"Woah... Yuuko-daren's cooking... it's so delicious..."
At the dinner table, after Sayu took her first bite of the fried tofu, her eyes immediately lit up.
This was the first time Sayu had ever tasted such delicious fried tofu; the level of cooking was much higher than that of outside restaurants.
"Is that so? Then eat more," Yuuko said with a smile.
Sayu nodded, then prepared to pick up another piece of fried tofu.
Midway through, however, she was immediately intercepted by the Little Fox... After the Little Fox snatched it, it even shot Sayu a smug look and ate the stolen fried tofu right in front of her. "Mmm..." Sayu's expression subtly changed. Her normally laid-back spirit started to feel a little irritated.
After the Little Fox finished enjoying the piece of fried tofu it had just snatched, it prepared to go for another one.
This time, however, a pair of chopsticks beat her to it, grabbing the piece she was about to snatch away... The Little Fox was briefly stunned, glaring angrily at Sayu.
Sayu refused to be outdone, returning the glare with the eyes of a salted fish.
Suddenly, an inexplicable tension hung heavily between the person and the fox.
This made Yuuko feel incredibly awkward.
He didn't know why Sayu and the Little Fox couldn't get along, especially with such strong tension... "Uh, there's plenty of food, you don't need to fight over it..."
Sayu and the Little Fox glanced at Yuuko, then continued their petty fight over the food... The rest of the dinner was essentially a battle of wits between Sayu and the Little Fox... After a long while, this supremely harmonious and pleasant dinner finally came to an end.
The most exhausted person was Yuuko, stuck in the middle... Dinner ended, and Yuuko finally felt relieved... After finishing dinner, Yuuko continued his invitation to Sayu: "Sayu, it's getting late. Why don't you just stay at my place tonight?"
Before Sayu could respond, the Little Fox started fussing again, constantly barking at Yuuko... Yuuko, who couldn't figure out why the Little Fox was angry, ultimately had to give up on having Sayu stay the night... "Well, Sayu, I have something I need to discuss with you tomorrow. Are you free around noon?"
Sayu glanced at the Little Fox, who was perched on Yuuko's shoulder and radiating hostility toward her, and replied:
"Hmm... If nothing unexpected happens... I should be free... Also, recently... Sayu must remain near Yuuko-daren..."
Yuuko thought for a moment and smiled, "Since you're free, come over tomorrow at noon."
Sayu nodded, then curled her entire body up, forming a sphere.
Her body was then covered by a layer of Anemo element power, and she rolled away.
Watching Sayu leave, Yuuko scratched his head helplessly and sighed:
"What a peculiar way to travel. No matter how many times I see it, it still feels strange..."
Afterward, Yuuko reached out and stroked the head of the Little Fox on his shoulder:
"Sigh, Sayu is clearly not a bad person, so why do you dislike her?"
The Little Fox let out a discontented cry, then settled down on Yuuko's head to nap.
Yuuko shook his head and went back inside the house.
Although he didn't know why the Little Fox disliked Sayu, it wasn't a major issue anyway.
That night, Yuuko, as usual, spent the whole evening rushing his light novel manuscript.
While writing the novel, he also recounted the events of the past two days to the Little Fox.
"Little Fox, a lot has happened these past couple of days."
"First, the God of this nation suddenly issued a decree called the Vision Hunt Decree, demanding the mandatory seizure of everyone's Visions."
"At first, I didn't think it concerned me much, so I didn't pay it much attention."
"But these past two days, I've seen too much ruthless enforcement. No matter how desperately the people pleaded, the Tenryou Commission personnel still heartlessly seized their Visions."
"So, I started wondering, is a decree like the Vision Hunt Decree truly correct?"
"It wasn't until this morning, when I saw Old Man Shimura, who always insisted on keeping Shimura's open year-round, being arrested, that I finally made up my mind."
"I might fight against the Vision Hunt Decree. Although doing so might shatter my peaceful life, I feel I can no longer stand idly by."
"Little Fox, do you support me doing this?"
After speaking, Yuuko reached out and stroked the head of the Little Fox on his shoulder.
The Little Fox silently watched Yuuko for a long, long time before finally letting out a worried cry.
"Are you worried about me? Don't worry, I won't let myself get too deeply involved."
The Little Fox cried out a few more times, its face still showing concern.
"Thank you for your concern." Yuuko smiled, rubbed the Little Fox's belly, and then continued writing his novel.
Afterward, having written until late into the night, Yuuko, as usual, settled the Little Fox down and went to sleep.
Deep in the night.
Yae Miko came to the bedside, her face revealing a look of solemn worry.
She got into bed, lying on her side next to Yuuko, quietly staring at his sleeping face, and murmuring softly:
"I really didn't expect Yuuko to have such determination..."
"But Yuuko is just that kind of person. Even without power, he dares to fight against a god. That must be his style..."
"It's just... letting Yuuko get involved is still too dangerous..."
"It's enough for Yuuko just to live peacefully."
"I will find a way to resolve the Vision Hunt Decree issue and protect Yuuko."
"Now that I have the Yellow Fox's help, things might go much smoother from now on... Although I still can't figure out what that Yellow Fox is thinking."
"But right now, I can only rely on the Yellow Fox's power. After all, I don't want Yuuko to fall into danger."
As she spoke, Yae Miko's face flushed slightly, and she pouted:
"Also... since when did that Sayu become so close with Yuuko?"
"I clearly only told her to protect Yuuko secretly. Does that child not understand the meaning of 'secretly'..."
"She... she even went to the hot springs with Yuuko, using the discount coupon I gave him..."
"I..."
"Forget it. For now, the main priority is still dealing with Ei's matter.
Since I can't be by Yuuko's side protecting him all the time, I can only rely on Sayu."
"Hmph, I'll just endure it for now..."
...Early the next morning, Yuuko woke up early.
After getting up, he found that the Little Fox was no longer home.
Yuuko was used to this. After washing up briefly, he went out.
Today, he planned to ask Sayu for information about the Fatui, and then go take down the Fatui forces remaining in Inazuma.
However, the meeting with Sayu was scheduled for noon, so there was no need to rush yet.
In the morning, Yuuko planned to talk more with the neighbors in the street to gather more information.
However, once outside, he realized the streets of Inazuma City were becoming increasingly deserted.
Currently, hardly any shops were open.
Clearly, many people had been affected by the Vision Hunt Decree over the past few days.
Gazing at the closed shops around him, he then looked toward the highest point of Inazuma City, the direction of the Tenshukaku.
Yuuko sighed helplessly:
"If that reclusive God knew Inazuma City had become like this because of the Vision Hunt Decree, would she regret her initial decision?"