After being caught and thoroughly tousled by Yae Miko, Sayu finally found liberation after a full minute. When Yae Miko at last ceased her head-pat assault, the light returned to the young girl's eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching Sayu gently pat her own small chest with her tiny hands, Yae Miko's lips curved upward as she gave a faint, amused smile. She knew very well how much Sayu hated having her head patted—the reason being that Sayu was afraid that too much head-patting would stunt her growth and keep her from getting any taller.
But Yae Miko simply couldn't help herself. Whenever she laid eyes on Sayu, she couldn't resist the urge to walk right up and ruffle her hair. So she simply had to let little Sayu suffer a bit to satisfy her own head-patting impulse.
"Alright, I didn't come here specifically looking for you, nor do I have any particular task for you," Yae Miko explained. "I was simply taking a stroll with this handsome older brother beside me when we heard a noise and followed the sound here. I never expected it would turn out to be you."
Upon hearing Yae Miko's explanation, Sayu finally felt at ease. As long as they hadn't come looking for her to assign a mission, she could continue slacking off and lazing about.
"So that's how it is," Sayu nodded slightly, then turned her gaze toward Yuki standing to the side.
"I almost forgot!" It was only then that Yae Miko remembered she hadn't yet introduced Sayu to Yuki. She promptly turned around and, with a charming smile, introduced her.
"Her name is Sayu. She's a member of the Shuumatsuban, Inazuma's intelligence and special operations organization. As you can see, Yuki-kun, she's a ninja, skilled in ninjutsu, intelligence gathering, and such."
Yae Miko patiently introduced Sayu in detail, and didn't forget to introduce Yuki to Sayu in turn. "Sayu, this handsome older brother is named Rin Yuki. He's a friend of both mine and the Shogun's."
The moment Sayu heard that Yuki was even a friend of the Shogun, she dared not be the slightest bit careless.
She hurriedly bowed respectfully to greet him. "Sayu greets Mr. Yuki," she said, her restless little hands nervously clutching at the hem of her clothing.
Seeing the young girl looking somewhat shy and awkward, Yuki put on a gentle smile and spoke to Sayu in a soft, tender tone. "Hello there, little Sayu. No need to be so nervous. Calling me 'mister' sounds so distant—why don't you just call me 'big brother' instead?"
"Huh?! Th-this..." Hearing Yuki's words, a startled expression immediately surfaced on Sayu's small face.
Her expression turned hesitant, as though she didn't know what to do. Clearly, in her eyes, Yuki's status as a friend of the Shogun was exceedingly noble. To address such a person directly as "big brother" seemed somewhat improper.
"Little Sayu, what are you spacing out for? Yuki-kun told you to call him big brother, so just do it!" From the side, Yae Miko rolled her eyes and hurriedly urged Sayu to follow through.
Upon hearing this, Sayu nodded and then adjusted her form of address. "Big Brother Yuki."
The moment the young girl spoke those words in her sweet, soft voice, a light smile appeared on Yuki's face. He nodded and then reached out to gently pat Sayu's head a few times.
At first, when the girl saw Yuki reaching toward her head, she instinctively shrank back a little. But under the intimidating pressure radiating from Yae Miko beside her, the girl could only obediently let Yuki pat her head.
Strangely enough, however, Sayu found that deep down, she didn't actually resist it. On the contrary, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were thoroughly enjoying it.
Seeing Sayu's expression, Yae Miko felt both annoyed and amused at the same time. It was the same head-patting, yet when she was the one doing the patting, Sayu had resisted with every fiber of her being.
But now, here she was, when it was Yuki's turn, she was actually showing a look of pure enjoyment.
This little girl is utterly, outrageously two-faced! Yae Miko silently resolved in her heart that once she returned, she would definitely pile more missions onto Sayu. No way was she letting this little brat have any more chances to slack off!
Over on her side, Sayu had originally been peacefully basking in Yuki's head-patting, when suddenly she felt a mysterious chill creeping up from behind her. The young girl shivered slightly, a puzzled expression surfacing on her face.
After patting her head a few more times, Yuki soon let go. Then, Yae Miko asked Sayu why she was here. Of course, Sayu was obviously here to slack off—Yae Miko's question was deliberately meant to tease.
Pressed by Yae Miko in this way, Sayu didn't dare to lie. She could only obediently lower her head and confess that she had been hiding here, lazing around and sleeping.
Having already steeled herself for a scolding and prepared to accept her punishment, Sayu was met with an entirely different reality. Yae Miko didn't reprimand her at all, merely nodding lightly.
She even offered a few words of advice, telling her to be careful—that although sleeping here was peaceful and free from disturbance, it was also quite chilly, and she shouldn't catch a cold.
Hearing these words from Yae Miko, Sayu was so astonished she couldn't speak. She had never imagined that Lady Guuji would actually care about her so much.
All of a sudden, she felt that her previous impression of the lady had been a complete misunderstanding.
She was clearly nothing other than a caring, considerate big sister! Sayu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in her heart.
After giving her these words of advice, Yae Miko prepared to leave with Yuki. Just before they departed, Yuki produced three rice balls from who-knows-where and handed them to Sayu.
The moment Sayu laid eyes on those rice balls, her eyes instantly lit up, and without realizing it, her stomach was already growling with hunger.
"Little Sayu probably hasn't had lunch yet, has she? These three rice balls should be enough for you, right?"
"Mm, mm! Thank you, Big Brother Yuki!"
Sayu hurriedly nodded, thanked him, and took the rice balls from Yuki's hands, then happily began to eat.
Seeing the girl eating with such a hearty appetite, the two of them felt reassured and soon left the area.
After they left Chinju Forest, Yae Miko was still grumbling about Sayu. "That little brat—to actually think of me as a nightmare! That's just too outrageous!"
"Oh, come now. Why fuss over such things with a little girl?" Yuki shook his head with a helpless chuckle.
Beside him, Yae Miko pouted her lips and cast a sidelong glance at Yuki. "That little girl called you 'Big Brother Yuki'!"
Yae Miko's tone was teasing, laced with what seemed like a hint of jealousy.
Hearing this, Yuki couldn't help but roll his eyes. Good heavens—a grown woman like you, jealous of a little kid? How amusing!
Yuki grumbled inwardly to himself. But he pretended not to have heard anything.
The two then wandered about the nearby area a while longer, taking in some of Inazuma's beautiful scenery. Soon after, they returned to Inazuma City and made their way back toward the grounds of Tenshukaku.
When the two arrived and were about to step into the main hall, a guard by the side stopped them.
"What is the meaning of this?" Yae Miko furrowed her brows and questioned the guard.
"My apologies, Lady Guuji. Her Excellency the Shogun has given orders. The main hall is currently receiving an important guest, and for the time being, no one is permitted to enter." The guard apologized and explained the situation.
Upon hearing this, Yae Miko's face filled with puzzlement. "An important guest at this hour? Who could it be?" she murmured, pondering to herself.
Yuki, standing beside her, then asked the guard, "Does that mean even the two of us are not allowed in?"
Hearing Yuki's question, the guard hesitated. The order the Shogun had given him was not to allow anyone inside.
That "anyone" naturally included everyone. But he also knew who Yuki and Yae Miko were—close friends of their Shogun. If he barred them from entering, wouldn't that mean offending them? Would he still be able to hold his place in Inazuma after that?!
This put the guard in an exceedingly difficult position. Fortunately, at that moment, the voice of their Shogun suddenly rang out from the main hall behind him, ordering him to let them through.
The guard breathed a deep sigh of relief. Stepping aside, he respectfully watched as Yuki and Yae Miko made their way inside.