Early that morning, Kamisato Ayato saw his sister emerge from her room after carefully dressing herself.
Seeing how beautifully Ayaka had made herself up today, he could more or less guess what was on her mind.
"Are you heading out for something important today, little sister?"
If the object of her affections was Su Ran...
then the Kamisato Clan would certainly be marrying above their station.
Still, Ayato couldn't bring himself to be optimistic.
After all, Ayaka was only an ordinary person.
"I simply thought that, as one of the Electro Archon's people, I ought to visit the shrine and pay my respects to Her Excellency the Shogun."
Seeing her brother appear, Ayaka felt a little flustered.
So she hastily came up with an excuse.
Her reverence for the Shogun was genuine.
But aside from certain festivals, she rarely visited the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Such a clumsy lie, however, couldn't fool Ayato.
All he could do was sigh inwardly.
My little sister has grown up.
"Then go."
"When meeting Her Excellency, it's only proper to show respect."
"Dressing up for the occasion is only natural."
Although he saw through her lie,
Ayato chose to let things take their course.
He wouldn't interfere, nor would he deliberately encourage anything.
He could only hope that the deity in question would treat his sister well.
The two of them had depended on each other since childhood.
Naturally, their bond was deep.
When it came to his sister's love, he wasn't the sort of obsessive siscon who would go to extremes.
As long as Ayaka could be happy, that was all he wished for.
But if happiness was truly what she sought, how could she bear to be separated from the one she loved?
He silently watched his sister head up the mountain.
Mount Yougou was tall, but it couldn't diminish Ayaka's enthusiasm for climbing it.
"...Sigh."
"Daughters really do grow up and leave home."
Though Mount Yougou was high, it wasn't a difficult climb for Ayaka.
Whenever the Raiden Shogun was staying within the shrine, the Grand Narukami Shrine was generally closed to the public, so the deity could enjoy some peace and quiet.
However, upon seeing that it was Kamisato Ayaka, the shrine maidens at the entrance didn't stop her.
Everyone knew
Ayaka served as the deity's attendant.
Being at the goddess's side was only natural.
If one day she wasn't there, that would be considered neglecting her duties.
Still, the shrine felt a little unusual today.
From behind, the repeated sound of clashing weapons echoed through the grounds.
Was someone sparring?
Curious, Ayaka walked toward the back.
The first thing she saw was two figures crossing blades beneath the Sacred Sakura.
One was Lady Ei.
The other...
was someone she'd never seen before.
Yet despite the unfamiliar swordswoman,
Ayaka's heart filled with joy.
Because she had finally seen someone she'd been missing for so long.
Noticing her arrival,
Su Ran crooked a finger at her.
The White Heron Princess immediately hurried over, naturally resuming her former role as his attendant.
"Did you miss me while I was away, Ayaka?"
Su Ran gently lifted her chin with a teasing finger.
"...Of course I did."
Although she was being teased, it also reminded her of those unforgettable days.
If she were to voice something utterly disrespectful...
she actually missed the period when the Shogun had been blown to pieces.
Back then, she had spent every day in Tenshukaku, terrified yet filled with excitement.
She had practically never left Su Ran's side.
Unlike now, when they only met after such long intervals.
"Lord Su Ran..."
"Who is that lady?"
Ayaka looked toward Jingliu, who was exchanging blows evenly with Lady Ei.
Being able to fight the invincible Raiden Shogun on equal footing...that was no ordinary feat.
Only someone associated with the great person she now served could possibly accomplish such a thing.
"Jingliu."
"A warrior from beyond the stars."
The reason Jingliu could fight Ei evenly
was simply because she was using nothing but swordsmanship, without employing any Path powers.
Both women possessed immense combat experience.
Ei had even lived much longer.
Their understanding of martial arts naturally wasn't worlds apart.
Ei wasn't using Electro.
Jingliu wasn't using Path abilities.
Otherwise...
cutting stars from the heavens wasn't merely an exaggeration.
If Jingliu fought seriously, forget Ei—
even the Heavenly Principles would likely fall beneath her blade.
A contest of pure swordsmanship, however, was something Jingliu quite enjoyed.
She was delighted to meet someone who could truly match her in martial skill.
"That lady is incredible."
"To actually fight Lady Ei like this..."
Aside from Su Ran and the Seven Archons,
Ayaka had never seen anyone make Lady Ei take a battle this seriously.
"Yes."
"Ei's pretty impressive."
"To be able to exchange blows evenly with Jingliu."
Su Ran couldn't help praising her.
His words immediately made Ayaka pause.
Could it be...
Miss Jingliu is actually the stronger one?
Before she could process that thought, her eyes suddenly landed on the tiny figure nestled in Su Ran's arms.
For a moment,
Ayaka froze.
That little white-haired girl...
Who was she?
And why did she also have white hair?
It wasn't as though Ayaka had never imagined that one day her own child might inherit either Su Ran's black hair...
or perhaps white hair instead.
But now, a little girl that old had suddenly appeared.
Where had she come from?
In an instant, she lost all interest in watching the duel.
Her entire attention focused on Clara.
Unfortunately, the two couldn't understand each other's language.
After another cup of tea's worth of time, the sparring match came to an end.
"You possess remarkable skill."
"You may truly be called a master of martial arts."
Jingliu could tell that Ei's expertise wasn't limited to a single weapon.
A brief exchange like this revealed little difference between them.
But over a prolonged battle, things would change.
Jingliu had devoted herself solely to the sword.
All she knew was how to swing it.
Ei, however, wielded more than just the blade in her hand.
She also mastered the naginata.
To encounter a martial artist of this caliber in such a remote world
was already an extraordinary thing.
If she were to walk a Path, she would surely become a powerhouse whose name echoed across the universe.
"You've earned my recognition."
"I'm glad we were able to cross blades."
Although they couldn't understand each other's language,
Ei still felt they had communicated well enough through combat.
Only.. she didn't particularly care for Jingliu's voice.
For some reason, it reminded her too much of that fox.
"I've heard from him..."
"that you possess an astonishing slash."
"May I see it?"
Ei turned toward Su Ran, waiting for him to translate.
"She wants to see your Musou no Hitotachi."
"Let's find somewhere with a little more open space first."
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