Chapter 260: Sunrise, Sunset
"What's going on here?"
Just as the tension between the two men was about to snap, a gentle voice drifted in from the side.
It belonged to none other than the Shirasagi Himegimi of the Kamisato clan—Kamisato Ayaka.
Her Vision was of Cryo, yet unlike the biting chill of ice, her presence was never sharp or cold. On the contrary, she was kind and compassionate, graceful and polite to all. Even the esteemed General Kujou, so beloved by the people, could hardly compare to her warmth and approachability.
She possessed the beauty of ice crystals, but none of their mercilessness. If one truly wished to describe her through ice… then perhaps the dazzling radiance refracted by winter frost beneath the sun would be most fitting.
"Ayaka-sama!"
The moment he saw her returning from her errands, Hirotatsu stepped forward at once, shielding her with his body.
Among the tasks entrusted to him by Lord Kamisato, the protection of the young lady ranked high. Naturally, he could not allow her to be exposed to the reach of this Fatui operative.
Yet he seemed to have forgotten—Ayaka bore a Vision herself. Her strength might very well exceed his own.
"My Lord Harbinger's letter," Georgy said at last. His tone softened somewhat as his gaze fell upon Ayaka, as though reminded of something. "I was ordered to place it directly into your master's hands."
But to Hirotatsu's ears, even that softened tone rang harsh and insolent.
"Harbinger…?"
The word slipped into Ayaka's thoughts like a blade of ice. Though she kept her expression composed, her eyes betrayed the truth.
She was flustered.
Thankfully, the folding fan in her hand concealed her face, sparing her the indignity of losing composure before them.
"This man insists on seeing the Commissioner, my lady," Hirotatsu said, bowing in shame. "But the Commissioner is burdened with countless affairs—he cannot simply waste time receiving him. I offered to deliver the message in his stead, yet he uses 'orders from his superior' as excuse to make trouble! Please, my lady, step back for a moment. I will cast this insolent intruder out at once."
Allowing his lady to witness such a shameful scene at the gates of their estate was, to him, nothing less than humiliation.
Yet he failed to notice the look growing ever stranger on her face.
"Wait."
Ayaka raised her hand lightly.
From her recent conversations with her brother, she knew there were two Harbingers currently in Inazuma. And if one had sent a visiting card… there could be no doubt as to which it was.
The very one who had spoken with her brother not long ago, declaring his intent to visit.
And then… her thoughts flickered back to the floral arrangement she had entrusted to Thoma. Heat crept up her cheeks, forcing her to hide her face behind the fan once more.
But she was the daughter of the Kamisato clan. With a breath to steady her heart, she adjusted her bearing and, under Hirotatsu's watchful protection, stepped forward to face Georgy.
"Forgive the impropriety. I am the daughter of the Kamisato clan. Might I receive this visiting card in my brother's stead?"
A Harbinger's card could not be refused. Whether they wished it or not, whether they bore ties or not, when a diplomatic envoy of Snezhnaya declared intent to visit… the Kamisato had no grounds to decline.
To refuse would only delight those who longed to trip up the Kamisato siblings—siblings who managed all affairs with such precision that their enemies had never found purchase.
Ayaka, though she managed the household rather than state affairs, understood this all too well.
"…My Lord ordered me to place it directly into your master's hand."
Georgy stared at her for a long moment, then repeated the same words in his deep voice.
Hirotatsu bristled, ready to lash out again—but Ayaka quietly raised her hand to stay him.
"As the head of the Kamisato household, my brother bears the burden of governance. Matters of hospitality, however, fall under my care. Even if you were to hand the visiting card to him directly, the responsibility of arranging its details would still rest with me. So tell me—do I not have the right to accept this Harbinger's card in his stead?"
What Ayaka said was not a lie. This was something long agreed upon between the siblings.
Her elder brother, Ayato, held the title of clan head and bore the weight of political affairs. She, as his younger sister, oversaw both the household and its outward relations.
Receiving guests, appearing in public, and upholding the Kamisato name—those were her duties.
"…Very well."
At last, Georgy's gruff voice no longer repeated the same words.
Relief quietly washed through Ayaka's chest. Her brother had already been run ragged these past days with matters involving "the Ausbilder." To pile this upon him now… no, it was better for her to manage it first, and inform him afterward.
"Hirotatsu. Prepare a return gift for this gentleman to take back."
She carefully accepted the visiting card, then gave her instructions.
In Inazuma, such "return gifts" were little more than a gratuity—payment for the messenger's trouble. A polite unspoken rule.
Yet Georgy showed no interest. Once certain Ayaka had received the card personally, he turned on his heel and departed without another word.
"…What a peculiar man."
Ayaka murmured as she watched his broad back disappear beyond the gates. Her gaze soon fell to the card in her hands.
With a brief word to Hirotatsu, she retreated indoors.
But instead of heading toward the study, she slipped quietly back to her own room. If her guess was right, her dear brother was finally resting after finishing the day's affairs. He had gone without proper sleep for days—she would not disturb him now.
Seating herself at her desk, Ayaka carefully broke the seal of the card.
Its contents resembled any other Inazuman visiting card, save for one detail at the end—
"…Anatoly?"
Her eyes blinked with confusion.
To her knowledge, the Ausbilder's name should have been Bai Luo. Then what was this "Anatoly"?
The truth was known only among the Fatui. Bai Luo bore three names.
"Bai Luo" was the name he had taken since arriving in this world.
"The Ausbilder" was the title bestowed upon him when he was made Harbinger—an exception among the Eleven. For he was not one of the original eleven at all. Perhaps the Tsaritsa herself, unwilling to burden herself with naming him, had simply marked him apart by his position as the Pyro Debt Collector instructor, granting "Ausbilder", a Snezhnayan version for the word 'Instructor', as his title.
And then there was "Anatoly."
A Snezhnayan name, given by Pierro, meaning Sunrise.
From Pierro's scant words, Bai Luo had gleaned the truth—that the one who had truly granted him this name was none other than the Tsaritsa herself.
To him, it was a bitter irony. His path, no matter how he looked at it, had always been bound closer to sunset than sunrise.
And yet, that supreme sovereign had named him Sunrise.
For that reason, he almost never spoke of it. To the world of Teyvat, he was simply Bai Luo. Only when appearing as an envoy of Snezhnaya—such as now—would he sign with that name, the one that marked him as the Tsaritsa's own.
. . . . .
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