Chapter 21: The Shogun's Favorite
Tn: This chapter is re-written at 5 / 20 / 2025
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Bai Luo had many advantages.
Never mind his identity as a Fatui Harbinger—Just the fact that he knew so much about everyone already gave him an overwhelming edge.
For example, who would've thought that the seemingly unflappable Yae Miko had once been tormented by Klee's mother, Alice?
The very idea that she could get drunk, start babbling nonsense, or cry and throw a fit was almost surreal.
Did the Raiden Shogun actually like Tricolor Dango?
Truthfully, Bai Luo didn't know.
But that didn't stop him from bluffing to Kujou Sara.
What if she believed it?
"The Shogun likes this kind of thing?"
As it turned out, Sara wasn't quite as gullible as he'd hoped.
In her heart, the Raiden Shogun held an almost sacred status.
Put it this way:
If the Shogun demanded her Vision, Kujou Sara would hand it over without hesitation.
In fact, if the Shogun wanted her life, she would offer it without a second thought.
Back when she was a child, she had fallen from a high mountain—and survived unscathed.
It was because a god had laid eyes on her in that moment.
From that day forward, her life no longer belonged to her—it belonged to the Raiden Shogun.
Even though she now knew the distribution of Visions had nothing to do with the Shogun herself, it didn't shake her faith in the slightest.
Her sole purpose was to support the Shogun in achieving Eternity.
Even if her own future was not part of that eternal vision, she would have no regrets.
To someone who held the Shogun in such reverence, the idea that she'd like such an ordinary snack sounded absurd.
To her, Bai Luo's words bordered on blasphemy.
"You just don't get it," Bai Luo said, swaying the dango skewer casually.
"Haven't you ever noticed what the Head Shrine Maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine always brings when she visits the Shogun?"
Given that woman's twisted sense of humor, she definitely brought Tricolor Dango with her on those visits.
As for whether the Raiden Shogun—who secluded herself in the Plane of Euthymia—actually saw her?
Bai Luo didn't care.
All that mattered was whether Kujou Sara had ever seen her walk in with those snacks.
"..."
Sara fell silent.
As a general of the Tenryou Commission, she often went to Tenshukaku.
She wasn't always granted audience with the Shogun, but formal greetings were still part of her daily routine.
So naturally, she often ran into the Head Shrine Maiden.
Now that she thought about it…
That mischievous shrine maiden did frequently carry Tricolor Dango when visiting the Shogun's residence.
And as far as Sara knew, the Head Shrine Maiden's favorite food was supposed to be fried tofu.
So what was the dango for?
"Gulp…"
Sara unconsciously swallowed as she eyed the last remaining dango in Bai Luo's hand.
Whether she liked sweets or not was beside the point now.
What mattered was—if the Shogun truly enjoyed this snack…
"Want a bite?"
Bai Luo could practically see her wings twitching behind her—his fish was almost on the hook.
So he pushed a little harder.
Kujou Sara was probably the #1 Raiden Shogun fangirl in all of Inazuma.
Faced with her idol's favorite snack, she was beginning to waver.
Even if she'd never liked it before…
Now that she believed it had a connection to the Shogun, this last dango had taken on a whole new meaning.
"Ahm—"
To the stunned gazes of the Okazaki couple, Kujou Sara gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and—with a mix of hope and panic on her face—took a bite of the dango that Bai Luo offered her.
The ever-stoic Lady Kujou, showing that kind of expression?
Even Rikuto, who'd known her for years, found it hard to believe.
Had they… guessed these youngster relationships right?
Bai Luo didn't need to guess.
Just by seeing the look on the Okazaki couple's faces, he knew—he'd succeeded.
Letting others misunderstand that he and Kujou Sara were in a relationship wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment prank.
Compared to being a Fatui envoy or Harbinger, being "Kujou-sama's rumored boyfriend" was a much more useful identity for gathering intel in Inazuma.
And there was no better place to spread rumors than a lively izakaya.
Bai Luo figured, it wouldn't take half a day before news of their "relationship" spread across the whole of Inazuma City.
Under the Okazaki couple's nosy, gossip-hungry gazes, the two of them left Uyuu Restaurant and stepped back onto the busy streets.
Kujou Sara, however, had no idea she had just been thoroughly played.
She was still lost in the lingering aftertaste of the Tricolor Dango.
Even though she had claimed to dislike sweets, the flavor—now that she'd actually tasted it—was surprisingly memorable.
'No wonder it's the Shogun's favorite…' she thought to herself.
After the market street was Hanamizaka—Inazuma's main shopping district, somewhat comparable to Chihu Rock in Liyue Harbor.
It was lined with all sorts of local shops.
The famous Naganohara Fireworks Shop, Amenoma Smithy, and Kiminami Restaurant were all located here.
Though not as extravagant as the shops in the central district, these businesses were far more grounded and filled with local flavor.
Among them, the most well-known was undoubtedly Yae Publishing House.
Unlike other nations' bookstores, the works sold here belonged to a unique genre called "light novels".
Compared to traditional literature—often dense and full of obscure references—light novels used casual, conversational language that was much easier to digest.
Besides the novels themselves, the store also sold a wide range of merchandise—Posters, figurines, plushies, accessories—all tied to popular stories.
"Kujou-sama! Welcome to Yae Publishing House!"
The moment Sara entered, Kuroda, one of the editors, lit up with excitement.
Thanks to the big-shot backing them (cough, the Guuji), even some of the more risqué titles managed to pass censorship.
Like:
Reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun
Please, My Furry Fox Priestess!
Books that, if the equivalent like 'Reincarnated as the Tsaritsa' published in Snezhnaya, would likely be burned in a forest clearing by now.
And naturally, wherever the Shogun appeared in fiction, merchandise followed.
At first, Kujou Sara would storm in with her subordinates, citing the charge of "blaspheming the Almighty Narukami Ogosho-sama," and confiscate such merchandise.
It wasn't until Yae Miko herself stepped in that things calmed down.
Since then, every time a new batch of Shogun-themed merch dropped, Kujou Sara was always the first customer in line.
Of course, the reason she gave was something like:
"I merely wish to prevent the unworthy masses from defiling the Shogun's divine image."
So in a way, Kujou Sara had become Yae Publishing House's best VIP client.
"I'm just showing someone around today," she said stiffly.
"I'm not here to buy anything."
Yet her eyes kept drifting—almost instinctively—to the nearby portrait of the Raiden Shogun.
Sadly, that particular piece was the store's centerpiece and not for sale.
If it had been, she would've already "liberated" it by now.
After all, with her wealth and status, acquiring such items was no trouble at all.
For all intents and purposes, Kujou Sara was a proper young lady of noble house.