"So, this little girl…" Hailing looked at the small girl curled up on the tatami mat, not quite understanding the situation.
"Oh, she's a 'ninja' sent by the Yashiro Commission," Muramasa said as he placed the lunch on the table and patted the sleeping Sayu.
"Hm?" Sayu rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawned, and stretched, then wriggled into a sitting position. "Is it morning…?"
"It's already noon," Muramasa added, placing her portion in front of her. "Anyway, if I'm not around, you can just call her if you need anything."
"Food right after waking up, and then I can go back to sleep. This is pure bliss~" Sayu looked as if she were dreaming and was about to fall over again.
"If you're going to eat, sit up straight…" After speaking, Muramasa's gaze shifted to the side. There was the occasional fox, or rather, the pink fox who claimed to be an occasional visitor. It's only been one day!
"I don't make offerings every day, you know. And just so you know, there's no fried tofu today." He hadn't prepared a special meal for the fox, his attitude a clear 'you eat what we eat'.
She wasn't offended and readily accepted the food offered.
She's really not picky… could she really be some family's fox deity?
Looking at Muramasa's complaining expression, Hailing felt he was like a mother who couldn't sit still. It's getting lively around here… she thought.
…
After a peaceful lunch.
The fox ran off again with a pat, not a hint of sentimentality in her departure. Hailing collected the dishes and, with the air of a seasoned homemaker, went to wash them.
"By the way, Sayu." The 'mother' looked at Sayu, who had devoured her food after being told off and was now planning to go back to sleep.
"Hm?"
"Since you've accepted a meal from me, you can answer a few of my questions." After serving Hailing's food, he had also sat down.
"What questions?" Sayu had just finished her meal. Having taken food from him, and not being able to sleep immediately after eating, she asked obediently.
"About Watatsumi Island. I don't usually ask about the purpose of my clients' commissions. But, let's just say I'm curious. For the Yashiro Commission to bring it up specifically, it must be a significant order."
Though Sayu was rather slow, she had some sense in these matters. She looked around before speaking. "I heard… they're preparing for a war…"
War… Muramasa repeated the word silently in his mind. Images of battlefields he had experienced, of the war-torn era of his past life, flashed before his eyes.
"Because of the Vision Hunt Decree?"
Sayu thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes... but there seem to be other reasons too. Their beliefs over there seem to be a bit different from ours."
…
A few days ago, on Watatsumi Island
"That Raiden Shogun is planning to issue such an order…" In Sangonomiya Shrine, a young lady listened to the report from a shrine maiden below.
"Yes," the shrine maiden nodded. "According to our spies, the Tenryou Commission is already making preparations. They have likely anticipated the reactions from below and are ready to suppress any resistance with force. It probably won't be long before they come to Watatsumi Island as well. Divine Priestess, what should we do?"
The girl known as the Divine Priestess simply played with her long, pink-to-purple gradient hair. She herself was a Vision holder and would inevitably be a target of the decree. Being a target was one thing, but she was the 'Divine Priestess', the most revered and beloved leader of Watatsumi Island. And it wasn't just her; many of the people living on the island were also Vision holders.
"A Vision is the materialization of an ideal, and an important part of a person's body…" Just as losing a limb affects a person's life, a Vision, though not physically connected, was a part of the body. It was an organ that carried one's wishes.
Watatsumi Island and the mainland had long-standing grievances. For them to issue such a decree, to arbitrarily cut off the limbs of their compatriots, bloodshed was inevitable.
"Since bloodshed is inevitable, we must make plans early… What are our weapon reserves, and how many craftsmen do we have?" Though the Raiden Gokaden were the most famous in Inazuma, they weren't the only smiths.
To this, the shrine maiden just shook her head. "Not optimistic. We don't have a large standing army, and our demand for forging materials is low."
The young lady's expression didn't change. She just adjusted her line of thinking. "Then we must procure them as soon as possible. But we need to forge such a large number of weapons and equipment at once... The Amenoma family is out of the question. Have Gorou visit the various independent smiths along the way. As soon as possible. We need to take advantage of the time before the decree is fully implemented."
Suddenly, she remembered a rumor her pen pal had mentioned that had been causing a stir in Inazuma City. "A new blacksmith has appeared in Inazuma City these past two days, right? If we could get him to move here… no, a smith of that caliber, it's already too late to recruit him."
Recruit… and that mention of 'Exquisite Fried Tofu' was intentional…
"Remember to have Gorou sound him out. We might be able to find a hidden ally. The rest is... formulating a strategy against their general."
This operation shouldn't require the Raiden Shogun's personal intervention, so the general would likely be the Tenryou Commission's Kujou Sara. Her preferred tactics... her strategies... the number of troops she can command at once…
One by one, pieces of information formed a plan in the 'Divine Priestess's' mind. She ground some ink, picked up her brush, and began her pre-battle preparations. "You may leave."
Seeing her expression, the shrine maiden bowed respectfully and left her alone.
The young lady took a deep breath. She was no genius strategist who could see through everything with a single plan. So, if quality was lacking, she would make up for it with quantity. As long as her "planning was flawless," she could "defeat the enemy before the battle even began."
The enemy had many generals and a large army. Her side had few generals and a weak army. Not only were they few and weak, but there were probably not many who had even read military texts, let alone were literate. The only thing she could trust was their loyalty. She couldn't rely on the impromptu decisions of her soldiers. She had to centralize all decision-making as much as possible. Information transmission, simple command breakdowns… and it would be best if the enemy couldn't understand them.
The young lady pinched the bridge of her nose, which was aching from excessive 'energy' consumption, stood up, and walked to the window. The ribbon-like train of her dress swayed with her steps. Her gaze fell upon the surroundings of the Sangonomiya Shrine. Bubbles of various sizes and colors slowly rose from the corals, floating to a height visible from the entire island before suddenly popping.
"I'll use this."
-------
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