"Guuji Yae, I brought you some fried tofu and skewers I bought on the way. Please enjoy!"
Feng Yi looked at the pink fox Yae Miko, who was a tenth beautiful, a tenth alluring, and ninety-eight tenths mischievous, and solemnly presented the gifts. He wouldn't let his guard down until he figured out why Yae Miko had summoned him.
"Alas~ You are him, but not the him from six hundred years ago!"
Yae Miko's words completely baffled Feng Yi.
What did she mean by "not the him from six hundred years ago"?
Meeting Feng Yi's confused gaze, Yae Miko didn't explain. She smiled faintly, opened the takeout box Feng Yi handed over, took a piece of fried tofu and a skewer, and began to eat.
'At this time, Feng Yi, although very weak, was more naive. If I started training him from scratch, wouldn't that be...'
Yae Miko sized up Feng Yi's body with a wicked thought.
"Guuji Yae, may I know why you specifically asked me to come here?"
Feng Yi's heart tightened as he met Yae Miko's emerald green eyes. He couldn't help but take half a step back, fearing that Yae Miko might suddenly become feral and pounce on him to eat him.
"It's to tell you a story from the past. However, before the story begins, do you recognize this item?"
Yae Miko removed the golden earring from her ear and placed it on the nearby tea table.
Feng Yi stared intently at the golden earring on the tea table, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
[Golden Earring: A creation of the Great River God, possessing miraculous functions, increasing the wearer's Charm attribute.
Golden Trait: Protection (Absorbs free-floating energy from the air to form a shield that blocks damage. Shield strength is determined by the absorbed energy.)
Golden Trait: Purify (Removes the user's confused state, usable once daily.)]
Under the gaze of the River God's Eye, Feng Yi discovered that it was indeed another creation of the River God, with the familiar golden traits. It was undoubtedly a product of his River God domain. But why would such an item be in Yae Miko's hands?
He had only met Yae Miko for the first time.
"Feng Yi, looking at you like this, you indeed recognize this item. The story begins in Inazuma six hundred years ago. Although the Archon War had ended then, remnants of defeated Archons still attempted to disturb Inazuma's peace... That day, a radiant river of stars descended from the heavens, and you crossed the river of stars to arrive..."
As Yae Miko spoke, the scene of that day seemed to replay before their eyes.
Feng Yi fell silent. According to Yae Miko's account, that radiant river of stars should have been the unfathomable river of time, existing outside of reality.
And he, for some unknown reason, had crossed the river of time to Inazuma six hundred years ago and lived there for a period of time...
Yae Miko's expression seemed genuine, and the golden River God artifact served as proof. Everything she said seemed to be true, yet it sounded preposterous.
However, there was a sliver of logic within the absurdity.
Even now, his control over the River God's divinity was just the tip of the iceberg.
If the complete River God divinity was truly that of a conceptual god, then everything would make sense.
After all, the river of time was also a river!
"May I see this golden earring?"
Feng Yi snapped back to reality and said to Yae Miko.
"Of course, this is your possession!"
Yae Miko said with a smile.
Feng Yi picked up the familiar River God artifact from the tea table, and memory fragments, like silhouettes, surged into his mind.
Savoring insights and defeating an Archon with a single finger.jpeg
Holding a pink fox in his arms, grooming and bathing her.jpeg
Playing poker with the Raiden Shogun sisters.gif
Did he do all these things?
Was he that powerful back then?
"Little fox, we meet again!"
Feng Yi, mimicking the mannerisms from his memories, spoke with profound eyes and a slightly hoarse voice.
Who knew that this imitation would almost lead to trouble.
Seeing the figure from the past reappear before her eyes, Yae Miko felt as if that person had truly returned.
The longing of several hundred years was finally ignited by Feng Yi's words, and the emotions Yae Miko had suppressed finally erupted at this moment.
She leaped into Feng Yi's arms, knocking him onto the wooden floor, and then nestled into his embrace, just as she had six hundred years ago, though back then, Yae Miko was merely a young fox who hadn't yet transformed.
At this moment, Yae Miko was no longer the high and mighty Guuji but an ordinary little fox who had missed her friend for six hundred years.
"Cough cough, little fox... Yae Miko, you are no longer the young fox you were six hundred years ago. You are now an adult fox and should do things that adult foxes do. Stop acting spoiled like you used to!"
With a section of memories inexplicably appearing in his mind, Feng Yi's attitude towards Yae Miko subtly shifted. Although he still retained some reservations, he now felt more like reuniting with an old friend.
"That's right, Feng Yi, you're right. Then let's do some things that adult foxes do?"
Yae Miko pinned Feng Yi beneath her, licked her lips, and said with excitement.
And then, under Feng Yi's anticipation and nervousness, Yae Miko gently kissed him on the forehead.
And that was it?!
"Is that all?!"
Feng Yi looked at Yae Miko with a hint of disappointment. He had expected something interesting given how exaggerated Yae Miko's words were, but it turned out to be all bark and no bite.
"What else?"
Yae Miko had released Feng Yi and sat beside him, eating the remaining fried tofu.
"I thought... yes, that's what I thought! That's what I thought it would be!"
Feng Yi stopped midway through his sentence. Noticing Yae Miko's faint smile, he immediately changed his tune.
He had almost been led astray by Yae Miko.
"Hmph, you expect the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine to do that kind of thing with you? You're dreaming!"
Yae Miko covered her mouth and chuckled, her crescent-shaped eyes filled with foxy cunning.
Feng Yi thought to himself, this mischievous Yae Miko was the familiar mischievous fox he knew.
The pink fox who had just performed the 'meat-egg impact' on him must have been hacked.
"Since everything is fine now, I should be heading back. The milk tea shop officially opens tomorrow, and I need to get back early to make preparations!"
Feng Yi stood up, brushed off the dust and a few pink fox hairs from his clothes, and bid farewell to Yae Miko.
Feng Yi: We'll take it slow, there's plenty of time!
"Feng Yi, the road down the mountain at night can be dangerous. I've heard that people are often scared unconscious by mysterious yokai in the mountains..."
Yae Miko, reluctant to part with Feng Yi after their reunion, resorted to an old ghost story to frighten him.