Chapter 112: Flying

Regarding the matter of the shameless big sister deceiving the little loli, Li Mo felt no guilt whatsoever. As the saying goes, if children aren't meant to be teased, then life would be utterly joyless. Look, which older sister or brother doesn't enjoy teasing their younger siblings?

At the very least, Li Mo absolutely loved teasing.

And coincidentally, in this regard, Yae Miko and Li Mo were quite similar.

"Pfft—little Sayu, are you a little fool?" Yae Miko couldn't help but laugh after hearing the whole story. She tapped Sayu's little head and then said, "My dear brother is quite similar to me in this regard."

—Brother.

Yae Miko occasionally referred to Li Mo this way, and he was used to it. The two of them actually got along quite well. At the very least, Li Mo dared to sneak light novels from under Yae Miko's nose to read during this month.

Slacking off is slacking off—what can you do about it?

"Huh? Was Brother Shrine Official lying to me?" Sayu said. "No wonder something felt off!"

"Little Sayu, my foolish brother here absolutely loves teasing people. Even my shrine maidens have been teased by him," Yae Miko said, patting Sayu's head with a serious tone.

Since Yae Miko's attention was fully focused on her, little Sayu probably hadn't even noticed that Yae Miko was rubbing her head… This child was truly young.

Could Sayu really stand on her own now?

"Brother, are you worried about little Sayu? Don't worry. I recently discussed with the young master of the Kamisato Clan and arranged for Sayu to be stationed at the shrine long-term. I've even found a responsible person to handle the对接," Yae Miko said. "Given my modest reputation, no one would dare bully this little one, right?"

Modest reputation?

If your reputation is modest, then others might as well have no reputation at all.

With Raiden Ei secluded in the Plane of Euthymia and the Raiden Shogun presiding over Tenshukaku, the only person who could converse with Raiden Ei was Yae Miko.

—Not just anyone could disturb the leisure of a recluse like her.

"Alright… Lady Yae, about Ioroi's situation. Have you already learned about it through your foxes?"

The foxes were Yae Miko's eyes and ears.

Li Mo was well aware of this, which was why he asked.

Yae Miko gave him a look and sighed, "Ah, why would you think there are foxes in the territory of the tanuki?"

"I've already broken Ioroi's seal. But Ioroi hasn't come out," Li Mo said. "I've confirmed multiple times—it's that Ioroi itself doesn't want to come out."

"Is that so? It seems Ioroi isn't a tanuki but rather a turtle hiding in its shell. Well, if it wants to sleep, let it sleep," Yae Miko said indifferently.

It was as if the person who had asked Li Mo to break the seal earlier wasn't her at all.

"Lady Yae, I'll take my leave now and go back to organizing the books."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Yae Miko waved her hand.

Before leaving, Li Mo took one last look at the scene. Sayu's eyes held a hint of wariness toward him, just like when she had first met Yae Miko. He guessed that if he tried to pat her head next time, she might bite him.

Earlier, Yae Miko had called him "brother" to ruin his image and remind Sayu that he and Yae Miko were cut from the same cloth. By using her own image to drag him down, if it were anyone else, they would have probably distanced themselves from both Li Mo and Yae Miko.

—Wait, the look in Sayu's eyes… it didn't seem like she wanted to stay away, but rather that she was being held in place by Yae Miko's hand?

How tragic.

Li Mo didn't dwell on it and turned to leave, but then he heard Yae Miko say, "Oh, by the way, little one, go call Kano Nana over."

"Understood."

Kano Nana was one of the shrine maidens at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Over the past two months, Li Mo had gotten to know all the shrine maidens. For example, Aoi had a younger sister named Kuki Shinobu.

After notifying Kano Nana, Li Mo returned to his room with his hands behind his back, ready to continue studying Kitsune Saiguu's manuscripts.

But Yae Miko clearly had no intention of leaving Li Mo alone. The idea of quietly reading was almost a pipe dream.

Soon, Kano Nana, whom he had just sent for, appeared before him.

"Nana, what's the matter?"

"Li-san, Lady Yae said she's inviting you to visit Inazuma City. She's waiting for you at the shrine entrance."

"?"

What was Yae Miko up to?

Wait…

"Shrine official robes?"

Li Mo hadn't yet discussed the shrine official matter with Yae Miko in detail. He had thought it was just a joke, but after this meeting with Sayu… the news of a new shrine official at the Grand Narukami Shrine had probably already spread.

He was likely the last to know about it.

"I see. Thanks, Nana," Li Mo said.

Kano Nana replied, "Um, Li-san, you got my name wrong. I'm Nana, not Nanako."

"Well, how about I make that my special nickname for you?"

"No."

"So cold. Alright, I understand. You can go back to your work now."

Kano Nana bowed gracefully and then left Li Mo's room. Li Mo himself changed his clothes before leisurely heading to the shrine entrance.

Yae Miko said she'd be waiting at the entrance, so she'd be waiting at the entrance? Li Mo didn't believe it. Besides, what if he was late?

When he arrived at the gate, Yae Miko was standing there, still in her head shrine maiden attire—so, did Yae Miko ever change her clothes?

His thoughts began to wander.

In the two months Li Mo had been living at the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko had always been wearing the same outfit.

Was it possible that…

"Although I don't know what bold thoughts you're having, I must tell you not to voice them. Be careful, or I might lose control and hit you," Yae Miko said with a smile.

"Threatening violence at the drop of a hat—is that really okay? Also… am I supposed to maintain the persona of Yae Miko's brother while we're out?" Li Mo asked.

Yae Miko had many ways of addressing him, often switching them up on a whim.

But now that they were about to go out, Yae Miko had specifically emphasized the term "brother." Li Mo naturally picked up on it.

"That's right," Yae Miko said.

"Why?"

The two of them left the shrine entrance, chatting as they walked.

Yae Miko replied, "Hmm… how should I put it? I need a 'brother' to help me."

"So, does it not matter who this 'brother' is? Big Sister Yae?"

"Not at all. Not just anyone can become my brother. Hmm… it's getting late. To make it to Uyuu Restaurant for lunch, let's fly to Inazuma City."

Yae Miko said this, then grabbed Li Mo and took to the skies, flying toward the city.