"Hehe, how was it, little guy? You got to watch a performance for free~," Yae Miko said, smiling slyly at Lucian.
"Very nice. Next time, I'll find some people to dance with you," Lucian approved.
"Dream on! Watching your big sister dance once is enough, and you want to see it again?" Yae Miko lightly tapped Lucian's forehead with her finger.
"So, Ei, how was my dancing?" Yae Miko turned to ask Ei.
"…Not bad," Ei hesitated for a moment before putting on a calm expression.
Yae Miko smiled without saying anything. Though she was dancing earlier, she wasn't blind to what was happening with Ei.
That gentle smile Ei had just now was fully caught by her, and with Miss Fox's memory, it might as well be "eternal."
Yae Miko's dance had ended, and the firework show in the distance was nearing its close. The day was almost over.
"What do you think of Inazuma now?" Yae Miko asked.
"I like it," Ei replied without hesitation. No matter how many times she was asked or how much time passed, her answer about her feelings for Inazuma would always be these two words.
"And this outing arrangement, do you like it?" Yae Miko continued.
"I like it," Ei nodded. There was no need to hide it—this outing truly left her with countless emotions, and she genuinely enjoyed it.
"And my dance just now, did you like it?" Yae Miko asked with a "mischievous" grin.
"…I liked it," Ei seemed to sigh, ultimately pulled back into the fox's trap.
"Hm~, such a satisfying answer," Yae Miko said with a smile, then turned to leave.
Waving her hand, she said, "Having gotten a satisfying answer, it's time for me to go. After all, your Lady Shrine Maiden is quite busy~."
Watching Yae Miko leave, Ei felt happy inside, but on the surface, she sighed and said, "As expected, you can't praise her."
"Then praise me instead!" Paimon said expectantly.
"Paimon, don't make a fuss!" Lumine covered Paimon's mouth. The atmosphere was perfect—why ruin it?
"Let me praise you then, Paimon. You're the biggest 'fish' I caught," Lucian said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph!" Paimon's mouth was covered, but she still waved her fists at Lucian.
Though no one could hear what she said, it felt like everyone caught that familiar line.
Ei watched the playful trio in silence, savoring the rare warmth of the moment.
A few days later, the people of Inazuma didn't know what had happened, but Ei had begun to consider abandoning the Sakoku Decree, though she hadn't yet put it into action.
Other matters were manageable, but the hardest part was the Raiden Shogun. She viewed the thunderstorm she created as a symbol of "Eternity," so convincing her to stop it was a challenge.
Thus, Ei had been researching how to painlessly modify the Shogun's programming.
However, this was a matter of core logic, not something that could be changed easily.
At this point, Ei had shifted her perspective on the Sakoku Decree but hadn't yet found the true path to "Eternity," so her consciousness remained unawakened.
Today, while Ei was pondering "Eternity" in her Plane of Euthymia, Lucian came again.
This time, he brought her a newly published book, Love and Teyvat.
This volume was the "Taurus Iracundus Chapter: Act I: Crimson Soul"—yes, Arataki Itto's Legend Quest.
It was supposed to be Ei's second story, but since this was inserted content, Lucian had only just finished writing Albedo's part, which was still in progress.
As the issue with the Blue Oni had been resolved, Itto's story was released first.
Regarding the tragic tale of the Blue Oni in Arataki Itto's story, Lucian had mentioned it to Yae Miko.
Unfortunately, the Blue Oni were too well-hidden—so well that even Yae Miko didn't know where they were.
Otherwise, given Yae Miko's fondness for yokai, she would've definitely helped the Blue Oni, who were suffering so much.
After Lucian brought it up, Yae Miko began sending people to search for the Blue Oni's clan, but the search took time. During that period, Lucian wrote the book but didn't publish it.
There were also many other matters at the time, so it was delayed until now, when Yae Miko finally found clues about the Blue Oni.
Before this, Lucian hadn't published the book or told Itto about it.
Given Itto's personality, if he knew, he'd likely get so anxious he'd lose it.
The problem was, no matter how anxious he got, he could only fret alongside them. Other than adding another person to pester Yae Miko, it wouldn't help much.
Or worse, that hot-blooded fool might set off to find the Blue Oni himself. In the end, they might lose a Red Oni too, so it was better not to tell him.
Now, there was no issue. Yae Miko had found the Blue Oni's hiding place, so if Itto wanted to help, he could go directly.
You had to admit, the Blue Oni were skilled at hiding. Even with Yae Miko's intelligence network in Inazuma, it took her this long to find them.
Yae Miko's intelligence-gathering ability was no joke—Lucian wasn't kidding when he said she was like an omnipresent gas.
As long as you're in Inazuma, it's as if this fox knows everything.
"Here, the book you ordered and some dango milk," Lucian said, not expecting that he'd really become a delivery guy.
He'd already had this feeling when delivering things to Furina, and now he was delivering to Ei too.
If Venti weren't so lively and able to buy his own stuff, and if Zhongli weren't so composed and fond of mooching off others, Lucian might've become the exclusive delivery guy for gods.
Ei took the book from Lucian. The cover featured Arataki Itto's portrait.
"Arataki Itto? Who's that?" Ei asked, puzzled.
She had indeed "ordered a new book," but she hadn't expected this one to be about a young Oni named Arataki Itto. Who was he?
Back at the Statue of the Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed God, she hadn't seen Itto, so she was confused now.
"The boss of the Arataki Gang, super impressive, a top-tier yokai!" Lucian said casually, hyping him up.
"Oh?" Ei's interest was piqued.
The Arataki Gang—she hadn't heard of it, but a top-tier yokai? That she wanted to see.
Hundreds of years had passed—had the Oni clan produced another great yokai?
And a Red Oni, no less. Not bad. She wondered how much he resembled you, Chiyo Mikoshi.
This was something Lucian didn't know about Ei's thoughts. Otherwise, he'd have said that the only similarity between Arataki Itto and Chiyo Mikoshi was probably their "tiger" vibe.
Chiyo's "tiger" was a title, earned after slaying a tiger-like beast, becoming "Tiger-Biting Chiyo," later simplified to "Tiger Chiyo."
As for Arataki Itto? He was just purely "tiger." No extra complications—just "tiger."
This story was all about showing everyone how charming Arataki Itto's "tiger" nature was.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Arataki Itto: About His Own Story
"Hahahaha, your big bro's pretty cool, right? So, wanna join the Arataki Gang as my little bro? I've got your back!"