"Pain…"
When Mei tugged her right hand, Kiana grimaced again, letting out a small cry. Even Yae Sakura had patted her shoulder earlier.
Raiden Mei stopped in silence, her expression darkening further—but not toward Kiana.
She gently placed her hand over Kiana's, feeling carefully. There was no fracture, no visible wound. Kiana's right hand, unlike her left, hadn't been injured by any deliberate force.
Seeing this, Kiana whispered softly, "Shoulder… it hurts."
Mei took a deep breath, calming her emotions, and slowly released her hand.
Her voice was quiet and low. "Let's go back to the shrine first. I'll put medicine on you when we get there."
Yae Sakura…
She would remember that name.
"Mm-hmm."
Kiana obediently followed beside Mei. After a few steps, unable to keep her thoughts to herself, she tried to shift her focus with a bit of chatter.
"Sorry, Mei. I couldn't get Narukami back for you."
"That sword doesn't matter."
Mei kept her head down as she walked, her tone unnaturally calm. "If it's lost, then so be it. You're more important than that sword."
Kiana's eyes widened.
"R-Really?!"
She could hardly believe what she'd just heard. After three months of shamelessly flirting with Mei, was this finally a confession?!
Had she already succeeded in winning her over?
Could she start calling her wife now?!
Overwhelmed by joy, Kiana's mind went hazy. She even began imagining the grand wedding scene in her head.
"Mm."
Mei didn't look up. Her thoughts drifted to the 'Narukami' that had been enshrined in her family shrine for generations, to her father's stern lessons in swordsmanship, to that cold, heartless letter.
Then she thought of Kiana—the light that had suddenly appeared in her life, the moments they'd shared these past three months.
Turning her head slightly, she looked at Kiana's pale face—fair to begin with, now even whiter from the pain.
Her voice was steady, resolute. "In my heart, you're more important than Narukami."
Kiana's brain instantly translated Mei's words as a confession. Her face flushed red. "I-I feel the same! No, I mean…"
Something short-circuited in her brain. Before she knew it, she blurted out, "Compared to this whole world—you're more important!"
Mei froze on the spot.
She understood Kiana's feelings, but… that comparison sounded a little strange.
Kiana's face grew even redder after realizing what she'd just said. If her hands weren't injured, she would've buried her face in them already.
Kiana, what are you even doing?!
"Ahem, I mean, what I meant was…"
Kiana scrambled to change the topic, trying to escape from the unbearable awkwardness. "I—I found out something about your father!"
At the mention of her father, Mei's expression immediately cooled. "You met him? He took Narukami—I already know."
How did Mei know that?
No, wait—that wasn't the point.
Kiana shook her head quickly. "It was Yae Sakura who took Narukami. She said she was acting under your father, Raiden Ryoma's, request."
Mei's eyes flickered slightly, but soon calmed again.
Even retrieving the sword, he couldn't be bothered to do it himself.
"I see. So he intends to use Narukami for something important."
"Right! They're taking Narukami to fight Almighty Thunder—and use its power to forge Narukami into a true Edict Edge."
Almighty Thunder?
The woman Kiana had chased—the one named Yae Sakura—had told her everything?
Raiden Mei stood silent for several seconds.
"We'll talk about this after we return to the shrine."
"Mm-hmm! Whatever Mei says!"
Kiana nodded at once, her face full of obedience.
They made their way back to the shrine.
Once there, Mei guided Kiana into her meditation room and retrieved a small jar of ointment for treating bruises and sprains from a nearby cabinet.
After taking the jar of medicine, Mei had Kiana sit down while she knelt beside her. Without saying anything, she reached out and gently pulled down the fabric covering Kiana's shoulder.
The skin beneath was smooth and fair, the graceful curve of her shoulder revealed in the air.
For a brief moment, Mei's mind went blank—she suddenly realized how improper her actions might seem.
No… they were both girls. There was nothing improper about it.
Besides, she wasn't trying to tease Kiana—she was just applying medicine.
Still, what caught her attention was the deep, striking bruise near Kiana's chest.
"Mei?"
Kiana called her nervously, her voice tinged with shyness. Mei had been staring at her shoulder for so long that even Kiana, who was usually shameless, began to feel embarrassed.
Mei gently pressed Kiana's head to face forward again, her voice returning to its usual calm tone. "Don't move. I'm putting the medicine on."
"Oh…"
The cool ointment spread across Kiana's bruised skin, soothing the pain slightly. Mei worked carefully, her touch steady and precise.
The white ointment was applied evenly, and when it began to melt, Mei placed her palm over it, using a practiced technique to help the medicine absorb quickly—firm enough to be effective, gentle enough not to hurt.
"Does it hurt?"
"No," Kiana replied honestly, then blushed and added, "It actually feels kind of nice."
It wasn't that she enjoyed pain!
It was just that Mei's touch was so gentle—it didn't hurt at all.
"I'm glad."
Raiden Mei's skilled movements came from experience—most of it learned through treating her own wounds. Since childhood, she had practiced swordsmanship and sparred often, so injuries were inevitable. But her father was rarely home, and even when he was, he offered no comfort. She had long since learned to tend to herself.
Over time, she had become proficient at it.
Kiana hesitated, then decided it was time to tell Mei everything. She spoke carefully. "Can I continue what I was saying before?"
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
"It's like this," Kiana began. "Yae Sakura told me that long ago, the Yaoyorozu no Kami descended upon this world, bringing calamity to humanity. To save Izumo, they poured the nation's strength into forging twelve Edict Edges—blades capable of slaying gods and seizing their divine authorities."
"A thousand years ago, at an immense cost, they slew Sovereign of Revelation and forged the first Edict Edge, 'Truth.'"
"Under the leadership of 'Truth's' blade master, and with the sacrifice of all the pioneers, Izumo temporarily banished the remaining eleven most powerful gods of Takamagahara."
"For the past thousand years, Izumo has continued fighting the Kami of Takamagahara, slaying them in the unseen corners of the world and maintaining the last fragments of order."
"But now, a millennium later, those banished gods are returning."
"Yae Sakura said she took Narukami because the sword enshrined at the shrine—Narukami—is one of those twelve Edict Edges, the blade corresponding to Almighty Thunder's divine authority."