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"It hasn't changed much from the Inazuma I remember leaving behind."
Raiden Ei walked through Inazuma City, her sister close by. Raiden Ei held Yae Miko, who was tucked securely in her arms, and let out a sigh of relief. She had worried that Ei's governance might have caused Inazuma to regress. Seeing that the nation was merely standing still was already a best-case scenario. She could hardly ask for more.
Yae Miko, resting in Ei's arms, rolled her eyes. This was all just window dressing. If Su Ran had not personally stepped in yesterday to discipline Kujou Takayuki and Hiiragi Shinsuke, who knew what kind of chaos Inazuma would be in right now? The Tenryou Commission was leaderless, and Hiiragi Shinsuke of the Kanjou Commission had been so terrified that he chose to pay up to save his own skin, ensuring he would not dare to act recklessly in the short term. How could Ei possibly see the truth of Inazuma from here? If she went to the front lines and saw the bodies littering the ground, the sight would surely shake her to her core.
"Yes, you are right."
Raiden Ei dared not admit to her sister that she had essentially ignored Inazuma all these years. Seeing that the Inazuma within this dream still appeared prosperous, she finally felt a weight lift from her chest. At the very least, the scene she presented to her sister was a pleasant one.
"But this is just a dream, is it not?"
Ei caught the flicker of insecurity in her sister's eyes. Having been her sister for thousands of years, how could she miss such small, tell-tale signs?
Yae Miko was not surprised when the subject of the dream came up; she had known all along that this Raiden Ei was the real deal. Raiden Ei, however, froze. She could not comprehend how someone within a dream could be aware of such a thing. Even the citizens of Inazuma were oblivious to the fact that they were currently living inside a dream. Why, then, would her sister know?
"Did... Su Ran tell you?"
Raiden Ei could think of no other possibility. She felt a twinge of resentment toward Su Ran. Why would he burden her sister with such information? Even if she were merely a manifestation within a dream, did he really have to share such a cruel truth?
"Ei! I have been dead for five hundred years. If I can stand here now and act like a normal person, it is entirely due to his arrangements. Do you intend to hold that against him?"
Raiden Ei could never bring herself to blame Su Ran. Even knowing that the reality of this dream meant stripping the citizens of Inazuma of their freedom, he had granted her a chance. He had given her an opportunity to walk through Inazuma City with her sister once more. Regardless of whatever scheme Su Ran might be plotting, she could never harbor hatred toward him, nor would she allow her sister to hold any grudge.
"No... I am merely dissatisfied that he would tell you these things."
Raiden Ei felt far more gratitude than resentment toward him. Whether it was this eternal dream or the reappearance of her sister, he had filled her with heartfelt appreciation. Yet, when things were already so perfect, with her sister and eternity returned to her, why did he have to introduce such a flaw? Knowing this was just a dream only served to cause unnecessary worry. Was it so wrong to treat this as reality?
"You really are a fool."
Raiden Ei, possessing only a sliver of her former consciousness, should not have been able to manifest within the city. Yet here she was, walking the streets. How could she not have sensed that something was amiss? Moreover, she had met Su Ran before this. She was, after all, the first visitor to this dream.
"But if this is the eternity you pursue, is it not too cruel to the people of Inazuma?"
After learning more about the truth of the dream from Su Ran, Raiden Ei understood its terrifying nature. There was no death, no illness, and no aging. No new consciousness could be born within it, and there were no newborns. Humans were exempt from the cycle of birth, old age, sickness, and death. There was no telling how long this dream would last. Even without erosion, it was keeping tens of thousands of people in a state of living death. Was that reality? Could a human mind truly withstand a century of memories?
To Raiden Ei, this dream represented eternity, but that was only because she had long since grown accustomed to isolating herself. Moving from the Plane of Euthymia into this dream was no different in essence. But why should the citizens of Inazuma be forced to accept this cage?
Raiden Ei would not persuade her sister to abandon the dream, for that was part of their agreement. The only thing she could do now was stay by her sister's side to make up for the years of loneliness she had left behind.
Once they stopped discussing the dream, Raiden Ei grew noticeably more relaxed. Recalling her stroll through Inazuma City the previous day, she decided to treat her sister to something new, like Dango Milk.
"Two... two Shoguns?"
Tomoki, the stall vendor, stood dumbfounded at the sight of two Raiden Shoguns. "Am I dreaming?"
Raiden Ei glanced at him. He was indeed dreaming.
"Two bottles of Dango Milk."
"Right away!"
Whether he was dreaming or not, having the Shogun herself come to sample his wares was a stroke of absolute fortune for a vendor. The fact that the Shogun had tasted his food was the greatest advertisement he could hope for. However, after taking the two bottles, Raiden Ei realized something. She had no Mora. Su Ran had been there yesterday, but today he was gone. She could not possibly make her sister pay.
Her gaze shifted to Yae Miko, still nestled in her sister's arms. Time to cough up the gold, Miko!
Seeing that Yae Miko was currently a fox and seemingly had no way to carry money, she spoke up. "Put it on the Tenshukaku tab."
Hearing that he was expected to keep a tab, Tomoki shook his head vigorously. "No, no! It is an honor enough that the Shogun would deign to taste my snacks. How could I possibly charge you?"
"Rules are rules. They cannot be broken." Ei shook her head, thinking of Su Ran, whom she still resented slightly. "Wasn't there a man here yesterday carrying a child who looked quite like me? Put the tab under his name."
"Huh?" Tomoki was bewildered again. He remembered that man, largely because the child he was carrying had been quite distinctive. If the Shogun herself knew him, then that child...
Tomoki suddenly realized he might have stumbled upon a truly extraordinary secret.