Fortune slips were one of the Narukami Shrine's signature attractions—something every visitor had to try.
Drawing a "great blessing" meant good fortune was coming your way.
Drawing a "great curse"? Well, you could toss that slip up onto the roof—that was said to leave your bad luck behind with the shrine.
Either way, no matter what you drew, the whole process somehow left you walking away feeling lighter, happier.
The draw itself was free.
But getting a shrine maiden to interpret it? That cost money.
That, of course, was one of the shrine's main sources of income.
After all, a lot of people weren't exactly… literate. They'd stare blankly at their fortune slip, unable to make sense of the elegant script.
That, in fact, was one of the reasons Xia Zhen wanted to open a school in Inazuma.
An uneducated populace was only basic labor. Educated citizens were true productive power.
Raise productivity, build an economic foundation, and political reform could follow naturally.
Otherwise, if everyone just prayed to the gods for every little thing, what kind of country was that but a hollow shell?
---
Xia Zhi walked over and casually drew a fortune slip, then handed it to the nearby shrine maiden for interpretation.
Sure enough—it was a "great blessing."
Such ridiculous luck.
The others had mixed results—some good, some bad.
Those who drew bad fortunes followed the local custom and tossed their slips onto the roof.
That custom, however, had long been banned by the shrine.
Apparently, one rainy day, so many people had thrown their bad fortunes up there that the roof got clogged with slips, blocking the water and causing a massive leak.
After that, the shrine prohibited the practice.
But habits die hard, and for most people, getting a bad fortune without tossing it just felt… wrong.
So Lady Yae had no choice but to assign shrine maidens to climb the roof once a week and clean them all off.
And today happened to be cleaning day.
A slender shrine maiden climbed up with catlike agility, a bamboo basket slung across her back.
Diona, watching from below, thought she looked exhausted. Feeling a twinge of sympathy, she scaled a nearby tree with ease to lend a hand.
Cloud Retainer tilted her head upward, hesitating whether to intervene.
With a single gust of wind, she could've cleared the roof in seconds—and with her precise control, the scattered slips would have obediently gathered into neat piles without blowing away.
But when she saw Diona happily helping, Cloud Retainer decided against it.
---
As the shrine maiden interpreted Xia Zhi's fortune, she complained about the mess on the roof.
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Why doesn't the shrine just set up a small furnace? Spread the word that throwing bad fortunes into the fire burns away bad luck along with the paper. Wouldn't that be way easier?"
The shrine maiden blinked, mumbling to herself, "...That actually makes sense."
---
Inside the shrine was also a saisenbako—a donation box for wishes.
Shrine maiden explained that it was incredibly effective.
It was basically the same as offering flowers to the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt or burning incense to the Geo Archon in Liyue—a simple prayer ritual.
Xia Zhi decided to give it a try.
He pulled out a few Mora, stood before the box, and whispered a prayer under his breath.
"Next time you kiss me, remember to put on some lipstick."
With that, he tossed the coins into the box. They clinked crisply against the wood.
That sound meant the gods had heard his prayer.
Feeling pleased with himself, Xia Zhi looked up at the statue before him. The face did indeed resemble his cousin.
Then a thought struck him.
Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei were twin Archons—they looked exactly alike.
So… who exactly heard a prayer made to that statue?
He frowned.
Wouldn't it be awkward if it went to Ei instead…?
Then again, maybe not. He hadn't mentioned any names—surely the goddess would assume it came from her boyfriend.
---
Shrine Rear Courtyard
Xia Zhen was chatting with Yae Miko when she suddenly froze.
In her mind, she had just heard a very familiar voice.
[Next time you kiss me, remember to put on some lipstick.]
Next time... lipstick...
A flush spread across Xia Zhen's face almost instantly.
Yae Miko noticed it right away.
Was... was Lady Makoto blushing?
"Lady Makoto?" Miko called softly.
"I'm fine," Xia Zhen replied calmly, her expression smooth again.
Still, Yae Miko narrowed her eyes. Something about Makoto felt... different today.
---
Tenshukaku
The Raiden Shogun sat at her desk, meticulously reviewing documents.
Within her body, Raiden Ei meditated in deep concentration.
Then suddenly, a man's voice echoed inside her mind.
[Next time you kiss me, remember to put on some lipstick.]
...What?
Ei's eyes snapped open, brows furrowing.
Was that… a prayer's echo?
Normally, gods filtered out such voices.
Only prayers of extreme devotion and purity could pierce that veil.
Alternatively—if the person praying was powerful enough to breach a god's barrier, their voice could also be heard.
This one was clearly the latter.
There was almost no trace of faith in it—only strength.
And Ei immediately sensed where it came from.
Narukami Shrine.
Her gaze lifted toward the horizon.
Someone that powerful appeared at the shrine? Friend or foe?
Can Miko handle it?
Unease stirred in her heart.
She ended her meditation and addressed the puppet.
"I'm going to Narukami Shrine."
The Shogun glanced briefly at the pile of paperwork before her, weighing priorities.
After a moment, she stood up—and vanished.
---
Xia Zhi stepped away from the donation box.
Xia Ci looked at him curiously. "Cousin, what did you wish for?"
He shook his head. "If I tell you, it won't come true."
Xia Ci grinned. "Pretty sure your wish is something even the Raiden Shogun can't grant."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "No, mine's simple."
When she realized he wouldn't say more, Xia Ci shrugged, walked up to the saisenbako herself, and clutched a few Mora.
After a brief pause, she whispered mischievously:
"Morax has no Mora, Beelzebul has no Beel... reverse it."
She tossed the coins in. They clinked cheerfully.
There, all done.
It was a joke, sure—but she'd added the "reverse" at the end just in case. Hopefully, that would keep Ei from flying into a rage and storming over to slice her in half.
---
Shrine Rear Courtyard
Xia Zhen continued her conversation with Yae Miko, her expression calm, though her eyes occasionally flickered—still replaying Xia Zhi's words in her mind.
Yae Miko might only be Platinum-tier in strength, but after centuries as a great youkai, her ability to read people was flawless.
One glance was enough to tell that something had distracted Makoto.
What's this about?
She never zones out when people are speaking to her—she's always so composed, always meeting your eyes with that gentle focus.
As Yae Miko puzzled over it, Makoto suddenly froze again.
Another familiar voice rang in her mind—this time, from her best friend, Xia Ci.
[Morax has no Mora, Beelzebul has no Beel... reverse it.]
Makoto's lips twitched.
Reverse your head, you brat.
Her expression melted into a helpless smile.
Then, abruptly, her gaze snapped toward the shrine's main gate.
A surge of thunderous, familiar power was approaching fast—too fast.
No doubt about it. That was her twin sister.
Well done, she thought wryly. You've really done it now. You just had to provoke her. Don't cry to me when she slices you in two.
Without hesitation, Makoto's figure vanished from sight as she rushed toward the scene.
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