"Go to sleep early. We'll set off for Inazuma tomorrow, and then I'll give you your freedom. You can go wherever you want."
Called a bed on the floor, it wasn't much different from the actual bed. After all, they were in a military camp; how good could the conditions be? Having a clean blanket was already pretty good.
Some people didn't even have blankets and had to sleep on the floor.
But since the funds donated anonymously by Bai Luo arrived, that problem had been resolved.
"You'll really let me go? I know quite a few of your secrets."
Sayu, wrapped up until only her head was visible, looked at Bai Luo with a face full of suspicion.
She felt he was just fooling her.
After all, it wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.
Maybe it was like before: let her go, then grab hold of the scruff of her neck that held her fate, and haul her back.
"What do you know?"
"..."
Asked this by Bai Luo, Sayu herself became confused.
That's right, besides him being Battousai, what else did she know? That the Fatui, Watatsumi Island, and the Resistance were deeply connected? That didn't seem like a secret; the Yashiro Commission Head already knew, did he need her to say it?
In the end, it seemed like she... didn't know anything...
During her time following Bai Luo, she had basically been in a state of self-abandoning resignation.
When Bai Luo was scheming, she was either sleeping or had been sent away by him.
Even though she stayed close to him, she actually knew very little, and hadn't touched upon any core secrets at all.
"Ca... careless..."
Slapping her own forehead, Sayu realized in horror that although it seemed only her movements were restricted, she had actually been completely manipulated by Bai Luo all along. If he hadn't pointed it out, she might not have realized it until she was standing right in front of the Yashiro Commission Head.
This man... is terrifying!
"If there's some important information you want to know, it's not like I can't tell you~"
Looking at this tanuki who was unusually not dozing off, Bai Luo felt like teasing her.
"Oh? Let's hear it?"
"The problem is, after I tell you, I'd have no choice but to silence you. Are you sure you want to know?"
Bai Luo pulled out a dagger from who-knows-where. The sharp blade easily sank deep into the wooden floor, making the little tanuki break out in a cold sweat.
She loudly declared (in her heart) she couldn't afford to mess with him.
"Forget it, forget it. Sleep, sleep."
Sayu decisively made a 'stop' gesture, turned over, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and soon, a snoring sound could be heard.
Escape?
Yeah, right. It wasn't like she hadn't tried.
This man was too twisted. Every time she thought she could escape his clutches, he would always descend from the sky, completely shattering her hopes upon the shore.
"Little tanuki?"
"..."
"Do you want to hear a tune?"
"A tune?"
Hearing "tune," Sayu couldn't help but turn her head to look at Bai Luo lying on the floor bed.
This man could play music too? How unusual.
Noticing Sayu's gaze, Bai Luo flicked his wrist. The originally sharp dagger transformed into an erhu.
Seeing the erhu, he thought of the old man on the ship again.
"A tune that twists the gut, clear notes linger, but the one who understands them is gone."
Holding the erhu, Bai Luo sighed softly, actually employing the skill he once used to "pull away" the erhu master.
In the rainy night, the long and drawn-out, ancient sound didn't travel far. Instead, under the influence of the rain... it became faint and intermittent.
But it was precisely this faint, intermittent quality that made it even more eerie/weird.
That night, many resistance soldiers had a nightmare.
In the dream, they were running through a mountain forest in a continuous drizzle.
Behind them was a giant, as massive as a small hill.
This giant was completely shrouded in black mist, its original appearance unclear, but the oppressive feeling it emitted was real.
Its voice was hoarse and grating, sounding like many saws cutting wood together, or like two wooden planks rubbing vigorously against each other.
It even sparked.
No matter how they tried to escape, they couldn't escape the giant's voice.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that these soldiers, tormented by nightmares, finally fell into a deep sleep.
As the tune ended, Bai Luo, not yet satisfied, looked towards the little tanuki on the bed, only to find that she had somehow "fallen asleep" at some point.
If she was asleep, then so be it, but this child was also drooling.
But this drool was strange; it was actually foamy.
The legendary foaming at the mouth.
"Was there a problem with the milk from the Hilichurls? But I saw them drink it myself before I scooped it from the pot?"
Putting away the erhu in his hand, Bai Luo walked to the little tanuki's side, pulled the nearby small blanket over her, and then lay back down.
Full of questions, he fell into a deep sleep accompanied by the sound of raindrops pattering against the tiles.
The next day, perhaps because he was eager to reach Inazuma City, Bai Luo got up slightly earlier than usual.
Logically, the people in the camp should have gotten up even earlier, but he found that everyone was still sound asleep.
Even Sayu on the bed was the same.
It wasn't until an hour later that the sounds of people getting up gradually emerged in the camp.
It's just that these soldiers didn't look very well, as if they had been tossed and turned all night.
Later, Gorou investigated this matter, but after checking and rechecking, he found no clues. Eventually, he pinned all the blame on the Tatarigami.
When Bai Luo left, he didn't alert anyone. Only Gorou came to see him off.
It wasn't that Bai Luo didn't want to reveal his whereabouts; it was entirely Gorou's request to keep it secret.
Because Bai Luo's trip to Inazuma City was also related to him.
"I'm counting on you for this matter!"
Having his cross-dressing photo published in Inazuma City's Yae Publishing House's that's life monthly... no matter how you thought about it, it was an extremely embarrassing thing.
But for the victory of the resistance army, for the future of Watatsumi Island, Gorou felt it necessary to sacrifice something.
Besides, how would anyone connect this photo to him?
Even if it's embarrassing, it's Miss Hina who should be embarrassed. What does it have to do with me, Gorou?
"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Holding the still-unconscious Sayu, Bai Luo thumped his chest loudly.
In a certain sense, he was like that crafty fox; he was also an onlooker who enjoyed watching the show.
How could he not pay close attention to such an interesting matter?
After handing over the military pay he had saved during this time to Bai Luo once again, Gorou stood by the side gate of the camp, watching the red figure fade further and further into the curtain of rain, and looked forward to the future of the resistance army and Watatsumi Island.
He just didn't know… that while he was diligently facing off against the Shogunate Army in the river and sacrificing himself…
His big crystal had already been stolen by the person he had just sent off…
And it was the kind where even the fountain was messed up.
They almost messed with the equipment merchant too.
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.
Because by then, he was already at a strange gathering called a 'fan meeting,' eating roasted Lavender Melons with a strange young man from the oni tribe.