"She's adorable," Yae Saiguu cooed, grooming Yae Miko's fluffy fur. The pink fox cub nipped her. "Feisty little thing!" Saiguu huffed, ruffling Miko's fur, only to get bitten twice more. The group burst into laughter.
Under moonlight, they trekked back to Tenshukaku. Miko, unsettled by leaving Yae Village, squirmed unless Ei held her. "It's the Archon-familiar bond," Ei said. "She's anxious away from home."
"Wraiths on Narukami Island? Rare treat," Reisen Riou grinned, spotting one drawn by Miko's Hakushin blood. With a flick of his Hakushin-crafted bow, he loosed an Electro arrow, weaving a seal mid-air. The wraith screeched, trapped in a 10-Mora coin. "Wraiths are near-indestructible, but seals are their bane. Even weaker mages can trap them with arrays or rituals."
"Why not teach barriers to all shrine maidens?" he teased Saiguu.
She rolled her eyes. "You think barriers are easy? At Grand Narukami Shrine, fewer than 100 maidens can craft shrine-sized ones—senior priestesses, busy overseeing regions."
"Anko skewed your view," Ei cut in. "Her martial talent's strong, but her spellcraft's no slouch."
Saiguu nodded. "As Kitsune Anko, her spellcraft ranked top 300 among shrine maidens historically. She just prefers swords."
"Fine, I'm out of touch. But it's simple," Reisen Riou said, smirking. He nocked an arrow, channeled ley line data via Resurrection, and fired. An Electro barrier enveloped a nearby village, pulsing eternally. It suppressed inner malice, stabilized ley lines, repelled wraiths, and could strike intruders. Saiguu, stunned, inspected it. "Flawless," she muttered.
"Basic stuff," Reisen Riou said, dodging Miko's playful nip. "Does One System, Ten Thousand Minds teach barriers?"
"Of course," he replied confidently. "Learning's another story—takes talent, like math." At Ritou Shrine, his maidens grasped basic barriers, but only a few, coached by Anko, excelled. Anko slacked off, letting skilled maidens handle rituals and maintenance, freeing her for snacks and sparring. Reisen Riou's eyes gleamed wickedly. "Those maidens are still junior rank. Time to 'persuade' Anko for a raise."
Musing, they reached Hanami Ward, Tenshukaku's lights aglow. Miko, sensing safety, peeked from Ei's embrace, curious. Inazuma's strict curfew kept streets empty, but samurai patrols—foot soldiers and Hatamoto-led elites—saluted the group. Makoto dismissed Reisen Riou early. "Go play with your Regisvine. Miko's cuter grown-up," he quipped, bolting to his cave heaven.
The Pyro Regisvine, fully healed, fawned over him, tamed by Resurrection's conditioning into a guard-dog-like ally for the execution arena. Its groveling stemmed from Ei's earlier punches. Reisen Riou shook his head, deftly collecting its corolla, petals, roots, leaves, and trunk samples with a precise arrow volley. The Regisvine stayed still, terrified of Ei's return. "She called you weak," he chuckled, noting minor damage to its corolla and roots.
In his lab, he analyzed the samples with Longevity Thunder Elixir Art. "Transformed plant monsters are ten times trickier than Trick Flowers," he marveled. The corolla's blood-activating properties outshone Jueyun Chili by fivefold, easily replicable. The trunk bolstered physical strength broadly, tougher to mimic. Roots aided growth and healing, needing longer study. Corolla and leaves enhanced Pyro resistance, affinity, strength, transformation, and brain efficiency but were maddeningly complex. "No matching herbs," he groaned, parsing the corolla and part of the trunk's properties overnight. The trunk's amplifying and muscle-soothing effects intrigued him for a permanent Electro-based enhancement spell for weaker allies. Other properties barely progressed.
At Tenshukaku, Reisen Riou spotted Miko on Makoto's desk, gnawing a Vision. "Lady Makoto's smitten, handing out Visions already?" he teased, knowing Celestia granted them.
"Cheeky," Saiguu shot back. "Daring to snub me and tease Makoto?" She smirked. "It's an old Okuzume's Vision, stored in Makoto's study. Miko found and activated it. With her Hakushin blood, it's just a toy."
"Where's Ei?" he asked, tail twitching.
"Thought you'd hold out longer," Saiguu laughed. "Ei's clueless with kids. I said Miko likes Amakumo Fruit, and she bolted to Amakumo Peak. Couldn't stop her."
"You're awful," Reisen Riou groaned. "Tricking a sharp Archon like Ei?"
Work was light, so he toyed with Miko, dodging her tiny zaps. "How long till she grows?"
"Hakushin foxes are slow," Saiguu said. "Seven or eight years to shed infant fur, entering juvenile phase. Human form comes then. Maturity takes 200–300 years."
Lightning flashed. Ei appeared, clutching dewy Amakumo Fruit. "Miko can't eat this yet," she grumbled, glaring at Saiguu. The two chased off, bickering. Reisen Riou handed Miko to Makoto, who vanished. Pursuing, he lost their trail until Ei's electromagnetic message pinged: "Link up!"
Connecting via Resurrection, he sensed them near Grand Narukami Shrine—Saiguu's turf. "Ei, how many Ritou cameras did you steal?" he sighed.
"A few hundred, new stock. Won't mess with One System, Ten Thousand Minds," Ei replied. The feed showed a secluded hot spring. Saiguu posed dramatically under Ei's direction. "Pretty, right?" Ei asked.
"Gorgeous, but… appropriate?" Reisen Riou hesitated.
"I like it, so what?" Ei laughed, carefree. "Makoto's watching." The camera panned to Makoto, lounging in the spring, Miko perched on her head, only her collarbone visible. "Makoto's worse, cuddling us to sleep," Ei whispered.
Reisen Riou's jaw dropped. "This chaos… I'm in," he muttered, processing Kujou Sara's Gilded Brigade payments via Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions, knowing the mercenaries would lose a cut. He stamped retirement papers for Kujou samurai, likely forced out, leaving Tenryou's internal politics alone. "They'll handle it," he shrugged.
"Jealous?" Ei teased post-soak, Saiguu dripping nearby.
"Obviously," he spat, then caught himself. "What's your game?"
"Motivation," Ei said. "Your ley line work's speeding your growth. You're close to Great Youkai. How long?"
"When Longevity Thunder Elixir Art's next phase is done, I'll tap Electro's infinite variants to touch eternal laws, shifting my Geo base to support. Not long if materials arrive."
"Speed it up," Ei urged. A splash interrupted—Makoto joined Saiguu's posing, Miko hopping to Ei's shoulder. Ei cut the feed, flustered.
"Reisen, nosebleed?" Torachiyo asked, delivering documents.
"Pyro Regisvine's too potent," he lied smoothly, tail flicking. "Leave the papers."