There were two things Raiden Ei feared most.
The first was losing her sister again. Having already endured that pain once, she couldn't bear it a second time.
The second fear concerned the Shogun puppet. She was terrified the puppet might throw herself at Lu Heng in her body like some lovestruck fool. If it were her own body, she wouldn't care. But this was Ei's body—the one she had painstakingly reforged and entrusted to an AI.
Now she regretted it bitterly. If only she could travel back in time and slap some sense into her past self. She had heard of people tripping others up, but tripping yourself? That she'd managed to do.
"Pig-head. Enough sighing already."
Because of the strange link between them, the puppet and Ei could feel each other's emotions and more or less guess what the other was thinking. Sensing Ei's turmoil, the puppet wasted no time mocking her.
Everyone knew Ei was tongue-tied. She was good at action, not debate. When it came to sparring with words, she always lost.
"Come fight me then!" Ei snapped, preferring to speak with her blade.
"Simple-minded, strong-limbed pig-head."
The puppet only laughed. Why bother fighting? She had inherited everything from Ei—techniques, styles, reflexes. A duel between them would drag on endlessly without a winner. Better to spend that time figuring out how to serve Lu Heng better.
In the puppet's heart, Lu Heng came first, Raiden Makoto second. Everyone else barely mattered, including Yae Miko.
Why did Makoto hold a place at all? The puppet had calculated: bullying Ei was fine, but ignoring Makoto might get her in trouble. If Makoto erupted, that was one thing—but if Lu Heng thought she wasn't listening to Makoto, he might decide to "upgrade" her. And she could never allow that.
So she obeyed Makoto without question. But Ei, her creator? She listened with one ear and let it out the other.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
The puppet turned to Lu Heng, smiling brightly, her tone warm with eagerness.
Lu Heng thought a moment. "Not really."
"Nothing?" Her face fell. If she couldn't be useful, wouldn't he forget her sooner or later? She straightened, voice solemn: "If there's anything I can help with, please don't hold back. I want to help you."
Yae Miko's smile grew more radiant. Compared to the cold puppet of the past, this one was almost… cute. She itched to slip into the Plane of Euthymia and ask Ei what she thought of all this. She must be miserable.
"If there's trouble, I won't be polite," Lu Heng said.
"Good!" The puppet's eyes lit up. If he said that, it meant he didn't dislike her. She was ready to be his tool if that's what it took. Why her and not someone else? Because he cared.
"I swear…" Ei ground her teeth. Someone please save me. She couldn't watch this pitiful fawning any longer.
"Spread the word and people will die laughing," she muttered.
The puppet ignored her.
Driven to cold rage, Ei swung her weapon at empty air in the Plane of Euthymia, helpless.
Watching the puppet's delighted face, Yae Miko suddenly had an idea. How to keep eternity from being boring? By finding new amusements. Right now, an excellent one had presented itself. She smirked, then slid onto Lu Heng's right side.
Lu Heng paused mid-sip of tea. Yae Miko looped an arm around his, rested her chin on his shoulder, and asked softly, "Where shall we go this afternoon?"
The puppet's eyes narrowed.
Hold it.
Why are you so close to him?
Her fist clenched. She could tolerate Yae Miko being intimate with Lu Heng elsewhere—but not right in front of her.
"Haha!" Ei slapped her thigh. "That's it, Miko! No one knows that sly fox better than I do. She's doing it on purpose to provoke the puppet."
Once, Ei had wondered why Yae Miko spent every day chasing mischief instead of serious work. Now she understood. Because teasing was just too much fun.
She racked her limited vocabulary to taunt the puppet.
"Mad, aren't you? There's no place for you at his side! Lick all you like—you'll still end up with nothing!"
The puppet's composure cracked.
Yae Miko pressed on, Ei piled on too, and the puppet snapped. She moved to Lu Heng's left side but didn't dare cling to him like Yae Miko did. Instead she bit her lip and gazed up at him with pitiful eyes.
Lu Heng hadn't even reacted yet when Hanachiri panicked.
Were the Shogun and the Grand Shrine Priestess about to fight over a man? That didn't make sense. Reality was stranger than any light novel.
She sat behind Lu Heng, at a loss.
Lu Heng looked from puppet to fox. Oh, this pink-haired troublemaker was obviously stirring the pot. But could he scold her? Hardly—she was giving him a free show while she teased.
"Mr. Lu…"
The puppet spoke timidly. "I've been feeling so unsafe lately. Could I hug you?"
Lu Heng blinked. The puppet had her own operating logic; for her to spit out such a line meant her program was in chaos. But he was generous by nature. He nodded. "Sure. If it gives you a little sense of security."
The instant the words left his mouth, the puppet clutched his left arm and, out of his sight, shot Yae Miko a fierce glare.
Yae Miko only felt amused, as if a child had threatened her. Fearless, she went further.
"Lu Heng."
"Mm?" He turned his head.
Yae Miko stole a quick kiss on his cheek, then glanced at the puppet, eyes dancing.
The puppet nearly exploded. Her program was running at maximum, her fury and jealousy plain to see.
No one was happier than Ei, though she did feel a prickle of worry sensing the puppet's urge to retaliate.
"I'm warning you," Ei said sharply. "Don't do anything rash."
The puppet was trapped. Strike back at Yae Miko and she'd anger Ei; stay quiet and who knew how far the fox would go next?
"If only you didn't exist," she thought darkly.
"What's this—are you plotting to kill your master?" Ei taunted, itching for a fight that might let her reclaim control of her body.
The puppet was miserable. Yae Miko was wicked, Ei a drag, but Lu Heng… only Lu Heng was good. His appearance was like a warm ray of sunlight piercing endless darkness, the lone splash of color in a black-and-white world.
I must have him, she vowed.
"What… are you doing?"
All four of them looked up.
Raiden Makoto stood there, shock in her eyes, face as if the sky had fallen.
It was over.
Yae Miko's scalp tingled. Ei might be oblivious, but she understood instantly—Makoto liked Lu Heng. She herself felt like someone caught sneaking a snack. But then she thought: wasn't Makoto the latecomer here? She relaxed. In matters like this, whoever's first holds the high ground.
Lu Heng opened his mouth, but Makoto cut him off. "Don't speak."
"?" He shrugged helplessly.
"You two, come with me." Makoto shot a glance at Hanachiri, whom she didn't recognize and therefore couldn't command. Yae Miko and the puppet exchanged a look and obediently followed her out.
"The Great Lady's aura is so strong…" Hanachiri patted her chest, trying to steady her breath.
"Don't be afraid," Lu Heng said with a small smile.
"Gentle? You call that gentle?"
"She is gentle," he said. Makoto gave the feeling of a gentle neighborly sister, one who was hard to anger.
…
In a secluded spot, Makoto crossed her arms and looked from fox to puppet. "Explain yourselves."
Yae Miko's eyes flickered, but she didn't show a hint of fear. "Sister Makoto, by time, I'm ahead of you, aren't I?"
"Hmm?" Makoto frowned, her aura dimming a little. She was actually later than Miko? That threw her. Since her "resurrection," she'd been too busy with affairs of state—and thinking of Lu Heng—to notice the fox's moves. She was operating in an information vacuum.
"That's right," Miko said lightly. "I even begged him to bring you back." She recounted the whole story.
Makoto listened and sighed. "You've worked hard. But from now on you don't have to—"
"I want to," Miko interrupted, smiling. "Do you know how many confidantes Lu Heng has?"
"He told me some," Makoto mused. "The Great Dendro Archon among them. I know."
"Then why stop me?" Miko countered.
Makoto exhaled. Her emotions were a tangle. This was absurd—like her own sister competing for the same man. Worse, the sister was ahead.
Adjusting her feelings, she said softly, "Even if you're first, I'm still your elder."
"In what way?" Miko asked with a sly smile.
"In every way." Makoto smiled faintly. "Our ambiguity goes back five hundred years."
Miko blinked. That timeline made no sense. She knew women could be unreasonable, but this was on another level. She sighed. "Then I'll listen to Sister Makoto."
Makoto nodded, satisfied, then turned to the puppet. "And you? What's your story?"
The puppet instantly switched to Ei-mode.
"Big Sister," Ei wailed through her, "I'm just a pitiful simp!"
"Hm?" Makoto blinked.
Ei poured out her tale. Makoto fell silent.
"Maybe we should just—" she began.
"Don't, Sister!" The puppet panicked.
Makoto watched the flickering of Ei and puppet and said nothing.
Yae Miko was nearly doubled over with laughter. "Why not just leave things as they are?"
Makoto rubbed her temples. "Fine. I won't meddle for now." After all, only Ei was suffering.
"Sister, how could you!" Ei nearly cried.
"You're the best, Sister," the puppet said joyfully.
"But don't go overboard," Makoto warned.
"I'll listen," the puppet said quickly.
Makoto turned back to Miko. "How far have you gotten?"
Oh? She sounded almost anxious.
Miko smiled sweetly. "We've done everything that needs doing."
"Tell the truth," Makoto said dryly. With her serious face she saw through all of Miko's little tricks.
The fox pouted but eventually confessed.
Makoto nodded. "Then wait your turn."
"Why?" Miko blinked.
"Because I'm more impatient than you." Makoto finally dropped all pretense. "And that other one—who is she?"
"Hanachiri?" Miko said. "Here's the story…"
After hearing it, Makoto's lips twitched. "At this rate we'll be able to play a full game of cards at home."
"Actually, Sister, we already can," Miko said cheerfully.
Makoto: "…"
I know, but did you have to say it out loud?
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T/N:
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