Regarding Miko's little thoughts, guessing them wasn't particularly difficult for Cid, who had now stepped into the role of the Shura Anyakonsen-shou.
Back in the little wooden cabin, there had been two little foxes who got lonely and moody because of their arguments—that same scent.
With the answer in hand, working backward through the process...
Could Ei-sensei still come out from the Plane of Euthymia...?
As everyone knows, in a teacher's eyes, most students are just juniors—essentially children.
And Yae Miko had described Ei-sensei's behavior as that of a heartbroken child who had shut herself away in a little dark room.
Cute child = password correct.
Whenever it came to adorable little children, the old uncle would always have plenty of ideas on how to solve problems.
Regarding how to handle the relationship between one's own student and one's other personality...
Thinking about how the Raiden Shogun had begun earnestly studying in pursuit of eternity...
Although the core pursuit was eternity, the room for maneuver within it was truly vast.
While the Shura Anyakonsen-shou always jokingly called the Raiden Shogun an AI, deep down the old uncle felt that the Raiden Shogun actually did have emotions within her.
The example of Scaramouche alone proved that the Raiden Shogun's technology did not include erasing emotions. And then there was the Raiden Shogun's clear dissatisfaction with Yae Miko's attitude...
The old uncle already had an idea forming in his mind, but it was better not to speak too much about something that hadn't yet come to pass.
The Shura Anyakonsen-shou glanced at the location of the shrine building one last time before being pulled away by the adorable shrine maiden sisters to undergo the purification ceremony...
The subsequent part of the ritual was held beneath the Sacred Sakura.
The old uncle gazed at the Sacred Sakura, which resembled the shape of a fox, and for a moment fell deep into thought...
If memory served correctly, the Sacred Sakura was quite special. A final trace of consciousness from Raiden Makoto—Raiden Ei's older sister—remained within it, and she had even wielded the power of the ruler of time.
But unfortunately, toward the end of the ceremony, when the Shura Anyakonsen-shou placed his hand on the Sacred Sakura, the tree merely swayed gently in the wind a few times and showed no further reaction.
After the ceremony concluded, the Shura Anyakonsen-shou looked at the statue—already prepared by the shrine maidens, complete with a Shura mask—and fell silent.
This is bad... Am I about to get the same treatment as Her Excellency the Geo Archon's statue?
"Lord Shura Anyakonsen-shou, in accordance with the longstanding rules set by Her Excellency the Raiden Shogun since ancient times, we need to assign a shrine maiden specifically to serve as your liaison. Is there any shrine maiden you feel would be suitable?"
A dedicated shrine maiden liaison? It almost sounded like assigning a secretary to a boss.
To be honest, the old uncle liked shrine maiden outfits purely because he thought they looked nice.
But speaking of shrine maidens...
At this point in time, Kuki Shinobu should still be working as a shrine maiden here, right?
A shrine maiden version of little Kuki Shinobu without the mask...
Just thinking about it sparked a bit of interest in the old uncle.
However, it seemed Kuki Shinobu didn't particularly enjoy the rigid, rule-bound nature of shrine maiden work...
If the child didn't like it, it probably wouldn't be good to force her.
But what if, right now, the child had no objections?
The old uncle let the wind carry his message, and it wasn't long before he located little Kuki Shinobu, who had just finished helping with his ceremony.
Speaking of which, it was a little unexpected. Although in the original Genshin Impact storyline Kuki Shinobu had a teenage girl model, considering how many certifications she had earned—even studying abroad in Liyue—one might assume she was quite a bit older.
But looking at her now, she only seemed slightly older than little Hu Tao, and just a little younger than Xiangling—the nearly expired milk bun—and not by much.
Because of concerns about his own status, the old uncle didn't go straight to ask her. If he asked directly, whether she wanted to agree or not, she would probably feel compelled to say yes.
"I'm just an ordinary person. The title of Shura Anyakonsen-shou is actually more than I deserve, so let's do an anonymous vote. Those willing to serve as my shrine maiden, vote 'willing.' Those unwilling, vote 'unwilling.'"
The Shura Anyakonsen-shou put forward what seemed like a very strange request.