Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Sangonomiya Kokomi: “What? I’m Going to the Sky?!”

"Your Excellency, Lady Sangonomiya Kokomi has been waiting outside for quite some time."

There was an indescribable oddness in Kano Nana’s expression.

That piqued Su Ran’s curiosity.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t be afraid. With me here, even the Raiden Shogun won’t casually draw her blade on you."

Was there really something strange enough to trouble this experienced shrine maiden?

"Your Excellency... I don’t understand why you chose to recruit the Sangonomiya priestess. The shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine are far more professional, and we even have Lady Guuji, who is vastly experienced. So why choose the one from Watatsumi Island?"

In Kano Nana’s eyes—

Watatsumi and the Shogunate had long-standing hostility.

There had even been war not long ago.

Why recruit someone who had been an enemy just recently?

"Why? Because Miss Kokomi is... rather special."

If it weren’t for Sangonomiya Kokomi being special—

And a particularly high-quality ornamental fish—

Su Ran wouldn’t have bothered recruiting her.

And Kokomi wasn’t merely the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi.

More importantly—

She was the strategist and leader of the Resistance Army.

If she voluntarily sought peace with the Shogunate,

The Resistance would lose all justification for war.

If conflict persisted after that—

Then those inciting it would clearly not be from Watatsumi or the Shogunate.

Their intentions would be obvious.

Instigators.

Of course—

None of that was Su Ran’s true priority.

Those considerations only mattered if Inazuma genuinely needed peace.

What he really cared about?

He simply wanted to raise an ornamental fish aboard the space station.

It might sound boring.

Even childish.

But that was his honest thought.

"But Lady Guuji is special too, isn’t she?"

Kano Nana still couldn’t understand why Kokomi—

And not Yae Miko.

"Do you think she’d patiently work for me?"

That was Su Ran’s biggest headache.

Yae Miko’s personality made it impossible for her to dedicate herself to administrative work like Ningguang.

Entrusting her with serious responsibility?

Unthinkable.

Giving her a meaningless vice-director title wouldn’t help either.

After all—

Ningguang was the one truly running everything.

Compared to Yae Miko,

Sangonomiya Kokomi was many times more reliable.

Kano Nana asked no further.

In the end, decisions were made by the powerful.

She was just a humble employee.

Obedience was safest.

Surely the deity had his own reasons.

"Bring her in. Since she’s returned, I assume she’s settled her affairs."

It had been a while since he saw little Kokomi.

He rather missed this ornamental fish.

"Understood."

Soon—

Kokomi was led inside.

The moment she saw Su Ran, She took a deep breath.

Then walked forward boldly.

To her—

This man remained an incomprehensibly mysterious existence.

More dangerous than the Raiden Shogun.

Strategy?

There was no need for it here.

She had already prepared herself to obediently work.

"Finished arranging your funeral affairs?"

Su Ran smiled as he looked at her.

Kokomi’s prepared report caught in her throat.

"Your Excellency, that makes it sound like I’m about to die."

She shot him a resentful look.

Regardless of whether everything that happened before had been carefully arranged by him—

At this moment, she understood—

She had no way out.

Still—

Was there really a need to phrase it like that?

She wasn’t planning to run.

"Kokomi, for Watatsumi Island, your situation will be little different from being deceased."

Kokomi: ???

What did that mean?

Was she being sent on a dangerous mission?

"You might want to explain more clearly. I’m not clever enough to decipher divine subtext."

"Ahem. Your workplace won’t be on the surface."

He pointed upward.

"Your location will be far more distant than Watatsumi is from the Grand Narukami Shrine. More importantly, you’ll need to learn an enormous amount of knowledge—enough to exhaust you completely."

"But don’t worry. You absolutely won’t regret it."

...

Whether she’d regret it in the future was one thing.

Right now—

Kokomi deeply regretted ever doing so much in the first place.

And she regretted being noticed by him.

In her mind, the next fifty years no longer belonged to her.

Leaving Watatsumi like this—

Was indeed no different from death.

Her recent trip home truly had been to settle affairs.

"Beyond the sky?"

Standing in the vast cosmos, Turning back to see the spherical world carrying Teyvat—

Kokomi was genuinely stunned.

She could even make out the outline of Inazuma.

The land she once considered vast—Now seemed so small.

So this was the world beyond the sky? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Then... Your Excellency, what exactly will my work be?"

"For now... listen to Ningguang. Do whatever she assigns."

"Ningguang? The Tianquan of Liyue?"

Kokomi’s heart skipped.

The famous Tianquan—

Working under this man as well?

Just how powerful was this "master" of hers?

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