Rонava flew so fast that the wind nearly forced Lin En's eyes shut, leaving him no choice but to bury his face against her shoulder.
Her body heat seeped through her clothes, carrying a trace of warmth. He could even feel Ronava's heartbeat; it seemed to have quickened a little.
He didn't dare lift his head, afraid his face would bump into hers if he did.
Ronava landed in a forest some distance from Inazuma City and set Lin En down.
"Steady yourself."
"Could you warn me next time?"
"I did. I told you to hold on tight."
His face was still red. This was the first time a girl had ever carried him.
The cherry trees cast swaying shadows in the moonlight, and the lights of distant Inazuma City glowed warmly across the bay.
"Aren't you going straight to Tenshukaku to find the Raiden Shogun?"
Lin En asked.
"Not now. Rather than speak with her, I'd rather speak with that fox. She's a sensible one."
Lin En knew she meant Yae Miko, but when dealing with that cunning fox, would she really hand the thing over without getting anything in return?
"What do we do now? Climb this mountain?"
He looked up at the towering mountain before them. Climbing it would take quite some time.
"No need. We can wait at the foot of the mountain."
Ronava walked toward the path up the mountain. The Kamisato siblings' home was not far away.
Lin En understood. Yae Miko might not be on the mountain, so rather than make the trip for nothing, they might as well wait at the bottom.
Besides, Ronava had just used a considerable amount of power and needed time to stabilize herself.
But it was only noon, and they hadn't eaten a single meal yet.
Lin En followed her and sat down beneath a tree beside the path.
Istaroth's words surfaced in his mind again. Snezhnaya had already taken notice of her, so someone must have tipped them off. But he had only met those few people these past few days, and the Traveler was the only one working with Snezhnaya. At that thought, he muttered under his breath.
"How did I never notice before, Lumine..."
"What are you thinking about?"
Ronava's voice came from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Snezhnaya."
Lin En answered honestly.
"They know where you are now. They know you were coming to Inazuma, and they might even know you came to retrieve this thing. Someone must be tipping them off."
"Mm. So who do you think it is?"
Ronava opened her eyes. She hadn't expected Lin En to be thinking about this.
"The Traveler."
"It doesn't matter. Snezhnaya is busy dealing with the Heavenly Principles and can't spare anyone. As for me, I've lost my authority and suffered serious injuries. I can't stir up much trouble for the time being."
The two sat beneath the tree beside the path for about half an hour.
Ronava kept her eyes closed. The dark-gold rune on her palm had completely disappeared into her skin, and the black aura around her had fully receded. She looked no different from an ordinary person.
Lin En sat beside her, Anemo swirling silently at his fingertips. He was trying to compress the current of air into a finer form. Venti had said that the purer Anemo was, the more powerful it became.
Suddenly, footsteps came from the mountain path. Someone was walking slowly down at an unhurried pace.
Lin En looked up and saw a blue-haired man coming down the path. He wore a white outer robe with the Kamisato Clan's crest on its lining, and his handsome face had a gentle look. It was Kamisato Ayato.
His gaze swept over Lin En and Ronava. He paused briefly, as though assessing something, then gave them a perfectly measured smile.
"Is there a reason you two are resting on my Kamisato Clan's mountain path?"
His tone was courteous, but Lin En could hear the probing beneath the politeness. Ayato was no ordinary man; he had an excellent eye and had noticed Ronava's unusual aura at a glance.
"Sorry, we were just tired from walking and borrowed a spot to rest."
Lin En stood up.
"There's no need to apologize."
Ayato waved a hand, his gaze settling on Ronava.
"From the look of you... you aren't from Inazuma, are you?"
Ronava opened her eyes and gave him a calm look with her golden eyes, but didn't answer.
Ayato didn't press her. He merely smiled and changed the subject.
"Since you're tired, why not come sit at my humble abode? The Kamisato Estate is not far from here. A cup of tea and a rest there would be better than sitting under a tree."
Lin En was a little surprised. Though he felt somewhat awkward about accepting, he and Ronava did need somewhere to recover, and since Ayato had offered, it would be improper to refuse.
He looked at Ronava. She was silent for two breaths, then nodded slightly.
"Then sorry for the trouble."
Ayato led the two of them up the mountain path for a stretch, then turned onto a secluded trail. At the end stood a simple wooden gate, beyond which lay an elegant Japanese-style courtyard with a dry landscape garden, stone lanterns, and several neatly trimmed pine trees.
Ayato led them into the sitting room and ordered tea and refreshments brought in. Then he sat in the seat of honor and spoke unhurriedly.
"Are you two waiting for someone?"
The hand with which Lin En had just picked up his teacup paused. This man really could guess everything.
"Mm."
He admitted it honestly.
"We're waiting for Yae Miko."
Ayato picked up his own teacup and blew on it.
"The Guuji is indeed away from the mountain today. She's in Inazuma City attending to some matters. You've come at an unfortunate time to see her, but she should return this evening."
He went on.
"There was some commotion in Inazuma City last night. The Fatui envoys left the city overnight, and the Guuji went down the mountain this morning."
Ayato set down his teacup, his tone even.
Ronava had remained silent the entire time. She simply held her teacup and took a sip.
Ayato rose, went to the doorway, and summoned a guard.
"If the Guuji passes by here on her way down the mountain, please invite her in for a chat."
The guard acknowledged the order and left.
Ayato sat back down and refilled their cups.
"The Guuji should be here before too long. You two can rest here without worry."
Lin En leaned back against his cushion and breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Ronava and found her looking at him too, though he didn't know what she was thinking.
He froze for a moment, and Ronava had already looked away.
An hour later, the crisp clacking of wooden sandals sounded outside the gate, followed by a languid voice tinged with amusement.
"Ayato, when did you start playing matchmaker for people? That's hardly your style."
The door slid open, and a woman in pink and white shrine maiden robes walked in. Her long pink hair was swept up behind her head, and her pale purple eyes held a foxlike cunning.
Yae Miko's gaze fell first on Ayato, then swept over Lin En before settling on Ronava. Her smile faded slightly.
"Oh?"
She tilted her head, and the earring on her ear swayed gently.
"This guest of yours is rather unusual."
Yae Miko strolled into the sitting room, her wooden sandals making soft sounds against the tatami.
Rather than sit down immediately, she walked a circle around the two of them, her pale purple eyes looking back and forth between Ronava and Lin En as the smile on her lips deepened.
"Let me guess."
"You came all the way to Inazuma, but instead of going to Inazuma City, you sat at the foot of the mountain. A man and a woman..."
She thought for a moment, as though something had occurred to her.
"Are you here to ask about your love fortunes?"
Lin En nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.
"No, we..."
"Don't be shy."
Yae Miko sat down across from him and propped her cheek on one hand, smiling like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
"Reading love fortunes is what I do best. Let me take a look..."
Her gaze lingered on Ronava for two seconds before returning to Lin En's face. Then she widened her eyes in feigned surprise.
"Oh my, this young lady's features show the mark of a lone star, a fate seen only once in a thousand years. She was meant to walk alone all her life, with no attachments or ties. But your line of fate has become entwined with hers. The red thread may be thin, but it's quite strong."
Ronava's hand paused slightly as she held her tea.
"You're joking, Guuji."
Her voice was even, but Lin En noticed that the tips of her ears had turned red again.
"Joking? I never joke about love fortunes."
Yae Miko leaned a little closer, her foxlike eyes curving into crescents.
"Look, both your ears are red now. What a well-matched pair."
Lin En instinctively touched his own ears. They were burning hot. He stole a glance at Ronava and found her drinking her tea with her head lowered, her silver hair hanging down to hide the side of her face.
Yae Miko leaned back in her chair with satisfaction and clapped her hands.
"All right, all right, I'll stop teasing you. Now, what did you come to see me about?"