"Cough, cough—!"
Ye Xi nearly choked on his tea.
[That sly fox! Why can't she speak clearly?]
[What does she mean "because of me" she didn't sleep well?]
How is anyone supposed to handle that!?
Having overheard Ye Xi's inner thoughts, the departing Yae Miko wore a mischievous, playful grin, clearly enjoying the chaos she had left behind. After saying something like that, she refused to believe the young lady of the Yashiro Commission wouldn't be at least a little upset!
Sure enough, after Yae Miko left, Kamisato Ayaka's gaze was filled with a sense of loss and disappointment. She looked like a mournful heron that had lost its kin, her eyes swimming with sorrow.
"Xi... did you two sleep together last night?"
"How could that be possible!"
Ye Xi looked at her, stuck between laughter and tears. "Don't listen to her nonsense. That stinking fox lives for playing pranks on people."
[One of them is bold enough to say it, and the other is actually naive enough to believe it.]
[That wretched fox!]
[She is the esteemed Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine. How could she ever engage in such impure acts?]
[She only dared to say that because she knows Ayaka is well-behaved and wouldn't spread rumors.]
[If it were anyone else, news of it would have spread across the four corners of the land within the hour!]
Ye Xi felt a massive headache coming on. Still, hearing the words "slept together" come from the mouth of the Eldest Miss felt strangely jarring. It seemed like something she had blurted out in a moment of impulse without thinking.
[This doesn't quite fit the original setting of Kamisato Ayaka...]
Kamisato Ayaka picked up her teacup and nodded silently, her expression returning to its usual calm. If she hadn't been able to hear Ye Xi's heart, she might have truly lost her composure by now. Even with her usual impeccable manners, she would have likely cornered him, clutching the corner of his robe until she got a clear answer.
It seems the Lady Guuji was intentionally trying to cause a misunderstanding, she thought.
She felt a secret sense of relief. Back when Yae Miko had asked her if she could hear "strange voices," Ayaka had been cautious enough to feign total confusion. Otherwise, Yae Miko would surely have viewed her as a rival!
That was the truth of it. When Ye Xi had first brought her back to Mt. Yougou, Yae Miko had pulled her aside to ask about it. In that moment, Ayaka realized that the Lady Guuji could also hear Ye Xi's heart. Answering truthfully would have been far too dangerous.
However, since the Lady Guuji was intentionally trying to provoke her, Ayaka certainly couldn't afford to show weakness!
She gripped her folding fan and slowly stood up, offering an invitation. "Xi, may we take a stroll through the courtyard?"
"Of course."
Ye Xi stood to accompany her. He sighed inwardly; as expected of the Eldest Miss, she was always so subtle. If she wanted his company, she could have just said so...
They walked along the path through the pavilion. Every transition within this small realm was born from his mind. With a simple thought, the courtyard began to extend. The path through the pavilion lengthened as gardens, rockeries, ponds, and thickets manifested.
A pebble path wound through the trees, and clear springs gathered into pools between the stones. A bamboo water-pipe tipped forward as it filled, striking a mossy rock with a crisp clack.
Winding paths lead to secluded spots, where Zen rooms are hidden deep amidst flowers and trees.
Guided by this poetic intent, a myriad of scenes unfolded. Watching the landscape shift before her eyes, Kamisato Ayaka felt a wave of emotion.
"Though this is not the first time I have witnessed this marvelous transformation, this beautiful scenery is truly imbued with a profound atmosphere."
"To walk with you, Xi... it is a rare and elegant pleasure."
She admired Ye Xi's ability immensely, and she knew how difficult such a feat of manifestation truly was. It was like painting. If the image did not already exist within the heart, how could it ever be placed upon the paper?
If anyone else possessed this power, they likely wouldn't create such a poetic paradise, but rather a barren desert.
Her words left Ye Xi feeling quite satisfied.
High mountains and flowing water find their matching soul.
If he were to create the scenery he loved most without anyone to appreciate it, even the beauty itself would feel a sense of loneliness.
[The Eldest Miss truly has an eye for beauty. This Sub-Space isn't much different from Raiden Ei's, but Ei's Plane of Euthymia is...]
[Well, it's hard to describe.]
[Moreover, back in my previous life, most of the players designing their Serenitea Pots had very meager imaginations.]
[Just to hit 20,000 Adeptal Energy, they would just throw things everywhere at random.]
[In the end, the inside of the Serenitea Pot looked like a place where no carbon-based lifeform could possibly survive.]
[Forget it, forget it, I shouldn't complain. As an employee of that company, the more I look at it, the more my heart aches.]
Ye Xi shook his head with a bitter smile. Returning to Ayaka's topic, his lips curled into a gentle grin. "Over the years, you've grown more and more fond of these elegant pursuits."
"Poetry, music, chess, dance, tea ceremonies, and swordsmanship... with these inspirations, it is only natural to manifest such beauty."
"Look. Plucking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, I gaze leisurely upon the southern mountains."
Ye Xi pointed a finger, and the environment shifted instantly. Chrysanthemums bloomed everywhere as majestic mountains rose in the distance. Ayaka's eyes lit up, and she clapped her small hands together in delight.
"It's beautiful!"
"Xi, is this the scenery of your homeland?"
Ye Xi nodded. "Indeed. This is Liyue."
He had lied to Ayaka, telling her his hometown was in Liyue. He did not know that Ayaka saw right through his falsehood. She knew that while this scenery resembled Liyue, it far surpassed it! This elegance was Ye Xi's true home.
"Droplets drench the feathers, gone in an instant; the heron treads upon the water, what cause is there for grievance?"
Hearing the lines recited by Ayaka, Ye Xi shifted the realm's environment once more. A white heron skimmed across the water, catching a fish from the pool. Water splashed as the heron soared away gracefully.
Ye Xi found it quite entertaining and recited a few more verses. The two continued along the pavilion path as the scenery on either side changed incessantly. It shifted from dawn to sunset, and from spring rains to the golden rice fields of the autumn harvest.
Finally, the path was lined with red maples. Leaves drifted down as a carriage sat waiting in the middle of the road.
"I stop my carriage to admire the maple grove at twilight; the frost-covered leaves are redder than February flowers."
Ayaka's face flushed slightly as she praised him. "Every time I walk with you, Xi, I feel a sense of peace."
Ye Xi looked at her and spoke. "Ayaka, I need to leave Inazuma for a while to see the world outside."
Ayaka froze, her footsteps coming to a halt.
"Where are you going?"
Ye Xi thought he might be imagining it, but he felt as though her voice was trembling.
"I need to go back to my homeland to have a look."
He offered the excuse, though the deception made him feel a twinge of guilt. Ayaka, however, already understood. It was for that matter. She had learned much through Ye Xi's inner thoughts long ago. She knew that in the distant Seven Nations, there were many people Ye Xi was interested in.
She knew she had no way to make him stay. If even Yae Miko couldn't stop him, what right did she have?
It was a pity that the Kamisato Clan was currently in a state of crisis. Inazuma was in turmoil, and the Fatui were playing their double-handed games! For the honor of her family and for the people of Inazuma, she could not leave for her own selfish desires. Otherwise, she would have insisted on going with him.
Was there any other way?
Ayaka suddenly remembered the rumors she had heard beneath the Sacred Sakura. It was like catching a final straw in the wind. She reached out and gripped the edge of Ye Xi's sleeve.
"Xi"
"Time flies, and according to the rules of the Kamisato Clan, I... I have already reached the age to wed!"
"I was thinking... well, my Lord Brother said that you are the only candidate the Kamisato Clan would truly be satisfied with."
Ayaka's face was now a deep crimson. In the end, she still didn't have the courage to admit that this was her own wish.
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