The choice of personnel for this trip to Sumeru was vastly different from the previous two. Besides Miyashiro still serving as the chief envoy, neither the Priestess nor Kuki Shinobu served as deputy envoys for the diplomatic delegation.
Kuki Shinobu's reason was simple: she chose to go to Liyue because she could conveniently retrieve her long-shelved lawyer's graduation certificate and enjoy a publicly funded trip. Why not?
After all, she had studied in Liyue for many years and was somewhat of an expert on Liyue. Furthermore, Inazuma had just lifted the Sakoku Decree not long before, and Miyashiro's other three secretaries were swamped with work and couldn't spare the time. Kuki Shinobu, as a part-time secretary, was the best candidate.
Kuki Shinobu was still the same Kuki Shinobu, someone who disliked the constraints of freedom. Although being Miyashiro's part-time secretary brought high status and immense power,
Kuki Shinobu remained unmoved, which greatly troubled her mother and sister. They believed that if the Kuki family could connect with the Regent, their rise to prominence would be imminent. However, the two words 'part-time' in Kuki Shinobu's job title were like a thorn in their side.
Especially when they heard that the legendary Regent seemed to have a habit of 'eating grass near his nest'—otherwise, how could it be explained that all four of his secretaries were beautiful young women? Sara even shared the same surname as the Regent, which made Kuki Shinobu's mother incredibly excited!
However, when Kuki Shinobu's mother learned that her daughter had run off to be the second-in-command of that Arataki Gang, she nearly gnashed her teeth.
One is the Inazuma Regent, the other is a street punk from Hanamizaka, and not even a proper human. Anyone would know how to choose, right?
But Kuki Shinobu still preferred to stay with the Arataki Gang. Perhaps it was because there, she could do what she liked and choose her preferred tasks. This kind of freedom, where she was in control, was what Kuki Shinobu desired most.
If she became Miyashiro's full-time secretary, everything she did would be pre-arranged by Miyashiro.
As for why the usually lazy Priestess chose to go to Liyue, the reason was even simpler: she was acting on Ei's orders to prevent Miyashiro from being charmed by Liyue and to serve as a monitor and supervisor. If Miyashiro had truly intended to stay in Liyue, the Priestess would have secretly informed him about Sara's night raid. However, this backup plan was never needed.
Now that Miyashiro had returned safely and even brought Shenhe back, what was there to worry about? Worry that Miyashiro would become so enamored with Sumeru's scenery that he wouldn't want to return?
With that much free time, the Priestess declared she'd rather read a few more light novels at Yae Publishing House. During her missions to Liyue and Mondstadt, she had missed so many interesting new releases.
Now, all aspects of Inazuma were on track, and everything just needed to proceed in an orderly fashion. Thus, Miyashiro's other three secretaries began to consider their own desires.
Ayaka, Kokomi, and Sara all adamantly requested to accompany him to Sumeru, which put Miyashiro in a difficult position.
Kokomi's reason for wanting to go was simple: she purely wanted to travel and replenish her 'Kokomi energy.'
Ever since Kokomi could remember, due to her identity as the Living God Priestess, she had been busy with various tasks. During this time, she also experienced nearly two years of civil unrest in Inazuma. To enable the disadvantaged resistance to contend with the heavily armed Shogunate Army, Kokomi had poured all her efforts into the struggle.
Finally, when the civil war ended, her identity as the Living God Priestess no longer bound her. However, to avoid falling into the hands of Miss 'Dainty Oil Tofu,' Kokomi chose a lesser alternative: she joined the Regent's Office and became Miyashiro's secretary.
She had initially thought she could live the ideal life of a proper strategist, as a secretary's duties were almost identical to a strategist's. But she hadn't expected Miyashiro, the Regent, to be such a hands-off boss, still requiring her to manage everything herself.
The workload was so immense that it even surpassed the time she spent managing Watatsumi Island. After all, back then she only had to manage Watatsumi Island, whereas now, she had to manage the entire Inazuma's financial economy.
Now that work had finally gotten on track and the busiest period was over, it would be a shame not to seize this opportunity for a publicly funded trip to relax.
However, Kokomi was an exceptionally intelligent person and naturally knew she couldn't use that reason to apply to Miyashiro; he would never approve.
So, Kokomi presented a different explanation: long ago, Watatsumi Island had lost an ancient artifact called the [Jade Box of Mirages]. This was a ceremonial object formerly worshipped at Mouun Shrine, crafted from the remains of a yokai named [Mirage], capable of hearing the wishes of those who prayed and accumulating mirage energy.
Once enough mirage energy accumulated, it could grant people's wishes. Recently, its corresponding jewel had emitted a guiding light, seemingly in the direction of Sumeru.
Therefore, Kokomi specifically requested permission from the Regent to accompany him to Sumeru to retrieve this treasure. For present-day Inazuma, this treasure could play an unexpected role.
Indeed, after seeing this application, Miyashiro agreed to Kokomi's request without a second thought, allowing her to accompany him. Miyashiro trusted Kokomi's abilities; whether in political negotiations or in her adaptable problem-solving skills, she was top-notch.
With such a secretary accompanying him, Miyashiro could save a lot of trouble.
As for the other companion, Miyashiro did not bring Sara, who could help him with certain private desires on the road, but instead brought Ayaka.
The official reason for not bringing Sara was that, as Inazuma's 'Minister of Defense,' her presence on a mission to Sumeru would cause dissatisfaction and speculation among the Sumeru populace regarding the Inazuma Delegation.
The actual reason was Shenhe's request. As the mistress of the Regent's Office, Shenhe needed to familiarize herself with all aspects of Inazuma during Miyashiro's mission to Sumeru. Besides Ganyu's help, it would be best to have someone familiar with Inazuma to assist, and Sara was the best candidate.
Among Miyashiro's four secretaries, Ayaka was quite special. Perhaps it was because Miyashiro had once severely reprimanded her while dealing with the Vision Hunt Decree at the Yashiro Commission, leaving a deep impression on her.
Ayaka felt a contradictory mix of fear and an unwillingness to leave Miyashiro, especially with her brother's frequent psychological counseling, which added many previously absent emotions to her gaze towards Miyashiro.
Ayaka had originally thought she could take her time, but she hadn't expected that after Miyashiro's return from his missions to Liyue and Mondstadt, he would suddenly be surrounded by so many beautiful women.
As Miyashiro's secretary, Ayaka had naturally heard about the little secrets in Miyashiro's 'harem': Shenhe, Sara, and Eula from the Mondstadt Delegation.
Would she suddenly only be able to contend for fourth place?
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