“Lu Heng… what on earth is going on here?”
Standing outside the entrance of the Kanjou Commission, Kujou Sara stared intently at the stack of official documents in her hand, her voice laced with confusion.
“What’s going on? It’s simple.” Lu Heng glanced sideways at the tightly shut gates, his tone brimming with mockery.
“Because to these bureaucrats hiding in the rear, the Almighty Shogun’s Eternity is nothing more than a spirit tablet enshrined in an altar. As long as they offer incense according to procedure every single day, even if people starve to death outside, they remain blameless.”
“They aren’t delaying the plan—they’re protecting their own power. Whoever controls the procedure controls Inazuma’s purse strings and authority.” Lu Heng stood up, lightly dusting off his clothes.
Listening to Lu Heng’s sharp, cold analysis, Kujou Sara’s face paled slightly, her lips pressed into a tight line.
She was a pure warrior.
Faced with even the mightiest of foes, she would draw her sword without a second thought.
Yet the enemies over these past few days were invisible, intangible things: rules and procedures.
Despite her formidable martial skill, she had nowhere to unleash it, leaving her with an unprecedented sense of confusion and helplessness.
Looking at the smirk on Lu Heng’s face, Sara closed her eyes, not daring to press further.
Instead, she asked softly, “Then what… should we do?”
Lu Heng did not answer directly.
Instead, he turned around and strode off toward the lively, bustling market of Hanamizaka.
“There’ll be a way. Assistant Sara, keep up for now.”
“You have a way? Where are we going?” Seeing Lu Heng walking off, the Tengu General lengthened her stride to follow.
Similar in height, the two walked side by side through the crowd.
“Haha, I don’t have a clue yet!” Lu Heng turned his head, spreading his hands unabashedly.
“But now that things have come to this, we eat, of course! You can’t work on an empty stomach.”
Kujou Sara’s golden eyes flickered slightly as she looked at his clear, unclouded face.
“Are you… really not worried?”
“It’s just taking a few extra detours. Sara, isn’t that just life?” Lu Heng grinned against the setting sun.
“Haven’t you heard the old saying from Liyue—’Heaven never seals off every path’?”
Looking at the young man’s confident, radiant profile under the setting sun, a spark lit in the Tengu General’s golden eyes, her bewildered heart miraculously settling down.
“You’re right,” she said, her tone softening slightly without her realizing it.
Facing forward again and looking at the vibrant street life of Hanamizaka ahead, Kujou Sara nodded faintly.
On her usually ice-cold, stunning face, a rare, subtle smile curled her lips.
***
Hanamizaka, street corner ramen shop.
*Chime—*
Lu Heng pushed open the wooden door and walked into the ramen shop, with Kujou Sara close behind.
“Welcome!”
Hearing the wind chime, he shouted with full vigor and turned around.
However, the moment he recognized the overwhelming presence of the Tenryou Commission General’s uniform behind Lu Heng, the flabby cheeks on the owner’s face twitched violently.
“A-Ah! It’s General Kujou! Right this way, please!” Terribly startled, the owner grabbed the towel around his neck, rushed over, and feverishly wiped down a wooden chair, his demeanor enthusiastic to the point of servility.
Kujou Sara, having spent years in military barracks, was clearly uncomfortable with this mixture of fear and deference.
Frowning slightly, she uttered three cool words: “Thank you kindly.”
“Haha, it’s my absolute honor to serve you, General!” Wiping his sweat, the owner instinctively looked toward Lu Heng, who was walking in front.
That casual glance proved fatal.
When his eyes caught the purple-gold waist token hanging at Lu Heng’s hip—engraved with the Raiden triple-tomoe crest—the owner’s knees went weak, and the towel in his hand dropped to the floor with a slap.
*I thought he was just a bystander!
Good lord!
No wonder even General Kujou is walking half a step behind him!*
Seeing the flustered owner, Lu Heng laughed heartily and pulled out a chair next to Sara.
“Boss! Don’t be nervous. Bring us two bowls of special tonkotsu ramen! Add double thick-cut seared beast-meat chops and pour an extra layer of rich broth over them! Also, slice up a plate of top-tier Sakura Salmon!”
Having said that, Lu Heng seemed to remember something, laying out a row of gleaming Mora on the table.
“Finally, fry me a plate of fresh fried tofu!”
“R-Right away! Please wait a moment, sir!” Gaping at the pile of Mora that far exceeded the bill, the owner swallowed hard and scrambled back into the kitchen.
“Phew… I’ve been wanting to try ordering like this ever since I passed by here a few days ago.” Lu Heng leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh, earning an utterly helpless glare from the Tengu General.
Thanks to the lack of other patrons and the power of money, the dishes were laid out across the table in no time.
Compared to Kujou Sara’s slow, graceful demeanor while eating, Lu Heng was like a starving ghost reborn, devouring a massive bowl of ramen in moments—*This is the eating speed of the ultimate corporate slave!*—before holding his teacup and falling into deep thought.
His brain had not stopped spinning all the way here.
Since official accounts were a dead end, he could only bypass the Tri-Commission and seek private sponsorships from the populace.
However, any form of “attracting investment” still required official venue approval and endorsement.
Frowning in anxiety, plans formed one after another in his mind, only to be shot down by himself.
“Procedurally, these old foxes have me completely deadlocked…”
Lu Heng’s brow furrowed tightly as he picked up a piece of freshly served fried tofu and stuffed it into his mouth.
After chewing twice, he found it tasted somewhat bland.
Just as he was racking his brain—
A subtle yet captivating scent of sakura flowers suddenly overwhelmed the rich meat broth aroma in the shop, drifting straight into his nostrils.
“My, my~ Seems our little guy has run into some trouble?”
A sweet, velvety voice echoed softly from the doorway of the ramen shop.
Lu Heng whipped his head around.
At the entrance, a stunning woman wearing a convenient kimono with long pink hair cascading like a waterfall was leaning against the doorframe.
Her slender white fingers lightly touched her chin, her narrow fox eyes squinting in a half-smile that met Lu Heng’s gaze directly.
“…Guuji-sama?!” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Heheh, correct answer~”
The disguised Yae Miko walked forward without hesitation, casually pulling out the chair beside Lu Heng and sitting down right next to him.
Tilting her head slightly, her pink hair almost brushed against Lu Heng’s nose as her breath, sweet as orchids, wafted over him.
“Did you… forget something important?”
“What?” Lu Heng blanked.
In the next moment, Miko extended a slender index finger, lightly poking Lu Heng’s chest.
Her tone turned aggrieved, like a wife catching her husband unfaithful—or, as Lu Heng suspected, *maybe she’s just hungry.*
“I am truly heartbroken. The little guy promised me in front of Tenshukaku that he would treat me to fried tofu… Yet here you are, behind my back, sneaking out to eat with another girl?”
Those sly fox eyes glanced casually at Kujou Sara sitting opposite them.
*I forgot about that!!!* Lu Heng’s mouth twitched, letting out an awkward chuckle.
Sitting opposite, the moment Kujou Sara recognized the newcomer, every muscle in her body tensed instantly.
“Guuji Yae!” Face unchanged, she bowed her head respectfully according to protocol.
But when she saw Miko’s intimate actions, a flicker of strange disbelief crossed her golden eyes.
Just what was Lu Heng’s background?
Not only did he dare deliver a grand speech before Tenshukaku, but he also shared such…
private ties with this old fox of Grand Narukami Shrine?
No wonder his style was so cunning!
Birds of a feather really did flock together!
The Tengu General decisively chose “out of sight, out of mind,” lowering her head to continue tackling the ramen in her bowl.
“O wise and beautiful Guuji-sama! You do me a grave injustice!”
Lu Heng quickly shuffled sideways, clutching his chest in mock pain.
“You’re usually so elusive! How could I possibly have the standing to look for you at the Grand Narukami Shrine? This accusation hurts an honest man like me!”
“Oh? Is that so?” Miko’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a cold smile curling her lips.
“How impressive that you can say such a thing with a straight face. When you’re carrying the ‘lucky charm’ I specifically obtained for you in your coat, yet you didn’t use it to contact me?”
Thinking about how over the past few days, the omamori had only transmitted muffled static from fabric friction, Lu Heng knew this little thief had definitely guessed something and wrapped it up tight on purpose!
At the thought of this, Yae Miko felt annoyance rising—*You muted the mic, what am I supposed to listen to?!*
Seeing Miko’s aggrieved expression, a spark lit in Lu Heng’s mind, confirming his previous suspicion completely.
Expressionless, he reached into his coat and pulled out the pink omamori, wrapped tightly in three layers of insulating cloth.
*Slap!* He placed it on the table.
Lu Heng stared at the pink-haired fox, gritting his teeth as he spat out a complaint: “So… this thing isn’t some life-saving lucky charm at all—it’s a 24/7 wiretap, isn’t it?!”
“My, my~”