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"Am I... myself again?"
Stepping into the dream, the first thing Ei noticed was that her perspective had grown taller. She had spent so long looking up at everyone else that this felt strange, yet it made sense. Su Ran had only altered her physical shell, not her consciousness. Once her mind entered the dream realm, it naturally reverted to its original state.
"Is this... the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
Ei stood in the courtyard, scanning her surroundings before her gaze drifted to the Sacred Sakura. A purple figure stood there with her back turned, facing the towering cherry blossom tree. Even after five hundred years of self-imposed isolation, Ei felt her heart skip a beat.
That person...
"Per my promise to him, I am supposed to say this now: Hi, how are you feeling?"
The purple figure turned, offering a gentle smile. Ei could no longer hold back; her eyes flooded with tears instantly.
"Is... is it really you, Makoto?"
The figure was so familiar, the voice so distinct, and the smile exactly as she remembered it.
"Do you want this to be real?"
The person standing before Ei was none other than the sister she had lost eight hundred years ago—the original Raiden Shogun, Raiden Makoto.
"I... of course I do!"
Ei started with small, cautious steps, terrified that if she moved too quickly, the vision might shatter like bubbles. Then, her pace quickened until she was rushing forward, collapsing into Makoto's embrace. It was real. She could feel Makoto's warmth and the presence that had been absent for so long. Every sensation confirmed it: her sister had truly returned.
"Honestly... you are not a child anymore, yet you still cry and make a scene."
Makoto patted Ei's back with a weary smile, clearly aware of the heavy burdens her younger sister had endured over the years.
"I don't care..."
Ei cast all pride aside. She only wanted to weep in Makoto's arms, pouring out the loneliness and grievances she had bottled up for years. It had been an eternity since she had last allowed herself to be this vulnerable. Makoto listened patiently, offering a steady, comforting presence.
Down the nearby corridor, Su Ran raised his camera, capturing the moment.
"So much for not crying," he muttered, finding the scene both touching and hilarious. This was perfect blackmail material for later.
Standing beside him were the Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko. The Raiden Shogun remained unfazed; although she was a version of Ei, she had developed her own sense of self. She felt a flicker of emotion at the sight of Makoto, but it settled quickly. She was far more interested in the mechanics of the dream itself.
Yae Miko, however, was unsettled. Makoto had been a constant presence back when she was still a young, naive kitsune, and she had spent much of her childhood in those same arms. Finding her here was a shock.
"If Lady Makoto can appear in this dream," Yae Miko asked, "then what about Lady Kitsune Saiguu and the others?"
Ei had lost so many people, not just Makoto. Why were the others absent?
"I have to leave some room for regret, don't I?" Su Ran replied. "If it were perfect, she might never want to wake up."
Bringing Makoto back was a massive favor already. If the ties within the dream were too deep, Ei might sink into a permanent illusion, and the dream would become her eternal reality. To Su Ran, the dream was merely a stage for his play. Every performance had to reach its end, even if the stars hadn't taken the stage yet.
"Isn't that what you wanted from the start?" Yae Miko asked, her brow furrowed.
Even she, the Guuji, felt tempted. Seeing Makoto had shaken her resolve, and for a moment, she had thought that perhaps an eternal dream wouldn't be such a bad thing.
"True, but I am keeping them out for now. I want to see if Ei comes begging me later. I have a few rather unreasonable demands waiting for when she does."
Ei had been quite stubborn earlier, which had annoyed him. Using the return of her sister as leverage would be the perfect way to break that spirit.
"I am looking forward to that as well," Yae Miko said, exhaling in relief.
Truthfully, she had been on the verge of asking Su Ran to bring them back too, regardless of the price. But now that Su Ran had spelled out his plan, she could let Ei pay the cost while she simply enjoyed the reunion. It was a win-win.
Su Ran saw through her perfectly. "Don't get too comfortable. I have changed my mind."
Yae Miko's smile froze as she turned toward him.
"You will be begging me right alongside her," he added, "or the deal is off."
Yae Miko fell silent. She couldn't escape, could she? How infuriating.
"Fine," she sighed. "You have the Shogun and Ayaka, yet you are still not satisfied? You are really going after me, too?"
She took a deep breath, wondering just who this man was to have such an insatiable appetite.
"There is more to it than that," Su Ran said, nudging the Shogun. "Shogun, do you remember what I told you?"
"Which part?"
He had said many things, and she could hardly recite them all.
"The very first thing you said when you woke up."
The Shogun nodded. She remembered that clearly.
"The grace of saving my life cannot be repaid, so I shall offer my life in service."
Yae Miko was bewildered. Save her life? Whose life was saved? And who was offering themselves in service? She looked at Makoto, still embracing Ei, and then back at Su Ran.
"That Makoto... she is just a fake in this dream, right?" Yae Miko asked, half-doubting, half-desperate for it to be true. If it were fake, then why did it feel so real?
Su Ran offered a cryptic smile. "If you want her to be a fake, then she is a fake."