In the private room on the second floor of Uyuu Restaurant, Yae Miko was seated gracefully on a soft cushion.
Despite the faint exhaustion that lingered on her beautiful face, she still maintained her elegance and composure. Her eyes were lowered slightly, and her long lashes cast delicate shadows beneath her lids, adding a quiet allure to her presence.
Sitting across from her was Shao Yun.
He sat cross-legged upon another cushion, his expression unreadable as he fixed his gaze upon Yae Miko.
For a while, silence enveloped the room—broken only by the occasional chirp of birds outside the window.
At last, Yae Miko slowly extended her hand and carefully brought out a finely wrapped gift box from beneath the table.
The box was meticulously packaged, tied with a soft pink ribbon and adorned with an exquisitely tied bow.
She gently pushed the box toward Shao Yun and said softly, "Inside are the fox hat and a VIP card for free reading at Yae Publishing House—both for you."
Shao Yun silently took the box in both hands.
His gaze lingered on it, a trace of skepticism flickering in his eyes as he asked coolly, "It's only been a few days. You already had this prepared? You're not trying to fool me, are you?"
Hearing this, Yae Miko shook her head wearily, forcing a faint smile as she replied, "How could I possibly fool you?"
"Believe me, what's inside will definitely satisfy you." She looked at him encouragingly, signaling for him to open it.
After a moment's hesitation, Shao Yun lifted the lid.
Instantly, a dazzling golden glow spilled forth from the box. Inside lay a beautifully crafted fox hat, radiant in its brilliance.
The fur shimmered with an otherworldly softness, its golden hue gleaming like morning sunlight, exuding a mesmerizing charm.
When Shao Yun lifted the hat, he discovered that a long golden fox tail had been seamlessly attached to the back.
The tail's fur was just as silky and delicate, and the touch of it sent a strange, pleasant sensation through his fingertips.
The hat and tail were perfectly fused together—truly a work of art, not a mere accessory.
Compared to the old man Valentine's raccoon hat, this golden fox hat was in a league of its own.
Shao Yun murmured, "A golden fox hat… it actually matches Lumine's colors pretty well."
As he spoke, he curiously brushed the golden tail attached to the hat and said with amazement, "There's even a tail attached to this thing? And it's really well-made too."
Just then, Yae Miko—who had been keeping her head lowered, clutching her knees tightly—spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"This tail… is mine."
Shao Yun's eyes went wide. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard.
That revelation hit him like a thunderclap—too shocking to process.
"What? But the color…" He leaned closer to inspect the tail, muttering under his breath.
Wasn't Yae Miko supposed to be a pink fox? Shouldn't her tail be pink too?
Still puzzled, he turned back to her.
Yae Miko smiled faintly and explained, "I dyed it gold on purpose. I thought… if I didn't pay some kind of price myself, you'd never truly be satisfied."
Shao Yun couldn't help brushing his fingers through the tail again, frowning.
"You actually cut off your own tail? That must've hurt like hell! No wonder you look so tired today—don't tell me you couldn't sleep because the wound still aches?"
Yae Miko didn't deny it directly. She simply rubbed her temples and said tiredly, "Sigh… it's still better than losing my life."
Shao Yun gazed at the golden tail, thoughtful.
Then, after another moment, he carefully placed the hat back into the box and closed the lid. "Alright then. What's done is done. Let's just leave the past behind us."
Then, as if something silly had just occurred to him, he looked up and asked, "By the way, mind if I ask a dumb question?"
"You used to act like you were ready to die any day—so why the sudden change of heart?"
At those words, Yae Miko's expression darkened. The calm beauty in her face was replaced by a cold, stoic stillness as she replied, "Because if I die now, Inazuma really will fall apart. I have to protect the land that Ei left behind, even if she used to shut herself away, ignoring it all."
The meaning was clear—she now bore bonds that made dying impossible.
Shao Yun merely shrugged, tucked the gift box into his Legend of the East satchel, and waved.
"Well, I wish you luck playing the Raiden Shogun role then. I'll be off."
But just as he turned to leave, Yae Miko instinctively reached out, calling sharply, "Wait! Please—stay a moment!"
Her sudden plea stopped him in his tracks. He turned back, puzzled. "What is it?"
Yae Miko hurriedly drew back her hand, bit her lip, and lowered her gaze, fingers curling nervously upon her knees.
After a long pause, she finally mustered the courage to meet his eyes and asked softly, "Have you ever felt like… you've gone mad?"
The unexpected question caught Shao Yun off guard. Then, slowly, a knowing smile curved his lips. He looked into her deep, beautiful eyes and replied after a contemplative silence, "Maybe. Or maybe not just me—maybe all of us went mad a long time ago."
With that, he gave her a brief nod and walked away, leaving Yae Miko sitting motionless in thought.
...
After leaving the quiet second-floor room, Shao Yun descended the stairs to exit Uyoutei.
But as soon as he reached the first floor, he was met with a bizarre sight.
A man in a Shogunate soldier's uniform was slumped awkwardly over the counter—completely drunk.
In his right hand, he clutched an empty sake cup; several drained porcelain bottles lay scattered before him.
Though nearly unconscious, he kept pounding the counter with his left hand, mumbling incoherently, "Another bottle! I'm not done yet!"
Behind the counter, the owner, Okazaki Rikuto, could only shake his head helplessly. "Sir Shinnojou, you've really had enough for today…"
Shinnojou, thinking the man was worried about payment, slammed a handful of Mora onto the counter and shouted, "Here! The money's right here! Now pour me another!"
Seeing that he wouldn't calm down otherwise, Okazaki sighed, accepted the Mora, and fetched another bottle from the shelf behind him.
He placed the fresh bottle gently in front of Shinnojou.
At this point, Shinnojou's vision was doubling.
He reached for the bottle, hands trembling, about to spill it—when Shao Yun stepped forward, took it from him, and set it firmly back on the counter.
"If you can't handle it, stop drinking. If you drink yourself to death, it just becomes someone else's problem."
Shinnojou, his face flushed red, blinked at him blearily and slurred, "Who… who are you?"
Shao Yun recognized him instantly—a former samurai of the Hiiragi Clan.
"The question isn't who I am," he said evenly. "It's why you're getting drunk in broad daylight."
He glanced over the man's attire. "You're with the Shogunate, right? If you're caught like this, you could lose your job."
At the mention of losing his job, Shinnojou slumped, muttering bitterly, "Let it go. My beloved Lady Chisato's marrying Kujou Kamaji soon anyway!"
Shao Yun's brow lifted. "Chisato? You mean Hiiragi Chisato?"
Even in his drunken haze, Shinnojou nodded. "Yeah… how'd you know?"
Before he could finish, he lunged forward, grabbing Shao Yun by the shoulder and hiccuping loudly.
"Now… tell me who you are!"
Shao Yun peeled the man's hand off him and replied calmly, "Shao Yun."
At that name, the drunkard blinked, and some clarity returned to his eyes.
"You're… that General from Watatsumi Island's army…"
===BREAK===
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