Above the Grand Narukami Shrine, the shrine maiden Inashiro Hotarumi still wore an astonished expression:
"Mr. Yellow Fox is truly amazing; he completed the entire ritual so quickly..."
Now, with the completion of the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, the sacred sakura tree at the shrine had become even more vibrant and full of life.
In this state, it could probably maintain the stability of Inazuma's land for several centuries.
Yae Miko, this time, didn't laugh, but instead let out a sigh of admiration:
"Didn't I tell you? Yellow Fox is the most suitable candidate to complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual."
Inashiro Hotarumi nodded thoughtfully, then a look of confusion appeared on her face again:
"But Guuji-sama, why didn't you personally assist Mr. Yellow Fox in completing the cleansing ritual? With Guuji-sama present, the cleansing ritual would have been even more stable, wouldn't it?"
Facing this question, Yae Miko fell silent. After a long while, she sighed:
"It's nothing, I just couldn't muster the courage to face all of it, and so I ran away at the last minute."
"Ah?" Inashiro Hotarumi was slightly startled: "Guuji-sama, what do you mean?"
Yae Miko shook her head: "It's nothing. If there's nothing else, you can go attend to your duties."
Inashiro Hotarumi thought for a moment, though she still had doubts in her heart.
But since Yae Miko had already given the 'order to depart,' she didn't ask further, nodded, and left.
Not until Inashiro Hotarumi had left did Yae Miko reveal a reminiscent expression, sighing softly:
"Sigh, I do regret it a bit now. Why do I always evade things at crucial moments...?"
In fact, the main reason Yae Miko handed the latter half of the cleansing ritual to Yuuko
was because she didn't know how to face that existence... If Kitsune Saiguu's memory body appeared before her, she really wouldn't know what to say to it... Yae Miko was also afraid that once they met, and she saw that figure who only appeared in her childhood,
she wouldn't be able to control her emotions.
So, after learning that Yuuko could complete the remaining cleansing ritual alone, she dropped the burden and evaded it.
However, afterward, Yae Miko began to feel some regret.
The human heart is inherently complex.
Sometimes, when it's time to face something, one always lacks the courage and thus evades it.
But after the matter is over, one begins to regret and blame oneself for being weak.
This situation is perfectly normal.
Thinking of this, Yae Miko shook her head helplessly.
Since she had already evaded it, there was nothing more to say.
Now that the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was over, regretting it was useless.
She shook her head, intending to cast these matters aside and no longer dwell on them.
However... just then, there was a momentary stir behind Yae Miko.
Just now, a dark shadow seemed to have swept past behind her!
Yae Miko raised an eyebrow slightly and quickly turned to look.
She then discovered that a white fox mask had been placed behind her at some unknown time.
Looking at that mask, Yae Miko was slightly stunned.
Although Yae Miko was seeing that mask for the first time, she knew what it was.
Because on it, the aura of the person she longed for was floating.
Yae Miko closed her eyes, and after a long while, she opened them again.
She looked up at the sky and said softly, "Yellow Fox, thank you..."
...Several days had passed since the Abyssal Monsters attacked Inazuma.
Fortunately, Inazuma did not suffer too much damage from these monsters this time.
Achieving this was also thanks to those who had tried their best to protect Inazuma.
If it weren't for their strenuous efforts to repel the Abyssal Monsters from surging into Inazuma City, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Of course, Abyssal Monsters were not easy to deal with.
If the Abyssal Monsters hadn't suddenly stopped their attack and disappeared later,
Inazuma probably wouldn't be as stable as it is now.
As for why the Abyssal Monsters suddenly attacked Inazuma,
and why they suddenly retreated,
no one knew... In a small house on the outskirts of Inazuma City.
Yuuko sat in the living room, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a small sip before speaking to Yae Miko, who was sitting opposite him:
"So, Chief Editor Yae, you came today just to chat with me?"
Yae Miko also picked up the cup on the table, took a light sip, and smiled:
"Haven't the monster incidents been quite big recently? I was a bit worried, so I wanted to come and see if you, Yuuko, were hurt or anything."
Yuuko thought for a moment, then shook his head:
"I've been staying in Inazuma City. The monsters outside are handled by the Three Commissions' soldiers and adventurers. How could anything happen to me?
Besides, even if the sky falls, there will be those strong individuals to hold it up. It generally won't affect us weak ones."
"All in all, it's great that Yuuko is fine." Yae Miko showed a faint smile.
"Thanks for your concern." After speaking, Yuuko looked at Yae Miko curiously again:
"Chief Editor Yae, I feel like your demeanor has changed a bit. Is it just my imagination?"
Although the former Yae Miko also often had a mischievous smile,
she always gave people the feeling of carrying some kind of shackles.
This scum woman hid herself very deeply and was good at disguising herself, but Yuuko could still see this point.
Now, Yae Miko no longer had that feeling about her.
It was as if she had put down a long-held burden, giving off a feeling of complete lightness.
Hearing Yuuko's words, Yae Miko was silent for a moment, then teased:
"I never expected that you, Yuuko, would observe me so carefully. Honestly, I'm quite happy about it~"
"No, no, I just happened to notice it." Yuuko said modestly.
These words made Yae Miko say displeasedly: "Yuuko, you... really can't read people's expressions. You won't be popular with women this way~"
Yuuko smiled and shook his head, then changed the subject:
"I recently heard that the Shogun has gone missing. Is this true?"
During this period, although the threat of monsters had been eliminated,
because Raiden Ei had disappeared, the entire Inazuma was still enveloped in an atmosphere of worry.
After all, their own god going missing was quite terrifying for the people of Inazuma.
Hearing Yuuko's question, Yae Miko's expression also became uncharacteristically solemn.
She rested her chin on her hand and pondered:
"That Ei, honestly, I don't know where she is now or what important things she's doing..."
"And she seems to have disappeared during the period when the Abyssal Monsters appeared."
"If it's her, she's probably doing something very important."
Speaking of this, Yae Miko sighed heavily again:
"That girl, she's always like this, always suddenly taking on burdens without a word... She's really an unreliable person..."
After speaking, Yae Miko realized she had said too much and quickly stopped herself:
"Ah, sorry, I shouldn't be discussing such heavy topics with you, Yuuko."
"It's alright, after all, I asked first." Yuuko shook his head, then fell into thought.
He remembered the last time he met Raiden Ei, she had said something incredible.
At that time, Raiden Ei had said: "It's time to settle things with the Shogun."
Yuuko had a feeling that if Raiden Ei wasn't found soon, there might be big problems.
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