"Lord Akio, slow down~"
In the sky, Akio was flying quickly toward Tenshukaku with Hiiragi Chisato in his arms.
"Lord Akio, I… I'm still a little nervous," Hiiragi Chisato said softly, looking at Akio.
"No need to be nervous. The Shogun is very gentle," Akio reassured her.
"Huh?" Hiiragi Chisato looked at Akio with a strange expression. Even if Lord Akio wanted to comfort her, he couldn't possibly say something like "the Shogun is gentle," could he?
Everyone in Inazuma knew that the Shogun was an extremely cold and distant god.
"You'll understand once you meet her," Akio said with a smile.
Meanwhile, at the Tenryou Commission.
Kujou Sara returned to the Tenryou Commission in a daze.
"General Kujou!" All the soldiers greeted her.
Kujou Sara ignored them. She rushed to Kujou Takayuki's office and slammed the door open.
Kujou Takayuki, who had been looking at something, was startled and quickly stuffed a piece of paper into his desk. He looked up.
When he saw it was Kujou Sara, his expression darkened, and he said coldly, "How dare you! Didn't I tell you to knock before entering my office? Kujou Sara, what do you think you're doing?"
Kujou Sara stared at Kujou Takayuki in silence. She walked up to him and asked, "Lord Takayuki, tell me the truth. Have you betrayed Inazuma? Have you betrayed the Shogun?"
"How dare you!" Kujou Takayuki was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. He stood up and slapped Kujou Sara across the face with such force that a red handprint immediately appeared on her pale cheek, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
"Ungrateful girl! How dare you speak to me like that?" Kujou Takayuki shouted angrily.
Kujou Sara just stared at Kujou Takayuki in silence. As a general of Inazuma, her observational skills were extremely sharp. If Kujou Takayuki hadn't been so furious, she might not have doubted him. But now, his reaction made her suspicious.
"Father!" Kujou Kamaji, hearing the commotion, rushed over and saw his father yelling at Kujou Sara, who had a handprint on her face.
Kujou Kamaji quickly stepped forward and stopped his father, asking, "What's going on? Father, calm down! It's not good for your health."
"This ungrateful girl!" Kujou Takayuki, an old man, was exhausted from shouting. He sat down with Kujou Kamaji's support.
"You dare accuse us of treason? You dare say we've betrayed the Shogun? Do you want to see me ruined?" Kujou Takayuki pointed at Kujou Sara and shouted angrily.
"Sara! How could you say such a thing? Apologize to Father immediately," Kujou Kamaji said, his expression changing slightly. He quickly signaled Kujou Sara with his eyes.
"I just asked a question, Lord Takayuki. Why are you so angry? Could it be that you've actually done it?" Kujou Sara asked calmly.
"You!" Kujou Takayuki was furious and tried to stand up to hit Kujou Sara again, but Kujou Kamaji stopped him, trying to calm him down.
"Sara! Leave now! Stop talking nonsense!" Kujou Kamaji said to Kujou Sara.
"Lord Takayuki, I'm asking these questions because someone told me about it, and I can't ignore his words," Kujou Sara said calmly. "I will investigate this matter. You'd better not interfere, and I hope you truly haven't betrayed the Shogun and Inazuma."
"Otherwise, I will personally bring you to justice! The family will be ruined!" Kujou Sara finished speaking and turned to leave.
"Ungrateful girl! Ungrateful girl!" Kujou Takayuki pointed at Kujou Sara's retreating figure, so angry that he almost had a heart attack.
"Father, calm down," Kujou Kamaji quickly tried to soothe Kujou Takayuki.
"Forget it, forget it. She must have lost her mind," Kujou Takayuki waved his hand. "You can leave now."
"Yes, Father," Kujou Kamaji nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
"Damn it! Who is it? I've been so careful. How could I have been found out?" Kujou Takayuki gritted his teeth and pulled out the piece of paper he had hidden earlier. On it was the contact information for the Fatui.
"No! I need to find out who told Kujou Sara about this," Kujou Takayuki's face darkened. To him, Kujou Sara was just a tool, a means for the Tenryou Commission to have a say in front of the Shogun.
How dare a dog he raised speak to its master like this?
…
Akio and Hiiragi Chisato quickly arrived at Tenshukaku. When they entered, they found only Raiden Makoto inside.
"Makoto, where are the Shogun and Ei?" Akio asked curiously.
"Oh, they just got into an argument because of you, and neither of them would back down, so they went to the back to spar," Raiden Makoto said with a gentle smile.
"This must be Hiiragi Chisato, right?"
"Greetings, Your Excellency," Hiiragi Chisato said nervously. This was the first time she had been so close to the Shogun, but she didn't seem as cold and distant as the legends said. In fact, she seemed quite gentle.
"Don't be nervous," Raiden Makoto pointed to the seat beside her and said softly, "Come, sit here."
"…" Hiiragi Chisato glanced at Akio, who nodded and gave her an encouraging look.
Hiiragi Chisato quickly walked over and knelt down.
"Don't be afraid. Akio recommended you, so I wanted to meet you. It's fine if you don't have experience. I just want to know, do you have confidence in taking on the role of Acting Commissioner of the Kanjou Commission?" Raiden Makoto asked.
"Thank you, Lord Akio and Your Excellency, for your trust. Chisato is confident!" Not wanting to disappoint Akio, Hiiragi Chisato composed herself and answered seriously.
"You two talk. I'll go take a walk," Akio said, giving Hiiragi Chisato a look of encouragement before leaving.
Not long after leaving Tenshukaku, Akio saw Kujou Sara sitting alone on a chair in the distance.
"Sara…" Akio walked over, but as soon as he greeted her, he noticed the handprint on her face.
His expression darkened, and he asked, "Who did this?"
"Lord Akio… it's… it's nothing," Kujou Sara said softly.
"It was that old dog Kujou Takayuki, wasn't it?" Akio guessed immediately. In Inazuma, there were few who would dare to treat Kujou Sara like this.
"What? Did you confront him, and he lashed out in shame?" Akio asked coldly.
"Yes…" Kujou Sara nodded, not saying anything else.
"Sigh… you're so stubborn," Akio sighed. It was inevitable—when people were caught doing something wrong, they would instinctively lash out in shame. After all, they were afraid of being exposed.
"The great general of the Tenryou Commission, with a handprint on her face? That won't do," Akio said, gently brushing his hand over Kujou Sara's cheek. A surge of life energy erased the handprint.
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