"Ei, I haven't seen you in such a long time. The moment I do, your face looks terrifying and your divine power overwhelms everyone around you. Who dares to anger you so deeply?"
Yae Miko's eyes shifted toward the Raiden Shogun. As the Guuji of Narukami Shrine, she could feel it clearly—this was not just the puppet, but Ei's true consciousness standing here.
The divine power rolling off her was suffocating, like the still silence before a volcano eruption. Miko furrowed her brows. What happened here? Ei has only just emerged from the Plane of Euthymia… and already she's furious?
---
Kamisato Ayato, ever composed in appearance, bowed deeply. "General." His voice carried respect, but his thoughts churned.
So it was true. The storm clouds that had shaken the skies before he arrived were no natural phenomenon—they were the outward manifestation of the Shogun's fury.
But what could anger the General so greatly? he wondered. With Inazuma already suffering, Ayato began piecing together grim possibilities.
---
The Shogun's voice thundered like lightning itself. "Son of God, why did you not tell me that Inazuma's condition had deteriorated this badly?"
Her hands trembled as she flung a report to the floor. Her teeth clenched. For centuries she had trusted these reports, believing Inazuma to be stable… and now she realized they were nothing but lies.
The heavens themselves rumbled. Thunder split across the skies of Narukami Island, echoing the divine wrath swelling within her.
---
Yae Miko lowered her head, but her fox-like smile twitched at the edges. She finally understood why Ei had summoned her so suddenly.
So she finally learned the truth.
Part of her was satisfied—Ei had chosen to see the reality Miko had warned of long ago. But another part of her was bitter. For centuries, her words had gone ignored.
Miko pressed her hands to her face, feigning tears. "So, Ei… you called me out of the Pure Land only to scold me?"
Her voice trembled with mock sorrow. "You have ignored me for five hundred years. Every time I tried to tell you about Inazuma's suffering, you dismissed me. You trusted them instead of me. And now, when I finally see you again, you lash out."
Her shoulders shook, her fox ears quivering as though she were sobbing in grief.
---
Mathew, quietly standing nearby, watched Yae Miko's performance with amusement. The sight of the sly shrine maiden pretending to weep was priceless.
He even slipped out a Fontaine-made photo camera using his space powers, clicking it open to capture the moment. A blackmail-worthy treasure for the ages.
---
Ayato kept his face as still as water, though inside he was shaken. Was this truly the same Lady Yae who delighted in teasing others? She looked convincingly heartbroken now, her voice filled with grievance.
Yet what caught his attention most was the paper report lying on the ground.
The words written there claimed that "Inazuma is at peace, the people live in safety, and prosperity abounds."
Ayato's heart froze.
He had known the Tri-Commission leaders lied in their reports to the castle tower. But to this extent? To forge every word?
His Kamisato clan was tasked only with ceremonies, etiquette, and cultural matters. He had no authority to intervene in political reports. Even if he had wanted to warn the Shogun directly, it would have been overstepping his station.
Now he understood why both he and Miko had been summoned.
The Shogun had finally uncovered the deception, and she was preparing to act.
---
The Raiden Shogun looked at Miko, her face softening with rare apology.
"Forgive me, Miko. I thought you were only teasing as always. I never imagined Kujo Takayuki and the others would dare present false reports to me."
Her hands clenched tightly again. Her eyes darkened with killing intent.
Those traitors had deceived her for centuries.
---
Miko seized the moment. She let tears glisten on her cheeks, exaggerating her suffering. "Ei, you don't know. They've always treated me as an obstacle. The Kamisato family too—they nearly destroyed Ayato and his sister if not for my intervention."
Her voice hardened, dripping with venom. "If you never leave your Pure Land, how can I know whether you rule Inazuma, or if they do?"
Her words cut sharp, calculated.
Ayato's heart swelled with gratitude toward Lady Yae. By drawing Ei's attention, she was protecting the Kamisato family and ensuring their survival.
---
Yae Miko continued, her tears giving way to fiery indignation.
"For years, my shrine maidens and the Kamisato family have gathered proof of their corruption. They collude with the Fatui, bleed the people dry, force women into prostitution, and sell humans as chattel. I've been waiting for the chance to bring all of this to you!"
The Shogun's divine aura surged, filling the chamber with lightning.
"Evidence is meaningless now. Inazuma has descended into chaos so severe that even Celestia nearly punished this land. For that alone, they should commit seppuku at once!"
---
At those words, Yae Miko's breath caught. Her tails stiffened with shock.
Celestia had taken notice?
If another of the Heavenly Principles had come instead of Mathew, Inazuma might have been annihilated on the spot.
Ayato also stiffened. Though he could barely comprehend the level of power Celestia wielded, he understood enough: if Celestia's judgment truly fell, Inazuma would vanish.
That meant Ei's fury wasn't simply personal—it was divine justice enforced by a higher order.
---
The Shogun's voice became absolute.
"Son of God, Kamisato Ayato—you will mobilize the clans immediately. Arrest Kujo Takayuki, Hiiragi Shinsuke, and all officials responsible for Inazuma's decay."
Lightning cracked again, her voice sharp as steel.
"No… arrest is not enough. Such punishment is far too light."
---
Mathew quietly tucked away his photo camera, smiling at the spectacle. He had seen enough.
But before silence could settle, Yae Miko turned her fox eyes toward him, catching the playful gleam on his face.
"And who might this unfamiliar young man be?" Her voice dripped with mischief. "To bring a camera and record me of all people in such a moment… how daring."
Her lips curled. If Ei were not present, she would have already seized him by the ears and scolded him mercilessly.
No one photographed Yae Miko's tears and got away unpunished. She mentally added Mathew's name to her secret little notebook of "people who must be pranked."
Oh, how he would regret crossing her later.
---
Ei stiffened. "Miko! That is no little brother!" Her hands trembled with unease. To refer to him in such a way was a dangerous transgression.
Mathew raised his hand lightly, cutting Ei off. His eyes glinted with amusement as he stared back at the Guuji.
"My name is Mathew," he said calmly. "From Sky Island."
The chamber fell silent.
Yae Miko froze mid-breath. The smile drained from her face. All her playful schemes, all her tricks—wiped away in an instant, as if doused in freezing water.
Her pupils shrank. Her lips parted, but no sound came.
Sky Island.
She had been seconds from mocking a representative of Celestia itself.
The realization struck her like lightning: she had nearly brought ruin upon herself, and perhaps even Inazuma, with her careless tongue.
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