Chapter 210: Do You Still Remember Miss Hina?
For a spy, what's the most difficult kind of mission?
Naturally, it's infiltrating deep into enemy territory without making a sound, quietly approaching the enemy commander, and delivering crucial intel like a heroic shadow in the night.
And if you can torch their camp on the way out? Even better.
Right now, Sayu was realizing that somehow, she had already completed the first step.
She had silently infiltrated the enemy's base.
What's more, she had done it unknowingly… after waking up from a nap.
Honestly, this all felt like a dream. Especially the part where the person standing before her—complete with fluffy canine ears—was none other than…
The Resistance's General.
Wait, what?
Happiness came crashing down on her like a meteor. This was way too sudden!
But just as her eyes darted to the side, she caught a glimpse of someone standing nearby—half their face covered with a mask shaped like a cat's.
—Never mind. This situation was clearly out of her league.
Sayu wisely curled up into a ball and shut her eyes again.
Not long after, the sound of snoring echoed softly in the room.
Sayu has chosen to use her favorite move: Strategic Inactivity.
Not that she was actually worried Bai Luo would leave her here.
After all, ever since she got to know him, she had learned one very important thing:
No matter how much Bai Luo grumbled or complained, if she fell asleep on the spot, he'd inevitably end up lifting her up by the back of her collar and carrying her around like luggage.
He might say she was a burden, but in truth, he never once left her behind.
In some strange way, Sayu had even come to believe that she—yes, she—could totally handle one of the Fatui Harbingers.
But as she snuggled deeper into her smug little ball of victory…
She didn't realize just how much she looked like a spoiled pet showing off to its owner.
The kind that thought it had the upper hand.
Sveta, watching all this from the side, couldn't help but gaze at the little creature with a complex mixture of pity and disbelief.
And strangely, her opinion of Bai Luo began to shift.
When she had first met him, Sveta hadn't fully accepted this "new Twelfth Harbinger." Even during their reunion in Inazuma, her deference had been more toward his title than to the man himself.
But now...
She found herself wondering if she, too, had somehow been influenced by this absurd and unpredictable individual.
After all, lately, she had begun factoring his opinions into her decisions without even realizing it.
This Twelfth Harbinger… was truly terrifying.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
After a brief exchange of greetings, General Gorou led Bai Luo and his group into the camp.
At Bai Luo's subtle cue, Teppei was taken to the medical ward to receive a more thorough examination. The katana wound on his shoulder, soaked in dried blood, might have carried some unknown contamination.
The emergency bandages could only do so much—he needed real treatment, from actual medics.
That night, at Gorou's personal invitation, he and Bai Luo shared dinner in the general's private quarters.
As for Sayu?
She had been officially assigned to Bai Luo's room.
"I heard someone recently donated a huge amount of Mora to Watatsumi Island anonymously," Bai Luo commented, holding his chopsticks lazily. "But you… you look even more worn out than before."
Watatsumi's prosperity was obvious to anyone paying attention.
Meals were better. The troops now wore upgraded armor and wielded newly forged weapons. Even the roofs of the barracks had been tiled.
Gorou smiled bitterly.
"Ah, Himura-san, you might not know this, but before the donation, the army had little—but the soldiers had heart. We were united. Everyone gave their all for a common cause. But ever since that funding arrived… the mood's changed. Some squads started complaining their gear wasn't as new as others'. And just the other day, someone caused a huge scene in the mess hall because their meal had one less piece of meat."
"…I see."
When a person is hungry, they have only one worry: how to fill their belly.
But once they're well-fed…
The real problems begin.
The root of Gorou's troubles could be summed up in a single word:
Overfed.
Unlike the Shogunate army, trained and disciplined down to the last soldier, the Resistance was cobbled together from all corners of Inazuma—people who had lost their Visions, those who had suffered under the Shogunate's oppression. Misfits and Resistances, every one of them.
In short: a ragtag army.
And once they received ample funding, they had expanded rapidly—recruiting even more new blood into the mix. Naturally, that only made management even more of a nightmare.
It's no wonder that Gorou looked so exhausted.
"Now that you've returned, Himura-san, things should become much easier to handle," Gorou said with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "From my perspective, what we lack isn't discipline—it's a figure everyone can rally behind. With your reputation, I believe the morale and order in camp will greatly improve."
That was also one of the reasons Gorou had let Sayu stay in camp, despite how suspicious her sudden appearance was.
He was doing it purely out of deference to Bai Luo.
But upon hearing those words, Bai Luo's hand—mid-reach toward a dish—suddenly paused.
He looked up at Gorou with an expression that could only be described as… odd.
"Gorou," he asked slowly, "do you know why, even though my influence here on Watatsumi Island is nearly on par with Lady Kokomi's, the soldiers still prefer to follow her orders over mine?"
It was the kind of question that sounded like treason in disguise. Like a general asking whether the emperor or his minister had more authority.
Anywhere else, just raising the subject might have gotten someone beheaded.
But the worst part was… he was right.
"Uhh… because Lady Kokomi has greater influence?" Gorou ventured, unsure where this was going.
"No, no, no. It has nothing to do with influence," Bai Luo said, setting down his chopsticks with a smirk. "It's all about appearance."
And thus, Bai Luo the Great Bamboozler activated his true ability: spinning nonsense with absolute conviction.
"It's like how, whenever we come home, the first thing we do is look for our mothers. Humanity's attachment to maternal figures is instinctive, rooted deep in our biology."
"…But I always call out to my father first," Gorou interjected, ears twitching.
"And what do you say to your father?"
"I ask him where my mom is."
"There you go. Still looking for mom."
"…Huh. I guess you're right."
Gorou's fluffy ears wiggled unconsciously, and his tail swished once or twice in thought.
Everything Bai Luo said sounded incredibly reasonable—but something about it still felt off.
Maybe it was just that… Bai Luo's thought process was too profound for a straightforward guy like him to follow.
"Which brings us to the real question," Bai Luo continued, his gaze falling on the dog-eared general with a sly, almost teasing smile. "Given all that, what do you think the solution to our current situation is?"
His tone was playful, but the look in his eyes said he expected an answer. One he'd already hinted at.
Gorou blinked.
"You mean… invite Lady Kokomi back to take command?" he offered cautiously.
Whether he was playing dumb or genuinely misunderstanding was unclear.
But what was clear—was that he had just thrown Kokomi out there like a human shield.
Bai Luo let out a long, disappointed sigh.
After glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he leaned in and asked quietly:
"…Do you still remember Miss Hina?"
. . . . .
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind to pay $5 monthly to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 255: The Fallen Star Who Never Returned[2]
Link to the current chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139681554?collection=174425[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/139681554?collection=174425
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/139681554?collection=174425
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed