"Lady Shogun, your dinner has arrived."
"Bring it in!"
Kujou Sara froze outside the door.
For the first time in days, she heard a voice from within that wasn't Kamisato Ayaka's or Yae Miko's.
A male voice, no less.
So… the mysterious god who had defeated the Raiden Shogun—was a man?
Her heart wavered.
Shock, yes—but also a flicker of relief.
At last, she would glimpse what was happening inside.
She opened the door.
The sight of the Shogun standing there eased the weight from her shoulders at once.
Her worries, her sleepless nights—dispersed like mist.
And yet—
"Eh?"
Beside that unfamiliar man, she spotted something else.
Something strange.
A smaller figure—Raiden Ei herself, inhabiting the body of a tiny puppet.
Her eyes darted back and forth.
From the dignified Shogun… to the petite, childlike Shogun.
Could it be that the reason her lady had secluded herself for days… was because of this "little Shogun"?
Divine marriages were not unheard of.
But to imagine such things happening to her god… Sara's mind nearly broke.
That sort of development should happen, at the very least, a thousand years after her death!
She set the dinner tray down, dispirited.
Spotting food, little Ei stepped forward eagerly.
"Are there any sweets?"
"…"
Sara's heart melted instantly.
Even if the situation was bizarre enough to crack her sanity, Ei's innocent expression soothed her.
"Forgive me, little Shogun-sama. I wasn't aware of your existence, so I didn't prepare any desserts. If you wish, I'll fetch some immediately."
Ei: …
Little Shogun-mam?
Yes, she was small right now, but why did that title sound so wrong?
And what was with the way Sara's eyes sparkled like a doting big sister?
If not for years of harsh training in the army, Sara might well have scooped Ei up and smothered her with affection on the spot.
"…Forget it. I don't particularly want them."
No desserts? No matter. She could always have Yae Miko bring some next time.
Besides, something far more important occupied her mind.
Eternity!
A true Eternity, realizable here in Inazuma!
Still, Sara silently berated herself.
If only I had thought ahead… How could the little Shogun go without sweets? I'm such a fool. Truly!
"Sara, how fares Inazuma these days?"
The puppet-Shogun cared deeply for the nation, especially now that Su Ran had upgraded her thinking.
She trusted Sara's words above all.
Yae Miko would lie—but Sara would not.
"…It must be in terrible shape," Su Ran interrupted before Sara could answer.
Ei perked up.
Had it really fallen into ruin in just five hundred years of her absence?
Shogun—what were you doing?
"The Tenryou Commission and Kanjou Commission have already allied with the Fatui. On top of the war with Watatsumi, Inazuma is drowning in crisis."
Su Ran hadn't studied the details, but he knew the broad strokes from the game.
If not for a divine ruler, the nation would've fractured long ago.
"Impossible! Lord Kujou would never consort with the Fatui!"
Sara stiffened, her voice firm despite recognizing Su Ran as the god who had appeared in Inazuma.
Her clan was loyal beyond question. Her lord is more faithful still.
To suggest otherwise was slander!
"I'm literally a Fatui Harbinger. Wouldn't I know whether there was collusion or not?"
Su Ran casually clapped her shoulder, speaking with disarming calm.
"The Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree—both were pushed forward by the Fatui."
He even admitted the crimes outright.
Sara: "…"
Her mind reeled.
How could this man have the gall to say such things— in front of the Shogun herself?
What's more… the Shogun didn't even react.
Unmoved, as if she had known all along.
Had she betrayed them too?
"A Fatui Harbinger?"
The puppet-Shogun's brow furrowed.
Since when had the Fatui recruited someone this powerful?
Had the Tsaritsa stumbled upon divine luck itself?
Ayaka, meanwhile, felt a throbbing headache.
The Fatui had meddled before, yes—nudging the Commissions into decrees.
But this man—this Su Ran—planned to impose a dream of Eternity on all of Inazuma.
To trap every soul in illusion.
And now, both Shoguns supported him wholeheartedly.
Three gods aligned with one will.
Who could possibly oppose that?
Not she, not anyone.
Resistance seemed impossible.
"I don't understand," Ei suddenly muttered.
"You wield such strength. Why serve another? Why be someone else's subordinate?"
Had the Tsaritsa already grown so powerful?
Powerful enough to command even Su Ran, who had defeated the Shogun with ease?
Was she already the new Celestia?
Su Ran's answer was blunt:
"Because… the Tsaritsa is really pretty. And she wears white stockings."
Silence.
"…These days, really, you speak the truth and no one believes you."
He sighed, then shrugged.
"Fine. Then how about this: the Fatui fund me. Satisfied?"
Yae Miko rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.
That reason was even less convincing.
If it were just about money—how much could Snezhnaya pay?
Couldn't Inazuma match it?
…No, not really. Inazuma's coffers were pitiful compared to Snezhnaya's.
But still!
Ei was every bit as stunning as the Tsaritsa!
And with her—a fox of unmatched beauty and wit—beside her?
What did Snezhnaya have?
Girls wrapped up like dumplings?