Chapter 14

"Wow~" Kitsune Saiguu watched the two lost in their passionate kiss, her eyes widening slightly as she swallowed hard.

"Can it really make people so intoxicated?" Kitsune Saiguu, who had never experienced love herself, felt a strange sensation stirring within her.

"Hmm?" Akio suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Yae Miko in surprise.

As expected of a fox spirit! She's a natural at this!

After a long while, their lips finally parted.

"Was it sweet?" Yae Miko's eyes were soft, her cheeks flushed, and her gaze seemed to shimmer with spring-like warmth.

"Very sweet, and delicious," Akio smiled contentedly, looking at the lovestruck Yae Miko. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I can't even imagine how much more delicious you could be."

"Oh?" Yae Miko gently nuzzled Akio's cheek, her voice sultry. "Coward, I can already imagine how delicious I am."

"So bold, are you?" Akio chuckled. "Let me taste you, then."

"Mmm~ Come and get me," Yae Miko teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Why are you two so lovey-dovey?" Kitsune Saiguu's exasperated voice interrupted them.

"Oh dear, Akio is just too sweet. I forgot there's a single old fox watching us," Yae Miko giggled, glancing over. "Sorry, Lady Saiguu, I didn't consider your feelings. You won't punish this poor little fox, will you?"

Yae Miko, the master of sarcasm, made Kitsune Saiguu grit her teeth in frustration. She pounced on Yae Miko, exclaiming, "You brat! How did you become so shameless?"

"Ah! Don't touch my hair accessories! Isn't this all your fault, you old fox!" Yae Miko cried out, then began her counterattack.

The scene of the two women playfully fighting, set against the backdrop of the Sacred Sakura in the afternoon, formed a breathtakingly beautiful picture. Unfortunately, only Akio was there to witness it.

"Her consciousness is truly too weak. Even though she managed to hold on until the Traveler defeated Ei in the story, still…" Akio gazed at the Sacred Sakura, sensing the fragmented consciousness of Raiden Makoto.

"For safety's sake, I'll give her a bit of life energy first," Akio murmured, flicking his finger. A white light shot into the Sacred Sakura, gently nurturing Makoto's consciousness.

Inside Tenshukaku, the will of the Raiden Shogun and Raiden Ei confronted each other in the Plane of Euthymia.

"Inner self, you are beginning to stray from eternity," the Raiden Shogun said coldly. Since Ei had been using the body, the Shogun was naturally aware of everything that had happened outside.

"Submitting to an unknown god, this is an irreversible blow to eternity!" the Shogun declared.

"Akio is no longer an unknown god! And he has the power to revive Makoto!" Ei stubbornly retorted, her gaze firm.

"If Makoto can truly be revived, I'm willing to lose everything."

"Hmph…" The Raiden Shogun lowered her eyes. She had inherited Ei's emotions, memories, and all her abilities, so she naturally understood how important Makoto was to Ei.

However, though the Shogun was a puppet, she had her own consciousness and judgment. Unfortunately, she was a true seeker of eternity, and to her, anything that threatened eternity was wrong.

Unless Ei could defeat the Shogun through force, making her understand that Ei's changes were not a form of erosion.

"Shogun, this opportunity is hard-won. I… I really don't want to lose Makoto again," Ei said.

"…" The Raiden Shogun's expression remained cold. 

"Only the law is eternal and unchanging! Inner self, I hope you do not stray from eternity! Otherwise, this body will become a demon!"

With that, the Raiden Shogun's figure dissipated, leaving Ei alone in the Plane of Euthymia to ponder.

In Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun opened her eyes, her cold, emotionless gaze falling on the neatly folded robe that belonged to Akio. For a moment, her eyes flickered with a hint of emotion.

As if unable to control herself, she reached out and picked up the robe, gently clutching it in her hands, feeling the lingering presence of Akio.

"Why does this body…" The Raiden Shogun's eyes showed a trace of confusion and fear.

"No! Impossible! Determination, courage, love, hatred—all will decay and distort in the river of time," the Shogun shook her head, as if questioning herself. "I am the guardian of eternity! This is absolutely impossible!"

"Akio…"

…

Time flew by, and before they knew it, night had fallen.

"Alright, alright, you two, stop fooling around!" In Yae Miko's room, Kitsune Saiguu was sewing clothes, watching helplessly as Akio and Yae Miko playfully wrestled on the bed, with Akio happily petting Yae Miko's fluffy tail.

"Honestly," Kitsune Saiguu complained. A shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine and the Great Divine Official, a god no less, now acting like a couple of children.

Yae Miko, knowing that Kitsune Saiguu had truly been revived and that she now belonged to Akio, finally let go of the emotions she had suppressed for five hundred years. In front of Akio, she naturally let down her guard and her formal demeanor.

"Lady Guuji, Lord Akio, the banquet is ready."

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, and Kuki Miyuki's voice came through.

"Alright, we'll be there soon," Yae Miko replied.

"Akio, put this on," Kitsune Saiguu handed him a set of clothes. While Yae Miko and Akio had been playing around all afternoon, she had hurriedly made an official robe for Akio, the Great Divine Official.

At Yae Miko's urging, and with her high regard for Akio after he had revived her, Kitsune Saiguu had also started calling him Akio, just like Yae Miko.

"Alright," Akio nodded and changed into the robe.

Kitsune Saiguu's craftsmanship was exquisite. The robe was made of fine brocade embroidered with gold thread, the sleek black design giving Akio an air of solemnity and dignity. The gold-cloud-patterned cape draped over his shoulders, making him look exceptionally handsome.

"Mmm~ Perfect," Kitsune Saiguu adjusted Akio's clothes, admiring her work. He looked truly flawless in this outfit.

"I say, Akio shouldn't bother buying clothes anymore. Lady Saiguu can just take care of all his outfits," Yae Miko chimed in, also finding Akio incredibly dashing in the robe.

"Sure," Kitsune Saiguu nodded. Her skills were top-notch, and she was more than happy to make all sorts of beautiful clothes for Akio. Now that she was free of her burdens, finding something to do was a good idea.

Earlier, Yae Miko had scolded Kitsune Saiguu for using a flimsy excuse to trick her into becoming the shrine maiden and demanded that she return the position.

But Kitsune Saiguu had firmly refused, stating that everyone now knew Yae Miko as the shrine maiden, and suddenly changing it would be awkward. Besides, she had just been revived after five hundred years—was she supposed to jump right back into work? This burden would have to remain on Yae Miko's shoulders.