Volume 1, Chapter 2: Furina's Stern Resolve

It was a beautiful day in Fontaine. The sky was clear and bright, and the radiant sunlight bathed the Hydro Archon Statue at the heart of the city. The statue's serene expression made her appear like a benevolent and wise deity.

Furina slammed the newspaper onto her desk, the headline screaming: "Inazuma's Isolationist Edict Further Intensified! Hydro Archon Focalors Vows to Breach Inazuma's Borders and Seize the Shogun's Estate Within Three Days!"

"Utter nonsense! This is slander! Outright fabrication! How dare they publish such lies?!" Furina roared, pounding her fist on the table. "Arrest them all! Throw them into the Fortress of Meropide!"

Furina never imagined a newspaper would brazenly disregard the truth and fabricate such outrageous rumors.

This is too much! Don't they know the Raiden Shogun is a notoriously formidable warrior?! If she drew her sword and struck me down, how could I possibly live this down?!

"Please calm yourself, Lady Furina," Richard said calmly, glancing at the tea-stained newspaper. "These tabloids often resort to sensationalism to boost sales."

"So, just for the sake of sales, they can disregard the truth?" Furina demanded, pointing angrily at the newspaper on the table. "Richard, isn't there anything we can do to stop them?"

"In truth, if you simply ignore it, there won't be any problems," Richard replied after a moment's thought.

Am I overthinking this? he wondered. Why is the Hydro Archon acting so emotionally? She's behaving like an ordinary girl who's been slandered, showing no trace of her usual political savvy.

Of course, it was possible she was putting on an act. In any case... let's wait and see.

"So, as long as you don't get caught, it's not a crime?" Furina retorted.

"You're twisting the argument, Lady Furina," Richard replied, feeling uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that the Hydro Archon's words carried hidden meanings.

"Still, now that we've seen it, we can't pretend we didn't. What if Inazuma finds out? What will happen to our diplomatic relations?" Furina framed the matter as a grave threat to international diplomacy.

Richard disagreed. "The Inazuma Shogunate wouldn't waste their time on such a trivial matter. They're not concerned with small-time tabloids like this."

Furina's eyes widened. "Are you implying that I'm Trivial?"

She certainly knew how to seize on key points.

Richard felt a headache coming on. "That's not what I meant," he said, "but I think..."

"You'd better do as I say, Secretary-General Richard," Furina interrupted, finding his rambling irritating. "I'm the Administrative Minister here!"

"...Yes, Lady Furina." Faced with her unwavering resolve, Richard had no choice but to comply.

Thus began the first disagreement between the Administrative Minister and her Permanent Secretary, with the Minister currently holding a slight advantage due to her position.

Unbeknownst to Furina, in Inazuma, nestled in the southwestern corner of Teyvat, a copy of this third-rate tabloid had already been placed on the desk of the Guuji of the Narukami Grand Shrine.

"How intriguing," the Guuji mused, addressing General Kujou Sara. "Do you think this claim of seizing the Shogun's Estate in three days has any basis in reality?"

The Guuji was a miko with soft, pink hair cascading down her back. Her ample chest strained against the fabric of her shrine maiden robes. Her fair legs, unadorned by any silken garments, descended to delicate, bare feet perched atop wooden geta. She was a vision of captivating beauty.

Most striking were her fluffy, pink fox ears, which twitched slightly. They looked so soft and inviting that one couldn't help but want to reach out and test their texture.

It was regrettable that since Lady Guuji's birth, only a handful of people had been fortunate enough to touch her ears.

"That's impossible, Lady Guuji. Since when have you started paying attention to such sensationalist news?" Kujou Sara asked coldly, her expression stern.

The Shogun regarded such reports as utter fabrications, yet she couldn't deny the prick of provocation she felt when Yae Miko read the article aloud.

It was merely a fleeting annoyance, after all. Fontaine couldn't realistically launch a military campaign against Inazuma, nor would Inazuma retaliate against Fontaine over a third-rate tabloid.

Yae Miko glanced at the calm and loyal general beside her, chuckling softly as she murmured to herself, "I recognize a familiar trace hidden within these pages."

"If it were him... given the current state of the Shogun's Estate, he might actually be capable of this."

"What was that?" Kujou Sara asked, frowning, having not caught Yae Miko's aside.

"Nothing. Shall we speculate on how the newly appointed Hydro Archon will handle this matter?" Yae Miko suggested with a mischievous smile, as if she had suddenly thought of something.

Kujou Sara showed no interest. Frowning, she replied, "Lady Guuji, the Shogunate has many pressing matters requiring my attention. If you summoned me here for such trivialities, I must beg to be excused."

"Don't be so hasty," Yae Miko soothed. "The Shogunate army can function perfectly well without anyone else, but without you, who would keep me company and alleviate my boredom?"

"Or perhaps you mean no one left to amuse you?" Kujou Sara retorted sharply.

"If you insist on seeing it that way," Yae Miko conceded with a wave of the newspaper in her hand. "General Kujou Sara, let's make a wager on how the Hydro Archon will handle this newspaper incident."

Kujou Sara doubted any god would waste time on such a third-rate tabloid. Even if they happened to glance at it, they would likely ignore it completely, like a giant disregarding an ant beneath its foot.

"I believe the Hydro Archon of Fontaine won't concern herself with such petty matters," Kujou Sara stated firmly.

"My answer is precisely the opposite," Yae Miko countered confidently. "This issue will escalate until the Hydro Archon personally intervenes."

"If I lose, I won't bother you for the next month, General. But if you lose, you'll have to cosplay at Yae Publishing House!"

So you admit you've been annoying me, Kujou Sara thought silently. Bound by respect for Lady Guuji's authority, she refrained from voicing her displeasure.

"Lady Guuji, you won't interfere with this, will you?" Sara asked, turning to Yae Miko.

"Of course not," Yae Miko replied with mock righteousness. "I've always been fair. A bet is a bet, and I wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics."

Sara eyed Yae Miko suspiciously but ultimately said nothing. She likely assumed that since Yae Miko had stated her intentions so clearly, she would abide by the rules of the wager.

"By the way, what exactly is cosplay?" Sara asked.

It wasn't that Sara expected to lose; she simply didn't know what the term meant. Since she had agreed to the bet, she had to prepare for the possibility of defeat.

"It's like taking private photos—you know, the kind people keep to themselves?" Yae Miko answered with a sly smile, her beautiful fox-like eyes narrowing into crescents. "Don't worry, they won't be leaked."

She seemed to have already envisioned the future.

"Sara, you wouldn't want the Shogun to see these photos, would you?"