The moment Lumine aimed the Kamera of Memories at Lin Mo, a terrifying vision flashed through her mind.
In that vision, the sky twisted violently and waves towered to the heavens. A colossal serpent—so massive its body could coil around an entire island—rampaged across the lightning-shrouded land.
Standing against this monstrous serpent was a great tengu general with black wings.
Sometimes he wielded a bow of thunder, each arrow unleashing a storm of lightning.
Other times he fought with a blade, every strike against the serpent's scales sending sparks flying.
But even so, the serpent seemed like an immortal beast, its demonic power tearing through the island unchecked.
In the end, the tengu general's strength failed him.
The serpent slammed him into the earth with overwhelming force—his fate uncertain.
The vision ended there.
This was what Lumine had seen through the Kamera of Memories—fragments of the past.
These were events she was supposed to uncover gradually during her quest on Yashiori Island. But through the Kamera, she glimpsed Lin Mo's past life—his battles here as Sasayuri.
"It's nothing, Paimon. Let's just find the next Kitsune statue," Lumine said calmly.
She didn't explain. She simply focused on the task at hand.
Because she now clearly understood—the tengu general in her vision… the one who once flew toward the Jade Chamber with his wings spread…
was Lin Mo.
If she wished to learn the full story, she could ask him directly when the time came.
"Whew… good thing they're gone. I don't know what they saw in that Kamera…" Lin Mo exhaled only after Lumine and Paimon walked off into the distance.
"Mmm… Teacher… what… are we doing…?"
Sayu's lazy little voice came from atop his head.
"Huh? Why can't you stretch…?"
"Eh? Sayu… turned into a leaf?"
puff—!
A cloud of smoke burst, and both Lin Mo and Sayu returned to human form.
"Now that should work."
Lin Mo smiled.
"Fuwaaah…"
Sayu immediately stretched both tiny arms upward in a big, sleepy yawn.
Even while stretching, she still looked exhausted, her half-lidded eyes drifting sleepily toward Lin Mo.
"Sayu… still wants to sleep…"
"You…"
Lin Mo sighed helplessly. "Just wait a bit. Once we reach Mt. Yougou, I'll ask Lady Yae to prepare a special napping spot just for you, alright?"
"Huh…? A special… napping spot…?"
Sayu's eyes sparkled with longing.
"And… it won't be somewhere the shrine maidens can find… right?"
"That depends on whether you can make Lady Yae happy~"
"Ah… that Guuji…"
Sayu's tiny face instantly scrunched up in misery.
"She… she always rubs my head."
"I don't dare bite her… and I don't dare fight back…"
"If I refuse… it feels like something terrible will happen…"
"Yae simply likes how you look—wanting to resist but too scared to do it," Lin Mo coaxed gently. "Let her rub your head, and you get peaceful naps every day. Sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it?"
"But… what if head-rubbing makes me stop growing…?"
Sayu asked timidly.
Those hopeful, nervous eyes made it obvious—the deal was tempting her.
"You're barely ever rubbed, and you still haven't grown, have you~?"
Lin Mo blurted it out without thinking.
And instantly realized—
…he said the quiet part out loud.
"How could this be…? How could this happen…"
Sayu's face collapsed into despair again.
"Teacher, you're just like Arataki Itto… always teasing me for being short…"
"And you both love patting my head!"
"Itto, huh? That noisy guy even calls me 'big bro'."
Sayu's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"See? You are in cahoots! You're all here just to bully me!"
"That's not important."
Lin Mo waved it off. Then leaned close, voice low and mysterious:
"What matters is… during my years traveling outside, I found a way to help you grow taller."
"R-Really!?"
Sayu's eyes lit up instantly.
"If you want, Sayu could grow as tall as Arataki Itto~"
He painted the dream for her.
And just as expected—
Sayu swallowed it whole.
"As tall as Arataki Itto…!?"
Her gaze shimmered with pure yearning.
"Teacher! Sayu was rude earlier!"
She bowed deeply. "I'm sorry! Sayu knows she was wrong!"
All for a way to grow taller.
It had been years since she'd shown Lin Mo such earnest respect.
And indeed—
a method to make her grow quickly did exist.
As a master alchemist capable of creating powerful lifeforms, helping a child grow was no challenge at all.
He could even reshape her into a tall, stunning beauty rivaling the Fatui Mirror Maiden if he wanted.
But…
Lin Mo looked at the tiny, adorable Sayu, and a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
She was far too cute.
How could he bear to let her actually grow up?
She was still young.
He could stall her growth for decades and "fix" it later.
"The more obedient you are, the faster you'll grow," he reminded with a smile.
"Sayu… will listen to Teacher…!"
She forced herself to appear energetic despite her drowsiness.
Then, suddenly remembering something, she blinked and asked:
"Teacher… what are we doing now? Some kind of secret information-gathering mission?"
"Mm. Yes."
Lin Mo nodded, glancing toward the distant figures of Lumine and Paimon.
He could faintly see Hanachirusato as well.
It was time.
He needed to approach Hanachirusato—
to speak with her, even briefly.
If he could just exchange a few words, he was confident he could tell whether this woman was the same one who once lay in his arms beneath the sakura blossoms.
With that thought, Lin Mo gently rubbed Sayu's head again.
"Sayu, Teacher needs your help."
"Sayu can help…
but… Teacher… can you please stop rubbing my head…"
Sayu pleaded weakly, too scared to actually push his hand away.
Lin Mo pointed toward the abandoned shrine.
"See the masked shrine maiden on the rooftop?
Go ask her to come here."
"Tell her that someone here can help cleanse the corruption from the Sacred Sakura.
She'll follow you."
Sayu swallowed nervously… then nodded.
And the mission began.
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T/N:
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