Chapter 271: The Bystander Beyond the Fool's Game
Brilliant auroras filtered through windowpanes as clear as ice crystals, casting their glow over the old man's figure.
He stared silently at the chessboard before him, saying nothing for a long time.
On the board of sculpted ice, the black and white twins of international chess stood in stark contrast.
Across from him, the chair was empty—
Or perhaps… someone was sitting there? Or maybe nothing at all.
Only the old man's occasional expressions of deep contemplation hinted at the presence of something unseen.
Aside from the exquisitely carved pieces on the board, there was one object that felt strangely out of place.
It drifted outside the rules, yet somehow still existed within the system of the game.
Unlike the black-and-white pieces, this one was oval and flat, almost unimpressive at first glance.
It bore no carved figure marking its identity—only a crude symbol that resembled a word.
The strokes were sloppy, but one could barely make out a Liyue character… Was it shuai—the "king"?
Look closer, though, and it almost resembled the character for "Outsider."
"Bound by the rules, yet untouched by the match itself. A chess piece, yet not of this board. A fool, and yet a detached spectator outside the fool's game."
Heh…
"So this… is your choice?"
The gods envied the divinity of mortals, and so bestowed desire upon humanity.
If desire holds duality… does that mean it may slip free of fate itself?
Rise above the heavens?
Then…
The outsider upon the chessboard.
The solitary foreigner.
When will your imprisoned soul return?
When will your forgotten memories awaken?
Do not… disappoint Her Majesty.
The odd "king" rose slowly into the air—and under the pull of cold, unyielding ice, smashed down hard onto the board.
Crash—!
Shards of the icy board scattered everywhere, fragments spraying across the floor.
The delicate pieces could not withstand the force; they tumbled and rolled in every direction.
And on the smooth tabletop, amid the glittering frost, only that foreign piece remained—stable, unmoving, claiming the exact center with its strange shape.
. . .
Which star in the sky is the brightest?
Collei had once given Bai Luo an answer.
The moon.
Under the night sky, Bai Luo lay atop the roof, gazing at the glittering stars and the round, glowing moon.
His thoughts drifted, unknowable.
"Milord, the general from Watatsumi Island has been arranged as you instructed."
Georgy's voice rose from the courtyard below.
Ever since Bai Luo had promoted him, Georgy's duties had sharply increased.
But he never complained, serving a Harbinger was the honor of every Fatui.
And to be personally entrusted by the Harbinger himself? That was something all but unheard of.
"Good work," Bai Luo replied.
"It's all for Her Majesty's glory."
After giving a respectful bow, Georgy withdrew from the courtyard.
Once he was gone, Bai Luo pulled out the letter in his hand again.
Not Gorou's letter, but the one sent together with it, signed… Teppei.
Judging by his writing, Teppei's days had been comfortable lately.
He had fought on the front lines, taken part in Gorou's covert operations, and when exhausted, simply stayed in the camp to work as a doctor.
Five entire pages full of words, giving the sense of a life rich with experiences.
But to Bai Luo, he was still the same man as before.
No clear goal. No defined purpose. He wanted to do everything, wanted to dabble in all things. And yet, in the end, he achieved nothing concrete in any of them.
Worst of all… He was using these scattered pursuits to numb himself.
"Once everything here is settled… I'll lend him a hand."
The letter slowly curled and blackened in the firelight, turning to ash, and Bai Luo's figure vanished from the rooftop without a trace, leaving only the ever-full moon hanging high in the sky, like a great unblinking eye gazing down upon the world.
The moon set. The sun rose.
When the first rays of dawn touched the earth, the wild grass was the first to greet them.
Swaying with the morning breeze, they stubbornly shook off their dewdrops and embraced the warmth of the sun.
And today, Inazuma City was—after a long silence—completely set ablaze.
The spark? A small publication, or rather, a single person printed within it—
Miss Hina.
Before this, hardly anyone paid attention to her.
If not for Lady Guuji herself crafting an advertisement for her, and even the author of My Electro Archon Can't Be This Cute personally recommending her, perhaps only a handful of people would've ever bothered to write in.
But once Miss Hina's reply letters began arriving… Everything changed.
No matter how tricky the question, Miss Hina always answered in a clever, graceful way.
Her every word felt nothing like a stranger writing back, it felt like a long-lost friend chatting warmly across the table.
Not forced politeness. Not exaggerated humor. Just the perfect mix of familiarity, mischief, and gentle warmth.
Paired with the character standee the Yae Publishing House had prepared in advance, the Miss Hina craze even overshadowed the buzz once surrounding Bai Luo's novels.
Everyone who received a reply treated it like a priceless treasure. Even the little paw-print stamp Miss Hina pressed onto the page became a coveted collectible.
Some people were even willing to pay absurd sums for a letter with an authentic paw mark from Miss Hina.
Yae Miko, in the Grand Narukami Shrine, nearly laughed herself awake from her dreams.
Equally delighted—was Gorou.
He only wrote these replies to gather intel about the Shogunate army. But watching the people resolve their long-standing worries thanks to his letters… He couldn't help but feel happy for them.
There was just one thing he didn't understand:
Why did everyone say he was "adorably devilish" or "as mischievous as a kitten"?
Wasn't he… a dog?
Still, guilt tugged at him.
Among the joyful crowd, he noticed a few people looking unusually downcast.
After asking around, he learned why.
Not every letter had been selected.
Thinking back, Lord Battousai had said he sorted through hundreds of letters, mixing the important intel with the ordinary ones before sending them over.
The pile Gorou received afterward contained only a few dozen.
Meaning, those people were the ones eliminated during the sorting process.
Seeing their dejected faces, Gorou opened his mouth… But ultimately said nothing.
Of course. Right now, he wasn't "Big-Sister-Hina who understands your heart," but a wanted criminal hunted by the Tenryou Commission.
If he exposed himself carelessly…
"Lost in thought?"
Bai Luo appeared behind him without the slightest sound, patting his shoulder.
Had Gorou turned around, he would've noticed that Bai Luo's outfit was once again completely different from any of the previous times.
"It's nothing. When does the in-person meet-and-greet begin?"
What he truly cared about was the intel, but with Lord Battousai working tirelessly day and night, he felt embarrassed to pry too much.
The only thing he could do was play Miss Hina as convincingly as possible, to repay the help given to the Resistance and to Watatsumi Island.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Bai Luo answered. "But there'll also be a banquet in the evening. I paid a certain price to wrest a chance from that old fox Yae Miko. Tomorrow night, a high-ranking official of the Shogunate will be dining with you. If you want information…"
He tapped Gorou lightly on the forehead.
"Make sure you stay sharp."
"I understand."
. . . . .
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