They're cosplay photos? That's amazing, cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles cuddles

[Minna-san, I'm baaaack again!]

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The morning sun streamed through Tenshukaku's paper windows, and Baichen woke to the familiar scent of Thunder Sakura.

Ei's arm was still wrapped around his waist, her breathing slow and even.

The boy carefully edged away, not wanting to disturb her sleep-

Ever since returning from Snezhnaya, Ei seemed especially clingy, bringing even her government work into the bedroom to deal with it.

[System notification: Time for your daily check-in]

[Check in?]

Check in.

[Check-in successful!]

[Obtained: Raiden Makoto's Resurrection Ball ×1 (stored in system inventory)]

[Effect: Unconditionally resurrect Raiden Makoto]

What the heck?!

Baichen nearly rolled off the bed.

He widened his eyes and checked the system notification over and over-a Resurrection Ball?

Raiden Makoto?

The previous Electro Archon who had died five hundred years ago?

System, are you serious?! Does this thing work?

[Obviously! Anything your daddy makes is guaranteed to be top quality]

[But I suggest finding the right time to use it]

[Suddenly bringing someone back to life would scare the girls half to death]

You... Forget it, I won't curse you out.

Baichen swallowed and quietly glanced at Ei, who was still fast asleep.

If he really could resurrect Raiden Makoto... how happy would Ei be?

But on second thought, something this important needed careful planning.

He decided to keep this earth-shattering secret to himself for now and tell Ei when the time was right.

After quietly getting up and dressed, Baichen planned to find something to eat in the kitchen.

He had just slid open the door when he saw Kujou Sara standing outside with breakfast, one hand still raised to knock.

"Lord Baichen." Kujou bowed slightly. "Is the Shogun awake?"

Baichen shook his head and took the tray. "Let her sleep a little longer." Catching sight of the blackened fried eggs on the plate, he twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Is this... a new dish from the kitchen?"

Kujou showed a rare hint of embarrassment. "The Shogun made it herself this morning..."

Baichen immediately understood. Ei's cooking was one of a kind in Inazuma-uniquely awful.

The Three-Color Dango she had made last time had only been edible by sheer luck.

"I'll go eat at Uyuu Restaurant later," he whispered. "This... don't tell Ei."

Kujou nodded in understanding, and the two silently agreed to dump the plate of "dark cuisine" into the courtyard pond.

The fish raced over, then promptly floated belly-up...

[Status obtained: Fear of Ei's cooking]

[Even the fish couldn't stomach it]

[Fish: I * your *, you're a real **]

Mornings in Inazuma City were much livelier than in Snezhnaya.

Street vendors hawked freshly made rice balls, a long line had formed outside the Three-Color Dango shop, and the air was filled with the aroma of soy sauce and miso.

Baichen took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction-this was the smell of home.

"Oh my, isn't this our little Baichen?"

A sultry voice came from behind him.

Baichen turned to see Yae Miko leaning against the entrance to Yae Publishing House, her long pink hair shining softly in the morning light.

She wore a modified shrine maiden outfit today, its neckline plunging low, and waved an exquisite folding fan in her hand.

"Lady Miko... good morning." Baichen instinctively took half a step back.

Though the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine was beautiful and captivating, she always gave him the illusion that a fox had its eye on him.

Yae Miko covered her lips with her fan and chuckled. "You've only just returned from Snezhnaya, and you're already out having fun. Aren't you afraid your Shogun will worry?" She stepped closer, and the faint scent of sakura blossoms wafted over him. "Or... did you not have enough fun over there and want to find something new to amuse yourself?"

Baichen's face turned red in an instant. "I-I'm just here for breakfast!"

"What a coincidence, I haven't eaten either." Miko casually linked arms with him. "How about accompanying your big sister to Uyuu Restaurant? My treat~"

Before he could answer, she had already pulled the boy toward the restaurant.

Baichen struggled to no avail and could only obediently follow-this sly fox was surprisingly strong.

[Yae Miko's affection: 45%]

[The fox has her eye on you]

When the owner of Uyuu Restaurant saw her two distinguished guests arrive, she immediately arranged the best private room.

Miko ordered a whole table of food-tempura, chazuke, grilled fish, and among the tempura was Baichen's favorite fried shrimp.

"So..." After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Miko narrowed her foxlike eyes to slits. "Would you be interested in being a temporary model for Yae Publishing House?"

Baichen nearly choked on his tea. "A m-model?"

"You just put on all sorts of cute outfits and have your picture taken~" Miko produced an art book from somewhere. "Demand for light novel illustrations has shot up recently, especially for the Reborn as the Raiden Shogun series..."

She opened the book, revealing page after page of chibi characters.

Baichen recognized the character based on him at a glance-a silver-haired shota cradled in Ei's arms.

"That's a violation of my portrait rights!" he protested.

Miko waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I already have the Shogun's tacit approval~" She suddenly lowered her voice. "And... the pay is very generous."

Baichen folded his arms. "I don't need money."

"What about this, then?" Miko mysteriously drew a photograph from her sleeve. "An exclusive, treasured Raiden Shogun cosplay photo~"

In the photo, Ei wore an outfit completely different from her usual one-a pink kimono, a lace hair ornament, and even cat ears! Although her expression was as serious as ever, the overall effect was cute enough to cause a nosebleed.

"W-when was this taken?!" Baichen's voice changed pitch.

"It's a genuine old photo~" Miko waved it proudly. "Ei used to be much cuter than she is now... So, what do you say? Model for one day, and this is yours~"

Baichen's mind descended into chaos.

On one hand, he really didn't want to be a model, but on the other... that photo was too precious!

He could see a side of Ei no one else knew about...

"J-just one day?" he asked weakly.

Miko smiled like a fox that had stolen a chicken. "Of course~ And you can choose the outfits. If you don't like them, you don't have to pose."

And so, half willingly, Baichen was lured into Yae Publishing House's photography studio.

To his surprise, the place was set up quite professionally, complete with lighting, backdrops, and props, while several masked assistants busied themselves.

"Let's try this one first~" Miko brought out a traditional Inazuman outfit, albeit a miniature version. "It's similar to your usual style, so it should be easy to start with."

After changing, Baichen stood stiffly in front of the camera, unsure where to put his hands or feet.

Miko sighed and came over to adjust his pose herself:

"Relax~ Imagine you're the Raiden Shogun's favorite little kitten..." She suddenly wrapped her arms around the boy from behind and gently lifted his chin with her fingers. "Yes, just like that... Make your eyes a little more innocent..."

The intimate pose made Baichen's ears burn.

He instinctively tried to pull away, but Miko held him firmly in place:

"Don't move, perfect angle!" she called to the photographer. "Quick, take it!"

The flash went off repeatedly, dazzling Baichen so much he couldn't open his eyes.

[Yae Miko's affection +5%, current affection: 50%]

[The fox's teasing]

The photo shoot lasted all morning.

Under Miko's "guidance," Baichen changed into no fewer than ten outfits-from samurai attire to festival dress, and even a fluffy tanuki costume.

The most embarrassing was a girl's outfit modeled after the protagonist of Reborn as the Raiden Shogun. Although Baichen firmly refused, Miko still secretly took a few photos of him looking flustered while trying it on.

"The last one~" Miko brought out an outfit that made Baichen's pupils quake-a miniature Raiden Shogun uniform. "Ei will be so happy when she sees it~"

Baichen clung tightly to the changing room doorframe. "Absolutely not!"

"Oh, what are you embarrassed about?" Miko tapped the tip of his nose with her fan. "Don't you want to see Ei's reaction?" She lowered her voice. "I promise... it'll be very interesting~"

In the end, after Miko promised to add three more treasured photos of Ei, Baichen gave in.

Standing before the mirror in the uniform, he was a little dazed himself-the long purple wig, the miniature jinbaori, and even the naginata prop were remarkably lifelike.

"Perfect!" Miko clapped her hands in admiration. "You're just like a miniature Ei!"

During the shoot, Miko went even further, requesting all sorts of intimate poses-being held in the "Shogun's" arms, feeding the "Shogun" dango, and even a scene of giving the "Shogun" a lap pillow.

Baichen's face flushed bright red with embarrassment, but he had to admit... it was quite fun.

"All right, that's a wrap~" Miko inspected the finished photos with satisfaction. "Nice work, little Baichen." She handed him an elegant envelope. "Here's your promised payment~"

Baichen couldn't wait to open it. Sure enough, inside were precious photos of Ei-besides the cat-eared outfit he had seen earlier, there was an adorable picture of her wearing a petal-patterned yukata, as well as a close-up of her sleeping face.

The boy tucked the envelope safely against his body like a priceless treasure, afraid anything might happen to it.

"Oh, right..." Miko suddenly leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Let me tell you a little secret..." Her voice was so low that only the two of them could hear. "Ei's been secretly learning how to make Three-Color Dango lately~ I don't need to tell you who it's for... do I?"

Baichen's heart skipped a beat.

No wonder he had seen Ei busy in the kitchen again that morning... so that was why.

"Thank you for telling me..." he said sincerely. "But... could I ask you not to tell Ei I came here to model?"

Miko blinked. "That costs extra~" Seeing how nervous the boy looked, she burst out laughing. "Just kidding. This is our little secret, right?"

She affectionately pinched Baichen's cheek, then suddenly turned serious. "Speaking of which... there's a strange aura about you." The fox's nose twitched. "Have you come into contact with anything... special lately?"

Baichen's heart tightened-had she sensed the Resurrection Ball? But the system had said other people didn't know it existed...

"Could it be... the earring Bronya gave me?" He tentatively pointed to the ice-crystal ornament on his left ear.

Miko shook her head. "Not that..." She studied Baichen thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly returned to her carefree smile. "Oh well, maybe it was just my imagination~"

It was already afternoon when he left Yae Publishing House. Baichen touched the photos tucked against his chest, wondering how to explain his disappearance that morning to Ei.

Turning a street corner, he nearly walked into a wall of a person-he looked up to see Kujou Sara, her face expressionless.

"Lord Baichen." Kujou's voice betrayed no emotion. "The Shogun is waiting for you at Tenshukaku."

Baichen's heart sank. It seemed Ei already knew he had secretly slipped out...

(The picture is in the author's note!)

Please click the poop-colored button, everyone, I'm begging you, boo-hoo-hoo. Please send the free little gifts too, thank you all qwq. Big gifts would be even better!

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