From Kurisu's mouth, Lumine and Paimon learned the outcome.
And then…
They fell silent.
The most helpless part?
Harrison and his group couldn't even subdue Keijiro.
Instead, they were stalled long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Panicking, the young men scattered like birds.
As expected, all seven or eight of them were now wanted fugitives.
And Keijiro—
The original oppressor—
Had effortlessly transformed into the "victim."
"…What do we do now?" Paimon muttered gloomily.
Even Lumine was stunned.
With so many eyes now on Keijiro, there was no way to approach him—let alone extort evidence.
Even if she managed to uncover proof of tax manipulation…
This situation had already spiraled into a deadlock.
Harrison's impulsive strike had shoved himself straight into a corner.
At this point, unless they fled to Watatsumi Island and joined the resistance…
There was no easy way to shake the charge of assaulting an official of the Kanjou Commission.
Paimon sighed deeply.
"…If only Mr. Luo Li were here."
Meanwhile…The Thousand-Gated Vessel
While Lumine and Paimon struggled on Ritou—
Luo Li's days had been… extraordinarily pleasant.
When he opened his eyes that morning, the skylight they had left open the night before was already closed.
Moon and stars were gone.
Only the brilliant sunlight filtering through the pavilion windows told him it was already noon.
He turned his head.
Beside him lay Guangdai, who had given herself completely night after night.
Even in sleep, faint traces of dried tears lingered at the corners of her eyes.
Luo Li was silent for a moment before rising and walking toward the window, stretching lightly.
From here, he could see Mount Yougou rising toward the heavens in the distance.
Behind it, the bustling Inazuma City lay hidden.
He watched for a while.
Then he heard movement behind him.
"Teacher… why are you up so early today?"
Guangdai rubbed her eyes as she sat up.
Seeing his figure by the window, the faint panic in her heart immediately settled.
He turned around and noticed she had already dressed.
"Early? It's nearly noon. If anything, you're the one waking up later and later these days."
Guangdai flushed slightly.
She knew exactly why.
Ever since that night…
Their intensity had escalated.
The great Tengu had been thoroughly indulgent.
If Luo Li wasn't within sight, she would feel uneasy.
What if this was all an illusion?
What if he disappeared again?
"…That's because you don't consider whether I can even handle it…" she muttered softly.
Luo Li pretended not to hear.
"I've stayed here for several days now. It's time I leave."
Guangdai stiffened immediately.
"Where are you going? I'm coming with you."
She refused to risk another five centuries of loneliness.
She would go mad.
"I've only just returned. There are still many old friends I need to see. Besides…" His eyes curved faintly. "Haven't I fed you enough?"
Her cheeks reddened—but she stubbornly replied:
"Not even in a lifetime."
He laughed quietly and flicked her nose.
"I promise. This time, I won't disappear without a word. But I can't stay here forever."
She hesitated.
Then something seemed to occur to her.
"Teacher… there's something I forgot to tell you."
He turned fully toward her.
"It's about Axiang."
His gaze shifted slightly.
Asase Hibiki.
The resilient, gentle shrine maiden who always worked quietly in the background.
Five hundred years had passed.
Guangdai, a great yokai, still lived.
But Hibiki was human.
Time was merciless to mortals.
Even Luo Li, who had witnessed countless farewells, felt a subtle tightening in his chest.
Perhaps it was better not to entangle too deeply with those who did not share long lives.
He understood the adepti of Liyue more than ever now.
It wasn't that they disliked companionship.
It was that watching everyone die… left scars.
"…What happened to Axiang?"
He prepared himself for the worst.
But Guangdai's next words stunned him.
"When we learned of your death, Axiang told no one. She left the Grand Narukami Shrine and returned to Seirai Island, inheriting the position of shrine maiden at Asase Shrine."
"I only learned of it years later. At that time, I wasn't in a state to see anyone either."
"When I later heard that the Thunder Manifestation's grudge had been resolved, I passed by Seirai Island to see her."
"She was gone."
"There was only a black cat named Neko."
"It told me… Axiang could not accept your death. She used the sealing arts you once taught her to seal herself."
"Her cultivation wasn't enough, so she forcefully borrowed the Thunder Bird's power to connect to the ley lines and sustain the barrier."
"After that… I never returned."
Guangdai's voice dimmed.
Luo Li, however—
His eyes lit up.
He had once taught both Guangdai and Asase Hibiki far beyond their current levels.
Among those teachings was a time-stasis barrier.
A technique capable of halting aging entirely.
But it required an enormous power source.
Hibiki…
Had used the Thunder Bird's lingering energy and the ley lines to sustain it.
If the seal remained intact—
She would still be in the state she was five hundred years ago.
Alive.
Perhaps.
For the first time since hearing her name, Luo Li smiled.
"Teacher… Axiang…"
Guangdai's expression remained shadowed.
She had loved Hibiki like a younger sister.
Uncertainty had tormented her for centuries.
Luo Li gently stroked her hair.
"Axiang may not be gone."
He spoke softly.
Of course, nothing was certain yet.
Only by going to Seirai Island in person would he know.
But—
For the first time in five hundred years—
There was a thread of hope.
And sometimes…
That was enough.