After three full days of calm, uneventful sailing, the Alcor finally began to glide slowly into the offshore waters of Inazuma.
Shao Yun stood upon the wide deck, gazing toward the island ahead—one so familiar to him that it felt almost like a memory etched into his bones.
"Gotta admit, this place truly deserves the title 'Eternity.' Even the Archon has changed, and yet, the island itself hasn't changed a bit. I really wonder how they manage that."
Shao Yun muttered to himself while continuing to study every corner of the island with a careful eye.
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a particular spot—the very place where he had once burned down the Hiiragi family estate with his own hands.
That section of land still lay in ruins, untouched and unrepaired, showing no signs of reconstruction.
Frowning, Shao Yun turned to the man standing beside him, Kaedehara Kazuha, who was also watching the island from afar. "That burned-down Hiiragi mansion… is it still abandoned?"
Kazuha narrowed his eyes slightly, peering toward the distant ruins before answering slowly, "As far as I know, Sangonomiya's people see little point in rebuilding it. Perhaps they have… more important considerations."
He shook his head gently, still unable to make full sense of it.
After listening, Shao Yun began sorting through what he knew about the current state of Inazuma.
Only Hiiragi Chisato remained of the Hiiragi family, and the rest of the Commission's clans had already been cleared out—there was no real reason to rebuild.
And of course, as Kamisato Ayato had once told him, Sangonomiya had already taken charge of the Kanjou Commission.
Even if they did rebuild the Hiiragi estate… who would live there? The Far Banker's Office already had enough space for administration.
Though he understood that, a new question crept into his mind.
"Then why not build a fox statue there? Or maybe a shrine of some sort?"
Kazuha nearly choked on his own breath at Shao Yun's whimsical suggestion. In a place where every inch of land costs a fortune, you want to build that?
"Ahem… well…"
Seeing Kazuha's expression, Shao Yun chuckled softly. "Alright, maybe that was a bit out of line."
…
After disembarking, they decided to set aside matters concerning the Kamisato siblings for the time being.
As soon as Lumine and Paimon stepped onto the island, they were intercepted by President Kurisu of the International Trade Association, who rushed toward them in a flurry.
Kurisu pleaded earnestly for Lumine and Paimon to review the accounts and check whether there were discrepancies in profit distribution.
Lumine had never cared about the profits the Association sent their way, and she refused right away.
Besides, neither she nor Paimon knew a thing about bookkeeping…
But facing Kurisu's persistence and sincerity, Lumine eventually had no choice but to agree with a sigh, following him inside to go through the ledgers.
Meanwhile, Shao Yun remained outside, waiting quietly by the Association's low outer wall.
Leaning idly against the wall, lost in thought about how to approach Yae Miko, he suddenly noticed someone familiar—Teppei.
In fact, Teppei had seen Shao Yun from a distance long before approaching, though he had hesitated. The man before him was dressed so differently now—wearing the Legend of the East outfit and a black gambler's hat—that even if someone like Pinghai from Liyue were here, they wouldn't have recognized him at first glance.
Only when he drew closer did Teppei finally confirm who it was. His face lit up as he shouted excitedly, "General Shao Yun! You've returned to Inazuma!"
Hearing the call, Shao Yun snapped out of his daze and turned toward the voice.
Recognizing Teppei—one of his old subordinates—he smiled faintly and waved in greeting.
"Wow, Teppei, long time no see! What have you been up to lately?"
Puffing out his chest, Teppei replied with pride, "Hehe, to tell you the truth, I've been entrusted with an important duty! Lady Sangonomiya has placed me in charge of all the samurai under the Kanjou Commission. You could say I'm now the chief of security for Ritou!"
Shao Yun beamed, genuinely pleased for him.
"Ha! Didn't expect that—you've really made something of yourself here, huh? The chief of Ritou, no less!"
Flustered by the praise, Teppei scratched his head and replied modestly, "Ah, General, you're exaggerating! I just handle security work, nothing that grand."
At the mention of security, Shao Yun's mind immediately jumped to the term sheriff—a rather significant title in those small western towns.
With a teasing grin, he said, "Hah! Look at you, rising through the ranks so fast! From a logistic officer under Sangonomiya, to captain of the Herring First Division, and now the sheriff of Ritou!"
Patting Teppei's shoulder, Shao Yun added warmly, "That's quite the responsibility, you know. Do well, and who knows? Maybe one day, you'll even lead the Tenryou Commission!"
Teppei tried to remain humble, but the uncontainable joy in his grin betrayed him.
"Taking over General Gorou's position? I don't think I could ever reach that level."
At that, Shao Yun blinked in surprise. "Wait—Gorou's managing the Tenryou Commission now?"
Teppei nodded quickly. "That's right, General. You might not have heard—after you left Inazuma a few months ago, Lady Sangonomiya appointed General Gorou as the new overseer of the Tenryou Commission."
Shao Yun's brows furrowed. So Gorou's now in charge of the Shogunate's army? That's practically government work.
He pressed further, "Then what about the Sangonomiya troops? Don't tell me Gorou's handling both them and the Shogunate soldiers?"
In Shao Yun's mind, that sounded exhausting—did Gorou even have that kind of stamina?
Teppei answered naturally, "On paper, the Sangonomiya Army is now under your command, General."
Shao Yun's eyes widened. "What? Under me? That's impossible!"
Seeing his shock, Teppei smiled knowingly and explained, "Of course! You're one of the great generals of Watatsumi Island. After General Gorou's transfer, it's only natural that the Sangonomiya Army would fall under your command. It's just that, since you've been away from Inazuma, Lady Sangonomiya has been managing things in your stead."
As he spoke, Teppei's gaze softened with admiration as he looked toward the distant horizon. "Lady Sangonomiya… she's been working so hard lately. Handling Watatsumi's endless political affairs, leading ceremonies, commanding the army—it's a wonder she can still keep going."
Shao Yun rubbed his chin thoughtfully and murmured under his breath, "Hmm… Is this a case of power balance? Or is she slowly integrating the old Shogunate's remnants? Either way, Lady Kokomi… you truly are a brilliant strategist."
Teppei tilted his head. "General Shao Yun, did you say something?"
"Nothing," Shao Yun replied quickly.
…
After chatting for a while longer, Teppei excused himself to attend to work, leaving Shao Yun alone.
Just then, the doors of the International Trade Association opened, and Lumine and Paimon stepped out.
One glance told Shao Yun everything—their vacant, glassy eyes said it all.
He couldn't help but ask, "So, how did it go?"
Holding her head in both hands, Paimon groaned. "Ugh… Paimon's head is spinning! I understood every word Kurisu said, but when he put them together—I couldn't understand a thing!"
Lumine looked just as dazed. After a moment, she smirked playfully. "Maybe I should send you to the Sumeru Akademiya for proper study."
"Wha—no way!" Paimon flailed in protest. "How would that help you? You're turning into one of those nagging adults!"
Lumine shrugged nonchalantly. "If you study, you'll earn money to support me."
Paimon pouted, whining, "Hmph! Shouldn't you be the one earning money to support me?"
Lumine spread her hands calmly. "Reality says otherwise. And I'm not the only one supporting you—Shao Yun's helping too. We're both working hard to feed one greedy little fairy."
That made Paimon pause, scratching her head awkwardly. "Ah… right… I guess that's true. Okay…"
Then she placed a hand over her chest, speaking with heartfelt sincerity. "Thank you, Lumine—for working so hard, taking all those commissions, just to keep me fed. Without you, I'd probably still be drifting in a river somewhere."
Lumine smiled warmly. "Don't mention it."
Paimon then turned toward Shao Yun, grinning. "Hehe, and thanks to you too, Shao Yun, for always looking after us!"
Raising an eyebrow, Shao Yun smirked mischievously. "Oh? If you really want to thank me, Paimon… why not call me 'dad' once?"
Her face flushed bright red as she puffed up like an angry kitten. "Wha—! You wish! Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore!"
She stomped her tiny feet in midair and turned away indignantly.
…
Of course, Paimon's sulk only lasted about three minutes before she forgot about it entirely.
After leaving Ritou, the three crossed the sandbars connecting the island to Narukami and reached Konda Village.
To the east lay the path through Chinju Forest, past the Kamisato Estate, leading up to Grand Narukami Shrine.
To the south, through Byakko Plain, was the way to Inazuma City.
Shao Yun glanced eastward and asked, "I'm heading to see Yae Miko. What about you two? Care to come along?"
Paimon pointed toward the road to the city. "We wanna visit Yoimiya! It's been a while—we kinda miss her."
That being their first plan upon arriving in Inazuma showed just how much Lumine and Paimon valued Yoimiya.
Seeing their excitement, Shao Yun smiled. "Alright, then say hi to Yoimiya for me."
He held Yoimiya in high regard himself—if not for his business with Yae Miko, he'd have gone along too.
…
After parting ways with Lumine and Paimon, Shao Yun lifted a hand to his lips and whistled sharply.
Moments later, Buell galloped up to him.
With agile grace, Shao Yun mounted the horse, patting her sleek neck affectionately. "Girl, we've got something fun to do…"
Then, lowering his voice with a devilish grin, he whispered, "We're going to find that sly Yae Miko—and give her a good scare."
…
Meanwhile, atop Mt. Yougou at Grand Narukami Shrine, a certain pink-haired fox lounged comfortably, savoring her tofu while a light novel rested open on her lap.
Suddenly, a strange gust of wind swept through the shrine, rustling the sacred sakura leaves.
The wind brushed past Yae Miko, flipping several pages of her book all at once.
A few delicate pink petals drifted down, landing gently atop the pages.
She plucked one between her slender fingers, eyes narrowing as she murmured softly, "How odd… the wind feels stronger than usual today."
===BREAK===
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