On the other side—
Leaving the Tenryou Commission, Lori walked toward Tenshukaku deep in thought.
Along the way, the hatamoto warriors—the elite who guarded the Narukami sovereign—bowed their heads as he passed.
Near the entrance of Tenshukaku, he naturally didn't need to show tokens or permits to the personal guard, the Okezakura unit.
Recognizing him, the Okezakura warriors stepped aside at once.
But one of them looked as though he wanted to speak yet hesitated.
Lori paused and glanced over.
"What is it? Speak."
"That… forgive me for overstepping, but Lady Miyuu just finished her audience with the Shogun."
Lori blinked, then laughed lightly.
"All right, I got it."
He simply thought Chiyo was noisy—these guards probably misunderstood and were giving him a "warning" ahead of time.
No harm in it.
If anything, it was out of kindness.
Reassuring them, Lori stepped into Tenshukaku again, murmuring to himself as he walked deeper inside.
"The paper said that girl needed three days to return. Seems not everything printed is reliable."
He was more familiar with the layout than anyone—he could navigate Tenshukaku with his eyes closed.
As he neared the inner chambers, faint female laughter spilled through the door.
Besides the familiar voices of Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei, another spirited female voice could be heard.
"As expected—that's Chiyo."
Lori pushed the door open.
What should've been the solemn hall where the Shogun handled state affairs…
was, unexpectedly, filled with the lively tension of a competition.
Makoto sat beside the desk, acting as the reader, chanting waka verses.
To her left and right sat two women facing one another, each holding over a dozen karuta cards—eyes sharp, brimming with challenge and fighting spirit.
One was Ei.
The other was the long-absent, freshly victorious oni girl—Miyuu Chiyo.
Gone was her armor; she now wore a loose white-and-red robe.
Her moonlike face was framed by long horns at her temples—fierce and striking.
Her crimson, narrow eyes were locked intensely on the card field.
She was practically itching to pounce.
Between the two women, several cards lay arranged.
Judging by the setup, they were playing competitive waka karuta.
And judging by the atmosphere—
they were deadlocked in a final decisive round.
Both were so focused they didn't notice Lori entering.
Only Makoto sensed him approach.
She offered him a gentle smile and continued chanting the next verse.
The instant Ei heard the verse, she snatched the matching card without hesitation.
Chiyo, a heartbeat slower, inhaled sharply and prepared to refocus—
But suddenly a shadow fell over her.
She frowned and was about to snap angrily—
Then she looked up.
And met Lori's eyes.
For a moment, the oni girl froze.
Ei took the opportunity to sweep up the final card.
"Game over!"
Makoto clapped her hands once, clearly announcing the victor.
At the same time, Ei—who had been silently tense the whole game—practically bounced to her feet, eyes sparkling.
"I won! I won!"
Only the gods knew how happy she was.
Ever since she started playing karuta with her friend Chiyo, she had never won a single match.
For the fiercely competitive Ei, this humiliation had lived in her heart for far too long.
She'd secretly trained with Makoto for ages to overcome it.
And now—finally—she had triumphed.
But her joy lasted only a few seconds before she realized…
Everyone in the room was staring at her with strange expressions.
Lori clicked his tongue softly.
He had never seen Ei so excited—so unable to contain her emotions.
It was honestly fascinating.
Ei coughed lightly, cheeks reddening, and sat back down with forced composure—head lowered, pretending the excited girl from moments ago wasn't her.
Before Lori could tease her, however—
A tremendous force slammed into him, sending him a few steps backward.
He lowered his gaze—
And found himself staring into a pair of crimson eyes filled with delight and affection.
Chiyo had wrapped both arms tightly around his waist, pressing her face to his chest as she declared:
"I'm back!"
"Mm. Good job."
Lori stroked her long black hair—smooth as silk—as he sat beside the low table.
Chiyo immediately curled against him, resting her head on his lap, guiding his hand to rub her cheek.
The fierce oni warrior of countless rumors…
was now curled up like a lazy, affectionate cat—completely forgetting the karuta battle from moments ago.
Ei, watching the scene, had long lost her earlier smile.
Only her occasional glances at Chiyo revealed the emotions she tried to conceal.
The atmosphere grew still.
Until the sliding door opened.
An old blind man entered, holding a precious tea set.
As if performing a ritual he had done thousands of times, the elderly attendant walked—slow but steady—into the tea room and silently brewed tea.
After a moment, he brought a pot of red tea into the main hall.
"Your Highness, please enjoy."
Makoto nodded gently.
"You may go, Koyama. We will call if we need you."
"As you command. Your Highness, my lords and ladies, this old servant will take his leave."
He bowed and left the way he came.
With that small interruption, the oppressive tension dispersed somewhat.
Makoto finally spoke to break the silence.
"I hear you've been quite relaxed at the Grand Shrine. And that you've even taken in a little disciple?"
Lori poured tea for everyone with one hand and replied,
"Didn't Saiguu ask me to help out? Besides, I was bored. Might as well find something to do. Think of it as… contributing to Inazuma."
How much truth lay in that statement was hard to say.
Makoto didn't pursue it.
Instead, she asked about the Khaenri'ah envoy and why he had suddenly erected a barrier some days ago.
Lori didn't answer, brushing it off casually.
Seeing he didn't want to talk, Makoto let it go and turned to Chiyo, asking about her recent extermination of monsters and pirates.
Chiyo replied lazily while comparing her hand size to Lori's, tracing the lines of his palm with her fingers—hardly paying attention.
Conversation flowed naturally, with the women chiming in here and there.
Ignoring Chiyo's playful behavior, Lori casually remarked,
"When I returned earlier, I heard officials mentioning that Takamine is getting married?"
Takamine Konomimaru—a notorious gambler who once won the tengu chief's treasured bow, later using the martial and mystical arts he learned to serve the Shogun.
Makoto, impressed by his valor, had awarded him the famous blade Mistsplitter.
She nodded.
"Yes. I granted permission for him to wed the daughter of a high-ranking samurai family."
Lori fell into brief contemplation.
Come to think of it…
after taking Asase Hibiki as his disciple, he had unintentionally cut off the young girl's silent, unspoken crush on Takamine.
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