Chapter 236: So Who Really Lost Out?
"What did you do to him?"
For someone to rise to the rank of a general, Gorou had to have some level of wit and tact. Not to mention, behind him stood the living Divine Priestess of Watatsumi. Yae Miko couldn't help but feel curious—just how exactly had Bai Luo managed to pull it off?
"Hey now, don't slander me. I didn't do anything. He volunteered."
Bai Luo quickly raised both hands in defense, waving off her insinuations.
The first time Gorou dressed as "Miss Hina", Bai Luo had initially planned to wear the costume himself. But the custom outfit ended up being a bit too tight. Gorou, upon seeing this, volunteered to wear it in his place.
Bai Luo didn't force him. Not at all.
But the more he explained, the clearer it became to Yae Miko—he had definitely done something. And it wasn't something small, either. No, this had Bai Luo-tier chaos written all over it.
At the same time, her curiosity toward this so-called fun thing he promised earlier was beginning to grow.
Glancing at the towel draped over his lower half, she gently placed a hand on Bai Luo's abdomen, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "Do you still want to continue washing?"
Her intent was simple.
Since he already knew her identity, surely he'd be flustered hearing such words now, right?
Maybe blush a little. Get awkward. That would mean she won.
But what she didn't expect… was Bai Luo looking at her with genuine admiration, eyes lighting up, and without hesitation, reaching for the towel—
"Sure, I'm down."
"—?"
Yeah. She should've known.
This guy was the same person who pulled that stunt back in the pool earlier without a single trace of shame. Expecting him to get embarrassed was clearly her miscalculation.
As he moved to unwrap the towel, Yae Miko's fingers twitched slightly.
Her delicate hand abruptly morphed into a soft pink fox paw, complete with razor-sharp claws.
Under the warm lighting of the bathhouse, those claws gleamed faintly with a chilling light.
Bai Luo froze mid-motion.
Even with a body far tougher than most, he wasn't eager to test his dick against those claws.
"…Not washing anymore?"
"You know what, it's fine. I'll wash it myself."
. . . . . . . . . .
Bai Luo and Yae Miko stepped out of the bath together.
At first, Yae Miko was ready to enjoy a bit of petty revenge. She had sprinkled some odd powder onto his clothes earlier—harmless, but guaranteed to cause discomfort for days.
She fully expected to watch him suffer trying to put them back on.
But Bai Luo didn't even glance at his locker.
With a snap of his fingers, whoosh—a long, obsidian black coat materialized around his body, followed by the familiar blank mask that concealed his face.
Bai Luo was nothing if not cautious.
Knowing how long Yae Miko had been alone with his clothes, he'd already assumed she'd tampered with them. If their roles were reversed, he would've done the same.
Thankfully, his system's built-in dressing function not only swapped outfits in a flash, it even came with an auto-cleanse feature. No matter what powder or trick she used, it was gone in an instant.
"Man, that was refreshing. As expected of a hot spring—completely melted the stress away. Let's soak together again sometime."
Stretching lazily, Bai Luo let out a satisfied sigh.
If there was one regret… it was that she'd been soaking with him while disguised as "Kuroda."
"With me, or with 'Kuroda'?"
Yae Miko's question hung in the air, unmistakably double-edged.
Did he mean her—Yae Miko?
Or the appearance of Kuroda?
"You tell me."
Bai Luo replied with a smirk.
Normally, "knowing when to stop" wasn't in his nature, but it all depended on who he was dealing with.
Winning against this pink-haired fox once was already a miracle. If he pushed his luck, she'd absolutely find a way to get him back.
He had no intention of giving her that chance.
. . . . . . . . . .
As they reached the front counter, Yae Miko was ready for one last jab. She fully expected to see Bai Luo fumble for his wallet and realize, belatedly, that he didn't have any Mora on him.
Instead, he casually tapped the wooden counter with two fingers.
"Finished, sir?"
Aikawa Susumu snapped out of his daze the moment he heard the sound, instantly slipping into flattery mode.
Earlier, when the shogunate samurai heard the bathhouse had been rented out, they were furious. Some even threatened to smash the place up, claiming he was obstructing official business.
But once they learned who was inside...
They all ran off with tails between their legs.
Even the Kujou retainer.
Once they heard the person inside was that Ausbilder from the Fatui, no one dared to lay a hand on the place. In fact, they even posted guards outside to prevent others from interrupting.
"Five hundred thousand Mora, right?" Bai Luo asked.
"No no no! It's your first visit, isn't it, milord? Think of this as my humble treat—everything's on the house today!"
Aikawa Susumu was no fool.
If it were only the Tenryou Commission's samurai who backed off after hearing the guest's name, that would've been one thing. But even the Kujou family's people showed fear?
That could only mean one thing—this so-called "diplomat" had far more influence in Inazuma than Aikawa had imagined.
And if there was even the slightest chance to latch onto this kind of big shot…
He wasn't about to let it slip through his fingers.
"Don't," Bai Luo cut in before the man could gush further. "I said five hundred thousand, so five hundred thousand it is. Send the bill to this address. Someone there will pay."
With that, he left behind a location—along with Scaramouche's name—and walked out of Akisa Bathhouse, Yae Miko trailing just behind him.
The whole scene had Yae Miko clicking her tongue in amusement.
Hmm… next time she finished a fancy meal, maybe she should send the tab to Tenshukaku just to see what kind of face Ei would make.
Now that would be priceless.
"You're just gonna walk me back like this?"
As they strolled down the cobblestone streets of the town, Bai Luo shot a sideways glance at Yae Miko, who was still maintaining her Kuroda disguise.
Given that their facades were already shattered, was there really any point in keeping it up?
"True enough."
With a faint swirl of youkai energy, the illusion melted away.
Gone was the bumbling face of Kuroda. In her place stood the real Yae Miko.
Though she hadn't returned to her full shrine maiden regalia, likely to avoid unwanted attention, she now wore a simple, unassuming kimono. Her trademark fox ears were nowhere to be seen, hidden under a veil of subtle illusion.
Unless someone was intimately familiar with her, most passersby would only glance her way and think she looked vaguely familiar—certainly not suspecting she was the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"I do hope, Ausbilder-dono, that the so-called 'interesting thing' you mentioned is actually worth my time. Otherwise, well… desecrating a high priestess is grounds enough to have you exiled from Inazuma."
Now free from the role of timid little Kuroda, Yae Miko's voice regained its usual sharpness, her tone laced with playful menace.
Of course, it was mostly just to scare him.
After all, she'd been the one who started the game—disguising herself just to get a read on Bai Luo—only to end up being counterplayed in return. No way she'd let that story see the light of day.
Still… in the end, didn't she win?
"Relax. I guarantee you'll enjoy it."
Bai Luo offered a slight bow, gesturing forward like a gentleman host inviting a guest.
But as he caught the subtle smirk forming at the corner of Yae Miko's lips… something didn't sit right.
Wait a second.
Let's think this through.
Sure, on the surface, he had enjoyed a bath, gotten a free back rub, and even had the Guuji doting on him in secret.
But looking at it from a different angle—
He'd been seen.
He'd been touched.
He'd been scrubbed up and down like laundry in a tub.
And who was the one doing all that?
Kuroda—or rather, Yae Miko, in Kuroda's body.
To him, he'd spent the entire time bathing with a middle-aged man.
The only hint of truth he got was a fleeting glimpse of her soft little fox paw.
He thought he had the upper hand.
But now that he looked back on it… they were probably even.
No—she might've had the advantage.
Tch. Figures.
She was a fox, after all. Of course she'd find a way to flip the tables on him.
Still…
Being ogled and toyed with by Yae Miko wasn't too bad, all things considered.
. . . . .
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