To Ei, it didn't matter who led the Kanjou Commission. If they did well, they stayed; if not, they were replaced. She wasn't worried about being overthrown.
Knowing his Shogun didn't care, Ayato directly ordered the Shuumatsuban to secretly monitor those three families.
Keeping private soldiers in secret—Ei still didn't care.
Why do people call Ei "Dazed Ei"? She's not foolish; she just doesn't care about many things.
This indifference makes her seem dazed, as if she's always a step slow in acting or thinking.
In reality, she's not slow—she's not thinking at all.
Does something like this even require thought? First, ask if my blade agrees!
To Ei, cutting down Signora was less challenging than chopping vegetables for dinner. With such a gap, did she need to think about how to deal with Signora?
Back to the story, Hiiragi Chisato sent someone to invite Ayato.
Meeting Hiiragi Chisato, they first exchanged pleasantries. Though Ayato disliked small talk, he was extremely natural at it.
Like Albedo, both disliked pleasantries but were excellent conversationalists, making people feel at ease.
In contrast, that woman was the opposite—she loved chatting but wasn't good at it, often saying things that annoyed people.
In the story, Ayato smoothly steered the conversation to the marriage, then expressed concern for Hiiragi Chisato's emotions.
[Ayato said: "Miss Hiiragi seems to have many concerns."]
[Hiiragi Chisato nodded: "…Yes, there's too much to consider."]
["The person I just met wasn't an important guest but one of the estate's retainers, Shinnojou."]
["His words were very blunt, telling me… not to marry Kamaji."]
Shinnojou felt something was wrong. Though heartbroken, he was certain he supported Miss in this matter—why would he do this?
Could it be that Kujou Kamaji was actually a scumbag, and he found out!?
Impossible. The idea of a rival being a scumbag dumped by the goddess was just the dying fantasy of a defeated dog.
It turned out that, in the story, Shinnojou, despite his heartbreak, had thought it through: this was definitely not a good time for Hiiragi Chisato to marry.
This made Shinnojou even more pitiable. Even in such sorrow, he was still thinking of his beloved's happiness.
If an ordinary retainer like him could see this, how could the three major families under the Hiiragi Clan not? This matter was indeed suspicious.
If the Kujou and Hiiragi Clans truly wanted to marry, Kujou Kamaji should marry into the Hiiragi Clan. After all, Kamaji had an older brother.
If that didn't work, there was still Kujou Sara to hold the fort. The Kujou Clan had plenty of talent, unlike the Hiiragi Clan.
If Kamaji was mistreated, he could summon the Shogunate army and smirk crookedly.
In the story, Ayato subtly reminded Hiiragi Chisato of the conspiracy and mentioned the proposal letter.
["I heard you didn't write that letter. Lord Kujou thought you were just shy…"]
At this point, Ayato looked troubled. In the illustration, his brows furrowed into a figure-eight, and he said with a pitiful, hesitant expression:
["Oh dear, perhaps I shouldn't have said that?"]
Truly a schemer—saying it and then acting innocent, exuding a tea-like aura.
[Hiiragi Chisato, puzzled: "Huh? Wasn't that… Kamaji's little proposal trick? It was written in carefully designed, cute cursive, clearly prepared…"]
[Ayato said: "Cute cursive, you say… So, if it weren't for the letter, you two wouldn't have chosen this time to marry?"]
Hiiragi Chisato confirmed this, as her father had just been imprisoned—marriage was the last thing on her mind.
[Ayato nodded: "However, the fact that you two trust each other is certainly a good thing. In that case, the letter's origin doesn't seem so important."]
Ayato was hinting to Hiiragi Chisato, emphasizing that the letter wasn't important. Chisato instantly understood—the letter was very important!
But she couldn't show it; she had to act like the letter truly didn't matter!
Hiiragi Chisato caught Ayato's hint and said she'd think it over further.
[Ayato nodded: "Uniting with a loved one is a sacred joy. I sincerely hope you two can find happiness untainted by shadows."]
This showcased Ayato's high emotional intelligence. Without explicitly stopping anything, he made the involved party understand the issue through his words.
Most importantly, his way of speaking prevented eavesdroppers from catching on.
Hiiragi Chisato currently had no "real power," and the likelihood of their conversation being overheard was high.
Readers watching their exchange wanted a "Word-to- Word" translation, unable to fully grasp it.
But from the story's dialogue, they gained some new information, slowly piecing together the puzzle.
It must be said, this story's flavor was entirely different, like reading a mystery tale.
After the heart-wrenching plots before, this story was relaxing, finally soothing weary hearts.
[Ayato said to the Traveler: "Traveler, let's go somewhere convenient to exchange information."]
Cyno was shocked: What kind of information? Do they need to go to the bathroom to exchange it?
Nahida: Going to the bathroom does help with thinking.
With the Dendro Archon's wise words, no wonder Cyno liked telling bad jokes in the bathroom—it was conducive to thinking.
After leaving the Hiiragi estate, Ayato and the Traveler discussed the matter, organizing the information.
[Paimon remarked: "Hiiragi Chisato's state… is so different from Kujou Kamaji's."]
The reason for their stark difference wasn't just the issue of marrying out. The main reason was their abilities.
Both were temporary "acting heads," but Kujou Kamaji had encountered a wild Ei.
He also had some competence, resolving the Tenryou Commission's other issues after dealing with the Takatsukasa Clan.
He gained authority and Ei's "recognition," securing his position as head.
But Hiiragi Chisato was different. She hadn't resolved the Hiiragi Clan's issues and hadn't met a wild Ei.
She was the Hiiragi Clan's head only because of bloodline legitimacy.
Naturally, those below her didn't respect her, just like the Takatsukasa Clan, who also wanted to rebel and become the Kanjou Commission's main family.
Their actions were the same as the Takatsukasa Clan's, but they were smarter, knowing how to scheme and play mind games.
Unfortunately, they met Kamisato Ayato, an even greater schemer.
The Takatsukasa Clan threatened Kujou Kamaji with force and met Ei, whose martial prowess was off the charts.
The Matsuura Clan schemed to replace Hiiragi Chisato and met Ayato, whose intellect was off the charts.
What more is there to say? They were just too unlucky.
Without these unexpected encounters, they might have actually succeeded.
By the way, Ei was no longer in her wild state—she was now domesticated.
Raiden Makoto: She still needs training.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Raiden Ei: About Ayato's Story
"I don't understand. Why didn't the Kamisato boy draw his blade? With his martial skills, wouldn't that resolve it faster?"