Tricking Ayaka... A Total Failure!
"Shogun? What Shogun?" Paimon scratched her head upon hearing this. "Where's the Shogun?"
"The Raiden Shogun?" Lumine's mind worked a little faster, and she asked tentatively.
If she was the Raiden Shogun, then everything made sense. From Venti to Zhongli, it was obvious they knew about her brother and herself, but for some reason, neither of them could speak about it directly.
In that case, it would be perfectly normal for the Electro Archon, another god of this generation, to know as well.
Xia Yu smiled at the two of them. "Now you know why I've been wearing this conical hat the entire time, little Paimon."
"Huh? You mean... you're the Raiden Shogun?!" Paimon froze in midair.
"Your Excellency, please forgive Ayaka's discourtesy." Kamisato Ayaka finally managed to collect her chaotic emotions and prepared to bow deeply to Xia Yu.
However, Xia Yu stopped her in midair with an invisible force.
"Hey, don't bow to me." Xia Yu shook her head. "I'm not the god you worship."
"I was just complaining to you about the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. Were I the Raiden Shogun, I'd cut down the Kanjou Commission with one slash, cut down the Tenryou Commission with another, and Inazuma would immediately become thirty percent more stable. Then I'd abolish the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"But look." She spread her hands. "All I can do is sit here and complain about government policies with you instead of issuing orders directly to the Shogunate."
"But..." Kamisato Ayaka still found it difficult to accept. "You clearly look so much like her..."
"Oh, it seems the rumors about the Yashiro Commission losing influence are true." Xia Yu rubbed her chin. "Kujou Sara was only shocked for a moment before recognizing that I wasn't her. Yae Miko never mistook me for her in the first place."
"Only Sangonomiya Kokomi, who has barely interacted with the Electro Archon, thought I was the Electro Archon just as you did."
"You truly aren't..." Kamisato Ayaka stared at that face and found the entire situation utterly absurd. "You possess such a noble surname and a face identical to that of a god..."
"Huh? Is Sister Mei's surname particularly noble?" Paimon scratched her head.
"You two are visitors from abroad, so naturally, you don't understand Inazuma's traditions," Kamisato Ayaka explained. "In a Dominion ruled by the Electro Archon, only one person may bear the surname Raiden, and that is Her Excellency the Shogun."
"But your Shogun doesn't have horns," Xia Yu said casually. "Nor would she sit here and complain about this country with you."
"Then you must still have an extraordinary connection with Her Excellency the Shogun," Kamisato Ayaka said with certainty. "After all..."
She looked at Xia Yu's face. Claiming that two people who shared such an identical appearance had no connection whatsoever was nothing short of a joke.
"Think whatever you like." Xia Yu shook her head. "Well, if you're hoping to use me to offer advice to your god, I can only tell you to give up."
"Based on the information I possess, the moment the two of us meet, a fight will be unavoidable."
"Hey, in that case, why doesn't the Yashiro Commission consider supporting me?" she joked. "You could enthrone me as the new Electro Archon or something. When the time comes, I certainly won't mistreat you after you've earned the merit of supporting my rise to power~~~"
"Of course, the same goes for Lumine and Paimon. Once I become the Electro Archon, I'll appoint you as my Left and Right Protectors! You won't even have to pay for food! The Shogunate will cover everything!"
"Really?" Paimon rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Left and Right Protectors... Hehe~~~ That sounds so imposing! And our food expenses would be reimbursed too~~~"
"But there's one problem." Lumine glanced sideways at Paimon. "Can we really defeat the Raiden Shogun?"
"Didn't we hear about it before boarding the ship? She cut an entire island in half with a single slash!"
"Ahem. Miss Mei, please don't joke about such things." Kamisato Ayaka felt this was not a subject she should discuss. "Some matters... Ahem. It would be best not to speak of them."
"Really?" Xia Yu discarded her casual expression and looked seriously at Kamisato Ayaka. "The truth is, I'm the Raiden Shogun's successor. Don't believe me? Look at my face. I'm actually the shared descendant of her and Torachiyo. I inherited her face and Torachiyo's Oni Horns."
"I believe her policies have grown increasingly muddleheaded. Thousands of years of erosion have exhausted her mind. Just as elderly Humans reminisce about the past during the final years of their lives, she has likewise become immersed in memories of bygone days."
Xia Yu's expression grew increasingly solemn. "That's why she issued the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree. She wants to preserve Inazuma forever at the most beautiful moment in her memories, no matter how many people die in the process."
"I tried to persuade her many times, but she was as stubborn as an elderly person set in their ways. In the end, I could only leave Tenshukaku in disappointment. From Narukami Island to Kannazuka, then Yashiori Island and Watatsumi Island, I traveled throughout all of Inazuma."
"I saw the people starving amid the chaos of war, never knowing whether they would survive until tomorrow. I saw the Shogunate Army lure them aboard ships in the name of hope, only to scuttle those ships and announce that Watatsumi Island had attacked them."
"I saw the people of Watatsumi Island tightening their belts to save even a single grain of food for the front lines, because they knew that if they lost, every last one of them would be starved to death."
"After traveling across Inazuma, all I saw was oppression and resistance. The Shogunate has long since become as rotten as the Electro Archon herself. I saw the Tenryou Commission cooperate with the Fatui for the sake of power and use the residents of Yashiori Island as test subjects."
"I saw members of the Kanjou Commission extorting money on a massive scale, leaving the people of Inazuma unable to make a living."
"And the Yashiro Commission—you did nothing." Xia Yu narrowed her eyes slightly. "As one of the Tri-Commissions, you did absolutely nothing!"
"It's good that Ayaka didn't do anything." Paimon breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought Ayaka had committed terrible deeds as well, but Paimon actually had a rather favorable impression of her.
"Stupid Paimon." Lumine glanced at her. "'Did nothing' isn't a compliment."
"That is correct, Lady Paimon." Kamisato Ayaka took a deep breath. "For a government department, doing nothing means dereliction of duty."
"Huh?" Paimon scratched her head. "But didn't you say Ayaka submitted petitions to the Shogun?"
"But none of them had any effect." Kamisato Ayaka sighed helplessly. "My apologies, Lady Mei. The Yashiro Commission's words carry little weight, and our power is limited. Even though my brother and I have done everything possible to mediate, we have been unable to change Inazuma's current situation."
"No, I've wronged you." Xia Yu smiled ambiguously. "You've actually done quite a lot."
"On the surface, you obey the Shogunate, but in secret, you help people with Visions escape. The Shuumatsuban is under your command as well, if I remember correctly. You've used them to gather a great deal of evidence regarding the Tenryou Commission and Kanjou Commission's corruption and false accusations against civilians."
"You were the ones who provided hiding places and temporary shelter for the Vision holders scattered across Narukami Island, Konda Village, and Chinju Forest, weren't you? Oh, I also remember that you're in contact with Watatsumi Island. You can even arrange for some of the wanted Vision holders to be sent there?"
Watching Kamisato Ayaka's complexion turn slightly pale, Xia Yu continued, "To outsiders, Komore Teahouse is an ordinary teahouse, but internally, it serves as the Yashiro Commission's secret liaison point. You don't merely help those whose Visions haven't been confiscated. You also help the ordinary people who have already lost their Visions and now live in a daze, listening to their suffering, correct?"
"As expected of the Shirasagi Himegimi of the Kamisato Clan."
"So you know everything after all." Kamisato Ayaka smiled bitterly. "In that case, Lady Mei, since you understand the Kamisato Clan so thoroughly, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Hey, it wasn't me. I didn't do anything." Xia Yu waved her hands. "As someone who spends all year traveling abroad, how could I possibly understand Inazuma's internal affairs so thoroughly?"
"Yae told me all of this. Did you honestly believe your actions could be hidden from the Electro Archon's Retainer?"
"In the Inazuma of today, the Shogun has become muddleheaded and the Shogunate has grown corrupt. Someone must step forward and carry out sweeping reforms, restoring peace and justice to Inazuma! As the newly born Electro Archon, I cannot shirk this responsibility!"
"Watatsumi Island now stands with me. The overwhelming majority of Inazuma's Vision holders have been forced to stand with me. Aside from Narukami Island, the people affected by the war all stand with me."
"Even the Electro Archon's Retainer stands with me."
Xia Yu extended a hand toward Kamisato Ayaka. "Well? Will you help me?"
"Ayaka cannot make decisions on behalf of the Yashiro Commission..." Although she said this, Kamisato Ayaka couldn't stop glancing at Xia Yu's outstretched hand.
"I'm only asking you, Kamisato Ayaka." Xia Yu did not withdraw her hand. "Are you willing to help me?"
"Has Inazuma's situation truly become so terrible?" Kamisato Ayaka asked.
"What else could it be?" Xia Yu sneered. "As one of the Tri-Commissions, can you still obtain an audience with the Electro Archon?"
"Stop clinging to unrealistic fantasies, Kamisato Ayaka. Even Yae Miko has despaired of her. Otherwise, who do you think summoned me home while I was living perfectly well in Natlan? Let me tell you, I have an excellent relationship with the Pyro Archon, Mavuika."
"Had Inazuma not truly reached the point where it could no longer continue like this, do you think I would have returned to clean up this mess?"
"Ayaka... Ayaka needs to return and discuss this with my brother." Kamisato Ayaka still refused to agree. The faith she had possessed since childhood supported her wavering convictions.
"You mean you won't join us?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow. "Kamisato Ayaka, surely you don't think you can hear so many of my secrets and then leave without offering even a pledge of allegiance?"
"Paimon, close the door!"
"Huh? Oh, I'll do it right—wait!" Paimon instinctively flew toward the door, but after moving only a short distance, she realized something was wrong. "Paimon isn't your subordinate!"
"Huh? Aren't you and Lumine my Left and Right Protectors?" Xia Yu asked with feigned surprise. "Are you planning to go back on your word? Once this opportunity passes, there won't be another one, you know?"
"Being one of your Left and Right Protectors is really tempting," Paimon said with her hands on her hips. "But you just threatened Ayaka, didn't you? You don't sound like a good person at all!"
"Am I not a good person?" Xia Yu spread her hands. "I clearly came here to save Inazuma. Half of Inazuma's population stands behind me, because only if I win can they survive!"
"Paimon, the world isn't simply black and white. I carry the lives and expectations of so many people on my shoulders, so I must find them a path to survival. A single wrong step would leave both me and them without even a place to be buried. Are you asking me to place all their lives and hopes on the gambling table simply because I have a good impression of Kamisato Ayaka, betting that she won't report me?"
"But... But..." Paimon didn't know how to refute her.
"What do you think, Lumine?" Xia Yu turned toward the other member of the duo.
Lumine felt that everything around her had become unbearably noisy.
'Seriously, I only came here to eat a simple meal and drink a cup of tea. How did I get dragged into a major treason case?'
'Am I destined to become a wanted criminal? It was the same in Mondstadt and Liyue!'
'And judging from the situation this time, we're going to fight an Archon directly...'
'But she also has information about my brother... Sigh. I have no choice but to do it.'
'Damn you, Brother. Once I find you, I'm definitely going to make you pay!'
She grabbed Xia Yu's outstretched hand. "From this moment onward, I am your Right Protector!"
"Look how well she understands the situation." Xia Yu turned back toward Kamisato Ayaka. "Well? Would you like to reconsider?"
"From the very beginning, everything has only been your side of the story." Kamisato Ayaka took a deep breath. During the time Raiden Mei and Paimon had spent bickering, she had already sorted out her thoughts and discovered a fatal flaw.
"I don't know what erosion is, nor do I understand Her Excellency the Shogun's current condition. But I know that one thing you said was unquestionably false, and everything you claimed afterward was built upon that lie!"
"You said you were the descendant of Torachiyo and Her Excellency the Shogun... Yet although later theatrical legends portrayed Torachiyo as a man, the Kamisato Clan's records state that Torachiyo's true name was Mikoshi Chiyo, and she was indisputably a woman!"
Kamisato Ayaka took a deep breath and continued, "Her face was as beautiful as the moon, and even a great yokai of the kitsune race openly admitted that her own beauty was inferior. She became known as Torachiyo because, during that calamity five hundred years ago, she was swallowed by an Abyssal beast with the body of a tiger and the tail of a serpent, only to tear its body apart and fight her way out!"
"Originally, the name meant Chiyo Who Bit the Tiger. Torachiyo was merely a shortened version that appeared later. Therefore, you couldn't possibly be their descendant, much less an Archon! Everything you said was a lie!"
"Huh? Does that mean I can't become the Left Protector?" Paimon immediately wilted.
"Mhm, excellent. As expected of the Shirasagi Himegimi." Xia Yu clapped her hands. "Indeed, Torachiyo was a woman. I didn't expect you to uncover the flaw in my story so quickly."
"You didn't put much effort into making it convincing, did you?" Kamisato Ayaka smiled. "You merely invented it on the spot to frighten Ayaka, correct?"
"Hmm? Why couldn't I genuinely be someone with sinister intentions?" Xia Yu looked at her with interest. "Perhaps I intended to trick the Yashiro Commission into joining my rebellion, then sell all of you for a good price?"
"Ayaka can tell that you aren't such a person." Kamisato Ayaka shook her head. "The concern you expressed for the people suffering amid the war couldn't have been faked. And Lady Yae Miko... You're very familiar with her as well, aren't you?"
"Just a few days ago, Lady Yae Miko suddenly traveled to Yashiori Island."
"I asked her to go there." Xia Yu smiled brightly. "There were certain things I simply couldn't bear to watch any longer."
Watching the two of them converse so pleasantly, Lumine breathed a sigh of relief.
'Phew. It's good that I haven't been dragged into a major treason case. I really don't want to become a wanted criminal again.'
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me! But for faster responses, please notify me on my discord server instead (link is in my profile). Thanks!
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