Having been singled out by Yae Miko, Kamisato Ayaka naturally didn't dare to move.
She sat down obediently, lowering her head and keeping as silent as a cicada in the cold.
Seeing her so flustered, Yae Miko couldn't help but laugh. "Little one, what exactly did you just see?"
"Eh!?"
"I—Lady Guuji, I didn't see anything at all."
At this very moment, Kamisato Ayaka was utterly panic-stricken.
Even though, before others, she was the poised and unflappable White Heron Princess, right now she was truly frightened!
She badly wanted to pat her own cheeks with her hands to calm herself down.
But the moment she thought that Yae Miko might move against the entire Kamisato family, her heart grew tense beyond measure.
This concerned not only the survival of the Kamisato family, but herself as well!
Upon receiving this answer, Yae Miko laughed aloud. "There's no need to be nervous, little one. I have a plan that requires the help of the Yashiro Commission."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Ye Xi and proposed, "Master, I'd like to hold a festival."
"A festival?"
Kamisato Ayaka was slightly taken aback.
At present, every festival on Narukami Island, great or small, was managed by her, so hearing those two words made her especially sensitive.
Most crucial of all—if Yae Miko was having the Yashiro Commission hold a festival, then it meant Yae Miko wouldn't be moving against the Yashiro Commission, nor against herself.
At last, she was safe.
Kamisato Ayaka secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Ye Xi, too, took a measure of interest in Yae Miko's proposal.
"Let's hear it."
Yae Miko nodded and began, "I'd like to use this festival as a way to let the people of Inazuma come into contact with foreign cultures."
"This is just an idea for now; I don't have any concrete plan worked out yet."
"It's only that I feel the people of Inazuma have been shut off for far too long, and know nothing of the outside world."
"So that the people of Inazuma will dare to venture out of Inazuma in the future—to Liyue, to Mondstadt, to Sumeru—we ought to let everyone adapt in advance."
Hearing Yae Miko's proposal, Ye Xi's eyes lit up.
He thought of the "Iridescent Tour" music festival from Fontaine, and suddenly a new idea came to him.
He could invite Nilou to perform in Inazuma, and he could also invite Liyue's Yun Jin and Xinyan to come perform, including Mondstadt's Barbara.
Why not simply establish a company of this sort, picking out star idols from among the various nations!
Then, making use of the convenient transport, have them perform across all the different nations!
It would surely be a huge hit!
Thinking of this, he clapped his hands. "A fine proposal, Miko."
"Leave this matter to me. All you need to do is prepare the venues."
"I'll gather the performers together as quickly as I can."
Yae Miko's heart leapt with delight, and she said with a beaming smile, "As expected—no matter what the matter is, hand it to the Master and it gets settled with the greatest of ease!"
Kamisato Ayaka hurriedly said, "All the arrangements regarding venues and personnel can be left to the Yashiro Commission."
"Aiya ya, little Ayaka is very reassuring too~"
"Then—Lady Guuji, I'll go back and start preparing right away!"
Kamisato Ayaka hastily rose, wanting to slip away as quickly as possible.
However, Yae Miko spoke up once more. "Mm, I've decided."
"Ayaka, why don't you stay by my side?"
"Eat and live alongside me for a while—what do you say?"
"Eh——!?"
Kamisato Ayaka's little face was filled with astonishment.
She understood now—Yae Miko meant to keep her under close surveillance!
To prevent her from leaking the secret, she was keeping her by her side!
The problem was, she had absolutely no way to refuse!
Eating and living together.
She knew that being invited by Yae Miko, and to eat and live alongside her, was the dream of who knew how many men in all of Inazuma.
Countless outstanding men longed to grow close to Yae Miko, to seize the chance to win her favor.
A pity that none of them ever got such an opportunity.
By sheer coincidence, she—a girl—had obtained such an "honor."
And yet she couldn't feel the slightest bit happy about it.
"I'll do just as Lady Guuji commands."
"Mm~ Good girl!"
Yae Miko nodded in satisfaction, and took out a small pouch from her pocket. "This is the passage token for the Tenshukaku—take it."
"When evening comes, use it to come to the Tenshukaku, and I'll receive you and bring you back then."
In truth, Yae Miko was quite fond of Kamisato Ayaka, because Ayaka always managed to arrange matters in perfect order.
It was only a pity that Ayaka was a member of the Kamisato family—otherwise she would have recruited her under her own command long ago.
Kamisato Ayaka was slightly taken aback.
She had assumed that eating and living together with Yae Miko would be at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Why was she to come to the Tenshukaku instead?
Though she was quite puzzled, she nonetheless leaned in toward Yae Miko and took the pouch.
Because Yae Miko was very close to Ye Xi, as Kamisato Ayaka leaned over, a gust of fragrant breeze wafted into her face.
That faint, delicate scent was utterly refreshing to the spirit.
Ye Xi couldn't help but marvel. "What a lovely fragrance... is it perfume?"
"Eh!?"
Kamisato Ayaka's pretty face instantly flushed red, and she hurriedly shook her head. "Master, I—I don't have the habit of wearing perfume...."
Yae Miko sniffed along as well, and couldn't help but chime in, "It really is very fragrant. Where does this scent come from?"
"Could it be...."
Kamisato Ayaka was startled, and stammered, "A-actually, I just practiced swordsmanship this morning and worked up a lot of sweat."
"Perhaps... I didn't wash thoroughly when I bathed, so...."
"M-my apologies!"
Ye Xi was suddenly enlightened.
No wonder people described girls as being "drenched in fragrant perspiration."
Could it really be that some girls smelled sweet even after sweating?
On closer thought, it seemed a girl's body fragrance was simply the scent of her sweat; depending on differences in constitution, it could give people a sweet-smelling impression!
It was only that the person herself couldn't smell this scent—only others could.
Yae Miko suddenly threw her arms around Kamisato Ayaka, burying her head and taking a deep sniff. "Mm~ There's a hint of camellia fragrance!"
Camellia, that is the tea-flower, with a fresh and pleasing fragrance that leaves people feeling refreshed and clear-spirited once they catch its scent.
It was a scent very much to people's liking.
Kamisato Ayaka was startled by this sudden gesture.
How astonishing!
This was, after all, the Lady Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine!
A great fox youkai who had lived over five hundred years, a kin of God!
And right now she had actually thrown her arms around her, even burying herself against her chest and sniffing vigorously.
This was simply unbelievable!
Was this still that inscrutable, unfathomable Lady Guuji!?
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the favor, she hurriedly said, "Lady Guuji's body smells lovely too! There's a scent like cherry blossom petals!"
"Is that so? Well, having spent several hundred years beneath the Sacred Sakura, I suppose it's only natural to pick up a bit of its scent."
Yae Miko gave a light laugh, gently covering her little mouth.
In any case, since the matter between her and Ye Xi had already been seen by Kamisato Ayaka, there was no longer any need for her to keep up an idol's airs in dealing with Kamisato Ayaka.
After all, they were going to be living together from now on; if she kept herself rigidly bound to the image of "Lady Guuji," it would be terribly exhausting.
Having a little girl by her side reminded her of things from the past.
She still remembered that, a very, very long time ago, the Kitsune Saiguu had also had a little shrine maiden following at her heels like a tagalong.
It was only a pity that the Kitsune Saiguu had passed away, and that little shrine maiden, too, for certain reasons, had died amid a thunderstorm.
Recalling these bygone events, Yae Miko's eyes brimmed with emotion.
"Lady Guuji, then—I'll take my leave first."
"Mm, don't forget to come to the Tenshukaku tonight."
Yae Miko waved her hand, and gazing at Kamisato Ayaka's departing figure, she couldn't help but sigh with feeling, "Master, you have so many formidable methods—could you help me bring Lady Kitsune Saiguu back?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Xi was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but fall to pondering.
Earlier, back when he was in Sumeru, he had successfully resurrected the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata through the method of having the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata create the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
In that case, could he use the same method to resurrect others?
For instance, breaking off a Branch of the World Tree, and through the World Tree's records of Teyvat, drawing out these people's souls and bestowing life upon them anew?
Such a thing, it seemed, would require experimentation—or else, asking the God of Wisdom about it.
Seeing Ye Xi sink into deep thought, Yae Miko hurriedly said with a smile, "Master, I was only joking. Don't take it to heart."
"Next, I still have a great many things to do. Does the Master have any plans?"
"To go to Ritou."
Ye Xi explained, "Just now Hiiragi Chisato said that the International Commerce Guild has quite a few merchants who want to cooperate with the Southern Cross fleet."
"I am, after all, the boss of the fleet, so I ought to go over and talk business."
Before long, Inazuma would have a great many cargo ships.
When that time came, Inazuma would form its own fleet and deal with these merchants directly.
The Southern Cross fleet was relying on the merchants of Liyue and Inazuma to make its living.
Without the merchant clientele of Inazuma, only Liyue's clientele would be left, and by then the fleet's income would be no different from before.
To avoid such a situation, he would sign contracts directly with those merchants now, and take the chance to make a tidy sum off them.
Yae Miko nodded. "I'll have someone arrange a ship."
"No need. For such a short distance, I'll just fly over."
"All right then. I'll see you at home tonight."
Yae Miko, with a beaming smile, gathered up the documents and left the meeting room.
Ye Xi muttered to himself that this woman was more and more treating the Serenitea Pot as her own home.
.....
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