"I see. That girl wishes to stay overnight? In that case, let her go to the side room. The Kamisato Clan is not so poor as to be unable to accommodate someone seeking lodging."
"I understand. I will take my leave. I hope Young Miss Ayaka gets some rest soon."
Madarame Hyakubei bowed and then left. And just as he stepped out of the room, a tall man emerged from the shadows.
"Thoma."
"I'm here, Young Miss," the blond youth responded.
"Go and attend to this guest, and prepare some food for her as well."
While it was said to be attending, it also carried the meaning of surveillance. Kindness does not equate to foolishness. From the fact that she carried a sword, it was clear that the other party was skilled in martial arts, and Thoma, who possessed a Vision, could easily keep her in check.
allogenes can easily overpower ordinary people; this is a widely acknowledged fact on the continent of Teyvat. No matter how weak the Vision holder is, controlling elemental power is a clear dividing line.
Thoma left the room and entered the courtyard. By this time, Shiki had already been led into the courtyard by Madarame Hyakubei, and Thoma spotted her immediately.
There was no way around it; among a group of ordinary-looking guards, the appearance of a girl whose beauty rivaled that of their own Young Miss was bound to attract attention.
"Hello, I am Thoma, the Kamisato Clan's housekeeper. I will show you to your room for the night."
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Shiki. I must thank the Kamisato Clan for their hospitality. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to spend the night."
Shiki thanked him. Did she have nowhere to sleep? Of course not. Thanks to the Waypoint, she could teleport back to Konda Village at any time.
But as she had said before, she wanted to establish a good relationship with the Kamisato Clan. While staying overnight was an imposition, it would provide a topic for future contact with the Kamisato Clan.
"Alright, Miss Ryougi, do you need any food? There are still quite a few leftover snacks in the kitchen."
"If it's not too much trouble, then yes, please."
It was rather... Shiki still hadn't had dinner. She would bet that if she said no, her stomach would definitely start rumbling.
It wasn't rumbling now out of respect for her, but if she tried to be strong and let her stomach growl, that would be too embarrassing.
"No trouble at all. It's good if they can be put to use; otherwise, they'd just be thrown away after today anyway," Thoma said, waving his hand dismissively.
Led by Thoma, Shiki arrived at the innermost room on the second floor.
One could only say that it was indeed the residence of a prominent family. This room was simply far superior to the Tejima family's.
Take the simplest table, for example: the Kamisato Clan used top-grade Yumemiru Wood, and Shiki could even smell a faint cherry blossom scent from it.
As for the one in the Tejima family's house...
Shiki considered it good if she didn't classify it as a defective product.
"Hmm... It feels like the difference over these five hundred years isn't that great. The Kamisato Clan is still the same as when I was around," Ioroi said, sitting on the tatami mat.
"The Kamisato Clan has always held the position of Yashiro Commission since ancient times, so their changes naturally wouldn't be significant."
"But Inazuma City is different. It's the center of Inazuma. Let alone five hundred years, ten years is enough for it to undergo rapid changes."
Shiki was very much looking forward to Ioroi's reaction upon arriving in Inazuma City. One must know that when Raiden Ei emerged from the Isshin Pure Land and came to Inazuma City, she was like a country bumpkin.
But what should Ioroi be called? A country bumpkin boy?
After a while, Thoma came with some snacks. During this time, he chatted with her, mostly wanting to gather more information. Shiki was happy to oblige, as it was just some unnecessary information anyway.
Things like which school she belonged to or her strength—it didn't matter if she told him; it was no big deal.
"Young Miss, regarding the person who came to stay overnight today, I have made some discoveries," Thoma said after entering the study.
"Do you remember the magazine Ogura Shop released a month ago? The special model who became famous throughout Inazuma City is this guest."
"And what I didn't expect is that this model is also a highly skilled swordswoman. I can feel a sharp edge from her."
As a martial artist, Thoma's perception of aura was naturally extraordinary, especially since he was already skilled in this area.
Although the girl hid herself very well, he still managed to detect her.
"Oh? This is very interesting. I think her visit this time isn't merely for lodging, Thoma. Perhaps the Kamisato Clan can gain the friendship of another strong individual."
Ayaka chuckled softly. She knew that the Kujou Clan's eldest son was very fond of this person, but would a highly skilled martial artist be content to be someone's wife?
Ayaka felt that she wouldn't, at least she was sure Shiki wouldn't, otherwise she wouldn't have remained out of sight in Inazuma City until now.
So, the other party did not want to be involved with the Kujou Clan's eldest son, which made her stay here worth pondering deeply.
The vast Kujou Clan would not make a big fuss over a single woman, nor would they fall out with the Kamisato Clan over one.
The Kamisato Clan could guarantee that the Kujou Clan would not use their family's power to trouble Shiki, but whether the Kamisato Clan would intervene would depend on whether the girl was worth befriending.
Ayaka believed that as long as her character was upright enough, even if the girl was just an ordinary person, she would extend a helping hand to block the Kujou Clan.
But if her character was bad, let alone helping, ignoring each other would be the best outcome.
"Thoma, next time Miss Ryougi comes, please inform me," Ayaka said.
"Huh? Young Miss, do you have something to discuss with her? If so, I'll call her over tomorrow morning. Who knows when she'll come again?" Thoma asked, a bit confused.
"No, just wait until next time, and it won't be long. Some things only have sincerity when said by the person themselves, don't you agree?"
Ayaka smiled gently, letting her properly assess the other party's character.
Meanwhile, in the guest room on the other side...
"Hey, Ioroi, don't fight me for it, okay? I haven't had dinner tonight!"
Shiki said, grabbing Ioroi by the scruff of his neck. Seeing this, Ioroi quickly swallowed the snack in his mouth and mumbled indistinctly:
"You've only missed one night, but I haven't eaten anything for five hundred years!"
"Eh, since you haven't eaten for five hundred years, it doesn't matter if you eat today or not, right? Besides, I'm human and you're a demon. You're fine not eating or drinking for five hundred years, but I'm starving if I miss one meal!"
Shiki put Ioroi aside and snatched the snack from his hand.
"That's true... No, wait, what do you mean it doesn't matter if I eat today? Yokai also need to satisfy their cravings, you know!"
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