What is equivalent exchange?
As Bai Luo once said: you can recover lost items from within the door, but you must pay a corresponding price.
Now, look at this deal between the Fatui and Watatsumi Island. Watatsumi has gained countless benefits from the Fatui, while the only price paid was... allowing the Fatui to station themselves on Watatsumi's territory. And this stationing didn't even involve kicking out the locals. The Fatui mostly set up camp in the wilderness or built their own houses from scratch, never requiring the residents to lift a finger.
Even if a Fatui soldier occasionally entered a resident's home, they would usually stammer for a long while before bashfully blurting out: "Could I... borrow your bathroom?"
There is no such thing as love without a reason, nor hate without a cause. So, the question remains.
"What exactly happened that day, Ms. Tatyana?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi, who should have been beaming with joy over the massive profits, found herself becoming increasingly uneasy. Had the Instructor really done nothing? Then why did his behavior afterward feel like they were only one wedding ceremony away from being official?!
"Ah... the tanuki I'm raising needs feeding. Let's talk about this later, Lady Sangonomiya!"
"..."
Every time she brought it up, the usually elegant Tatyana would resort to such childish lies.
Sigh.
I definitely had something done to me, didn't I?
Finding a spot where no one was around, Kokomi silently pulled out her notebook. Skipping several pages, she flipped to the latest entry.
Journal Entry
• The supplies promised by the Fatui have arrived. Energy Value: +10.
• Although the supplies are far more abundant than I imagined, just knowing they came from the Fatui makes me feel uneasy. I hope no trouble arises in the future.
• Ms. Tatyana says the conscription plan for Watatsumi will be suspended indefinitely. Energy Value: +15.
• It seems the Instructor personally reached a deal with another Harbinger. Until the war between Watatsumi and the Shogunate officially ends, the Fatui will not recruit here. This is perhaps one of the few pieces of truly good news.
• Brought up the events of "that day" with Ms. Tatyana again. Energy Value: -5.
• Logically, I should know my own body best; the Instructor really shouldn't have done anything. But looking at Ms. Tatyana's expression... did I sense it wrong?
After finishing her writing, Kokomi slowly closed her notebook and gazed toward Narukami Island. She had no idea what the future of Watatsumi Island held. She even wondered if she would be able to keep her surname, Sangonomiya.
Bai Kokomi?
Sigh.
Compared to the sighing Kokomi, the residents of Watatsumi were much happier. After the hand-off, the Fatui proactively turned over all supplies to the locals and didn't bother them. When the carts of resources entered Bourou Village, people were already swarming around them.
While the elders cared more about the food, the youngsters crowded around the strange new trinkets.
"Is this a foreign sword?"
"Wow, this armor is so thick!"
"Mom! Why is the lady in this book not wearing—"
"Don't look at strange things, child!"
For islanders who had spent their entire lives going no further than Yashiori Island, everything from the outside world was full of mystery. However, not everything interested them. For instance, there was a cart of fruit parked in a corner.
The fruit looked plump and inviting, and a sweet fragrance wafted from it. But the moment many people smelled it, their expressions shifted.
That sweet scent triggered a deep, buried sourness in their very souls. That "Taste of Despair" had long since made them fear the very sight of a Sunsettia. Even if the first bite was sweet, they wouldn't dare take a second, for no one knew if the sweetness would last.
Maybe this is just a trap set by a certain person to make us eat them, they thought.
Lingling, the only doctor in Bourou Village, quietly pulled the carts of Sunsettias back to her home. Ever since Bai Luo had used a Sunsettia to save Teppei from a deep coma right in front of her, she had adopted it into her own medical practice.
Sunsettia: Extremely sour, good for treating fainting spells.
If you think the people of Watatsumi fear Sunsettias because of Bai Luo, you're only half right. It was thanks to him that they learned Sunsettias could be sour, but the real credit goes to Lingling, who mastered his "healing" methods.
In short, since Lingling started using them for treatment, the entire island had developed a profound aversion to the fruit.
"Where are the instruments?"
Some people who had heard rumors noticed that something was missing: the advanced scientific equipment. They might not know how to use them yet, but that didn't stop them from wanting to tinker with them.
"The Fatui said we wouldn't know how to use those instruments, so they're keeping them for now. If our people want to learn, we can send some youths aged 10 to 16 to study with them."
The person responsible for bringing the goods back was Takahashi, a young man who was seen as a big brother figure in the village.
But he looked worried. He understood that the future of Bourou Village and Watatsumi Island wasn't decided by foot soldiers like them or the Divine Priestess in her palace—it was decided by the children who represented hope.
Now the Fatui want us to send our children to them? Does this mean they've already started targeting the future of Watatsumi? he wondered.
I should talk to Lady Sangonomiya when I have the chance. At the very least... we must protect Watatsumi's future.
Sometimes, overthinking is a curse. Truthfully, the Fatui weren't being nearly as conniving as he imagined.
From the beginning, those instruments weren't meant for Watatsumi; they were for Bai Luo, that slacker. The Doctor only sent them so Bai Luo could conduct research on Delusions and Visions more efficiently.
But how could Bai Luo be bothered to do research? He slacked off on his actual job whenever possible. With a wave of his hand, he had simply added the equipment to the gift list for Watatsumi.
However, considering most people there were fishermen and had no idea how to operate the gear, he figured they could just learn from the Fatui staff.
As for the age requirement? It was simply because children learn faster.
It can only be said that when prejudice grows into a massive mountain, even if that mountain is acting as a dam to hold back a flood, those being saved will still complain that the mountain is blocking their "sweet rain."
Sweet rain, my foot!
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