Raskolnikov is a whiny bitch.
A coward who wanted to feel important
Dantalion was not very fond of borrowing words.
No, not truly.
There was something vulgar in it--cheap, even. As if to name a thing with the tongue of another was to relinquish dominion over it.
And yet, over time, this disdain softened. Not vanished, no. The disgust remained, like the last bitter sip in a cup long drained--undrinkable, but still there.
Yes, he knew more now. Or rather, he supposed he did.
The boy he had once been knew nothing and believed everything; the man he had become believed nothing but knew the shape of many thoughts.
A trade, perhaps. Not a fair one.
Why is that, and does it even matter?
Is it necessary to know?
Maybe.
Still, something remained. A sentence. A thought. A judgment passed in the silence of a cramped room, late at night, when the world was dim and the soul sharp.
Raskolnikov is a whiny bitch.
A coward who had to convince himself of his own importance.
That was the phrase.
Crude, yes.
Childish, perhaps.
But honest. Brutally, almost cruelly honest.
And at the time, it felt true.
Those are his thoughts after he finished Crime and Punishment when he was young.
And the taste it left in him was not pity, nor fascination, but irritation.
And perhaps--just perhaps--because of those strong feelings, that disgust, that biting revulsion toward a single character… it left its mark.
It might have shaped him, ever so slightly.
Though he doubted it.
He always doubted it.
That, at least, was something he was sure of.
Then again, there was always the chance that he had misunderstood Raskolnikov entirely--that he had hated him because he was young. After all, he lacked the eyes to see.
And so, perhaps he never truly understood him.
But one thing was certain.
He hated borrowing words.
He is now 27.
Or at least he previously was.
Before dying, reincarnating, and waking up inside Kujou Sara.
So now, when the time came to offer assistance to his system users--to speak, to guide, to instruct--he found himself resorting to phrases, to turns of speech, to ideas not wholly his own.
Fragments of lectures, half-remembered idioms, sentiments stolen from dead authors or long-forgotten men.
In the end, he used his own interpretation.
Filtered, distilled, reshaped through his mind--yes.
But did that change anything?
Was a stolen coin less stolen if it had been melted down and recast?
No.
It was still a borrowed word.
And it disgusted him to no end.
To teach others using the borrowed tongues of a world that probably no longer remembered him.
To translate wisdom through lips that were not his. To speak as a ghost through someone else's life.
He...
Had hated Raskolnikov.
That was what he would have felt right now if he weren't in a permanent state of detachment.
"Do you think I can learn Super Saiyan from Tibetan Monks?"
"What are you even talking about?" Kujou Sara replied, her face twisting in confusion.
In all honesty, even if he weren't in a permanent state of detachment, such a thing wouldn't be something he would dwell upon too much.
May his reasoning be because he thinks that every thought and word has already been thought of and said, documented or not -- just because you didn't see it happen, doesn't mean it never did.
That originality was just ignorance in disguise.
Or because he believes that it doesn't matter what he felt about it, as long as it served its intended use.
It simply didn't matter what his thoughts were on the matter.
As long as the words served their purpose.
He is deeply shaped by his past, but to acknowledge that openly would be to give up the state he always longed to cling to in the past.
A contradiction?
Perhaps.
"How about Liyue? They definitely have cultivators there."
"...And you want to go there now?" Kujou Sara replied after an exhausted sigh.
"Yes? Of course, I also accounted for your benefit," Dantalion continued, unbothered. "There's an adeptus there, one with expertise in engineering. You can bring the research materials from your researchers so far and consult her directly."
"She'll probably happily assist you with it if she finds it interesting enough."
That's right, Dantalion had given Kujou Sara "Artifacts" as a bribe.
They varied--from games, music, movies, to academic books.
But what Kujou Sara valued most were communication and transport.
There are two things Dantalion had given her that were not just for leisure.
The first one was the Radio.
And the second was a vehicle.
In his words, it was the truck used for the evacuation of Higi Village.
Yes, the one used for the pick-up and the communication devices was the original device Dantalion had provided--not a prototype.
She had deliberately told the soldiers it was a prototype, knowing it would be more readily accepted that way.
There wasn't enough time for the researchers to produce a functioning model on such short notice.
Kujou Sara listened quietly before replying, "I see. If that adeptus is as you say, then she likely wouldn't leak any sensitive information to Liyue just because."
The implication was clear: Dantalion was vouching for the adeptus' discretion--that she wasn't one to bow to political pressure or nationalism when it came to matters of knowledge.
Inazuma, while culturally isolated, was not stupid. It lagged in some aspects of technology, but it still stood among the top in martial prowess.
And if Dantalion's words held weight, then perhaps the collaboration wouldn't be a gamble after all.
"We'll decide that after you cure the villagers from Higi Village."
That's right--ships carrying the afflicted were already en route to Kannazuka.
Dantalion responded quickly. "Don't you have the Grand Narukami Shrine for that?"
Still, he wasn't opposed to absorbing the snake-borne curse--no, not at all.
In fact, he had no reason to refuse.
It was his original intent, after all.
So what's his deal now?
No reason.
Nothing at all.
He didn't need a reason.
Reasons were for people still pretending their choices were clean.
"We will see if they deserve it."
…
Fine.
He just wanted to act like Raskolnikov, like a bitc--
---
2 Days Later.
"Call me Mae Miko, monkey--"
"Her name is Mae Koyanskaya. She will be delaying further spreading of the curse as we wait for Lady Guuji to arrive. While she is not part of Grand Narukami Shrine, she is a Kitsune with vast knowledge on spiritual matters."
Inaba Kyuuzou listened to Kujou Sara, seeing how the General had cut off the Kitsune, Inaba felt a little uncomfortable.
For the record, the General is a Tengu.
So,
That is not his business; that's Yokai matters.
However, he has one question...
"General, if I may, weren't Lady Guuji supposed to be here before we arrive...?"
"Inaba! How dare you question the General!" Imatani Keisuke retorted. His voice carried a seriousness he had not shown during their evacuation of Higi Village.
'This pretentious...!'
Ogura Yuu and the serious Ishizaki looked away and coughed.
They knew what Imatani Keisuke was doing.
The guy wants a promotion.
And all things considered, it might actually happen because of the successful mission in Fort Fujitou and Higi Village.
"Yes. It should be that way, but some matters arise, and so the delay." Kujou Sara explained further, "It appears there has been a disruption in the Sacred Sakura's roots--The Guuji was required to remain at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Until it is stabilized, she cannot leave the shrine grounds. Her absence here is not by choice."
"Until then, we will have to make do with her." As she points towards the Kitsune--Mae Koyanskaya, eating popcorn in the corner.
Everyone in Inazuma knew how important the Sacred Sakura was to the nation.
Symbolically and Practically.
A tree that represents the power of the Electro Archon
The reason why Abyssal corruption in Inazuma was far less rampant than in other nations.
It purifies the land's Ley Lines.
Maybe... It was related to the Thunder Sakuras they encountered throughout their journey.
The shrine maiden in the room clarified.
By her knowledge, some of Inaba's squad retelling, and her own experience with them.
Thunder Sakura trees in Kannazuka and Yashiori Island, trees crackling with dangerous electrodischarges, lashing out at anything nearby.
Fragments of the Sacred Sakura's root system, acting as protective conduits, draw impurities from the land and destroy filth where it gathers.
"So that's why the Thunder Sakura attack indiscriminately," Inaba muttered. "They're overloaded."
"Correct," The Shrine Maiden confirmed. "They absorb corruption, but when the balance fails, their purification turns volatile. If left unattended, they will lash out endlessly until the surrounding corruption is cleansed--or until they burn themselves out."
Mae Koyanskaya's tails swayed lazily behind her as she smiled, amused by the Tengu's precise explanation. "In simpler words," she said smoothly, "Inazuma's divine garden is sick. And Guuji Yae is its only proper gardener."
Sara shot the kitsune a brief glare before continuing. "The Thunder Sakura are already signs of strain. If the roots beneath the Grand Shrine falter further, the implications are clear."
"Understood." Then, Inaba bowed slightly towards Koyanskaya, "Please, I leave the safety of the villagers in your hands."
Mae Koyanskaya heard this and smiled, "Of course, monkey, a healthy laborer is always the most desirable."
Kujou Sara stepped forward, her posture rigid and authoritative, wings folding neatly behind her as her voice carried across the chamber.
"With this," she declared, tone sharp and unwavering, "Fort Fujitou and the evacuation of Higi Village are formally concluded. The afflicted have been transferred under the jurisdiction of the Grand Narukami Shrine and will remain in their care until purification is complete."
Her piercing gaze swept over each soldier in turn.
"Inaba Kyuuzou. Imatani Keisuke. Takasaka Izumi. Ishizaki. Ogura Yuu. Kurosawa Kyounosuke."
She paused, letting the silence weigh upon them--a silence of discipline, not reprimand.
"Your conduct in this mission upheld the honor of the Tenryou Commission. You carried out your duties without hesitation, completed the evacuation without civilian loss, and maintained formation despite unpredictable external factors." Her eyes narrowed slightly, but it was not disapproval--merely evaluation. "This will be noted in my formal report to the Shogunate."
Sara inclined her head slightly--a gesture few ever saw from her. "You are hereby relieved of active deployment. Stand down, recover your strength, and remain in ready condition at Kannazuka until further orders are issued. Further assignments will follow once the afflicted are stabilized and inter-commission coordination is complete."
"YES, GENERAL!"
The reply was thunderous, drilled into them by years of command.
Sara's gaze lingered on Kyuuzou a moment longer, then passed over the rest of them, measured and wordless, before she turned away.
"Dismissed."
As they filed out in order, Mae Koyanskaya's tails flicked lazily, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "Efficient little soldiers," she purred. "One might almost mistake this for a well-oiled machine."
A bucket of popcorn was in her hand throughout the meeting.
It was pink.
The popcorn was covered in a caramelized sugar with butter and food coloring mixed in.
Kujou Sara waited for the soldiers and the accompanying shrine maiden to leave before replying to Mae Koyanskaya.
Or to be accurate, Dantalion as a Kitsune.
"It sounds so wrong when you do that."
Sara muttered, she didn't really have to make her voice loud or comprehensible to be heard and understood by him.
Mae Koyanskaya frowned at that, tilting her head slightly, her nine tails curling with idle amusement.
"I went through the trouble of changing my form just to suit those stiff, narrow-minded little soldiers of yours," She cooed, her voice dripping with mock indignation as she daintily plucked a piece of pink popcorn and slipped it past her lips.
"All to make myself a little more... digestible for them. And this is the thanks I get? My, my~ How heartless"
Sara pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling quietly. "Yuck."
"Do you prefer my handsome visage, Sara? That's so cute!"
Sara gave her--him--a flat, withering look. "I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to~," Mae Koyanskaya sang, her ears flicking with amusement. "Your silence says more than words ever could."
Sara folded her arms, unimpressed. "If you're finished amusing yourself, perhaps you could do what you came here for instead of wasting time eating brightly-colored sugar."
She leaned forward, her grin curling wider, voice silky with amusement.
"You really ought to be grateful I look like this If I showed up in my true form, half your Commission would drop dead on the spot... and the other half? Mmhmhm They'd be on their knees, praying to me like good little cultists~"
Yeah. Dantalion still remembered how Kujou Sara reacted the first time she saw him.
Wasn't she about to puke?
Anyway, he had used this Kitsune form for the reasons stated earlier.
He didn't have to do this initially, but for Kujou Sara's cooperation, he had to.
Well, he had to keep moving now.
"Fine, let's go then."
Kujou Sara said nothing and just stood up and left.
Dantalion--No, Mae Koyanskaya--followed.
---
"Magic this, magic that, whish-whoosh, bwaa-waa, yay~!"
"..."
"You're cured now! Aren't you just thrilled?" Koyanskaya beamed, her fox ears flicking in amusement when the woman only blinked back at her in stunned silence.
"...A-Am I?" The woman stammered, confusion written all over her face.
She didn't feel any different. No warmth. No glow. No sparkling runes or chanting.
Shouldn't there at least have been... something?
Koyanskaya simply reached over and gave her two patronizing pats on the head. "Ritual bam-bam, shwoosh-shwoosh, sprinkle sprinkle--taa-daaaan~"
That was it. No lights. No magic circles. Nothing even remotely mystical.
It was so underwhelming that it almost felt insulting.
"Yes, yes, you're cured now! Be happy, won't you?" Koyanskaya sing-songed, tail swishing behind her.
"...Am I really?" The woman deadpanned, at a loss for words.
Not because she was overwhelmed. No, far from it. She felt nothing.
Or, as her expression so eloquently said: 'What the fuck just happened?'
She'd seen Koyanskaya "heal" others before her turn. The same routine, every time:
A head pat or two. Some nonsense noises. Done.
'I-Is she even--'
"No, I'm not a fraud," Koyanskaya interrupted smoothly, her vulpine grin sharp as she locked eyes with the woman, almost reading her mind. "I'm the real deal, darling~"
She leaned in closer, whispering just loud enough for others to hear.
"Honestly? I might even be better than your dear Guuji~"
Who would even dare to say such a thing?
"Anyway! Be happy, little monkey~" Koyanskaya said cheerily, giving her one last dismissive pat before gliding over to the next patient. "Forget those pesky worries about leaving your child behind, mm?"
Without missing a beat, she placed her hands on the next villager's head.
"Bam-bim-boom, ding-a-ling, ping-pong, sparkle sparkle--LOL~"
Again, nothing happened. Just a couple of head taps and the smug satisfaction of the fox's grin.
---
An hour after.
"I suppose we don't need your Guuji anymore, do we? I mean, clearly I'm better~" Koyanskaya said sweetly, loud enough for all her "patients" to hear.
Then she tilted her head, smiling like a predator.
"Isn't that right, dears?"
A chorus of awkward responses followed.
"Hmh."
"Sure..."
"Definitely."
"...Yes?"
"Mhm."
And then, with a sly sparkle in her eye, she asked:
"So~ shall we replace her, then?"
The affirmations suddenly turned vague and hesitant.
Koyanskaya just laughed, seemingly delighted by their squirming.
---
Somewhere else.
"Sara, it's done," Dantalion said through the mouth on the cheek of Kujou Sara.
Yes, he's still inside Kujou Sara.
And as for why he didn't make any visual effect while curing the villagers?
It sounds like a hassle, so he didn't bother.
"Let's go to Liyue RAAAA--" Before anyone accidentally heard him, a hand interrupted his nonsensical screaming.
Kujou Sara couldn't help but press her temple before replying. It always seems like she's dealing with a child. "Once Guuji Yae arrives and properly purifies the villagers."
While Dantalion had already dealt with the curse on the bodies of the villagers, it doesn't mean their physicality and psyche have been restored.
"And when do you think she'll arrive?" Dantalion asked.
"Soon."
"Just admit you don't know, HAHA."
***
3 Days Later.
By the time Yae Miko finally arrived, the purification rites were little more than formality.
The afflicted villagers--now twitchy, skeptical, and very confused--stood obediently in a row as the Guuji approached, elegant as ever. Sara saluted her immediately.
"Guuji Yae. We have secured Higi Village's--"
"--and I see another little fox has been playing healer in my absence," Yae interrupted smoothly, her gaze sliding toward Koyanskaya. Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "How adorable."
Yae Miko noticed how the supposedly sick villagers are doing better than she had expected.
Koyanskaya bared her teeth in a grin that was more knife than charm. "You're welcome~"
For a brief, electric moment, the air between the two foxes practically crackled.
Sara sighed, stepping neatly aside.
"How generous of you," Yae cooed at Koyanskaya, the faintest edge glinting beneath her sweetness. "Tell me, do you always cure curses by tapping people like stray cats?"
She had heard of this from the Shrine Maidens who witnessed it firsthand.
Koyanskaya popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Whish-whoosh, bam-pow, sparkle sparkle--yay~" she mocked, mimicking her nonsense chant.
"Worked, didn't it?"
Yae tilted her head. "Hm. Perhaps I should be concerned you think that's enough to impress me."
"Concerned?" Koyanskaya chuckled, leaning forward, tails curling behind her like question marks. "Darling, I'm the upgrade package you never ordered but desperately needed."
Yae's smile sharpened. "Is that so?"
Then--suddenly--a voice bloomed inside everyone's heads, silken and biting.
'How crude. If it were me, I don't believe I'd enjoy patting random peasants on the head while chanting the verbal equivalent of confetti noises.'
It was unmistakably Yae Miko's.
Koyanskaya's ears twitched. Then she laughed, low and delighted, her sharp grin flashing.
"Oh, delicious. You really are a fox, aren't you~?"
Yae Miko's smile twitched by the faintest fraction.
She had actually met this one.
As he calls himself, Mr. D.
And how did she know it was him?
How can she be so sure?
The way Mae Koyanskaya speaks, acts, and mannerisms is unlike Dantalion at all, Yae Miko wouldn't deny that.
But she was so sure it was him because of what had been happening for the past few days.
Out of nowhere at all, there was something strange happening throughout the roots and branches of the Sacred Sakura.
Not long after, a war erupted and ended just as abruptly. And during that time, the disruptions within the Sacred Sakura multiplied, a warning hum in the back of her mind that told her trouble was brewing if left unchecked.
Conveniently, those very events forced her attention away, delaying her arrival to aid the afflicted villagers of Higi.
And now, standing in Kannazuka, it all connected.
The moment her eyes fell on "Mae Koyanskaya," she knew.
And it was infuriating.
Why did he have to involve unrelated people just to get what he wanted from Kujou Sara?
Yes, she also knew that he did it because he wanted something from Kujou Sara.
Seriously, what else would he've bothered asking for?
And he wasn't even asking, he was forcing the decision.
You can't even put the blame on him because 'everything' was already happening without his initiation, and he was just emphasizing your priorities...
This is making Yae Miko dislike Kujou Sara a little. Just a little.
Tiny, tiny, sliver one.
As for her first meeting with Dantalion?
It was--
-Chapter End-