"A pleasure to meet you both. General Kujou, and Lady Guuji." Varnava inclined his head politely, greeting Yae Miko and Kujou Sara with impeccable manners.
"Lord Harbinger Varnava. A pleasure to meet you as well." Yae Miko smiled and returned the greeting with practiced grace. Beside her, Sara merely gave a curt, serious nod—a gesture the Harbinger seemed accustomed to.
"Has something happened? I noticed many coming and going from the clinic today. Quite a few soldiers seem to have been injured." Varnava's voice was laced with concern, as though he deeply sympathized with whatever had befallen Inazuma.
Yae Miko and Sara both found his voice unpleasant—something about it felt off, as if something were caught in his throat.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Harbinger. A few things did happen today, but everything is under control. Please do not worry." Yae Miko kept her composure, responding to his inquiry with calm elegance despite the subtle discomfort his voice caused.
"I see. That is good to hear. Well, I have matters to attend to. I wish you both a pleasant day." Varnava smiled politely, inclined his head once more, and took his leave.
"Farewell, Lord Harbinger." Yae Miko nodded, watching him go.
Once the Harbinger disappeared from view, Yae Miko turned toward the crossroads he had emerged from.
"General Kujou, if I recall correctly, this path leads to your estate. To the Kujou residence." Yae Miko's eyes lingered on the branching road as she pointed with her delicate, pale finger.
Sara nodded. "Yes. Why?"
"No reason. I'm merely impressed by how close our esteemed Harbinger seems to the Tenryou Commission," Yae Miko murmured, almost to herself.
A thoughtful gleam flickered in her eyes before she led Sara down a different path toward Tenshukaku.
Some distance away, after parting from Yae Miko and Sara, Varnava's expression darkened. A flash of malice crossed his eyes.
"Damn Yae Miko. Ruining my plans." His fists clenched, his posture like that of an enraged lion. Then, just as quickly, the fury faded, and his expression returned to calm.
"No matter. Even this will not stop our plans. Watatsumi and Narukami will go to war. It's only a matter of time. What we face now is a mere inconvenience."
Varnava murmured, then leaned in and whispered something to a subordinate. The subordinate nodded, turned, and slipped into a side alley, disappearing into the shadows.
Back in the Tenshukaku tea room.
Ei had stayed nestled against Yuki for what felt like hours. Yuki had grown stiff from holding the same position—and was beginning to wonder if she intended to remain like that until nightfall.
Then, finally, she stirred. Realizing how close she was to Yuki, she sprang away from him like a startled cat.
"I—Forgive me, Yuki. I—" Her usual stoic mask cracked, a flicker of nervousness breaking through. She grasped for words, but no apology came easily.
Yuki smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. I understand." He cut her off before she could stammer further.
He didn't expect any excuse to emerge from the mouth of Teyvat's premier homebody—a woman well-versed in martial might but lacking in all other social graces. He let her off the hook.
"Well, now that you have a clearer understanding of the situation, you should also have an idea of what's happening in Inazuma at this moment. So… what do you intend to do about the Fatui?" Yuki steered the conversation back to the immediate crisis, setting aside the broader existential threat facing Teyvat. He didn't want Ei spiraling into another emotional dive.
Ei fell silent, lost in thought. After a long pause, she slowly lifted her head—and with that movement, a shift occurred.
The quiet, contemplative Ei was gone. In her place stood a divinity—the stern, commanding ruler of Inazuma, the Raiden Shogun herself.
"What the Fatui have done, they did at the behest of the Tsaritsa. Perhaps their intentions were noble at the start. But… they made one unforgivable mistake—they dared to toy with the people of Inazuma. To treat them as pieces on a board. That, I cannot forgive."
A faint crackle of violet lightning flickered around Ei, like threads of angry serpents dancing across her form.
Her outrage at the Fatui's attempt to turn the people of Narukami and Watatsumi against one another was unmistakable.
Then, there was a knock at the tea room door.
"Your Excellency, Lady Guuji and General Kujou have arrived. They are waiting in the main hall." The servant's voice drifted in.
At those words, the lightning around Ei vanished, and she returned to her normal state.
"Yae and Sara? I see. Tell them to wait. I'll be there shortly." After speaking, she turned to Yuki.
"This is a good opportunity. Yae is here—I can introduce the two of you. I'm sure you'll like her. My dearest friend. What is it people call that again… Ah, yes—vixen. Just the word."
A faint smile touched Ei's lips. Whatever anger she had felt moments before seemed to have slipped from her mind entirely.
"I've heard plenty about her from the chat group," Yuki said, smiling. "I am quite curious to meet your familiar." Then he stepped out of the tea room, moving ahead.
As Ei watched Yuki go—so eager—a strange feeling stirred in her chest. Something sour.
A faint regret that she had ever mentioned Yae to him in the first place. But the feeling passed in a heartbeat. She composed herself and followed him to the main hall.
Inside Tenshukaku's great hall.
Yae Miko and Kujou Sara stood alone in the vast, cavernous room. They had been there for some time. At the sound of footsteps, Sara's expression hardened.
Her casual demeanor vanished, replaced by the solemn, respectful bearing due before the Shogun. Meeting their god was a matter of utmost gravity. There was no room for error, no slack to be given.
Yae Miko sighed. "You're far too tense, you know."
Sara did not respond. She did not care how close Yae and the Shogun might be. As a subject, it was her duty to show reverence.
Yae, still smiling faintly, turned toward the sound of footsteps approaching from the side hall. She expected to see Ei first.
Instead.
She saw a man.
A man far more handsome than she could have ever imagined.