Yae Miko looked down at the photo in her hand.
The woman in the photo looked almost identical to Ei.
But as Ei's familiar, she knew that Ei's face had never shown such a gentle and warm smile.
That smile only existed in her deepest memories, belonging to Ei's twin sister.
The previous Electro Archon — Raiden Makoto.
Back then, she hadn't yet taken human form and loved to curl up on Makoto's lap, basking in her warmth as Makoto stroked her fur.
Every time she looked up, she would see Makoto's gentle smile, a smile that seemed to soothe all worries.
Five hundred years had passed, and now she had taken human form and become a great youkai of Inazuma. She never expected to see Makoto's photo again today.
Yae Miko's fingers gently traced the photo, as if trying to touch the face in the image through it. Once, out of boredom, she had played with a kamera for a while and taken many landscape photos.
Upon closer inspection of the photo in her hand, she noticed a serious problem.
The photo was very, very new!
It had definitely been taken recently!
But Makoto had perished five hundred years ago. How could there be a recently taken photo of her?
Could it be that she hadn't perished after all?
Yae Miko's heart couldn't help but rise with this unbelievable speculation.
She stared at the photo, her eyes flickering with thought.
"Lady Yae?"
Kirara, seeing her lost in thought for so long, couldn't help but call out softly.
"Are you okay?"
Yae Miko came back to her senses and smiled at Kirara.
"I'm fine."
The small package contained not only the photo but also a letter and a small device.
Yae Miko put down the photo and picked up the letter.
"Lady Yae, could you please sign for the delivery?"
"Of course, just a moment."
"If possible, could you also give me a good review?"
"No problem, but let me read the letter first."
"Okay!"
Kirara nodded with a smile.
Yae Miko unfolded the letter.
The familiar handwriting greeted her eyes.
"Long time no see, little fox. I heard you're now..."
The paper was new, the ink fresh. A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of ink, making Yae Miko's heart skip a beat.
If the photo had only raised suspicions, this letter written by Makoto herself was even more compelling evidence.
It seemed that Makoto had not perished after all.
After carefully reading the letter three times, Yae Miko noticed something puzzling.
The signature at the end wasn't [Raiden Makoto], but [Xia Zhen].
Yae Miko looked up at the energetic nekomata before her and suddenly asked, "Kirara, did you have fun in Liyue this time?"
"It was great!"
"Wasn't it the Lantern Rite recently?"
"Yes! There were so many Xiao Lanterns! And the Xiao Market was so lively!"
"Did you go shopping alone?"
"No! I went with everyone!"
"Everyone?"
"My friends in Liyue!"
"Who are they?"
"Mr. Xia! Miss Xia Ci! Miss Xia Zhen! Miss Shenhe! Miss Zhu Zi!..."
Kirara counted off a long list of names on her fingers.
Yae Miko nodded, then casually asked, "That Mr. Xia is the one who gave you the ring, right?"
"Yes! Huh? How did you know, Lady Yae?"
"You said your ring was a gift from a male friend. Among the names you just mentioned, he's the only 'Mr.'"
"Ehehe..."
"But since you mentioned his name first, that means he holds the most importance in your heart. In other words, among all these friends, he's your favorite..."
Yae Miko's tone carried a hint of teasing.
"It's not like that! I like Mr. Xia because his cooking is amazing!"
"His cooking is good?"
"Yes! I've been to many places delivering packages and tried many dishes, but Mr. Xia's cooking is the best I've ever had! Especially that [Gods' Temptation]..."
Kirara couldn't help but smack her lips, reminiscing about the delicious taste.
Such a little glutton.
Yae Miko smiled and asked, "Tell me more about this Mr. Xia."
"Lady Yae is interested in Mr. Xia?"
"Yes, I want to make sure you're not being fooled by a good meal."
"That won't happen! Mr. Xia is a very good person!"
"See, now you're defending him."
"Lady Yae!"
"Alright, where is he from?"
Yae Miko began her investigation.
Kirara was taken aback, "Where is he from? I don't know. Mr. Xia is probably from Liyue. I never asked."
"What does he do?"
"Mr. Xia owns a shop! The best drink shop in Liyue! It's called Summer Shop! They sell Rainbow Juice and Rainbow Wine!"
"Rainbow Juice..."
Yae Miko had some impression of this, having heard about it from people who came to the shrine for fortunes. She had also heard about it at Yae Publishing House.
It was said that each cup of this drink had a different flavor, which was quite magical.
But that wasn't important.
"So, this Mr. Xia is the owner of a shop?"
"Yes! And he's also a principal!"
"Principal?"
"Yes! Last year, Liyue built a school that floats in the sky. It just opened, and children can study there for free. Mr. Xia is the principal! The very wealthy Tianquan is the vice-principal, and she often goes to Mr. Xia's shop for massages."
"Massages?"
Yae Miko felt the conversation was taking a strange turn.
"Yes! Mr. Xia also offers massage services, but only for friends! I heard from Miss Zhu Zi and the others that Mr. Xia's essential oil massages are very comfortable. I haven't tried it yet, but I want to next time!"
Kirara clenched her fists, looking eager.
Yae Miko glanced at her and steered the conversation back.
"What about his family?"
"Mr. Xia's family? Miss Xia Ci is his cousin, and Miss Xia Zhen is also his cousin. I don't know about the others."
Cousin?
What kind of strange identity was this?
Yae Miko subtly extracted all the information Kirara knew, then signed for the delivery and gave her a good review.
"Thank you very much for your support of Komaniya Express!"
"Wait."
"Does Lady Yae have something else?"
"I also need to send a package to Liyue."
"To Miss Xia Zhen?"
"Yes."
"But..."
Kirara looked a bit troubled.
"Miss Xia Zhen and the others seem to be going on a trip. I'm not sure if she'll still be home by the time I get to Liyue..."
"It's fine, just deliver it for me."
"Okay!"
"You can wander around the shrine for a bit. I'll go write the letter."
Kirara went to draw a fortune slip.
Under the Sacred Sakura, only Yae Miko remained.
She picked up the last item in the package.
The small device.
Makoto had mentioned its use in the letter.
Yae Miko held it, found the button, and pressed it gently.
Moments later, Makoto's voice came through clearly.
"Little fox..."
The affectionate voice seemed to transcend time, striking straight at her heart.
After a long while, Yae Miko held the device and murmured.
"Though I don't know why you're not returning to Inazuma right away, it's enough that you're alive..."
She turned and glanced in the direction of Tenshukaku, then chuckled softly.
"That stubborn Ei finally has someone to keep her in line... I wonder why Makoto wants me to lure Ei to the shrine... I'll have to think of a way to trick her into coming..."