"Everyone, be careful! This is a meteorite monster!"
"What the hell is that? Your meteorite can turn into a monster?"
Ember heard the warning from the Miko above to her companions and, in a fit of pique, leaped out of the lava pool.
A meteorite monster? How could such a thing exist?
Wait, it seems like they actually do!
Ember's movements froze. He thought of the Dark Abominations; they were very similar to the "meteorite monsters" the Miko had just mentioned.
Dark Abominations were meteors in space, and on the ground, they transformed into Star Bugs with an overwhelming desire for destruction.
How strong was their destructive desire? To give a concrete example, the Greater Will loved to use them to smash people.
From this, one could see how good Dark Abominations were at tearing things apart.
While Ember was lost in thought, the Miko in front of him retreated as if fleeing. Seeing this, he couldn't help but retort:
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you running? Do I look like someone who's hard to talk to?"
"You haven't even counted your numbers. With such a big commotion, not a single person is missing. Who do you think you're relying on?"
"Heh heh, it's precisely because of this that the Grand Narukami Shrine hasn't sounded the alarm, you know."
As Ember spoke, a soft chuckle echoed around him. Immediately, a pink-haired woman in a red and white Miko outfit appeared before him.
A Miko appearing inside a shrine was nothing noteworthy. What truly caught Ember's attention was her expansive bangs.
How far did they extend? Someone who didn't know better would think she had two ears growing on her head!
Ember looked closely, and it seemed they really were ears. Well, then, no problem.
Withdrawing his gaze, Ember then asked the Miko, who was also sizing him up, "You must be the Guuji here, right?"
"That's right, Yae Miko."
"And you?" Yae Miko nodded, then paced back and forth, muttering to herself:
"Should I call you a wanted criminal, or a Great Adventurer? Mr. Ember?"
"That's up to you. It doesn't affect me anyway." Ember waved his hand, indicating he'd go along with Yae Miko's wishes.
After all, to Ember, what he was called didn't matter, as long as he wasn't cursed at.
"Never mind, I'll just call you by your name." Seeing Ember's indifferent attitude, Yae Miko shrugged and called him by his name.
"No problem. In that case, let's end the pleasantries and get down to business!" Ember said, beginning to survey his surroundings.
"Business?" Yae Miko heard Ember's words and looked thoughtful. She saw him looking around and waved her hand at the Miko peeking from behind her.
"All non-essential personnel, get out. Clean up outside the Grand Narukami Shrine before coming back in."
"Quite efficient." Ember heard the distinct and indistinct footsteps echoing within the Grand Narukami Shrine and gave Yae Miko a thumbs-up in appreciation.
It seemed she knew these people were useless to Ember.
"Naturally, in this position, even a monster turns into a cunning human." Yae Miko glanced at Ember, seemingly with some resentment about her position.
But then she saw the meteorite crater he had created behind him, and the placid look in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced with a hint of playfulness.
"Since you, Ember, say you're here to discuss business, then very well, let's begin now."
"That fast?"
Ember scratched his head. He hadn't expected that as soon as the people from the Grand Narukami Shrine left, Yae Miko would immediately start talking business.
This was too fast! Could it be that Yae Miko, like Sangonomiya Kokomi, was also a decisive person?
"Of course, the position of Guuji involves much more work than you might imagine. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can… move on to the next task!"
Yae Miko strained to keep a straight face, afraid Ember would notice she almost let something slip.
"The first matter is about compensation."
"Compensation?!"
Ember was startled by Yae Miko's words. How did she know he had come this time to demand compensation?
"Yes, compensation for Mr. Ember damaging the Grand Narukami Shrine." Yae Miko circled the sizzling meteorite crater below, a slight curve at the corner of her eye.
She had been cooped up in the Grand Narukami Shrine, practically rusting away. Finally, an interesting-looking person had arrived, and she could at last pass some of her boring time.
"The wooden planks of the Grand Narukami Shrine are made from branches naturally fallen from Inazuma's Sacred Sakura Tree; it's no exaggeration to say they are priceless."
"And the white sand of this dojo is carefully selected from sand washed by flowing water; not a speck of dirt can be seen on it."
"Consider the value of these things yourself, Mr. Ember."
After Yae Miko finished speaking, she looked at Ember with interest, seemingly curious about his reaction.
"Damaging the Grand Narukami Shrine? And it's very expensive? I'm not taking the blame for this." Ember looked at the deep pit he had created with his butt below and immediately waved his hand to distance himself.
His defense was that there was a reason for what happened, and it definitely wasn't because the damaged items were too expensive.
Then Ember seemed to remember something. He said indignantly, "Do you know why I came up this way?!"
"Why?" Yae Miko was also curious why Ember chose such an unconventional way to arrive at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
The first time she saw the streaking light in the sky, Yae Miko truly thought a meteor had fallen to the ground.
"If you have time, go down to Sanka and see for yourself. What kind of shoddy road is this leading up the mountain?!"
"Dead ends, no railings, broken bridges—you'd prefer no one came up, wouldn't you?"
"Do all Inazuma people fly over walls? They can't, can they?"
…Once the mountain road was brought up, Ember became a torrent of words. The absurdity of this terrible road could not be fully described in three days and three nights! Ember had never seen a road built so poorly in his life.
"Stop, stop, stop! Hold it, hold it right there!" Yae Miko heard Ember rattle off a list of everything wrong with the Grand Narukami Shrine's mountain road, rendering it utterly useless, and quickly cut him off.
In just this short time, Ember had already discussed human lineage more than once. If he continued, he might go even further.
Considering Ember's strength, Yae Miko decisively stopped him.
"I rarely go down the mountain, and I don't take the usual paths, so this matter was my oversight." Fearing Ember hadn't had enough, Yae Miko immediately took responsibility.
Yae Miko was unaware of the road's condition. As Guuji, she mostly sat solemnly in the shrine, playing her role as "Guuji."
During her rare moments of leisure, Yae Miko would rather spend them having fun; she had no patience for walking down the mountain.
Her not skipping down was already a sign of restraint.
"Then, about the compensation?"
"It was a joke, Ember, you don't need to worry about it."
Ember nodded at her words. Then he asked Yae Miko, "Who is in charge of the guards on Yashiori Island?"
Yae Miko found Ember's question inexplicable, but considering it wasn't confidential, she replied:
"The Sergeants are managed by the Tenryou Commission, the Miko and talismans are the responsibility of the Grand Narukami Shrine, logistics fall under the Kanjou Commission, and condolences and festival activities are handled by the Yashiro Commission."
"As long as you're in charge of something, that's good." Ember nodded, then pulled out a slip of paper and a scroll.
"Now, it's my turn to demand compensation!"
"You want compensation?!"
Yae Miko's previously sleepy eyelids lifted. She never expected Ember to directly turn the tables and demand compensation from the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"Could it be that because of that terrible road, you want compensation for emotional distress?" Yae Miko scanned Ember with a suspicious look. Now she suspected Ember was looking for trouble for no reason.
"Do I look like I'm in poor spirits?" Ember pointed to his face.
Yae Miko saw his sharply defined iron helmet and almost nodded.
"See for yourself! What kind of Guuji are you?"
After Ember threw the slip of paper and scroll into Yae Miko's arms, he turned his back and waited quietly.
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