Of course, these were just rumors circulating among the common people; what the Kamisato Clan knew was far more detailed.
According to the information sent back by the Shuumatsuban, after Domon woke up, he locked himself in his room and wouldn't open the door for anyone. If his disciples hadn't brought him food, he probably would have starved to death.
Connecting this to the symptoms of others who lost their Visions, Ayaka concluded that Domon also had some unknown changes.
Of course, as for the specifics, the Traveler would have to investigate it herself.
"Don't look at me. I just fulfilled one of his wishes. As for what changes he undergoes afterward, it has nothing to do with me." Shiki spread her hands.
"A wish? Does that mean the head of the school named Domon actually just wanted to fight Shiki?" Paimon asked.
"Precisely. Domon possessed a Vision, so he was naturally on the Vision Hunt Decree list. His condition for surrendering his Vision was to duel me."
"Domon has some prestige in Inazuma, and this wasn't a difficult condition to accept. The Tenryou Commission then sent me a letter through someone."
"Coincidentally, I had some time back then, so I went to the Tenryou Commission's training grounds. The result, of course, was as you've heard."
Shiki briefly explained the cause and course of events, yet just these few short sentences made Lumine re-evaluate her strength, raising her estimation even higher.
What did she mean by 'just happened to have some time and went'? It clearly showed extreme confidence in her own strength.
Moreover, when an ordinary person defeats a powerful opponent, their demeanor and tone often carry a slight hint of pride, and even Lumine herself is no exception to this.
Although she kept a low profile, she would still be happy if someone mentioned her impressive battle records.
However, Shiki's tone was very calm, so calm that it was as if she had just finished a meal. Lumine would not believe that the head of a top-tier sword school in a nation would be a mere figurehead.
"I understand. I will go visit the two people you mentioned. I hope you can then help me meet the Raiden Shogun."
"Heh heh, we will. The Kamisato Clan would not do something like go back on their word."
Ayaka said with a smile, then watched Thoma and the Traveler leave the Kamisato Estate.
"This Traveler is truly as decisive as you, doing whatever she says she will."
"Perhaps it's because she's always traveling. Hesitation isn't suitable for travel," Shiki said.
"That's true, but I'm curious when you met her. She's only been in Inazuma for a few days, hasn't she?"
Ayaka finally asked the question she had been holding back for a long time. If it weren't for Thoma's letter, she wouldn't even have known that the Traveler had arrived in Inazuma.
"It should have been on her first day in Inazuma, right? Do you remember the day we went to Yashiori Island to repair the warding stone? That evening, I had something to do and went to Ritou, and then I ran into her."
"So it was that day. No wonder you didn't stay, even though you were already very tired."
Ayaka lowered her head thoughtfully upon hearing this. Of course, what she was thinking was beyond Shiki's knowledge.
"It's not like I don't have a place to stay. I've already troubled you once; I can't trouble you again, can I?"
"It's no trouble, just one more person."
"Then we'll see about that. I still need to go to Tatarasuna. I'm leaving now."
With that, Shiki re-sheathed her Kujikanesada at her waist, then left the Kamisato Estate alone.
"Sigh…"
Gazing at the girl's retreating back, Ayaka sighed softly. Was this a block of wood from somewhere? Why couldn't she understand her true meaning?
Did she have to explicitly state her feelings? Did she not know how difficult that was for a reserved girl?
Ayaka's feelings for Shiki were still somewhat complicated, mainly because she wasn't quite sure what emotions she was feeling.
Although Inazuma's views on love had become much more open compared to thousands of years ago, it was still somewhat difficult for a well-bred young lady to admit she liked another girl.
Ayaka felt that simply being by the girl's side made her feel at ease. Shiki's every action tugged at her heart, and even her unintentional words made her ponder for a long time.
She didn't quite understand what this emotion was. Love? But shouldn't that be an emotion only between men and women?
Ayaka was, after all, just a girl in her prime. Although mature in thought, the matter of love could not be truly understood without experiencing it firsthand.
Emotion is a very strange thing. It can completely change a person's personality and can also bestow unimaginable power.
To understand this, Ayaka still had a long way to go.
On the other side, Shiki first teleported back to Konda Village to retrieve the crystallized marrow and the disc device dropped by the Fatui, then headed to Xavier's hut in Tatarasuna.
Knock, knock, knock!
Creak.
This time, Shiki didn't open the door herself; Xavier did.
"You're here, Ryougi Young Miss. Indeed, after a good night's sleep, it feels wonderful," Xavier said, stretching.
Shiki, meanwhile, tossed the backpack in her hand onto the ground. "Here, this is the crystallized marrow you wanted. I also prepared some spares for you."
"Whoa! That much?!" Xavier counted them, his face immediately filled with vigor.
For a scientist, what could be more exciting than having multiple materials for an experiment?
Shiki then used facts to tell him that there certainly was.
"By the way, do you know what this is for? I encountered the Fatui at the Mikage Furnace Core yesterday when I was collecting crystallized marrow, and this is what I found on them."
"The Fatui?" Xavier frowned upon hearing this. "Why would there be Fatui? Isn't this just a simple repair? Why would they be involved?"
"As for this device, I'll have to study it carefully. I can't tell anything just by looking at it."
Fontaine is a country that values law very much. Although Xavier was not a law professional, he still understood some things through osmosis. These Fatui were clearly trying to cause a diplomatic incident!
"It's fine; I'll handle the Fatui. You don't need to worry about that. You can focus on researching this item and manufacturing the purification device."
Shiki was expressionless, but the confidence in her words made Xavier cast his worries aside.
He was, after all, just an engineer. What did diplomacy have to do with him? Why should he worry about it?
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