Grand Narukami Shrine.
Kujou Sara's face was ashen; even her lips trembled.
"The Yashiori sinkings… were ordered by the clan head himself?"
"That's impossible. Su Xuan must be slandering the Patriarch—"
It was an entire village.
Yes, many were already touched by the Tatarigami… but many were not.
And they were all sent to the bottom together.
Yae Miko sipped her tea, gaze amused as it slid toward Sara.
She knew what truly angered this loyal tengu wasn't the slaughter at Tatarasuna and Higi—
but that Kujou Takayuki, head of the Tenryou Commission, had dared to hide it from the Shogun and act on his own.
That was betrayal.
Disrespect toward the Shogun herself.
And truth be told, there was no one in all Inazuma more devoutly loyal than Kujou Sara.
If the Shogun ordered her life this second, she would offer it the next without a word.
"Both of you—breathe. Have some tea," Miko purred, eyes narrowing.
"If this shakes you, what will you do when you learn the Vision Hunt and Sakoku were nudged along by the Fatui? Collapse on the spot?"
Kamisato Ayaka shifted in her seat, uneasy.
"I didn't expect the Resistance's extremes were… provoked from the shadows."
Miko glanced at her and smiled.
"I wonder if the Navigator of Watatsumi has a diary copy. She ought to thank Su Xuan.
If not for him, that blame pot would've boiled the koi alive."
Ayaka swallowed, forcing a smile.
"Y-yes. We owe this traveler from beyond the world."
Miko's eyes curved.
"Mmm. I only wonder what he'll write next…"
Ayaka's shoulders tensed—
if Su Xuan went to Sangonomiya next, and in explaining the Resistance he dragged the Yashiro Commission into it—
"Relax," Miko said, amused. "Whatever he writes, Ei will judge for herself."
"And for now, I imagine she'll stay by his side… until he agrees to help cleanse Yashiori."
Yashiori Island — the makeshift shelter.
Ei sat seiza, back straight, delicate nose tightening as she sniffed at the steam curling from the pot.
"What are you doing?"
"Making instant noodles."
"…What is that?"
"This is an induction cooker—and it doesn't need to be plugged in. You just press the switch."
"'Induction… cooker'? Fascinating. Is it from beyond this world? Why does it—"
"…"
"Are you a compendium of a hundred thousand whys?" Su Xuan rubbed his temples.
"There are no Tricolor Dango here. If you want to eat, it's noodles, or nothing."
"If you do, I'll make more. If not, sit quietly."
Ei looked where he pointed.
A box with unfamiliar script sat by his foot; a large barrel of water, also labeled in glyphs she couldn't read.
But the fragrance… was compelling.
"Very well. Make some for me." Ei said it without a shred of hesitation.
"Tch. So frank," Su Xuan muttered, one-shouldered shrug. "Ever heard of being polite?"
The meal was simple, but the broth packets were rich; Ei finished more than she intended.
Afterward, her attention returned to the cooker. She toggled the switch on and off several times, eyes growing bright.
"I see. It uses Electro to generate heat. Its principles are quite simple."
"You look like you could build one." Su Xuan stacked the bowls and set them aside. "If you want to try, I'll gift you this one to study."
A faint violet spark flickered in Ei's gaze—then vanished, replaced by a flash of fear.
As he pushed the cooker toward her, she immediately pushed it back.
"Thank you… but I cannot accept it."
In the same instant she refused, a ripple passed through her mind.
Su Xuan had already put the device away when she, frowning, pulled out the diary.
"…He updated it again?"
[Ei really doesn't do 'polite.']
[She's a god; she doesn't need to eat. I do.]
[I politely asked if she wanted to try otherworld noodles—and she told me to cook more.]
[What's more interesting is her inner contradiction.]
[She clearly wants to study my induction cooker, but when I offered it—she refused out of fear.]
[I felt it—a flash of dread.]
[She's afraid that researching an object from beyond the world might bring calamity.]
[It ties back to her 'Eternity.']
[InductionCooker.jpg]
Across Inazuma, the mention of Eternity straightened everyone's spines.
Perhaps—
this outsider knew why Ei pursued it.
Yae Miko's ears pricked.
"He even peeks into our hearts, hm? This man knows too much…"
"And those two, alone together, doing everything but the obvious…" she added dryly. "What a waste of privacy."
[As for Ei's 'Eternity,' or the cause of that belief—]
[I remember the words in her heart.]
['Where lightning flashes, a shadow falls. I am that shadow.']
['With "no-mind," I will cut away everything that hinders our advance. Yet with every step forward… something is lost.']
['In the end, even she was gone…']
['Stories of those days are still told under every Thunder Sakura.']
['The scars remain, and they burn.']
['She said: "Keep seeking— even a fleeting light is still a light. At least we have this moment."']
['But I witnessed a nation running with all its might—lose everything before the Heavenly Principles.']
['"This moment" is an illusion. Only "Eternity" approaches the Heavenly order…']
['Now I am no longer the shadow. This body is the highest seat. I shall bear the great authority of the realm, and grant my people one dream—']
['An Eternity unchanging for a thousand generations.']
["She" is Raiden Makoto, Ei's elder sister.]
[Makoto's creed was 'to seek'—even the briefest light.]
[Five hundred years ago, Khaenri'ah embodied that creed: a civilization that rose on human wisdom alone, without gods.]
[They could even slay gods.]
[Yet before the Heavenly Principles, that nation was cut down like weeds.]
[In an instant, its people were cursed with undying torment, many twisted into monsters.]
All the women reading:
"!?"
Ei's eyes tightened.
She fumbled to close the diary.
Sky Island was one thing—
but to name the Heavenly Principles outright, and tie them to her story—
Did he want to see Inazuma erased?
Her voice shrank to a whisper:
"Honored traveler from beyond this world… could you, please, not write this down?"
"Or at least—wait until you leave Inazuma to record it…"
Su Xuan: "…"
[Ei is overthinking it.]
[She only half-understands what "Heavenly Principles" even means—hence all these awkward choices.]
Su Xuan rubbed his chin, organizing his next lines—
A thud cut him off.
He looked up—
And saw Raiden Ei slide forward onto her knees, sitting formally below the seat, head bowed.
Like a supplicant.
Like someone begging him to stop updating the diary.
Su Xuan: "…"
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