"I'm back—!"
"You're back—!"
Su Ran stepped into the Grand Narukami Shrine.
But the one welcoming him wasn't Yae Miko.
Instead, a purple figure appeared, carrying a tray of dishes and behind her, an entire table of carefully prepared food.
She even served him a bowl of rice, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hurry and wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."
Her voice was soft.
So soft that if not for the clothes she wore, he might've mistaken her for Raiden Makoto.
But this outfit—
paired with that gentle smile and warm tone—
did not match.
"…Did you and Makoto switch souls or something?"
The Raiden Shogun before him behaved nothing like the Ei he knew.
Su Ran couldn't help but feel weirded out.
Since when could that dense, socially-inept Ei…
act like this?
Was this the calm before the storm?
"Makoto is my sister.
If she can act gently… why can't I?"
Ei placed food into his bowl with utmost care.
Su Ran inspected the dishes.
They looked good.
Suspiciously good.
"You didn't cook these… right?"
The smile on Ei's face froze.
"Of course not…
Even if I can imitate my sister's personality, her cooking is something I can never learn."
She had long accepted her fate in the culinary arts.
"So the good taste is real, huh?
Then I should savor—"
Su Ran took a bite and his eyes lit up.
The two sisters truly were extremes.
One couldn't cook to save her life.
The other's cooking rivaled Liyue's finest chefs.
"So—what happened? Why the personality change?
Did you come back to find me gone?"
With the power of a Fatewalker-level being, Su Ran didn't fear Ei suddenly attacking.
But he was very interested in what pushed her to behave this way.
"…This place isn't good enough?"
Ei lowered her gaze slightly.
Though she held chopsticks, she made no move to eat.
"I'm an Executive of Snezhnaya, you know?"
"You don't have to be one."
Ei misunderstood entirely.
She thought Su Ran had fled because she neglected him in favor of spending time with Makoto.
After multiple instances of Su Ran 'running away,'
she finally started reflecting on herself.
This gentle imitation of Makoto— was her way of trying to keep him.
"Not be an Executive?
And who would support me then?"
Su Ran teased lightly.
"I will!"
Her answer was instant, firm, and unwavering.
With the entire Inazuma at her disposal, how hard could it be to feed one person?
"Except you can't even cook."
He popped another bite into his mouth, while casually stabbing her weak spot.
If not for Makoto's cooking, this would've been a crime scene.
"Makoto will always be with me."
"Oh?
Then why don't I let Makoto support me instead?"
"…"
Crack.
The chopsticks snapped in Ei's hand.
"Got angry?"
Su Ran watched her forced smile with great interest.
"Here—eat."
He lifted a piece of meat to her lips.
She didn't lash out.
She ate it obediently.
Even though he had taken a bite— the piece that reached her still carried Makoto's warmth.
"You've already seen it once, haven't you?
As long as she has a body, Makoto can act freely in the real world.
Why cling to this dream?"
"...There is no death here."
That was Ei's greatest hope for the dream.
Outside, Makoto could die.
Inside—she never would.
She had tried to kill the rebels.
But even as a god, she found she could not bring true death to anyone within the dream.
That meant Makoto was absolutely safe here.
Eternal, unchanging, untouched by erosion.
This dream embodied everything Ei pursued.
Su Ran had placed every beautiful thing she longed for right before her eyes.
Of course she wouldn't let it go.
With Su Ran present, no matter what broke, there would always be a way to fix it.
All of Ei's patience, all her gentleness— was now reserved solely for him.
Every time he left, her fear grew.
This fear was even stronger than when she witnessed Makoto's death.
Something regained is cherished even more.
Su Ran had perfectly grasped her weakness.
Better than he ever did with Herta.
"And if the only way to bring Yae Miko and the others back is in the real world?"
He needed to prepare her.
If the dream shattered…
Ei might go utterly mad.
If she lost control, she could slaughter the rebels without hesitation.
Even Zhongli—
no longer at full power— might not stop a frenzied Ei
who was nearly at her peak.
"Then…
if that day comes…
as compensation—
I'll let your friends return."
Su Ran set down his chopsticks and pinched her cheek lightly.
"And stop imitating your sister.
I still prefer the original you.
If I wanted a knockoff, I'd just choose Makoto directly."
"..."
Ei was even more confused.
Was he rejecting her?
Or praising her?
Su Ran stood and walked out, heading toward the Sacred Sakura.
And just as he expected— someone was already waiting beneath it.
—------------------------------
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