Bai Luo and Igor didn’t stay outside for long—after all, there was still a banquet going on inside Sangonomiya Shrine.
If they lingered too long, it would arouse suspicion.
Fortunately, everyone knew that Igor was a die-hard fan of Battousai, and with Mr. Li covering for them, they managed to fool everyone.
After returning to their seats, Beidou rely glanced at Bai Luo but said nothing.
Instead, Kazuha, who was seated beside Bai Luo, seized the opportunity to start chatting with him again.
And the person they were talking about was soone not present—Gorou.
"Gorou is quite an extraordinary man. Despite being the great general of Watatsumi, he doesn’t carry the usual arrogance of one. Everyone holds him in high regard."
Ever since Kazuha returned to Inazuma, he had beco much more talkative.
On their way to Sangonomiya Shrine, he would eagerly introduce things to Bai Luo whenever he saw sothing interesting.
For example, the floating creatures—rumor had it that managing their ecosystem was as troubleso as Liyue’s pest control efforts.
"It’s a pity that the frontline battle is intense, so Gorou can’t stay in the rear for long. Otherwise, I would have definitely introduced him to Mr. Himura. I’m sure Mr. Himura wouldn’t regret making such a friend."
"Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it."
Rather than looking forward to eting Gorou, Bai Luo was more excited about seeing Miss Hina.
Even though that sly fox hadn’t succeeded in "unlocking" Gorou yet, Bai Luo already knew about a certain special trait of that little puppy.
Ahem— Maybe he should just behave like a decent person for now.
"Lord Battousai, this is a special dish from Liyue—Chilled Qingxin Salad. It’s quite rare in Inazuma. Please feel free to try it."
As Bai Luo and Kazuha chatted, a new round of dishes was served.
Perhaps to accommodate Bai Luo, the shrine maidens of Sangonomiya Shrine had specially placed the most exquisite dish in front of him.
Bai Luo: "..."
Alright, the shrine maiden wasn’t lying. Qingxin was indeed a rare delicacy in Inazuma, sotis even unavailable for purchase.
But... did she even consider where he ca from? Liyue!
Do they lack Qingxin there?
When he was out gathering herbs with Qiqi, he used to snack on this stuff like it was candy!
Even Sunsettia would’ve been a better choice than this!
"And here’s a plate of Sunsettias. We heard it’s your favorite, so Miss Sangonomiya specifically asked us to prepare it for you."
"..."
Judging from the shrine maiden’s tone, she must have brought it over with a certain level of reverence.
But... could Sunsettia really be considered food?
Holding his chopsticks, Bai Luo stared at the plate of Sunsettias and the other dishes on the table, hesitant to dig in.
Because there was one thing he wasn’t sure about.
If the table itself was considered a carrier for the Sunsettias, would touching the table change its flavor?
That was a serious concern.
After hesitating for a while, Bai Luo turned to Kazuha beside him.
"Kazuha, my friend, want so Sunsettias? Eat as much as you like."
Kazuha had been smiling at first, but upon hearing Bai Luo’s words, his expression instantly changed. He scooted half a ter away—table and all—joining the navigator, Miss Huixing, at the neighboring table.
This sudden movent left Miss Huixing blushing shyly.
"Uh... Captain Beidou?"
Expressionless, Bai Luo turned to Beidou on his left and cautiously inquired.
Beidou, who had been drinking, suddenly seed to recall sothing. Without hesitation, she gulped down the remaining liquor in her bottle, then slumped onto the table, hiccupping. The only thing missing was a sign reading "I’m drunk".
However, the sake prepared for Beidou by Sangonomiya Shrine was a low-alcohol, sweet variety intended for won. With Beidou’s tolerance, forget about a single bottle—even an entire barrel would only make her feel bloated rather than drunk.
"Is that really necessary...?"
Muttering to himself, Bai Luo turned his gaze toward the shrine maiden who had served the dishes and now stood behind him.
Unlike other shrine maidens with traditional Inazuman hair colors, this one had an unusual light-green hue. Paired with her blue shrine maiden outfit, it gave her a rather distinct appearance.
Most importantly... her voice sounded oddly familiar. He was sure he had heard it sowhere before.
Her face, however, was unfamiliar. Bai Luo was certain he had never seen this person before.
But then his gaze drifted downward.
—Hiss—
Unlike the loose-fitting robes of ordinary shrine maidens, her outfit was a bit tight in certain areas—especially around the chest. The prominent breast that seed ready to burst out made Bai Luo’s scalp tingle, giving him the impression that he could suffocate just by looking at it.
More importantly... this breast looked incredibly familiar.
To be fair, Bai Luo had only seen one of this magnitude once before.
Without betraying his thoughts, he discreetly moved his hand beneath the table.
First, he pressed down on the soft cushion beneath him until he felt the hard surface of the ground.
Hmm... That texture... felt like Hu Tao’s.
He withdrew slightly.
Now it felt like Katerina’s.
A significant swell—hmm... Bai Luo’s gaze drifted toward Beidou.
Yeah, this one should be hers.
Then, his hand left the cushion and lightly pressed the air in front of him as if confirming sothing.
—Holy crap! Isn’t this her?!
Retracting his hand in an instant, Bai Luo’s mind was now entirely focused on the shrine maiden behind him.
There was no mistaking it. Though he had only estimated visually, based on this size, she was absolutely soone he knew!
"Miss Shrine Maiden, do you like sweets?"
Without changing his expression, Bai Luo picked up a Sunsettia from the plate and handed it to her.
At the mont, Sunsettia was the only thing on the table that seed appropriate to offer soone else.
"Lord Battousai, this was specially prepared for you by Miss Sangonomiya. We are not allowed to eat it."
The shrine maiden maintained a warm smile.
"Is that so? What a sha. By the way, could you tell your na? I feel like I’ve seen you sowhere before."
Casually slipping the Sunsettia into his pocket, Bai Luo asked again.
To be honest, his actions seed rather flirtatious, and both the shrine maiden and the pretending-to-be-drunk Beidou thought so too.
However, the shrine maiden still responded politely, "I am just an ordinary shrine maiden. My na is of little importance."
For her, this was indeed a good opportunity to get closer to Battousai. But she had just established her footing in Sangonomiya Shrine—if she acted recklessly, she might attract the attention of the Divine Priestess.
So, she had no choice but to give up this chance.
"Oh, so your na is ’Of Little Importance’? Quite a unique na."
"..."
The shrine maiden’s smile froze, and her expression beca visibly unnatural.
Though Bai Luo had spoken the words ’of little importance’, he had also silently mouthed a na.
Her real na.
"Miss Of Little Importance, could I trouble you to deliver this Qingxin to Miss Sangonomiya? I used to eat this all the ti back in Liyue."
"...Of course."
Forcing herself to remain composed, the shrine maiden bent down to pick up the plate of Qingxin.
At that mont, a faint, familiar scent of Whopperflower drifted into Bai Luo’s nose.
"Co to my room tonight. You wouldn’t want others to find out your true identity, would you?"
Taking advantage of the mont when she was picking up the plate and blocking everyone’s view, Bai Luo whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
. . . . .
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