As soon as they stepped into the shrine, they saw Yae Miko leisurely lounging on a deck chair, basking in the sun. All their gloomy moods seemed to vanish. They had no idea what had happened the previous night to cause such a drastic change in her.
"Yo, you guys are here? I thought you'd only bring one or two, but I didn't expect a whole group. Lu Ze, Lu Ze, why are you so flirtatious? It makes me so envious!"
Yae Miko, swaying leisurely on the deck chair, couldn't quite hide her playful thoughts upon seeing so many women. She was quite enthusiastic about getting close.
"Don't say things you shouldn't..."
Lu Ze looked back fearfully. He had only just managed to calm everyone down; if she stirred things up again, it wouldn't be easily extinguished.
"Never mind that for now. Aren't you here to explore? Go ahead and look around. The fortune sticks were just replaced, so you can try your luck drawing one. Don't worry about me."
Yae Miko, pulling out some fried tofu and sake from who-knows-where, began to eat with relish. She even had a light novel with her. Was that proper? How could the chief priestess of Grand Narukami Shrine be so idle?
If some well-intentioned people saw this, her position as chief priestess might be in jeopardy, though perhaps a certain old lady wouldn't agree to a change.
Walking towards the back of the shrine, they saw a giant cherry blossom tree. Petals fell every moment. At the very top, a wooden fox head hung, a testament to Yae Miko's unique style.
The people coming and going were mostly shrine maidens. At this hour, there weren't many visitors; after all, not everyone had the leisure to visit a shrine for prayer every day.
Bronya asked a shrine maiden for directions and was led to a bamboo tube.
"If you want to draw a fortune, take one yourself..."
Bronya was somewhat surprised by the shrine maiden's indifferent attitude, expecting more enthusiasm from someone in her profession. However, she paid it no mind. Her fair right hand reached into the bamboo tube, and she casually picked out a stick. Upon closer inspection, it had a marked code. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Give me the fortune stick."
She handed the stick to the indifferent person, who quickly found the corresponding slip of paper and handed it back.
The latter opened it with anticipation. The word "Great Blessing" appeared on the slip, followed by a detailed description of an item.
"Lucky charm: Sea Ganoderma? What kind of hint is this? Could it be about... that?"
No one knew what thoughts were swirling in her little head, or if any strange ideas might pop out. However, Wendy, seeing the slip in her hand, also became interested.
She approached the indifferent person and was about to draw a fortune stick.
Meanwhile, Bronya, as if having figured something out, nodded confidently and tied the slip of paper to a nearby string.
"It should be about what I expected, hehe... Lu Ze, Lu Ze, you can't escape tonight!"
Lu Ze, standing by the divine cherry tree, sneezed inexplicably. It was so loud that everyone around looked at him.
"Ahaha... I wonder who's bad-mouthing me... You guys carry on, carry on..."
However, Aponia, a little worried, walked over and touched Lu Ze's head. The cool back of her hand rested on his warm forehead as she felt for a temperature.
"It doesn't seem like a cold; you don't have a fever. Everything is normal... But, you should cover yourself well when you sleep from now on, or catching a cold will be quite troublesome."
Lu Ze really wanted to say that he was a Herrscher, how could he possibly catch a cold? But looking at Aponia's sincere eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
Nearby, Ai felt a blush creep up her face. Although they hadn't covered themselves properly the previous night... it wasn't enough to catch a cold, was it? Besides, Lu Ze was so strong, how could he possibly get sick?
"Huh? Sister Ai! Why is your face so red? Could it be... you're sick?"
Pardofelis, beside her, suddenly wondered if she had fallen ill just by sleeping.
"I... I am not! How could I possibly be sick? I'm a Herrscher, you know. You have to believe in my constitution."
Himeko watched it all, her crimson eyes with hints of gold fixed on Lu Ze. It seemed she had to act quickly, or it would be too late.
Anna had the same thought. She also knew that Himeko nearby had similar intentions and was preparing to devise a plan to send everyone away so she could have him all to herself.
Everyone present had their own little schemes. Yae Miko, still lounging on the deck chair, merely chuckled and whispered:
"Sometimes... having too many people around isn't a good thing. When the fire starts... you'll know regret, Lu Ze~"
After enjoying the scenery for about half an hour more, everyone decided it was time to head down the mountain, have lunch, and then explore Inazuma City.
Watching the large group depart, Yae Miko finally got up from her deck chair. She looked around; no one was there.
"Yesterday, I sensed that guy's aura. Combined with Ei's description, it's likely Orosius has arrived in Inazuma... Sigh, she doesn't worry, but I do. I should go investigate some clues."
With a flash of lightning, she vanished from the spot, her figure disappearing from the shrine.
Meanwhile, a ship slowly docked. A large group of dockworkers had already gathered ashore. They were responsible for unloading the cargo. However, upon seeing that it was books this time, and the latest "Thirteen Flame-Chasers," even the newest installment, they were all a bit excited.
Don't underestimate them; though they were laborers, they had young hearts. They had already read the previous eleven volumes of this novel and were eagerly anticipating the ending.
News of this quickly spread. Even Yae Publishing House posted a new preview notice, announcing the sale of the latest volume of "Thirteen Flame-Chasers" starting tomorrow.
"Haha, looking at their expectant faces, my conscience suddenly feels a pang. But to let them taste the pain, I must go against my conscience and force-feed them sorrow."
The captain looked on with satisfaction. "Sigh... at that time, please don't throw all the books into the sea. If you must throw them, protect them a little, let them drift with the wind to other cities and torment others."
"Captain, shouldn't we hurry and leave? If we're any later, I'm afraid those people will overturn our ship, and then we won't be able to go back."
The captain was slightly exasperated by the frightened crew member. "What do you mean hurry? We leave now! Absolutely do not give anyone else an opportunity."