Chapter 280: My Apologies, I Seem To Have Come At The Wrong Time
The scroll unfolded, and the familiar scent of plum blossoms drifted out. The bookmark lying slanted between the pages toppled over as well.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, when the bookmark fell, it happened to land right beside a line of text.
[There's nothing here, you know.]
"..."
Staring at the bookmark, Bai Luo froze for a moment before a smile slowly appeared on his face.
It seemed that pink-haired fox had gotten a bit clever. She actually didn't leave Raiden Shogun's Gnosis here.
Well, whatever. The result didn't matter much to him anyway. As long as he enjoyed the process thoroughly, that was enough.
What is a contest of wits and magic? It only counts if both sides give and take. If that pink-haired fox were defeated by him easily, all his efforts would become meaningless.
This sort of counterplay wouldn't anger Bai Luo, it would only delight him even more.
Because the more she resisted him in this way, the more excited he felt.
Fun—wasn't this exactly how it was created?
He stood the bookmark upright again, then glanced at the half-finished plate of fried tofu beside him and shook his head slightly.
This pink-haired fox's plan was good.
Perhaps she thought that after he came in and saw the Gnosis was not here, he would definitely want to get back at her.
And the best way to retaliate against her would be to finish off that leftover fried tofu.
But she overlooked one thing: Bai Luo's understanding of her.
If it were that pink-haired fox, how could she possibly leave so much fried tofu unfinished?
She never even leaves a drop of broth when eating fried tofu.
So this leftover fried tofu was definitely a trap she set for him.
He searched the room again, but aside from simple clothing and books, there was no sign of the Gnosis.
When he knocked out Yae Miko, he also didn't find the Gnosis on her.
It seemed that pink-haired fox must have hidden it somewhere else.
"Your Majesty the Tsaritsa, I'm not slacking off, I really am working hard here."
Lying on Yae Miko's bed, Bai Luo took out his Delusion—its eerie green glow flickering—as if speaking to someone, or perhaps just talking to himself.
But the Dendro-element Delusion offered no response at all.
It was as if it were just a fancy glass bead with an LED inside.
"Forget it. I should hurry up and run."
First he'd been struck by Raiden Shogun, then he messed with the pink-haired fox. The two strongest people in this country—he had managed to provoke them both.
Hmm…
Didn't really seem that strange, actually.
After all, he'd caused just as much trouble in Liyue and Mondstadt.
In any case, he needed to slip away quickly while the pink-haired fox was still unconscious.
. . .
"Na… Miss Hina…"
Arataki Itto had already collapsed on the table from the alcohol, completely unconscious.
"Lord Arataki, are you alright?"
Gorou reached out with slender fingertips and gently poked his arm to test for a reaction.
Arataki Itto didn't respond at all—in fact, he even started snoring loudly.
It seemed the alcohol trap had worked.
Gorou pulled out the small notebook hidden in his sleeve and his pen.
He quickly recorded all the information he had coaxed out of Arataki Itto earlier, circling several key points.
After finishing, he looked back at Arataki Itto.
Originally, he planned to leave immediately, but considering Itto was a major figure of a certain faction, he might have something important on him.
Such as an identity tag, a document, or a secret order.
And so, a mischievous thought rose in Gorou's mind once more.
After walking to the door and sliding the bolt into place, Gorou returned to Arataki Itto's side.
"Lord Arataki, go sleep on the bed."
Gorou made a show of helping Arataki Itto up, even as he kept coaxing him with his voice.
If Gorou were truly a weak woman, he might not have been able to lift Arataki Itto at all—after all, the guy was huge, and his solid muscles were as hard as stone.
But as the great general of the Resistance Army, Gorou's strength was far from ordinary. Combined with the arm power built from years of drawing a bow, he lifted Arataki Itto with ease.
Once he got him up, Gorou's small hands began moving across Arataki Itto's body.
Though it looked like he was teasing him, in reality he was searching his clothes for anything useful.
Unfortunately, supporting this huge man with one hand was difficult enough, and it made searching for items much harder.
Glancing at the nearby bed, Gorou simply dragged him over and tossed him onto it.
"Miss Hina…"
The drunken Arataki Itto was still calling out Miss Hina's name, his alcohol-laced breath almost making Gorou gag.
"I'm here, I'm here. Be good~ It's not dawn yet, go to sleep~"
He comforted him with his voice, but his hands didn't stop moving, continuing to rummage through Itto's clothing for useful items.
But the elaborate outfit he wore at the moment became an obstacle.
When Bai Luo gave him this outfit, he clearly hadn't considered practicality at all—it was designed entirely for looks.
When walking on rainy days, the hem would even drag on the ground and get dirty.
This was one of the reasons Yae Miko had arranged for him to be carried around in a palanquin.
Seeing the inconvenience, Gorou simply removed the long, impractical skirt he was wearing. Left only in a pair of cropped pants, he climbed onto the bed and began lifting Itto's clothing and searching his pockets directly.
Swoosh—Clatter!
A dagger embedded itself into the wooden window frame, and as the mechanism activated, Bai Luo rose up along the steel wire. After changing identities outside, he kicked open the window—which, as it turned out, wasn't even locked.
"How's it going, did you settle—oh?"
The moment he kicked open the window, he saw Gorou sitting shirtless on top of Arataki Itto, hands still digging into the man's clothes.
Gorou: Σ(°△°|||)
Bai Luo: ≖‿≖✧
"My apologies, I seem to have come at the wrong time."
Bai Luo hadn't expected Gorou to be even more proactive than he imagined.
Not only did Bai Luo abandon his plan to leave immediately—despite the risk of being hunted down by a teamed-up Yae Miko and Raiden Shogun—he even thoughtfully closed the window for them.
If he lost his life, he could always reincarnate and return as a good man in eighteen years.
But encountering Gorou being this proactive? That was something that might not happen in several lifetimes.
Bai Luo knew very well which mattered more.
"Lord Battousai! Please let me explain!"
At this point, Gorou didn't care about intelligence gathering anymore. Grabbing his clothes, he jumped out the window after Bai Luo.
But before jumping, he at least removed the wig on his head.
Otherwise…
Miss Hina had just become explosively popular in Inazuma. If he jumped out like that, by the next day the entire city would probably be spreading rumors that the beloved big-sister-type Miss Hina was streaking through the streets.
. . . . .
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145673047?collection=174425
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/145673047?collection=174425
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed