The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Ying, somewhat bewildered by the little ninja's candid remark, turned to look at Kiana.

"Keep me here? Why is Lady Kamisato..."

"Perhaps it was that samurai who reported on Paimon's intrusion last time?"

"If that's the case, then it means... ugh, this feels so bad, Kiana..."

Ying closed her eyes, clearly exhausted from the lightning strike.

Seeing her so distressed, Paimon quickly flew back and whispered words of comfort in her ear.

Given all this, going to see God seems unrealistic.

"cough!"

Ying coughed and then reached out to pat Zaoyou's head, but the other girl dodged her hand.

After getting away from the blond foreigner, she took a few steps back warily, and a look of vigilance and displeasure appeared on her perpetually sleepy face.

"Don't touch my head."

"Fine, if you won't touch me, then I won't. You're Zaoyou, right?"

"Um, is there something you need?"

Ying forced a smile and began to deceive:

"You want to take me back, right? But I'm feeling terrible right now and I have to go to Narukami Shrine for help. You should know better than me what will happen if we delay any longer."

“Yes, that’s right…” As a native of Inazuma, and an unusual one at that, Hayato was well aware of the dangers of the lightning calamity.

"If something happens to me, your mission will never be completed, so from now on... you must obey me unconditionally and protect me."

The meaning of "荧" is straightforward and direct.

I am your target. If something happens to me, you will be punished, so you must listen to me.

Even the usually obtuse Paimon was taken aback by this sophistical logic.

"Huh? Is that so? Shouldn't we go back and report first—!"

"Paimon, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"

Despite her poor health, Ying still glared at Paimon as much as possible to prevent her from causing trouble.

After Paimon shrank back and hid behind Kiana, she covered her mouth and coughed:

"How was it? Did you understand?"

Faced with Ying's weak and persistent questioning, Zaoyou lowered her head in confusion and mumbled something:

"Um... my task is, hmm? Something seems off, but I can't figure out why... Okay! To take you back... and then take a nap."

Zaoyou yawned, then waved to the three of them. She then unleashed a ninja technique, acting as a guide like a nimble tanuki...

Seeing this, the three couldn't help but laugh, and then began to climb Shadow Mountain again.

...

Narukami Taisha Shrine.

Beneath the sacred cherry tree, a pink-clad figure stood with her arms crossed, looking up at the beautiful cherry tree.

This ancient tree, where spring reigns all year round, sways in the cool breeze, its withered and fallen cherry blossom petals scattering in the wind.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, their colors seemed to take on a dreamlike, ethereal quality...

"The Divine Cherry Blossom seems to have been revitalized. Is it because of the travelers who have come from afar?"

Yae no Miko lowered her head in deep thought.

The shrine maidens standing nearby, seeing her ask this question, all offered their opinions.

"It shouldn't be, right?"

"What influence could a stranger who has wandered here have on the Divine Cherry Blossom? Your Highness is overthinking it."

"Sakura seems to have recovered, that's great..."

"Recover?"

Yae no Miko gazed slowly at the lush branches of the tree, lost in thought...

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by.

"Gurgle!"

Before everyone's eyes, a green figure spun and tumbled, like a rolling ball...

It flew towards Yae no Miko, who was deep in thought.

"My Lord, please be careful!"

Amidst the exclamations of the priestesses, she calmly turned her head to look at the little ninja tumbling towards her...

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter Twenty-Three: The Person the Pink-Faced Big Sister Can't Handle...

"Ok?"

The Eightfold Divine Child didn't say much, but merely frowned slightly, and an invisible aura spread out.

The cheerfully tumbling Yuzu sensed something was wrong and abruptly slammed on the brakes, stopping in place.

"Whoops..."

Feeling a little dizzy, Zaoyou got up from the ground, rubbing her head in a daze, looking like she hadn't woken up properly.

The shrine maidens of Narukami Shrine stared in astonishment at the somewhat famous finale ninja, and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"What an adorable child."

"Is she here to deliver a message for the Kamisato family? Won't she be punished for showing up so abruptly?"

"Probably not, the Divine Child seems to like this child quite a bit."

Amidst the whispers of the many shrine maidens, Yae no Miko slowly moved and approached Hayayu.

She smiled gently, then squatted down and gently stroked the ninja's head.

"Why did you decide to come play with your older sister today, you little raccoon?"

"Ugh..." Zaoyou made an ambiguous whimpering sound.

She didn't like having her head touched because she felt it would stunt her growth, but she dared not defy the great witch for fear of being cursed to be short.

Therefore, she always felt very awkward whenever Yae no Miko touched her head.

"Why aren't you saying anything? If you have any missions to complete and don't report them promptly, you'll be punished..."

Before the divine child could finish speaking, a little fellow dressed in exotic attire, with a starry cloak draped over his shoulders, suddenly flew out.

As she flew, she didn't forget to shout and yell.

"Good morning, Yuzu! Don't run so fast, we can't keep up with you! Hey!"

It wasn't until Paimon caught up with the swift little ninja that he belatedly realized he had stumbled into Narukami Shrine.

And yet, he just happened to barge right in front of the Eighth Divine Child...

"Hehehe, hello." Paimon, who was being stared at, smiled shyly with his hands behind his back. "My name is Paimon, and I'm definitely not a suspicious person!"

"Ok, I know."

Yae nods slowly, showing little surprise at Paimon's arrival.

Those who witnessed this praised his composure.

However, she herself was not as calm as she appeared.

"Why is this little one here? If she's here, it means..."

Just as Yae no Miko was considering whether to avoid them, the two expected people appeared.

Kiana, supporting Ying, slowly walked from the entrance of the shrine. Her long, snow-white hair seemed to be dyed orange in the sunset, and the fiery red in that strand of white hair was still so eye-catching.

Just seeing her made Yae no Miko feel a little nervous, and her heart even started beating faster involuntarily.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"Didn't we just meet? Never mind," Kiana helped Luminous to her side, then asked, "Can you help me?"

"Help? Hmm? What is she doing..."

As the high priestess of Narukami Shrine, how could Yae no Miko not be aware of the symptoms of the lightning calamity?

She slowly bent down, cupped Ying's face in her hands, and examined her carefully for a while.

At this moment, the area around her eyes was completely black, and her veins bulged like tree roots. Even worse, her skin, which should have been thick with blood, had taken on the purple hue characteristic of lightning element...

Such a horrifying sight left the witches watching speechless and whispering amongst themselves in fear.

"Is it cursed by something filthy?"

"Terrible... Will the filth on her harm us?"

"My Lady, what exactly are we...?"

Yae no Miko ignored the shrine maidens' panic, staring intently at Kiana beside her.

Feeling the other party's aggressive gaze, Kiana fearlessly glared back.

The two stared at each other without speaking for a long time, which made the two priestesses and Paimonzaoyu stand in silence as well.

"By praying under the sacred cherry tree, you can receive healing..."

After a long while, Yae no Miko turned her head and whispered the method of healing, then looked at the shrine maidens who had been in the background for so long.

After understanding her meaning, the priestesses gathered around, gesturing for Kiana to let go and hand over Luminous to them.

"Haha, thanks a lot."

Kiana was pleased to receive the other party's help and thanked her. However, Yae no Miko ignored her and simply turned around and left the cherry tree without looking back.

Such aloofness is truly speechless.

Kiana, hands on her hips, was about to complain when she heard a shrine maiden named Inashiro Hotaru whisper praise beside her: