"You hurt your big sister!"
As soon as she spoke, Yae Miko let out a whimper like a fox spirit.
She looked at the two, who were normally dressed, and asked.
"Why drag me in too? Could it be that you, little one, want to do such things to your big sister as well?"
"Indeed, I do."
Jack answered her honestly.
This response completely flustered Yae Miko.
She felt that if she continued to tease him at her usual pace, with the glimpse of his Geo and grass element power she'd just seen, she truly wouldn't be able to resist him.
For a moment, the three fell silent.
Seeing this, Jack took out a Maid Charm.
Yae Miko raised an eyebrow. She knew about this item; Ganyu had specifically warned her about it as a wondrous tool, and also as the key to Jack forming new bonds with the maidens of Teyvat.
"Are you trying to ensnare your big sister with this thing? Too bad, your big sister has lived for hundreds of years and seen all kinds of men. I'm not as easily swayed as little Ayaka."
Her unspoken meaning was that to make her, Yae Miko, a familiar, a certain reward would be required.
"Don't you want to know what happened to the Sacred Sakura Tree?"
"The Sacred Sakura Tree?"
Yae Miko looked at Jack with suspicion, then glanced at the Sacred Tree, which had indeed become more enchanting in recent days.
Originally, she had thought it was the true sister's divine manifestation, but now it seemed there might be another hidden reason?
"Although I don't know what you're planning, how can your big sister be sure you're not lying to me?"
"Quite the high level of vigilance."
Jack helplessly put the Maid Charm back into his inventory.
This tsundere fox needed to be dealt with using other methods, such as... first breaking her high and mighty "big sister" mindset.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew past.
Yae Miko's eyes blinked involuntarily.
Jack had vanished from her sight.
Then, her waist tightened, and Yae Miko was directly pushed from behind by Jack and pressed against the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Bang!
[-0]
The Sacred Sakura Tree displayed a 'no damage' message.
But a certain fox suffered immense damage.
"You... what do you want to do? Are you so enraged that you want to force your big sister— Mmph!"
This kiss directly tore through Yae Miko's defensive barrier, stripping away her tsundere facade, leaving only the soft, alluring charm of a fox spirit.
"There's an old saying in my hometown: men conquer women by conquering the world, and women conquer the world by conquering men. Do you want to be the latter?"
Yae Miko bit her lower lip tightly, but her head couldn't seem to nod down.
"No! You don't have such grand ambitions. You're just a little fox yearning for reliance, wanting to live a carefree life without worries or heavy burdens."
"You're prying into my heart again!"
"Heh, you can think so, but you've indirectly admitted what I said, haven't you?"
Yae Miko tilted her head, revealing her rosy, delicate collarbone.
Jack gently forced her face back to him with his hand and said softly.
"Five hundred years have passed, and you've fulfilled your duties. Be it Inazuma or Teyvat, as the future Fourth Heavenly Principle, I will be responsible for saving her. You can rest assured and be the chief editor of Yae Publishing House, how about it?"
"No!"
"Hmm? Want another one?"
"Don't… I didn't mean that. Give, give me that!"
Yae Miko held out her hand.
Jack smiled knowingly, took out the Maid Charm again, and slapped it into her hand.
Feeling that Jack hadn't actually abandoned her, Yae Miko breathed a sigh of relief.
"You little rascal, don't even think about leaving me behind! Since you've stolen a maiden's heart, then take good responsibility for it!"
"Five hundred years old and still calling yourself a maiden?"
"Hmph! What's wrong with that? Ganyu is two or three thousand years old, and hasn't she also become your woman? Are you going to dislike me now?"
"You're right, age isn't an issue. So… I'll ask you one more time, Miko, do you wish to be my eternal companion, to witness the brilliant star sea and the truths of the universe with me?"
Yae Miko clenched her small hand and said firmly.
"I… do!"
...
After dealing with Yae Miko's matter.
The three of them once again stood beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree, a boss with a four-star difficulty rating.
"Strange, why was an extra ritual added? It wasn't here when I came this morning."
Jack clicked on the strategy guide included in the Sacred Sakura Tree's description.
He was absolutely certain that this ritual, called "Three-Day Moon Dance," had not been present this morning.
Could this damn Sacred Sakura Tree evolve on its own?
"Cough cough! Um… I think I probably know what the reason is."
Yae Miko carefully observed the Sacred Sakura Tree's description and said sheepishly, "It seems that every time I perform the Kagura Dance for it, the Sacred Sakura Tree has some kind of feedback."
"At first, I thought it was the true sister manifesting, but now it seems that perhaps my actions built a bridge between it and the faith gathered at Narukami Shrine. It is the faith of everyone in Inazuma that has allowed it to evolve to this point today."
"So the Sacred Sakura Tree, or rather, your Inazuma gods, cannot directly use the faith of the Inazuma people?"
"Little rascal, what do you think the profession of a shrine maiden is for? To warm a god's bed?"
"What?! Shrine maidens have other uses besides warming beds?!"
"Shrine maidens are messengers of the gods, a bridge connecting gods and mortals. Now that Raiden Ei is still present, for the Sacred Sakura Tree to acquire faith, only a great shrine maiden like Lady Guuji should be able to provide it with a means of clandestine transfer."
The honest Kamisato Ayaka, thinking Jack had only a superficial understanding of shrine maidens, began to explain.
Jack patted Ayaka's hair: "Mm-hmm! As expected of a young lady from a distinguished family, truly different from a certain idle shrine maiden who neglects her duties."
"Hmph! I diligently opened Yae Publishing House to provide some funds for the shrine and improve lives. How did that become neglecting my duties to you?!"
"Do you dare say these things weren't started because of your personal interests?"
"This… it's not entirely that, is it? Five hundred years is such a long time, I have to find some fun to pass the time, don't I?"
"Then see if this can help you pass the time?"
Seeing that he had piqued Yae Miko's interest, Jack tossed a few manga books he had bought earlier onto the table in front of Miko.
"What is this?"
"Entertainment products from another world."
Yae Miko's eyes lit up.
She immediately opened the manga and began to read.
A few minutes later.
Miko rubbed Jack's arm with her well-developed external armor and said.
"Darling, do you have more of these? Your little fox wants to read a billion more."
"I do, but lately, my hand just wants to grab something fluffy. I wonder if you have anything similar."
Yae Miko gave him a coquettish glare, then revealed her hidden large tail and gently placed it on Jack's hand.
"Here, a tail, for you."
"Also, a tail is a very sensitive spot for a fox yokai, so please don't… Migu!—"
Yae Miko's fur nearly bristled all over, and she quickly leaped four or five meters away.
What on earth was that just now?!
She looked at Jack's palm with suspicion, feeling some great terror emanating from it.
Jack, on the other hand, scratched his chin in confusion: Is it really that stimulating? I only turned the sensitivity up to five times.
-------------------------------
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