Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko's mood was at its absolute peak.
It was all because Su Xuan had revealed the true reason for Khaenri'ah's downfall in his diary. In the pink-haired fox's heart, he was no different from a savior now.
Shouldn't Khaenri'ah have been destroyed?
Of course it should have.
Not to mention their advanced civilization relying on forbidden Abyss knowledge, just the fact that they excavated the ley lines' elemental energy was reason enough for annihilation.
After all, everyone knew how crucial the ley lines were to the stability of the Teyvat Continent—and their importance to all living beings went without saying.
"As long as Ei understands the truth behind Khaenri'ah's fall, she'll surely reconsider her Path of Eternity."
"With him by her side, I bet Ei will figure it all out in no time."
Yae Miko picked up a piece of fried tofu and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm, so delicious..."
"If I ever get the chance to meet the diary's owner, I should thank him properly."
In stark contrast to Yae Miko's bliss,
Kujou Sara was utterly despondent.
Right or wrong, the Raiden Shogun's Path of Eternity was not for outsiders to interfere with.
If the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree had been proposed by the Tenryou Commission or Kanjou Commission, it wouldn't have felt so infuriating.
But the truth was that the Fatui had exploited the authority of those commissions to meddle in Inazuma's internal affairs.
This confirmed the betrayal by the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions.
As a Shogunate Army general, Kujou Sara's mindset had completely crumbled.
Yae Miko glanced at her but paid it no mind.
After all, once Raiden Ei returned, everything would be fine.
What she cared about most right now was the diary's next update.
"Su Xuan finished breakfast, updated some stuff about Ei and Khaenri'ah, and then nothing."
"The sun's about to set already."
Yae Miko munched on her fried tofu, chuckling as she stared at the photo in the diary of Raiden Ei kneeling before Su Xuan. "What on earth has he been up to all day?"
Yashiori Island.
A few booming thunderclaps jolted the unconscious Raiden Ei awake.
"Urgh!" Raiden Ei shook her head, her gaze dazed as she scanned her surroundings.
The makeshift shelter was the same, the only change being a few scattered clothes on the ground.
She was certain they were the ones she'd been wearing.
"What happened?" Raiden Ei clutched her throbbing head, trying hard to recall events.
She only remembered agreeing to assist Su Xuan in probing her secrets.
During the process, she'd encountered a strange sensation for the first time in her life.
Unable to resist it, her entire body felt drained of strength.
Raiden Ei recalled Su Xuan retracting the telekinesis ring binding her, nearly causing her to fall.
But he'd caught her.
Then he'd placed her on a flat platform.
In a haze, she felt her plump legs being lifted.
Followed by a terrifying pressure entering her body.
"I think my body instinctively locked around Su Xuan's neck... and then my memory cuts off..."
Raiden Ei slowly sat up.
She only remembered Su Xuan's probing method resembling mochi-pounding during festivals.
One heavy strike, and an indescribable weight made stars explode in her vision.
"I see... I must have passed out from being unable to withstand such immense force?" Raiden Ei murmured to herself.
She sat there stunned for a while, then absentmindedly touched her cheek with a finger. "Honestly, though I don't quite get the mechanics, it felt pretty good."
A few seconds later, Raiden Ei decided to ask Su Xuan what was going on.
She tried to stand and pick up her clothes from the ground, but her legs gave out, sending her plopping back down.
"Hiss..." Raiden Ei winced. "Why does it still hurt a bit?"
"Speaking of which, where did Su Xuan go?"
"Hm? The diary..."
[Yashiori Island's ghost weather is unbearable.]
[Because of Orobashi, there are intensified thunderstorms and rain, with lightning striking now and then.]
[It's all because of Raiden Ei that I'm soaked to the bone, feeling sticky and miserable.]
[Though I'm unaffected by Orobashi and don't have to worry about bathing in the polluted seawater around here.]
[Still, I can't accept bathing in contaminated seawater.]
[Fine, time to use the Snake God Suppressors to purify the surrounding seawater.]
[I'll set up some clean water source and make a hot spring bath.]
Raiden Ei: "????"
I splashed you with water? I don't remember using water on you at all. I don't sleepwalk.
Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko's pink ears perked up.
"Ei splashed him with water?"
"What were they doing that involved water?"
"Cooking?" Yae Miko's pupils shrank, and she burst into laughter. "No way. Su Xuan surely knows Ei's cooking skills—even he probably wouldn't dare try it."
The scheming pink fox scrutinized the words carefully once more.
Her eyes widened, and she shot to her feet with a "whoosh."
The motion startled the deflated Kujou Sara awake.
"Head Priestess, what... what's wrong..." Kamisato Ayaka looked bewildered. "Hm? Look, that light screen from before is back."
Even though night had fallen, the brilliant thunderbolts in the sky still illuminated the ground clearly.
A figure encased in a light orb wandered Yashiori Island until he stopped before a shrine.
"Why is he alone? Where's the General?" Kujou Sara cried out anxiously. "Could it be, could it be that because the General splashed him with water, he killed her in a rage?"
Yae Miko: "....."
"You're being paranoid." Yae Miko rolled her eyes at Kujou Sara. "Rest assured, Ei is perfectly safe right now."
The cunning fox finally pieced it all together.
No wonder Su Xuan had earlier said he wasn't getting involved with Yashiori Island—after a full day, he'd suddenly changed his tune.
Ei must have paid the corresponding price. Though what price...
Yae Miko's face lit up with mischief, and for some reason, she snickered inwardly. "Wonder who came out on top in their negotiations."
"But forcing Ei to splash him all over... Su Xuan must have the upper hand."
"What overwhelming momentum..."