After dinner, Ei called her sister and invited her over from Tenshukaku.
Though the shrine was quite a distance away, for a god like Makoto, it was nothing—a flash of lightning, and she was there.
Over dinner, Makoto couldn't help but vent to her best friend. "Ugh, Inazuma's so much work. So many documents, so many reports… my head's spinning."
Xia Ci laughed. "You used to handle it all just fine. What happened? Losing your touch?"
Makoto cast a glance at Xia Zhi and sighed. "Once you've gotten used to comfort, it's hard to go back."
After all, life tagging along with her cousin had been easy—too easy. Returning to bureaucratic grind mode was pure suffering.
Xia Ci teased, "Jealous, aren't you? I'm lucky—I've got a little sister as brilliant as I am. I don't have to lift a finger for Sumeru's mess anymore."
Makoto arched a brow. "You've changed. You used to be diligent."
Xia Ci laughed. "I had to be. I was in charge back then—and corrupted by Forbidden Knowledge, running on borrowed strength. If I didn't govern properly, where else was I going to get Faith Power to recover?"
Makoto sighed dramatically. "Even now, I think Sumeru's people still believe in you more than in poor Nahida. She does all the work, but you get all the credit."
"Hey, that's not fair," Xia Ci clicked her tongue. "I've been working hard here, helping Nahida find her happiness."
"Sure you are…"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Alright then, since you're so free, how about coming over to Tenshukaku and helping your bestie out a bit?"
"Goodbye!"
"No bestie of mine would say that!"
Ei silently ate her meal beside them, saying nothing—after all, she was just a simple warrior.
After dinner, Makoto stayed behind to chat with Xia Zhi for a while.
Work was work, but she still had to make time to build favorability with her dear cousin.
"Stayed up all night and worked all day… I'm exhausted," she groaned.
"I could give you a massage," Xia Zhi offered.
"Deal."
After a full essential-oil session, Makoto practically melted from relaxation.
"Alright, I should get back. Tenshukaku won't run itself."
"Good luck," he said.
She sighed. "Just thinking about the mountain of files waiting for me gives me a headache. Inazuma might look the same after five hundred years, but so much has happened…"
"Need some help?"
"Oh? You'd help?"
"Sure. Remember how Ei fought in that time-stopped space? I can do the same—create a time-still zone in Tenshukaku. You could read all your paperwork in there, and when you step out, no time will have passed outside."
"Sounds efficient… but the workload stays the same."
"Hmm… workload…"
That reminded Xia Zhi of a skill he'd once learned from Ganyu—[Administrative Mastery].
[Administrative Mastery]: Greatly enhances efficiency and mental capacity when handling bureaucratic tasks.
It was the product of thousands of years of overtime as Liyue's secretary.
He figured she must be close to upgrading it to [Administrative Grandmaster] by now—if not for her taking a vacation with him.
He couldn't help feeling slightly guilty for stalling her progress.
"I've got something that'll make you as efficient as Ganyu. Interested?"
"Oh?"
"Hold on."
He pulled out the [Book of Erudition], spent a bit of time inscribing [Administrative Mastery] onto it, then handed it to Makoto.
She'd used the book before to learn meditation techniques, so she flipped through it easily.
After a few minutes, she looked up, eyes gleaming.
"How does it feel?" he asked.
"My mind feels sharper—like I can process official work ten times faster now."
"Good."
She smiled. "Thanks, cousin."
"No problem."
"You're the reliable one. Unlike a certain best friend of mine."
"?"
She grinned, hooked an arm around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.
Not the first time, either.
The faint scent of sakura lingered on his lips. "You've probably noticed something about the Shogun, haven't you?"
Makoto's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You mean her? I have a rough idea…"
"What's your plan?"
"For now, none. She's ceded the body to Ei and won't show herself. I can't reach her."
"That's true during the day," Xia Zhi said, "but not at night. In dreams, she and Ei separate—they both appear in the internet café. You could talk to her there."
Makoto sighed. "Even so, I'll handle that after I finish Inazuma's backlog. The Shogun's issues won't be solved overnight."
"Fair enough."
"But…"
"But?"
"I don't have the time or energy to deal with her—but you do."
"I'm not that close to her."
"Oh, please. Given our relationship, that's basically the same thing. Besides, with her personality, she probably wouldn't open up to me anyway. But you—she won't be so guarded around you."
"…"
"C'mon, cousin, help me out?"
"I'm not some therapist."
"You handled Shenhe just fine, didn't you?"
"That was different."
Makoto laughed and tugged his neck down again, planting another quick kiss.
"Just think of it as… an angelic heart-to-heart with a beautiful doll."
"…You're impossible."
He sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll talk to her."
"Love you!"
---
After dinner, Hanachirusato returned to her room to continue recharging the mask.
It took quite a while, but she finally finished.
Then she pulled out her phone and messaged Fischl and Qiqi: I'm ready. Head out now?
"Sure."
"Okay."
Hanachirusato went to the shrine gate, met up with her two companions, and together they set off for Chinju Forest.
Like Araumi, the forest lay beneath Mt. Yougou—just on the opposite side.
Under the night sky, the area looked dark and foreboding.
Fischl released Oz to scout ahead and asked, "So, what exactly are we hunting for? What tanuki spirit?"
Hanachirusato gazed into the dense forest that seemed just slightly different from how she remembered it. Her expression grew faintly complicated.
"Its name," she said quietly, "is—Ioroi."
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