In Inazuma… when thunder and rain sweep across the heavens, it is the will of Narukami. In those moments, the gaze of the god reveals itself before mortals. To the people of Inazuma, storms are not disasters, but something to be revered—a way of praying for the blessing and protection of the divine.
Cold raindrops fell from the darkened sky. One drop, two drops, three… then more and more, until the crisp sound of water striking the ground grew ever louder.
Soon—
Crash!
Inazuma was engulfed by the downpour. The rain washed away its filth, leaving it renewed, as if reborn like a child.
Rumble…
Heavy thunder rolled across the skies, accompanied by occasional flashes of dazzling lightning.
The once-bustling streets grew quiet. Where crowds had thronged, now not a soul could be seen. Shops closed their shutters one after another, awaiting the storm's end to reopen.
Yet amidst this rain-soaked, desolate city, from somewhere came the sound of a girl's sobbing. The delicate sound of weeping was all the more fragile against the roar of the storm, as if it might be swallowed up at any moment.
"Uu… sob… uu… uu!"
A young girl sat crying on a bench in a narrow alley.
Her thin body was drenched, rain soaking through her clothes until skin showed beneath. Strands of black hair clung to her forehead and back. Her face, damp with rain and smudged with dirt, still could not conceal her beauty—youthful, tinged with a faint heroism, yet still charmingly cute.
As though releasing all the grief she had held inside, she let herself cry out freely, hidden beneath the clamor of the rain.
"Uu… uu!"
She wiped at the water streaming down her cheeks, unsure if it was rain or tears. Head bowed, she pressed her face into her knees, weeping in muffled sobs.
The alley was empty, save for the mist of rain hitting the ground and the sound of crying.
Tap, tap…
Just then… the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Heels striking wet stone, crisp against the patter of raindrops, drawing nearer until they stopped before her.
"…?"
She lifted her head in surprise. Through blurred vision, a soft figure stood before her. Hastily wiping her eyes, she raised her tear-stained face, looking like a little wet kitten, to see the newcomer.
The figure was shapely, draped in a short kimono patterned in white and pale violet. Its hem stopped at upper-thigh, revealing exquisite legs wrapped in faintly sheer white thigh-high stockings. Her wrists, fair and slender, peeked out from wide sleeves, one hand holding a wisteria-patterned paper umbrella, its colors matching her attire.
The umbrella hung low, concealing her face. Only her fair chin and delicate lips, faintly tinted rose, could be seen.
"..."
The girl stared, entranced by this vision like a goddess. For a moment she forgot to cry, her amber eyes fixed dazedly on the figure.
The woman stepped forward, kneeling gracefully before her. She tilted the umbrella, shielding the girl's drenched body.
"!"
At that instant, the girl finally saw her clearly. A breathtaking face—violet eyes shimmering with starlight, a beauty mark beneath them like a tear's trace, long violet hair flowing behind her, adorned with delicate ornaments.
She was utterly captivated… as if her very soul had been taken away. All her troubles vanished, leaving only the image of the woman before her.
"Why do you weep?"
The woman spoke. Her tone was soft, tinged with puzzlement, as if she asked only out of simple curiosity.
"!"
The girl quickly tried to wipe her tears, but her eyes were already dry. Embarrassed, she lowered her hands and met her gaze.
"Actually… I… shouldn't be crying…"
Her voice was small and muffled.
"You cried so sorrowfully just now, and yet now you say you shouldn't have… how strange."
The woman tilted her head slightly, curious, like a child seeking answers.
"Uu… I… will you… listen to me?"
The girl lowered her eyes, shyly asking.
"If you wish it…"
The woman replied gently. Yet in that moment, her gaze flickered to a faint insignia on the girl's chest, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at her again.
"…You are of the Kujou Clan?"
"!"
The girl's body trembled. Instinctively she wanted to cover the insignia, but after a moment she gave up and admitted it.
"Yes… they decided to adopt me temporarily. My real parents are long gone."
The girl sat obediently on the bench, explaining her background.
The woman lowered her gaze in thought.
"Are you weeping for your parents?"
"No… actually, I don't even know why I cried. Maybe I've been holding it in for too long… No one talks to me. Though I was adopted into the Kujou family, I can tell—I've always been neglected. Even the servants speak ill of me, saying… uu…"
"There's no need to force yourself. If you don't wish to say it, then don't."
The woman understood her heart, gently comforting her and sparing her from saying more.
"…Mm."
Her obedient answer made the woman feel a quiet fondness.
"But… I don't bear any resentment! They adopted me, so I owe them a debt of gratitude. I want to repay them. I won't complain, nor even… contradict their words."
"Perhaps you've simply carried the burden too long. Today… you chose to release it in the storm. Tomorrow, you will still resolutely return to life in the Kujou household."
"Um… please don't tell them what I just said. They would be angry with me. Please… I beg you, sister."
The girl looked up at her in fear, pleading desperately. Sensitive at heart, she feared betrayal.
"Rest assured, this vessel will not tell them."
The woman answered.
"Hah… thank you."
The girl breathed in relief, her eyes softening as she looked at her.
"Why did you choose to weep today?"
The woman asked again.
"…Because… everyone says that if you confide your sorrows to Narukami-sama during a storm, things will get better. But I don't expect so much. As long as Narukami-sama hears me, I'm satisfied. I wonder… did it reach her?"
As she spoke, her face flushed red, her voice shrinking softer and softer, until she nearly hid from embarrassment.
"…She… perhaps she heard you."
The woman whispered softly in reply.
"Eh?"
The girl blinked in confusion. In her amber eyes, the woman glimpsed a fleeting spark of lightning—the light of one who would follow Narukami's will. That, perhaps, was her future: to walk in pursuit of it.
"What is your name?"
The woman asked.
"…Kujou… Sara."
When she spoke her name, she did so haltingly, with hesitation and even inferiority.
"Kujou Sara… a fine name. May I call you Sara?"
The woman repeated it with a gentle smile, then addressed her directly.
"Uu… yes! Y-you can…"
Sara's whole body flushed at the sound of her name on the woman's lips. Her heart pounded wildly, enchanted by the allure woven into her words. Every syllable was like a natural perfume, captivating her utterly.
The woman shifted the oil-paper umbrella onto her shoulder, then reached out to take Sara's small hand. From within her kimono's inner pocket, she drew a pendant-like object set with a violet gemstone.
"Today, I grant you this. It will change your place within the Kujou family. Treasure it well."
She placed a brand-new Electro Vision into Sara's hand, closing her fingers around it.
When her hand withdrew, Sara cautiously opened her palm. Only then did she realize the pricelessness of what she held.
"This is…!"
A… a Vision?
She could scarcely believe her eyes. A genuine Vision—hers?
Only those recognized by the gods could receive one. In Inazuma, that was a truth known to all.
It meant…
"!!"
Her eyes widened. She looked up quickly toward the figure already stepping back into the storm.
At the side of her head, the tengu mask she wore marked her heritage. Beneath the violet umbrella, the woman's lips curved into the faintest, almost unseen smile.
The woman, still smiling, spoke once more.
"Sara, as one bearing the blood of the tengu, you must make your heart unshakable. Perhaps in the future we shall meet again. Let this gift be our bond."
Hum…!
With those ethereal words, the beautiful figure gradually dissolved into shimmering violet motes of light, vanishing into the air.
Sara leapt to her feet, rushing to the spot where the woman had disappeared. She looked around frantically, then clutched the Vision in her hand like a priceless treasure, pressing it to her chest. Kneeling in the rain-soaked ground, she whispered:
"Shogun-sama…"
Tears spilled anew from her eyes, her voice weak yet filled with boundless devotion. The crystalline droplets rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the Vision's center.
Hum…!
The Vision activated, glowing with thunderous radiance.
Sara no longer wept. Wiping away the tears, she held the Vision in her palm and lifted her gaze to the stormy skies.
"Sara will never disappoint Shogun-sama. For your grace, I shall repay with my life!"
No more crying. She would grow strong, unyielding. One day, she would meet that woman again.
Glory to the Shogun and her everlasting reign!!
...
"…Commander?"
"..."
Lost in distant memories, the young woman sat in a daze, ignoring her subordinate's call.
"Kujou-dono?"
"..."
Though her eyes rested on the tactical map spread across the table, her thoughts wandered far away.
"Kujou Sara-sama?!"
Her subordinate's louder call finally jolted her awake.
"!"
She snapped back to reality, pulled from her childhood recollections.
"Cough… forgive me, I was distracted."
She coughed lightly, straightening her arm in a firm gesture, apologizing openly to her subordinates.
"N-no, it's just… you seemed unusual. Are you unwell?"
The soldier asked in concern. Normally, their superior—Kujou Sara of the Tenryou Commission—would never lose focus in a strategy meeting.
"No need to worry. Continue, I am listening."
Sara lifted her head proudly, signaling for them to go on.
"As you command!"
At once, the officers resumed their discussion over strategy for their clashes with the resistance.
This was the Kujou Clan's military camp, within the Tenryou Commission's war room. Before battle, it was customary to gather and plan the next moves, as now.
The "battle" in question, of course, was against the Watatsumi resistance. Ever since the Shogun issued the Vision Hunt Decree, the rebels had grown restless—now even brazen. They required firm suppression.
"After our narrow victory last time, they retreated to Nazuchi Beach. If our forces follow close behind, we can engage them there."
One officer pointed at the Inazuma strategy map, tracing the narrow strip of shoreline between Yashiori Island and Kannazuka—an area already rife with conflict.
"Will there be an ambush?"
Sara asked.
"They must know we'll strike there. So… an ambush is certain."
The officer replied gravely.
"Tch… that complicates matters. The situation may not be in our favor."
Another subordinate, rubbing his buzz-cut head, muttered in frustration. A head-on attack would surely cost many lives—a result no captain wished to see.
"Nazuchi Beach is a strategic stronghold—easy to defend, hard to attack. Moreover… the enemy's camp is stationed there."
He circled the spot with red ink, marking an X near the Musoujin Gorge.
"Reports from our men say… west of Musoujin Gorge lies the Watatsumi front-line camp. Their numbers won't be small."
"..." ×N
At those words, silence fell over the war room.
"What about negotiations?"
"Hah?"
One soldier offered hesitantly. The others all turned to him with expressions that read: Are you an idiot?
"What are you saying? If talks were possible we wouldn't be fighting in the first place. Those people won't listen to reason. Worse, they slander the Shogun. It is only thanks to the Shogun's patience that they were once allowed to worship their own gods. And now? They push their luck. If we don't subdue them with force, they'll just keep stirring trouble."
"Still… I heard… the rebels haven't inflicted fatal wounds on our soldiers."
A nearby soldier spoke, uncertain.
"No fatal wounds? What do you mean?"
Another looked puzzled.
"They mostly capture our men alive. They don't execute them."
"Huh?"
The group was surprised.
"Yes—I recall as well. Prisoners taken by them are returned after a few days, and their injuries even treated."
Another soldier added.
"Seriously?!"
They were astonished.
"It's true. I heard it myself. They say it's Sangonomiya Kokomi's idea."
"Even if it's true, it doesn't justify the rebellion! They were the ones who rose up in the first place, claiming it was against the Vision Hunt Decree. But who knows their real purpose?"
"Haa…"
Sara sighed wearily. She had already considered this. Their actions did not look like open revolt, but rather as if they were stalling for time.
"If we strike recklessly, Kokomi will surely prepare defenses. Then our army may suffer a reversal."
She spoke to the commanders. To minimize losses, negotiations were the only path. Yet with the battlefield already so heated, whether negotiations were possible was uncertain. And the rebels were unlikely to yield so quickly.
"If it comes to it… we will have no choice but to fight. And if we fight, the battle will center across the Nazuchi Beach region."
One subordinate planted a small red flag on the map at Nazuchi Beach.
All eyes turned to that single mark. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, as if the sound of clashing weapons already echoed from beneath it.
Tap, tap…
At that moment, a soldier hurried inside, bowing respectfully beside Sara.
"Kujou-dono, the Shogun summons you to the Tenshukaku."
"The Shogun? Understood. I will depart at once."
She agreed without hesitation, immediately preparing to leave.
"Kujou-dono—what about the battle plan?"
Her subordinates asked, troubled.
"…Decide among yourselves. Report the results when I return. The Shogun's will cannot be defied. I take my leave."
In truth, there were few choices left—if necessary, they would simply clash directly with the rebels. That was the worst-case scenario. But to go against the will of Narukami was to invite punishment.
The Shogun's summons took priority. All else could wait. At the door, Sara gave a brief instruction before leaving the Kujou estate, heading straight toward the highest, central tower of Inazuma City—the Tenshukaku.
No matter how busy she was, at the Shogun's call she would abandon everything to come. Even if, upon arrival, the Shogun dismissed her without a word, she would never complain. And why?
Because the one who called… was the Shogun. That alone was reason enough.