In Inazuma—
On one of the city streets, Kamisato Ayaka walked gracefully forward with a folding fan in hand, occasionally stopping to ask passersby about something.
"Excuse me, have you seen a handsome black-haired young man with an extraordinary temperament?"
"Sorry, Lady Kamisato, I haven't seen anyone like that."
The pedestrian shook his head apologetically.
"It's alright. Thank you for your time."
Ayaka softly expressed her thanks before slowly walking away.
After returning from the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed Statue at noon, she had immediately ordered the Kamisato Clan to investigate that mysterious black-haired youth.
But even after mobilizing her family's resources, the information they gathered was extremely limited.
All they knew was that he had once appeared somewhere nearby.
After receiving that clue, Ayaka stopped troubling her retainers and decided to investigate personally instead.
Unfortunately, after asking many people, she still found no information about the black-haired young man.
It was as though he had appeared out of thin air.
That only made Ayaka even more curious.
So she didn't give up and continued searching elsewhere.
However, after she left, the surrounding citizens immediately began whispering among themselves.
"Hey, hey, what do you think is going on with Lady Kamisato? Why is she asking about that black-haired guy?"
"I bet the two of them definitely have some kind of relationship!"
"Isn't that obvious? That man must've toyed with Lady Kamisato's feelings and abandoned her! So now she's come looking for him to settle the score!"
"No, no. I think she's searching for her fiancé. You can tell from how worried she looks."
"You're all wrong. I know what happened! During the Vision Hunt Ceremony, that black-haired youth hugged the Raiden Shogun!"
"Damn! The Shogun too?! Does that mean the Shirasagi Himegimi is competing with the Shogun?"
"That's not all! I heard the Guuji Yae even fought with the Shogun, and that black-haired guy watched the whole thing from the sidelines!"
"Holy crap! This gossip is insane!"
The crowd had originally just been discussing the Kamisato Clan's young mistress.
Who would've thought so much explosive gossip would suddenly emerge?!
Even the Raiden Shogun and Guuji Yae were involved!
After all—those three women could be considered the most distinguished women in all of Inazuma.
And now all of them seemingly had conflicts over the same black-haired youth?
The citizens were both jealous enough to grind their teeth and overwhelmingly curious.
What kind of charm did that young man possess to make those three treat him this way?
For a time, many people began searching for him on their own initiative.
It could only be said that under the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree, the people of Inazuma had become far too repressed and bored.
Now that such a massive scandal had appeared, how could they possibly resist joining in on the gossip?
…
Ayaka, naturally, had no idea about the bizarre rumors spreading among the citizens of Inazuma.
At this moment, she had arrived at another nearby street, continuing her search.
Then suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind her.
"Oh? Isn't this Miss Kamisato?"
Ayaka paused, then turned around.
Three figures stood before her.
Two of them she recognized immediately.
"Miss Alice, Yoimiya… I didn't expect to run into you here."
Surprise flashed through Ayaka's eyes.
Yoimiya's appearance wasn't too unexpected.
The truly surprising one was Alice.
That witch who had come to Inazuma years ago on an adventure—
and who had invited her to join an idol group six separate times—
had actually returned?!
"Miss Kamisato, since I came all this way again, how about reconsidering the idol group proposal?"
Alice said with a smile.
Throughout her adventurous life, things had always gone smoothly for her.
She was usually the one causing trouble for others.
Who would've thought she'd suffer defeat six times in a row because of this woman?!
She had invited Ayaka to join the idol group six times—
and been rejected every single time!
That had left the great witch Alice depressed for quite a while.
In the end, the only person she had successfully recruited into the idol group was Barbara.
"Miss Alice… why are you still so persistent about this?"
Ayaka felt both amused and helpless at the renewed invitation.
She was the eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan.
Every word and action she took represented the image of the Kamisato family.
Joining an idol group simply wasn't appropriate for someone in her position.
"I still…"
Ayaka had just prepared to politely decline again—
but Alice's next sentence stopped her cold.
"If you agree to consider joining, I'll tell you about that black-haired young man. How about it?"
"You know him?"
Ayaka immediately grew excited at Alice's smiling expression.
After searching for so long, she had finally found a lead.
But alongside her excitement was a hint of suspicion.
Could Miss Alice be tricking her again?
After all, Alice's reputation as a chaotic witch was well known.
That possibility absolutely existed.
"Trust me. This time, I definitely won't disappoint you."
Alice said with complete seriousness.
Truthfully, she didn't actually know whether the black-haired youth Ayaka mentioned was the same person she was thinking of.
But for someone who could make the Shirasagi Himegimi personally search the streets—
he absolutely had to be extraordinary.
And didn't the manga shop owner fit perfectly?
A black-haired young man!
With an extraordinary identity!
Even taking ten thousand steps back—
even if the owner wasn't actually the person Ayaka was searching for—
simply visiting that manga shop was already a tremendous opportunity.
No matter what, Lady Kamisato would end up owing her a favor!
Alice's little calculations were clacking away loudly in her mind.
"…Fine. I agree. Now can you tell me?"
After a long silence, Ayaka sighed helplessly.
That black-haired youth had given her a very unusual feeling.
By instinct, she felt that the key to resolving Inazuma's current crisis might lie with him.
It made no logical sense.
But that was simply how she felt.
Most importantly—the cost wasn't high.
If she really could resolve Inazuma's troubles through him…
Then joining an idol group…
might not be unacceptable.
"Miss Kamisato, once you agree, you can't take it back!"
Seeing the elegant young lady finally relent, Alice became unbelievably excited.
It hasn't been easy!
After seven invitations, and with the manga shop owner's momentum helping her, she had finally succeeded.
That meant—
her idol group now officially had two members!
"Once I trick a few more people into joining later, Teyvat's number one idol group can officially debut!"
Alice thought excitedly to herself.
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