Kuki Shinobu quickly walked up to Officer Uesugi, bowed respectfully, and sincerely apologized, "Officer Uesugi, I'm truly sorry. Mr. Arataki has once again caused trouble for everyone at the Tenryou Commission."
Officer Uesugi waved his hand nonchalantly and smiled, "It's alright, Miss Kuki. No need to worry about it. This kind of thing has happened more times than I can count—I'm quite used to it by now. Besides, I know Mr. Arataki means no harm; he just gets a little... carried away."
"Luckily, you arrived in time. Otherwise, we'd have to go through that tedious bail procedure again. Not only would that be a pain for you, but for us too."
Kuki nodded gratefully and reassured him, "Thank you for your patience and understanding, Officer Uesugi. I promise I'll keep a much closer eye on Boss from now on. I won't let him get involved in any more trouble."
He'd heard that line so many times before that he'd lost count—but for Kuki Shinobu's sake, he was willing to play along.
"Very well, Miss Kuki. I'll take your word for it. Please take Mr. Arataki and remove that wooden crate—it's blocking the path and causing inconvenience for others."
Kuki bowed once more and turned to Arataki Itto, signaling that the matter had been resolved.
After that, under her supervision, Arataki Itto returned the wooden crate to Ogura Textiles.
Finally, Itto accepted the box of colorful fireworks from Shao Yun, then pulled out three fox ramen discount coupons from his pocket and handed them over with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, brother. I didn't get to show you the big match. Here's your reward. With these, you can get half off at Yukio's ramen stand."
Shao Yun took the coupons and tucked them away, speaking gently, "Thanks. Be careful on the way to Ritou. I heard someone almost got mugged by the Nobushi out there a few days ago."
Itto's grin widened, and he slapped his firm chest before folding his arms confidently, showcasing his toned muscles.
"Don't worry! Even without my Vision, I'm still crazy strong!"
Kuki Shinobu shook her head with a sigh, reminding him, "Boss, stop messing around. We need to get going!"
She turned to Shao Yun and waved goodbye. "Mr. Tacitus, I look forward to our next meeting."
Shao Yun tipped his hat with gentlemanly flair. "Safe travels."
Just then, the crisp clatter of geta echoed through the air.
Curious, Itto looked in the direction of the sound—and spotted Kujou Sara striding briskly toward them, letters in hand.
Itto's face lit up instantly. Like a reflex, he stepped forward and blocked her path, shouting excitedly, "Kujou Tengu! I finally caught you! Today's the day we settle this!"
Kujou Sara saw him and felt a headache coming on. She muttered to herself, "Why is this noisy oni here again? I'm already drowning in work, and now this?"
Just then, Kuki Shinobu yanked Itto's ear, scolding him sternly, "Boss! Calm down! Don't make a scene here!"
Itto, completely at her mercy, whined like a cow led by the nose.
"Ah! Ow ow ow! Shinobu, not the ear again!"
Kuki sighed, then turned to Sara with an apologetic bow.
"Sorry, Lady Kujou. I'll take Boss away immediately. Apologies for the disturbance."
As she pulled him away by the ear, Kujou Sara rubbed her temples, visibly exasperated.
"It's fine, Miss Kuki. But please make sure he stays busy while he's working on Ritou. Maybe if he uses up all that energy, he'll stop causing problems."
Itto, not one to back down, shouted indignantly, "Just you wait, Kujou Tengu! When I'm back, I'll show you what I've got!"
But before he could finish, Kuki twisted his ear again, making him yelp in pain.
"Ow ow ow! Shinobu! Gentle! Please!"
Squinting in frustration, Kuki snapped, "Do you even realize? That work on Ritou was arranged thanks to Lady Kujou! Show some respect!"
Sara nodded slightly, her voice calm. "It's alright. That noisy oni won't change overnight. You two go on ahead."
Kuki resumed dragging Itto by the ear, calling out as they walked away, "We won't trouble you any further, Lady Kujou. Farewell."
As she pulled him out of the commission's gate, Itto turned and called back, "Sorry, brother! I'll make it up to you with a real sumo match next time!"
Shao Yun called after him kindly, "It's called wrestling!"
From a distance, Itto's voice echoed back, "Same thing!"
Once Itto was gone, Shao Yun figured there wasn't much point in hanging around. Just as he was about to leave, Kujou Sara stepped forward and stopped him.
"Mr. Tacitus, please wait."
Shao Yun glanced sideways at her, asking calmly, "What is it?"
Her sharp gaze swept over him, and she spoke evenly. "Regarding the Hiiragi family on Ritou—we need to check all foreigners currently in Inazuma."
Shao Yun raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"
Her expression was grave. "The Tenryou Commission suspects a foreign murderer named 'Huoyun' has entered Inazuma. I'd like to ask for your cooperation in the investigation."
Shao Yun burst into laughter, pointing at himself. "But my name's Tacitus Kilgore, isn't it?"
Kujou Sara remained unmoved, holding up two envelopes. "There's no guarantee the killer hasn't assumed a new identity. We couldn't act before, because we didn't have a portrait. But I recently sent letters to Mondstadt and Liyue requesting one—and now I have their replies. It won't take long."
Shao Yun kept his composure.If those nations really sent his portrait, he'd have to kill Kujou Saraon the spot—then find a way to escape to Mondstadt or Liyue with Lumine and Paimon in tow.
Shrugging, he feigned helplessness. "Alright. I'll cooperate."
Kujou Sara stood before him and opened the envelope from Mondstadt. Out slid not a portrait—but a letter.
She scanned the words quickly, her eyes widening in shock.
Then she opened the one from Liyue—and froze.
Shao Yun, now curious, snapped his fingers before her eyes. "Miss Kujou? Weren't you going to investigate me? Go on."
Still dazed, she murmured, "That infamous murderer… was fake?"
Shao Yun's interest grew. "May I ask, how did you come to believe this 'Huoyun' was a killer in the first place?"
Kujou Sara mumbled, "We… we deduced it from a light novel called The Gunslinger Butcher from Fontaine..."
Shao Yun cracked up, laughing so hard he bent over, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"A light novel? You're solving crimes with light novels? Why not just toss your shoe in the air and accuse whoever it points to?"
Face flushing with shame, Kujou Sara crumpled both letters in a fit of rage.
How had she let herself believe a fictional story was real evidence?
Just then, Shikanoin Heizou walked out of the Commission building.
Seeing Shao Yun laughing uncontrollably and Kujou Sara red as a beet, he asked, puzzled, "Lady Kujou, what's going on?"
Sara took a deep breath, stormed over, shoved the crumpled letters into his hands, and fled back inside.
Heizou unfolded the notes and read them carefully.
"Mmm... I see," he murmured. "Looks like our previous assumption was way off."
Shao Yun straightened up and approached. "What assumption?"
Shikanoin Heizou tucked the letters away and smiled lightly, trying to change the subject. "Oh, nothing. Just some trivial matter. Please excuse me."
With that, he left quickly.
Having witnessed this bizarre non-crisis unfold, Shao Yun found himself a little bored. He turned toward the distant Tenshukaku and the towering Statue of the Omnipresent God.
A faint smirk curled his lips.
"Raiden Shogun," he muttered to himself, "we'll be meeting tomorrow."
"Don't worry—I'm just here to talk. Whether you choose to remain holed up in your realm and keep enforcing your Vision Hunt Decree and Sakoku Decree… or whether you decide to change… none of that matters to me."
His tone was chillingly indifferent.
To him, neither the Shogun nor the future of Inazuma mattered at all.