Chapter 242: Bai Luo's Silver Tongue
"Have you heard of Miss Hina?"
That single line had suddenly gone viral around Hanamizaka.
And the ones pushing it weren't merchants, priests, or wandering bards—but the Arataki Gang, Hanamizaka's most notorious loafers.
They paraded around with flyers in hand, thrusting them into everyone's arms, tirelessly spreading the word about this so-called Miss Hina.
At first, the locals assumed it was just another one of the gang's pranks.
But then, walking past the Yae Publishing House, some actually spotted posters of Miss Hina hanging in the window.
[ "Have you heard of Miss Hina?"
If you have worries, if you feel lost, if your heart is burdened, you can write a letter to Miss Hina.
She will soothe your wandering soul.
She will grant you absolution from your sins.
She will bring peace to your heart.
And she will always give you the best answer.
Miss Hina—your most trusted big sister.
Note: Due to time constraints, Miss Hina only accepts 100 letters per week. First come, first served! Selected questions may also be published anonymously in the advice column! ]
At the beginning, everyone just laughed it off.
Who in their right mind would pour out their heart to some stranger? And worse, what if their confession got published—even anonymously?
That'd still be social suicide!
But, as always, there were those who couldn't resist stirring the pot.
And so, a trickle of letters actually began arriving.
Not as many as Bai Luo had hoped for, though.
"Only thirty-something, huh."
In the private room of Uyuu Restaurant, he frowned at the pile of envelopes.
He'd been expecting more.
"Out of those thirty, some can't even be sent to the Resistance."
Yae Miko daintily popped another piece of aburaage into her mouth as she slit open letters one by one.
To her, these letters were a kind of guilty pleasure.
Some of the tales inside were wilder than anything light novels dared to publish.
After setting aside anything containing sensitive secrets, she quietly mixed in some harmless shogunate intelligence—real, but trivial enough that leaking it posed no risk.
Because she knew: if this so-called "Miss Hina" was to remain convincing, the dog general needed the occasional treat.
Still… she had to admit, The Ausbilder's methods impressed even her.
When he'd promised a "limited-edition Onikabuto" and a "Genius Invokation TCG exclusive gift set," she'd been baffled.
After all, they hadn't prepared a single one of those prizes. Wouldn't Itto explode when he realized he'd been duped?
But The Ausbilder's words had been flawlessly precise:
"There's a chance."
"You might win."
"One lucky person will be chosen."
Never once did he guarantee a prize.
So when Itto inevitably received nothing, he didn't feel cheated. He simply cursed his bad luck—and even eagerly asked when the next event would be.
And as for the rest of his gang?
The moment they heard they'd get "wonderful rewards" for handing out flyers, they hadn't even bothered to ask what those rewards were—they just sprinted off, thrilled to be working.
She honestly couldn't wait to see their faces when the "prizes" turned out to be nothing more than Fukuuchi Udon Free Meal Coupons.
"Let's send the first batch over. It should pick up momentum after this."
Yae tied off the bundle of letters and handed them to The Ausbilder.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder—how exactly was he going to get them into the hands of the Resistance?
The shogunate's checkpoints stood in the way. He couldn't just fly across, could he?
—Then again, the very first time The Ausbilder had left Inazuma, he had simply vanished into thin air.
She had gone to that exact spot to investigate, but no matter how long she studied it, she never figured out how he disappeared.
Would he use that method again this time?
"Just wait for good news."
Bai Luo didn't linger. He downed the last of his tea in a single gulp, scooped up the bundle of letters, and hurried out of Uyuu Restaurant.
The only thing that stuck with him was the look from the innkeeper.
Why did everyone—whether it was that pink-haired fox or this restaurant owner—give him the "scumbag" stare?
He hadn't wronged anyone, had he?
. . . .
Leaving Inazuma City, Bai Luo didn't head for Ritou as Yae Miko had predicted.
Instead, he made his way toward Watatsumi's neighboring island—Amakane Island.
Though known as a festival site, the island also served as the nearest stepping-stone to Kannazuka besides Ritou and the capital.
There was even a ferry that sailed directly across.
But Bai Luo ignored the ferry.
Instead, he shooed away a fox lounging lazily on the shore and began to focus, reaching out across the sea for a certain marked presence.
The moment he locked onto it, his body shone with light—and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
The fox he had brushed aside crept into the grass and watched the whole thing unfold with unblinking eyes.
Several minutes later, Yae Miko arrived, skewered dango in hand, to the very spot where Bai Luo had vanished.
The sea breeze tugged at her sleeves.
Grass blades swayed at her ankles, brushing playfully against her skin.
Among them, a few delicate blossoms glimmered with a faint blue glow.
Curiously enough, their color was almost identical to the light that had enveloped The Ausbilder when he disappeared.
Coincidence? Or had he been wrapped in the flowers' radiance, using them to complete his long-distance teleportation?
"…So it really is like that?"
She remembered clearly—the last time The Ausbilder left Inazuma, flowers just like these had been growing at the spot where he vanished.
The exact mechanism was still a mystery, but one thing was certain now:
The Ausbilder's power must be tied to Dendro.
That realization lightened her mood unexpectedly.
It wasn't every day she uncovered one of his secrets.
Still, she hesitated.
Standing here like this—could The Ausbilder sense her watching?
If Bai Luo knew what she was thinking, his expression would've been… complicated.
Teleportation through flowers?
Only this fox would come up with something so bizarre.
He had chosen Amakane Island for one reason only: proximity.
It was the closest place to Kannazuka.
By "quantumizing" himself across, he saved time.
The flowers? Pure coincidence.
They just happened to grow where he stopped to activate his ability.
But even if he knew Yae was mistaken, he wouldn't bother correcting her.
False intel could be just as valuable as the truth.
For instance—if that pink-haired fox ever tried to trap him, assuming he needed these blue blossoms for long-distance teleportation…
Well, that would be the perfect moment for him to deliver a very big surprise.
Just imagining it was enough to make his blood stir with excitement.
. . . . .
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/genshin-impact-139694063
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/genshin-impact-139694063
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed