, my old friend."
Looking at that all-too-familiar face, Yae Miko showed genuine emotion. As the Raiden's familiar, she could see the Shogun at any time.
But… it had been a very long time since she'd seen the real Ei.
Facing the woman whose gaze was still sharp, whose whole body carried a warrior's aura, ripples rose in Yae Miko's heart like a stone thrown into a great river—instantly stirring enormous waves. The flirtation and seduction in her eyes vanished, leaving only reflection.
Until last night, she'd still been thinking about how to save Inazuma—how to make her old friend see through the stubbornness of her own fixed view of things.
She hadn't expected Kamisato Ayaka's arrival to create such a huge turning point.
And she definitely hadn't expected Ken to truly be able to pull Ei out of the Plane of Euthymia.
"Commissioner of the Yashiro Commission, Kamisato Ayaka, pays her respects to the Almighty Shogun."
Compared with Yae Miko's emotion, Ayaka bowed properly to Ei. The Yashiro Commission was the Shogun's subordinate—so even if they weren't in Inazuma, she still had to pay her respects.
"Mm." Looking at the girl's clear, lotus-like face, Ei's eyes lowered slightly. She said nothing else.
As one of her Tri-Commission, Ei naturally knew the Yashiro Commission.
But what interested her most wasn't that. In the end, those glassy purple eyes fixed on Ken.
She could clearly sense this was not Teyvat.
And she could also sense Ken's unfathomable strength.
"Welcome to Blue Star. I'm Ken."
Seeing the pressure rolling off Ei and the wariness still in her eyes, Ken smiled as he spoke.
To be honest…
The Electro Archon before him was noble and beautiful. Lightning curled around her—and precisely because of that, she seemed even more unattainable. The pride and toughness unique to Ei had a strange pull for Ken.
That was one reason the Raiden Shogun had been so popular in his previous life.
Such stunning design and character setting—hard to ignore.
And with her slightly airheaded personality, the contrast only added to the appeal.
Because of that personality, when things happened, she often preferred to solve them directly with force.
That was why he had Yae Miko here.
Ei's trust in Yae wasn't just the trust of a superior toward a subordinate. They shared centuries of true friendship.
To Ei, that bond was something few others could replace.
"Blue Star?"
Hearing the unfamiliar word, Ei looked even more confused.
For a long stretch of time, she had stayed in the Plane of Euthymia to avoid erosion, and she didn't know much about the outside world.
Now, hearing this, Ei lowered her eyes slightly and began reading the Raiden Shogun's memories in her mind.
As those memories became clearer, Ei raised her gaze again.
So during this time, someone from another world had actually stirred up storms across Teyvat. Even though he hadn't reached Inazuma yet, his reputation had pierced the thunderstorms—so much that even the Raiden Shogun had heard of him.
This person was extraordinary.
He had even forcibly dragged her out of the Plane of Euthymia. That strength filled Ei with fighting spirit—challenging the strong had once been one of her hobbies as a warrior.
Only by constantly challenging stronger opponents could she continue to improve.
"Ei, this really is a magical place. Compared to your desire to challenge… feel it carefully. Haven't you noticed something even more interesting?"
Sensing her dear friend's rising battle intent, Yae Miko spoke at the right moment, feeling a bit helpless inside… as expected of Ei—same personality as always.
Ayaka didn't speak, only watching with concern.
If the Almighty Shogun fought Ken here, what would they do? Ayaka didn't know much about Blue Star, but it surely wasn't the same as Teyvat.
Fighting here probably wasn't appropriate, right?
Fortunately, Ei didn't swing her blade. Her battle intent eased, and she carefully sensed everything around her. Her calm eyes began to change as she perceived more.
"Erosion…"
Ei murmured. She could clearly sense that erosion here was far weaker than in Teyvat.
It was even weaker than inside her Plane of Euthymia.
It was just that when she'd first arrived, she hadn't focused on it—so she'd overlooked this crucial point.
To Ei, it was tremendous joy.
"You feel it, right? Erosion on Blue Star is almost negligible. That's one reason I had Mr. Ken invite you here. Ei… do you want to know Inazuma's future?"
Watching her friend calm down, Yae Miko asked with a smile.
To solve Inazuma's problems, she had contributed a lot—she'd even agreed to let Ken name any condition he wanted. For Miss Fox, that was an enormous sacrifice.
"Miko, what exactly is going on?"
Looking at the little Kitsune who used to be easily lured by fried tofu—now grown graceful and poised, moving with charm, eyes turning with subtle thoughts—Ei felt a bit of relief. She was no longer that naive silly little Kitsune.
But now wasn't the time for reminiscing.
Ei wanted to know what was happening.
"Put your weapon away first. Let Mr. Ken explain—he invited me as well." Yae Miko said smilingly.
Ei lifted her wrist slightly. The weapon in her hand vanished into thin air. "Mr. Ken, please."
"It's like this…"
Next, Ken mixed seven parts truth with three parts lies and explained the whole chain of events.
Seeing that the otherworldly god still had doubts, Ken didn't bother with pointless explanations. Instead, he took Ei for a walk through the villa area.
To avoid drawing attention, Ken cast a barrier around them—Ei could see the outside world, but outsiders couldn't see her.
When Ei saw Zhongli dancing in the plaza, and Venti lying in a tree drinking, shock appeared in her eyes.
Back when the original Seven were all still present, she had followed her sister Makoto to gatherings many times.
At that time, she had only been the shadow warrior seated at the very end.
But Ei never cared about such things. She didn't care about the position of Electro Archon either. With her martial strength, if she truly cared about the Archon's seat, the first Electro Archon wouldn't have been her sister Makoto.
Now, even after hundreds of years, Ei still recognized them instantly.
She really had come to another world.
And even more unbelievable—Morax, the Geo Archon said to have passed away, and Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, were both on Blue Star.
"Want to go say hello?" Ken asked, seeing the ripples in Ei's eyes.
"No. Inazuma's matters are more urgent. Miko said… you foretold Inazuma's future. Can you show me?" Seeing those two gods, Ei already believed eight or nine parts out of ten. Since that was the case… better to solve Inazuma first.
If Ken could foresee it—and Miko and the Yashiro Commission's people were all here—then Inazuma's future… might not be optimistic.
"Of course." Ken didn't refuse.
…
Back in the villa, Ei watched the video with full focus. Though her personality was stiff and she wasn't as tactful or understanding as her sister, her love for Inazuma's people was real beyond doubt.
Gods love people.
Even Ei, who pursued Eternity, was no exception.
But precisely because she pursued Eternity, Ei wanted to see whether Inazuma's future truly reached it.
Because she couldn't confirm whether her Eternity actually worked.
She also didn't know whether the people were satisfied with the current policies.
Granting the people of Inazuma a dream wasn't empty talk.
But as she watched, Ei's expression grew complicated.
…
…