Kamisato Ayaka couldn't help but wonder.
Had Yae Miko planned this all along?
Had she calmly pushed Ayaka forward as a bargaining chip?
Without Yae Miko by her side, her unease only grew.
Especially since the Shogun's body lay scattered across the room.
And she herself was now… serving a god.
Her delicate hands kneaded Su Ran's shoulders.
The fear had ebbed somewhat— but in its place came a crushing tension.
"Miss Ayaka, you worry for Inazuma, don't you?"
Su Ran's back was turned, so she didn't have to meet his eyes.
Without that direct gaze, she could think more clearly.
And yet, the reality was harsher:
The very man who had thrown Inazuma into chaos
was none other than this Fatui Harbinger before her.
"…Yes," she finally admitted.
To lie to a god would be madness.
"And for this, you've made no small efforts, have you?"
"…Yes."
"Even to the point of betraying the Shogun, and secretly contacting the Resistance?"
"…"
Ayaka's breath caught.
How could she answer?
Even if her intentions had been pure— reaching out to the Resistance was betrayal.
Here, under the shadow of the Shogun's broken vessel, she hadn't the courage to confess.
"Relax. Your Shogun can't hear you.
She hasn't even life to speak of anymore."
Su Ran chuckled, as if offering comfort.
But it was a cruel jest.
"Don't be so stiff. Pretend I'm just an ordinary man.
Can't we have a simple chat?"
Her silence bored him.
For all his strength, Su Ran's heart was still that of a man.
He disliked acting lofty when dealing with people face-to-face.
"Then tell me—why did you come to Inazuma, my lord?"
Beyond felling the Raiden Shogun, he had done nothing else to her directly.
"Didn't I say?
The girls in Snezhnaya dress too heavily.
I find it dull."
He sighed.
Ayaka was at a loss for words.
Such a… human answer.
Not at all like what a god should say.
"So my lord came to Inazuma… to see girls?"
If that were all, why had the Shogun been shattered so mercilessly?
"Mm. Even if the Tsaritsa is beautiful, my tastes lean toward the women of Inazuma and Liyue.
And Inazuma's god… intrigues me more than Liyue's."
So, the first thing you did in Inazuma… was break the Shogun.
"What of the Resistance's strategist? What do you think of her?"
Again, the topic turned to another woman.
"Lady Kokomi is a brilliant strategist," Ayaka answered carefully.
"I never thought she could lead Watatsumi Island in such a long struggle against the Shogunate.
It's just a shame I've never met her in person."
"Heh. Maybe she's just shy, don't you think?"
That little fish who nearly drained herself dry just from the embarrassment of someone reading her diary— hardly striking at first, but redeeming herself in later deeds.
Su Ran couldn't help but feel fondness for her.
"If that's true, then Lady Kokomi is… rather cute."
Ayaka didn't take his words at face value.
She assumed Kokomi had simply been cautious.
Too much was at stake; their contact by letter alone had already risked drawing the Kamisato clan into peril.
That was why she never met her.
Outside Tenshukaku, Yae Miko emerged.
Kujou Sara's eyes lit with joy.
"Lady Yae Miko, you've returned!"
If Yae Miko could leave safely, then all was well.
And her smile only reinforced that hope.
"All right, no need to fret. Everything is fine… As for the Shogun… She is fine as well."
The truth was grim.
But Yae Miko was no fool.
She would not let it out.
Lies were the only balm.
"Thank the heavens… the Shogun is safe."
Sara's relief overflowed into tears.
She had forgotten how to cry from grief— but now joy broke the dam.
"Wait… where is Lady Kamisato?"
Sara suddenly realized Yae Miko had not returned with Ayaka.
"Tenshukaku was already deserted.
Only the Shogun and another god remained.
Naturally, someone had to stay to serve them."
Leaving Ayaka there did prick Yae Miko's conscience.
But what else could she do?
"Might I take her place, Yae Miko-mam?
Let me serve the gods instead."
Sara's heart yearned to see the Shogun with her own eyes.
No matter the assurance, she would only believe what she saw.
But Yae Miko would never allow it.
If Sara beheld the Shogun's broken form, hope would be lost forever.
"Hah! How laughable.
Even I, the wise and beautiful Yae Miko herself, was denied the chance to stay and serve.
Do you truly think, little tengu, that your looks surpass mine?
That your skills in service outshine even Lady Kamisato's, whom I myself could not best?"
Her tone dripped with scorn, as though she genuinely belittled Kujou Sara.
But beneath the sneer… lay a fox's weary self-mockery.