Since the decision had been made to capture Inaba Tsukiyo's heart, the next step was to continuously and persistently pursue her, constantly harass... cough! cough! constantly use her love to influence her.
That night, Yae Sakura didn't do anything too extreme. According to the book's explanation, if the offensive is too fast with a thin-skinned girl, it will only have the opposite effect.
So, for the next few days, Yae Sakura used various methods to get close to Inaba Tsukiyo, making Inaba Tsukiyo feel her love for her... Of course, these were Yae Sakura's assumptions; Inaba Tsukiyo, the person involved, was practically dying.
The feeling that night was unprecedented. She, who had always been dominant, was suppressed like this for the first time, and it felt very strange.
Although the feeling was strange, she inexplicably didn't dislike it in her heart. This thought startled her.
What was wrong with her? Did that dream even change her personality? Or was this her inherent personality?
For the next week, Inaba Tsukiyo fell into self-doubt, while also having to deal with Yae Sakura's harassment.
This girl... clearly knew Inaba Tsukiyo's strong sensory abilities. No... perhaps this girl did these things precisely because she knew Inaba Tsukiyo's strong sensory abilities.
Just like a stalker, she would always hide in corners and bushes, trying to make Inaba Tsukiyo not see her.
But did Inaba Tsukiyo really not see her? What a joke, Inaba Tsukiyo could see her very clearly every time, she just didn't expose her to avoid unnecessary awkwardness.
As a Pseudo-Herrscher, Yae Sakura wouldn't be significantly affected even if she didn't sleep.
So every morning, Yae Sakura would wake up earlier than Inaba Tsukiyo, and every day during meals, she would sit next to her and try to 'Ah~' feed her.
At that time, many people were watching them, and Inaba Tsukiyo also experienced the emotion called embarrassment. Later, even Bronya came to join the fun.
It even got so excessive that when she went to the restroom, this girl wanted to run in to check if she had enough toilet paper. She was almost having a mental breakdown!
She had thought of hiding in other parts of St. Freya Academy, but it was useless because of Yae Sakura and Higanbana.
Don't let Higanbana's harmless appearance fool you; she was the Twelfth Herrscher of the previous civilization—the Herrscher of Corruption. How could a small electronic lock stop their progress?
Of course, under Yae Sakura's relentless pursuit, Inaba Tsukiyo wasn't entirely unaffected, so one day... Inaba Tsukiyo sought out Theresa.
The next day, when Yae Sakura was routinely preparing meals in the kitchen, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't wake up at her usual time.
At first, Yae Sakura didn't pay much attention; it was understandable that some people liked to sleep in a bit longer.
However... when everyone gathered at the dining table for breakfast, Yae Sakura finally lost her composure.
"Where's Tsukiyo! Why isn't Tsukiyo here!?"
Yae Sakura slammed her hand on the table and, after confirming that Inaba Tsukiyo was truly not in the dorm, ran over to ask.
Facing Yae Sakura's question, almost everyone immediately turned their heads away, avoiding Yae Sakura's gaze.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, making it all the more suspicious, especially Theresa, whose face was practically screaming guilt.
"What exactly is going on? Theresa. Why isn't Tsukiyo here? Where did she go? Is she in your dorm?"
"Cough! Give up, Sakura. Tsukiyo won't be appearing at the academy for the next few days. Use this time while Tsukiyo is away to calm down properly."
"Nani? What... what exactly is going on? Theresa. What do you mean Tsukiyo isn't here? What happened?"
Faced with Yae Sakura's questions, Theresa finally couldn't hold back and revealed Inaba Tsukiyo's situation.
She... went on a mis(run)sion.
A few days ago, Inaba Tsukiyo secretly came to Theresa's office without Yae Sakura noticing, telling her that she needed to leave the academy for a while.
Even if she wasn't allowed to leave, Inaba Tsukiyo would leave when no one was paying attention, and Theresa knew Inaba Tsukiyo's combat power well enough not to try any tricks.
Theresa understood perfectly why Inaba Tsukiyo came to her; it was simply because Yae Sakura had been too clingy lately, and she needed to escape.
Although she was worried about Inaba Tsukiyo not being able to see, Theresa still granted Inaba Tsukiyo's request to repay her kindness.
So, last night, Inaba Tsukiyo packed a few spare miko outfits and set off, even bringing mikazuki munechika with her.
"..."
Yae Sakura silently lowered her head. She hadn't expected Inaba Tsukiyo to leave, and last night of all.
Everyone cautiously watched Yae Sakura's expression, a little worried about what bad things this fox might do.
The silent Yae Sakura just lowered her head, stood up under everyone's gaze, and walked towards the door.
[*Slap!*]
Theresa snapped her fingers, and Judah's chains suddenly appeared, wrapping tightly around Yae Sakura's body.
"Big Sister!"
Seeing her Big Sister entangled in chains, Higanbana immediately tried to help, but was also caught by another one of Judah's chains.
"Don't struggle, Sakura. Even if you know Tsukiyo left the academy, what can you do? You don't know where she went, so how will you find her?"
"Besides, the reason Tsukiyo left this time was to sort out her thoughts. She told me she doesn't want to be disturbed during this time, so could you please not bother her?"
"..."
Yae Sakura struggled a bit. To be honest, she wanted to stay by Inaba Tsukiyo's side forever, and that's what the book said too.
Was there something wrong with the content of that book? Was there a mistake in her actions?
Yae Sakura was very confused, but in the end, she still nodded, and Theresa then released the chains from her body.
Meanwhile, on a ship heading to Siberia, Inaba Tsukiyo was leaning on the railing, watching the Far Eastern island gradually fade into the distance.
"What are you thinking about, Sister Tsukiyo? Are you thinking about Sister Sakura?"
hope floated beside Inaba Tsukiyo, smiling at her. No one understood Inaba Tsukiyo's current feelings better than her.
It could be said that she had a front-row seat to how Inaba Tsukiyo dealt with Yae Sakura's advances.
Yae Sakura's approach was no different from the old-fashioned way a Boy pursues a girl, except Yae Sakura was different from those Boys.
Yae Sakura herself was a very beautiful girl; if she didn't enter a strange state, she had a good personality, a good figure, and a pleasant voice—she was simply the perfect girlfriend.
Coupled with Inaba Tsukiyo being influenced by Kallen, she already had a good impression of Yae Sakura. Under Yae Sakura's pursuit, her favorable impression of Yae Sakura naturally grew.
She wasn't a closed-off person, nor was she slow-witted, so she naturally understood Yae Sakura's intentions.
At first, she even thought it would be better if Yae Sakura didn't return to reality, but after spending more time together, Inaba Tsukiyo gradually got used to Yae Sakura's presence.
It was this habit that made Inaba Tsukiyo a little scared, and she finally couldn't help but ask Theresa for leave to escape.
"Still so cheerful over there, do you know what I've been through? Seriously, being pursued like this, it's my first time."
Or rather, facing such a direct method of pursuit was Inaba Tsukiyo's first time, so she naturally didn't know how to respond.
On one hand, she liked the feeling of Yae Sakura being by her side, but on the other hand, she didn't dare to let her relationship with Yae Sakura become more intimate.
This conflicting feeling made Inaba Tsukiyo very helpless, not knowing what she should do.
In the past, no matter what problem she faced, mikazuki munechika in her hand could always help her solve it (by slicing the opponent with one strike).
But when it came to matters of the heart, it couldn't be solved by force. She wondered if she was truly ready to start a new relationship, but what she was doing now was to revive Victorica.
"Hehehe~ Actually, hope thinks Sister Tsukiyo doesn't need to be so troubled. Since you like Sister Sakura, trying to accept her isn't impossible."
hope giggled as she hugged Inaba Tsukiyo. She was well aware of Victorica's stance, having visited her every time.
Although she was a little jealous and knew that Yae Sakura was taking advantage of Inaba Tsukiyo's need for comfort to pursue her.
However, for someone to become Inaba Tsukiyo's pillar during her absence was actually a phenomenon she was happy to see.
Neither opposing nor agreeing, that was Victorica's stance. So, even if Inaba Tsukiyo ended up with Yae Sakura, Victorica probably wouldn't feel anything, though her head might get heavier and heavier.
"...Let me think about it some more. Since Sakura likes me not because of Kallen, then I should respond properly as well."
After clearly understanding Yae Sakura's feelings for her, Inaba Tsukiyo planned to think things through during this trip.
Of course, her reason for going to Siberia wasn't to escape, nor was it to see how the place she had lived for several years was doing now.
Ever since she had that strange dream, she discovered that in Siberia, something seemed to be calling to her, wishing for her to go there.
It wasn't the call of a superior being; it was more like a devout worshiper wishing for her deity to appear before her.
She hadn't had time before, but now she could use this opportunity to go to Siberia and thoroughly investigate the reason for this feeling.
"Herrscher... Lord God... are the ones calling me... them?"
Higanbana's way of referring to herself, and Inaba Tsukiyo's understanding of Higanbana's past as the Twelfth Herrscher, made Inaba Tsukiyo question her own identity in this world.
Was it because she absorbed the anomalous energy of a world that this identity was assigned to her?
Or was someone secretly orchestrating all of this?
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
👉 patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!