[What is going on!?]
Ye Xi wiped a water stain off the corner of the table with his handkerchief. He moved with a deliberate, feigned composure, but a massive wave of shock was surging through his heart.
[I must have misheard because I didn't sleep well... How could anyone talk about marriage at a time like this?]
[That Sassy Fox is the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, a sacred and inviolable existence, the very incarnation of purity. How could she possibly marry a man?]
[Besides, that Sassy Fox is Ei's best friend. How could Ei push her own sister out just to make me stay?]
[It's all that fox's fault for disturbing my sleep this morning!]
[I'd better go to bed early tonight, or it's going to be really awkward if I start having auditory hallucinations tomorrow.]
Having heard Ye Xi's inner thoughts, Yae Miko finally snapped back to her senses. She placed a hand on Raiden Ei's shoulder and instantly whisked her away to a secluded corner.
"Ei!? Have you eaten so much dango that you've gone senile!?"
What Ei had just said was completely beyond Yae Miko's expectations. Usually, she was the one who could remain calm regardless of the situation because everything was under her control.
But this time, a single sentence from Ei had caused everything to collapse!
She had miscalculated! It was a total miscalculation!
Although she was eager to hear Ye Xi's answer, she couldn't understand why Ei would make such a choice!
Logically and emotionally, the best move was to abdicate the seat of the Electro Archon to Ye Xi! Even if marriage was the choice, it should have been Ei herself! Miko knew that Ei was also deeply infatuated with Ye Xi!
That was her biggest confusion!
"Of course I'm serious," Raiden Ei replied calmly.
For some reason, seeing Ei so poised and composed made Yae Miko incredibly annoyed. She quickly realized why: it was because she was the one usually in control! Now, her best friend held all the cards. She was being led by the tail!
This wicked woman at a time like this, she still wanted to bicker! They should be working together as sisters to make sure Xi stayed!
"Why so sudden?" Miko stammered, "I... I'm not prepared yet..."
Seeing Yae Miko's face flush with shame and indignation, her tails wagging so fast they left afterimages, Raiden Ei couldn't help but chuckle internally. She had never seen her friend look so flustered and blushing; it was quite a sight.
She's actually pretty cute like this~
Besides, Miko usually teased her. Turning the tables felt even more satisfying than eating Tricolor Dango!
"My thoughts?" Ei pretended to ponder for a moment before giving Miko a frustrating answer. "You can just think of it as me not wanting to abdicate the position of the Electro Archon."
Only a fool would believe that explanation!
Yae Miko knew her friend had long grown weary of being the Shogun. If not for the people of Inazuma, Ei's greatest dream would likely be to sleep forever within the Plane of Euthymia.
Or perhaps she would leave this place of sorrow and travel the Seven Nations, using new experiences to numb the old and forget the painful past.
This answer wasn't an explanation; it was a deliberate attempt to provoke her.
"Ei, don't you want to be with Xi? Are you really going to let go?" This was what Yae Miko understood the least.
"How could that be!" Ei's reply was instantaneous and without hesitation. Letting go of Xi was impossible!
Seeing Miko's confusion, Ei gave a flirtatious smile. "I heard it in Xi's heart once. He mentioned that no matter what world they come from, foxes are extremely good at seducing hearts."
"If Xi and I were to marry, you would eventually steal him away."
"The thought of being married to Xi while having to deal with a stinky fox sneaking around behind my back and having to endure that fox's mockery makes me very unhappy."
"It's better to strike first. If you marry him, then I'll be the one who gets to steal him."
Raiden Ei had talked about Yae Miko with Ye Xi during their leisure time before. Ye Xi's inner voice had once said that foxes, fox demons, and fox celestials were considered the incarnations of seduction in people's hearts.
For a man, a single moment of carelessness would lead him into a fox's trap, causing him to lose his way. For a woman, she would always have to worry if a fox was tempting her husband. There was even the specific term "vixen" used to describe them.
Yae Miko was so stunned by Ei's logic that she couldn't utter a single word.
What a bizarre way of thinking!
But upon further reflection, there didn't seem to be a flaw in it. If Ei really married Xi, Miko wouldn't be content to be left out! She would definitely seek them out. From Ei's perspective, this approach was actually... reasonable?
"Miko, are you afraid?"
A rare smile appeared on Ei's face, though it was a mocking one. "Don't you love this feeling? Knowing that Xi has no improper thoughts about you, yet you can't resist your curiosity and keep teasing him."
"When he doesn't make a move, you find it boring. When he finally does, you want to run away. It's truly a twisted psychology. You foxes really are sassy."
Yae Miko was fuming! It was one thing for Ye Xi to call her bad, but now even her best friend was saying it! If there weren't people around, she would have started clawing at tree bark in a frenzy!
Ei snorted and gave a warning. "Miko, as a fox, you must be strict with yourself."
Having said her piece, she walked back to the table with an air of dignity. "Xi, you didn't hear wrong just now. I want you to marry Miko."
Ye Xi: ?
"Ei, Miko is the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine. You shouldn't say such things lightly."
Ye Xi felt startled. He was startled because he hadn't misheard, and terrified for the exact same reason.
However, Raiden Ei puffed out her chest and said proudly, "Xi, I make the rules in Inazuma. I permit the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine to marry you. No one will dare object!"
Looking into Ei's eyes, which were as clear as amethysts, Ye Xi saw a glimmer of true sincerity.
[Is it because the strength I showed last night impressed Ei-er, and now she wants me to stay and work for Inazuma?]
[Why is everyone acting like this!?]
[Don't they consider the feelings of the people involved?]
[Even though that Sassy Fox is the Guuji, she is still an individual. Why should she have to sacrifice herself for Inazuma?]
Ye Xi thought for a moment but didn't speak. The words felt stuck in his throat.
Hearing Ye Xi's thoughts, Raiden Ei felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of grievance. Was she not also making a sacrifice for Inazuma!?
Moreover, she hadn't expected Ye Xi to care so much about Yae Miko's feelings. It was obvious he cared more about Miko's perceived "suffering" than her own!
Miko's grievance was a grievance, but what about her? Who cared about her, the "cold and ruthless" Raiden Shogun?
Beside them, Yae Miko's tail was wagging incessantly. She felt a sudden flutter in her heart a mix of heat, shyness, and excitement. Especially when she felt the jealous gaze coming from the side, her strange competitive spirit flared up again.
With a flash of movement, she disappeared from her spot. When she reappeared, she was leaning against Ye Xi, one of her tails wrapping around him.
"Xi, I wouldn't mind sharing a few of my tails with you at night."
"Sleeping while hugging a tail is very comfortable, you know~"
Her voice was thick with temptation; a normal person would have likely succumbed instantly. After speaking, she shot Ei a triumphant look.
Ei clenched her fists in anger. She didn't remember giving Yae Miko permission to get that close to Xi!
She really wanted to slash her! She would probably dodge it anyway!
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