The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Those eyes seem to possess a captivating charm...

Yae no Miko couldn't help but reach out and gently cup Kiana's cheeks, involuntarily bringing her face closer.

"Hmm?" Kiana responded with a puzzled "hmm".

"...Ahem! Please speak, I will do my best."

Yae no Miko, as if a fox had been stepped on, suddenly withdrew her hand in a fluster.

"whee."

Since she had already agreed to help, Kiana naturally didn't hold back and directly expressed her thoughts.

As Yae no Miko listened, something suddenly occurred to her, and she asked, "Did you make a promise to her before you went up the mountain?"

"That's right, mainly because the situation is urgent and someone needs to lead the way."

"Oh, in that case, this matter is somewhat related to Naru-sho Shrine... I will help you as a way of repaying your kindness."

The two sides finalized the plan.

Then, Yae no Miko slowly passed Kiana and went straight to the back of the little ninja, Hayato.

It's unclear whether they heard the sound or sensed the impending danger.

The little ninja, who had been clinging to Ying and refusing to let go, suddenly shuddered, then turned to stare at those ivory-white legs...

"What's wrong?" Seeing that Zaoyou had suddenly become obedient, Ying slowly raised her head and looked at the great priestess with some surprise.

The other person's smile remained polite yet distant.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

As Yae no Miko spoke, she squatted down, reached out and gently stroked Hayayu's little head, speaking with concern in a soft tone:

"Little raccoon, are you alright?"

"Uh, I'm not a tanuki..." Zayu muttered, completely defeated in front of Yae no Miko.

"Hehehe, little raccoon dog~~~"

Zaoyou stood there like a little raccoon dog that had encountered some kind of monstrous flood, not daring to move an inch.

All it could do was sway back and forth like a roly-poly toy as Yae no Miko shook more and more excessively.

"Ouch, ouch... I feel so dizzy..."

Seeing Hayaru being toyed with like a toy by Yae no Miko, Ying was somewhat puzzled and wanted to ask a question.

However, before she could speak, Paimon suddenly leaned in and whispered urgently in her ear:

"Hurry! Kiana is calling us..."

"Ok?"

Following the direction Paimon's little finger was pointing, Ying saw Kiana waving at them.

Clearly, she meant to slip away while Zaoyou was off guard.

"I didn't expect this..."

Looking at the high priestess with a sly smile in her eyes, Ying's resistance gradually disappeared.

She quietly thanked her, and then stealthily ran towards Kiana before Yuzu could react.

"Uh-huh!"

Just as the three of them were running to the edge of the cliff, Zaoyou finally came to her senses and forcefully broke free from Yae no Miko's grasp.

"Come back! Don't abandon me!"

Seeing the three seemingly trying to escape, Zaoyou reluctantly took a step forward to catch up with them, however...

Before she could go far, a pair of slender yet powerful hands tightly embraced her.

"Little raccoon, where do you want to go?"

Yae no Miko lowered her head and gently blew into the little ninja's ear, causing the girl to shyly cover her ears, while she hugged her even tighter.

He could only watch helplessly as Kiana and Luminous, under the astonished gazes of the many priestesses...

Did they escape by jumping off a cliff?

"Ugh, the mission... failed."

Dejected, Hayato gave up struggling, her head drooping like an abandoned kitten, letting Yae no Miko gently stroke her hair...

...

The strong winds falling from high altitudes are always so unsettling.

"Kiana! Where are we going next?!"

"what?"

"Where are we going next?!"

Ying practically screamed those words, and because she used so much force, she started coughing after she shouted them out.

"Oh, I'll tell you after we land."

Kiana kept everyone in suspense for a moment, then stepped onto the solid steps of the ruins.

'boom!'

The weathered bricks were ravaged by the immense force and sank deep into the ground, but even after jumping from such a height, Kiana was unharmed.

Even though Ying was dizzy from the impact of falling from a great height, she fainted in her arms.

She remained conscious and gently laid him down on the flat ground to observe the situation.

"Strange, why did she faint? Could it be a side effect of the lightning strike?"

"How could that be! You clearly knocked her out! Whew... I'm so tired." Paimon, who arrived late, complained to Kiana.

She simply couldn't believe that this girl had jumped off such a cliff, a place where even using the Wind Chaser Wing would take a long time to descend.

They didn't even use their flight ability...

Should we say she was far too impatient?

"Hey, is it my fault?"

"Uh..." Seeing that Kiana had absolutely no self-awareness, Paimon helplessly covered his forehead, then leaned closer to Ying, "She looks like she's fainted, she might need CPR again..."

"Is this a first aid procedure for drowning?"

Kiana remained speechless and continued to criticize Paimon's suggestion.

However, since this method worked last time, it might work again this time...

"Paimon, why don't you try again?"

"Huh? No way! I almost got drained by Ying last time..." Paimon covered his mouth, as if he had thought of something terrible...

Bonus Chapter 1

Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 29 Are you referring to General Raiden?

Absorb it dry? That's not that dramatic... It's just transferring a little air.

Kiana, right hand on her hip, muttered with a hint of exasperation:

"What do we do now? Should I carry her down?"

"Hey! How should I know? Let's not... You'll have to fight the filth and take care of her later, it'll be tiring."

"Haha, don't worry about it," Kiana waved her hand, making a move to carry Ying on her back. However, before she could do so, Paimon hurriedly blocked her way and scolded her, "How could you do this? What if something happens!"

Why...did she start lecturing me?

Kiana covered her forehead, somewhat troubled:

What exactly do you want to do?

"Uh...should we wake Ying up first? I'm a little tired, Kiana, you can do it."

As Paimon spoke, he stepped aside, clearly intending to ask her for help.

"I'll do it?"

Seeing this, Kiana hesitated.

This shouldn't be considered taking advantage of someone's misfortune, right? After all, purifying the tree roots as soon as possible is the most important thing now.

That...

Finally, after much internal struggle, Kiana slowly bent down and prepared to begin first aid.

"Ugh... Kiana!"

However, just as she was about to succeed, Ying suddenly woke up and sat up without thinking.

Caught off guard, both were tripped by the other.

Ying clutched her head, looking at Kiana with a pained expression and tears in her eyes, looking aggrieved and confused as if she didn't know what had happened.

"Uh, I just wanted to wake you up; it was Paimon's idea!"

"Huh? Huh!!!" Paimon was dumbfounded and hurriedly tried to escape.

But Ying grabbed him and pulled his face hard.

"Pay-Mont!"

The duo then began a friendly and intimate interaction, and in the end, Paimon, with two big bags on his head, was carried by Ying, looking like a naughty child who had been disciplined and had tears in his eyes.

After finally getting revenge on Mora, Ying seemed to feel much better.

She looked at Kiana with a smile and said in a cheerful tone:

"Thank you, Kiana. I don't know how long I would have dawdled without you."

"Um...no need to be so polite, as long as it helps you, then..."

Kiana was about to exchange pleasantries before taking Ying underground to purify the last of the tree roots.