"Baihe! Why does Ei get a box, but I don't—?!"
Chiyo instantly turned into a pouting child, clinging to Lin Mo's arm and shaking it hard.
"But don't your people make bento for you?" Lin Mo said with a wry smile.
As he spoke, he glanced at Ei—who was staring at the lunchbox with unconcealed delight sparkling in her eyes—and continued,
"Ei's only family is her sister, Makoto.
But Makoto is busy handling state affairs and doesn't have time to cook for her. I happened to be free, so I just made an extra portion for Ei."
That explanation left Chiyo speechless.
Indeed, as the leader of the oni, every gathering meal she had was prepared by her clan.
Not just her—Kitsune Saiguu never had to worry about food either. As the fox deity enshrined across Narukami Island, she could simply pass by a shrine, take an offering, and bring it to the gathering.
But Makoto and Ei, despite being lofty gods, had no clan standing behind them.
Lin Mo slowly walked over and sat down beside Ei.
Ei didn't even look at him. She was holding a skewer of tricolor dango, studying it with great care.
It was easy to tell—her eyes held both anticipation and reluctance.
Anticipation, for the soft sweetness that would melt on her tongue and linger all day.
Reluctance, because once this box was gone, she'd have to wait until the next gathering to taste sweets this good again.
Lin Mo saw through her at once and smiled.
"Go on. Eat. If it's not enough, I've got another box here."
Those words banished Ei's hesitation instantly.
She bit into a dango without delay.
The soft, fragrant sweetness bloomed in her mouth, washing away all the unpleasant memories of eating raw meat earlier.
"Is it really that good?" Chiyo said, taking a huge bite of her grilled meat as she spoke.
One bite later, she sighed in satisfaction. "Mmm—nothing beats properly grilled meat!"
Ei didn't spare it a glance.
To her, grilled meat was far too greasy.
And the raw meat Kitsune Saiguu liked was far too gamey.
Only sweets—only dango—had her complete devotion.
"Baihe, let me try one too," Kitsune Saiguu said with curiosity. "I want to see what it tastes like. Is it really that amazing?"
She reached toward the lunchbox beside Lin Mo, fingers closing in on a skewer—
But at that very moment—
Two hands snapped out and pinned her wrist.
The culprit was obvious.
Ei had a skewer clenched between her teeth, staring at Kitsune Saiguu with fierce vigilance. More importantly, faint arcs of lightning flickered in her beautiful eyes.
Kitsune Saiguu jumped in fright.
"Hey! Ei! I'm the fox who guards her food here!"
"And besides, that's Baihe's lunch! Since when do you guard someone else's food?"
Ei said nothing.
She just kept the dango in her mouth and stared unblinkingly, clearly ready to get angry if Kitsune Saiguu didn't back off.
"Alright, alright—I give," Kitsune Saiguu said helplessly, withdrawing her hand.
Only then did Ei relax and return to savoring her dango.
"Well," Lin Mo said with a chuckle, "since you like sweets that much, you can have my box too."
He placed his lunchbox straight into her arms.
Because he knew—
If he so much as ate a single dango from his own box, this food-guarding Ei would be sulking for the rest of the day.
"Hey, Baihe," Chiyo protested, "aren't you spoiling her too much?"
"I think so too," Kitsune Saiguu sighed. "Don't tell me… you like Ei?"
Ei, who had been fully immersed in her sweets, froze.
She turned her head and looked at Baihe's handsome face.
"Like? Dislike?" Lin Mo waved his hand helplessly.
"I'm her trusted general. When her sister is busy managing Narukami Island, of course it's my job to take care of her."
The way he said it—so natural, so matter-of-fact—
Made Ei quietly scoot a little closer to him.
Now, in the Plane of Euthymia, as Ei recalled this memory, a faintly bitter smile curved her lips.
"Back then… I was silent, awkward, good only for the battlefield—like a giant child."
"And yet… no one ever rejected me for it."
She missed those days dearly.
As her thoughts drifted back into the past, Ei felt as though she were once again beneath the Sacred Sakura tree.
Back then, everyone was still there.
True, Teyvat was engulfed in the flames of the Archon War.
But Inazuma lay far offshore. No god would cross the seas for such a small stretch of land.
Especially when Inazuma was protected by three gods—
Raiden Makoto, Raiden Ei, and Orobashi—
along with Kitsune Saiguu, whose power nearly rivaled that of a god.
Compared to the rest of Teyvat, the Inazuma islands could barely be called a paradise.
Barely—because Inazuma was not yet unified.
As an island nation with scarce resources, conflicts often broke out between the people of Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island over supplies.
Still, they were minor skirmishes—once every few months at most.
So most of the time, everyone would gather beneath the Sacred Sakura.
They would eat, play cards, chat idly—nothing special.
Yet those were the days Ei cherished the most.
Still…
Even if Ei wasn't very good at social interactions back then, she knew that constantly eating Baihe's food didn't seem right.
One day, she finally made up her mind and said, in front of everyone,
"Baihe… will you teach me how to make sweets?"
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact