With a practiced tug of the steel wire, the little mujina dropped right on cue, only to be caught one-handed by Bai Luo.
"Can I borrow her now?"
Bai Luo wore that gentle smile once more—it was as refreshing as a cool summer breeze. But for Kano Nana standing before him, there was only a sense of helplessness and despair.
"This... we should at least consult Sayu's opinion, shouldn't we? If she's unwilling, we can't exactly force her."
Kano Nana decided to make one final struggle. No matter what, Sayu couldn't be taken away by him. As long as the girl expressed her refusal to go with this Harbinger, Lady Guuji Yae would surely step in to protect her.
"Oh? Then ask her yourself."
Bai Luo hoisted Sayu up by the scruff of her neck and held her out in front of Kano Nana. In Nana's eyes, since this Harbinger had teased Sayu relentlessly before and kept calling her a "little tanuki," the child's stubborn temper would surely lead her to refuse.
Instead...
"She's... she's asleep?!"
Seeing Sayu's posture, Kano Nana finally understood why the child had taken to hanging herself from the walls to sleep lately. Had she actually gotten used to sleeping in such a bizarre fashion because of this man?!
Little did she know, the moment Bai Luo grabbed her, Sayu had already accepted her fate.
Having spent so much time running from Bai Luo back at Kannazuka, she had learned one vital lesson: when dealing with this man, never try to be reasonable. He could look at a deer and argue it was a horse; by the time the argument was over, she'd probably end up feeling like a total baka (idiot/horse-deer).
Sigh.
Rather than inviting trouble, it was better to just be obedient and submissive. That way, she'd have fewer worries and more time to sleep. And honestly... this was more comfortable than hanging from a wall.
Kano Nana was helpless. She could only watch with wide eyes as Bai Luo carried Sayu away.
***
"Lady Guuji."
After seeing Bai Luo off, Kano Nana immediately went to the administrative office. She was still worried about Sayu. After all... that was the Fatui.
"Oh my, don't you usually complain to me about how difficult that child is to look after? Why are you so proactive about keeping her here today?"
Yae Miko asked with a half-smile, idly playing with her plum-scented bookmark.
"I... I'm just worried that being with him will be dangerous for her."
Humans were such contradictory creatures. Nana, who usually spent her days venting to Yae Miko about Sayu, was the first to run to her for help now.
"Don't worry. She won't be in any danger with the Instructor. Moreover... I've made an arrangement with him. Sayu is 'working' for him, not on a 'mission.' This means... he actually has to pay her a salary."
When things were peaceful, Bai Luo was a dangerous man. But when things got dangerous, Sayu was undoubtedly safest by his side. After all, the greatest danger in Inazuma currently was the Fatui. By working for them, Sayu had, in a sense, removed her biggest enemy.
Kano Nana remained worried, but with the Lady Guuji speaking so decisively, she didn't dare linger. She left the office with a face full of concern.
However, Yae Miko had overlooked one thing. Would Bai Luo—a man who hated spending his own Mora even on a meal—actually pay Sayu a salary?
Well... that remained to be seen.
***
On the way down the mountain, a red fox curled up on the path raised its head leisurely to watch the pair—one large, one small—descend from the peak. The large one was dressed in black, his mask dangling from his waist, swaying with his stride. The small one was being carried by the scruff of her neck, looking utterly "soul-crushed" and resigned.
"Didn't you say you'd let me go?" Sayu sighed, feeling the bumpiness of the mountain path.
Her teacher had told her that children shouldn't sigh too often. When she was with the shrine maidens, she was mostly just scared, but she never sighed. It was only with Bai Luo...
Sigh.
"I did let you go last time," Bai Luo said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
And technically, he was right. Leaving her at Amakane Island counted as letting her go, since that island was the territory of her old bosses, the Yashiro Commission. But that didn't stop him from "borrowing" her again.
Yes, borrowing. And this time, he felt even more justified.
Remember Sayu's "Do Not Provoke" list? That list had undergone a major revision.
* The person you should never provoke: Bai Luo.
* The most terrifying person: Bai Luo.
* The most unpredictable person: Bai Luo.
* The person I like the most: Bai— Wait, almost said that out of habit.
In short, she had summarized one truth: when you meet Bai Luo, just lie flat. What else could she do? She was just a little mujina...
Thinking of this, Sayu looked up at him and let out another long sigh. She accepted her fate. Fine, if he wanted to call her a tanuki, let him. A few insults wouldn't make her lose any weight.
Bai Luo's "Ultimate" had a long-range teleportation function, but it only worked for him alone. Therefore, he had to carry the little tanuki down the mountain the old-fashioned way.
"Where's Big Sister Tatyana? Why isn't she with you?" Sayu had expected Tatyana to be waiting at the bottom of the mountain.
Mount Yougou was one of the most important places in Inazuma and the home of the Lady Guuji; it was arguably the safest place in the nation. Bai Luo dared to come up because he was an "acquaintance" of that woman—Sayu had seen it clearly from the tree; that woman had actually walked out of the shrine to greet him at the torii gate.
Even when her direct superior, the Lord Commissioner, visited, the Lady Guuji usually only met him at the office door.
As Bai Luo's subordinate, Tatyana wouldn't have dared to show her face at the shrine so openly.
"I've assigned her other tasks. Why? Do you miss her?"
Bai Luo hadn't expected a spark of friendship to fly between Sayu and Tatyana. He still remembered how flustered Tatyana had been the first time they met, having no idea how to handle the little ninja.
"Mm..."
Bai Luo didn't realize that compared to his malicious sense of humor, Tatyana was Sayu's "safe zone." No matter what mischief Bai Luo planned, if Sayu dove into Tatyana's embrace, he usually let her off the hook.
For her, the most comfortable way to sleep—aside from being carried by the collar by Bai Luo—was in Tatyana's arms. Not only was it a high vantage point, but it was also like being wrapped in something incredibly soft and warm.
It deserved a big thumbs up. Especially that faint scent of milk; it made one never want to wake up.
_______________________________________
Hey guys, A little support will be appreciated. As you know, we don't earn on fanfiction.
Check my P@treon for advance chapters:-
Their are 10+ advance chapters available on P@treon
[email protected]/AnimeDarcx