At the very instant Sasayuri completely collapsed into Ei's arms,
it felt as though half of her inner world shattered all at once.
"I clearly promised you…"
"Why… why did you still fall asleep?"
"Liar…"
...
Narukami Island did not erupt in celebration even after the long, devastating war finally came to an end.
From the heavy grief lingering among the gods and the great clans, everyone realized one thing—
That warm, kind-hearted general would never return.
From the day Sasayuri passed away,
Kitsune Saiguu and Mikoshi Chiyo noticed something.
The Ei who once laughed and joked with everyone beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree, sharing meals and stories, never smiled again.
Day after day, she did only one thing—
holding that small pink fox plush, gazing endlessly in the direction of Yashiori Island.
Places she had once walked through with Sasayuri—Tsurumi Island, Seirai Island—
after resolving the Thunderbird whose hatred and rage had clouded its reason, Ei never set foot on those lands again.
Unlike Yae Miko, who often went to Yashiori Island to mourn the dead,
Ei chose a different path.
Whenever she missed Sasayuri,
she would lock herself away in a small world no one else could find.
In that private world, she let her thoughts wander freely.
In that private world, she replayed every moment she had ever shared with Sasayuri.
But unfortunately…
The blows dealt to her already fragile heart came one after another.
Her only family—her closest sister—
Raiden Makoto,
fell in a war hundreds of years later.
The oni girl, Mikoshi Chiyo,
lost herself in pitch-black corruption, her sanity shattered, and raised her blade against Ei.
Left with no other choice, Ei severed the arm holding the sword and shattered the horn atop her head.
Looking at this former friend,
Ei could not bring herself to deliver the final blow.
She could only allow Mikoshi Chiyo to flee into the mountains of Inazuma.
Some said they saw a heavily wounded, one-armed girl escape toward the Dark Sea beyond the islands.
Others said… Mikoshi Chiyo, amid anguished howls in the wilderness, took her own life.
What was returned to the Mikoshi clan was only the sword guard she had once cherished beyond all else.
No matter which version was true,
Ei never again saw the girl who once wore the most infectious smile beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Then, five hundred years ago…
A war from the Abyss broke out.
Kitsune Saiguu, to protect the Inazuma treasured by her friends,
was completely annihilated in battle.
Her soul returned to the earth.
One cherished person after another disappeared.
The final line of defense in Ei's heart completely collapsed.
She sealed herself away in the Plane of Euthymia.
Because she believed that in a world with nothing at all,
she would lose nothing ever again.
Years later, one day—
Yae Miko finally saw her old friend once more.
"I brought you something," Yae Miko said with a gentle smile, placing a clay doll into Ei's hands.
"This is…?"
Ei's pupils contracted slightly.
The doll had handsome features.
On its back were the black wings distinctive of the Tengu of Mt. Yougou.
Yae Miko looked out toward the distant sea and said,
"I went to Liyue a while ago. I saw they sell little dolls of Morax there."
"So I thought—if you could see a doll of Sasayuri, your mood might improve."
"That's why I personally oversaw the craftsmen and had them shape it step by step according to how I remembered Sasayuri."
She smiled at Ei.
"You've been hiding in the Plane of Euthymia all day, my friend. Do you like the gift I brought you?"
"Your gentle expression… it resembles Sasayuri," Ei said softly.
She showed no obvious excitement toward the doll.
But the way she held it tightly to her chest, cherishing it with utmost care—
Yae Miko could tell at a glance that Ei truly loved it.
Several more years passed.
Ei spent her days facing the doll, lost in endless contemplation.
"Why can I only face your doll like this?"
"I am a god…"
"If only I could create someone exactly like you to stay by my side… how wonderful that would be."
Once that thought appeared, it refused to leave her mind.
Using divine power,
Ei finally created a boy.
But her abilities were what they were.
She couldn't even make sweets properly—
how could she possibly craft the person in her heart perfectly?
When she created a small-statured boy with an independent personality,
she realized—
This boy was not only different from Sasayuri in appearance,
his personality was entirely unlike him as well.
Even now, Ei remembered clearly
the scene when she brought the artificial human to meet Yae Miko.
"Ei, I believe you know better than anyone," Yae Miko said.
"He can never replace Lord Sasayuri in our hearts."
"And he will never become Lord Sasayuri."
"Living forever in another person's shadow—this life is cruel."
"If Lord Sasayuri knew what you had done, he wouldn't be moved by it either."
"Stop," she said quietly. "I don't want to see him again."
...
Just as Yae Miko said,
the artificial human could never take Sasayuri's place.
So Ei let him go.
It was said that later, he became a wanderer,
naming himself Kunikuzushi.
Later still, he joined the Fatui
and became one of the Eleven Harbingers—Scaramouche.
Because creating him was a mistake from the very beginning,
Ei carried guilt toward Kunikuzushi.
Perhaps as compensation,
over the years she turned a blind eye to many of the things he did.
After that experience,
Ei decided to create an artificial being without an independent personality—
one that could be managed entirely by herself.
That way, she could live alone in her small world, free from disturbance.
And thus, her second creation came to be—
the Raiden Shogun.
"So… all these years have already passed…"
As Ei reflected on the pain she had endured,
there was a smile on her lips.
Because she knew—
Her Sasayuri was coming back.
Liyue, Liuli Pavilion.
The idle conversation between Yae Miko and Lin Mo had just come to an end.
Smiling at him, Yae Miko asked,
"So, Lord Sasayuri, when do you plan to come with me to Inazuma?"
"Well… everyone's still at Mt. Aozang,"
Lin Mo said with a bitter smile.
"At the very least, I need to say my goodbyes, don't I?"
Yae Miko was far from satisfied with that answer.
Having heard from Lin Mo about the hundreds of promises Ei once made to him,
her expectations had soared.
She wished she could immediately drag him in front of Ei and say—
Stop hiding in your little world already. Come out and fulfill your promises.
At that moment, a sly glint flashed through Yae Miko's eyes.
"I have news about Mikoshi Chiyo and Kitsune Saiguu."
"What?!"
Lin Mo's eyes widened in shock.
"Aren't they… already dead?"
--------
T/N:
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