The wide straw hat perfectly covered Shiki's face in shadow. Her height of one meter sixty was not short, but with a slight bow of her head, others couldn't see her face.
Arriving at the Komore Teahouse, Shiki indeed saw a white-haired young man enjoying his meal. Logically speaking, the person sitting next to him should be his close friend who faced the Musou no Hitotachi directly.
But... why was it a girl?
"A familiar aura drifts on the wind. Long time no see, Young Miss Ryougi."
Pressing down on her straw hat, Shiki naturally sat down in the empty seat: "It hasn't been that many days, Kaedehara. Do you have any leads on the matter I entrusted to you earlier?"
"Hmm, I found a rather skilled craftsman through the Naganohara Family. I directly got a finished product for you. What do you think?"
Kazuha said, taking out an Inazuma-style Vision and placing it on the table. The intricate design was exactly like those issued by Celestia.
Shiki rubbed the Vision, then said: "Let me ask, is that craftsman named Masamori?"
"Hmm? Is he the person Young Miss Ryougi is looking for too?"
"More or less, but I only know the name."
"And stop calling me Young Miss. We're comrades who fought side by side, after all."
The word "Young Miss" always reminded Shiki of something unpleasant.
"Then I'll call you by your name, if that's alright? Of course, in return, you can call me Kaedehara," Kazuha said.
"Alright. By the way, how much did this Vision cost?"
Shiki intended to buy this fake directly. After all, it was just a fake Electro Vision, and it was even possible that Kazuha had prepared it for her.
"It didn't cost much. How about you pay the bill for me, Shiki? Consider it you buying this Vision."
"No problem. By the way, could you introduce her to me? I see she's been on the verge of speaking for a while," Shiki said, looking at the voluptuous girl beside her.
Her pink hair and the black bow on her head always gave Shiki a sense of déjà vu.
"Ah, right, let me introduce her. This is my close friend. We often spar in sword fighting."
"Hello, Ryougi. My name is Fujiwara, and I am the current head of the Fujiwara Style!" Fujiwara said eagerly.
"Fuji…wara?" Shiki was completely stunned. How did the Earth's Bane get to Teyvat?
"Ah, this is my family's inherited style. Because we haven't opened a dojo, our reputation in Inazuma isn't very well-known."
"But don't underestimate my strength because of that! Brother Kaedehara said your strength is very high. Let's spar sometime."
"Let's talk about sparring later. The Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual has just been completed, and I plan to rest for a while."
Shiki refused the sparring invitation without thinking. Although the Fox's healing talismans had restored her body to its peak condition, her spirit also needed rest after a major battle.
These past few days, she had been researching how to cut birds at home, and by the way, keeping an eye on news of the northlander billet at the Adventurers' Guild.
Shiki planned to go directly to the Adventurers' Guild later to post a commission, then check it daily in her free time. Hana Sanri staying in her sword was not a permanent solution.
As mentioned earlier, Hana Sanri was able to possess the Kujikanesada solely because of the Nine Words Incantation. While she could possess it, the effect was not ideal.
For example, the Kujikanesada was like a leaky thatched hut. It was livable, but it certainly wasn't as comfortable as a house that was warm in winter, cool in summer, and fully furnished, was it?
Moreover, according to Hana Sanri, if the Catalyst was of good enough quality, she could even become a spirit like existence, no longer needing a body.
At that time, the Catalyst would be her body, and she could also use the magic of Grand Narukami Shrine to manifest a human form, thus freely walking in the world.
"Ah, I see. Well then, if you want to spar, be sure to come find me!" Fujiwara felt a bit regretful but didn't press the issue.
"Next time, for sure."
"Speaking of which, I have some good news for you, Shiki," Kazuha said.
"What?"
"The eldest son of the Tenryou Commission's Kujou Clan has been confined. It's said he won't be released until after his marriage."
"So, Shiki, you can take off your straw hat now." Kazuha smiled. He didn't know Kujou Masahito, and now that his friend didn't have to hide, he was genuinely happy for her.
"Really? That guy was actually confined? Given the Tenryou Commission's usual domineering behavior, shouldn't they have arrested me and forced a marriage?"
Shiki was somewhat surprised. What was the Kujou Clan? The local overlords of Inazuma. As long as Ei didn't come out, whatever they said went.
"This involves political factors. The Kujou Clan manages Inazuma's government affairs, but Kujou Takayuki is not content with just managing government affairs; he wants to further manage Inazuma's commerce, so he set his sights on the Hanaya Family."
"The Hanaya Family is a major commercial household in Inazuma. The former Kaedehara Family also had dealings with them when they hadn't lost all their wealth."
Kazuha explained. Although he was a ronin now, he used to be a genuinely wealthy family, and having grown up in that environment, he naturally understood some of these things.
"I see. Now that you explain it, I understand. In short, Kujou Takayuki wants to get involved in commerce to further control Inazuma, so he wants to establish his commercial connections through marriage."
Shiki was, after all, a university student on Earth. Previously, she was mainly isolated from information; there was no internet, and she wasn't in Inazuma City, so how could she know about the Kujou Clan's news?
"Yes, that's right. I didn't expect you to know about these things?"
Kazuha's gaze immediately changed. It was one thing to know a lot about Inazuma's history and culture, but how could she be so knowledgeable in this area too?
By the way, was there anything in this world that she didn't know?
"Just a little, that's all. Otherwise, how can one survive in this deceitful world? Those high and mighty figures only care about their own interests and won't care about our lives."
There were all kinds of people in this world, and Shiki deeply understood the principle of being cautious of others. This was Kazuha; if it were someone else, she certainly wouldn't be sitting and chatting like this.
Although they had only met a few times in total, in the game, they met every day. Shiki could be said to be very familiar with Kazuha.
However, game settings and reality still had differences. But what if there were differences? Before meeting Kazuha, Shiki already understood him nine-tenths of the way.
"Don't say that. There are still good people among the Three Commissions."
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