"Ei, how are you doing now?"
After they had walked far away, Yae Miko spoke up and asked Raiden Ei.
"I am fine."
After a long silence, Raiden Ei let out a long sigh, then spoke.
"Miko, do you think I shouldn't have left Tenshukaku?"
"If I had not left Tenshukaku, Inazuma would not have suffered such a disaster, and so many people would not have died."
Yae Miko's eyes trembled slightly. After hearing Raiden Ei ask this, her heart was shocked.
Raiden Ei had actually become so helpless that she was seeking answers from her. This was not "fine" at all, this was a big problem!
Thinking of this, Yae Miko also changed her usual demeanor and spoke seriously to Raiden Ei.
"Ei, no one could have predicted what happened today. You did nothing wrong."
"Besides, didn't I make the same choice you did?"
"As your familiar, no matter what, I am with you."
Hearing Yae Miko's words, Raiden Ei took a deep breath, her heart warming.
At this moment, Raiden Ei felt the shadow of the caring little fox from five hundred years ago in Yae Miko's presence, and couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic.
"Ei, you're not going to cry from being moved, are you?"
The good mood didn't last long, as Yae Miko reverted to her old self. Raiden Ei was slightly stunned, then her fist clenched.
She really didn't know what had happened to Yae Miko over the last five hundred years to make her so irritatingly punchable.
Sensing Raiden Ei's killing intent, Yae Miko, who was repeatedly dancing on the edge of death, quickly changed the subject.
"It seems Lady Kitsune Saiguu might not be hiding from us, but rather that they have relocated elsewhere."
"We have already searched this entire area, so they must have retreated further away."
"Watatsumi Island probably wasn't held, but Sangonomiya Kokomi still had time to come here and search for survivors, so the ordinary people should have evacuated to a safe place."
"But if that place has become a new enemy garrison, they will absolutely have no chance of escaping."
"As for the other islands, they are too small, so the possibility of them being chosen is not very high."
"So that only leaves one last possibility, Seirai Island."
Because Tsurumi Island had been shrouded in mist for many years, not many people knew about it, so Yae Miko had not considered Tsurumi Island.
"Then let's go, to Seirai Island."
"Yes."
Yae Miko nodded slightly, then quickened her pace.
Soon they encountered the second team from Watatsumi Island. Since they had already learned from Sangonomiya Kokomi that the other side was leading people to search for survivors, Yae Miko was not surprised.
Yae Miko was on her way, so she prepared to bypass this team. However, that familiar yet strange bright yellow figure in the team made Yae Miko stop in her tracks.
"Huh?"
Yae Miko looked closely, and after carefully observing that figure again, a very surprised expression appeared on her face.
"Miko, what's wrong?"
Hearing Raiden Ei's words, Yae Miko snapped back to her senses, slightly calmed the weird feeling in her heart, and then chuckled and said.
"It's nothing, I just didn't expect to meet an unexpected person here."
After saying that, Yae Miko changed her mind on the spot and walked over there.
"Who is it?!"
Because Yae Miko did not conceal her intentions, as she continued to approach, the soldiers of Watatsumi Island soon noticed the movement. Immediately, the soldiers of Watatsumi Island all raised their weapons in this direction, their faces filled with vigilance.
Hearing the commotion here, Gorou also rushed over, Geo Elemental Power secretly condensing, ready to strike at any time.
However, seeing Gorou come over, everyone spoke up to persuade her.
"Miss Hina, be careful!"
"Miss Hina, why did you come over? Hurry to a safe place."
"Miss Hina, there may be danger here, please get behind us, we will protect you!"
-
Although everyone tried their best to persuade him, they could only give up upon seeing Gorou's determination. They then tightly formed a defensive line in front of Gorou, glaring fiercely in the direction of the commotion as they roared.
"Come out now! We've already spotted you!"
"Oh my, everyone, don't be so fierce. We can just talk this through calmly."
Yae Miko walked slowly from behind a giant rock, her gaze fixed on Gorou, who was being protected in the center. A playful expression appeared on her face.
The moment he saw Yae Miko, Gorou's body instantly tensed. His fluffy ears and tail stood straight up, his entire body bristling with fur as if he had seen the most dangerous creature in existence.
If Gorou had to rank the people he least wanted to see, Yae Miko would definitely be number one!
And the worst part was, he was currently in Miss Hina's form!
As the most popular star of the Yae Publishing House, Yae Miko, the editor-in-chief, was bound to know her identity. They might even be friends!
In other words, if Yae Miko spotted even the slightest slip-up and exposed his true identity, he might as well move to another world to live.
Daphne, save me!
At this moment, Gorou frantically sought Daphne's help within his Mental World, yet she showed no intention of intervening, instead emitting soft, stifled giggles.
Gorou's face instantly turned deathly pale. He had completely forgotten that Daphne, just like Yae Miko, had an equally wicked personality.
It was a miracle that she wasn't causing trouble right now. How could he even think of asking her for help?
"Oh, isn't this little sister Hina?"
Observing the rapid changes in the expression on Gorou's face, Yae Miko had already basically guessed his true identity, and the smile on her face grew even more profound.
Although Yae Miko didn't know what had happened to make him look the way he did now, this was an absolutely perfect opportunity to tease him. Even though she was in a hurry, she still couldn't resist stopping to play with him for a while.
When the soldiers of Watatsumi Island saw that the newcomer was Yae Miko, they first showed surprised expressions, then immediately lowered their weapons.
"Lady Guuji!"
Yae Miko nodded to everyone, then continued to speak with a smile.
"Little sister Hina, it has been a month since we last parted. You haven't taken the initiative to contact your Sister Yae for so long, yet I didn't expect to see you in such a dangerous place today."
"And why didn't you tell your Sister Yae when you went to Watatsumi Island?"
"Ah, well..."
Gorou stepped forward awkwardly, not daring to meet Yae Miko's eyes.
"Lady Guuji, I just went to Watatsumi Island to visit..."
Gorou had only said half of his sentence before Yae Miko directly frowned and interrupted.
"Little sister Hina, haven't you always called me Sister Yae? When did you become so distant?"
"Oh my, you're being so formal with your sister. Why don't you seem like the Hina I usually see?"
Yae Miko walked toward Gorou step by step. Her footsteps were quiet, yet they seemed to tread upon the softest parts of Gorou's heart, gradually filling him with a strong sense of suffocation that made him want to turn and flee immediately.
Only when Yae Miko came to a stop in front of him did a playful expression appear on her face, and she spoke slowly in a low voice.
"You aren't actually Hina, are you?"
Yae Miko's words struck Gorou's mind like a bolt of lightning, and sweat gradually soaked his back.
At this moment, he remembered the terror of being dominated by Yae Miko!
"Let me think, if you aren't Hina, then who could you be?"
Yae Miko stroked her chin with one hand, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.
"On Watatsumi Island, you seem to hold a high position..."
"Hmph, this hair color, these ears, this tail..."
The more Gorou listened, the more obvious his trembling became. Seeing that his identity was about to be guessed by the other party, Gorou immediately shouted.
"Sister Yae!"
After shouting it out, Gorou's skin crawled with goosebumps, and a flush quickly spread across his face. He felt as if his whole body was on fire, as if he were about to awaken a Pyro Element Vision!
"Of course I'm Hina, who else could I possibly be!"
"Heh heh heh, Sister Yae is just joking around."
After the first time calling her that, Gorou was clearly much more skilled the second time.
"Hmm, although you're calling me that, it feels very different from before."
Yae Miko rested one arm across her chest and shook her head as she continued.
"Hina-sister's voice should be a bit softer, like being wrapped in a ball of cotton, able to make one feel a warmth like a mother's embrace."
Gorou was dumbfounded. He completely failed to understand Yae Miko's words.
But when Gorou saw a thoughtful expression appear on Yae Miko's face again, and her eyes even began to brighten as if she had already guessed the correct answer, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and constrain his voice, trying his best to imitate the feeling Yae Miko described, and spoke softly.
"Sister Yae~"
"So cute it's killing me!"
"Save me! Miss Hina is too cute! Blood bags, quick, give me a blood bag!"
"Even if I were to die right now, I'd have no regrets in this life!"
As soon as Gorou finished speaking, the noses of everyone present sprayed out streams of blood. Several people even fell asleep instantly from sheer excitement, their faces still wearing blissful smiles in their unconsciousness.
"Pfft!"
Daphne's uncontrollable laughter echoed in his mind again. Gorou vaguely heard a "crack," as if something important inside him had shattered.
"Ah, that's more like it!"
"As expected, you really are my dear little sister!"
Yae Miko said as she directly pulled Gorou into her arms, forcefully pressing her chest against him. This direct "ball-carrying charge" completely stunned Gorou, who had just entered the field.
The surrounding crowd was also stunned, their breathing noticeably heavier.
Carefully feeling the "assets" on Gorou's body, Yae Miko's expression turned surprised again, and the smile on her face deepened.
Interesting, so very interesting!
In such an amusing situation, Yae Miko completely ignored Raiden Ei's urging within the Plane of Euthymia and released the somewhat dazed Gorou.
"Little Sister Hina, when we met before, you promised Sister a debut photobook shoot. Since we happened to run into each other here, and the environment is quite nice, let's do the shoot right now!"
Although Gorou's head was still spinning, his body visibly shuddered upon hearing the word "photobook." He immediately shook his head and waved his hands frantically.
A photobook!
The crowd was shocked, then became incredibly excited.
Is it the kind of photobook they were thinking of?
Yae Publishing House is going this big this time?!
No wonder Yae Publishing House is so popular across all of Inazuma!!!
Lady Guuji is simply too good to everyone, treating them like family and giving out benefits!
At this moment, Yae Miko's brow furrowed, and her gaze toward Gorou turned unfriendly.
"Little Sister Hina, you're not thinking of going back on your word, are you?"
"Have you forgotten? This Sister is quite skilled at disciplining disobedient children."
Hearing these words, Gorou's body stiffened again. His back was already completely soaked in cold sweat, and he couldn't help but seek help from Daphne once more, but of course, it was to no avail.
Fortunately, Gorou finally found an excuse.
"Sister Yae..."
"Watch your tone."
"Sister Yae~"
Gorou forced his voice into a higher pitch and tried again.
"We have very important matters right now, we need to find the survivors on the island. Could we save this for next time?"
"No need to waste any more time, the people on the island have already evacuated with the Shogunate Army."
Hearing this, Gorou felt a sense of despair.
"Sister Yae, I really don't want to..."
"Little Sister Hina, you should think very carefully before you answer."
Yae Miko interrupted him again.
"Besides, Little Sister Hina was so happy when she heard about the photobook shoot last time. Why has your attitude completely changed this time?"
"Could it be, you're actually..."
At this point, Yae Miko scanned Gorou up and down with a scrutinizing and questioning gaze.
"I, I..."
"Fine, I'll do the shoot, alright?!"
Gorou was on the verge of tears. His mental defenses had completely crumbled, and after resigning himself to saying these words, he felt as if something profoundly important had drifted away from him forever.
"Great, let's get started then!"
Yae Miko gave a charmingly seductive smile, then pulled a Kamera from the abyss of her cleavage.
"Little Sister Hina, give me a smile."
"Lean against that tree, look this way. Let your gaze be softer, and your smile more natural."
"Don't be so stiff! You're going to be a big star, my Little Sister Hina!"
"Hold your own tail with one hand, thrust your chest out a bit... Yes, just like that."
After a series of poses, Yae Miko left with a satisfied expression as she reviewed the photos on the Kamera.
"Little Sister Hina, your big sister has to go now. We'll have a proper heart-to-heart talk next time, hehehe!"
She's finally gone!
Watching Yae Miko's figure gradually vanish, Gorou regained his composure and then, as if utterly deprived of a sense of security, hugged himself tightly with both arms.
Calm down, Gorou. As long as my true identity isn't discovered, I'll still be the Ever-Victorious General after I change back!
As long as I keep this secret, no one will know that I was the actual star of today's events!
Having barely managed to comfort himself, Gorou felt the spark return to his eyes. He looked up, only to see the crowd passionately discussing buying the photo album from Yae Publishing House.
They were doing it entirely to support Miss Hina. They had absolutely no other motives!
It's over!
Gorou's heart was stone cold at this moment...