"Lady Miko!"
"Lady Miko, are you alright?"
"What happened? Why was there an explosion?"
At that moment, a crowd of Shrine Maidens rushed into the Grand Narukami Shrine, their eyes filled with nothing but fear and concern.
Ever since the Raiden Shogun had enforced the Sakoku Decree on Inazuma, Yae Miko was the one responsible for making all major decisions. In their hearts, Yae Miko was the current ruler and the hope of Inazuma! If anything were to happen to her, they would be finished!
However, when they charged recklessly into the shrine and reached the Sacred Sakura Tree, they saw their revered Lady Miko revealing nine tails, hiding behind a man.
Ye Xi looked at the Shrine Maidens and said calmly, "Don't worry, we're fine."
The maidens looked at each other in bewilderment. Naturally, they recognized Ye Xi. Ever since Lady Miko had brought him back three years ago, she had seemed like a completely different person.
At first, they had been vehemently opposed to letting Ye Xi live within the Sacred Sakura Tree. To begin with, his origin was unknown! Especially looking at his attire back then; it didn't fit Inazuma at all, and it didn't even look like something from this world. A person like that was clearly suspicious.
Secondly, this was the holy Grand Narukami Shrine, where every Shrine Maiden was expected to remain pure. How could they allow a man to live there?
But Lady Miko had been adamant. She even insisted on keeping Ye Xi by her side. It was something they never expected and could not understand. Their pure Lady Miko actually wanted to be inseparable from an outlander of unknown origin.
At times, they even wondered if Lady Miko had been possessed or was being secretly controlled by this man. But later, they were relieved. They realized Ye Xi had no strength at all.
Hearing him say they were fine, they all looked toward Yae Miko with doubt.
Ye Xi said helplessly, "I seem to have gone a bit too far. Sorry, I made the Sacred Sakura Tree lose so many petals."
The tree shed many cherry blossoms every day, but this disturbance had nearly made it bald all at once. Because of this, Ye Xi felt a bit guilty.
"That commotion just now was caused by Lord Ye Xi!?"
"No way! Since when did Lord Ye Xi become so strong?"
"I thought it was Lady Miko casting Adeptus Arts!"
The Shrine Maidens began to whisper among themselves in shock. Although they had excluded him before, they eventually learned that despite his unknown origins, Ye Xi was actually a gentle soul.
However, they never imagined that someone who previously couldn't even channel elemental power could pull off such a feat. Even Lady Miko might only be capable of that much! Perhaps he could even catch the Raiden Shogun off guard!
This progress was simply too fast! For a moment, the maidens looked on with envious eyes.
Yae Miko was also inwardly shaken, but she quickly used her mystical arts to force herself back into a state of calm. She was the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine and the current spokesperson for Inazuma. If her expression showed any weakness, the word would spread through Inazuma in an instant.
Rumors like "Even Lady Miko is afraid" would start circulating, and the people would fall into a state of panic. To be honest, she could finally understand why Ei always maintained such a cold facade. Any slight shift in emotion would lead to endless speculation from others.
"Sigh you all go and calm the citizens," Yae Miko sighed suddenly, returning to her usual mysterious and unpredictable self as she issued her commands.
The commotion just now was significant; countless Inazuman people had likely been jolted awake. If no one went to reassure them, there would be unrest below. Yae Miko could not ignore her people.
The Shrine Maidens accepted their orders and headed down the mountain.
In truth, Yae Miko's suspicion was correct. At this moment, Inazuma City was in a state of utter terror. Countless citizens had woken up, and the guards were in disarray.
"What's happening!"
"Where was the explosion!"
"Is it an Archon attack!?"
The entire city was a mess.
In Naganohara Fireworks, a young girl's voice filled with curiosity rang out.
"What a massive firework! It's a pity we didn't save it for the festival!"
The quiet Chinju Forest was startled by a flock of birds taking flight, and foxes on the ground scurried in all directions. A little girl who had been sleeping was jolted awake.
"So noisy... if I don't sleep well... I won't grow tall... zzz..."
Inside the Kamisato Estate, a young woman opened her eyes and looked toward the Grand Narukami Shrine out the window. Her eyes were full of worry.
"Xi, has something happened?"
The villagers of Konda Village had also lit their lamps. The firelight illuminated the land for miles, and the sound of the explosion still echoed through the sky.
The people of the Tri-Commission the Tenryou Commission, the Yashiro Commission, and the Kanjou Commission were all startled as well. This chaos looked like it would last until dawn.
Meanwhile, at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
The perpetrator of this riot had already returned to the small realm within the shrine. Yae Miko's thoughts were completely scrambled, so she could only keep her head down to prevent Ye Xi from seeing her face.
She changed the subject. "Xi, you clearly don't have a Vision. How can you mobilize such an enormous amount of elemental power?"
"That... I don't really know how to explain it either."
The guy transmigrated, and if he didn't have a cheat, he'd really be cursing his luck!
On the surface, Ye Xi gave Yae Miko a bitter smile, but his heart was filled with indignation. He brought up the matter of leaving Inazuma again, looking at the pink haired monster in front of him. He said calmly, "Lady Editor-in-Chief, you can rest easy now, right? I'll go out to find some inspiration, and only when I return can I create even better stories."
"I..."
Yae Miko's gaze flickered. She realized she could no longer find a reason to bind Ye Xi here. However, she was truly reluctant to let him leave. There were many temptations in the outside world, and she worried that once he left Inazuma, he would forget her.
If Ye Xi knew what Yae Miko was thinking, he would likely have complained. There are plenty of temptations right here! He could barely handle one Miko as it was!
After a moment of hesitation, Miko sighed, as if she had made a decision.
"Fine, Xi. I agree to let you go."
"But..."
Before Ye Xi could breathe a sigh of relief, Yae Miko's tone shifted. "You have to go and say goodbye to Ei first. Let's see if she'll let you leave."
As she finished, a playful, mischievous glint appeared at the corner of her mouth. The cunning streak unique to foxes was starting to act up again. She didn't believe for a second that her dear sister would let Ye Xi leave so easily!
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