[Red Oni learned from Blue Oni's ways and left a letter in the wilderness.]
["Blue, I've made lots of new human friends, and we're about to hold a grand party."]
["I want to invite all my good friends, and of course, that includes you, Blue."]
["You don't have to come see me, just watch from the shadows."]
[Blue Oni quietly returned to the village, hiding in the shadows of the party.]
In the scene, Blue Oni hid behind a tree, his eyes reflecting the light of the bonfire, a yearning for 'warmth.'
[He saw the bountiful feast and the warm bonfire, his heart filled with longing.]
[But despite his hunger, Blue Oni remembered their agreement and only watched from afar.]
Red Oni appeared behind Blue Oni, making a 'scaring' gesture and letting out a 'Boo!'
[And Red Oni suddenly appeared behind Blue Oni, startling him.]
On the next page, the adorable chibi Red Oni transformed into Arataki Itto.
Arataki Itto wore a gentle smile, extending a hand as if to pull his friend closer.
[Arataki Itto: "Yo, you're finally back!"]
["Come on, it's time to introduce you to them, my best friend."]
Readers initially thought Arataki Itto's actions and thoughts were unexpectedly mature.
But now, because of this illustration, they suddenly felt that Arataki Itto's appearance seemed a bit mature too.
What's going on? Why do I think Arataki Itto looks mature? Is this Teacher Albedo's magic?
Granny Oni's words had already touched readers deeply—her line, 'Because Itto is my pride,' had brought countless people to tears in an instant.
Now, after reading this illustrated story and recalling everything Itto had been through, the tears were impossible to hold back.
Arataki Itto was infecting everyone with his pure heart.
In this story, no one was hurt—except for those rogue ronin.
They were so furious they tore the book to shreds, but it was no use. Their hideout had already been exposed, and without a place to hide, their capture was only a matter of time.
Gorou quietly closed the book, realizing why Arataki Itto could befriend every one of his subordinates.
It wasn't because the Arataki Gang was small, but because he truly had that kind of charisma!
Upon further thought, those who didn't know Arataki Itto well didn't believe he'd do anything bad either—that was Itto's 'wisdom.'
As Itto's old friend, Kamisato Ayato still wore a smile. He had believed in Itto from the start.
But he had to admit, this story was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Brother Itto was even cooler than he'd thought, with a sense of responsibility and mindset that even Ayato hadn't anticipated.
I knew you were a great Oni, but I didn't expect this great.
Kuki Shinobu was probably the least surprised, as she knew her boss all too well.
She could almost say she'd guessed the story's outcome from the very beginning.
She knew exactly what her boss would do. She couldn't predict whether the outcome would be good or bad, but she was willing to trust him.
Yae Miko was also thinking, Well done. Next time you get locked up, I'll bring some fried tofu to reward you.
What? You don't like fried tofu? Alright, I remember Liyue's Vigilant Yaksha likes almond tofu—that's not bad either.
It wasn't just Itto's acquaintances. Even Kaeya, far away in Mondstadt, was intrigued by Itto.
This personality—it's a little similar to a younger Diluc!
Not entirely the same, of course, but Kaeya was still looking forward to meeting Itto. It'd be even better if he could tease him a bit.
Diluc, seeing Kaeya's smirk, knew this guy was definitely up to something.
On the other side, in Liyue, Hu Tao also wanted to meet Itto. She felt they'd have a lot in common.
When it came to being a 'king of the kids,' Hu Tao had plenty of experience too, though her 'kids' were a bit older—by a few thousand years, give or take.
Another child king, Tartaglia, also wanted to meet Itto. He wanted to spar with him.
But Inazuma had two child kings—Arataki Itto and Naganohara Yoimiya—while he was alone. That's a disadvantage.
Why not invite Arlecchino along? She could probably count as a child king too, right?
At that moment, Arlecchino was on a mission, her foot pressing down on her current target.
"Pride, huh…" Arlecchino applied more pressure, ending the target's life. "I can understand that."
Arlecchino gave a faint smile, patting the head of the child beside her. "You did well this time."
The child's eyes sparkled like stars, basking in Arlecchino's affection. "Thank you, Father."
Because these children are my pride too.
Clorinde, meanwhile, was pondering a question: Does beetle fighting count as a 'tabletop game'?
Speaking of tabletop games, she missed Lucian a bit. She really wanted to play mahjong, fight the landlord, Three Kingdoms, or run a campaign with him.
You left, fine, but why did you have to take all your stuff with you?
Your Dora-the-Lucian four-dimensional pocket has plenty of stuff, doesn't it? Leaving one or two things behind wouldn't hurt.
Cyno, another avid card player with Electro affinity, had thought the same.
What about Hearthstone, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Legends of Runeterra? Couldn't you leave those for me to play?
Another person brimming with Electro energy—Ei, the Raiden Shogun—finished the story and nodded quietly.
As expected, some things never change. There's still a resemblance to Mikoshi Chiyo.
If you ignore the foolish parts, all the good qualities are just like Mikoshi Chiyo's. Mhm.
"Not bad at all, this young man… young Oni named Arataki Itto," Ei said.
Originally, Ei wouldn't have known Arataki Itto, as there was no way for them to cross paths. But now, thanks to Lucian, that path had been created.
Not just Ei—everyone across Teyvat reading the prophecy book now knew the story of Arataki Itto, Blue Oni, and Red Oni.
Now it was Lucian's turn to say, "It's time to introduce you to them, my friend."
"But drawing these cute pictures—is that your hobby?" Ei asked, puzzled.
She was referring to the emoji stickers Lucian had drawn. He'd made some for her in previous stories, and she'd seen them.
Now he'd drawn a ton for Albedo, surpassing even her, the former 'top fan.' So, Ei was curious enough to ask.
"Hobby?" Lucian thought for a moment. "Well, why not?"
Lucian had only done it because Teacher Albedo was conducting annoying research on him, so he drew some emojis to break that serious, cold image.
The same went for Ei—who always seemed so aloof and unapproachable.
So, he drew cute emojis to show everyone and shatter that icy persona.
Of course, it was mostly thanks to Teacher Albedo's contributions; otherwise, Lucian wouldn't have had the energy to draw them.
Unfortunately, it seemed to backfire. The emojis were so cute that most people didn't think they were 'mocking' Teacher Albedo at all.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Raiden Shogun: About Arataki Itto
"A fine descendant of the Red Oni, with qualities reminiscent of Mikoshi Chiyo.
What? You're asking if Mikoshi Chiyo was that foolish? Of course not!"