"An ordinary comic shop owner…"
Even someone as composed as Raiden Ei, who had weathered countless storms, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.
An ordinary shop owner could know her true identity?
An ordinary shop owner could make her elemental power disappear?
Fine.
Boss, you've just redefined what the word "ordinary" means.
And besides— what exactly was this comic shop?
Ei gazed at the black-haired youth before her, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Though they had only just met, she felt as if countless secrets surrounded him.
Even knowing he might become an enemy of Eternity, she still felt an inexplicable urge to draw closer.
That strange feeling was unfamiliar to her.
A Cryptic Farewell
Han Feng, unaware of Ei's thoughts, noticed Makoto approaching.
He smiled faintly.
"Time is short.
Spend it well reuniting with your sister.
We'll meet again."
"What do you mean, time is short?
And what do you mean by 'sister'?"
Ei's body trembled.
She tried to step forward and ask more—but Han Feng's figure began to fade before her eyes.
Soon, he vanished completely, as if he had never existed.
If not for the lingering sensation on her body, she might have believed the entire encounter had been an illusion.
"The 'sister' he mentioned… could he have meant Miko?"
A thought stirred in Ei's mind.
She had suspected that earlier.
But confusion quickly followed.
Wasn't Miko once her sister's familiar?
How could they possibly be the same person?
"Or… could they truly be the same?
Could Miko be a fragment of my sister's soul?
Maybe 'Yae Miko' never truly existed at all?"
Ei's thoughts began to spiral into increasingly wild possibilities.
After all, nothing else seemed to explain the situation.
And honestly—who could possibly imagine that Yae Miko and Raiden Makoto had exchanged souls across 500 years?
Reunion
"Ei, what are you thinking about?"
A familiar voice suddenly called out.
Ei turned toward it.
There stood "Yae Miko," holding a pink parasol, smiling warmly at her.
Aside from the difference in appearance, her expression, posture, and demeanor were exactly like Makoto's.
That resemblance only strengthened Ei's suspicion.
"Makoto… so Yae Miko is actually you!"
Stepping forward, Ei grasped Makoto's hand.
Her emotions were complicated—excitement, relief, and a trace of grievance.
If she had known her sister was still alive, she would never have sealed herself away inside the Plane of Euthymia.
All these years, Makoto must have been quietly watching her struggle.
Makoto: (⊙_⊙)
What on earth is this little sister talking about?
I don't understand a word.
How did I suddenly become that little fox??
"Wait… it isn't true?"
Seeing Makoto's confused expression, Ei blinked.
She realized she might have misunderstood something.
"Of course not.
But the explanation is complicated.
Let's return to Tenshukaku first."
Makoto reached out and gently pinched Ei's cheek, speaking with mild exasperation.
"Alright."
Ei nodded helplessly, offering no resistance.
If anyone else dared treat her that way, she would have responded instantly with the Musou no Hitotachi.
But this was her sister.
Public Confusion
Watching this strange turn of events, the nearby citizens wore equally strange expressions.
Weren't they just fighting?
Why were they suddenly so affectionate?
Though filled with questions, no one dared ask.
They could only bury their confusion deep inside.
"Oh right—where's the boss?
I just saw him here."
After reuniting with her sister, Makoto suddenly remembered Han Feng.
She looked around—but he was nowhere to be found.
"He has already left,"
Ei explained.
Yet hearing Makoto call him "boss," a thought stirred in her mind.
Could Makoto actually know that man?
That's right—he had mentioned arriving with a friend.
Could that friend have been her sister?
Curious, Ei asked:
"Makoto, what is your relationship with him?
And what exactly is this comic shop?"
"The comic shop?"
Makoto sighed softly.
"That is a place that changed my fate, your fate, and even the fate of Inazuma."
Thinking of everything that had happened to her, she spoke with deep emotion.
After all, being summoned across 500 years was nothing less than destiny itself changing.
"A place that powerful…"
Ei felt a surge of shock.
She trusted her sister's words completely.
And now, her curiosity grew even stronger.
Later, she would question Makoto in detail.
Anything that could threaten Eternity had to be thoroughly understood.
Ayaka's Resolution
Meanwhile, seeing the conflict resolve peacefully, Kamisato Ayaka finally exhaled in relief.
"Thank goodness the two of them didn't truly fight."
Otherwise, she felt Inazuma might have descended into chaos.
With that concern settled, her thoughts returned to the black-haired youth who had vanished moments earlier.
"To catch the Shogun in his arms and walk away unharmed… he is certainly no ordinary person."
With that realization, Ayaka turned and left.
She intended to dispatch investigators immediately.
She had to discover who that man truly was.
Back at the Comic Shop
Inside the Solace Book House, Keqing and Jean had finished reading their manga and were chatting at the counter.
"I can't believe Master opened a branch in Inazuma so quickly."
Keqing spoke with amazement.
Noelle had already told them the news, and the speed of expansion shocked her.
Especially because she remembered being the very first customer when the Liyue branch opened.
Only a few days had passed, and now there was already another branch in Inazuma.
Her master's business was growing rapidly.
"Exactly."
Jean nodded in agreement.
Compared to Keqing, her feelings ran even deeper.
After all, the comic shop had originally started in Mondstadt.
From there, it expanded to Liyue, and now to Inazuma.
As one of the earliest customers, she had witnessed the entire journey.
Naturally, she felt a quiet sense of pride.
But then—she thought about the way Keqing addressed him as "Master," and about her maid-like attire.
Jean's expression turned slightly strange.
Could it be that Boss Han was into… that kind of thing now?
Alongside her admiration, a subtle sense of urgency began to grow.
She had arrived first—yet Liyue had already made their move.
She couldn't fall behind.
"Maybe… next time I should try something new."
An idea began to form in her mind.
But she wouldn't simply copy Keqing's approach.
That would be boring.
She needed to make him feel the unique passion of Mondstadt.
Then she remembered the nickname he had assigned to her in his contacts.
At that moment, a plan took shape.
And her face slowly turned red.
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