The cheeky joke of "showing the big treasure" coming from Yae Miko's mouth couldn't help but stir up all sorts of imaginations.
Who could resist a pink-haired fox with nine tails expressing her wish to see a big treasure?
"Who knows? Maybe she picked it up from one of your light novels."
Yae Miko shrugged and stepped ahead into the Small World.
This sly fox!
Ye Xi cursed inwardly and followed her in.
Passing the steaming hot spring pools, they climbed onto the wooden platform of the pavilion.
At this moment, he even felt a touch of sentimentality.
Having lived here for three years, he'd long seen it as home, his comfort zone.
Now, leaving it behind felt like leaving his hometown for the big city to make a living—bittersweet.
Reluctant? Not exactly, but it left him a bit unsettled.
Before he could open the door, Miko had already pushed it open with familiarity.
Seeing this, Ye Xi was even more speechless.
With him gone from Inazuma, locking up or not made no difference.
This pink-haired fox could waltz in as easily as eating or drinking.
He might as well hand the Small World over to the sly fox to watch over.
That wasn't a bad idea—there were plenty of things here that needed tending.
Over the years, besides collecting items, he'd gathered a lot of plants.
Sweet Flowers, Mint, Naku Weed, Amakumo Fruit, Sea Ganoderma...
He had quite a few, harvesting them every few days.
They were all stored in the underground ice cellar for preservation.
If he wasn't around and something happened, all his hoarded treasures would be ruined!
With that thought, he made up his mind.
Hand the Small World over to Yae Miko to manage!
After changing shoes at the entryway, Ye Xi led Yae Miko to the storage room.
All the items he'd obtained using Resin over three years were here.
Lighting a candle, the room's contents came into view.
Cabinets filled with stored goods lined the walls.
Yae Miko glanced around and smirked mischievously. "You planning to show me your big treasure here?"
"Don't talk, Miko."
Ye Xi rubbed his forehead helplessly. The atmosphere was getting weirder by the second.
[We're alone in a room like this, and this sly fox has to tease on purpose.]
[Who could handle that?]
Under the candlelight, he searched according to the labels on the cabinets.
Yae Miko, hearing his inner voice, couldn't help but stifle a laugh nearby.
[Found it.]
Ye Xi spotted his own label on a cabinet, opened it, and the items inside gleamed in the candlelight.
Yae Miko's eyes widened.
"This is Crystallized Bone Marrow and Coral Pearl! And so many of them!"
Crystallized Bone Marrow contained the power of the "cursed spirits." Adding it during smelting greatly enhanced the strength and toughness of steel products.
These grew in remote wilderness areas, requiring great risk to harvest.
Coral Pearls were from the distant Sangonomiya Shrine side of Inazuma City, where the waters were turbulent and the terrain treacherous—harvesting them was no easy task!
She never expected Ye Xi to have collected so many!
Ye Xi blinked in surprise at her reaction and smiled. "These? I gathered them bored on mountain trips."
"If you're interested, pick a few."
"What I have for you is this."
Ye Xi pulled out two crystals from the cabinet.
These were the crystallizations extracted from the deep-sea dragon lizards—Dragon Heir's False Fins.
They looked like two black jade stones, emanating a cool aura.
A closer look revealed faint golden outlines along their edges.
This was the item Yae Miko needed for her breakthrough.
"What's this?"
Yae Miko felt the shiny objects resonating with the demon power in her body.
It was as if the power within her was welcoming them.
She'd already guessed—this was the key item Ye Xi had mentioned in his thoughts that could help her break through her limits.
She'd only heard about it from his inner voice, never seen it herself.
Ye Xi replied, "I came across it by chance while wandering Inazuma."
"It looked rare, so consider it a return gift for the omamori."
["Breakthrough item"—she probably wouldn't get the explanation anyway.]
[With that sly fox's smart head, she might ask all sorts of other questions.]
[Better to keep it under wraps.]
Hearing Ye Xi's inner voice, Yae Miko wisely didn't press further and accepted them contentedly.
"One more thing, Miko."
Ye Xi seized the moment. "After I leave Inazuma, the Small World's yours to manage."
Yae Miko paused slightly, then smiled. "You don't need to tell me—I'd do it anyway. I can't quit these hot springs, and your barrier can't keep me out."
Ah, this—
Ye Xi felt his words were redundant.
[This sly fox had her mind set on it from the start!]
"Pack your bags properly. I'll see you off tomorrow."
Yae Miko smiled and left the Small World, leaving Ye Xi utterly speechless.
That night, a snow-white carrier pigeon soared across Inazuma's skies.
It flapped its wings vigorously toward the palace guarded by reefs and giant clams.
Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Shrine.
Before a candlelit desk, a weary figure flipped through documents.
Besides pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, the table was piled with a small mountain of paperwork.
"Lady Sangonomiya, we've just received a letter from Lord Ye Xi via carrier pigeon!"
The figure at the desk perked up instantly, exhaustion giving way to excitement.
"Where? Let me see."
The girl rose and took the letter, reading it carefully.
She was the leader of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi.
After finishing Ye Xi's letter, tears suddenly streaked down her flushed face.
"Lady Sangonomiya! What's wrong?!"
The nearby guard was shocked. He never imagined the ever-smiling Kokomi would cry like this!
This was a first!
Kokomi turned away, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine. You may go."
"This... yes!"
The guard didn't dare disobey and left the room.
Unable to hold back any longer, Kokomi sobbed softly.
Gazing toward Mount Yougou, she murmured, "Lord Xi, I'll be waiting for you at the Sangonomiya Shrine."
Tears dripped onto the letter, smudging the ink.
[Kokomi, I'm leaving Inazuma for a while.]
[Don't pressure yourself too much while I'm gone. The Raiden Shogun won't make any moves.]
[Feel free to stay home and read a book you like.]
[Wait for me to return.]
[Ye Xi.]
Her gaze drifted to the moon outside the window, her thoughts wandering to unknown places.
"What did you say? Lady Sangonomiya cried?!"
The guards were stunned.
"Yeah, she cried after reading Lord Ye Xi's letter. I've never seen anything like it!"
"It's hard to imagine the strategic genius Lady Sangonomiya in tears."
"Could the Raiden Shogun's people have trapped Lord Ye Xi? Let's gather men and storm Tenshukaku to bring him back!"
"Right! Lord Ye Xi is our future leader, the one Lady Sangonomiya loves. We can't let those Tenshukaku fools bully him!"