Chapter 278: The Fruit That Makes a Fox Bristle
Just as Mondstadt had its poems and Liyue its storytellers, Inazuma too had its own traditions of tales.
The most iconic were the martial arts and crafting techniques passed down from the Raiden Shogun herself.
But aside from those, some lesser-known sayings also existed.
For example, some claimed that the Shogun had taught people how to light fires for cooking.
Cooking… One could accept that part as an exaggeration, but the part about fire wasn't entirely baseless.
In ancient times, lightning strikes often caused wildfires, so people believed that the warm flames were a blessing bestowed by the Shogun.
Within the collapsed bell tower, traces of those burnt building materials were still visible.
The Shogun's lightning punishment was far more terrifying than ordinary lightning.
The Fire Brigade had cordoned off the entire area, and under Yae Miko's secret instruction, issued an official criticism of Yae Publishing House's "careless stunt performance."
For causing damage through such a showy display without reporting it beforehand, the Fire Brigade fined the Yae Publishing House editor Kuroda, who served under Editor-in-Chief Yae Miko.
Kuroda: "???"
There's nothing that can be done about it, even though he had cleverly defused the crisis at the time, he had been the first to stand up.
If he didn't take the blame, who would?
Still, since he had been helpful, Yae Publishing House would cover the fine for him.
But none of that was the important part.
What mattered was: who exactly had her dear friend attacked?
Standing by the window, watching as the Fire Brigade continued clearing the ruins, Yae Miko fell into deep thought.
Just as she pondered, a dagger suddenly appeared in front of her, embedding itself firmly into the wall.
Bits of earth crumbled down, landing all over Yae Miko.
Ssssss—
The tightening of a steel wire sounded. Bai Luo, with Shinobu slung over his shoulder, slowly rose into view, blocking Yae Miko's line of sight.
Entering through a window—that was Bai Luo's specialty.
Although thanks to the ability of his One-Winged Angel costume, he rarely needed the wires anymore, no real man would ever abandon such a cool way to make an entrance!
"Knocked out again?"
Seeing Shinobu dangle left and right along with Bai Luo's movements, Yae Miko brushed the dust off her clothes and sighed.
How many times had this child been hit already?
"No choice. She's too sharp. If I don't deal with her, our plan can't move forward at all."
Carrying Shinobu to the bed, Bai Luo gently set her down.
"You caused that mess downstairs?"
Picking up two fruits from a plate nearby, Bai Luo tossed one to Yae Miko and kept one for himself.
He wasn't sure whether this pink-haired fox would still act friendly once she realized the Raiden Shogun had been targeting him.
So, at least until she ate the Sunsetia he handed her, he absolutely couldn't afford to fall out with her.
Otherwise he'd lose too much fun.
"My my, I thought it was you who caused it."
Yae Miko didn't hide that the lightning had been the Raiden Shogun's doing.
After all, at their level, it was obvious whether a divine hand or a mortal hand had intervened.
When talking with smart people, it was always best to keep the lies to a minimum.
Yet even after accepting the fruit, she showed no intention of eating it.
"Heh, if I really had that much ability, would I still need to run around everywhere? Wouldn't it be nicer to just hide with the Rooster and the others in Snezhnaya?"
Perhaps such cowardice would earn the Captain—one of the Harbingers—annoyance, but plenty of people looked down on Bai Luo. The Captain wouldn't even make the top ten.
Yae Miko secretly glanced at Bai Luo. His face still wore that gentle smile; if he added a sunhat and a cold drink, he'd look exactly like a carefree boy on vacation.
"Aren't you going to try it? It tastes pretty good."
He casually wiped the fruit on his clothes and took a bite before speaking to Yae Miko.
The sweet fragrance wafting from the fruit made Yae Miko's ears twitch involuntarily—despite her usual lack of interest in fruit.
"That one you're eating looks good. How about we swap?"
Seeing Bai Luo take another bite, Yae Miko narrowed her eyes and made her request.
Since Bai Luo was eating it so happily, that fruit definitely wasn't dangerous.
"I don't mind, but… you don't mind that I already bit it?"
Bai Luo looked at the fruit in her hand, his smile gradually fading.
It was clear he wasn't very willing to exchange with Yae Miko.
"Oh come on, what's the big deal? It's just a fruit. Don't be so dramatic."
Yae Miko snatched the fruit from Bai Luo's hand and eagerly took a bite.
And then—
"PFFT—"
Pink mist spread across the entire room as Yae Miko trembled and forced herself to swallow the fruit's flesh.
Behind her, her fluffy pink tail was completely puffed up—like she'd just walked through static electricity.
"This is… a Sunsetia?"
Lowering her eyes to the sweet-smelling fruit in her hand, she asked from the deepest part of her soul.
Was this really a Sunsetia? And not something wearing a Sunsetia skin?
No wonder that little Sayu said Sunsetias were scary.
Was this… truly something that should exist in this world?
"I think it should be a Sunsetia."
The gentle smile on Bai Luo's face had vanished, replaced by a very complicated expression.
Finally caught an opportunity. I finally tricked you into eating it.
"If it really is a Sunsetia… then why… is it so sour?"
Barely maintaining her human form, Yae Miko asked a question Bai Luo found very familiar.
"It is a little sour."
"Then why were you eating it so happily?"
The only reason Yae Miko relaxed her guard and ate the fruit was because she saw Bai Luo bite into it first.
Plus, the fruit had originally been prepared by her subordinates for her—it had never even passed through Bai Luo's hands.
She had assumed Sayu's fear of Sunsetias came from Bai Luo adding something strange to them.
Never would she have guessed… the truth was something like this.
If she had known, she would never have touched it—just like before.
"Because I couldn't let myself be the only one suffering."
Bai Luo spat the hidden pulp from his mouth into a nearby bin, his expression even uglier than crying—twisted, even.
Honestly, sometimes an old trick could work again.
After trying everything, Bai Luo had finally decided to use himself as bait to hook this pink-haired fox.
Yae Miko: "…"
. . . . .
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