"Working is worse than sleeping~"
A certain unknown Sayu, who had woken up even later than Su Bai, lazily yawned. These past few days, she had no idea what had gotten into that Raiden Shogun of theirs, who had actually ordered that a ceremony be held once the hundredth Vision was collected.
This made the Kamisato Clan feel a bit uneasy, because all the elites in the Shuumatsuban had been pulled away by Ayato. Picking the tallest among the short, the poor Sayu was sent to carry out the mission of monitoring Tenshukaku.
The tiny Sayu, worried about being discovered by the Raiden Shogun and facing divine punishment, let her anxiety overcome her sleepiness, achieving a very difficult milestone in her life: not slacking off to sleep for three consecutive days while on duty.
"Ugh, it is time to report to the Shuumatsuban... But I am still so sleepy~"
Sayu rubbed her eyes, forced herself to perk up, and walked toward the Shuumatsuban's base. That was where someone would assign tasks to every Shuumatsuban ninja, and it was also one of the people Sayu least wanted to see.
"Let me check if there are any messages on the phone. If there is nothing major, I will just skip work today."
Passing by a large tree in Chinju Forest that was perfectly suited for sleeping, the sleepy soul within Sayu finally saw the light of day again. She leaned lazily against the tree trunk and dazedly pulled out her phone.
[Hu Tao: After being busy for so many days, this Director has already solved more than half of the problems on Tsurumi Island. Today, I will just take a break.]
[Hu Tao: Speaking of which, I have been in Inazuma for so many days, and this Director has not properly strolled around Inazuma City yet. I wonder what interesting places there are in Inazuma City.]
[Kujou Sara: Director Hu, when you go out, you must keep the token I gave you in a conspicuous place, otherwise the Shogun's Army might confiscate your Vision.]
[Yae Miko, Embodiment of Wisdom and Beauty: If you feel the token little Sara gave you is unreliable, you can come to the Grand Narukami Shrine to find me. I can give you three omamoris~ As long as you keep the omamoris in a conspicuous place, people from the Three Commissions will treat you with the utmost respect when they meet you.]
[Kujou Sara: There is no need to trouble you with this, Guuji. Additionally, if Director Hu has nowhere to go, she can go see the Statue of the Omnipresent God in Inazuma City. It is a fine sight in Inazuma.]
[Hu Tao: Statue of the Omnipresent God? What a strange name. What is so good about looking at that thing? Does it really have a thousand hands?]
[Su Bai: Whether it has a thousand hands remains to be seen, but as far as I know, ninety-nine Visions have already been embedded in it. Recently, everyone in Inazuma who owns a Vision is very nervous. If Visions were not so uncomfortable to carry, people would wish they could shove them into their underwear.]
[Kujou Sara: Shove them into their underwear? That is a good reminder. I will pay attention to this aspect in the future as well.]
[Su Bai: ???]
[Zhongli: Confining people's wishes within a cold stone statue, yet never stepping into the mortal world to understand their desires. Director Hu, let us go take a look at the Statue of the Omnipresent God, just as a form of self-reflection.]
[Zhongtuo: Hmm? Is there some fun to be had? Let us go, let us go! I will buy some Tricolor Dango to eat on the way first.]
[Yae Miko, Embodiment of Wisdom and Beauty: My poor old friend is actually being used as a negative example. How interesting~]
[Hanachirusato: This is no longer interesting. Something happened. Some unlucky fool was actually arrested by the Tenryou Commission. The Raiden Shogun is going to personally judge that person, and I could not even stop her.]
[Hanachirusato: Ei is also like this. Every time I bring her sweet snacks, she comes out. After eating the sweet snacks, she just lets the Raiden Shogun fool me. It makes me so angry.]
[Yae Miko, Embodiment of Wisdom and Beauty: Senior, you know Ei's personality. It is good enough that she comes out to see you. Speaking of which, which unlucky fool was arrested by the Tenryou Commission?]
[Kujou Sara: It is the housekeeper of the Kamisato Clan, Thoma.]
[Kamisato Ayaka: !!! Thoma? Was he not just strolling around Inazuma City? How could he be arrested?]
[Paimon: Thoma?? He just treated Lumine and me to fried skewers not long ago. How could he be arrested in less than half an hour?]
[Su Bai: Is that guy Ayato not at the Kamisato Estate?]
[Kamisato Ayaka: My brother is not here. He has been very busy recently. General Kujou, how was Thoma caught?]
[Kujou Sara: I do not know the specific reason either. I only received the news. But one thing is certain: the Kamisato Clan might need to find a new housekeeper.]
...
After sending this message, Kujou Sara looked at Thoma, who was being escorted to the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
What a pity. Talented and loyal individuals like Thoma were rare in Inazuma. If only he did not have a Vision. Sigh~
Oh ho~ It looks like there is no way to slack off today.
Considering that Thoma had previously covered for her when she slacked off, Sayu thought about it and decided to go to the scene to take a look. If any chaos broke out, she might be able to fish in troubled waters.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Su Bai, who had been researching how to make the phone signal break through the thunderstorm to reach Liyue and Mondstadt, also put down the various parts in his hands. If it were someone he did not know being arrested, Su Bai would not have cared much. However, his relationship with Thoma had always been very good, and Thoma was an upright person. Perhaps it was time for him to go see that old hag, Ei.
"Ayato, if I save Thoma this time, you are going to owe me a huge favor."
Putting on his coat, Su Bai immediately used Anemo energy to accelerate and fly toward the location of the Statue of the Omnipresent God. The next time they met, he would have another good reason to thoroughly fleece Ayato. How nice.
Speaking of Ayato, he had no idea what Ayato was so busy with. He had been back in Inazuma for so many days. It was one thing if Ayato did not come to find him, but when he went to look for Ayato several times, Ayato was actually not at home.
...
At this moment, Lumine, who was on her way to the Adventurers' Guild to look for commissions, also stopped in her tracks. After Paimon showed her the messages on the phone, she spoke with a serious expression.
"Lumine, Thoma is our friend. We cannot just stand by and watch him be executed. I think we should go save him."
Lumine nodded. She was thinking the exact same thing. Ever since they arrived in Inazuma, Thoma, this good brother, had secretly given her quite a few highly rewarding but simple commissions. Now that Thoma was in danger, she had to at least try and see if she could rescue him.
Meanwhile, after receiving the news that Thoma was going to be executed in front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God, Hu Tao immediately organized the tools she had brought from Liyue. Although the conditions in Inazuma were a bit rudimentary, this did not stop Hu Tao from wanting to make the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's name known in Inazuma City.
"Zhongli, stop spacing out. Later, if that person does not turn to ash, you will be responsible for carrying the coffin."
"If he does turn to ash, then this Director will just give him a final resting place for free. Hmm, little Zhongtuo, let us go! Toward the stars and the abyss—wait, wrong script. It is toward death and high temperatures~"
---
New Fanfic out:
Honkai Impact 3rd: Kiana's Blind Swordsman