"She is just a mere tengu from the Kujou Clan. How could she possibly compare to me? Even though that Kujou tengu took my Vision, I refuse to accept it. If she has the guts, she can wrestle me in the middle of the street. I would definitely win, hahahaha."
Itto's brimming confidence left Su Bai speechless. Itto was likely the only person in all of Inazuma who could say something like that with such immense pride. Although Su Bai was not an expert on Inazuman culture, he still knew that wrestling in the streets required taking off your jacket.
Asking Kujou Sara to take off her jacket and wrestle you in the middle of the street... you really have some imagination.
Su Bai looked at Itto as if he were staring at a fearless warrior.
"Itto, it is a miracle you have survived this long. If I were Kujou Sara, I definitely would not let you off so easily."
"Huh? Su Bai, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, keep talking."
Hearing Itto mention that Kujou Sara had taken his Vision as a trophy after defeating him, Su Bai finally noticed that Itto was indeed missing his Vision. What Su Bai could not figure out, however, was why losing it had absolutely no effect on him. According to Albedo's research, were people who lost their Visions not supposed to become completely lost and despondent?
Still unable to figure it out after thinking about it the whole way, Su Bai followed Itto to the Arataki Gang's headquarters. Itto proudly pointed at the building.
"This is my Arataki Gang headquarters. How is it? Not bad, right?"
"Not bad, Itto. You actually had enough Mora to buy a house in Inazuma City."
Before Su Bai could offer a few more words of praise, several voices begging for mercy suddenly echoed from inside the house. Hearing the pleas, Su Bai's ears twitched. He sighed inwardly.
As expected of Itto, he really cannot handle being praised.
Itto's expression turned a bit awkward. He coughed loudly twice, seemingly trying to warn the people inside. Unfortunately, his warning seemed to have no effect, as a female voice rang out from within.
"Boss, you are back! That is great. My newly researched roasted Lavender Melons are just done. Come and taste them."
As she spoke, a green-haired girl dressed in a ninja outfit walked out, carrying a plate of roasted Lavender Melons. Right behind her, Genta and the other two members clutched Ushi, muttered something about going to work, and immediately bolted.
Perhaps because they were running too fast, the three of them completely failed to notice Su Bai standing next to Itto. Ushi did spot him, but since he was being carried away in someone's arms, the little bull could only watch helplessly as Su Bai grew further and further away.
"Hmph. I just injected a little bit of Jueyun Chili juice into the Lavender Melons. Is it really that bad?"
"Wait. Boss, you brought a guest? Why did you not say so earlier?"
Looking at the green-haired girl who bore a striking resemblance to Yoimiya, Su Bai could not help but feel a bit curious. Yoimiya had once mentioned that she was adopted by old man Ryuunosuke. Could this girl who looked so much like Yoimiya actually share a blood relation with her?
Noticing Su Bai staring at her, Kuki Shinobu felt a bit flustered.
Did something get on my face while I was roasting the Lavender Melons? That would be so embarrassing for the boss.
Itto, on the other hand, did not overthink it and simply introduced her to Su Bai.
"Su Bai, this is the second-in-command of our Arataki Gang, Shinobu. She is very smart. Ever since you left Inazuma, she has bailed me out of jail countless times."
"Hello. I am Su Bai, a childhood friend of Itto."
"Hello. I am Kuki Shinobu. It is nice to meet you."
Seeing that they had introduced themselves, Itto dragged Su Bai inside. Having not seen him in over two years, Itto just wanted to have a good drinking session with him. Once inside, he left Su Bai in Shinobu's care to entertain, while he went deeper into the house to search for the fine liquor Ayato had previously gifted him.
In the living room, the more Su Bai looked at Shinobu, the more she reminded him of Yoimiya. However, since it was their first time meeting, he felt it would be inappropriate to outright ask if she had an older sister who had been lost to the outside world. Their relationship was not quite close enough for that yet.
"Shinobu, is it alright if I call you that?"
"Of course, Su Bai. You are the boss's friend, so I believe we can be friends too. Besides, we have actually met before. You just did not notice me."
Huh? Met before?
A massive question mark popped into Su Bai's mind. He genuinely had no memory of this. Seeing his confusion, Shinobu explained.
"I worked as a shrine maiden at the Grand Narukami Shrine for a period of time. However, back then, you spent most of your time with Guuji Yae and Senior Sister Hanachirusato, so you simply did not notice me."
"Uh, Shinobu, you used to be a shrine maiden? Then why..."
Hearing that Shinobu used to be a shrine maiden, Su Bai could not quite understand why she would resign from such a position to join the Arataki Gang. One had to know that being a shrine maiden at the Grand Narukami Shrine was the ultimate iron rice bowl. As long as Inazuma stood, the Grand Narukami Shrine would always exist.
The benefits for the shrine maidens were absolutely top-tier. Not to mention the salary, which far exceeded the Inazuman standard, just the gifts from the various noble families that Yae Miko distributed to the shrine maidens during the holidays were enough to make anyone green with envy.
Thinking about her time as a shrine maiden, Shinobu silently recalled the intelligence she had gathered on Su Bai. This younger brother of Guuji Yae was not someone to be trifled with. Back in the day, among the Three Heroes of Inazuma, he represented supreme backing. There were even rumors that he could go meet the Raiden Shogun without prior notice, something that not even the heads of the Three Commissions could do. She truly had no idea why someone like him would take a liking to her boss.
"Rest assured, the boss would never force others to do things against their will. Besides, I do not think he even has the brains for it."
"I joined the Arataki Gang for the sake of freedom. I hate the feeling of being restrained."
Even though Shinobu was badmouthing Itto right to his face, Su Bai did not feel offended at all. There was nothing he could do about it, considering everything she said was the absolute truth.
"I see. That is good. With you around, Itto is being kept in check and will not cause any massive disturbances."
"...Actually, the boss has already caused every possible disturbance he could. I am just doing my best to bail him out."
Shinobu and Su Bai exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. If she had not consulted her senior sister, Yanfei, on how to defend against the various laws Itto was likely to break, he would probably be eating a lot of free prison meals right now.
Thinking back on it, Shinobu could not help but smile. She would never forget the first time she went to the prison to bail him out. Her boss had actually put on an act, pretending his arrest was just a minor miscalculation. It was at that moment she realized the Arataki Gang truly possessed the kind of freedom she yearned for.
It was also at that time that Shinobu decided she would make the Arataki Gang great. Even if she could not make them a massive organization, she would at least ensure everyone had full stomachs. As it turned out, she had indeed succeeded.
"Su Bai, I am here! It looks like you and Shinobu had a good chat. Shinobu, come have a drink with us. This is the strong liquor Ayato gave me."
"No thanks. You and Su Bai go ahead and drink. I will go prepare a few dishes for you."
What kind of girl drinks such strong liquor? The boss really is an idiot.
After silently roasting her boss in her mind, Shinobu stood up and headed toward the kitchen. Since they had a guest, she could not just serve two plates of roasted Lavender Melons. Even though she knew Su Bai would not mind, she still needed to protect her boss's dignity.