Several days had passed since the last time the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was resolved and Raiden Makoto returned to the Tenshukaku from the Grand Narukami Shrine. During these days, Raiden Makoto had been staying in the Tenshukaku, addressing Inazuma's current internal issues, while Raiden Ei was secluded elsewhere, fully dedicated to creating puppet bodies for Kitsune Saiguu and Hanachirusato.
Besides fighting, her younger sister was now half a tech enthusiast. She had previously researched Scaramouche, and Scaramouche was almost indistinguishable from a human. Of course, that might also be due to the Fatui's modifications.
Yae Miko had also been at the Grand Narukami Shrine these past few days. Raiden Makoto had no idea what that Pink-Haired Fox was doing.
The people of Narukami Island now knew they had two Raiden Shoguns. With the lifting of the sakoku decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, almost everyone was celebrating with lanterns and decorations.
As for Lumine and Paimon, they had been wandering around Inazuma City since helping her complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual. She hadn't seen them these past few days.
"Sister... the puppets for Saiguu and Hanachirusato... are complete." Raiden Ei rushed in, her face beaming with joy. "It seems we can fully revive Saiguu then."
She had carefully preserved Kitsune Saiguu's true spirit and Hanachirusato, who had been separated from the massive defilement, precisely to wait for her younger sister to create their puppet bodies.
When she went with Raiden Ei and saw the lifelike puppets, Kitsune Saiguu looked exactly as she did in her memories. A hint of joy couldn't help but rise in her heart.
She could finally see Kitsune Saiguu again, that gentle, kind, playful, and adorable Fox Spirit.
"First, I need to separate Kitsune Saiguu's memories from Hanachirusato, which might take some time..."
That was a slightly difficult task for her. Separating Kitsune Saiguu's memories from Hanachirusato was quite an undertaking.
"Mm."
"Sister, I'll watch you from the side; I won't disturb you."
Raiden Ei sat obediently to the side, focusing on watching Raiden Makoto complete the separation.
Watching Raiden Makoto's focused and serious expression, she couldn't help but feel happy. In the past, when her sister handled Inazuma's affairs, she was just as serious and focused.
Her sister's focused and serious look was truly beautiful; she could never get enough of it.
Yae Miko would probably be especially happy if she knew Saiguu could truly be revived.
After Raiden Makoto separated Kitsune Saiguu's memories from Hanachirusato, she integrated them into Kitsune Saiguu's true spirit, and then slowly integrated Kitsune Saiguu's true spirit into her puppet body.
She repeated the same actions for Hanachirusato. After everything was done, she looked at Kitsune Saiguu and Hanachirusato lying on the ground with anticipation.
She should be able to revive them, right?
When the fox-eared girl on the ground slowly opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Raiden Makoto. Kitsune Saiguu's pretty face showed a look of disbelief. "Makoto! Is that you?"
"But weren't you... I wasn't..." Kitsune Saiguu was completely stunned because her memories stopped at the calamity. She only remembered that Raiden Makoto had also perished in that calamity, and to protect the Inazuma Raiden Makoto cherished, she too was swallowed by the darkness of the calamity.
"Saiguu."
"Welcome home."
She had finally revived her best friend from before, her familiar, Kitsune Saiguu. From now on, they should never be separated again.
For a moment, Kitsune Saiguu's eyes welled up with tears. She largely understood that Raiden Makoto had revived her after being revived herself.
"Makoto..." Kitsune Saiguu immediately hugged Raiden Makoto, holding her tightly.
"I thought I would never see you again."
Raiden Ei, watching Kitsune Saiguu tightly embrace Raiden Makoto, felt a slight pang of jealousy. But when she remembered that Kitsune Saiguu was the one who cared for her the most besides her sister, she suppressed the jealousy in her heart.
It's not like her Sister couldn't be hugged by Kitsune Saiguu.
And while Kitsune Saiguu and Raiden Makoto were locked in a tight embrace, Hanachirusato, still lying on the ground, slowly opened her eyes.
"General... thank you..." If Raiden Makoto hadn't been so determined to keep her, she wouldn't have been able to revive, and now she even had a physical body.
Kitsune Saiguu's memories had vanished from her mind, but after Kitsune Saiguu, her own memories still existed. She knew exactly what she had done and what she had encountered over the past five hundred years.
"She is?" Hearing Hanachirusato's voice, she turned her head and saw the delicate Hanachirusato, but she didn't recognize Hanachirusato at all, yet she felt a certain familiarity with her.
"She is the defilement that carried your memories... After you were swallowed by the calamity, your true spirit flowed into the earth, and your memories completely merged with the defilement within, thus creating Hanachirusato."
"She's essentially... another you."
"She has also been persistent in completing the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, you know..." Regarding Hanachirusato, she felt more emotion.
"Lady Kitsune Saiguu." Hanachirusato saw the figure from her past memories. She couldn't help but feel a little excited. Now, Kitsune Saiguu's memories were gone, but her own memories still contained things about Kitsune Saiguu.
"I see." The girl's fox ears twitched slightly. "This body... seems a little different from before."
"It's a puppet body Ei made for you. Otherwise, with only your true spirit left, it would also fade with time if it didn't have a physical form." Raiden Makoto smiled gently. "So, a puppet body was made for you. It should work fine, nothing will happen."
"It just probably won't grow anymore."
When Kitsune Saiguu passed away, she was in her maidenhood. Now, her appearance is still that of a maiden, and she will never grow again.
"Ei can do so much now?" Kitsune Saiguu looked at Raiden Ei with surprise. She couldn't help but be astonished, as she knew Raiden Ei had always been a warrior, only knowing how to fight.
Of course, she was the same. After Raiden Makoto's passing, she also supported Raiden Ei in pursuing her ideals.
She didn't understand eternity.
"Makoto?"
"Don't touch it!" However, just as Kitsune Saiguu was momentarily stunned, she suddenly realized her ear was tickling, and then knew it was Raiden Makoto rubbing her ear.
Kitsune Saiguu's fair face instantly flushed crimson. She couldn't have imagined that even in her puppet body, her ears would still be sensitive.
"Ugh..."
"Makoto!"
Raiden Ei watched Raiden Makoto hug Kitsune Saiguu and rub her head, and she couldn't help but feel envious.
If only her sister could stroke her like she stroked Kitsune Saiguu. Upon closer observation, she noticed that her sister always seemed to like fluffy things.
"Ei, you finally did something human. Tell me, what reward do you want?" When Raiden Makoto let go with a satisfied expression, she looked at Raiden Ei with some seriousness.
???? Raiden Ei was a little confused. What did she mean,'she finally did something human'? Had she not been acting human before?
Innocence flickered in her eyes. "Sister, although I'm not good at managing the nation... you can't say I never did anything human before, right? I mostly still managed Inazuma according to your methods."
"It's just..."
It was just that her pursuit of eternity was too deliberate. At that time, didn't she just want the Inazuma her sister cherished to remain as it was?
At that time, she had lost everything; she couldn't lose this nation as well.
That was the nation her sister and she had built together. She had once seen a nation that wholeheartedly pursued its goals utterly destroyed before the Heavenly Principles.
"Tell me, what reward do you want? If you don't say it, then..." Raiden Makoto no longer blamed Raiden Ei. She could only say that her guidance for her younger sister was still insufficient. After all, her sister was just a warrior before; she couldn't expect her to govern the nation.
Her sister sealing herself in the Plane of Euthymia was, to some extent, also to avoid erode.
erode was truly a terrifying thing.
Raiden Ei's eyes lit up. She no longer worried about Raiden Makoto's comment about her "not acting human." She looked at Raiden Makoto with some joy. "Really? Sister, can I ask for anything?"
"Mm."
If Raiden Ei hadn't been able to make puppets, she wouldn't have been able to revive Kitsune Saiguu and Hanachirusato. Raiden Ei had contributed a great deal to this.
She also needed her sister to understand fair rewards and punishments.
Kitsune Saiguu smiled as she looked at Raiden Ei, who was acting a bit like a Little Child. She then looked at Raiden Makoto with deep affection. It was truly wonderful to be home.
The luckiest thing in her life must have been meeting the Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei sisters, right? People said that Fox Spirits brought good luck, and Raiden Makoto was her good luck.
"I... I want to eat sister's desserts!" Raiden Ei looked at Raiden Makoto with a serious and expectant expression. She was truly looking forward to it.
She thought she would never get to eat her sister's food again. Now her sister was finally back.
She could once again eat the delicious food her sister made. She must be the first person to enjoy her sister's cooking since her return, right? Raiden Ei's anticipation grew even stronger.
"Alright."
Raiden Makoto had thought her sister would make another request, but it was just for desserts. Of course, she could satisfy that, and she could make them right away. She could also let Kitsune Saiguu and Hanachirusato try some.
"Saiguu, Hanachirusato, you've just merged, so it's not suitable for extensive activity. Why not stay in the Tenshukaku for a few days first?"
"Mm." All that remained in Kitsune Saiguu's heart now was happiness. Although she had many things to do, there was no rush. Being with Raiden Makoto now was the best thing.
As for Hanachirusato, she was even less in a hurry. She had almost no friends outside. She could perfectly well stay by Raiden Makoto's side as a maid from now on.
Anyway, she didn't need to go anywhere.
"Alright."
"Ei, take me to the Tenshukaku's kitchen. Prepare some ingredients; I'll make some desserts for you all." Raiden Makoto remembered that there was a kitchen in the Tenshukaku. She occasionally cooked there herself when she craved something. Gods didn't actually need to eat, but both she and Ei would get cravings.
However, Raiden Ei froze for a moment, then let out a silly laugh, a hint of embarrassment on her face.
"Sister..." Raiden Ei was a bit at a loss, like a child who had done something wrong, her fingers beginning to intertwine.
"The Tenshukaku's kitchen was torn down..." She was a little embarrassed, and also a bit afraid of Raiden Makoto punishing her. "After sister left, I also tried to cook, but..."
"The kitchen exploded... and then I had them tear down the Tenshukaku's kitchen." After Raiden Ei finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head. After all, the Tenshukaku's kitchen was also a place Raiden Makoto used to like to stay.
That was originally a place that held memories of her and her sister. Because she was completely unsuited for cooking, one attempt resulted in a complete explosion, and she deeply regretted it.
If she had known this, she never should have tried cooking. Every time she cooked, there was a shocking explosion.
She used to often watch her sister cook various delicious dishes for them in the kitchen.
"Alright." Raiden Makoto was a little helpless. She remembered how many times her younger sister had tried when she was there, but the results were always less than ideal.
Either the kitchen exploded, or the ingredients turned to charcoal. Her sister was simply not good at cooking.
She and her sister truly seemed like one God split into two Gods: her sister was suited for martial arts, and she for other things.
So the Tenshukaku kitchen exploded; so be it. She wouldn't blame Raiden Ei for it anyway.
"Hahahaha..." Kitsune Saiguu covered her mouth and laughed. "Ei, you're really interesting, you even made the Tenshukaku's kitchen explode."
"..."
Could she be blamed? She really, really, really couldn't cook. It wasn't that she didn't want to cook, but... every time she cooked, a big problem would arise. She remembered that when she was with her sister, she had tried cooking several times, and the results were always the same: everything exploded.
What could she do? She was helpless too.
"Then let's go to the Pink-Haired Fox's place first."
Raiden Makoto had an idea. She knew how to settle Hanachirusato. Hanachirusato considered herself a miko, so she could also become a miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"Is it Yae Miko?" Kitsune Saiguu looked at Raiden Makoto with some confusion. The Pink-Haired Fox Raiden Makoto mentioned, she thought, should be the Pink-Haired Fox that Raiden Makoto had always held, her junior from the same clan, Yae Miko.
"Yes, she has also grown into a big fox now. She's the Head Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine and even opened a Yae Publishing House selling light novels," Raiden Makoto said with a smile.
"She's quite different from you, but she's also become Ei's familiar now. When you have time, I can accompany you to explore the current Inazuma properly."
"Mm."
"So many years have passed... Yae Miko must have grown up too." Yae Miko was also a junior she was very fond of. She even had the thought of properly nurturing Yae Miko to take over her position.
Now Yae Miko had actually taken over her position and become the Head Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
"Then let's go see Yae Miko."
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