Chapter 14: A Visit from the Shogun
After a discussion with Raiden Shogun, Liam decided to start implementing his plan.
Liam first went to the Tenryou Commission territory but couldn't find Kujou Sara. After some inquiries, he learned that she had gone to Hanamizaka.
"Hanamizaka?"
Liam rubbed his chin. He remembered that Yoimiya's fireworks shop and Itto were in that area. So, he left the Tenryou Commission territory and walked towards Hanamizaka.
Liam did not use teleportation; since he had plenty of time, he decided to take a stroll.
Although Hanamizaka was within Inazuma City, it was on the outskirts.
"Ha ha ha! Kujou Turtle! If you have the guts, let's duel again!"
As Liam arrived at Hanamizaka, contemplating how to find Kujou Sara, he suddenly heard a rough, boisterous voice.
This voice and the nickname used undoubtedly indicated it was Itto.
Curious, Liam followed the direction of the voice. He had been in Teyvat for some time, but due to various matters, he hadn't had much time to seek out the famous characters from the game. So far, he had only visited Ayaka and Ayato.
Judging by the sound, they were not far away, so Liam quickly found the owner of the voice.
He saw a white-haired, burly man with red markings all over his body, a pair of crimson horns on his head, and a Geo Vision on his neck. It was Arataki Itto.
At this moment, Arataki Itto was surrounded by several Tenryou Commission soldiers. Beside him were a few people who seemed to be his subordinates, and there was also a green-haired girl wearing a mask, likely Itto's "external brain," Kuki Shinobu.
Kujou Sara's eyebrows were slightly furrowed. She hadn't expected to encounter a troublemaker just as she began confiscating Visions.
"What are you doing?"
Liam walked up to them.
"We are confiscating Visions!"
Kujou Sara stepped forward to explain to Liam.
"Confiscating Visions?"
Liam frowned, looking at Kujou Sara.
"Who ordered this? Did I give such an order? Sara, you better have a good explanation!"
Liam's face darkened.
"The head of the Kujou Clan wants to expedite assisting the Shogun in pursuing 'Eternity,' so he ordered the Tenryou Commission to start confiscating Visions!"
Kujou Sara replied.
"Did I not say that the Shogun has appointed me as the full authority over the Vision Hunt Decree? What right does Kujou Takayuki have to issue orders to confiscate Visions? Kujou Sara, do you think his words are more authoritative than the Shogun's?"
Hearing Liam's words, Kujou Sara immediately knelt on one knee and said,
"I have no such intention! I only wanted to complete the task for the Shogun as soon as possible!"
Kujou Sara's loyalty to the Shogun was unquestionable, almost to the point of blind devotion. She would unwaveringly stand by the Shogun in any matter. Now, hearing her loyalty being questioned, Kujou Sara felt a bit flustered.
Liam glanced at Kujou Sara. He knew this earnest girl was probably deceived by that old fox Kujou Takayuki. That old man had some nerve, being nearly scared to death yesterday and yet still daring to pull tricks today. Liam feigned impatience.
"I will say this once more: I am fully responsible for the Vision Hunt Decree. If you act on your own again, don't blame me if the Shogun expels you from Inazuma! The Shogunate does not need disobedient generals!
Now go back and recall the Tenryou Commission troops. If anyone brings back a Vision, don't blame me for being merciless! Once back, issue a notice allowing Inazuma's residents to voluntarily surrender their Visions within fifteen days. During these fifteen days, I don't want to see any Tenryou Commission soldiers forcibly confiscating Visions! Understood?"
Liam gave a small scare to Kujou Sara. According to his original plan, he was supposed to mention humanitarian reasons to increase the decree's reasonableness, to prevent Kujou Takayuki from reporting him to the Shogun. But now, with both Raiden and the Shogun on his side, he wasn't afraid at all.
"Yes! Understood!"
Kujou Sara responded firmly, then prepared to leave to organize what Liam had instructed.
Just as Kujou Sara was about to turn away, Liam called out to her.
"Wait, Sara!"
Kujou Sara turned around and looked at Liam.
"Is there anything else, Lord Liam?"
"Sara, I know you are loyal to the Shogun, and I don't want to reprimand you. I mainly want you to learn from this mistake and not repeat it in the future. Also, don't call me 'Lord' in private. Let's keep our relationship as it is."
Liam sighed.
Kujou Sara's tense expression softened slightly at his words.
"Alright!"
With that, Kujou Sara left Hanamizaka with the Tenryou Commission soldiers.
Liam then turned his attention to the Arataki Gang members still present.
"Ha ha ha! Brother, you are really something! That Kujou Turtle turned into a real turtle in front of you! I'm Arataki Itto! Would you be interested in joining the Arataki Gang? I'll make you the third-in-command!"
Arataki Itto got up, brushed off the dust, and hooked his arm around Liam's neck, trying to pull him into the gang.
Liam was not bothered by Itto's straightforwardness. Instead, he smiled and said,
"Heh, I'm Liam. Joining the Arataki Gang is out of the question, but if you ever encounter trouble, feel free to come to me. I still have some influence in Inazuma."
At this point, Kuki Shinobu approached, pulled Itto's ear, and dragged him aside.
"Ouch! Shinobu, what are you doing?"
Itto shouted in pain.
Kuki Shinobu sighed and whispered,
"Do you even know who he is? And you just try to recruit him?"
Then she turned to Liam and said,
"I'm Kuki Shinobu. I'm sorry! Our boss is a bit... unusual. Please forgive him! And thank you for helping our boss just now."
Liam waved it off with a smile.
"No need to apologize. I had a role in this too. By the way, is Kuki Hisai related to you?"
"Uh... yes, she is my elder sister. Do you know her?"
Kuki Shinobu hesitated but admitted.
"Heh, no need to call me 'Lord.' Do I seem that hard to get along with? Just call me Liam. I wouldn't say I know her well, but I met a shrine maiden named Kuki Hisai at Narukami Shrine recently. You looked familiar, so I asked."
"Oh, I see! I just didn't want people to know I was once a shrine maiden."
Kuki Shinobu sighed in relief.
...
After getting acquainted with the Arataki Gang, Liam noticed it was about time for a meal, so he invited Itto and his gang to join him.
The chosen location was the Kiminami Restaurant, which was quite popular in Hanamizaka!
"Hehe! Brother Liam! Today you helped us out, and now you're treating us to a nice meal! From now on, you're a good brother of Arataki Itto! If you ever need anything, just ask!"
"Itto, you're too kind. It's just a meal, no big deal."
Liam then looked at the restaurant owner, Kiminami Anna, and smiled.
"Madam, six portions of food, please! And one without any beans!"
"Got it! Please wait a moment!"
In no time, the owner brought out all the food. The speed of service here was indeed impressive.
"By the way, Shinobu, what made you join the Arataki Gang?"
During their previous conversation, Kuki Shinobu had said that Liam could just call her Shinobu, and Liam naturally obliged. He asked this question during the meal.
"Hmm—nothing much, maybe for the sake of freedom."
Kuki Shinobu thought for a moment and said.
"Haha, true. Life is short; why not do what you enjoy?"
Liam smiled. He admired Shinobu's carefree attitude. Unlike most people, she had the ability to be carefree, with various qualifications that made it easy for her to find a job.
"May I ask, what's it like to be personally trained by the Shogun? Is it nerve-wracking?"
Kuki Shinobu asked. Although she had been a shrine maiden at Narukami Shrine, she had never really seen the Raiden Shogun in person and only felt that she was very imposing.
"Hmm—the experience? Not much to say, really. Although the Shogun appears very imposing and she indeed is, she's very kind to me. If I'm uncomfortable, she takes care of me, even though she still has that expressionless face."
Thinking about their time together, Liam realized that the Shogun had been quite considerate. She was kind to him and even offered her lap as a pillow, and her absent-minded demeanor was endearing.
"Does the Shogun really have such a side?"
Shinobu was curious. The thought of the imposing Raiden Shogun being so caring was surprising.
"You just don't know the Shogun well enough! She's a good person!"
Liam smiled.
As Liam and Shinobu were chatting, the atmosphere in the Kiminami Restaurant suddenly became lively.
Liam could hear people mentioning "the Shogun."
Could it be that Ei herself had come out?
Liam turned his head and saw a distinctive figure in purple. This presence was unmistakable—it was the Shogun.
Liam hadn't expected the Shogun to leave the Tenshukaku. This was even rarer than seeing Ei out and about.
The Shogun walked straight toward Liam, while Shinobu and the other three members of the gang quickly stood up.
"Huh? Shogun, what brings you here?"
Liam asked curiously as he looked at the Raiden Shogun.
At this moment, Itto loudly exclaimed,
"Hahaha! You're the Raiden Shogun, right? I... Mmph..."
Before Itto could finish, Shinobu and the three gang members quickly covered his mouth, sweating nervously, hoping the Shogun wouldn't notice their leader.
They were mentally scolding him, "Boss! You say these things in private, but you actually want to say them to her face? Are you not afraid of death?"
The Shogun glanced at Itto.
"Oni, what do you want?"
The Shogun asked indifferently.
"Sorry, Shogun, he's a bit slow in the head. Please don't take his words to heart!"
Shinobu quickly explained.
The Shogun ignored Itto and nonchalantly pulled out a chair to sit next to Liam.
"I have handed all the matters to my sister. Now I don't know what to do. My sister told me to find you and suggested I take a look at Inazuma."
The Shogun said slowly.
Liam understood. With Ei back in charge of Inazuma, the Shogun, who was created by Ei to manage Inazuma, was now feeling a bit lost.
Liam gently placed his hand on the Shogun's head, lightly ruffling her hair, and smiled.
"Then I'll take you on a tour of Inazuma! Since you no longer need to manage the city, you can relax and enjoy yourself!"
The Shogun did not resist Liam's actions. Hearing his words, she nodded slightly.
"Alright."
Liam's actions left Itto's subordinates in shock. Even the usually composed Shinobu was taken aback. They knew Liam had a good relationship with the Shogun, but they never imagined it was to this extent. The Shogun, known for her strict demeanor, was allowing someone to ruffle her hair?
Liam then stood up and said to Shinobu,
"Sorry, Shinobu! The Shogun and I have some things to do, so we'll be leaving now. I've already paid for the meal. See you!"
"Go ahead and accompany the Shogun! We'll treat you next time!"
Shinobu shook her head and replied softly.
With that, Liam left the Kiminami Restaurant with the Shogun.
Seeing the Shogun leave, the others finally released Itto.
As soon as he was free, Itto exclaimed,
"Shinobu, why did you stop me?"
Shinobu, with a dark expression, grabbed Itto's ear again.
"Do you have a death wish, acting out in front of the Shogun?"
"Ow! It hurts! Shinobu, I know I was wrong! Let go!"
Though Itto wasn't afraid of facing the Raiden Shogun, he couldn't handle Shinobu's ear-twisting technique and had to concede.
Knowing her boss's personality, Shinobu sighed and let go of Itto, who immediately started rubbing his sore ear.
"By the way, Brother Liam seems to have a good relationship with the Raiden Shogun! Hahaha! He's amazing, taming such a fierce woman!"
Itto laughed.
"They are master and disciple. It's normal for them to have a good relationship."
Shinobu said.
Even she found it hard to believe. What master lets their disciple ruffle their hair? This was unusual. But these thoughts she kept to herself.
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Arataki Itto
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Kuki Shinobu
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