[ like ashes in water ]

[ 4 ]

srry this chapter is short :(

promise it (might) get better

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The rest of the trip to Inazuma passed in a blur. I spent most of my time looking out the window.

There wasn't anything in particular that I was looking at; I was just trying to steer clear of having to converse with Tartaglia.

Even while going through the Checkpoint for Inazuma, I exchanged the bare minimum of words for identification.

"From now, we will be going our separate ways. I'll drop you two off around Inazuma City, where our Fatui members have tracked our target's latest location. While you two are capturing the target, I will be heading over to one of the Fatui bases and obtain a teleporter. We will leave in an escape carriage at midnight. Be inconspicuous." I half-heartedly nodded while listening to her.

Out of nowhere, a purple flash out the window had caught my eye. I shot up, immediately alert.

Then, it appeared again. But this time, it didn't go away as quickly. I caught a glimpse of a fox tail, which had a color similar to a sakura bloom.

...

Is that Yae Miko?

The fox titled its head, almost as if beckoning me. At that moment, all sense of logic left me, and I bursted out of the still-operating carriage.

Before Tartaglia or Miss Akilina could even utter a single syllable, I was already long gone, sprinting after the pink fox.

In a flash, the once bustling main street became small side trails, winding from left to right. Once I came to a stop and got to take a look at the surroundings, I realized I was in Chinju Forest.

There wasn't much difference other than some growth in the shrubbery. It was still the familiar forest, yet this visit, an almost melancholy feeling had replaced the warmth.

No.

I re-focused my attention to the most important part; finding the fox that had led me here. A quiet rustling came from a bush behind me, making my body twist around instinctively.

"What a pretty lady..." A voice overflowing with smug had said.

The source wasn't far from me. A figure stepped out from behind a tree. The person had blossom pink hair, eyes that were an electrified purple, and a cunning smile.

"Or, instead of lady, should I say runaway boy?" Miko's voice turned icy, any ounce of friendliness squeezed away.

I paused, like a deer caught in headlights. Even though I had already anticipated an encounter with people from the past, clearly I wasn't prepared.

"What do you mean? I'm just a traveling-" She cut off my sentence.

"Don't lie to me, Kunikuzushi. I can smell your little up-to-no-good Fatui insect clique approaching, so I'll make this quick. Come back to your rightful place." Her statement was simple and blunt.

"There is no place for me here." I couldn't fool the Grand Narukami Shrine Maiden anymore, so there wasn't a point in pretending any longer.

"That's what I told Ei too, but she's insisting. Even so, you yourself know it better than anyone that you belong here more than in some Snezhnayan order. I can't believe you have gotten involved with such a cult." Miko stopped for a brief moment, examining me up and down. Just as she was about to say more, a distant rumbling caught her attention.

"2 months. We're giving you 2 months to figure out an answer. Don't lie to yourself, Kunikuzushi, you know your place here." Her eyes glint with either the moonlight, malice, or both.

With a turn, Miko disappeared into the forest, leaving me behind. I stared at the ground. It was true, I knew my place.

...

But now isn't the time.

"Sir Balladeer." Miss Akilina stepped out of the carriage, followed by Tartaglia.

Both of them had a concerned expressions on their faces.

"I apologize for my sudden acts. I thought I saw an old...friend...of mine. It seems I had mistaken a wild fox as my cat." I smiled with the most sincerity I could handle, then silently stepped back into the carriage.

Tartaglia and Miss Akilina shared a look, but didn't say a word to me. We went back to the original path, as if nothing had happened at all.