novelhk Chapter 107 The Liar
Chapter 107 The Liar
"It's you, Ayaka." Ayato Kamisato put down his pen. "It's alright, I was just about to go rest."
Ayaka Kamisato smiled and took out a letter from her bosom: "It seems I came at just the right time, so I won't be in a dilemma like Granny Furuta."
She placed the letter on Ayato Kamisato's desk, mimicking the way Furuta frowned when she was troubled: "Grandma Furuta found this in your sleeve while washing clothes. She didn't dare to bother you, and was so worried that she kept pacing back and forth at the study door. I had no choice but to volunteer to help."
Looking at the pattern symbolizing the Kujo family on the envelope, Ayato Kamisato finally remembered that it was sent by Kamaji Kujo on the day the Fools came to visit.
He looked slightly troubled: "I'll go apologize tomorrow. I hope it's not something important that was written in the letter."
Ayaka Kamisato comforted him, "It shouldn't be. If it were, my brother has visited the Kujo family so many times these past few days, young master Kujo should have reacted."
Seeing Ayato Kamisato open the envelope, she leaned over to read it with him. After discovering that it contained information about Kujo and Suzume, she gave an expression of surprise: "Hmm... it seems that my brother has unintentionally helped me a lot."
The last time the two of them went out together, she happened to be shopping nearby with Thomas and took the opportunity to secretly take a look. Compared to the last time they met, Que had become much rounder, and it was obvious that she had been eating well these days.
Thinking of this, Ayaka Kamisato couldn't help but tease, "It's really impressive that you managed to refrain from feeding Miss Suzume any strange things."
You see, Ayato Kamisato is good at everything, except for her little quirk of making terrible food, which has caused her and Thomas a lot of trouble.
Ayato Kamisato couldn't help but defend himself: "Novel ingredients often bring diners a different and exciting experience. This is just a small experiment. Even Ayaka would get tired of always following the rules."
Ayaka Kamisato sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Toma and I don't mind indulging your nonsense, but please don't bring this bad habit to Miss Suzume. It wouldn't be good if you scared her. By the way, have you decided where you want to go tomorrow?"
After several invitations, the two had explored almost the entire Narukami Island. Ayato had actually been struggling with where to go next, but had no idea. Seeing that Aya had asked him for advice, he simply asked her for suggestions: "Does Aya have any ideas?"
"How about we go to Narukami Taisha Shrine?" Ayaka Kamisato pondered for a moment before offering her answer. "My mother mentioned it when I was little; she and Miss Suzume loved going there. If I remember correctly, my brother still has many of the amulets she obtained back then, right?"
Amulet...
Ayato Kamisato subconsciously looked at the box beside his desk, the closest place to where he handled his daily business.
Ayaka Kamisato saw through it but didn't say anything, only smiled leisurely and said, "How about we settle it like this? Besides, the situation in Inazuma is tense recently. The isolation order and the eye-hunting order have been in effect for so long, but the shogun still hasn't changed his mind... I heard that the rebellion on Umijima Island is getting worse and worse. I wonder when it will end. It would be good for you to take Miss Suzume to pray for blessings."
Ayato Kamisato readily accepted.
He just didn't expect that this time, Que wouldn't accept his invitation.
Kujo Kamaji, who had been asked by Suzume to deal with Ayato Kamisato, stood awkwardly in front of the door: "I'm sorry, Mr. Juryo, my sister has caught a cold, and I'm afraid she might infect you. It's best if you don't go in to see her."
As he spoke, he shifted his feet to make sure his body could more accurately block Ayato Kamisato from seeing what was happening inside the sukiya.
However, he was clearly overthinking it. Ayato Kamisato wasn't the type to do such a thing. He was just a little reluctant to give up, or rather, he was worried about Suzume's situation: "How is Miss Kujo now? If it's just a quick visit, I think she should be fine."
Kujo Kamaji thought this was a really difficult matter, but since he had wronged Suzume first, he had to do what she asked him to do in order to make amends.
He deliberately exaggerated the symptoms: "My sister has a persistent high fever and a constant cough that hasn't stopped almost all night. I've never seen such a severe cold before, and I don't even dare to go in to see her. The rest of the family members are in similar condition, so I think it's best if the head of the company doesn't go to see her either."
His original intention was to use the fact that even the Kujo family members, who were related by blood, dared not go in as evidence of how serious Kazusagi's illness was, hoping to persuade Ayato Kamisato to give up. However, after hearing this, the latter immediately frowned.
"I apologize, but it is impolite to comment on your family so hastily. However, if none of you are willing to even glance at Miss Kujo, I suppose she won't receive proper treatment if she stays with the Kujo family. Perhaps it would be better to hand her over to me. Given our current relationship, it wouldn't be too inappropriate."
Ayato Kamisato was clearly serious. He raised his hand before Kujo Kamaji could even say anything, and the Kamisato servant behind him immediately stepped forward, exuding a strong sense of pressure.
Kujo Kamaji's vision blurred, and he quickly pulled Kamisato Ayato to a corner. "Oh dear! To tell you the truth, my sister isn't really sick. She just didn't want to see you, so she sent me here to lie. Please don't make things difficult for me!"
"Miss Kujo doesn't want to see me?" Ayato Kamisato visibly paused for a moment.
Kujo Kamaji dared not reveal that his good intentions had backfired, and stammered, "I don't know why. Perhaps it's because my younger sister finds it troublesome for the magistrate to keep taking time out for her. After all, in her eyes, someone as important as you is a very busy person with countless affairs to attend to."
"...Since it's Miss Kujo's own unwillingness, I won't force her." After a brief silence, Ayato Kamisato finally relented.
Before Kujo Kamaji could even catch his breath, he heard him say, "But please pass on a message for me—in my eyes, Miss Kujo has never been a burden. I am very happy and relaxed when I spend time with her, and even my efficiency in handling official business has improved a lot because of it. If there is a chance, please accompany me to Narukami Taisha Shrine next time."
Kujo Kamaji readily agreed.
"In that case, I shall take my leave." Ayato Kamisato smiled gently and turned to leave.
As soon as he left, Kujo Kamaji rushed into Suzume's room, afraid that if he was a step too slow, he might misremember Ayato Kamisato's heartfelt confession and distort its meaning.
Thanks to his dedication, he did deliver the message completely, but Que didn't seem as happy as he had expected.
She simply rolled over in bed, facing the wall on the inside, and burrowed even deeper into the blankets.
Kujo Kamaji was utterly baffled: "He already said that, and you're still not happy? Aren't you just worried that the magistrate is neglecting his duties to take care of you?"
He pursed his lips and didn't reply.
Kujo Kamaji, unwilling to give up, continued to press him for his thoughts, which resulted in him getting hit with several pillows by Suzume.
He was completely disheartened and slunk away, closing the door behind him.
With no pillow left, He Que could only crawl out from under the covers, curl up in a ball, and quietly shed tears by herself.
Liar! You don't even check the facts before making up a lie. The lie you told was so careless that it's hard for her to even fool herself when she wanted to use it against you!
Ayato Kamisato clearly hates Yae no Tsukasa the most...
*
Meanwhile, Ayato Kamisato, completely unaware that Suzume knew all about his preferences and couldn't believe the invitation was real, was still regretting that his carefully prepared plan was temporarily useless.
His attitude towards Yae no Miko was complex, a mixture of gratitude for her help to the Kamisato family and a sense of unease arising from the fact that two people who were too similar to each other could not meet.
In general, if he could avoid meeting Yae no Miko, he certainly wouldn't go out of his way to deal with her.
Although He Que was not entirely clear about the reasons, she was absolutely certain of his attitude.
Ayato Kamisato was reviewing official documents with a blank expression, but his thoughts were already wandering, planning when to arrange the next invitation in order to maximize the chances of success.
Unfortunately, before he could get an answer, Ayaka Kamisato arrived with news of Thomas, who had been dispatched to the remote island to appease the group of foreign merchants.
"Brother, Thomas said that two special people have come to the island." Ayaka Kamisato rarely showed a serious expression. "The traveler who solved the dragon scourge in Mondstadt and helped the Liyue Seven Stars reseal the Demon God Oser, somehow managed to sneak to Inazuma aboard the Southern Cross."
Upon hearing this, the first thought that popped into Ayato's mind was not to speculate on the traveler's intentions, but rather to lament that he probably wouldn't be able to visit Suzume again for a long time.
However, as Inazuma's magistrate, he was aware of the heavy responsibility he bore and quickly pulled his wandering thoughts back to follow Ayaka Kamisato's words to think about why the two of them had come here.
Unlike Mondstadt and Liyue, Inazuma is located in a remote area, separated from other countries by a vast sea. It is almost impossible for adventurers to accidentally wander in, let alone in the current era of isolation laws. The two of them coming here could only be a deliberate act.
But what exactly was the reason...? Even with Ayato Kamisato's keen insight into people's hearts, it was impossible for him to discover his purpose without ever having interacted with anyone.
Ayaka Kamisato added a few points from Thomas's letter: "Thoma said that he tried to contact them on their first day on the island and didn't find any malice. He just didn't know why they seemed to have a strong desire to meet the General."
After a moment's thought, Ayato Kamisato came up with a preliminary plan: "The island is currently heavily guarded, and it is difficult for outsiders to bypass the Kansei Magistrate. Perhaps we can let Thomas take this opportunity to test the abilities of this traveler from another land and determine whether the rumors are exaggerated."
"What if we confirm that they are the same as the rumors suggest?" Ayaka Kamisato immediately pressed.
"Then let Thomas introduce you to him." Ayato winked at her. "They want to see the Shogun, right? Of course, that's fine, but given the Shogun's current condition, their request will be difficult to achieve peacefully. Once they understand the current situation, they will definitely want to figure out a solution."
Ayaka Kamisato's eyes widened suddenly: "Brother means—"
"The Eye Hunting Edict and the Isolation Edict," Ayato Kamisato offered his answer. "Perhaps the solution lies in these two outsiders."
(End of this chapter)
Author's Note: Disclaimer: All content outside the main storyline in this article is entirely my own fabrication. The Kamisama family's attitude towards Travelers is, of course, also entirely my own business—whether it was premeditated or something else is entirely miHoYo's concern. I'm just a fanfic writer _(:з」∠)_
On a side note, something completely unrelated to the main topic is that internships are so hard to find! I've been looking for a week and not a single place wants me!!!
感谢在2024-06-30 10:03:26~2024-07-02 23:29:46期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Mingyueye (10 bottles); Millet Porridge (3 bottles); Autumn Dew White (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!