"What's in the wooden box?"
Ei asked.
"I don't know either. Lady Guuji told me to bring it along with the book," Sayu mumbled, stumbling over the words.
Hearing that, Ei nodded and opened the box.
Inside, resting on the top layer, were a plate of Fried Tofu, a plate of fried skewers, and a bottle of sake.
Ei's brow furrowed.
She lifted out the top layer. In the second layer sat a bottle of Dango Milk.
That Miko...
She glanced at Sayu. "If there's nothing else, you may withdraw."
"Yes, Shogun Almighty."
Sayu nodded quickly and headed for the hall doors, every muscle drawn tight. But the instant she stepped across the threshold, something came back to her.
She spun around to look.
Inside the hall, the Shogun Almighty still sat high upon her seat. Sayu let out a breath.
That day, she had been hiding just outside Tenshukaku. The Traveler had walked out of the hall exactly like this, and the moment her foot cleared the threshold, the Shogun Almighty's blade had come down.
She knew there was no chance the Shogun Almighty would kill her. Even so, in that one moment of stepping out of the hall, remembering the story the Traveler had told, a chill crawled up her spine.
Terrifying.
She jogged the whole way out of Tenshukaku, and only then did she let out a long, unburdened sigh.
Safe at last.
The moment the tension went slack, drowsiness rolled in.
Time to find somewhere to sleep.
By the time she reached the gates of the Tenryou Commission, Sayu couldn't hold out any longer.
She yawned, used her ninja arts to conjure a wooden barrel, and fell asleep behind a clump of grass by the Tenryou Commission's gate.
Across from the Tenryou Commission, up in a teahouse, Yae Miko sat on the open-air balcony watching the little thing asleep in the barrel, and a smile tugged at her lips.
She picked up her chopsticks, lifted a piece of Fried Tofu into her mouth, and chewed twice.
"Not bad. Cooked just right, tender and full of juice."
Yae Miko smiled, picked up her copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and looked toward Tenshukaku towering in the distance. The corner of her mouth curved.
"Ei should be reading it by now, shouldn't she? I do hope Fang Qiu's anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day doesn't disappoint me the way her last book did. Otherwise, once that little thing comes to Inazuma, I'll have to sit her down as the editor-in-chief of her distribution partner and have a good long talk with her about the craft of writing."
With that, she laughed softly and opened the book in her hands.
Only, she had barely turned the first page.
Yae Miko's hand paused. "Come to think of it, that little thing still hasn't made up her mind to come to Inazuma. It seems I'll have to think of something."
"Kano, any ideas?" Yae Miko glanced at Kano Nana beside her.
"In answer to Lady Guuji, how about... we offer her more money?" Kano Nana thought it over and said.
"More money?"
Yae Miko shook her head. "Never mind her sales in Liyue itself. The sales from our Yae Publishing House here in Inazuma alone would let her live in careless luxury for decades. Money is the last thing she lacks."
"Then what do we do?" Kano Nana asked, puzzled. "We can't very well have the Traveler tie her up and haul her over here."
"How could we possibly do that?" Yae Miko laughed, her lovely fox eyes brimming with mischief.
Meanwhile.
Inside Tenshukaku.
Ei took out the Dango Milk, put the Fried Tofu and the fried skewers back in the wooden box, closed the lid, and set it aside.
Then she turned her gaze to the copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day lying flat on the table.
"anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. A fine title."
Ei murmured to herself as she opened the cover and began to read in earnest.
The story began on an afternoon at the end of summer.
And at that same time.
Kujou Sara had returned to the Kujou Clan estate as well.
Kujou Kamaji was drilling soldiers in the courtyard just then.
After greeting Kujou Kamaji, Kujou Sara went straight on toward her own room.
Seeing the copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day in Kujou Sara's hand, Kujou Kamaji shot an anxious look at the front gate.
Why isn't Ippei back yet?
The drill was about done anyway, so he told the soldiers to rest where they stood.
He himself walked to the front gate and lifted his eyes toward Ritou.
"I wonder whether Chisato managed to get a copy."
Ritou.
Shinnojou hurried back to the Kanjou Commission's Hiiragi Clan estate with a copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day in hand.
But when he reached the courtyard gallery where the young lady stayed, he found a servant handing Hiiragi Chisato a letter along with a copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.
"Who asked you to deliver this to me?" Hiiragi Chisato said, puzzled.
"While I was on patrol, I ran into someone from the Tenryou Commission. He asked me to pass it along to you, my lady," the man said respectfully.
"I see."
At those four words, "the Tenryou Commission," understanding dawned on Hiiragi Chisato. "Very well, I understand. You may go."
"Yes, my lady."
The man nodded, turned, and left.
Only then did Hiiragi Chisato notice Shinnojou, who had just hurried back.
"Shinnojou, thank you for the trouble," Hiiragi Chisato said with a faint smile.
"It's only what I ought to do."
Shinnojou smiled awkwardly and handed the book to the maidservant at Hiiragi Chisato's side. Then he glanced at the letter and the book she was cradling, his eyes dimming, and excused himself, turning to leave.
"A book and a letter, sent from the Tenryou Commission. My lady, this must be a book Lord Kujou Kamaji sent for you. Hurry, open the letter and see!"
The maidservant set Shinnojou's book aside, then leaned in close to Hiiragi Chisato and asked with excitement written all over her face.
She was genuinely happy for her mistress.
"Mm."
Hiiragi Chisato smiled, set anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day aside, and opened the letter.
"Well? Is it from Lord Kujou Kamaji?" the maidservant asked.
"Mm."
Hiiragi Chisato smiled, and the smile was sweet.
"I never imagined Lord Kujou Kamaji would be so thoughtful about every detail." The maidservant laughed and poured Hiiragi Chisato a cup of hot tea. "Read it first, my lady. I won't say another word and disturb you."
Hiiragi Chisato smiled and began to read the letter carefully.
But when she saw what was written in it, she went utterly still.
"My lady? What's wrong? What did Lord Kujou Kamaji write?"
Hiiragi Chisato stood frozen in place, a bashful flush rising on her lovely cheeks.
"He... he proposed to me."
It took a long moment before Hiiragi Chisato could get the words out, her face red.
"What?"
The maidservant blanked for an instant, then broke into pure delight. "That's wonderful, my lady!"
"Keep your voice down. This stays between us for now."
Joy still lingered on Hiiragi Chisato's face, but she composed herself quickly. "This is a serious matter. I'll write to Kamaji and ask him about it first."
"Mm, understood, my lady."
The maidservant nodded.
"All right, let's read."
Hiiragi Chisato said, "As it happens, the copy I asked Shinnojou to buy has arrived too. We'll read together."
"Thank you, my lady."
The maidservant's eyes lit up, her face full of delight, and she thanked her at once.
Then, at Hiiragi Chisato's gesture, she sat down beside her.
Chisato let out a long breath, drew her gaze away from the letter, and lost herself in the book.
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