Reisen Riou steamed desserts, fried tofu, and packed sauces and sides into an elegant bento box, setting it before a yawning Yae Miko. Last night, his beastly antics woke the little fox multiple times, leaving her wilted. "Miko, deliver this to Lady Saiguu," he said, ejecting her and the bento via cave heaven disk.
Miko stared at the towering box, lost in thought. "Emmm." Saiguu, drawn by the tofu's aroma, scooped her up. "Oh? Lingyi's bento for me? Thoughtful boy." She teased Miko, who yipped for tofu. "This is mine, little one. Hungry? Tough luck." Miko stomped, fuming.
"Uh, Lady Saiguu," Reisen Riou called, "the box's bottom has Miko's portion." Then he dashed to work. Newlywed or not, the Shogunate granted no leave. As an ultimate corporate slave—record-keeper turned strategist—he worked year-round unless Makoto decreed otherwise, his workload now doubled.
"Sumeru scholars here five years already?" he mused, spotting their repatriation requests. Many sought to return for exams or awards, especially exchange students. "You'll coordinate with Sumeru," Makoto said. "Next phase needs thousands, not hundreds."
"No worries, Sister Makoto. Sumeru's likely ready. I'll write to Bona," he replied, drafting a letter to the Grand Sage.
Makoto smirked. "Ei's awake. I'll check on her." She paused, grinning like an old driver. "How's Ei the one worn out? Shouldn't you be?"
"Trade secret," he dodged, blushing. Makoto's teasing rivaled Saiguu's.
In Sumeru City's Akademiya, scholars bustled. White-haired Bona, Grand Sage for years, strode through, greeted warmly. Ruling in the Dendro Archon's absence, his fairness and rigor earned respect, his students dominating Vitalist and allied factions. At his office, a scholar handed him Reisen Riou's letter, an honorary sage's missive.
"Time flies," Bona sighed, reading. "Five years older, feeling it." His secretary flattered, "The Akademiya needs your vision."
"Vision? Just old, knowing more," Bona scoffed. "Sumeru's team for Inazuma ready?"
"Almost, but funds aren't here," the secretary said.
"I'll write. Inazuma's flush—self-sufficient in food, aid untouched," Bona noted, spotting a sealed pattern. "Another test? Mutated Containment Seal." Though Visionless, he had his Hydro-Visioned secretary channel elemental energy. The seal burst, revealing papers: "Elemental Simulation of Material Properties" and "On Life's Metamorphosis."
"Long-lived species, churning out work at eighty," Bona griped. "I can't even lead a project—three years, no results." His secretary eyed the papers. "Honorary sage's work? This seal's handy."
"Plenty more where that came from," Bona said. "He's generous publishing here. Get these out and call a Vitalist meeting."
"Got it. Shame the seal's tricky," the secretary sighed.
Ei recovered, fed Reisen Riou's sweets, and they returned to Teyvat via cave heaven disk. Ei patrolled Inazuma, cowing offshore monsters and handling tough fiends. Her speed—covering Inazuma in half a day—left fiends no chance; travel ate her time. "Tax revenue's stabilizing," Reisen Riou told Makoto. "A decade or two improving soil and crops will strengthen Inazuma."
"Send Torachiyo to Sumeru?" he asked, drafting a Tenryou Commission order.
"No need. Watatsumi's quiet," Makoto said. Her recent visit curbed piracy, but hunger persisted. Returning pirates brought outsiders, draining resources. No large conflicts erupted under Shogunate and Coral Palace pressure, but theft starved locals, sparking Coral Palace clashes. "They're simmering, might choke themselves," she sighed.
"Ten-year Sumeru contract?" Reisen Riou suggested, drafting a Tenryou general dispatch. "We should train our scholars—public-funded students in Vitalist, Thaumaturge, and Elementalist schools."
"Agreed," Makoto said, clearly long-planning. "Fund Amurta, Spantamad, and Haravatat for better education, but prep talents first."
"I've scouted potentials via One System, Ten Thousand Minds," he said. "More users, more hidden gems." Samurai and nobles, steeped in martial pride, shunned academia for "elegant" pursuits like flower arrangement or tea ceremonies (Mindset: Elegance). He wrote Bona, proposing college investments and extra Mora for escorts—funds for schools if accepted, or supplies if not. Sumeru's meat was cheap.
"Ei's back?" Makoto glanced at the door. Ei appeared. "Yashiori's fiend had high Electro resistance. Took two slashes."
Reisen Riou's mouth twitched. Most Great Youkai couldn't survive one of Ei's slashes; he needed barriers. A fiend taking two was wild—outside was dangerous. Ei, spotting his sweets, ditched Makoto, who puffed her cheeks. Saiguu and Miko arrived. "Where to, Makoto?" Saiguu asked.
"Busy now, play later," Makoto said. "Craving Ritou's mushroom feast. Can you make it, Lingyi?"
"Nope," he lied. He could, but the feast—three days prep, two days cooking, two days eating—was a nightmare. Only Ritou's specialty shop offered it weekly, booked years out for nobles. Shrine maidens tried, but their versions risked poisoning; undercooked mushrooms carried mental toxins. He'd tripped like a Slime once pre-elixir, sticking to pros since. He sometimes cooked one or two dishes for himself.
Ei, catching his fib via mind-reading, checked his thoughts and Resurrection's database. The feast's complexity silenced her; she munched sweets quietly, letting him skate. "Relax at Yujou Bathhouse," Makoto grinned, handing him lifetime access. "No escort needed now."
"Thanks, Sister Makoto," he said, eyeing Ei for "benefits." She choked, thinking, Still wanting more after me? Tonight, I'll drain you. Soaking in the spa, his spirit refreshed, benefits forgotten. "Estate, cave heaven, or lab?" he mused. His transformed brain, shy of a supercomputer, needed Ei's input for Inazuma's prosperity—more wealth, stronger citizens, more top fighters.
No plans formed. Ei took him out, forcing her to request leave. Noon next day, he crawled from bed. "Three quarters till my spine and ribs heal," he groaned, grinning weirdly. "Ei, you're something." New positions unlocked, she won big, but he didn't lose. Months ago, he'd retrieved deleted study data from Ritou's ley lines, preserved despite his amnesia. Too bad they forgot planning, lost in newlywed bliss.
"If this were my past life, I'd sue Makoto," he muttered. "No honeymoon leave? Brutal." Plans with Ei would wait.