Kuki Shinobu turned her head at the sound, surprise flashing across her face. She hadn't expected Arataki Itto to wake at such a time.
After a brief moment of shock, she quickly tried to hide her panic, attempting to brush it off.
"Boss, it's nothing…"
But Arataki Itto was not so easily fooled. He frowned, clearly unconvinced by Shinobu's words.
"Shinobu, do you think I'm stupid? Don't treat me like some three-year-old kid!"
Faced with his sharp questioning, Shinobu looked embarrassed but still forced out a reply. "But… boss, you really are stupid…"
The moment she called him stupid, Itto was instantly indignant. His brows furrowed, and he said unhappily, "Hey! Come on, Shinobu, can't you praise your great boss for once?"
"…"
Shinobu stared at him speechlessly, unsure what to say.
Seeing her silence, Itto waved his hand with effort and pressed further. "Forget praising me for now. Just tell me—what were you two talking about?"
Shinobu stubbornly replied, "Nothing…"
Itto wouldn't let it go. "This isn't like you. In the past, even when I begged you to stop talking, you never would. What's really going on?"
Shao Yun felt there was no better time and said to Shinobu, "Since things have reached this point, Miss Shinobu, just tell him directly."
Shinobu looked at Shao Yun with worry, hesitating. "Are you sure? What if the boss…"
Before Shao Yun could respond, Itto interrupted. "Say it! Even if Shinobu told me, like in some light novel, that she fell for Shao Yun, I could accept it!"
Hearing such a brainless comment, Shao Yun gave up on thinking altogether.
He shook his head helplessly and sighed. "You really are beyond saving…"
Yet he didn't get angry; getting mad at a fool wasn't worth it.
Meanwhile, Shinobu felt her blood pressure spike at Itto's remark.
Covering her forehead, she said with exasperation, "Boss, when we get back to Inazuma, I really should stop you from reading so many novels from Yae Publishing House."
…
Shinobu explained to Arataki Itto the reasoning behind Shao Yun killing Kujou Sara.
Itto listened in disbelief, his worldview shattered. He couldn't comprehend how killing could ever be called reasonable.
Shinobu then explained the war, recounting the cruel Inazuma civil strife and Shao Yun's role as "General of Watatsumi Island."
In short, because they were on opposing sides, Shao Yun killing Kujou Sara during the civil war was logical.
Itto's eyes widened, stunned. This truth overturned everything he thought he knew.
When he learned Shinobu had hidden it because she feared it would cause conflict between them, he said heavily, "Shinobu… you could have just told me directly…"
Her eyes wavered with guilt as she answered softly, "I wanted to tell you so many times! But every time, you acted like you wouldn't listen to anyone. I was afraid you'd blame me…"
Itto sighed deeply, a flicker of sorrow in his gaze. "Shinobu, I wouldn't blame you."
"But when it comes to Sara, I still can't accept it…" He shook his head helplessly, torn with conflict.
The thought that Shao Yun's killing of Kujou Sara was reasonable felt utterly absurd to him.
He stared at Shao Yun in disbelief.
Clenching his fists, he spoke in a low, pained voice. "Murder… Shao Yun, I have a question for you."
Shao Yun nodded, signaling him to continue.
Itto forced a grim smile, uglier than crying, and began to share his experience.
"Once, I was caught by Kujou Tengu and thrown into the Tenryou Commission. While I was there, she told me about Inazuma's laws."
"There was one thing that stuck with me—that in Inazuma, killing is one of the gravest crimes, punishable by death."
He paused, confusion flickering in his eyes, then asked, "So why is it reasonable that you killed Kujou Sara? Can you explain it to me? Is killing under the name of 'war' somehow right?"
Shao Yun listened to his questioning without a change in expression.
He drew in a deep breath, countless stories from myths to treaties flashing through his mind.
After a moment's silence, he replied calmly with a counter-question.
"Explaining it in detail is too much trouble."
"Let me just ask you this—Kujou Sara was a general of the Shogunate. Do you think that in the name of 'war,' she herself never killed?"
"My point is, she was a general of the Shogunate. She fought the Watatsumi forces for years. Do you really believe she never killed anyone?"
Itto opened his mouth, but no words came.
"I…"
Shao Yun pressed further. "Do you think Kujou Sara, a Shogunate general, never killed on the battlefield?"
Itto's eyes widened. He couldn't picture Sara killing.
Yet…
The thought struck him hard, shaking the very foundations of his beliefs. He even began to doubt his understanding of the world.
He recalled his past interactions with Sara—though many ended with him in jail, overall, she had treated him decently.
"This…"
His worldview felt like it was crumbling.
Shao Yun delivered the final blow. "War is kill or be killed. But now Inazuma is at peace—the Shogunate and Watatsumi have signed a treaty. Better that than letting all Inazumans wander in exile."
Still unsatisfied, Itto asked, "Then why was there a war in the first place? I mean, why did the Shogunate fight Watatsumi?"
Images of countless powers flashed in Shao Yun's mind—the Fatui, Watatsumi, the Shogunate, the Tri-Commission…
The Fatui had played their part. But Beelzebul's Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree—especially the Sakoku Decree—had forced Watatsumi into desperation.
That led Sangonomiya to rally allies under the banner of resisting the Vision Hunt Decree.
But to Shao Yun, none of that mattered. He didn't care about the fate of Inazumans.
The final straw had been during the hundredth Vision Hunt Ceremony, when Beelzebul was about to cut down Lumine. That was when the avalanche came crashing down.
Otherwise, Shao Yun wouldn't have bothered.
He gave no answer, simply staring at Itto without a word.
"This isn't for us to worry about. You're a free oni, I'm just someone traveling with Lumine. Even if the sky falls, it's not our job to hold it up."
Itto swallowed his pain, slowly lifting his head to meet Shao Yun's eyes. His voice trembled. "So… Kujou Sara just 'reasonably' died like that?"
Shao Yun looked at him silently, then nodded slightly. "Having your dream shattered is cruel, but that's reality."
"In truth, I hadn't planned to tell you. We might never see each other again. But since you're ready, then I'll tell you everything."
At those words, Itto's body shook violently.
Seated on the ground, he hung his head low, shoulders trembling, faint sobs escaping now and then.
Shao Yun watched him quietly, his face expressionless. He spoke faintly, "Calm yourself first."
Then he turned away, putting some distance between them.
Time ticked by. After a while, Shinobu approached Shao Yun with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. In the end, I still troubled you to handle this."
Shao Yun shook his head lightly, unconcerned.
Then he suddenly said, "That reminds me of something Yoimiya once told me."
At the mention of "Yoimiya," Shinobu murmured in thought, "Oh, you mean the manager of the Naganohara Fireworks shop?"
Shao Yun gave a slight nod, his tone tinged with reflection.
"Yes, her. She said that the distance between people often comes from a lack of dialogue. If we could be open, many problems would vanish."
"Though I think that's too absolute, right now, more communication does seem helpful."
Shinobu touched her chin thoughtfully, her expression softened. "I think we've caught the perfect timing."
But Shao Yun poured cold water on her mood.
"Still, I think the real reason is that Itto simply can't beat me… Otherwise he'd never have accepted this so easily."
Shinobu nearly tripped over nothing.
Awkwardly, she said, "Just… let the boss keep some illusions about this cruel world."
Shao Yun smiled in agreement.
"Alright, for Lumine and Paimon's sake…"