After finishing their hot spring bath, Yuuko and his group arrived outside Ogura Textiles & Dyeing, a clothing store in Inazuma.
Of course, Yae Miko followed along, compelled by her own will.
The lightning emanating from Raiden Ei's hand made it impossible for her to refuse... And perhaps because of Raiden Ei's special presence in the group.
Ogura Mio, the owner of Ogura Textiles & Dyeing, was terrified and flustered:
"H-Her Excellency, the General!? Why have you suddenly graced our humble shop with your presence!?"
This reaction left Raiden Ei feeling quite helpless.
Lately, no matter where she went or which shop she visited, the owners always reacted with such panic... Just as Raiden Ei was about to say something.
Yuuko stepped forward first and smiled, "No need to be nervous. Her Excellency the General is simply out to relax and happened to come here to take a look."
"I... Is that so..." Ogura Mio still looked like she hadn't fully recovered.
After a moment, Ogura Mio suddenly remembered something and said quickly:
"Ah! That's right, Mr. Yuuko, the clothes you ordered before are ready."
"Mhm." Yuuko nodded with a smile. "I came today specifically to pick them up."
"Ah, please follow me."
Thus, Ogura Mio led the group into the shop and then retrieved the clothing Yuuko had customized.
The little fox's clothes.
And the little fox's diapers.
Afterward, Ogura Mio began explaining proudly:
"Here, Mr. Yuuko, take a look at how these clothes turned out. I did my absolute best, and the colors were sewn using pink-toned fabric."
"Also, these diapers use a special fabric. They are very soft, and their liquid absorption is extremely high-performance. Most importantly, they are easy to wash and change."
"Now, you won't have to worry about when your pet goes to the bathroom, Mr. Yuuko!"
Just as Yuuko was listening to Ogura Mio's explanation, a burst of laughter suddenly came from behind him.
"Pfft!"
Yuuko looked back and realized the laughter came from Raiden Ei.
"What's wrong?"
"Ahem, nothing. I just suddenly remembered something amusing..." Raiden Ei cleared her throat, her expression returning to normal.
"Is that so." Yuuko raised an eyebrow, but didn't dwell on it, turning back to Ogura Mio and saying:
"Then please continue the explanation."
Ogura Mio nodded and continued:
"And this flower-shaped scarf hat was also made using the best fabric, as requested by Mr. Yuuko. I believe its softness will make your pet feel very comfortable."
After hearing the introduction, Yuuko smiled:
"Entrusting this to Miss Mio was truly the right choice. Throughout all of Inazuma, Miss Mio's craftsmanship in clothing creation is the best."
Ogura Mio waved her hands shyly, "Haha, not at all, not at all. It's just how I make a living."
After pausing briefly, Ogura Mio smiled again:
"But Mr. Yuuko truly loves his pet, customizing so many outfits for it."
Yuuko laughed awkwardly:
"Haha, well, I've been idle recently, so I thought I'd get more clothes for the little fox at home. Maybe it'll look really cute wearing them."
"Oh, right, Miss Mio, I also want to customize a set with a bear pattern. I'll come back to discuss the details with you next time."
Just as Yuuko finished speaking, another burst of laughter suddenly came from behind him.
"Pfft!"
Yuuko looked back and found that it was Raiden Ei again.
"Uh, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." Raiden Ei shook her head, quickly regaining a normal expression, but the corners of her mouth kept twitching... To prevent herself from laughing again, Raiden Ei cleared her throat: "Ahem..."
Then, she looked seriously at Yuuko and spoke in a very calm tone:
"I heard that recently a tool called a Kamera has appeared. This tool seems capable of freezing time at a certain point and copying the image onto a piece of paper?"
Raiden Ei's expression was extremely earnest:
"Yuuko, after you dress your little fox in its new clothes, and... its diapers, please use the Kamera to capture a few images for me. I would like to keep them as a souvenir."
Ogura Mio, standing nearby, also said, "I want one too! I want to see Mr. Yuuko's pet!"
Yuuko scratched his head awkwardly:
"Hahaha, if there's a chance next time, I'll let everyone see the little fox in its new clothes! Plus, I've thought up many more outfits suitable for the little fox!"
Raiden Ei said seriously, "I want captured images of the new outfits too!"
Ogura Mio: "Me too!"
"..."
Everyone was chatting happily, but Yae Miko was trembling on the side, not daring to speak... On Mt. Yougou, at the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko, who finally had the chance to flee back to the shrine, sighed heavily:
"Haaah... It's finally over. Has Ei become darker now..."
Originally, Yae Miko did not want to follow Yuuko to the clothing store.
However, Raiden Ei's electro current was simply too numbing, so she had no choice but to follow and endure the humiliation.
Fortunately, the ordeal was finally over, and Yae Miko finally had the chance to escape back to the shrine.
As soon as she returned to the shrine, Yae Miko didn't even have time to slack off and steal a moment of leisure.
Inashiro Hotarumi, the shrine maiden responsible for exorcism, stepped forward to find her and said:
"Guuji-sama, the preparations for the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual that you arranged earlier are all complete. We are now just waiting for you to preside over the ceremony."
Hearing this, Yae Miko sighed helplessly, "Ah~ I originally wanted to read a light novel for a while. Forget it... Let's go."
After all, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual is a very important matter.
Even if Yae Miko is usually lazy, at a time like this, she wouldn't slack off.
As for the so-called Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, it is actually about purifying the roots of the thunder sakura trees located throughout Narukami Island.
To purify the filth accumulated at the roots of the thunder sakura trees.
Only in this way can the land of Narukami Island be kept stable.
In essence, the thunder sakura tree is quite similar to the sacred sakura tree at the Grand Narukami Shrine; it is a tree connected to the ley lines.
There is even a folk saying that the thunder sakura tree is actually the root system of the sacred sakura tree.
As for the truth, no one knows.
In any case, purifying the thunder sakura trees and cleansing their filth every once in a while is a task that the shrine's chief priestess must perform for generations.
Even if Yae Miko usually slacks off, she cannot be negligent at this moment.
After all, that is her duty as the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine... Afterward, Yae Miko left the Grand Narukami Shrine, descended Mt. Yougou, and arrived at a village on Narukami Island.
This village is called Konda Village.
Deep beneath Konda Village lies one of the roots of the thunder sakura tree.
Yae Miko's task is to go underground, unlock the barrier there, and then purify the filth on the thunder sakura tree root; that will complete the task.
However, there are a total of five places that need purification.
The location beneath Konda Village is only one of the thunder sakura tree roots.
Completing the purification of all of them will take a considerable amount of time.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"