"Huh? As expected from story-correct magic — you can meet Yae Miko even at this hour."
Ye Luo stiffened when the voice reached him. He'd intentionally come a little later than usual, and yet of course he'd still run into Yae Miko. Of course.
"Look at you — always showing up where the spotlight is. Very light-novel-protagonist of you," Yae Miko sauntered over with a few shrine maidens in tow, smiling lazily and greeting everyone as if she'd just wandered out of a salon.
"Mi—Miko? No way. What are you doing here?" Paimon rubbed her eyes and squealed. Even Lumine looked stunned.
Omos Port was so far from Inazuma — why was an Inazuman dignitary at a Sumeru contest?
"Heh. The contest ran ads all the way to Inazuma. We even handed out flyers in front of Yae Hall." Yae Miko chuckled, amusement in her gaze. "Besides, don't you think this kind of contest is the perfect fit for a light novel?"
"Uh… you mean like a summoning-style story?" Ye Luo thought for a second. He couldn't immediately see the link between Mushroom Beasts and Yae Hall's usual output. If this were Pokémon-style, sure — material. But did Yae Hall publish that sort of thing?
"Oh? That's a fresh genre. But Yae Hall is cooking up a 'masterpiece to enthrall the next fifty years' — the theme is partners and competition. So we brought a few new authors along for material-gathering." Yae Miko's smile widened. "And to judge manuscripts properly, I'll even take part in the contest myself — get a feel for being a contestant."
She glanced at her partner shrine maiden's Mushroom Beast. "This is my partner; Zuoyoujia named it Hundred-Thunder Zello. I think it's got character."
"…Feels a little less majestic than the Great Inazuma Lord," Ye Luo muttered inwardly.
"Why not make it an academy story?" Ye Luo's eyes lit up — he'd just had a brilliant idea.
"Oh? Tell me." Yae Miko was interested.
"You see, Sumeru's Collegium has so many factions — make that the template. No flashy magic, no elemental powers, no brute force. Only mystic beast-spirits!"
"Then the protagonist awakens a plain little 'hill-hill' beast-spirit, everyone laughs, and it turns out to be a once-in-a-millennium legendary Great Hill-Hill!" Ye Luo sprayed out his million-subscriber-level braindump. "Plot? Make it about the internal squabbles among Sumeru's six great sects."
He practically handed the entire outline to Yae Miko on a silver tray. A guaranteed hit, he was sure.
"Hmm… Zuoyoujia, what do you think?" Yae Miko glanced at her editor-sidekick and mused.
"I—I think it's great, Miko-sama!" Zuoyoujia snapped awake and answered at once.
Miko's smile became warmer. She stepped a little closer to Ye Luo. "Little one, how should I thank you?"
"Cough cough, such brazenness," Faruzan coughed and angled herself to stand between Ye Luo and Miko. She gave Yae Miko a disapproving look. "Flirting with my disciple in front of me? Do you not respect a mentor?"
"Wow—Miko actually came. This event really is big," Paimon squealed, sensing the sudden spike in atmosphere. The pressure of this tournament had instantly gone up a notch.
Yae Miko only smiled at Faruzan's show of possessiveness. She just wanted to play with a promising new idea, that was all.
The scene from the event resumed much as in the official story, but with a little extra flavor: after Ye Luo's self-introduction, Miko curiously said, "You're called Ye Luo? I heard there's a writer of the same name in Fontaine. Any relation?"
"Fontaine? No idea — I'm a native Sumeru." Ye Luo waved his hands, denying it outright. If anyone recognized him as the Fontaine author, he'd be whisked off to Inazuma's tiny black rooms and forced to write until his spine gave out. After leaving Fontaine he hadn't updated that novel once; he'd been too busy. The Steam Bird Press had probably nearly choked.
As for Yae Hall — yeah, once there'd been talk of collaboration, but Ye Luo was lazy and avoided binding contracts. He knew Miko could be relentless about deadlines. He did not want to be shuttled from Fontaine to Inazuma to hammer out drafts.
"Heh, little one, lying's not good," Yae Miko said with a smile. The fib was plain as daylight, but she didn't press it. Conversation drifted. Afterwards someone from the organizers sidled over; when they saw Faruzan and the others they glanced oddly, a look they didn't show outright — just polite smiles.
Once the pair left, Ye Luo said thoughtfully, "Do you think they're suspicious, Miko?"
He didn't buy the idea that Yae Miko came merely to scout a writer. "Someone who turns a small contest into this scale within months, and pushes ads all the way to Yae Hall — that's not ordinary."
Yae Miko paused, smiled, and said: "Oh? You have an eye for it." She didn't elaborate.
Paimon scratched her head. "I don't get any of that."
Lumine's eyes narrowed; she felt something off. Faruzan and Layla had already slipped away—perhaps the story had nudged them that way. Layla had wanted to befriend Miko but run off halfway in her shyness; Faruzan, concerned, followed.
"Aiya, Paimon is delightfully innocent as ever," Yae Miko clapped a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "Shall I look into it?"
Ye Luo's hand twitched — he wanted nothing more than to sneak and power through everything. If there was an intrusion point in the event, he'd find it and make it spectacular. He hoped Fontaine's first five-star banner would be him; the thought spurred him on. The first five-star could go to Linni — Ye Luo was fine with that. He needed the second.
"Young one, I suggest you don't rush until the uncertain elements reveal themselves." Yae Miko warned the impatient Ye Luo with a coy smile.
Ye Luo shivered a little. Who could blame him? That fox spirit sure hit different in-game — even more alluring than in the real world. No wonder players kept spotting her in the blue tram.
"Alright, I should prepare. See you at the prelims — Hundred-Thunder Zello, say goodbye." Miko gave Ye Luo one last glance as if promising mischief, then sashayed away on long pale legs.
"MIKO MIKO MIKO! I'm your dog!" The chat exploded.
"High mountains, wily fox — Yae is my sis!"
"This event's basically a mid-sized festival; so many characters showing up!" the streamer muttered, relieved the core mechanics hadn't changed. The speed-run setup still worked; the plot had only been tweaked.
After that, the group each took a portion of agar to cultivate their own Mushroom Beasts. Ye Luo knew something smelled off, but the original quest had the Traveler raise beasts this way, so he used it anyway.
"Come on, evolve, Bruce!" he cheered. He believed.
As for the plot — there wasn't much to interfere with. This event truly revolved around the Traveler and their beastly friends; in the end, friendship and bonds would win the day. Positive energy all the way.
But the Traveler had the big moments; Ye Luo had the skill but nowhere to flex it. He fretted: given all the flashy abilities, there was no place to show off his own. He was itching for a scene to flourish.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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