"In the unlikely event that my intellectually challenged little brother is reading this note, your dear big brother is probably already aboard a ship sailing far, far away from home."
"All those annoying little messes in the Kamisato Clan are yours to deal with now. Good luck, wage slave!"
"Bastard! Give me back the milk tea you stole before you say anything else!"
Kamisato Ayato’s knuckles cracked as his fingers tightened around the hilt of Haran Geppaku Futsu. A blazing urge to commit fratricide burned in the depths of his eyes.
Standing nearby, Kamisato Ayaka could only offer a perfectly polite, strained smile.
She had long since grown accustomed to her two elder brothers abandoning all semblance of dignity whenever they interacted.
"To my wonderfully peculiar little bro: by the time you see this message, your big brother has probably already slipped beyond Inazuma’s borders."
"As your eldest brother, I know full well that you’re decisive, capable, and frighteningly efficient—a born workaholic, really. So I decided to take little Ayaka along with me to relax, broaden her horizons, and see the world."
"Once we’ve had our fill of Mondstadt and Liyue, we’ll definitely remember to bring you some local specialties. Try not to miss the two of us too much..."
Behind the desk sat a young man with short, ocean-blue hair and an elegant, refined air.
His pristine white coat only made him look even more distinguished, like a noble young master who had stepped straight out of an ancient painting. At his waist hung a blue Hydro Vision, glowing faintly.
At that moment, however, he held the thin sheet of paper between two fingers while his handsome brows were twisted into an impossibly tight knot.
Directly in front of the desk stood a handsome blond young man with clear eyes and impeccable posture.
The short braid at the back of Thoma’s head, tied with red cord, swayed faintly. His Pyro Vision seemed to sense something as well, flickering with restless unease.
He could clearly feel the terrifyingly oppressive atmosphere radiating from his lord.
Even though that familiar smile still lingered on Ayato’s lips, a chill kept crawling down Thoma’s spine.
"Thoma."
Ayato stared fixedly at his tense housekeeper.
"When, exactly, did this miserable scrap of paper that’s testing the upper limits of my blood pressure appear here?"
The words forced through his teeth carried an unmistakable exhaustion.
His temples were throbbing.
At this point, he felt perilously close to the edge of a complete mental breakdown.
Right now, he desperately needed a huge cup of iced milk tea to calm himself down.
"My lord, the servants found the letter early this morning while cleaning the corridor carpets."
Thoma shrank his neck slightly, his tone carrying a hint of guilt and awkwardness.
"Honestly... I give up."
Ayato raised his slender fingers and massaged his brow before letting out a long, helpless sigh.
"That lawless elder brother of mine always manages to pull some ridiculous stunt that leaves his poor younger brother completely unable to cope."
"Um... my lord, are you worried about Young Master Satoru and Lady Ayaka’s safety while they’re away?"
Thoma couldn’t help asking.
After all, the world outside was hardly peaceful.
"..."
Ayato slowly walked over to the carved wooden window and gazed out at the turbulent sea in the distance.
A meaningful smile curved his lips.
"Heh. I’m not worried about him in the slightest."
"What I’m actually worried about is which unlucky fool out there will be blind enough to provoke that monster."
Thoma’s confusion was practically overflowing.
He instinctively asked, "But Young Master Satoru doesn’t even have a Vision. Logically speaking, his combat strength shouldn’t be particularly exceptional, right?"
In Thoma’s long-established impression, the Kamisato Clan’s eldest young master was, aside from having a terrible personality and enjoying messing with people, basically just a shut-in obsessed with sweets.
Kamisato Satoru had never truly revealed his abilities in front of the clan’s subordinates.
So hearing his lord give such an outrageous assessment made Thoma feel as though his brain were about to crash.
Ayato turned his head.
Seeing the unmistakable Are you messing with me? expression on Thoma’s face, he chuckled.
"Don’t be fooled by how unserious and carefree he usually acts, like some good-for-nothing delinquent. That guy’s actual combat strength far surpasses even mine."
"He’s a freakish monster who simply can’t be judged by common sense."
"His strength is downright unreasonable."
As the leader of the Shuumatsuban, Inazuma’s covert intelligence organization, Ayato had access to information far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Naturally, that included information concerning his elusive elder brother.
Reports in his intelligence records frequently mentioned Kamisato Satoru heading out alone in the middle of the night to "take out the trash."
Even when facing vicious Kairagi, he handled them as casually as though he were taking a stroll through his own garden.
In fact, when Ayato had first heard Sayu’s report describing how Satoru had "effortlessly defeated them in an instant," even someone as unflappable as him had been so shocked that the teacup in his hand had visibly trembled.