Inazuma.
Kunikuzushi hadn't returned for hundreds of years.
The New Year was approaching, and spring was just around the corner.
Crimson early cherry blossoms clustered together, one bunch after another, forming a sea of red clouds like a sunset. Amidst the floral clouds, the branches of the cherry trees and traditional Japanese houses were faintly visible. The sky had not yet brightened, but the evening glow had already appeared in advance.
Dragonfish flags fluttered in the wind, and the air was filled with the scent of plum wine mixed with the aroma of rice fields.
Konda Village.
This small fishing village was called Konda Village.
Hundreds of years had passed, yet these cherry blossoms had never changed.
It was annoying.
Kunikuzushi frowned slightly.
He no longer wished to set foot on this land.
But the dramatic changes in Inazuma's policies had already attracted the intense interest of the Fatui, or rather, Tsaritsa.
Narukami had secluded herself, the Sakoku Decree was fully implemented, the passing of the Pillar General, the shifting situation in Inazuma, and the restlessness of various commissions—all had made the Harbingers of Snezhnaya develop other intentions toward this land.
Delusion.
A twisted creation, obtaining immense power at the cost of sacrificing lives. Delusions were unstable, fraught with imperfections, necessitating experiments and more data support.
Delusion Factor, or rather, Delusion Lab.
The Fatui aimed to incite internal conflicts within Inazuma—to spark a war and build Delusion Factories in Inazuma, distributing Delusions as weapons to both sides of the conflict. They intended to turn this enclosed land into a breeding ground.
They even sought to seize Narukami's Gnosis.
Kunikuzushi had no fondness for Inazuma, nor any particular feelings toward Narukami. If they wanted to seize the Gnosis, so be it.
Perfect timing.
The boy was in dire need of a Gnosis.
He gently let the edge of his maid's kasa droop, covering the delicate face of the puppet and concealing those dark, cold eyes.
To seize Narukami's heart, Kunikuzushi took on this mission willingly, becoming the diplomat sent to Inazuma City.
At the same time, he had other motives for accepting this task.
Delusion Factory.
He had no intention of building one.
He didn't plan to follow the Tsaritsa's orders.
Kunikuzushi, well-versed in the nature and cold will of Fatui executives, knew that if other executives came, human experiments would be inevitable, plunging Inazuma into even greater chaos.
Kunikuzushi acted not out of any love for Inazuma, love for humanity, kindness, or justice—but rather, he deeply understood his own nature. He possessed "evil," and from the moment of his creation, he had been a disaster.
How could an unfeeling puppet possibly love humanity?
He simply didn't want to disappoint that old man.
That was all.
The gentle breeze of the town and Inazuma lightly brushed the maid's kasa. Kunikuzushi reached out, the yellowish and translucent sunlight warmly spread across the back of his hand.
The town was lively, decorated with lanterns and banners. Large lanterns hung throughout the alley, young men carrying heavy New Year goods walked along the streets, laughter and joy echoed everywhere, with elders and children playing loudly—it was preparation for the New Year.
In past winters, it was rare to see so many young faces because of wars and the need to purge new impurities. Men were conscripted, leaving only women, children, and elders to spend the New Year in the village.
But this year was different. The impurities had been cleared, and men no longer had to leave home or die. They could stay in the village, celebrating a reunion-filled New Year with their wives, children, and parents.
For ordinary people, this was their happiness.
So they laughed loudly.
Peace and tranquility enveloped this small village.
Kunikuzushi calmly observed all this, walking alone through the bustling streets like an outsider.
He had no intention of disrupting this peace because it was something "he" had exchanged his remaining life for. Kunikuzushi didn't want to taint "his" remaining life.
Following his memory, he leisurely walked along the alley, paused, looked up, and slightly squinted his eyes.
Seino Tofu
This was a small shop, only about five tatami mats in size, with an old wooden signboard. Two red lanterns hung in front of the door, and dim lights illuminated the slightly worn characters on the sign: Seino Tofu.
In fact, before Kunikuzushi was born, this shop had already closed.
He had tasted tofu made by Seino Raimei, but unfortunately, puppets couldn't discern flavors—or rather, puppets didn't know what flavors were.
What surprised Kunikuzushi was that the shop seemed to be open.
Because the lanterns were newly lit, and the signboard was polished.
"It's not open yet."
"Exhausted this old master."
A gentle female voice came from beside him.
Miss Fox shook her ears, her beautiful and slender eyes reflecting the puppet's shadow.
Her profile was stunning and charming but subtly gave an illusion of coolness—a radiant sorrow. She was dressed in a white miko outfit, as pure as a white plum, with a plain white long-sleeved kimono falling to the ground, legs bare, wearing a pair of wooden clogs.
Yae Miko.
Grand Narukami Shrine's priestess.
Kunikuzushi thought to himself, frowning slightly.
"Kunikuzushi-san." The shrine maiden said. "I know you, Fatui's executive."
She knew his own real name… very few people knew his real name.
"Did you open this shop?" Kunikuzushi asked.
"Yes. It's been open for a long time." Mentioning this, Miss Fox smiled proudly, her eyes gleaming with pride. "This old master's skills are excellent!"
"I've always been here." She whispered. "This shop will always be open."
What did the priestess of Narukami Shrine intend to do?
"I want to inquire about someone."
As Miko said this, she pushed open the tofu shop's wooden door. She slightly bowed, pulled up her clogs, and stepped barefoot onto the tatami mats. "About Seino Fugin."
Miss Fox stared into Kunikuzushi's eyes seriously.
"I want to know about Seino Fugin."
These days, Miko often dreamed of past events, dreaming of that snowy night.
The vast and endless snow covered the world, nothing remained beneath the pure white sky, only heavy clouds rolling in the sky. She walked alone in the desolate plains, desperately searching, blood staining the snowy fields, monster corpses lying on the road one after another…
She often woke up startled from her dreams.
Her heart trembled gently. Miss Fox curled up into a ball, hugging her fluffy tail, burying her head in it, trying hard to forget that night.
But the more she tried to forget, the easier it was to remember, remembering the vast snow, the heavy clouds, those sliced monster corpses…
Monster corpses.
Monster corpses cut by Anemo.
Yae Miko suddenly realized she had missed something, overlooked something, almost a moment of brilliance.
She still remembered the appearance of the corpses she saw that day—clearly cut by Anemo.
But Seino Raimei couldn't control Anemo.
Did he have attendants with him?
Miss Fox quickly dismissed this speculation.
Because when she found Seino, he was lying alone in the icy snow. If Miko had arrived fifteen minutes later, Seino would have been frozen to death.
If he truly had attendants, they wouldn't have left him alone in the snow.
Moreover, knowing Yae Miko's understanding of Seino Raimei's temperament, the old man was stubborn and proud with a terrible temper. He wouldn't bring others when facing death.
He went alone, but the Anemo wounds on the monsters were inexplicable. This was the first point of doubt.
Next, the adopted son named Seino Fugin appeared.
Yae Miko had lived with Seino Raimei for five hundred years and had never heard of him having an adopted son.
He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Even the Yashiro Commission couldn't trace his origins.
Then, Seino Raimei quietly departed.
How could an elderly, dying man slip away from such tight surveillance without a sound?
Thousands of guards were stationed around the Pillar General Mansion; this was an impossible feat.
At the same time, the boy named Seino Fugin took out a fast boat using the Tsaritsa's order and left Inazuma City that night.
Seino Sara inquired all the soldiers on duty that night. One soldier said he saw Seino Fugin come out of the Pillar General's room.
This was the second point of doubt.
The Shadow had sealed the entire Inazuma region. Following Seino Raimei's aura, they found a boat, but there was no Seino Raimei on it.
Instead, there was the boy named Seino Fugin.
This was the third point of doubt.
Miss Fox recalled the words Seino Raimei had said to her that day:
——
"On this day next year, I will still meet you again. This is my vow."
Seino Raimei kept his promises throughout his life.
When he spoke, he gazed earnestly into his own eyes.
Very earnest.
Perhaps there was hope.
That old man hated, loved to play tricks, especially during the New Year. He liked to play pranks, deliberately acting as if he was going to die. When you were worried and anxious, he would make a silly face, laughing and telling you that you were fooled by him…
Now, the New Year was almost here. He must be playing that boring joke again. He would definitely appear before her with a smiling silly face.
Seino Raimei might be hiding some secret, a secret that absolutely couldn't be discovered.
The more she investigated, the more Yae Miko realized this.
——Perhaps Seino Raimei and Seino Fugin had some kind of connection, a deep connection that surpassed that of an adopted son and the head of the family.
This thought might just be her illusion, or her one-sided wish, so she didn't tell anyone, including Shadow.
When Ei was cleaning Seino Fugin's room, she found a letter to a stranger, signed by Kunikuzushi.
Ei didn't know who he was, but Yae Miko did.
She had seen this puppet in the Pillar General Mansion before, and she remembered his appearance.
Before his death, Seino Raimei had written a letter to Kunikuzushi… perhaps Kunikuzushi knew something.
Perhaps Kunikuzushi knew the truth.
This was the only clue left.
——
"Too bad."
Kunikuzushi leaned back on the wooden chair, crossing his arms. He said coldly, "I know nothing. I'm not interested in Inazuma's affairs."
Almost mocking.
Kunikuzushi despised all the people of Inazuma. They were hypocritical and righteous, wasting time recklessly, regretting deeply when they lost things. He hated such people.
"I see."
Miko whispered softly.
She didn't show any sign of disappointment, just gently nodded, seemingly accustomed to disappointment. She paused, "Are you hungry? This meal is on the house."
"What?"
"Are you hungry?" Yae Miko took out a piece of snowy white tofu, lowering her fox ears, saying, "You came to Seino Tofu, you should have a meal before you leave."
Fox Udon is actually udon noodles with tofu added.
Kunikuzushi had eaten fox udon made by Seino Raimei.
He hadn't left any special impression.
Back then, he didn't find anything special, nor did he like it. To him, it was merely a way to replenish nutrients. Taste was irrelevant to a puppet.
"Not needed." Kunikuzushi said.
"I said it's free. Don't want even free?" Miss Fox was greatly surprised. "And you should want to try it."
"Why?"
Kunikuzushi asked.
"Because you've come here."
Yae Miko pressed her slender index finger on the tofu ball, seriously saying:
"Taste is a peculiar thing. Many things seem ordinary and commonplace when we taste them, but after losing them, we begin to miss them."
"You subconsciously returned here just because deep down, you miss them."
She paused, her voice very low, almost mumbling, "This is a lesson I only recently understood."
Kunikuzushi frowned.
Fox Udon was quickly made.
Clear broth absorbed the smoothness of the tofu, the fine noodles soaked into the soup, warm steam rising in the slightly cold night air, emitting a faint aroma.
Kunikuzushi remembered how he first tasted it.
Seino Raimei brought steaming hot noodles to his front, Kunikuzushi didn't want to eat, but the former slapped his head hard, "Little brat, you won't grow tall without eating! Look how short you are!"
The way he spoke, laughing heartily—it had been over three hundred years ago.
His rough, large hands were very warm.
Kunikuzushi watched the noodles, remained silent for a while, then finally said, "I've only met Seino Fugin once…"
He didn't know why he had to say it.
Yae Miko perked up her fox ears, listening hopefully.
The sun rose higher.
At this moment, sudden, slightly hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
"Come in." Kunikuzushi said.
A masked Fatui follower pushed open the door, crouched down, and whispered a few words into Kunikuzushi's ear.
It seemed to be urgent news.
Kunikuzushi paused slightly.
"What's wrong?" Yae Miko asked.
——"La Signora's mission is complete. A knight has been killed."
Kunikuzushi stammered.
"Seino Fugin is dead."
For some reason, upon hearing this news, a strange chill ran through his heart.