Chapter 272: The Feeling of Losing a Vision
After carrying over a bundle of firewood, Mamoru tossed a few pieces into the flames.
He glanced nervously at the black-clad man speaking with his boss, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and hurried off again to pick more fruit.
"Miss Hina's favorites," Bai Luo said as he eyed the Lavender Melon roasting beside the fire, "are people with high status."
The sight reminded him of little Sayu again.
Ever since she'd eaten the fruit he prepared, the effects had been so strong that not only did she drop Sunsettias—she now barely touched Lavender Melons at all.
"Well, that's no problem! This great Arataki is the leader of the Arataki Gang! My status is plenty high!"
Arataki Itto, who had been a little worried, immediately puffed out his chest with pride.
In his mind, the Arataki Gang was the mightiest organization in all of Inazuma.
The Tenryou Commission? The Police Station?
All completely beneath them.
Hmm? Why does he keep getting thrown into jail by the city guards?
Hmph! Those people simply admire the great Arataki!
But they're too embarrassed to show it openly, so he has no choice but to graciously cooperate with their "invitations."
When he's locked in the holding cells, those Kujou lackeys serve him feasts—meat, fish, everything!
They even give him bracelets and anklets, set him up with a private room, and escort him personally when he leaves!
Even the Raiden Shogun herself probably doesn't get that kind of treatment!
WAHAHAHAHAHA!
"Of course, of course. The Arataki Gang is Inazuma's number one group. Even a current general of the Tenryou Commission ran off to fight in the boondocks of Kannazuka because she feared the mighty Boss Itto."
Bai Luo praised him with a perfectly straight face.
"That's right! Shame she ran so fast. I was planning to challenge her to a sumo match!"
Itto sighed dramatically.
The matter of Kujou Sara confiscating his Vision clearly still gnawed at him.
Forget it—don't think about that today.
Mr. Bai is here.
Bai Luo's appearance wasn't much of a surprise.
He'd heard the Arataki Gang was scouring the city for him, so he "just happened to" let himself be found.
Only then did he learn why they were searching for him: their boss had been selected to dine with Miss Hina and had absolutely no idea what to do, so they wanted to consult the "eccentric genius" known as Bai Luo.
From Itto's perspective, with Bai Luo's advice, he would definitely leave an unforgettable impression on Miss Hina.
Normally, Shinobu would never allow Bai Luo near her boss so easily.
She knew all too well how dangerous—and how shameless—this man could be.
But Itto had come out looking for Bai Luo behind her back.
He simply couldn't understand—Mr. Bai was clearly a good person! He even treated him to grilled fish once! So why did Shinobu slander him so harshly?
As for why Shinobu still hadn't come to stop them even after their return…
Well, why do you think Bai Luo was holding that big stick in his hand?
Before eight o'clock tomorrow morning, Shinobu would absolutely not be interrupting anything between Bai Luo and Arataki Itto.
"Boss! Mr. Bai! We're back!"
While Bai Luo and Itto were deeply immersed in strategizing how to help him make the best possible impression during the banquet with Go—cough, Miss Hina, the other two members of the Arataki Gang, Akira and Genta, finally returned.
Unlike Mamoru, who handled the fruit gathering, these two had been sent to the river to catch fish.
Yet despite Mamoru bringing back a mountain of firewood… the two of them came back holding exactly one tiny fish.
But one fish was fine. It wasn't a problem.
The Arataki Gang was used to grilling fish anyway, so before bringing it over, they'd already cleaned and gutted it.
That saved Bai Luo quite a bit of trouble.
Don't be fooled just because his fried rice once made Colombina chase him for several streets—when it came to soups, barbecue, and grilling fish, Bai Luo was actually pretty skilled.
Because… well, it was simple.
For soup, you just threw everything in, waited for the right time, and served it. No matter what, it would never turn out bad.
Grilling fish was the same. Back during missions, he never had time to cook proper meals, so he'd always rely on roasting meat or skewering fish. Somehow, he ended up developing real technique from the repetition.
"Speaking of which, Itto—after you lost your Vision, did you feel anything… different?"
While turning the fish over the fire, Bai Luo asked casually.
Since they had just brought up Kujou Sara confiscating his Vision, the question didn't seem out of place.
"Huh? Different? Like what kind of different?" Itto blinked, confused.
Losing his Vision wasn't that big a deal to him.
He couldn't use elemental power anymore, sure—but before he ever got a Vision, he had lived his life perfectly fine.
"For example… does it feel like you've forgotten something important? Or that you're missing something?"
Those were the symptoms shown by people who lost their Visions in the original storyline.
Even though neither Itto nor Shinobu had ever displayed anything like that, Bai Luo felt it necessary to ask.
"Hmm… aside from Ushi not being around, not really."
He scratched at his hair, doing his best to think now that his external brain—Shinobu—wasn't around to assist him.
"Nothing at all?"
Bai Luo pressed again, mentally noting everything.
"Well… if I had to say something different…" Itto thought hard. "…Yeah, there is one thing. I feel like… I'm not shackled anymore."
"Not… shackled?" Bai Luo repeated.
"Yeah. When I had my Vision, the only thing I could use—or even really sense—was Geo. But after the tengu took it away, I suddenly feel like my whole world opened up. The spreading of the wind across the fields, the damp of water by the riverside, the lushness of the woods, even the heat of the fire in front of us—all of it feels clearer than before."
"..."
Itto was a yokai who lived by instinct and impulse—a man whose heart had no room for deception. He said what he felt, straight and honest.
Which meant what he described was the most direct, unfiltered sensation he had after losing his Vision.
And that… was interesting.
Bai Luo glanced at the nearby grass.
A faint green presence blended so perfectly into the surrounding blades that no one would notice anything amiss.
If she had said such words, he would've had to analyze the meaning carefully.
But coming from Arataki Itto…
Heh.
No wonder the Doctor called them "consumable components found everywhere."
It seemed the Doctor's research into Visions was far deeper than Bai Luo had assumed.
A Vision… was it truly the qualification to ascend toward godhood?
Or was it… a shackle placed upon humankind?
. . . . .
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