Narukami Grand Shrine on Narukami Mountain.
Kujou Sara's expression was grave, her lips trembling slightly. "The Yashiori Island shipwreck incident was actually an order personally issued by the clan head?"
"This can't be possible, right? Could Su Xuan be slandering the clan head..."
That was an entire village's worth of villagers.
Even if many of them were infected by the Orobashi curse, there were still plenty of healthy ones, yet they had all been rounded up and sunk together.
Yae Miko calmly savored her tea and snacks.
The look she gave Kujou Sara carried a hint of amusement.
She knew this tengu before her wasn't furious or confused over Kujou Takayori's order to sink the villagers of Katabami Crimsonwood Village.
No, it was because such a major matter had been concealed from the Raiden Shogun, with Kujou Takayori daring to issue the command on his own.
This was betrayal, a disrespect to the General.
After all, there was no one in Inazuma more blindly loyal than Kujou Sara.
For her, forget the Vision Hunt Decree—if the Raiden Shogun demanded her life one second, Kujou Sara would die without complaint the next.
"Both of you, calm down. Have some tea," Yae Miko said with narrowed fox eyes.
If they couldn't handle this bit of truth, they'd collapse on the spot when they learned the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree were all Fatui schemes.
"To think the Resistance Army's actions were instigated by the Fatui behind the scenes," Kamisato Ayaka said uneasily, shifting in her seat.
Yae Miko glanced at Ayaka and smirked. "I wonder if that leader on Watatsumi Island has a diary copy. She ought to thank Su Xuan for uncovering the truth—otherwise, that pot would boil her ornamental fish alive."
Kamisato Ayaka swallowed hard, forcing a smile. "Y-Yes! All thanks to this traveler from beyond this world."
Yae Miko chimed in with a laugh. "Sigh, it's just unclear what he'll write next..."
Kamisato Ayaka's body tensed up.
She dreaded Su Xuan getting excited and approaching Coral Palace Heartsea to "introduce" the Resistance Army—dragging the Yashiro Commission into it.
Yae Miko's eyes curved with a smile. "Rest assured. No matter what he writes, Ei will judge for herself."
"It's just that right now, she's probably clinging to Su Xuan, hoping he'll help clear out the Orobashi curse."
...
Temporary abode on Yashiori Island.
Raiden Ei knelt gracefully with her legs folded beneath her, her delicate nose wrinkling repeatedly.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making instant noodles."
"What's that?"
"This thing's called an electromagnetic pot. And it doesn't need electricity—just flip the switch, and it works."
"Electromagnetic pot? What a marvelous invention. Did you bring it from beyond this world? Why say it doesn't need electricity to work?"
"...."
"Are you a bottomless pit of questions or what?" Su Xuan's head buzzed from Raiden Ei's barrage.
He shot her a glance. "There's no Three-Colored Dango here. If you want something to eat, it's my noodles or nothing."
"If you want some, I'll make a few more packs. If not, just sit quietly over there for now."
Raiden Ei followed his pointing finger. A box with unfamiliar script sat by his feet.
Beside it was a large bucket of clear water, labeled with more text she didn't recognize.
But the aroma of noodles filling the room sparked her curiosity about this otherworldly food.
"Fine! Make some for me then," Raiden Ei said without hesitation.
Su Xuan shrugged one shoulder. "Tch, you're straightforward—no concept of politeness."
Instant noodles weren't gourmet, but the rich flavor packets still had Raiden Ei eating heartily.
Once the meal ended, her attention fixed on the electromagnetic pot.
She flipped the switch on and off repeatedly, then nodded in realization. "I see—it's using thunder elements to generate heat for cooking. The principle is surprisingly simple."
"With that look on your face, you act like you could make one," Su Xuan said as he cleared the dishes and approached her. "If you think you can, I'll just give it to you for study."
A fleeting purple glint flashed in Raiden Ei's eyes, quickly replaced by panic.
As Su Xuan pushed the pot toward her, she shoved it back, rejecting it outright. "Thank you, but I cannot accept this."
The moment she refused, a ripple stirred in her mind.
Puzzled, she glanced at Su Xuan stowing the pot away, then silently pulled out her diary.
"Why'd this guy update the diary again all of a sudden?"
[Raiden Ei really has no clue about politeness.]
[As a god, she doesn't need to eat, but I do.]
[I casually asked if she wanted to try some otherworldly noodles while cooking.]
[And she unhesitatingly told me to make her some.]
[Of course, the most amusing part is the contrast in her inner world.]
[She clearly wants to study my electromagnetic pot, but when I offered it, fear stopped her cold.]
[Yeah... I felt that instant of panic.]
[The reason? I can guess—she fears researching otherworldly items could bring doom.]
[It ties into her pursuit of eternity.]
The Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees stemmed from Raiden Ei's quest for eternity.
Many didn't understand why she chased eternity or what it even meant to her.
But seeing Su Xuan confidently discuss eternity in the diary perked up every woman in Inazuma.
Su Xuan might know why Raiden Ei sought eternity—or what eternity truly was.
"He even knows about this?" Yae Miko wondered suspiciously. "This man knows everything. He's even peeked into our hearts..."
"Though, this lone man and woman alone together—if they're not getting to 'business,' studying other things is such a waste of the opportunity..."
[Speaking of Raiden Ei's idea of eternity—or rather, what birthed her belief in it.]
[I recall some words from Ei's inner world. She said...]
[Where thunder's light flashes, shadows fall. I am the shadow.]
[With no thoughts, clear all obstacles to Inazuma's advance. Yet each step forward costs something.]
[Even she lost... in the end.]
[Those tales are still sung beneath every thunder sakura's shade.]
[But the scars of loss still burn this nation.]
[She said to pursue it—even fleeting light means we have [this moment].]
[But I witnessed a nation sprinting full-tilt, losing everything before the Heavenly Principles.]
[[This moment] is illusion. Only [eternity] nears the Heavenly Principles...]
[Now I am no longer shadow. This body is most noble, wielding the realm's great power, granting subjects one dream...]
[An unchanging eternity across a thousand generations.]
[The 'her' in Raiden Ei's heart is the First Raiden Shogun—her beloved sister, Raiden Makoto.]
[Raiden Makoto's ideal was pursuit, even if just fleeting light...]
[Khaenri'ah, vanished five centuries ago, embodied Makoto's pursuit perfectly.]
[A godless Khaenri'ah, built by human wisdom alone into an unprecedentedly mighty and prosperous civilization.]
[Khaenri'ah's power could even slay gods.]
[Yet that diligently sprinting nation was weeded out like grass before the Heavenly Principles.]
[In a blink, Khaenri'ah's people were cursed with immortality. Those unable to resist became Teyvat's monsters.]
[....]
The women: "!?"
Raiden Ei's gaze sharpened as she hurriedly tried to close the diary.
Big bro, you mentioned Celestia before—that was one thing. But now you're straight-up writing about the Heavenly Principles in your diary?
What terrified Raiden Ei most was how Su Xuan dragged the Heavenly Principles into it while recording *her* affairs.
Was this deliberate intent to doom Inazuma?
"Esteemed traveler from beyond this world, could you please stop recording the diary for now?" Raiden Ei's voice was a mosquito's whisper. "Or... at least wait until you've left Inazuma..."
Su Xuan: "..."
[But all I can say is, Raiden Ei worries too much.]
[Or rather, her grasp of the Heavenly Principles is superficial, leading to these misguided actions.]
Su Xuan rubbed his chin, organizing his thoughts to continue writing.
Suddenly, a "thud" sounded.
Looking up, he saw Raiden Ei kneeling before him in seiza, as if begging him to stop updating the diary.
Su Xuan: "...."