A gentle breeze brushed by, and the cherry blossoms danced in the air.

The faint fragrance of the cherry blossoms filled the entire forest, refreshing and pleasant.

Under a cherry blossom tree, friends sat on a picnic mat, playing a card game.

Ei lost again.

Though Ei was a master of martial arts, she had no talent for the game of cards, but her unyielding spirit never wavered.

Makoto, holding the fox-shaped Yae Miko in her arms, looked at the smiles of her friends, a gentle smile of her own gracing her face.

Yuxie sat beside Makoto, gazing at the little fox-shaped Yae Miko in her arms.

Yae Miko, in her fox form, had her eyes closed and was comfortably sleeping in Makoto's arms.

Perhaps sensing Yuxie's gaze, Yae Miko slowly opened her eyes, curling closer into Makoto's embrace.

"What's the matter? Do you think I'm going to eat you or something?" Yuxie teased Yae Miko.

Yae Miko said nothing but let out a soft sound from her throat before closing her eyes again, comfortably falling back to sleep.

Makoto gently stroked Yae Miko's fur and smiled at Yuxie, saying, "Yae Miko really likes you, she's just a little shy."

Upon hearing this, Yae Miko cracked open her eyes just slightly, glancing at Yuxie before pretending she didn't hear anything.

"She's not shy at all! Every time she asks me to make her fried tofu, she's all business," Yuxie said, playfully pinching Yae Miko's ears.

Opportunities to touch Yae Miko's ears were rare, and Yuxie couldn't let this one slip by—normally, Yae Miko wouldn't allow it.

"Are you not going to play the card game?" Makoto asked, sensing that there were some things she couldn't interfere with, so she decided to change the subject.

"I'll go in a bit," Yuxie said, looking over at the others playing the card game. "But there's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Are you hiding something from everyone?"

The question made Makoto fall silent for a moment.

On such a happy day, her eyes should've reflected that joy, but there was a hidden sorrow behind them that was hard to detect.

"You really are a perceptive person," Makoto said with a faint smile, hesitating for a moment. "It's not so much that I'm hiding something, I just don't think the time has come to tell everyone yet."

"Is it related to war?" Yuxie asked.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"...Yes. I may have to leave Inazuma for a while."

"I'll go with you," Yuxie said.

"No need. I'll have Ei stay in Inazuma. You take care of her and protect her for me."

"Ei needs care, but she doesn't need protection," Yuxie said. "On the other hand, you, you're not skilled in martial arts, and as the General of the Okuzumeshuu, I must protect you. That's my duty."

"Is it... just duty?" Makoto asked, feeling like she shouldn't ask, but for some reason, the words slipped out.

"Of course, it's not just that," Yuxie said, turning to look her in the eyes. "Even if I weren't the General of the Okuzumeshuu, I would still do it. Some things don't need a reason."

For a brief moment, Makoto seemed lost in thought.

She looked at Yuxie, then smiled with a sense of relief.

"It seems the child from back then has really grown up."

"Since you've said it, I'll take that as your approval." Yuxie stood up. "Shall we go join everyone for the card game?"

"You go ahead. I'll stay here and rest with Yae Miko," Makoto said, her smile never fading.

Yuxie didn't say anything more and joined the group playing cards.

Sasayuri and Mikoshi Chiyo were in the final round of their game, and as expected, Ei was the first to be eliminated.

Time passed quickly, and as the cherry blossoms continued to fall, the snacks they had brought were gradually eaten, and the sunlight in the sky began to dim.

The once-bright sun now hung in the sky like a golden copper mirror.

...

A few days later.

In the Great Hall of the Tenshukaku, Yuxie arrived after being summoned.

But instead of seeing Makoto, he found Mikoshi Chiyo, who seemed to have been summoned as well.

"Chiyo," Yuxie greeted.

Chiyo seemed a bit lost in thought. Even though Yuxie had walked up to her, she didn't notice right away.

"Chiyo?" Yuxie called out again.

This time, Chiyo snapped out of her daze.

"Ah! Yuxie, it's you."

"Did Makoto really call you here?"

"Mm..." Chiyo nodded, a worried expression crossing her beautiful face. As a general under the Raiden Shogun, she could tell that today's events were likely more serious than they appeared.

Yuxie's expression was equally somber.

This morning, Makoto had urgently summoned him to the Tenshukaku, but now he couldn't even find Makoto herself. It wasn't good news, no matter how he thought about it.

As Yuxie and Chiyo were contemplating, the sound of footsteps echoed, and Makoto walked into the hall.

"Sorry, I'm a little late," Makoto said, her expression not looking good either. "The latest news is that the war is worse than we imagined. We need to leave immediately."

The war in Khaenri'ah had already begun.

The flames of war were spreading, and disaster was upon them.

"As originally planned, Ei and Kitsune Saiguu, as well as Sasayuri, will stay behind. We're heading to Khaenri'ah," Makoto said, looking at Yuxie and Chiyo.

There was a hint of reluctance in her gaze. She didn't want to see war. War usually brought with it sacrifices, death, pain, and separation, and countless innocent lives would be caught in the crossfire...

But even gods had some matters that they couldn't control.

Yuxie's expression grew even more complicated.

Everything was progressing exactly as it had in his memories, and all he could do was wait, wait for the moment when the situation would change.

The time to part ways came quickly. By the afternoon, the army had set out.

The long procession of soldiers left Inazuma to quell the disaster. The people were full of confidence and high spirits, unconditionally believing that the Raiden Shogun would return victorious.

From a high vantage point, Kitsune Saiguu and Sasayuri watched the troops gradually recede into the distance, the wind rustling their hair and clothing.

"Don't worry, everyone will be fine," Kitsune Saiguu said.

Although she said that, a sense of worry inevitably rose within her. She knew all too well the cruelty of war. On the rapidly changing battlefield, anything could happen.

"Since Makoto told us to stay behind, we must protect Inazuma while Makoto, Yuxie, and Chiyo are away," Sasayuri said slowly. "As for what's happening over there, we just have to trust them. But... if we're keeping this from Ei..."

At this moment, Ei still didn't know that Makoto had left.

That had been Makoto's wish—she had asked everyone not to tell Ei.

If Ei found out, she might insist on going along, and that was a situation Makoto didn't want to see.

Inazuma needed Ei to stay behind.

Just then, the sun dipped behind the clouds, and the sky darkened.