Late at night, a bright moon hung in the sky, like a lantern illuminating the earth.
Shao Yun walked alone through the streets, searching for a place that sold snacks.
Suddenly, his attention was caught by a food stall, where several samurai of the Kanjou Commission were sitting on stools, enjoying a late-night meal.
The stall owner, Miss Ryouko, a gentle and lovely woman, was busy cooking in front of the stand.
"Hello there, what would you like to eat?" Miss Ryouko greeted Shao Yun warmly as she noticed him.
Shao Yun stopped walking, his gaze lingering on the skewers in the pot as he asked, "Do you have Tri-Flavor Skewers and something like Tricolor Dango?"
Miss Ryouko chuckled softly upon hearing that, then glanced into the pot of food.
"Let me see... I have three portions of Tri-Flavor Skewers already made. If you'd like more, you'll have to wait a bit. As for the Tricolor Dango, unfortunately, those just sold out."
"But, I do have five freshly cooked, steaming hot Egg Rolls. They taste amazing too."
Shao Yun thought for a moment, then made his decision.
"Then give me ten portions of the Tri-Flavor Skewers, plus three portions of the Egg Rolls. I want it all packed to go."
Miss Ryouko looked at him with a hint of surprise and kindly reminded him, "That's quite a bit of food, sir. I'm happy for the business, but are you sure you can finish all that? It'd be a shame to waste it."
Shao Yun smiled and nodded. You don't know Paimon—her little belly could probably clean out your entire stock!
"Don't worry, we'll finish it. How much?"
Seeing that, Miss Ryouko said no more.
She silently calculated the total and then smiled at Shao Yun. "That'll be seven thousand Mora. Please wait a moment while I prepare everything."
After paying promptly, Shao Yun took a seat on a stool by the stall and waited patiently.
Just then, a pair of figures approached, catching his attention.
One was a tall, striking woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a mysterious Tengu mask tilted at an angle. She wore a black fitted vest paired with a pure white cape.
Isn't that Kujou Sara?
And the other seemed to be the young detective of the Tenryou Commission—Shikanoin Heizou.
Shao Yun was quietly surprised. That's Shikanoin Heizou? And Kujou Sara! What are they doing here? Aren't they supposed to show up mid or even late in the Inazuma storyline?
While he was still puzzling over it, their conversation reached his ears.
"'Heizou-doushin', I didn't expect to see you here on Ritou."
Heizou stretched his arms and looked completely at ease.
"Lady Sara, I'm just taking advantage of a little vacation to wander around Ritou, see if I can find some novel foreign goods. Didn't expect to stumble onto such a major case."
Kujou Sara sighed softly at the mention of the incident with the Overseer of Foreign Nations, her expression turning somber.
"Yes, the Overseer's office was burned. As soon as I received word, I rushed over from Inazuma City."
Heizou's curiosity was piqued. "Did you find any leads, Lady Sara? The Kanjou Commission won't even let me near the scene."
Kujou Sara shook her head. She hadn't found anything useful either.
"The entire office was reduced to ashes. There's nothing of value left at the scene. The Kanjou Commission suspects the rebels from Watatsumi Island. No one else seems to have the motive or capability for something like this."
Heizou nodded thoughtfully, agreeing.
"Their theory does make some sense. Destroying the Overseer's office would certainly impact the shogunate's economy. But I'm still surprised the people from Watatsumi Island were bold enough to sneak onto Ritou..."
Kujou Sara rubbed her wrist, interrupting Heizou's train of thought.
"Enough speculation. Heizou-doushin, I must be on my way. Ritou is under the Kanjou Commission's jurisdiction—they don't welcome someone from the Tenryou Commission lingering here."
But Heizou didn't seem in a hurry to leave. He waved his hand and smiled.
"Lady Sara, you're being too formal. When I'm off duty, just call me Heizou."
"And hey, don't be in such a rush. Let me treat you to some late-night snacks. Miss Ryouko's Egg Rolls are famous—you have to try them."
Kujou Sara personally disliked sweets, but that didn't mean she couldn't eat them.
Faced with this warm invitation from a valued member of her own Commission, she could only nod reluctantly.
"Well... since you insist, I suppose it would be rude to refuse."
Heizou and Kujou Sara approached Miss Ryouko's cozy food stall.
Heizou placed their order in his usual relaxed tone.
"Miss Ryouko, could we get two portions of your signature Egg Rolls, please?"
Miss Ryouko accepted the Mora with a smile, skillfully plating the steaming, golden treats and handing them to the pair.
"Enjoy! They're fresh from the pan, so be careful—it's hot."
Heizou couldn't wait and took a bite right away. His eyes lit up in delight as he exclaimed, "Miss Ryouko, your cooking leaves me speechless. These Egg Rolls are amazing."
Miss Ryouko smiled in satisfaction and responded humbly, "You're too kind. It's my honor to have my food appreciated."
Kujou Sara also tried a bite. Though she wasn't fond of sweets, she had to admit it was delicious.
"I don't usually like sweet food, but this Egg Rolls is exceptionally well-made."
Seeing this, Heizou teased, "Lady Sara, don't be so hard on yourself. A little sweetness now and then won't hurt."
But Kujou Sara stood firm in her beliefs.
"Sweets may taste good, but they weaken one's will. I've never been fond of them."
A glint of mischief flashed in Heizou's eyes, as if he remembered something. He asked playfully, "But if I remember correctly, Lady Sara, your specialty dish is..."
Before he could finish, Kujou Sara shot him a stern look, eyes warning.
Heizou quickly surrendered, raising his hands with a grin. "Haha, just kidding! Don't take it seriously, Lady Sara. I won't say another word..."
As they enjoyed their snacks, Miss Ryouko carefully packed up the newly cooked Tri-Flavor Skewers and Egg Rolls.
She then looked toward the corner where Shao Yun sat and gently called out, "Sir, your food is ready."
Kujou Sara and Heizou followed her gaze toward Shao Yun.
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun stood up with calm composure and walked steadily to collect his food. Under their gaze, he accepted his order without hesitation and turned to leave, composed and unhurried.
Kujou Sara couldn't help but watch his retreating back, a subtle wariness rising in her heart as she muttered, 'That face… I don't recall seeing it before…'
Without hesitation, she called out to the departing figure.
"You there, the man in the hat—please wait!"
At her words, Shao Yun paused slightly, then turned around steadily, meeting her gaze without flinching.
He instinctively placed his right hand at his side, and asked in a calm, respectful tone, "Is there something you need?"
Kujou Sara stepped toward him, her eyes scanning him carefully before asking, "You're a foreigner, correct?"
Seeing that she used a formal tone, Shao Yun smiled and nodded.
"That's right. I'm from abroad."
Kujou Sara extended her hand, requesting his residency papers.
"Please show your residency documents. I need to verify them."
Without any sign of panic, Shao Yun calmly retrieved the documents from the pouch at his waist and handed them over.
"Here you are."
As the papers exchanged hands, several Inazuman samurai from the Kanjou Commission who had been enjoying their meal nearby suddenly stood up, expressions darkening with displeasure.
One particularly burly samurai stepped forward and questioned angrily, "General Kujou, what is the meaning of this?"
Kujou Sara's hand stiffened for a moment as she held the documents, a flicker of anger twitching at her eye.
But she quickly composed herself and answered coldly, "I'm verifying a foreigner's residency status."
At that, the tall samurai gave her a mocking look.
"Matters like these fall under the jurisdiction of the Kanjou Commission. General Kujou, by interfering, how do you expect foreigners to view us? They'll think we can't handle even this without help from the Tenryou Commission."
"And if this tarnishes our reputation and hinders future tax collection—should the Shogun blame someone, who's going to take the fall?"
Kujou Sara clenched her jaw and let out a cold, low laugh.
"Hmph. A bunch of greedy parasites..."
Disrupted by the Kanjou Commission, Kujou Sara lost interest in the inspection. She handed the documents back to Shao Yun and said seriously, "The situation on Ritou is unstable right now. As a foreigner, you must stay vigilant and cautious."
Then she glanced coldly at the Kanjou samurai and added, "Also, be careful who you trust. Don't put your faith in the Kanjou Commission so easily."
At this, one of the samurai burst into fury.
"General Kujou of the Tenryou Commission, what's that supposed to mean?! Say it clearly! Why aren't we trustworthy?!"
But Kujou Sara ignored the shouting. She turned and left without another word for the "parasites."
Heizou followed after her, but not before turning back and saying to Shao Yun with a grin, "Welcome to Inazuma! Hope you enjoy your stay on Ritou. Lady Sara, wait for me!"
Left behind, the disgruntled Kanjou Commission samurai slammed back into their seats, muttering under their breath, "The Tenryou Commission's gone too far. Stretching their hand into our turf... Do they think just because they fight wars we're just lazing around back here? Without us collecting taxes, where would their war funds come from?!"
Shao Yun chuckled at that. You robbed two million, kept one million for yourselves, handed one million to the Shogunate—and now you want Kujou Sara to thank you? What a joke!
This little episode reminded him of how Thoma reacted. The three commissions truly are at odds with each other... but right now, that has nothing to do with me.