"You're going with Thoma?"
"..."
"Alright..."
"Thoma hasn't set off yet, so I can let the two of you go together."
"Speaking of which, why did the Tenryou Commission cancel the Wanted Order regarding you? Is it because of Lady Yae Miko?" Ayaka looked at Raiden Makoto with a face full of curiosity; from the time she received news of the Tenryou Commission issuing the Wanted Order to when they canceled it, only a day or two had passed—that was truly a bit too fast.
"I suppose so." Actually, Raiden Makoto didn't know why Sara would cancel the Wanted Order on her either, but she felt that Sara and the people of the Kujou Clan should be different.
But Raiden Makoto couldn't easily explain that to Ayaka, because she truly didn't know why Sara had given up.
But it was certain now that while the Kujou Clan might be colluding with the Fatui in secret, Sara remained the most loyal follower of the Raiden Shogun.
"The interior of the Tenryou Commission and the Tenryou Commission is already completely rotten... those corrupt people must be thoroughly purged." Raiden Makoto was filled with emotion; she had seen quite a lot by now.
"Mhm."
"Indeed." Ayaka agreed deeply with Raiden Makoto's words and couldn't help but sigh, "It's just that doing so is too difficult."
"Does Watatsumi Island truly have no ulterior motives?" Ayaka then looked at Raiden Makoto, somewhat expectant of that information.
"I cannot be sure if Watatsumi Island did it intentionally or not, nor do I know if Watatsumi Island has other intentions, but I can be certain that the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi, is just an ordinary Lady, a Lady immersed in his own world."
"He is simply opposing the Vision Hunt Decree, but as for the thoughts of others, I cannot discern them." Raiden Makoto's smile put Ayaka much more at ease.
"Makoto, you said you were proficient in the Four Arts; why don't we have a duel on the Chessboard?"
"Okay."
Ayaka felt that wasn't enough, and she felt that since Raiden Makoto was proficient in the Four Arts, then Raiden Makoto must absolutely be able to dance as well.
Looking at Raiden Makoto's exquisite face, a face that was especially similar to the Raiden Shogun's, a mischievous thought couldn't help but arise in her heart.
If the 'Raiden Shogun' whose Martial Arts were supreme in Inazuma were to dance for her, then... just thinking about being able to see Raiden Makoto dance made Ayaka a little expectant.
"If I win, Makoto, you will dance for me; if you win, I will dance for you, how about it?" The corners of Ayaka's mouth curled up slightly; she believed that her Way of Chess was not inferior to anyone's—even her elder brother, Kamisato Ayato, was not as good as her—and while Raiden Makoto was proficient in everything, being proficient did not mean being unrivaled.
She would definitely be able to win against Raiden Makoto.
Raiden Makoto was stunned for a moment; looking at the slightly playful Ayaka before her, she nodded.
She suspected that Ayaka had intentionally made such a bet just to dance for her.
"Fine."
Sayu, who was nearby, let out a yawn; she was about to fall asleep listening to them, "Sister, Demoiselle Ayaka, can I go back to sleep?"
"Go ahead." Ayaka was just worrying about how to send Sayu away; now that Sayu wanted to leave on his own, she could better spend time alone with Raiden Makoto.
"Mm-hmm."
"Then Sister, Demoiselle Ayaka, I'm leaving." Sayu looked delighted; he could finally get some good rest. The journey over several days had made him very tired, and the information that Raiden Makoto was the previous Electro Archon shocked Sayu again, "I'm leaving now."
After watching Sayu leave, Raiden Makoto quietly looked at Ayaka, "Has Sayu always been like this?"
"Mhm, Sayu is always slacking off; that kid is always thinking about how to get more rest. Who couldn't see through those little thoughts of his?" Ayaka smiled, "Alright, Makoto, let's begin."
...Tenshukaku.
"Do you know now? Ei." How could Yae Miko not know everything happening in Inazuma? She was even clear about everything that had happened recently.
"Just leave everything to the Shogun; for the sake of eternity, those are inevitable." Ei looked quietly at Yae Miko.
He still remembered the great ambition he had sworn to the people of Inazuma when he took over the position of Electro Archon from his sister.
And in order to achieve eternity, sacrifice was unavoidable.
"I can't persuade you anyway."
Ei, if you knew that Makoto had returned, and that he was already angry upon seeing your actions, I wonder if you would still be like this.
She vaguely remembered that day when Makoto held him, and Ei was educated by Makoto because he had made a mistake. At that time, what kind of expression did Ei have in front of Makoto?
The appearance of a little girl who had made a mistake; she wouldn't even mention that sniveling look.
She knew everything clearly.
She had her own ways; as for whether Ei would listen, she didn't care. She only needed to pursue the eternity she understood.
"Just pursue it; even if it is but a momentary light, at least we have this moment." That sentence was still echoing in her ears.
"Ei, you have always felt that eternity and the momentary are antithetical, but how could you know that the momentary is eternity?"
Before her, Ei had already disappeared, and what appeared before her eyes had turned back into the Raiden Shogun.
A puppet... Kamisato Estate.
"???"
"Makoto, why are you so strong in the Way of Chess? I..." Ayaka looked at Raiden Makoto with a face full of admiration; she had played three rounds with Raiden Makoto, and the final outcome was that she lost every single one.
The key was that in all three rounds, Makoto defeated her by exactly Half a point; she believed that was definitely no coincidence.
Moreover, while playing chess with Raiden Makoto, she had always felt it was very taxing, having a feeling of being completely pinned down by Makoto; she truly admired Raiden Makoto now.
Now that Raiden Makoto had surpassed her in the tea ceremony, Culinary Arts, and Chess skills, Ayaka's eyes were already filled with respect as she looked at Raiden Makoto.
"It was just a trifle."
She had the Guofeng System; while it was said she was proficient in the Four Arts, in reality, she was already equivalent to a master in each field. She felt that Ayaka's skills in playing chess were not even as good as her master's.
Of course, she wouldn't discourage Ayaka.
"You must have let me win."
"Hmph." Ayaka got a little moody and pouted, but she then recalled that by doing so, she seemed to have completely lost her temperament as a Demoiselle in front of Raiden Makoto.
"I really don't know if there's anything Makoto doesn't know." She finally knew how much skill she actually had; in terms of the Four Arts, she probably wasn't as good as Raiden Makoto.
"Cough..."
"So, how does Ayaka plan to dance a dance for me?" It had to be said, Raiden Makoto was indeed a bit expectant of Ayaka's dance.
"Ugh..." Ayaka's face turned slightly red, and she felt a bit embarrassed, "I... I'll take you to that place..."
"Mhm."
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