The breakfast interlude passed, and Lu Ze, whistling a tune, ambled leisurely towards Tenshukaku. He arrived at the entrance not long after.
"I'm here so early, she can't possibly be awake yet, can she? Surely not?"
He gently knocked on the door with his right hand. Moments later, a figure opened it.
"Yae? You're up this early? I thought you were still asleep."
The figure, however, gave a slight start and replied with a smile:
"Lu Ze, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I am the Raiden Shogun, not Raiden Ei. It's understandable, given our appearances are so similar."
Huh? The Raiden Shogun?
She shouldn't still be in the Plane of Euthymia. When did she get out? It's not like Raiden Ei conjured a body for her overnight, right? That would be too rushed!
Just as he was about to inquire further, Yae, rubbing her eyes, emerged from another room, still in her pajamas. The moment she saw Lu Ze, she froze.
"Uh… why are you in my house?"
This is bad. If things look suspicious, they’ll assume the worst, right?
It couldn't be this coincidental.
"Lu Ze, I let him in. Didn't you say you had things to do this morning? I saw him arrive, so I let him in."
Fortunately, the Raiden Shogun explained swiftly, otherwise, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Ahaha… I see. I'll go wake my sister. Wait here for a moment, alright?"
Caught in such a situation, Yae's face flushed crimson. She scurried back into the room. Witnessing this, Lu Ze chuckled softly. So, even our Almighty Shogun had such moments.
About ten minutes later, the Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei emerged, both wearing identical outfits. With the Raiden Shogun beside them, all three were dressed the same, making it impossible for Lu Ze to distinguish them.
As if finding amusement in the situation, Raiden Makoto smiled and said:
"Lu Ze-kun, take a guess? Which one is the true Raiden Shogun?"
Since all three had a strip of white tape below their left eye, Lu Ze had lost his only distinguishing mark: the tear mole.
This was going to be difficult. How was he supposed to guess?
"Haha, Lu Ze can't guess, can you? If you can't guess, then admit defeat obediently."
Judging by the tone, it was likely Raiden Makoto speaking. After all, no one else had such a lighthearted way of speaking.
And the one who remained silent was probably the Raiden Shogun, as she was not one for many words, so her silence was normal.
That left the remaining one, who must be Raiden Ei!
Speaking of which, if someone were to marry one of them and then live with the other two, would they accidentally sleep with the wrong person at night? What would happen if they did?
Therefore, the best solution to this problem would be to marry all three. That way, it would be legitimate. Wait, what was that?
One red and one blue… Hold on, police officers, don't arrest me!
Ahem, let's end this tangent.
Lu Ze pointed his right hand directly at one of them. The person pointed at blinked in surprise.
"How did you recognize me?"
Raiden Ei raised an eyebrow curiously. Logically, it should have been difficult to tell them apart.
"That's because of your speech patterns and habits. Everyone has unique habits that are hard to change, and these serve as important clues for identification. By the way, why is the Raiden Shogun here?"
Seeing Lu Ze looking rather pleased with himself, Raiden Ei couldn't really say anything. As for the last question, she could answer that.
"Ah, this. This is a puppet I forged with my sister last night. Perhaps because someone assisted, it was faster than usual. It only took a few hours to complete."
Why did it sound so easy when she said it? A puppet resembling the Raiden Shogun should involve a lot of complicated procedures, yet in her eyes, it seemed like a minor task.
"Never mind, let's not dwell on this. Where is Yae Miko? Didn't I tell you yesterday that you'd be needed today?"
When Miko was mentioned, Ei retrieved a pink-haired fox from the room. The pink-haired fox, still half-asleep, rolled over and continued to sleep, seemingly unfazed by the fact that it was being held aloft.
"As you can see, this one is still asleep. I'm wondering if I should employ some… special methods?"
Hmm? Special methods? Lu Ze suddenly grew curious about what kind of special methods.
As she spoke, Raiden Ei picked up a slipper from the floor and sharply smacked the pink-haired fox's backside. The sudden pain jolted the fox awake from its slumber, and it let out a sharp yelp.
"Ahem, Ei. That's enough. Don't hurt it too badly."
Raiden Makoto was rather fond of this pink-haired fox. After all, they had spent many years together, and a bond had long since formed.
"Understood."
Lu Ze, standing by, now understood what the "special methods" entailed: a slipper wake-up call. How fortunate for Ei to have you.
About ten minutes later, Yae Miko glared at Raiden Ei resentfully. This had completely embarrassed her in front of everyone! Her old friend was showing no consideration for her feelings.
"Mmm… Miko, don't look at me like that. I'm scared."
Raiden Ei seemed a little uncomfortable under Miko's gaze.
"Heh, you're scared now? I seem to recall someone mentioning they would use special methods."
Lu Ze gave a perfect score for this sarcastic remark. Honestly, Raiden Ei had gone a bit too far.
"Ahem, alright. I need your help today, Yae Miko. I need you to perform the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, purify all the filth that has accumulated on the ground, and then head to the massive defilement sealed beneath Mt. Yougou. Only then will I have the confidence to extract the soul of Kazari."
Upon hearing that they were preparing to act, Yae Miko's usual cheerfulness vanished, replaced by a serious expression as she listened intently.
She didn't know how the other party knew about the enormous defilement beneath Mt. Yougou, but for Kazari's sake, she couldn't dwell on it.
"Is that so? Then let's hurry and depart. The first location is in Konda Village, not far from Inazuma City."
Yae Miko could already imagine how wonderful life would be after reviving Kazari, and she would no longer be bullied by Ei.
Seeing the enthusiastic Yae Miko, Raiden Ei felt a sense of shared anticipation. This time, she didn't intend to go. Since her presence wouldn't be needed, she decided to stay behind.