On the beach of Kannazuka, a young woman sat on a reef, looking rather bored.
"Boring, boring, so absolutely boring."
Ksenia had been waiting here for several days. After the higher-ups transferred her out of Watatsumi Island, they hadn't told her when she could return; they only instructed her to wait on this beach. Someone would eventually come to deliver her new orders.
To be honest, compared to her days as an undercover agent on Watatsumi Island, her current life was much safer. But she had long since had her fill of boring days in the wilderness.
Swish—
A scarlet vertical pupil lit up above her head. In the next instant, Bai Luo descended right on cue, his hand landing on Ksenia's shoulder. Her Cicin, which had tensed up instinctively, stopped its attack once it recognized who the visitor was.
"Huh? Bai Luo?"
Ksenia was amazed to see Bai Luo suddenly appearing behind her. She had heard that his mission with the Resistance had ended temporarily and that he had gone elsewhere. She hadn't expected to run into him here.
"Are you the contact for this location?" Bai Luo asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yeah, the higher-ups sent me here. They said to wait until someone gave me orders... Are you the one who's supposed to command me?" Ksenia looked at Bai Luo with a hint of surprise.
One had to admit, the "experience gain" for an undercover agent was incredibly fast. She had spent so much time wandering the wilds, yet the military merit she'd earned wasn't even as much as this kid had gathered in less than a year. He was already "riding over her head." As his "big sister," this made her... truly happy for him.
"In a manner of speaking, though I'm not exactly the one giving the orders; it's an arrangement from above," Bai Luo said, handing the letters to Ksenia.
"Your mission from now on is to deliver these letters to the Resistance camp, and then bring their replies back here. The Kujou Encampment will grant you passage; you just need to keep a slight eye out for Nobushi and Kairagi along the way."
It had to be said that the job Bai Luo arranged for Ksenia might seem like a chore, but it was actually quite a cushy gig.
As Bai Luo noted, the Shogunate Army was already infiltrated by the Fatui, so passing through their defenses would be child's play for Ksenia. As for the Resistance, once they realized she was bringing intelligence, they would treat her as one of their own.
Most importantly, the time spent traveling between the two camps would count as "working hours." This ensured she wouldn't be bored while easily racking up military merit and pay. In the meantime, she could even beat up some "Treasure Hoarders" and Nobushi to earn some extra pocket money. Was there any better job than this?
"What about you? Are you coming with me to deliver them?"
While happy, Ksenia didn't forget her "dear brother." If Bai Luo agreed to go with her, it meant she would have to split the rewards and credit with him. If he performed exceptionally well during the mission, her share might even be docked to reward him. Perhaps... that was exactly why she invited him.
Ksenia was born into misfortune. An orphan, she grew up in the House of the Hearth. Even if she carried the enviable surname "Schneitzevna" (Daughter of Snow), it didn't change her nature as an orphan.
Later, after being trained as a Mage, she was sent to Inazuma as a vanguard, stationed in the middle of nowhere in Chinju Forest to wander aimlessly. She had stayed there for several years.
Vanguards with special missions were expected to adapt to and conquer loneliness. To cope, she had even learned to talk to her Cicins, fearing that if she ever met another human, she would have forgotten how to speak. But humans are social creatures; who truly wants to be alone?
Then, Bai Luo appeared.
Milk from a Hilichurl camp, tea from a wanderer, leftover fire-water... even a slightly ragged blanket that carried a certain "scent." To others, these might be questionable items or part of Ksenia's eccentric tastes. But to her, they were the best things she could offer.
She had given him everything she had, even willing to share her only shelter with this young man. She simply wanted to enjoy a moment of "liveliness" that didn't belong to her, even for a limited time. But she also knew she couldn't afford to get attached to that warmth. She could taste it, but she couldn't hold onto it.
So, the next day, she didn't even say goodbye to Bai Luo, using work as an excuse to hide in the distance. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to bear leaving that life—or that boy.
It wasn't until her Cicin told her: "The kid is gone, you can come back now."
When that fleeting liveliness fades before it can even fully infect a person, the once-lonely heart perhaps becomes even lonelier. After all, once a piece of paper has been touched by ink, it is very hard for it to return to its original, spotless white. Once someone has seen the light, how are they supposed to return to the darkness?
The following day, she applied for a transfer. Upon receiving her request, the high-ranking officers assigned her to the most dangerous undercover position available: a shrine maiden role located as close as possible to the Divine Priestess.
The "price" she requested was a jar of jam. Because Bai Luo had left her that jam, she could see how much he loved the sweet stuff. It wasn't that the higher-ups were being heartless; she had specifically asked for the most dangerous post.
In other words... this journey was intended to be a march toward her death. In the Fatui, for high-risk occupations like this, compensation is usually provided in the event of death.
Normally, orphans like Ksenia would write "The House of the Hearth" in the beneficiary column. That was where they grew up; to them, it was home.
But she left a name that made the person in charge nearly drop to his knees in terror.
[Bai Luo.]
To die for the Tsaritsa was to show gratitude for Her Majesty's upbringing. As for Bai Luo... perhaps it was simply for that moment of companionship at the peak of her loneliness.
After repeatedly confirming that this Cicin Mage hadn't filled out the form incorrectly, the officer cautiously asked what her relationship with Bai Luo was.
Ksenia was very proud, puffing out her chest. "He's my little brother!"
She said this purely because she didn't want her fellow Fatui to bully the new recruit who had been picked up in a foreign land. After all, she had once told him: "Big Sister will cover for you."
Upon learning of this, the single jar of jam promised by the Fatui leadership turned into a whole crate.
And it was the high-end brand that ordinary people couldn't afford. She, who should have been rushed into service, was even specially arranged to study the knowledge required to be a shrine maiden—ordered not to start her post until she had mastered it!
On the day before she started her assignment, she took the jam she had earned through her "connections" and went to her old tent. After chasing away the Hilichurls that had occupied her small tent because the traps were broken, she buried the jam nearby.
'If you ever think of me again, think of this as my parting gift'
— Ksenia Schneitzevna (The Hospitable Daughter of Snow)
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