𝐈'𝐌 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐈'𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋! | genshin impact

| 11 |: The Nightingale Floor

Jin proceeded to spread a large sheet of paper on the tatami mats as (y/n), Ayato and Tsukuyomi quietly gathered around the blank sheet. Sitting on his knees, the chamberlain pulled his sleeve back and dipped the tip of the writing brush into a small pot of ink before drawing the floorplan of Tatsuya's home with meticulous detail. Wide-eyed, (y/n) watched him work with swift brush strokes, awed by his eidetic memory. He even marked the possible locations of hidden traps and speculated on the types they might be by considering the places they were installed in, and some parts of his explanation left the Onigasaki heiress scratching her head.

But she knew one thing for sure - Tatsuya must have a lot of enemies, or perhaps secrets to guard if he had turned his own home into a disguised fortress that aims to keep intruders out.

"You seem to be well-versed in espionage and infiltration," Ayato remarked with a smile at Jin, "You must have had a lot of past experience during Lord Riku's time. Very impressive."

The chamberlain dipped his head in a humble bow, accepting the compliment. "As a ninja of the Iga Clan and Lord Riku's most trusted aide, this is the least of what I should be capable of."

At the reveal, (y/n) stared at Jin with a slack jaw, and Tsukuyomi slowly closed her mouth again. Riku wasn't the only one with a secret force of trained ninjas under his command as there is Ayato and his Shuumatsuban, and if she had to compare the villainess' father to a real-life historical figure, she would say that he's Genshin Impact's equivalent of Oda Nobunaga, also known as the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. Small wonder, then, that the Onigasaki Clan is very powerful in terms of military strength. Riku was an open-minded leader who judged people purely based on their skills and assigns capable fighters as his trusted servants. It didn't matter to him whether the person is a samurai, a ninja or a commoner, because as long as they have the resolve and skill to wield their blade for the clan, they are worthy enough to serve under the Onigasaki name. Riku was an innovative man who sought to change the way battles are fought in Inazuma; the clan's soldiers were trained and disciplined for group and mass movements, which replaced hand-to-hand fighting tactics.

Without their shinobi shozoku, ninjas are farmers which puts them at the bottom of the social ladder. They have no chance of becoming the close aide of a clan head... unless that clan head is Onigasaki Riku.

"The Nightingale Floor must be a new security feature. I don't remember it being there the last time I visited," Jin mused, rubbing his chin in thought.

"So what was the plan you had in mind?" (y/n) inquired, "I remember you mentioning that it involves a member of the Shuumatsuban and one other person."

Jin cast a look at Ayato, who met his gaze with an arched eyebrow. "My Lady here explained that the bird sound of the Nightingale Floor is produced by metal hinges under the floorboards, triggered with the pressure of a single foot. That makes it impossible to cross without being detected. While I am confident in my skills, in the worst-case scenario, I'll need another fleet-footed ninja who excels in escape techniques to report the situation back to Lord Ayato. This is where Sayu comes in."

Ayato let out a hum of approval. "I see... Certainly, escaping danger is her specialty. I have no doubt that she'll be a useful partner."

"But there's a problem," Tsukuyomi interjected, eyes narrowing, "Even with the Nightingale Floor, Lord Tatsuya won't lower his guard for even one second. Once he has a secret that mustn't be leaked, he will guard it using all the methods at his disposal."

"What about the other person you mentioned, Chamberlain Jin? Are they going to act as a diversion for you and Sayu?" asked (y/n).

The chamberlain's eyes glinted mischievously as he said, "Correct. You, with Kazuha as your bodyguard, will be our diversion. I will arrange your visit to Lord Tatsuya's residence tomorrow under the guise of wishing to unite your families through matrimony between you and Master Hidemune. All you have to do is keep him occupied until you hear the signal from Tsukuyomi." He then gestured towards the blank-faced retainer.