Chapter 266: Gorou's Reply
"Haah... guess I'm just not cut out for flirting with girls."
Watching the Kamisato clan's young lady flee the scene in a fluster, Bai Luo let out a quiet sigh.
As for the pots and dishes in his hands... Well, he'd just leave those to the Kamisato servants to deal with.
Seriously though, that Shirasagi Himegimi sure was naïve. Did she really think she could hide what she'd done from her servants?
She might've tried to put everything back exactly as it was, but she'd never escape their watchful eyes.
After all, when they saw the kitchen lights still on, did she really think the staff wouldn't come check?
In a family as strict as the Kamisatos, everything had rules. Even the servants had to make sure all the lamps were extinguished before leaving their posts.
So when they noticed their young lady sneaking around, they immediately understood what was going on.
To spare her any embarrassment, they quietly pretended not to notice.
In fact, from that night on, they even started leaving out extra ingredients for chazuke—just for her.
No one could bear to see such a cute young lady crouched in the dark, pitifully stirring leftover rice into tea every night.
And if she forgot to turn off the lights again? Someone would always come by afterward to cover for her.
The next day, despite Ayato's repeated efforts to make him stay, Bai Luo left the Kamisato estate, citing "urgent work matters."
He had arrived with three wagons of gifts... and left with eight.
Truly, a man of culture.
The Fatui members, who had been secretly watching and waiting to act, were utterly baffled.
Wasn't the Ausbilder supposed to be negotiating with the Yashiro Commission?
Why did he just... eat, drink, sleep over, and then leave?
But soon, some of the more observant ones began to notice something strange.
After that night, the Kamisato estate started showing noticeable leniency toward the Fatui in various dealings.
For the Fatui' infiltration of Inazuma, this was a huge breakthrough.
"To think that just by eating, drinking, and having fun, the Ausbilder managed to make the toughest branch of the Tri-Commission soften up... That's the true power of a Harbinger!"
Whenever this story was told, the Fatui members would all gaze in awe.
And thus, it became one of the organization's favorite tales.
"Zzz... zzz..."
Inside the Fatui hideout, a small tanuki lay curled up beside Bai Luo's leg, softly snoring.
For a job that didn't pay that well, she actually found it pretty satisfying—mostly because she could sleep whenever she wanted.
As Bai Luo flipped through a stack of letters, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Gorou hadn't let him down.
Though his "information gathering" methods were... unique, he was taking the letter exchanges surprisingly seriously.
No matter who wrote in, he replied earnestly to every single one, offering advice and insight.
He just had one tiny flaw.
He kept forgetting that he was supposed to be Miss Hina.
Some of his wording was so out of character that it was... well, let's just say it killed the illusion.
"Georgy."
After skimming the letters, Bai Luo called toward the door.
"Sir."
The towering man standing there—massive hammer slung across his back—blocked out nearly all the sunlight streaming in from outside.
If he were an enemy, his sheer presence would be suffocating.
But as an ally, that presence was pure security.
"Take these to the Yae Publishing House," Bai Luo instructed. "Tell them they're replies from Miss Hina. They'll know what to do."
Just like his novels, the Miss Hina letters were handled by a special team—a group of genius editors who took Gorou's painfully earnest words and somehow turned them into the charming, teasing tone of a mischievous little succubus.
"Yes, sir."
Georgy took the stack of letters, bowed deeply, and left the room.
After Georgy left, the room suddenly felt... strangely spacious.
Bai Luo couldn't help but smirk at the illusion.
Setting aside the Miss Hina replies, Bai Luo's gaze shifted toward a single letter lying apart from the rest.
That letter was the reason for the smile on his face.
Everything, after all, had to move step by step.
Bai Luo had fully expected Gorou to flat-out reject his latest scheme—the "handshake event" he'd proposed.
He wasn't serious about it anyway; it was just a way to test the waters, maybe prepare Gorou for the idea that more "offline fan events" might come later.
Yet the reply he received was... interesting.
Perhaps that one dramatic line—
"Even if it costs me my life, I will never yield to their demands!"—had made Gorou worry that Bai Luo might get into trouble because of him.
So instead of rejecting the idea outright, Gorou wrote back with a subtle excuse:
As the general of the resistance army, he had to remain on the frontlines in case the Shogunate launched a surprise attack.
And honestly, it was a perfect reason.
No one could blame him—he couldn't just abandon his soldiers to attend some frivolous "handshake event" in Inazuma City, even if it was for "information gathering."
With that, Gorou managed to decline the request and save Bai Luo from embarrassment.
A flawless, diplomatic two-for-one.
—Except for one little problem.
Gorou had completely forgotten that Bai Luo wasn't just some event organizer—he was a Fatui Harbinger.
Granted, Bai Luo's rank wasn't high enough to change a nation's policy or stop the Shogunate's campaign against the resistance entirely… but he could lean on the Kujou clan, where the Fatui already had deep influence.
A little pressure on old Takayuki, and the military offensive would conveniently "pause."
The reason?
"Fatui operations in the area—classified mission. Do not interfere."
A three- to five-day ceasefire was all he needed.
And once General Gorou noticed that the Shogunate army had suddenly, inexplicably halted their attacks...
Well.
Knowing his cautious nature, he'd definitely suspect something was off.
He'd march straight to Inazuma City himself to "investigate."
At that point, all Bai Luo would need was a word with Yae Miko—help her slip Gorou a few "key details"—and things would unfold exactly as he wanted.
The thought made Bai Luo chuckle.
He dipped his brush in ink again and bent over his desk, his strokes flowing smoothly across the paper—each word elegant, deliberate, and deceptively gentle.
When he was done, he picked up the small, snoring tanuki beside him—Sayu—by the collar.
"Eh? What is it now?"
Sayu wobbled in his grasp, half-asleep, her eyes full of annoyance.
Being disturbed after finally managing to sneak in some sleep was the worst.
She'd spent half a day running errands for him already—no nap breaks at all!
"I've written another letter. Take it to the Grand Shrine—make sure you hand it to Lady Guuji personally."
"...Oh."
At the mention of that woman, Sayu's sleepy irritation instantly vanished.
Her eyes went wide, and she nodded hastily.
No complaints this time.
Because when it came to Yae Miko… Some people, you just don't mess with.
. . . . .
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind to pay $5 monthly to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 297: Void: Lover's Veil[2]
Link to the current chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145673047?collection=174425[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145673047?collection=174425
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145673047?collection=174425
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed