Chapter 251: The Smiling Fox
"Good at running and hiding, and with some ties to the Tenryou Commission—I want to borrow Sayu."
The moment Bai Luo caught sight of the sly curve on Yae Miko's lips, he knew his request was as good as granted.
Just as Yae Miko had known he would play along with her little prank on Miyuki and Shinobu, he knew in turn that if this fox ever learned of that messy business between him and Sayu, she absolutely would meddle.
Because if she wasn't stirring up trouble, she wouldn't be Yae Miko.
"Mm… that child isn't out of the question," Yae Miko said, her voice light. "But her guardian isn't me, you know. It's Kano Nana—she works both with the Shuumatsuban and here at the shrine. Whether you can win her consent or not… well, that's up to you."
In truth, Yae Miko could have given the order herself. As Guuji, her word was law here. But why waste the opportunity? Watching people struggle was far more entertaining.
Besides, with Sayu's personality, she was bound to vanish the moment anyone tried to drag her into something. If Bai Luo had to use his Authority to track her down… then Yae Miko could sit back and watch exactly how he did it.
"Oh? Then I'll just go talk to her myself," Bai Luo replied, eyes lighting up.
And what was Bai Luo best at?
First: making friends through music.
Second: forging bonds through fruit.
One or the other was usually enough to win him lifelong comrades. And if one didn't work… well, why not use both? Who could resist?
"…By the way."
Just as he rose to leave, something seemed to occur to him. He reached into his pocket—and, as always, pulled out a Sunsetia.
"Sunsettia. Sweet. Want one?"
"…"
From the very first time Bai Luo had tried to coax her into eating one, Yae Miko had sensed something was wrong.
And after hearing about Sayu, her wariness only deepened.
After all, when that child had been found, she had been mumbling the words: Sunsettias are scary.
Yae Miko herself had once tried using divination to foresee what would happen if she ate Bai Luo's fruit. Normally, even the most hidden matters could be glimpsed through her rites.
But Bai Luo—and his Sunsetias—were different. Completely beyond her sight.
Even the ones Sayu had brought back, long after leaving Bai Luo's side, remained untouchable to her divination.
The last time she had encountered such resistance was when she tried to divine Ei.
Which only made her more certain—she mustn't touch Bai Luo's fruit.
Sunsettias… terrifying things indeed.
Perhaps sensing her reluctance, Bai Luo gave a small sigh and tucked the fruit away again.
But as he did, something slipped from his pocket with a soft clatter.
A slender bamboo slip, pale green in color, like any ordinary bookmark. On both sides, faint carvings resembling brushstrokes could be seen.
"…Hmm. A bookmark I made myself. Interested?"
Noticing her eyes flicking toward it, Bai Luo picked it up and offered it to her.
"My, what a shame," Yae Miko answered with a velvet smile. "I happen to own a lovely paperweight already. I doubt I'd have any use for this."
Cautious as ever.
Especially since that bamboo slip bore a design similar to the fangsheng knot—a symbol tied to that other god of Liyue.
Could this bookmark also be a kind of contract?
If she accepted it without care, would she unwittingly bind herself to Bai Luo in some outrageous pact?
Yae Miko adored making others into her entertainment—but she had no intention of becoming the entertainment herself.
"Don't want it? Fine then. I'll just take it back."
Bai Luo didn't so much as frown. He only shrugged lightly and made to pocket the bookmark again.
Fwish—!
A flicker of violet lightning flashed. From behind Yae Miko, a fox-shaped wisp darted out, snatching the slip clean from his fingers before returning to her side. The bookmark fell gracefully into her hand.
It was freshly made—that much was obvious from the crisp brushstrokes and scent of ink.
On one side, a painting of Liyue's familiar oil-paper parasols, crimson bright, with a faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafting from it. Somehow, Bai Luo had imbued the bamboo with the lingering scent, as though carved into its very grain.
On the other side, the "Reed Sketches" she had once glimpsed in his study—along with a short poem written in Inazuman script:
"Upon the stone, the laughing carp,
The lake's jade gleams with spirit light.
Seek not the reeds at water's edge,
From kiln and coal, the clay is dried."
On the surface, it painted the scene of Liyue's common folk drawing clay from the lakeside reeds to fire pottery. Yet somehow… something about it struck her as strange.
Perhaps it was nothing more than Bai Luo trying to make it sound lofty—stuffing it with grandiose words that, upon closer taste, felt hollow.
"With your skill, this poem is at best bottom of the barrel," Yae Miko declared, after reading it several times. "But… since it's at least offered with good intentions, I shall begrudgingly accept it."
After making sure it wasn't a hidden acrostic, nor laced with secret code, she finally tucked the bookmark away.
Ei's "paperweight" had long since bored her anyway. This would do nicely as a replacement.
Besides, that trinket from Ei was destined to be given away someday. Better to have a spare ready in advance.
For all that Bai Luo usually seemed utterly tone-deaf in matters of taste, to think he could offer a gift like this…
'Hmph. Perhaps the man was finally learning.'
"Well then, I'll be off to find Nana. Farewell."
The moment Yae Miko took the bookmark, Bai Luo's expression shifted. Watching her pore over the words, he revealed an odd mixture of emotions—nervousness, anticipation, even a trace of glee.
"Do be gentle with my shrine maidens~," Yae Miko teased, waving him away idly while turning the bookmark over in her hand.
Her attention lingered on the painted parasol, fragrant with plum, and the finely crafted sketch of reeds. The poem, however, she dismissed as clumsy and uninspired, its very presence marring the artistry of the piece.
By the time she realized the truth—that something about that verse was wrong—it was long after, during a certain festival.
That day, none other than Master Xingshu (Xingqiu), visiting from Liyue for a book signing, caught sight of the bookmark hanging at her waist.
His eyes lit up in astonishment.
And, switching into the Liyue tongue, he cried out the true words hidden within:
"The Laughing Fox"
I'm a little fox,
My wits are dull and dim.
Don't ask me why,
I'll bite you on a whim.
. . . . .
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