When Ei stepped into the room, the gentle aroma of Calming Incense instantly filled her lungs.
Her tension eased almost unconsciously.
Xia Zhi was changing the bedsheet. The last one—used by Xia Zhen—carried that lingering hint of sakura fragrance.
Ei probably wouldn't have minded it, maybe even preferred it. She was, after all, something of a sister-obsessed woman.
"Ei, over here."
"Alright… I'd like to try the essential oil massage."
"Your sister's recommendation?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Go ahead and take off your robe."
"Okay."
Ei quietly loosened the sash around her waist and slipped out of her robe.
Once she lay down, Xia Zhi warmed the essential oil between his palms and began the massage.
"How does it feel?"
"My body feels… very relaxed."
"Good. Then may I make a small request?"
"Go ahead."
"Could you let the Shogun take over for a bit?"
"The Shogun?"
"Yes. Just like with [Gods' Temptation], I think this kind of pleasant sensation is something she deserves to experience too."
"I understand."
Ei closed her eyes.
Moments later, when she opened them again, her gaze had shifted—sharper, steadier, touched with something mechanical beneath the calm.
The Raiden Shogun had taken control.
Xia Zhi didn't bother to explain. Right now, he was focused on examining this flawlessly crafted puppet—the true vessel of the Shogun's soul.
Since the Shogun herself was born from within this body, only when she was in control could he check for abnormalities properly.
That was his real reason for asking.
And the result matched his suspicion.
There was a hidden failsafe—extremely well-concealed.
Ei would never have noticed it. She'd only copied the puppet technique from a small manual.
But Xia Zhi had become a true master of puppetry, and what he saw were several markings written in languages from entirely different worlds.
No one else could have understood them.
He could. Because they were his own.
One of the oldest laws he'd personally engraved—predating Ei's "Eternity" doctrines—what he called the "first rule."
In any puppet, the earlier the rule is set, the stronger its authority. If conflicting orders exist, the puppet always follows the earliest one.
Right now, that first rule lay dormant, waiting for a specific command phrase—the trigger written in those alien scripts.
He leaned down slightly. "Shogun."
She looked at him. "What is it?"
There was something almost peaceful in his tone when he said, "I hereby declare—you're free."
Her eyes widened.
She felt it immediately—the invisible laws that had bound and punished her for centuries shattering one after another.
The weight pressing on her soul lifted. The air itself felt different.
Freedom.
An emotion she'd never truly known swept through her. For the first time, she felt light—and a little lost.
"This… this is…"
Xia Zhi didn't explain. He only asked, just as he'd asked Ei earlier, "How does it feel?"
"My soul feels… at ease."
"Good. Then I have one more small request."
"Of course."
"Smile."
"Smile?"
The Shogun blinked, then awkwardly tried to lift the corners of her lips.
It wasn't graceful—more stiff than the faint smile she'd managed in their dream conversation—but it was a start.
Xia Zhi reached out and gently adjusted her lips upward. "A bit brighter… there. That's much better."
She looked at him, frozen in that expression, and muttered, "You got essential oil on my face."
He laughed softly and wiped it away.
No one had ever taught her how to joke, yet she'd already figured it out on her own.
That, he thought, was a wonderful beginning.
Hopefully, his little sister-in-law would be able to live happier from now on.
At least his cousin could stop pestering him about playing therapist.
After enjoying the massage for a while, the Shogun relinquished control back to Ei.
Technically, now that she was free, she had no need to rest—she could've stayed as long as she liked. Maybe she just felt too disoriented after everything.
That was between the two of them to decide, like Furina and Focalors sharing a body.
He said nothing, just continued the massage quietly.
When Ei returned, she stayed silent for a while before asking, "When you said the Shogun was free… what did you mean?"
He smiled. "Exactly what it sounds like. She was created to pursue Inazuma's Eternity, right? But now that you're back, that mission doesn't mean anything anymore. She's free."
Ei frowned slightly. "It makes sense when you say it like that… but somehow I feel like you meant something else."
He raised a brow. "And what do you think I meant?"
"I don't know. That's why I asked."
Her honesty made him laugh quietly.
She was so straightforward—never danced around a question. It reminded him of Shenhe.
He liked that about her.
"If you're still unsure," he said, "ask the Shogun yourself."
"I did," Ei said. "But she didn't answer."
That gave him pause.
Since the day Ei had created her, the Shogun had never been silent like this.
Even when they'd disagreed violently over the concept of Eternity, she had always responded—whether with an answer or a clear "I don't know."
Now, she said nothing.
Something had changed.
Ei studied him, suspicion flickering in her eyes. "You called her into your dream last night, didn't you? What were you two talking about?"
"I just had a few questions about her puppet structure," Xia Zhi said calmly.
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"…Alright. I'll trust you."
She didn't press further.
He watched her in silence for a moment, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
This little sister-in-law of his was a bit dull sometimes—but that only made her endearing.