The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

I'm trying my best to find a way to keep it from her, at least...

We must not reveal our true identities!

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 83 - Something Shy Was Done...

After realizing what she needed to avoid, Yae no Miko immediately began to play the victim.

"Waaah..."

She shook her head like a little fox caught stealing fried tofu, and then pitifully looked at Kiana with her big, watery eyes, trying to get away with it.

It has to be said that Kiana's mood inexplicably brightened upon seeing such a spirited little fox.

She touched the little pink fox's ears, feeling the plush toy-like texture, and couldn't help but squeeze them again.

"Ooh~" This pinch caused the little pink fox to cry out involuntarily, and then her whole body trembled slightly.

It felt like a very sensitive spot had been touched...

"Are your ears your weakness, little fox? Hmph, since you don't know where Yae is... what about Ying? Have you seen a blonde little sister?"

No, just let me go and get far away from me!

Although I really wanted to say it directly, I realized that if I spoke in my current state, I would most likely be recognized.

Yae no Miko had no choice but to continue her pitiful act:

"Waaah!"

Faced with the little fox shaking its head, seemingly clueless, Kiana was at a loss.

Helpless, she could only hold the little fox and turn her gaze to the simply laid-out, not-too-large room.

"Then let's go find them. Whew~ your tail is so soft, it feels so good to grab..."

"Well!"

Compared to her ears, the part of her body that Yae no Miko is more sensitive to is actually her tail.

Kiana tugged at the poor tail as if it were a ponytail.

Immediately, the Eightfold Divine Child didn't recognize him and exclaimed.

As soon as she spoke, she immediately caught Kiana's attention.

"Huh? I think I heard Yae's voice? Yae, are you there? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Fearing exposure, Yae no Miko immediately shut her mouth, letting Kiana shout. She lay trembling in this troublesome woman's arms, using her shivering to hide her desire to escape.

Being caught by her was an inevitable reality.

Next, we need to find a way to escape...

Otherwise, once she realizes something is wrong, the consequences...

Thinking of this, Yae no Miko quietly pressed against Kiana's chest, his mind full of mischievous ideas, desperately trying to figure out how to escape safely.

But as she thought about it, she suddenly realized something...

"So soft..."

Surprisingly, her chest was only slightly smaller than his own, and that warmth that seemed to never fade... was reassuring.

This intoxicating warmth made Yae no Miko relax involuntarily. If it weren't for the fact that she was still thinking about counseling that autistic kid, she might have forgotten about the plan she had painstakingly devised for so long.

"Don't get distracted! Don't get distracted! Hmm..."

Yae no Miko forced herself to pull herself together, then continued to lie comfortably in Kiana's arms, enjoying this moment of peace...

After the uninvited white-haired man had searched the entire house, she took advantage of his inattention and slipped through a small secret door to the side.

"Hey! Wait a minute... that's weird... how did it get away?"

Kiana initially thought the little fox was asleep, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

But who would have thought that the cunning woman was just pretending, and when the time was right, she would run away without a second thought.

"Where did they go? Wow, I didn't know this room held a hidden secret..."

Because she wanted to find the little fox, Kiana had no choice but to start prying open the screen that looked a bit strange. As a result, she discovered that there was actually a corridor behind the screen.

Who could imagine that such a seemingly ordinary little house could hold such a secret?

Feeling incredibly curious, Kiana opened the half-closed door and slowly stepped into a space unknown to outsiders...

Upon entering the house, she was surprised to find that it was... actually a kitchen.

There were two stoves, with firewood piled up next to them, along with some dusty debris.

It's clear that this kitchen is rarely used anymore; the dust on the pot lids above the stove says it all.

"Cough cough, what kind of place is this? Where's the little fox? Why is she..."

Just as Kiana was wondering why the little fox would suddenly rush in here... a pot with a lid on suddenly shook, as if something was hidden inside.

Feeling extremely puzzled, Kiana reached out and uncovered it, only to be surprised to find... inside was her good travel companion, Paimon...

At this moment, the little girl was bound hand and foot, like a turtle tied with a knot, inside a pot, tears streaming down her face. The reason she was being treated like this but hadn't cried for help was mainly because her mouth was gagged with a red bead.

Upon seeing this, Kiana simply tore off the gag rope, regaining her ability to speak and complain.

"Waaaaah! Kiana, you're finally here... That pink-haired witch is so fierce! I was just waiting for Luminous to wake up! Then she suddenly attacked and tied me up! Waaaaah..."

Paimon, bound and gagged, wept and complained.

According to the information she revealed, Yae no Miko was originally treating them well, but suddenly she started making things difficult for them and hid Ying away.

And they even used a little trick to tie up the little guy as well.

Such unusual behavior cannot be explained without a particularly credible reason.

Kiana pondered for a moment, thinking it over repeatedly, and finally discovered the source of the problem...

It looks like myself?

"Uh, was I being presumptuous? Never mind."

Kiana reached out and tore off all the restraints binding Paimon. After freeing the little guy, she turned around to go back to the main house.

As soon as she stepped out of the strange corridor, she saw... Yae no Miko, her face flushed, kneeling on the ground, waiting for her with an air of composure.

"I've been waiting for ages! Why did you leave when I was only halfway through my sentence?"

Before Kiana could even ask, this cunning old fox began to accuse her, his words conveying an air of...

She was speaking politely the whole time, but because the guest was so unruly, the conversation was forced to end halfway through.

This strange sight not only puzzled Kiana, but also infuriated Paimon, who was suffering greatly from it, causing him to stomp his feet in the void once again.

"Hey! You stinking fox, what are you talking about! You're the one who arrested him for no reason and locked him in that dark, gray pot! Humph! Don't expect me to forgive you!"

"Hehe, little guy. What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"You! Still trying to deny it? Come with me to the back of that door...wait, where's the door?"

Kiana and Paimon were both dumbfounded when they saw the empty walls, which had no secret passage or corridor whatsoever.

Why do things that clearly exist suddenly disappear?

The two didn't even immediately ask about Ying's whereabouts. Instead, they touched the cold wall in confusion, but no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find her.

They couldn't find the hidden passage...

"Could it be that what happened just now was merely an illusion created by the fox spirit?"

Thinking of this, Kiana couldn't help but cast her gaze at the fox spirit whose face was still flushed, as if she had just experienced something embarrassing...

The Song of Flames and Lightning (Genshin Impact Inazuma Main Story): Chapter 84 A Long-Awaited Reunion

"Am I that pretty? Please sit down, you two. You didn't come here just to admire the shrine maidens of Naru-shin Shrine, did you?"

After regaining control of the conversation, Yae no Miko calmly lectured Kiana and Paimon.

It seemed as if if she herself didn't feel embarrassed, then they were the ones who would feel embarrassed.

Surprisingly, this trick actually worked quite well on the two of them.

"It feels like we did something wrong... How strange..." Paimon spun around in the air, muttering to himself in frustration.

"Forget it, we're guests after all, and besides, Ying is still in her hands."

After saying that, Kiana sat down on the ground in a carefree manner, just like during her last visit, and looked at Yae no Miko.

After encountering some inexplicable events, the two sides were finally able to sit down and talk calmly.

Out of courtesy to the host, Yae no Miko first welcomed Kiana's arrival, and then told the two that Ying was fast asleep in the inner room.

The two, filled with doubt and unwilling to believe it, pushed open the door to the inner room, only to be surprised to find that the room, which should have been empty, was now furnished with bedding and a mattress, and Ying was lying peacefully in the quilt, her sleeping face serene and beautiful.

It didn't seem like they had been kidnapped or in danger at all; rather, it was like they were visiting a friend's house and got tired, so they just collapsed to rest.

"It's a bit cold, but it's alright." Kiana gently pressed the back of her hand against Ying's small face, feeling the smooth, silky touch, and felt a sense of relief.

Now that it's confirmed she's alright, let her rest well and sleep until she naturally wakes up...

With that thought in mind, Kiana gestured for Paimon to shush, then got up and returned to the main hall.

At this moment, Yae no Miko was kneeling there properly, much like the Yamato Nadeshiko that people often talk about, both gentle and with a unique aloofness.

"Hi, Yae. It's so nice to see you again. Whew... so much has happened."

"You have the nerve... cough cough! Yeah, you really do."

Yae no Miko initially wanted to reprimand the capricious white-haired girl, but considering she had just been teased...

She suddenly realized that if she wasn't careful, she might be captured and tormented again, and if she were treated like this again...

It seems pretty good?

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

After calmly clearing away the jumbled thoughts from her mind, Yae no Miko turned her gaze back to Kiana.

"The perfect conclusion of the Great Purification is truly gratifying. Although I had made the necessary preparations, I'm afraid it would have been difficult for me and the defenseless shrine maidens of Naru Shrine to cleanse the Divine Cherry Blossom so thoroughly..."