Chapter 299: The Shrine Maiden's Food
Teppei obtaining a Vision caused a huge commotion in Bourou Village.
Many people specifically came to congratulate him.
Or rather… to watch the spectacle?
In any case, he had become the most popular person in the village.
But compared to everyone else's enthusiasm, Teppei himself did not seem particularly happy.
Lingling was the first to notice his change.
When he had just returned, he felt like a second Battousai.
The way he talked, behaved, even his small habits—he was imitating Battousai constantly.
But after obtaining a Vision, not only did he restore his old hairstyle, even his personality changed.
If before he had been a second Battousai, then now he had become the true Teppei.
"Is it really okay… to just leave it there?"
Lingling stared at the Vision Teppei had casually placed on the table, confused.
Those refugees who fled to the village because of the Vision Hunt Decree all treated their Visions like precious treasures.
Only Teppei would toss his around like a glass marble.
"Well… the best thing about this thing is that I can use it to hold down my prescriptions so the wind doesn't blow them away."
Teppei continued sorting herbs without even looking up.
But he didn't notice something—he had once only learned some basic wound-care from Lingling, yet now he somehow knew the properties of herbs he had never even seen before.
Just by picking one up, without checking or thinking, he instantly knew whether it was poisonous, what it paired well with, and what illness it could treat.
Perhaps this was one of the conveniences his Vision granted him.
"Speaking of which… Battousai, he—"
"Shh! Don't talk about anything related to Lord Battousai recently!"
Lingling quickly pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Battousai's grudge with the Fatui was no secret in Watatsumi Island.
Ever since Teppei and Lord Battousai came back, everyone had been trying to hide anything related to the Fatui from him.
You could say—
They felt a little guilty.
After all, Battousai had done so much for Watatsumi Island, yet they ended up falling into the Fatui's arms.
The benefits were indeed tempting, but in their hearts… something didn't sit right.
Thankfully, the Fatui did not seem inclined to provoke Lord Battousai.
During the time he'd been back, the two sides hadn't clashed.
"..."
Teppei's hands paused briefly before he sighed softly and returned to sorting herbs.
He already understood very well what would happen if people learned that Battousai was actually a Fatui Harbinger.
Even he himself had nearly broken down when confronting that truth.
Some things… should be hidden for as long as possible.
At least from what he had seen, the Harbinger who had infiltrated Watatsumi Island under the identity of Battousai didn't seem to harbor malice toward them.
He had even done many things for them.
"Come to think of it, shouldn't you be practicing swordsmanship at this hour?"
After tying a cord to Teppei's Vision and hanging it at his waist, Lingling asked casually.
Even though Teppei practiced only basic sword techniques, he had always been consistent.
He would even get up at night, unable to sleep, and practice a few moves.
Hmm?
How does she know that?
Well… that's another story.
"I just found something more meaningful to do."
Teppei looked at the herbs in his hand, then at Lingling, and smiled as he spoke.
...
Tenshukaku stood at the highest point of all Inazuma—and seated atop that height, the Raiden Shogun ruled over all beings.
Those permitted to enter Tenshukaku were all high-ranking officials of Inazuma.
But even if one could enter, whether they could meet the Shogun was a different matter entirely.
As the most elite unit, the .were entrusted with a special mission:
They guarded Tenshukaku day and night, bearing the responsibility of protecting their god.
Even if the heads of the Tri-Commission appeared, they would not falter.
But there was one person they could do nothing about—
The head shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine: Yae Miko.
As a familiar of the deity, and the only one bold enough to call the Narukami Ogosho "dear friend," the Okuzumeshuu could not possibly stop her.
But if they didn't stop her, the Shogun would later hold them accountable.
In short, they would rather deal with the ill-tempered head of the Kujou Clan than encounter Lady Miko.
But fate was always playful—the more they wished to avoid her, the more frequently she appeared.
Bathing, bringing snacks to a friend, visiting the Narukami Ogosho, feeding fish—
Her reasons were endless and bizarre, making it impossible for the Okuzumeshuu to find any proper excuse to bar her.
And today, the troublesome shrine maiden came again.
Yae Miko, just like always, walked with elegant steps, carrying what looked like a bag of snacks in her arms.
If someone were to be brave enough to push apart her short skirt, crouch down, and then take a sneak peek at the place where Yae Miko would pop out some new fox cub, they might even see a faintly visible "下" character on the back of her upper thigh.
"You've all worked hard. I brought some treats—want to try them?"
"..."
The Okuzumeshuu looked at the snacks Yae Miko offered and all shook their heads in unison.
Some bold ones had tried her food before.
Getting fish food was still considered lucky—others had eaten her snacks and literally turned into small animals.
Supposedly, it came from some magical potion her friend brought from Sumeru.
They had even met that friend once—that time she was brewing some "flight potion" in the Yashiro Commission's kitchen, and ended up blowing up the Tenryou Commission's active general.
After that incident, the Shogun even assigned members of the Okuzumeshuu to secretly monitor that witch, to prevent chaos inside Tenshukaku.
In short, compared to that witch, this shrine maiden was no less troublesome.
"Fine, don't eat then."
Yae Miko flicked her fox-like ears, hugged her bag of snacks, and walked into Tenshukaku.
The Okuzumeshuu wanted to say something, but watching her back, none dared speak.
After stepping inside, Yae Miko suddenly remembered something.
She reached into her snack bag, pinched out a piece, and tossed it into the water basin.
Seeing what happened inside the basin, her expression became faintly complicated.
Then she headed straight toward the Shogun's inner chamber.
The Okuzumeshuu mustered their courage and walked over—only to find the pond full of swollen, floating fish.
From their still-opening-and-closing mouths, they seemed alive… but from their appearance, living might actually be worse.
Was the shrine maiden trying to poison the Shogun!?
The thought struck the minds of all the Okuzumeshuu simultaneously.
But considering their relationship, that should be impossible… right?
"Let's go. We'll accept our punishment tonight."
An older, more experienced Okuzumeshuu sighed helplessly.
They still remembered the last time the Shogun punished them—it was because this very shrine maiden had brought in some strange food that turned people into animals.
. . . . .
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