In Inazuma City, Raiden Makoto and the others brought Jiang Yan to the Tenshukaku.
Jiang Yan and the group hadn't stayed long on Ritou.
After all, as Inazuma's Archon, Raiden Makoto attracted a great deal of attention within the nation.
Especially with her breathtaking beauty and gentle temperament—wherever she went, she naturally drew countless gazes.
Combined with her status as a god, it was all too easy to cause a stir among the people of Inazuma.
One could say that Makoto and the other two had practically snuck out without permission.
Because aside from Chiyo, none of the officials in Inazuma even knew that the three of them had slipped away.
Upon arriving at Tenshukaku, Jiang Yan finally met Chiyo, who was currently buried in paperwork.
"Oh? Well, look who it is."
"Isn't this Liyue's Tianquan? What brings you to Inazuma today?"
"I thought you usually avoided showing your face?"
Chiyo's tone was overflowing with resentment.
Especially after spotting Jiang Yan among the group.
The resentment around her almost seemed tangible.
Back then, after the disaster of Khaenri'ah five hundred years ago, Chiyo had genuinely been grateful to Jiang Yan.
After all, it was thanks to him that Inazuma had escaped its crisis.
But ever since then, Makoto and the others had seemingly become possessed, constantly pursuing Jiang Yan.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan had kept avoiding their feelings.
And as a result—
Every single time Makoto and the others secretly ran off to Liyue, Chiyo was left behind to handle government affairs.
Watching them return disappointed time and time again had made Chiyo increasingly upset.
If they'd at least gotten results, she wouldn't have minded so much.
But every trip ended with them not even getting to see Jiang Yan.
At that point, Chiyo really had opinions.
So all that work I covered for you was for nothing?!
And Jiang Yan too.
You obviously had feelings for Makoto, yet you kept acting all awkward and evasive. If you're gonna be awkward then why the hell—
As the years went by, Chiyo's resentment toward Jiang Yan only deepened.
Fortunately, now that Makoto had brought Jiang Yan back to Inazuma with her…
That meant he had finally responded to their feelings.
In that case, perhaps those five hundred years of suffering hadn't been wasted after all.
"Chiyo… I'm sorry…"
Makoto stepped forward, grabbed Chiyo's delicate hand, and pouted softly.
And honestly?
Chiyo really was weak to that.
Faced with Makoto acting spoiled toward her, she instantly lost all her anger.
"Honestly… I can't win against you…"
Chiyo sighed helplessly.
"Uh… sorry, seriously. This really was my fault."
Jiang Yan's apology was extremely sincere.
"I kept running away and ignored their feelings. I even dragged you into this mess."
"I owe you an apology too."
Seeing Jiang Yan apologize so earnestly softened Chiyo's expression somewhat.
She looked toward Makoto and saw the pitiful look in her eyes, causing her to sigh again.
Who told her she had such a foolish sister…
And one hopelessly in love at that.
"Fine. Since you're willing to come to Inazuma openly now, then you'd better treat Makoto, Ei, and Kitsune Saiguu properly."
"Don't betray their feelings."
Chiyo huffed.
"I won't. I definitely won't let them down."
Jiang Yan nodded seriously.
"Hmph. Easy words…"
Chiyo snorted.
"Alright, Chiyo. Jiang Yan finally came to Inazuma…"
Kitsune Saiguu stepped forward and wrapped herself around Chiyo's arm, acting spoiled.
Makoto and the others also knew very well that Chiyo had been overworked because of them for the past five hundred years.
So naturally, they didn't dare argue against her complaints.
They could only rely on cute pleading and shameless charm to muddle through.
In the end, after Makoto and the others took turns acting spoiled, Chiyo finally stopped pressing the issue.
After spending some time in Tenshukaku, Jiang Yan decided to bring Ningguang and the other little ones to visit Ayaka at the Yashiro Commission.
After all, little Ayaka had written countless letters begging Jiang Yan to come visit Inazuma.
Now that he was here, not seeing her would feel wrong.
"I'll come too. It's been a long time since I last saw little Ayaka."
Ganyu also wanted to join them.
After all, she was very fond of that child.
"Alright."
Jiang Yan smiled and nodded.
However, when Makoto and the others wanted to come along too, Jiang Yan refused.
"You really plan on dumping all your responsibilities again right after getting back?"
Jiang Yan looked helplessly at their resentful gazes.
"If I remember correctly, this period should be the busiest time in Inazuma because of the Irodori Festival, right?"
"If you leave everything to Chiyo again, be careful she doesn't get angry all over again."
"Hey! Do I look that petty to you?!"
Chiyo instantly exploded.
After calming herself down, she looked at Makoto.
"You three… Jiang Yan is going to see little Ayaka."
"If all of you go too, the Yashiro Commission will descend into chaos."
"After all, you're still Inazuma's Archons and the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"You can't just casually show up like that."
Hearing Chiyo's reasoning, Makoto and the others finally gave up.
"Come on, Jiang Yan isn't saying he won't come back."
Yae Miko smiled at the disappointed trio.
"You're acting like Jiang Yan's some scumbag who sleeps around and abandons women."
Her eyes then flicked teasingly toward Jiang Yan.
Yae Miko's words instantly caused Jiang Yan and the three women to blush.
As expected of you, you smug fox!
Jiang Yan ground his teeth viciously, looking like he wanted to swallow Yae Miko whole.
Was that really something appropriate to say in this situation?!
Even Jiang Yan himself was getting embarrassed hearing it.
"Y-You all…"
Chiyo finally understood the implication behind Yae Miko's words and stared at Makoto and the others in disbelief.
Wait.
You girls just surrendered yourselves that easily?!?!
Chiyo's stunned gaze made Makoto and the others completely unable to meet her eyes.
"Chiyo… listen to our explanation…"
Makoto coughed awkwardly and was about to explain when Chiyo raised a hand to stop her.
"No. Let me process this alone."
Muttering to herself, Chiyo staggered out.
The information was simply too shocking.
Her brain had completely crashed.
"This…"
Jiang Yan opened his mouth and looked toward Makoto and the others.
"Let her calm down for a bit."
Makoto sighed.
"You should take Ganyu and the children to see Ayaka first."
"By the time you return, Chiyo should have recovered."
Jiang Yan and Ganyu exchanged glances before ultimately nodding.
Chinju Forest.
Jiang Yan walked along a mountain path with Ganyu and the three little girls.
Although it was daytime, the forest canopy was so dense that the lighting remained dim.
The wind drifted gently through the trees.
"Ah Yan… are you sure this is the right path?"
Ganyu looked at Jiang Yan suspiciously.
Even though she wasn't too familiar with Inazuma, this winding mountain trail clearly didn't look like a road leading to the Yashiro Commission.
"Oh come on, trust me!"
Jiang Yan laughed.
"Even though I haven't visited Inazuma much in over five hundred years, I still know the roads pretty well."
"This trail may be overgrown, but it really is the shortest route."
Ganyu lowered her head and stared at the weeds reaching up to her calves.
Just a little overgrown?
Still, Jiang Yan wasn't lying.
This really was the shortest route.
From above, one could clearly see that the twisting trail led directly to the clearing before the Yashiro Commission.
Not long after they started walking, the two suddenly heard strange noises coming from deeper within the forest.
At first, the sound wasn't very noticeable.
Jiang Yan thought it was merely the rustling of leaves.
But gradually—
Something started feeling wrong.
Because the noise was growing louder and louder.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently.
Several massive trees collapsed with thunderous crashes.
Blazing flames erupted not far from where Jiang Yan and Ganyu stood.
Jiang Yan instinctively shielded Ganyu and the three little girls as rainbow-colored light burst around him.
"The fire isn't too far from us. Should we go take a look?"
Ganyu asked softly.
Jiang Yan considered briefly before replying:
"You stay here with Ningguang and the others. I'll go check."
Then he raised a hand and created a spatial barrier around Ganyu and the children.
"Go ahead without worry, Boss."
Apep's voice suddenly came from the bracelet on Ningguang's wrist.
"With me here, nobody can hurt them."
Jiang Yan nodded.
With Apep around, there truly wasn't much to worry about.
Even if the Seven Archons themselves showed up causing trouble, Apep wouldn't fear them.
After all, she was one of the Seven Sovereigns.
Then Jiang Yan stomped down with his right foot and shot toward the source of the flames.
High in the air, Jiang Yan's figure appeared instantly.
His gaze locked onto the fiery forest below.
Within the raging flames, desperate roars echoed continuously.
Monsters.
No… besides monsters, there seemed to be something else too…
Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes.
Near the edge of a cliff, a little girl with black wings on her back was desperately fighting over a dozen monsters.
Looking at the black wings behind her, Jiang Yan's expression shifted thoughtfully.
He was familiar with Inazuma's yokai.
According to his memories—
A little tengu girl near a cliff…
Wait.
A flash of realization crossed Jiang Yan's eyes.
Kujou Sara?!
He vaguely remembered that Sara's backstory mentioned fighting monsters when she was young.
Her wings were injured and she fell from a cliff.
During the fall, she awakened her Vision and survived.
Looking at the little girl now, exhausted and cornered by over a dozen monsters—
This had to be Kujou Sara.
At that moment, the monsters suddenly launched a final charge.
Roaring wildly, they rushed toward the little girl.
Not good!
Rainbow-colored light erupted around Jiang Yan as he vanished instantly from the sky.
The girl was a descendant of the tengu clan.
She had lived peacefully within these forests since childhood and knew every inch of the land like the back of her hand.
She thought life would continue like this forever.
Until one day—
Monsters appeared.
Over a dozen of them surged through the woods like a black tide.
Trees shattered before them like paper.
Dark violet flames burned around their bodies.
Any tree touched by those flames instantly caught fire.
To protect the peace of the forest, the young girl fearlessly stood against the monsters.
As a tengu, she couldn't just watch her home be destroyed.
Her courage gave her strength.
She darted through the forest, using the terrain to her advantage while constantly firing arrows.
Though the arrows barely scratched the monsters—
She continued shooting stubbornly.
Because this was the only thing she could do.
Unfortunately, to the enraged monsters, her attacks were nothing more than provocation.
The monsters shifted their focus entirely toward her.
Though she tried desperately to evade them, she still suffered injuries.
She spread her wings and took to the sky, launching hit-and-run attacks.
But prolonged aerial combat rapidly drained her limited stamina.
Eventually, a monster's claw slammed into her.
The girl tumbled violently onto the ground.
Pain exploded from her wings.
Scorch marks spread across her black feathers, releasing the scent of burnt flesh.
Her injured wings only worsened her situation.
Unable to maintain flight, she could only retreat while fighting.
Without realizing it, she reached the edge of a cliff.
One more step backward—
And she would fall to her death.
At that moment, the monsters seemed to lose patience.
Roaring viciously, they launched their final attack.
One of the monsters opened its mouth and unleashed dark violet flames toward her.
The girl's expression changed.
In desperation, she forced open her injured wings to dodge.
But the pain slowed her by half a beat.
Though she avoided the direct hit, the shockwave still slammed into her frail body and sent her crashing to the ground.
She looked miserable now.
Her once fair face was covered in dirt.
Her already simple clothes were torn beyond recognition.
Trembling, she forced herself back to her feet.
Despair filled her eyes.
Was this really the end?
She could feel her body reaching its limit.
Even breathing felt like inhaling fire into her lungs.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
The monsters had already nearly reached her.
"I thought… I could protect this forest…"
"It seems… I still can't…"
The girl smiled bitterly.
Perhaps this truly was the end…
"That's enough."
At that moment, a clear voice sounded behind her.
Just as she opened her eyes—
A brilliant rainbow-colored light engulfed everything.
Then came a violent gust of wind and a deafening explosion.
The girl suddenly fell into a warm embrace.
"Are you alright?"
The gentle voice seemed to carry warmth itself, soothing her exhausted body.
Slowly, the girl opened the eyes she had instinctively shut against the dazzling light.
A handsome white-haired man was looking at her gently.
Rainbow-colored light shimmered around him.
The hand holding her glowed with soft white radiance.
She could feel her injuries rapidly healing beneath that light.
The big brother before her…
Was like a god.
"Hm? Does something still hurt?"
Jiang Yan frowned slightly as the white light in his hand intensified.
Hearing his words, the girl finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly shook her head.
"I-I'm fine!"
"Thank you for saving me, Lord Raiden!"
Jiang Yan's entrance had resembled a divine miracle.
Naturally, the girl mistook him for the Raiden Shogun protecting Inazuma.
Thinking that the handsome man before her was Inazuma's god made the girl instantly nervous.
She clutched nervously at her clothes, not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan chuckled softly.
This little girl had mistaken him for Makoto or Ei.
Any ordinary Inazuman would never make such a mistake.
After all, everyone knew one thing—
The Electro Archon was a woman.
But this little girl had clearly lived deep within the mountains her whole life, so it was understandable.
"Little one, I'm not your Raiden Shogun."
Jiang Yan smiled and rubbed her head.
"I'm just a traveler passing through."
"Not a god."
The girl widened her eyes.
A… traveler?!
Not the Raiden Shogun?!
She glanced at the massive path carved straight through the forest by the rainbow-colored light earlier and fell silent.
Someone this powerful…
Wasn't a god?
Amazing!
Her impression of Jiang Yan changed instantly.
After healing her injuries, Jiang Yan gently set her back onto the ground.
Then he flicked her forehead lightly.
"Alright, all the monsters are gone now."
Jiang Yan smiled warmly.
"If there's nothing else, big brother should get going."
After all, Ganyu and the others were still waiting for him.
Just as Jiang Yan turned to leave—
The girl suddenly grabbed the corner of his clothes.
"Hm?"
Jiang Yan looked at her curiously.
"Are there still monsters nearby?"
He assumed she was frightened.
"N-No!"
The girl hurriedly shook her head.
Then she hesitated for a long time.
Several times, she tried to speak before stopping herself.
"What is it?"
Jiang Yan crouched down, looking at her gently.
"If you're having trouble with something, you can tell big brother."
"As long as nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to help."
His gentle voice finally gave the girl courage.
Her eyes gradually became determined.
As though summoning all her bravery, she looked at Jiang Yan and shouted:
"Big Brother… c-can you take me with you?"
"I-I want to stay by your side!"
Jiang Yan froze.
Blinking, he stared at the nervous little girl before him.
"…Eh?????"
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