Koji walked down the streets of Inazuma City with a little pink-furred fox in his arms. Very few people had ever seen Yae Miko's true form, so she did not have to worry about being recognized.
"Guuji-sama, you're really lazy," Koji complained. He strongly suspected that Yae Miko had turned into a little fox precisely so she could walk a few steps less.
"I already told you to pet me, didn't I? What's wrong with carrying me around as well?" Yae Miko replied, completely self-righteous.
Koji's lips curved up as he tightened his grip. The little fox did not feel even the slightest pain. On the contrary, she felt an even more intense wave of pleasure. Her eyes rolled back, her whole body going limp. It felt so good she was about to fall apart.
…
By the end, the pink-furred little fox was hanging weakly in his arms, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, looking very much like she had been played with until she broke—overwhelmed by bliss.
"Ha ha ha—"
A sudden burst of loud laughter drew Koji's attention.
So it was him.
A burly oni with red horns on his head—Arataki Itto. Among the oni currently living in Inazuma, his strength was considered pretty decent.
There was a saying that fit him perfectly: if you follow Itto, you'll be hungry five times every three days.
"The little brat from the oni clan… still the same as ever," Yae Miko said once she recovered. She knew Arataki Itto.
The guy was a complete blockhead. Once, they had held a contest eating kitsune udon. He obviously knew that, as an oni, he was allergic to beans, yet he still forced himself to compete with her. In the end he did win, but he collapsed to the ground afterward and went into convulsions.
She hadn't even known what to say. Apparently, the oni's tremendous physical strength was paid for by sacrificing their brains.
"Little bro, you look kind of unfamiliar. This great Arataki is named Arataki Itto, but you can also call me Arataki Sumo King Itto, Arataki Onikabuto Gladiator Itto…"
Arataki Itto eagerly launched into a self-introduction, and besides his actual name he rattled off a whole string of bizarre titles.
"I'm Koji," Koji said, the corner of his mouth twitching. This Arataki Itto really was straightforward and exuberant.
"Miyuki's little sister, and you follow a boss like this?"
The little pink fox spoke up, teasing Kuki Shinobu.
She found this interesting girl quite intriguing. Born into a shrine-maiden family, yet she had chosen to leave the shrine, go to Liyue to study abroad, and finally join a tiny, obscure group like the Arataki Gang.
"This voice… are you Guuji-sama?"
Kuki Shinobu froze for a moment in surprise. She was very familiar with Yae Miko; she had met her as a child, and not long ago Guuji-sama had even come personally to invite her back to the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Back then she had not even thought about it before refusing on the spot.
Even Kujou Sara had invited her to join the Tenryou Commission under her command, promising excellent conditions, and she had turned that down just as decisively.
With her family background she never had to worry about work. Once she came of age, she could have simply gone to the shrine and become a shrine maiden. In Inazuma, that was practically a lifelong iron rice bowl.
But what she wanted was truly free work, not that sort of monotonous, tedious job. She knew perfectly well just how boring it was to be a shrine maiden.
"Guuji-sama, you know I have no interest in being a shrine maiden at all. Even you rely on side businesses to keep everything running. That alone shows how boring being a shrine maiden is," Kuki Shinobu said bluntly.
"Ha ha, that's true. But being a shrine maiden doesn't mean you can only be a shrine maiden. You can still do your own things," Yae Miko replied.
"Forget it. Shrine maiden isn't a fit for me. But, Guuji-sama, how come you're like this…"
Kuki Shinobu couldn't help staring at Yae Miko's little fox form. This was her first time seeing it. It was absurdly cute, and she felt the urge to reach out and stroke that fluffy head.
"It's nothing. This is my true form. The one carrying me is a frequent honored guest of Tenshukaku and a friend of the General," Yae Miko said casually.
Kuki Shinobu suddenly understood. No wonder he could just hold the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine in his arms like that. In Inazuma, Yae Miko's status was second only to the Raiden Shogun—below the Raiden Shogun, above all the common folk.
"I remember now. So it's you, fox-eared woman!"
Arataki Itto recognized her from the sound of her voice.
"That fox ramen contest was really exhilarating. Even with kitsune fried tofu on the line, I still won. You had to suffer the shame of paying for twelve bowls of noodles, hahaha…" Arataki Itto burst out laughing.
Kuki Shinobu pressed a hand to her forehead. Her boss genuinely never learned.
Eat a hundred beans and never get tired, even if your gallbladder gives out and your whole digestive tract falls apart.
"The little brat from the oni clan is pretty amusing. I lost last time, so how about a rematch?" The little fox's eyes gleamed with a sly, fox-like light.
"Uh…"
Arataki Itto very clearly remembered that after that contest he had been stuck in bed for over a month.
"Boss, you're allergic to beans. Please don't try something like that again. Guuji-sama, please don't tease my boss," Kuki Shinobu quickly said.
She was truly worried that Arataki Itto would get fired up, agree to another contest with Yae Miko, and then end up lying in bed for another three months.
"Giggle… all right, for your sake, Kuki Shinobu, we'll leave it at that," Yae Miko said. She really had only wanted to tease Arataki Itto a little. This oni was very entertaining.
Hoo…
Kuki Shinobu quietly let out a breath. Guuji-sama might be just fooling around, but her boss would honestly fall for it.
Arataki Itto was usually cheerful and sunny, with a brain as smooth as a flat board. Most of the time he acted purely on that one hot-blooded heart of his.
"Koji, little bro, want to try some sumo?"
"I'm getting ready for future battles. I lost to Kujou Tengu last time, but this time I'm definitely going to win. I'm going to challenge her to a rematch at the crossroads," Arataki Itto said seriously, not sounding like he was joking at all.
"Sumo? Kujou Sara is a woman. There's no way she'd agree," Koji said, somewhat impressed by Arataki Itto's 'brilliant' idea.
Women did not do sumo. If Kujou Sara agreed to that, Teyvat would probably be on the brink of destruction.
"It's already been so many times. Kujou Sara will definitely be moved by my conviction and agree to have a street sumo match with me," Arataki Itto said with absolute confidence.
Koji: "…"
Yae Miko: "…"
Kuki Shinobu and the others: "…"
Seriously now, who gave you the confidence that Kujou Sara would wrestle you in the middle of the street? Not everyone has a face as thick as yours.
"Sorry. I refuse."
Kujou Sara approached at the head of a patrol squad—just her usual daily inspection—only to overhear this headache-inducing fellow talking about that kind of nonsense.
Even if Arataki Itto ran naked through Inazuma City, she still would not agree. She had her dignity to consider.
"Kujou Tengu, let's have a sumo match!" Arataki Itto looked at Kujou Sara with complete seriousness.
If it had been anyone else, Kujou Sara would have immediately treated it as harassment. But because it was this idiot oni, she did not have that kind of wariness at all. His gaze was as clear as that of a college student—and just as full of stupidity.
Sigh…
Kujou Sara let out a small sigh. This guy really gave her a headache. She respected him for admitting defeat straightforwardly, but he was far too noisy.
A brain is a good thing, but Arataki Itto didn't have one—or rather, he simply never used his.
If it weren't for having Kuki Shinobu as his external brain, that so-called Arataki Gang would have ceased to exist a long time ago.
(End of Chapter)
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