#kanjou commission guys

[inkyajax]

I'm excited to read about how you portray thoma because in game he gives such a wholesome vibe and i feel like we forget the part where he bribed our way into inazuma with pretty words or the fact that he is ayato's most trusted which implies he might have done some unsavoury things under his command. Wanna see you dissect all the layers his has with your amazing writting

aw anon thank you so much!!!! and i COMPLETELY agree with you. he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, 100%. he knows exactly how to smooth talk his way out of any and all situations, using just his sharp tongue as his weapon and leaving no physical casualties. he’s a master at subtly but effectively manipulating you in a way that leaves you feeling kinda weird and confused—like what just happened? are we good friends, or did i just get threatened? i feel like whenever thoma deals with those ‘special matters discreetly’ he leaves whoever’s on the other side of the conversation feeling almost unsettled, because the look in his eyes does not match the tone of his words. there is something off, odd, not exactly right here, but it’s so difficult to put your finger on it because he’s so fucking good at masking it, painting poison with a sparkling glaze of stunning varnish and presenting it tangled in a satin bow, simultaneously sticky sweet and bitter.

i genuinely believe he learned how to hone and refine this natural inclination/knack he has for shmoozery from both ayato and ayaka, who also seem to know exactly how to get others to do what they want with thinly veiled threats wrapped up in nice, charming, kind words and friendly tones.

[cryoculus]

— guard dog 13 ⟢

pairing: thoma x assassin!reader

summary: paying the blood price for your sins is something you once thought of as futile. but as long as you're with the kamisato clan, you're certain that you'll be able to afford the world's forgiveness someday.

word count: 9.8k words

notable characters: thoma, kamisato ayaka, kamisato ayato, sayu, kujou sara

tags: found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, smut

warnings: graphic sexual content (minors dni), semi-public sex

notes: this is the end of it! thank you so much for following this series so patiently! i hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as i enjoyed writing it ^^

header art cr: cuppydraws on twt

masterlist

Fortunately, no one had been suffering severe conditions when you and Thoma finally arrived back home. The worst symptom that manifested across the people in the estate was Ayato’s prior show of coughing up blood in front of you the other day. Now, everyone was relatively fine. Nervous for the fate of the Yashiro Commission, but otherwise fine.

You were quick to round up Hina’s help to administer the available doses of the cure to those that needed it first—Ayaka and Ayato, the elderly retainers, and those with existing medical conditions. The other attendants volunteered to brew the next batch of Sango broth following Doctor Naoko’s instructions in his journal and Thoma gladly busied himself by helping out as well—speeding up the boiling process with his Vision and all.

Contrary to your prior assumptions, your abysmal supply of pearls was surprisingly enough to cover all the retainers and attendants in the estate, along with your esteemed visitors. 

Given that he was unconscious for the majority of the day, you had to administer Kujou Masahito’s dose intravenously. It’s a good thing Hina had some sterile syringes stashed away in the estate’s first aid kit. When he finally came to, Sara, who was still stuck here as well, gave him a thorough questioning. 

However, instead of the merciless man who’d issued your orders to kill Ayaka, you were met with a soldier blinking up at his current audience in confusion.

Turns out, the man was merely another pawn in this convoluted war of ideals. Their father, Kujou Takayuki was the sole mastermind behind the Tatarigami experiments. Masahito explained, in great detail, that their father had been playing his cards quite suspiciously over the past few months. 

“I suspected he was onto something, but he wouldn’t tell me what,” he sighed. “I didn’t know why he wanted us to build a base on Yashiori Island, and I was in no place to refuse. The next thing I knew, I felt like I was in a dream all this time. I was awake, but my decisions weren’t my own. I suppose it’s the same for all the men he’d forced me to bring.”

Ayato gaped at him. “So you’re telling me that the guys who attacked us the other day walked from Yashiori to here?”

“I’m sorry, Lord Ayato. My memory is still quite fuzzy, but that might be the case.”

Huh. That explained why your back-up from burning the tengu feather took so long. Once that was made clear, you decided to come clean to Kujou Sara about the contingency plan Masahito presented to you when he was being mind-controlled.

“No wonder I felt a bit off-kilter that day,” she sighed, massaging her temples. “It’s alright. Once we’re all cleared of the infection, Lord Ayato and I will raise this issue directly to the Raiden Shogun herself. Our father’s actions are putting the people in peril.”

“...Did you just say you’re going to work with us on this?” the Yashiro Commissioner asked incredulously. 

“I’m not as disagreeable as you think I am,” Sara huffed. “I’ve had my own...reservations about our father’s methods when it comes to war tactics. But this is something that would be a crime to overlook. It’s our word against his.”

To her brother’s side, Ayaka spoke out. “Is it safe to assume that Kujou Takayuki has been colluding with the Kanjou Commission? I think part of the reason they refuse to have the Vision Hunt repealed is because they’re profiting off this war more than we thought…”

Masahito nodded somberly. “It’s true that father has been quite…taken with the wealth he’s made from the war effort. That’s why no matter how many times the Yashiro Commission attempts to raise the concern to Her Excellency, they’re quick to shoot down your attempts despite being the commission closest to the Raiden Shogun.”

“So they’ve been taking advantage of it this whole time…” Sara muttered.

…God. This was way too much information for you to take. Why were you even part of this audience in the first place? You were just one of the many casualties that got caught up in a noble’s greedy endeavors. 

Thankfully, it was sorted out faster than you’d anticipated. 

You were back to checking up on every member of the house with Hina in no time. Despite having little medical experience of your own, everyone was surprisingly cooperative when you checked their vitals and asked how each one was faring. But you didn’t have the time to appreciate the fact that everything had seemingly returned to normal with how your fellow retainers treated you because of the amount of patients you had to monitor. 

In the process, you got to speak to the retainers more than usual. Especially Hina, since the estate’s resident healer was pretty much your partner-in-crime for this entire operation. She was kind and patient enough to manage everyone’s medical reports alongside you. And she even filled you in on some random bits of trivia for every person you treated.

“Hirano used to be a player from an underground fighting ring,” Hina whispered. “He doesn’t know who his parents are, and the Commissioner suspected he was a victim of child trafficking.”

“That’s awful,” you told her, face scrunching up. “...You told me back then not everyone is as noble as they seemed.”

She nodded. “Yup. Ayame was a notorious pickpocket at Ritou Harbor. Old man Yuuji used to be a slave trader. There’s lots more that everyone in here got in trouble for in their dark days, but Lady Ayaka and the Commissioner gave them a second chance at life. Now here we are.”

You nodded solemnly, a smile finding its way to your lips. “What about you? What did you do for a living before coming here?”

Hina hesitated for a moment but eventually laughed. “I used to manufacture dangerous drugs and poisons for the underground. You know that powdered crystal marrow you used on Ayame? My old master was the one who came up with the formula for it.”

“What?! Huh, small world.”

“By the way, the Commissioner told me that a doctor that’s familiar with the effects of the Tatarigami will arrive in a day or two,” Hina told you once the two of you finally caught a break by the gardens. “He’ll be a great help, I’m sure. And we’ll get to treat the soldiers that have been infected, too.”

You nodded in understanding as you leaned against the fences overlooking the ocean, sighing. “Do you have any news about those guys? Last I heard, Lord Ayato had them shipped off to some containment facility underneath Inazuma City.”

She hummed. “While you and Master Thoma were away, the Commissioner has been sending messenger crows all over the country almost tirelessly. He’s been laying the groundwork all this time. If Lady Ayaka hadn’t scolded him for overworking himself despite the fact that he’s more susceptible to the curse than most, he might still be at it until now.”

“That’s Lord Ayato for you…”

The next day, when the doctor that Ayato had rang up had arrived, you were the first to brief him about the situation—the state of the estate’s denizens, the timeframe of the curse’s onset, and the experimental cure you’ve administered. 

“I’m no professional, so I’m not sure if it’s safe for them to go out like usual even if they seem relatively okay now.” You sighed, scratching the back of your head awkwardly. “That’s why I was wondering if you knew any better way to—”

“Tell me…do you know someone called Suzuki Naoko?” he interrupted, looking up from the journal containing Doctor Naoko’s research notes. 

You blinked in surprise. “Y-Yes. That notebook belongs to him. The cure we made was also based on his findings when he stayed in Yashiori Island.”

He laughed softly, nodding in earnest. “I see. He and I used to be colleagues at the Sumeru Academia. We both chose the so-called Tatarigami curse as our respective thesis topics, but we’ve had conflicting ideas as to how it can be cured. I think it’s obvious which one of us turned out to be right after all.”

Your jaw nearly dropped. You knew Doctor Naoko was a bit too intelligent for your everyday medical professional, but to think he went to Sumeru Academia, of all places? 

The doctor that Ayato had invited eventually introduced himself as Haruno Shinya, and once Doctor Shinya was done with his own routine check-up of everyone in the estate, he gave you the green light to produce more of that Sango broth you cooked up with Doctor Naoko’s recipe.

“It’s a bit odd, though,” he said. “One of the reasons I was against using Sango pearls as a Tatarigami combatant is because of how long it takes for it to work. The pearl itself has special properties, yes. But you have to wield a certain flame to truly access its full potency. Boiling it over regular flames isn't enough.”

The gears slowly clicked into place as you processed his words. 

It took months for you to get over the illness because Doctor Naoko had only experimented with ordinary fire when he boiled the pearls. But now, with the use of Thoma’s fervent Pyro Vision, the effect was near instantaneous. 

“To think Naoko died trying to save people with his hypothetical cure. What a hero,” Doctor Shinya chuckled, adding a couple of annotations of his own to Doctor Naoko’s notes. “I’ve been observing Tatarigami patients for a chunk of my career, and I’m positive that everyone in this estate is cured. But you mentioned another set of patients in the capital…?”

“Yes. The Commissioner gave strict orders to his men to keep the soldiers isolated from everyone else. But we haven’t been able to procure more Sango pearls to manufacture enough doses to cover them…” 

He nodded as he shut Doctor Naoko’s journal, handing it back to you as he patted your shoulder. “You’ve done plenty already, kid. You’re the one who’s been spearheading this whole operation, aren’t you?”

“I… Yeah. I guess you can say that.”

“I expect no less from Naoko’s apprentice,” Doctor Shinya praised. “Leave the patients at the capital to me. I’m actually a native of Watatsumi myself, so I’ll be able to get my hands on all the pearls you’re going to need. However, I have one last question.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Did you do anything special with the experimental procedure?” he asked, one brow raised. “Sango broth isn’t supposed to be this potent, but here we are, with dozens of recovered patients in no less than a few days.”

While Doctor Shinya elaborated on his inquiry, your eyes managed to catch Thoma across the courtyard, speaking animatedly to one of the elderly retainers. Your heart warmed. It’s been a while since you’ve spoken to him. Your hands have been tied with fussing over the patients that you hadn’t exactly found the time to approach him again. Then, your gaze slowly roved over to the red orb gleaming at his side.

“Yeah,” you replied—a knowing smile spreading on your face. “All you need is a bunch of Sango pearls and…someone with a Pyro Vision.” 

The following days in the estate have mellowed down as everyone quickly recovered. Migraines were gone, spontaneous bleeding episodes resolved, and you’re elated to find out that only a few retainers had suffered the onset of nightmares. They've begun sleeping more peacefully these days, too.

However, the situation of the power balance in the Tri-Commission only got more and more hectic thereafter. 

While you were busy taking care of the patients with Hina, Ayaka and Ayato, together with the Kujou siblings, testified against the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions’ blatant mismanagement of the war. They were going to try and repeal the Vision Hunt Decree with Kujou Sara’s support as agreed upon as well. Because of this, neither of the two Kamisato heads had been home for nearly two weeks, and the only way you could keep tabs on what was happening was through Thoma himself.

The chief retainer was granted the privilege to attend briefings with the Raiden Shogun but wasn’t required to remain at the Tenshukaku for longer than necessary. It was for that reason that everyday, Thoma went back to the estate to report the situation to everyone before returning to the capital before morning.

You didn’t even have the time for a quick chat with him either. Whenever Thoma was in the estate, he’d update all of you about the state of affairs in the pavilion before promptly passing out in his bedroom. Not a single soul dared to disturb him from those few hours of rest.

It was really kind of him to go through all the trouble, you thought. Everyone in the Yashiro Commission didn’t seem to make too much of a fuss about the whole fiasco. But you guessed it was because of Thoma’s constant reassurance that both retainers and attendants managed to fall back into their old routines without hesitation. 

Today was the last day of routine check-ups that Doctor Shinya had advised you to conduct, and you’re glad to know that everyone was pretty much in the clear now. But as the people around you continued going about with life as usual, you found yourself gaining more free time than you knew what to do with.

Technically, you’re no longer a retainer of the Kamisato house, and neither Ayaka nor the Commissioner officially invited you back into their ranks. But with how much they’ve got on their plates, it was normal for you to be a sitting duck now that everyone in the estate was cured. 

Being completely aware of that did nothing to quell the agitation, though.

You couldn’t bring yourself to seek some semblance of comfort from Thoma either. You knew he was just as busy as the Kamisato siblings. But another reason why you’re a bit hesitant to approach him alone was because…you’re unsure of what you actually were to the guy.

After that eventful trip to Yashiori Island, you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t think about the way he’d kissed you that day. Of course, you’d snap out of it once you caught yourself daydreaming, but…

What else were you supposed to think about?

Despite having complete freedom to do whatever you wanted, you weren’t the type to go around kissing other people for the hell of it. You could barely stand the idea of receiving affection until recently. So when the man who claimed the rights to your first kiss suddenly became too busy to sit down with you and talk about it properly, you supposed you’re entitled to some degree of senseless overthinking.

One day, Hina came up to you at lunch. 

“Doctor Shinya reached out to Madarame this morning,” she told you. “He said he wants you to meet him at the capital.”

For some odd reason, the news filled you with an inexplicable sense of relief. Given that this was the last day your semi-nonexistent medical expertise was needed, you feared that you'd be the only one not doing anything around the estate. And since your status as a retainer was still in question, Madarame decided not to issue any housework for you to do. 

“You’ve done plenty for us, Miss Kira. You deserve to rest, too,” he said. You wanted to tell him that keeping your hands busy also kept thoughts of Thoma far away, but you didn’t exactly know how to break it to him at the time.

Now though, you’ve found a much-needed distraction.

“Miss Kira.”

You’re in the middle of a conversation with Hirano, who offered you a ride to the capital on his horse, when Ayame approached you in the courtyard. She met your gaze with a hint of hesitation, like she was embarrassed. But you didn’t let yourself scrutinize her more than you should. 

“Miss Ayame,” you greeted in return. “Is anything the matter?”

Ayame opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and sighed. “I… Can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Sure,” you agreed with a smile, turning to Hirano. “I’ll meet you outside after. Thanks again.”

The guard nodded earnestly. “Anytime! This is the least I can do for you, after all.”

Huh? The least he could do…? But weren’t you the one who’s indebted to them for trying to kill one of their leaders? Alas, you couldn’t spare it another thought when you followed Ayame to a less crowded corner in the gardens. She was awfully quick to get to the point.

“I was wrong about you.”

You watched in silence as Ayame traced idle shapes in the sand with the rake in her grasp. “What do you mean?”

“I thought you were going to take advantage of milady’s trust,” she murmured. “For a while, I even blamed you for the Tenryou Commission’s attack on the estate, too.”

A soft breeze wafted through the courtyard, making you sigh. “You’re completely right about that. It was because of me that the mansion got sacked by those soldiers.”

“But you didn’t leave us for dead,” Ayame argued, turning to face you with an insistent look. “You even went to that…that cursed island just to give us a cure you made yourself. Us, the same people who tried to shun you out of the estate.”

You waved a hand dismissively. “I’m only trying to undo the damage I’ve done. That doesn’t make me any less of the cold-blooded killer you know I am.”

“Real cold-blooded killers won’t try to ‘undo the damage they’ve done’, though.”

Her response was almost petrifying in how sincere it came forth. You stared at Ayame with equal parts confusion and disbelief as you knit your brows together. 

“Miss Ayame… What are you trying to say?”

She huffed. “Well, it’s obvious that Lady Ayaka’s kindness has gotten through so there’s no point in antagonizing you. That’s why, I… I wanted to apologize. For the way I acted around you these past few weeks.”

One second passed, then two, before you ended up burying your face in your hands.

“Miss Kira?” Ayame asked, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Archons. She was so sincere with her apology, and you had the gall to overlook the one thing that made her so hostile with you in the first place.

Slowly, your hands dropped to your sides as you shot her a somber look.

“I still haven’t apologized for drugging you that night.”

Ayame’s lips parted with confusion before she slipped back that mask of hostility that’s grown so familiar to you now. “It took you this long to realize that?! Gods, I knew I shouldn’t have apologized first!”

“Miss Kira!” You suddenly heard Hirano shout from the entrance. “Your ride’s ready! Let me know when we’re leaving!”

Not wanting to receive the brunt of Ayame’s wrath, you ended your exchange with a quick bow. “Apology accepted, Miss Ayame! But I have another pressing matter to attend to, so let’s save the teary make-up embrace for later, yeah?” 

“You sneaky little—!”

Without waiting for her to finish, you bolted towards the doorway.

“What?” You scowled. “You sent them all home?”

Doctor Shinya chuckled from where he’s seated beside you at Shimura’s—one of Inazuma City’s up-and-coming outdoor restaurants. When you and Hirano arrived at the entrance to the capital, the doctor was already there, waiting for you. Doctor Shinya even offered to treat you to a late lunch despite the fact that you’ve already eaten. 

And now he was telling you about how he’d discharged the Tenryou soldiers to their respective homes today.

“It was just as you’ve said, performing the procedure with the aid of a Pyro Vision increased the broth’s potency tenfold!” Doctor Shinya gushed with a mouthful of tempura. “It was a good thing Mister Naganohara’s daughter was more than willing to cooperate. Oh, and that boy from the Kamisato clan also dropped by from time to time as well. What was his name again? Thoma?” 

You were surprised to find out that Doctor Shinya asked for Yoimiya’s help in the matter, but you supposed he couldn’t just ignore that pro-tip you gave him beforehand. But finding out about these detours that Thoma made on top of everything else he was dealing with made you shake your head. He was just the same as the Kamisato siblings—putting their duties first before anything else. 

“I’m glad to know the soldiers have all recovered then,” you sighed, sipping the tea you’d ordered. “But what are we going to do with the Tenryou Commission? Didn’t you get any backlash for just ordering those guys to go home or something?”

“Oh? You haven’t heard?” Doctor Shinya blinked, setting down his bowl and chopsticks. “Apparently, the Raiden Shogun has made a definitive ruling for the case filed against the heads of the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions. They were stripped of their titles this morning, and Kujou Sara was elected as the new head of the Kujou clan. She’s the one who insisted they get some much-needed rest.”

Well. This was definitely news to you.

“I-I see…” you replied dryly. “Um, wait. So what’s going to happen now? Is the war over? Are they putting a stop to the Vision Hunt Decree?”

“The answer to all of that is...yes. Lord Ayato is actually overseeing the return of the confiscated Visions as we speak.” Doctor Shinya smiled, gesturing a set distance away from behind him.You squinted your eyes as you tried to follow his lead until you finally saw it. 

Right where the statue of the Electro Archon stood, you saw a flank of scaffolding set-up in front of the stone visage of the Raiden Shogun. It was hard to tell because you were too far away, but you were pretty sure that the men engrossed with it were taking out the colorful orbs once embedded within. Suddenly, you remembered something Thoma said in passing during that one festival on Amakane Island.

Gods, I wish those two would catch a break soon.

You couldn’t even suppress the grin that made it on your face—not minding that Doctor Shinya could see you smiling like an idiot. 

They did it. Ayaka and Ayato managed to turn the tides of the war after all.

“Well, that said,” Doctor Shinya spoke again, interrupting your thoughts. “I only called you out here to update you about what’s happening. These past two weeks haven’t been easy on any of us, after all.”

You nodded with a dreary laugh. “I never thought I’d be taking care of so many people after I…”

For a second, you panicked. Right. You hadn’t told Doctor Shinya about the years you spent as an underground assassin. And it’s not like you could break it to him easily when he seemed to take your contributions with high regard. Great, now you were ashamed of your own tragic past. Was this what they called character development?

But from the way his eyes softened, something told you he already knew.

“So, Doctor Shinya…” You decided to shift the topic. “What are your plans after this?”

“I’ll actually be accompanying Lord Ayato for the reparation procedures,” he told you. “Her Excellency put him in charge of maintaining public relations with the people of Watatsumi Island, and he invited me in hopes of gaining their goodwill.”

“Oh, right. You said you were a native, right?”

Doctor Shinya nodded. “Yes. And…we’ll also be doing a thorough inspection on Yashiori Island. The Tatarigami typically takes years to fully set in the human body, but we suspected that Kujou Takayuki must have done something nefarious to get his hands on such a powerful manifestation of the curse.” 

You nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never heard of being able to mind-control others with it…” 

“Exactly,” the doctor agreed. “Which reminds me. Would you like to come along when we head to Yashiori for the routine inspections? Lord Ayato informed me that Her Excellency said something about a possibility of the wards being disturbed—causing the rampant spread of the Tatarigami.”

“...Wards?” 

He nodded once more. “When the Raiden Shogun slaid the Orobashi hundreds of years ago, the manifestation of its hatred came in the form of the Tatarigami. To keep it from spreading to the nearby islands, Her Excellency put up protective wards all over Yashiori. But…we can speak of it in more detail if you decide to accept my invitation. I’m sure Lord Ayato will be glad to have you on-board.”

Your shoulders slumped at the news. So it wasn’t over just yet after all, huh…

“You know, there’s an onsen somewhere down the road,” Doctor Naoko mentioned, jabbing a thumb behind his shoulder. “Now that I think about it, you look like you could use some rest.”

You shook your head almost too quickly. “Not at all! I’ve actually been feeling…antsy because I had nothing else to do. So please, do take me with you on your trip. I’ll be happy to show you around the island if need be.”

To your disappointment, it seemed like Doctor Shinya was not having it.

“You’ve worked hard enough, kid,” he chuckled, reaching out to ruffle your hair in that same, infuriating way Doctor Naoko used to do with you. “Now go treat yourself to an afternoon at the bathhouse. We aren’t leaving for another two weeks, so you better make use of the time to relax.”

You wanted to protest—to let him know that you weren’t the only one worked down to the bone by everything that’s happening. Ayaka and Ayato were using all their capabilities to restore peace and order. Doctor Shinya took care of an entire battalion of soldiers by himself. Kujou Sara was busy fixing everything her father had inevitably messed up, and…

Thoma. He was probably out there doing errands in-between for everyone else. Because that’s just who he is as a person—a housekeeper in every sense of the word, even if his duties went beyond the corners of the estate.

But in spite of it all, the buzzing need for a few moments of peace tickled the back of your head. You sighed, succumbing to your not-so subtle desire for a break. 

“So just how good is this bathhouse we’re talking about…?”

You stood in front of the doorway to the hot springs with a sigh.

The owner said the bathhouse was reserved for the day by none other than the Kamisato clan, and was about to turn you away. But, in a moment of desperation, you mentioned you were one of the clan’s retainers. 

“Hmm… Oh, here you are on the guestlist,” he remarked as he went through his clipboard. “My apologies, Miss Kira. I’ll be preparing your things in a while. Someone already went ahead of you, by the way!” 

And now here you are.

The glass on the sliding doorway had fogged over from the steam inside, so you couldn’t really see who you were going to share the hot spring with. And given that this was the mixed bath, there might be men from the estate inside. You weren’t really opposed to being in the company of the opposite sex but…from what you remembered, no one had really left the mansion today aside from yourself.

So who was the person lounging inside the onsen, then? 

It couldn’t be Ayato. He was preoccupied with retrieving Visions from the Shogun’s statue. And you couldn’t exactly picture Ayaka just waltzing into a public bath like this either.

“Only one way to find out, I guess…” you muttered.

The interior wasn’t as extravagant as you initially expected. Just a large, closed room with vents in the ceiling to let the steam billow outside. In the middle, the floor was seemingly paved to imitate a naturally occurring hot spring—decorated with ornamental rocks and fake moss. There was a section in the far end where you figured the showers were, if the bamboo shutters were anything to go by. 

You glanced over to the hot spring in the middle, squinting through the steam rising from the water. Just as you were told, someone else was already occupying the onsen, but their back was turned to you and they had a towel wrapped around their head and a smaller one draped across their face. It made the person’s identity quite hard to decipher through the steam. 

Knowing it’ll be futile to scrutinize from a distance, you decided to take off your robe, folding it by the shelf near the entrance, before finally taking a well-deserved dip. 

The stranger(?) didn’t even stir even when the water rippled all around you. You’d decided to occupy the same side of the hot spring out of curiosity, and when you could take a closer look, this person was, in fact, a man. 

Or they could be a flat-chested woman. Don’t be so quick to judge!

You shook your head, letting the heat of the water seep into your skin. The effect was near-instantaneous. You found yourself sinking lower into the bath as you pressed your back against the edge. A pleased sigh escaped your lips and you were mindful enough to wrap your hair in a towel to keep the strands from getting wet.

You stayed like that for a few minutes—happily letting the hot water work its magic on your fatigued body as you stared at the ceiling. But the more time passed, the more you found yourself growing concerned for the man just a few feet away. He hadn’t stirred since you got here, and you worried he might have passed out. 

And won’t putting a towel on your face in an onsen suffocate you or something?

Hesitantly, you weaved through the hot water with your arms crossed—conscious of the fact that your breasts were on full display. But the moment you reached out in an attempt to remove the towel from his face… 

You yelped loudly—the sound echoing throughout the room when you suddenly found yourself with your arms twisted behind you as the man forced your face against the wet rock. What the fuck? How did he—

“...Miss Kira?”

Oh my fucking Archons.

Of course it was Thoma who put you in an instant headlock. 

The two of you merely stared at each other in stunned silence. The towel on his face had dropped to the water and was drifting uselessly across the surface, and the one he’d tied around his head began to come loose as well—letting his long, damp hair cascade down his shoulders. 

His very naked shoulders, attached to a very naked body he used to press you down in one of the most compromising positions imaginable. Huh. This reminded you of the first night he cornered you in the Kamisato estate’s kitchen… 

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered sheepishly, making a show of turning around as if he was trying to give you some privacy. “I thought you were some asshole that’s trying to kill me or something.”

“I can see that,” you scoffed, sinking back into the water with your face redder than his uniform. “Glad to see you’re alive and didn’t die from steam suffocation, though.”

Once you were settled, Thoma decided to scooch a few feet away before lowering himself into the bath once again. 

You did not stare at his ass while his back was turned to you. You didn’t!!!!

“So…” you began, still feeling all sorts of awkward. “What brings you here?”

Thoma cleared his throat, and you watched the bob of his neck as he swallowed. “Um. I might’ve been complaining about wanting to go to the onsen for days now, and Lord Ayato made the proper arrangements just to shut me up.”

“And he honored your wishes just like that?” you snorted. “If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought you were the princess of the house.”

The chief retainer shot you a narrow-eyed stare. “I could ask the same for you. Did you just happen to go into the same bathhouse as me at the same time I decided to as well?” 

“Maybe it’s fate,” you shrugged, recalling the same train of conversation occurring between the both of you in the past. But when you began to consider his question a bit more seriously…

You know, there’s an onsen somewhere down the road.

The bathhouse has been reserved by the Kamisato clan for the day, my apologies.

Lord Ayato made the proper arrangements just to shut me up.

You blinked. That shouldn’t be possible, right? This was all a coincidence. Surely Ayato and Doctor Shinya wouldn’t deliberately set the two of you up like this, right? 

“How are you?”

A jolt ran across your shoulders when Thoma spoke out of the blue again—his voice nearly echoing in the empty room. You stared at him incredulously before forcing yourself to peel your eyes away from the droplets of water that ran tantalizingly across his pectorals.

“I-I’m good,” you replied. “There isn’t much to do back at home anymore so I was just feeling a little antsy. Doctor Shinya told me to relax for a change.” For some reason, Thoma laughed the moment you finished speaking, and your eyes narrowed into slits.

“Sorry, sorry. I was just a bit…happy.”

“With what?”

“You called the estate home.”

“Oh.”

Man, you’ve gotten so soft, it’s embarrassing. 

“How about you?” you murmured in return. “You’ve been so busy, I could hardly talk to you.”

Thoma raised an eyebrow, mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “Did you miss me?”

“So what if I did? Stupid guard dog…”

You startled again when the water rippled all around you once more. Thoma rose out of the bath just enough to make his way to you. And when he leaned down to meet your gaze head-on, you swallowed thickly—face burning hotter than the room itself. 

“I think I liked it better when you called me pretty boy.” He pouted. 

You groaned, pushing him away, but Thoma refused to budge. “That was one time.” 

“Once is enough to have me thinking about it for weeks.” The laugh that left his lips had a familiar sultriness to it that made your thighs clench. Thoma’s wet hand was on your face again, cupping your cheek as the other peeled away the towel in your hair. 

“I missed you, too,” he murmured, thumb gently teasing the swell of your lip. His green eyes looked so pretty up close. “So much that I had to hop into a bathhouse just to keep my mind off of it.”

You huffed. “Then why didn’t you just go back? Doctor Shinya said everything was already sorted out with the Shogun.”

“Well, yeah. But I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold back if I saw you again.”

“Huh?”

You barely had time to process it when Thoma captured your lips with his own—the hand not holding your face immediately resting on your hip. But you didn’t even have any fight left in you when you were so quick to melt into his kiss. You sighed, and Thoma used the opportunity to slither his tongue inside your mouth. 

He lifted you onto the edge of the bath, wet bodies sliding past each other as he slotted himself between your legs. Though his lower half was still submerged in the water, the feel of his toned stomach made you more flustered than it should. But Thoma wasn’t exactly giving you a lot of leeway to think. 

The chief retainer wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling you closer as he kissed you fervently. You mewled into his mouth as your hands wandered to his hair. You tugged on the strands in a way you remembered he liked, and you couldn’t help the heat that stirred in your stomach at the sound he just made.

“Thoma,” you sighed when he pulled away, lips trailing a fiery path down the column of your neck. “Are we really going to do this? Here?”

For some reason, he tensed. Thoma peeled himself away slightly, eyeing the way you’re presented bare for him to see. You might have blanched and covered yourself if it had been anyone else, but… 

“Sorry,” he muttered again, leaning forward to rest your foreheads together as his hands gripped your thighs. “It’s just like I said. I can’t seem to restrain myself when it comes to you… But if you want me to behave, I’ll gladly do so.”

“...Like a dog?”

“You don’t have to put it like that!”

 For the first time in a while, you managed a lighthearted laugh, shifting your head a little so you could nuzzle the crook of his neck. You couldn’t find traces of Thoma’s scent given that the steam was making your head swim a little. But the reassuring heat of his body was enough to make you feel safe, in spite of his seemingly ravenous appetite for you. 

“I’ll let you do anything you want if you answer my question,” you told him, biting your lip. 

He craned his head. “What is it?”

“...How do you feel about me, exactly?”

You instinctively recoiled, fingers tightening around his arms as you braced yourself for an inevitable rejection. You didn’t really have an idea why you expected the worst right off the bat, but… Surely Thoma wouldn’t—

“How I feel about you?” he repeated, chest reverberating with each word. 

Thoma forcibly pulled you away from his torso, making you meet his beautiful emerald eyes. The smile he flashed you the next second was so real, you could cry.

“I like you. Can’t you tell?” 

Just like that, the disbelief came crashing down on you all over again. 

Did people really just admit their feelings like that? Straight to the point, without any hint of hesitation? You had no clues as to how potential couples went about the ‘confession’ stage, but…wasn’t Thoma being a bit too honest? You thought all the best romances started with some degree of denial and pining from both parties.

“I’m…not used to this kind of thing, okay?” you replied, suddenly feeling even more embarrassed. “If it’s normal for you to just admit to someone that you like them, then—”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever liked enough to confess to, though.”

You could have sworn that steam billowed not just from the water but also out of your ears. This was not real. No one could be this fucking honest with himself. You refused to believe it.

…But then again, Thoma had proved himself to be different from every other person you’ve ever met. He had the patience of a saint, a capacity for banter that could keep up with your own, and a deep-rooted understanding that not everyone could afford to spare for people like you.

Whenever you looked at him, he always reminded you of the sun with not a single cloud obscuring his intentions and you started to see why. 

(Overlooking the fact that he lied about Ayaka’s plans. You can forgive him for that. Kind of.) 

“I don’t deserve you,” you told him with a groan. “Why do you even like me?”

Something shifted in the hot air, and suddenly Thoma’s easygoing smile dropped. He spoke your real name like a prayer in the thick steam, and you could feel your head buzz from the whiplash of it all. When his mouth descended onto yours once again, he lacked the ferocity he’d exhibited in both times you’ve ever kissed him. Thoma merely pecked your lips with the softest of touches before pulling away to meet your eyes.

“You deserve me and more,” he murmured. “And I’ll give you all of that if you’re willing to have me.”

Your first instinct was to argue, but the heat between your legs has festered enough. Instead of debating about what you did and didn’t deserve, you closed your eyes and finally let yourself fall off the edge.

Thoma’s hands were inescapable when you finally gave him a little nudge—that final confirmation. He swallowed up all the sounds you made as he lifted himself out of the water, fingers already making quick work between the growing heat in your thighs. The evidence of your arousal was hard to hide—especially when he’s sliding those thick digits against your glistening seam so tantalizingly, you almost forgot you were in a public bath. 

“Thoma,” you mewled. “W-What if…someone comes in?”

You gasped when he eased one finger inside you, wrapping one arm around your waist as he watched your expressions with a sultry smile. “As much as I’d hate to share this view with someone else…” He leaned closer to your ear, and you instinctively clenched your walls around him. “Something tells me the idea of getting caught excites you.”

“Quit projecting! You’re such a weirdo.” The words were meant to hit like an insult, but you ended up moaning them instead as Thoma slipped in a second finger. “F-Fucking pervert…”

“Hmm? Would you like me to stop then?”

You mourned the loss of the friction when his hand became stock still inside you. A throaty groan scratched against your throat as you threw out a fist—hitting his lean chest in the process.

“...No.”

He chuckled, low and dangerous as he let you sink down to the hot spring—flipping you around so your ass was in full display. His fingers never left, though, and the moment he had you bent over the edge of the pool, Thoma resumed his sinful ministrations. 

You could barely contain your moans when he pressed his chest against your back, spreading your thighs wider as he fingered you loose. His tongue slithered across the shell of your ear, and he even nibbled on your lobe as he worked you between your legs. You sighed—completely embarrassed by how slick and easy the slide of his fingers had become.

But before you could make another sound, Thoma prodded your mouth with the fingers of his free hand. 

“If you don’t want to get caught,” he whispered huskily. “You need to be quiet.”

You would’ve been mortified by how easily you opened your mouth for him had it been any other scenario. But you were so unbelievably aroused by his voice, his heat, and the feel of his strong body caging you underneath his, that your otherwise snarky defenses had been tossed aside. You didn’t want anything else—didn’t need anything else.

All that mattered right now was Thoma.

It didn’t take long for you to notice his hard length rubbing against your ass while he made a mess with your mouth and cunt with his fingers. You couldn’t even fathom the dexterity his multitasking should have required, but you figured that when it came to doing several things at once, he was the man for the job. 

You moaned when he curled his fingers inside you, thighs quivering as he continued thrusting in and out. You couldn’t tell if the clouds of vapor emerging with each bated breath was from the steam or not, but when Thoma took his fingers out from both your mouth and cunt, you couldn’t help the whine that got caught in the back of your throat.

“So needy.” A soft chuckle resounded from behind you and your eyes widened when you felt him slide his cock against your slick folds. 

“T-Thoma…”

“Tell me you deserve me,” he murmured into your ear, pressing your thighs together as he rocked his length into the space between your legs. 

“What are you—”

“Tell me or I won’t fuck you the way you want me to.”

…Gods, he was so hot when he bossed you around. 

Each time his hips pressed forward, you could feel the head of his cock catching on your clit. You nearly sobbed, forcing your palms onto the slippery rocks as you desperately attempted to meet his thrusts. But Thoma wasn’t letting you get what you wanted so easily.

“I’m waiting.” 

Fuck it. Who needs dignity anyway?

“I deserve it,” you moaned. “I deserve you. I deserve your cock. I deserve to get rammed into the next life, just— please!”

Your vision nearly went dark when he finally pressed himself against your entrance—filling you to the brim with the heat of his length. The burn of his passage was conspicuous but bearable. Although, when he finally sheathed himself to the hilt, Thoma let out another infuriatingly sexy laugh as he pressed a kiss against your neck.

“Tell me you like me, too.”

This fucking guy…

“I like you,” you mumbled, feeling your heart stutter with every word. “I like you so much I can’t imagine going back to a life without you anymore.”

All of a sudden, the possessive grip he had on your hips faltered, making you turn around to sneak a glance. Thoma stared at you with wide, green eyes—flushing so badly even the tips of his ears were red.

In the end, his embarrassment melted with a sigh. 

“You know just exactly how to rile me up, don’t you?” 

You were about to dish out some crude reply, but Thoma effectively shut you up with a sharp thrust. 

He took you against the edge of the hot spring, pawing at every inch of skin his hands could reach. Your stomach, your breasts, your thighs—if he’d taken you somewhere else, you were sure he’d spend hours worshipping your body alone. 

Maybe taking a guard dog as a lover wasn’t so bad after all.

“So…good,” you drawled, barely having enough strength to prop yourself upright. Thoma muttered something under his breath before angling his cock a bit differently, hitting a spot inside you that made you melt underneath his touch. 

For a moment, he let himself slip out of your cunt—an action met with another whine in protest. But Thoma  was quick to flip you over again, making your back dig into the pool’s edge. And when your gazes met, you were completely unprepared for the unadulterated want in his eyes.

“I can’t wait—” he hissed, spreading your thighs wide enough to accommodate him, “—to take you in my bedroom. I’ll love you until morning, I swear it.” 

And you believed him. Every single word. Because Thoma was as honest as a man could be, and you wondered if you could learn to be the same way once you’ve been by his side long enough. 

You’ve never felt like this before. So whole. So special. So adored. He made it clear with each thrust exactly how much you meant to him, and you’d be a fool to turn away now. With a sigh, you laced your fingers around Thoma’s neck—eyes glazed over with a desire of your own.

“Kiss me,” you whispered. 

He was sweating all over, lips bitten red with your earlier activities. But Thoma seemed all too willing to heed your every wish as he lowered himself. You leaned upward to meet him halfway—pressing your breasts against his chest as the cadence of his thrusts slowed into a crawl. Thoma canted his hips deep enough to have you moaning into his mouth, and suddenly, you wouldn’t trade any of this, wouldn’t trade any of him for the world. 

If this is love, you thought airily as you lost yourself in the sensation. 

I want all of it.

A few days later, you and Thoma had gone back to work. 

You’d been out all morning, busy with returning confiscated Visions to their rightful owners—something you were more than enthusiastic to get done. After all, it was a job entrusted to the both of you by Ayaka herself.

As a retainer of the Kamisato house, your Lady’s orders were of utmost importance.

However, as the two of you walked back into the estate, your quiet banter with your new lover was momentarily interrupted. In the center of the pavilion, you spotted Ayaka in her lonesome, but you could very much make out the curious eyes of the other retainers encroaching from the sidelines. You couldn’t blame them for their curiosity. 

The Shirasagi Himegimi’s fan dance was always a spectacle to behold. 

You hung back by the entrance as you bore witness to the sight you’d been dying to see since you’d laid your eyes on her. Ayaka was as graceful as the winds of a winter morning, with every move serving to mesmerize any lucky onlooker. She swayed to the beat of the song in her head, flicking her fan with a show of snowflakes every now and again. And when the breathtaking performance came to a close, she glanced your way with a sweet smile.

“Welcome home,” she greeted kindly. “How was your trip?”

“Tiring,” Thoma yawned as the two of you met her at the center. “But everyone’s happy now I guess. Isn’t that right, Miss Kira?”

You nodded. “But it wouldn’t have been possible without you, milady.”

Ayaka chuckled, taking your hands in hers. “Brother and I only laid the groundwork. Everyone else in the Yashiro Commission did their parts as well. This is a team effort, you know?”

If the you from three months ago saw you right now, you knew she would’ve been mortified. Clutching the hands of the same woman you’d been sworn to kill, what a joke. But then again…maybe your past self wouldn’t have minded the idea of being doted on if it was by the princess herself. 

The day you could finally speak to her again, you practically fell to your knees—face splotchy with tears as you spat out every apology you could think of. You were aware of how pathetic you were being. Your crimes had been duly pardoned by Inazuman law, and even if you still harbored some degree of guilt, you swore that you’d right your wrongs in any way or form. And that’s what you were doing now, as an official Kamisato retainer. 

But Ayaka, in all her merciful glory, asked you to stand and put your chin up.

“There’s no need for tears, Miss Kira.” She smiled. “To me, you never really left. You just had to find yourself. And we’d always been willing to welcome you home once you did.” 

And now here you were.

“Oh, you two! You’re back!”

The sound of the Commissioner’s voice snapped you out of your momentary reminiscing. Ayato emerged from the mansion with a familiar figure curled in his arms, and another familiar figure tailing him from behind.  

“Yo, newbie!” Yoimiya greeted with a smile. “So you’re the one who made all those nifty cures, huh? Glad to have supported your cause!”

Blinking up from underneath her hood, Sayu seemingly nuzzled herself further into Ayato’s chest. “So noisy…”

“Aw, Sayu! Don’t go sleeping now! We’re still going to test the fireworks I brought!”

“Are you making preparations for the lunar festival later?” Thoma asked. “We kind of delayed that for a while, huh?”

Ayato nodded with a sigh. “All the more reason to put our backs into it. We’re heading over to Amakane Island to sample Yoimiya’s new inventions. She wanted to make sure there’s no need for fine-tuning. Do you two want to come with?”

“Isn’t it a bit early for testing out fireworks though?” Ayaka wondered, gazing out at the afternoon sky. “But I suppose we could take advantage of the time we have. You and Miss Kira are leaving tomorrow, yes?”

“Unfortunately,” the Commissioner sighed before turning to you and Thoma. “Well, what do you say?”

Before you could even open your mouth, Thoma was already slinging an arm around your shoulder—grinning at Ayato with a confident air.

“We’d love to!”

“So why are you still calling me Kira again? Everyone’s starting to forget I actually have a real name because of you...” 

You posed the question to Thoma when you two found a comfortable spot on the cliff, just underneath the cherry blossoms as you watched Yoimiya and the Kamisato siblings set up the fireworks by the beach. 

Thoma shrugged, resting his chin on your shoulder as he hugged you from behind. “I kind of got used to it.” 

“Liar.”

“What? I’m not lying.”

You snorted, turning to face him with a smirk—the fox mask on your head lightly bumping against his. “It’s not the whole truth either, though,” you said, leaning closer to nuzzle your nose with his. “Come on. I’m leaving tomorrow without any idea when I’ll be back. I won’t get the chance to ask you again for a good while.” 

He whined. “Can I really not come along? I’ve been to Yashiori, too, you know… I’m pretty tough.”

“So you’re just going to leave milady alone like that?”

“...How about we all just go on an indefinite field trip to the Orobashi’s graveyard, and Madarame can be the pseudo-Yashiro Commissioner for a while,” Thoma suggested. “I think it would be a win-win for all parties involved.”

“I don’t think milady will last long living in the wild,” you admitted, and Thoma surrendered with a sigh. “But fine. If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you.”

For what it’s worth, the thought of leaving Thoma to help investigate the wards on Yashiori left a bitter taste in your mouth, too. It’s only been a few days since the two of you made it official, and now you’re going to have to leave him for a while. But there were things that had to be done, and as a Kamisato retainer, you’re obligated to see them through until the end.

Sometime later, Yoimiya shouted from below to keep your eyes peeled. You and Thoma had been assigned as the official judges for her newest craft, and you were more than happy to humor the lively fireworks-maker. It also gave you an excuse to sit between Thoma’s legs as you watched.

However, as the special fireworks shot up to the sky, you felt Thoma’s breath against your ear.

“It’s because I want to be the only one who calls you by your real name,” he whispered. “Is that so possessive of me?”

Whether the redness of your face was a reflection from the fireworks or plain embarrassment, no one would ever be able to tell.

Yoimiya’s invention was something else—fireworks that changed color right before the sparks shimmered into oblivion. Fiery red morphing into electric blue. Bright gold into luscious green. You watched each one rise into the sky with a dazzled look, chest twisting at the idea that it might take you a while to witness another fireworks show again.

You were completely unaware of the bright emerald eyes that watched you the whole time.

When all the preparations on the island were set, and you’d given Yoimiya your stamp of approval, the visitors had started pouring in. It’s as if Inazuma hadn’t been on the brink of an internal collapse because of the Kanjou and Tenryou Commission’s misdeeds. Everyone who walked beneath the torii gates had smiles splitting their faces as they sampled festival food, tied their wishing charms, and tried their hand at the game booths. 

That night, Thoma finally met his match in the form of a rather competitive Kujou Sara—who made a surprising entrance with Masahito despite how busy things were on their end. She ended up beating Thoma’s goldfish-catching record without a sweat, earning herself a new and improved Mister Danuki plush of her own.

Even the kids from Konda Village made it, immediately running towards yours and Ayaka’s direction before they inevitably dragged the two of you all over the place. The princess must have sensed the unease in your posture as Futaba and Takeru told you about how their fathers used to bring them here all the time, too.

There’s a time for you to tell them. Just not now, her eyes seemed to say.

Ayaka had to peel away from your little group to perform her fan-dance to the crowd, enrapturing every single person in attendance without fail. From behind, you could hear Kujou Sara speaking to Ayato about how the princess can finally enjoy a festival like a normal girl. The Commissioner couldn’t help but sigh in agreement. 

By the time Yoimiya’s fireworks show was underway, you were already exhausted. 

Instead of taking your usual spot by the cliffs, you decided to hang around by the entrance with Thoma, where there were less people crowding the space. This gave you the leeway to breathe, resting your head on his shoulder as you fought your brain’s desire to just go to sleep.

“We can head back now if you want,” he offered, stroking your hair. 

“Mmm…” you groaned. “But Yoimiya’s fireworks.” 

The chief retainer smiled. “And you’ve already done her a favor by judging her handiwork. You deserve a good night’s rest before you leave, you know?”

Well, it didn’t take much convincing for you to agree, so to speak.

Thoma’s mattress was soft as you landed on the surface, not bothering to change out of your kimono. Your lover let out a soft laugh while he stripped himself of his uniform before joining you on his bed. The dip of the bed under his weight made you crack one eye open, and you could see him holding a familiar toy in front of you.

“Don’t forget to pack Mister Danuki before you leave,” he reminded, setting the plush on top of his nightstand. 

“I won’t,” you murmured. “I’ll miss you too much if I do…”

Thoma sighed as he pulled the sheets over your bodies. “You always know what to say, huh?”

You let out a satisfied noise when you felt him nestle you in his strong arms. Turning around, you rested your head against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart.

“You’re not going to try anything tonight?” you asked curiously.

“As much as I want to have passionate, unforgettable goodbye sex,” Thoma started with a laugh, pressing his lips against your forehead, “I am completely serious about you getting a good night’s rest, Miss Kira. Now go to bed before I change my mind.”

Though your eyelids were heavy with fatigue, you still managed a soft, almost mischievous laugh. Thoma, of course, didn’t miss the playful lilt in your tone, and immediately groaned when you climbed on top of his lap.

You stared at him from your vantage point, watching the way his ears turned red under your scrutiny. This was the man who made the gears on your stale, unsalvageable life finally turn. If it weren’t for him, you never would’ve changed. If it weren’t for him, you never would have formulated a cure that’s effective enough to save those you cared about.

If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be as happy as you were now.

“I love you,” you told him, fingers toying with the pendant around his throat. “Thoma of the Kamisato House, I love you.” 

Thoma smiled, soft and sincere and everything you’ve ever loved. When his hand reached up to caress your cheek, you’re not strong enough to resist his touch.

“I love you, too.”

This was your place in the world. Even if you had to leave for a while, you’ll always come back to him. 

Without worry. Without fail.

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© cryoculus | kaientai ✧ all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my work on other platforms.

[liminalpsych-in-teyvat]

Notes for A Matter of Duty - Chapter 11 - Protector from afar

I'm back and fully caught up with 4.0! Help, I've got Neuvillette brain rot, and I'm going feral over every crumb of additional House of the Hearth content.

Thanks again to the fantastic PancakeBeast for beta reading! Also thanks to the Hidden Akasha Records Genshin fanworks Discord for helping with all my weird questions, listening to my rambles, and hosting writing sprints.

Notes and references:

I'm using actual NPCs whenever I can. Reina made a brief appearance at a festival event once in game and had one line, but still! She exists! A lot of OCs in this fic are original characters because they won't be around (dead/out of Inazuma/etc) by the time the game starts, or there's not an extant NPC who fits the role. A couple unnamed side characters in earlier chapters are also NPCs in game (e.g. the guy from the bathhouse last chapter - any guesses?). It's a little tricky because the story is set 9 years before the game, so I have to remember that all the NPCs in game would have been 9 years younger, and that rules out a lot of options.

Drought does actually increase the complexity of flavor with tea, supposedly because the tea grows more slowly with less water, and thus has a chance to develop more flavor.

In the early Edo period (and into the late Edo period in some cases), if you were a performer for the masses (as opposed to for the nobles as with noh theater), you were understood to also be available for sex to the right buyer. Kabuki actor = sex worker. Dancer = sex worker (and early Kabuki was also more dance than acting). Even some shrine maidens doing performance = sex worker (maiden as in unmarried, not maiden as in chaste).

I'm taking some Genshin-style liberties and blending a bit of early Edo period kabuki (where everyone played the opposite gender and kabuki was inherently queer) with some later-period kabuki (when it got a little more formalized and more acting-focused, and also male-actor-only for a variety of crappy reasons). The Inazuma kabuki is not purely sex worker advertisement (which was something of the case in early kabuki: dances and prostitute-purchasing skits to show off the options and actors), it has some actual acting and scripted plays rather than just disconnected dancing and skits. But it's mostly sex worker advertisement, and it hasn't become gender segregated to the same degree, especially since the Raiden Shogunate doesn't emphasize class separation to the same degree as the Tokugawa Shogunate that it's based on.

The clapping at the end of the performance is tejime, a kind of ceremonial rhythmic hand-clapping to conclude special events.

Shrines and temples had their own playhouses, called Miyaji-shibai. They were under the jurisdiction of superintendents of the temples and shrines (e.g. Yae Miko and maybe the Yashiro Commission) rather than the other categories of playhouses, which were under the jurisdiction of city magistrates (Kanjou Commission and possibly Yashiro Commission depending on how one wants to define it).

Here's a fun Twitter thread overview of Kabuki and prostitution.

There were almost certainly more inns at Inazuma City than are portrayed in game. It's 9 years before the game started, the inn and theater could have burnt down or shut down for any number of reasons before the Traveler arrived.

I used Ayato to walk the path from the edge of Hanamizaka where I've set the kabuki theater, down the road to the river ford to Chinju Forest, and all the way up to the Kamisato Estate. It took 12 in-game hours. Then I jogged him back down it, which took closer to 2.5 in-game hours. If you add in the jog to Tenshukaku, it takes 5 hours total. So I have decided the Kamisatos have horses, because otherwise Ayato has a commute of anywhere from 5 to 12 hours. A horse probably brings it down to 3, minimum. (Needless to say, I now understand why Ayato's gone from the estate for days or weeks at a time. I would sleep in town too if I had a 3+ hour commute.)

This one's a thorough but highly readable overview of the history of Kabuki theatre with a focus on prostitution and gender/sex roles: Birk, Sara K., "Sex, androgyny, prostitution and the development of onnagata roles in Kabuki theatre" (2006). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 3537.

Super useful and had information I couldn't find in the various online resources I was reading: Nakane, C., Totman, C., & Masakatsu, G. (1997). Kabuki and its social background. In Tokugawa Japan: The Social and economic antecedents of modern Japan (pp. 192–292). essay, Univ. of Tokyo Press.

This one's fabulous; it's a translation of a text from 1687. The introduction is fascinating context, the first half of the stories are all samurai m/m love stories, and the second half are all kabuki theater m/m love stories which was super helpful for getting context (such as the average cost of a night with a kabuki actor-prostitute). (Also, content warning for age gaps and references to sex with minors, a norm of the time.) Ihara, Saikaku, and Paul Gordon Schalow. The Great Mirror of Male Love. Stanford University Press, 1990.

This book details specific plays, and provides cultural context and history for each of them. Really useful read when trying to figure out what Inazuman kabuki might look like. Crandall, David, and Kesako Matsui. Kabuki, a Mirror of Japan: Ten Plays That Offer a Glimpse into Evolving Sensibilities. Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2019.

Life of the courtesans in Japan's floating world: An interesting read, if somewhat pearl-clutching in tone at times.

Summary of the fic itself with content warnings, tags, etc so you can decide if you want to read it or not before you click on the link.

A Matter of Duty https://archiveofourown.org/works/47604337?view_full_work=true

A year after the death of Ayato and Ayaka's parents, the clan succession is contested from within and without. Kamisato Ayato will do anything—anything—to ensure the safety of his family and the stability of his clan.

But powerful supporters come at an unimaginable price. When Ayato's own sacrifices aren't enough, he is forced to involve Thoma in a web of intrigue and exploitation that will push them to the breaking points of their bodies, their minds, and their very hearts.

or: Kushiel's Dart meets Genshin Impact in a quick-scorch-to-slow-burn romantic drama of court intrigue, sexual politics, and sacrifice.

Note: Mind the tags. More specific content warnings will be given at the beginning of each chapter, and the story tags will be updated as needed. All characters in sex scenes are adults.

Rating: Explicit. It's porn with plot. Porn as a vehicle for plot, or plot as a vehicle for porn, you can interpret it either way. (I prefer: porn and plot as a vehicle for ~feels~)

Tags that I'm not actually turning into tags here, but it gives you an idea of what you're in for: Kamisato Ayato/Thoma (Genshin Impact), dubious consent but not between Ayato and Thoma, slow burn, sex ed, first time, self-sacrifice, humiliation, exhibitionism, oral sex, anal sex, bdsm, bad bdsm etiquette, rough sex, breath play, impact play, bondage, service kink, abuse, sadism, codependency, shame, guilt, jealousy, possessiveness, trauma, ptsd, dissociation, political sex work, or sex work for political maneuvering, or political survival sex work if that’s a thing, exploitation, blackmail, political machinations, political intrigue, no aftercare, maybe someday some aftercare, hurt/comfort, mostly hurt for a long time but eventually comfort, oblivious disaster gays, for such socially savvy people they are terrible at personal relationships, dominant Ayato, submissive Thoma, top Ayato, bottom Thoma, Ayato is incredibly parentified, Thoma has no sense of self-preservation, self-sacrifice isn't a contest but don't tell Ayato and Thoma that, it's like the snipe-the-check game at restaurants but with sex and politics, Kushiel's Impact, no really this was in my drafts for the longest time as Kusheline Thomato Fic, everyone's an adult in this timeline except Ayaka, she gets protected at all costs, original characters out of necessity, finding appropriate existing Inazuma npcs for some of these roles was impossible

Full fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47604337?view_full_work=true

Chapter 11 - Protector from afar: Ayato navigates a web of family intrigue. Thoma follows Yae Miko's clues into the kabuki theater to find a mentor.

Chapter contains: Family politics, guilt/shame attempts, discussion of sex work, implied sex work.

[fishareglorious]

What's a Heron with only one eye?

Heroin.

(Also just realized her constellation means ‘snow white crane’ and is different from Shirasagi Himegimi which is ‘white heron princess’. Are you a crane or a heron Ayaka CHOOSE DAMMIT)

Ogura Mio say no more I have 38 million mora I can and will pay for anything

I know a guy. Give me a sec to grab Xu from the Feiyun Commerce guild to grab Xingqiu, who is literally the second heir to the guild, and we’ll have that silk in no time.

Xingqiu. I can use the teleports. I’m sure he’ll do a few favors.

Ayaka, shut.

I’m looking at a kitty please stay quiet for a few seconds.

Kurisu I played tcg with you in the Cat’s Tail like 10 minutes ago what are you talking about

Ah. Of course somebody stole the silk.

The Kanjou Commission is corrupt? Yeah we know that pretty well

Ayaka doing girlboss shit today

I mean, I am here. I went here to beat your ass exactly

My man I think it is YOU who will come out of here with black eyes and a broken nose.

Huh, you know I kinda wanna read a mafia au of the Kamisatos rn not gonna lie

Ah yes, Kamisato Ayaka dabbling in the art of gaslighting. Good on her.

Now that I think of it, is Kurisu’s name a localized version of “Chris”? Just how a lot of people presume Thoma’s name is originally ‘Thomas’. Though I’m pretty sure that’s just a fun headcanon and doesn’t have any canonical basis.

Oh yeah, completely forgot that we’re fighting against the vision hunt decree lol

The Traveler and their sibling never meant to stay in Teyvat if it wasn’t for the Unknown God. Though they’ve found their twin, the Traveler is still finding a way to get back to them. Some ways their clothes have sentimental value and all of that.

I mean, just jot down the dimesions of a toddler and you’d probably have a size for Paimon

Are you asking about normal teyvat people or are you asking about whatever tf is going on with playable characters Ayaka

Paimon hit the nail on the head. And yeah, doesn’t Aether have their tum out and proud to the entire world

🤨 Ayaka?

Oh wait lmao she just wants the freedom of choice yeah you’re fine

Are we finally going to Tsubaki’s

Oh, it’s a date then.

COME ON DAMN ME JUST WHEN I WAS FINALLY STARTING TO DO THE WORLD QUESTS

[ninas-gf]

Ayato

first impression: i didn’t really have any opinion on him at first, his initial popularity just confused me a bit tbh

impression now: he’s a solid character !! not someone i am ~particularly~ attached to, but i do like him and his story a lot

favorite moment: actually there are two favorite moments, and they’re both from his story quest. the first one is that line he directs at the kanjou commission guy that’s like “actually, i feel sorry for you” it was just so funny to me 💀 and the other one was him talking about how he’d do anything to protect his precious family, i just thought it was really sweet

idea for a story: i guess a story that just focuses on his adjustment as head of the tenryou commission right after his parents died, what it was like for him to take on such a role while dealing with assassination attempts and conflicts between the tri-commission

unpopular opinion: i’m not sure if this is unpopular or not, but i think he had one of the best story quests. i know some people think it’s boring, but i liked seeing what kind of things happen between the commissions, and i also thought the plot flowed very well in terms of pacing, it never felt too slow or anything

favorite relationship: his relationship with his sister !! i just love how protective and loving they are of each other

favorite headcanon: tbh, i don’t have any that i can think of atm

[daimaoryu]

what is the yashiro commission doing throughout the entirety of the inazuma story quest. like the tenryou commission is obviously doing bad guy shit and the kanjou commission is like in charge of making sure the outsidersin ritou have to go through a hellish procedure just to get a permit to travel to and from the country and also turns out to have been doing bad guy shit from behind the scenes. what has the yashiro commission been doing.

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

more from inazuma!kaeya au ch2

At least he knows why he’s getting stonewalled by the Kanjou Commission. They can hardly tell him straight out that they’re planning on closing Inazuma’s borders, not when he’s a high-profile foreigner with significant shares in their alcohol market. Instead, they can frustrate him with their bureaucracy until he gives up of his own accord and leaves the country. Barring that, they wait for his visa to run out. 

Which it won’t, apparently, because Thoma is a crafty bastard with his fingers in Ritou’s immigration office. Several people allegedly owe him several favors there. 

“And I only had to call in three of them to get your visa extended indefinitely,” he’d declared triumphantly. “Congratulations, Diluc, you’re officially here on an ‘international cultural exchange visitor’ visa. And what better way for you to learn about Inazuman culture than spending lots and lots of time with the Yashiro Commission?” 

“Won’t this have to be reviewed by the Kanjou Commission?” Diluc had asked. 

Thoma winked at him. “Now, you’d think so,” he said, and took a sip of tea. “Because all matters to do with immigration are Kanjou territory, right? However, there are exceptions. For example, foreign soldiers and diplomats are handled by the Tenryou Commission. Cultural exchange visas—which are rarely approved in the first place, for obvious reasons like Inazuma-hates-immigrants, are under the Yashiro Commission’s purview once the paperwork makes it through. And because I know a guy who knows a guy, your paperwork was processed at nine this morning. You follow?”

[xiadeptus]

introducing…ayato x reader

genre…nsfw, a teeny tiny minuscule bit of fluff

contains…afab!reader, gn pronouns (90% sure), established relationship, kinda mean dom ayato, sub reader, punishment, shibari, bondage, brief water tentacles, teasing, begging, one face slap, he lifts her chin with his shoe once? degradation, use of pet names (pet, daling), fingers because apparently i have a finger kink, begging, ayato has a big dick i don’t make the rules, cream pie, cumplay, breeding kink, slight overstimulation, minor stomach bulge, praise. whew I think that’s it lmk if i forgot something. unedited bc i’m a whore.

notes…i’m horny for ayato and the face reveal only made it worse. god i want him to spit on me. this man has me wrapped around his finger to the point where he could ask anything of me and i’d do it no questions asked. come to my inbox and thirst over genshin with me

ayato always has high expectations of you, you know that. as both an advisor got the head of the yashiro commission and he’s soon-to-be spouse, there was a certain way with which you were supposed to carry yourself. this was usually not a problem.

the difference today is that today, several of the other people had been pointing fingers at ayato during a meeting. despite knowing full well that they have much more influence than you, the kanjou and tenryou commission claimed that you should be paying retribution as well. that’s when your carefully crafted demeanor started to crumble away. it wasn’t until they started accusing ayato of doing nothing to help the people, that you lost it.

“what would you have had us do against fatui? who, may i remind you, have been helped by you guys?” you jolt out of your seat next to ayato, your chair screeching against the floor as you do so.

“you control the shuumatsuban you should have used that to your advantage! how is it our fault that you’re a bad strategist?”

whirling around to face whatever poor soul has decided to speak up, you point an accusatory finger at them. “yes let us use organization that specializes in stealth as an offensive. how many of our people would you have taken from us then?”

before you can say another word, ayato stands up to address the tri-committee. a strategically placed hand rests in the crook of your neck, his gloved fingers pressing against your skin in warning.

”it seems that we are all a little high strung right now. perhaps it would do us best to take a recess until tomorrow.”

the people in various uniforms nod their heads and eventually people begin to file out.

you keep your gaze situated on the table in front of you even when you and ayato and the only people left standing in the meeting hall. his blue eyes are no doubt focused on you, and you can practically feel the disappointment rolling off of him in waves.

soon enough, under his discerning gaze, your resolve crumbles and you turn to him, eyes still downcast as you inspect the floorboards.

“ayato, i—“

“this is a business affair, is it not?” he wanted you to address him properly. to keep your marriage arrangement out of any officially business. he says it keeps things neater, and he’s right.

“m-my lord, i apologize for speaking out of turn.”

he says acknowledge your words with more than a noncommittal hum before his fingers grip your chin and force you to look up at him.

his eyes are cold when you meet them, and it sends a shiver down your spine. disappointing ayato was your least favorite thing to do, and he knows that too. he knows how hard you try to please him by representing the kamisato clan and the yashiro commission well and he always makes sure to tell you how well you do. of course, this also means that he has no problem with helping to correct your behavior.

“you know what i expect of you, correct?”

you nod your head but his grip tightens.

“yes, my lord.”

“good. and you know that this just now was not it?”

“yes, my lord.”

his hand rests on the nape of your neck as the two of you walk back to the estate. to any outsider, it looks like a man lovingly holding his fiancée close. but the constant pressure reminds you that you have to make up for your transgressions.

ayato closes the doors to his office when you return, and wastes no time in reminding you of your place. the hand behind your neck showers you forward harshly, and you stumble to catch your footing as he pulls his desk chair around to sit in front of you, crossing his legs.

“tell me,” he rests his chin in his hands as he leans forward. “what gave you the idea that you were allowed to lash out like that? are there not strict rules in place to prevent things like that from happening?”

you say nothing, thinking it’s a rhetorical question before he snaps his fingers and points to the ground at his feet. you hastily move forward to kneel before him, head down and hands folded neatly in your lap.

“use your words, pet.”

you whine at the pet name but follow his orders.

“i didn’t like the way they spoke of us, sir. and yes sir, there are rules in place to prevent people from speaking out of turn.”

“good. so if you know that, then why did you continue to speak? are you really so dumb that you can’t follow something so simple?”

“but sir!”

he lifts your chin with the toe of his shoe before you can continue and looks down his nose at you coldly.

“now, not only do i have to punish you, i have to clean up your mess as well,”

there are only a handful of times where you’ve done something to deserve such a punishment, but you know what you’re expected to do.

you remove your clothing and fold it neatly before setting it down on the floor next to his desk. your grab a length of red silk rope from his desk drawer and hand it to him.

ayato has become adept at wrapping rope around your body, tie knots at a speed that shows he’s no stranger to such things. the silk is soft but it still rubs against your skin a little with how tight he ties it. it’s never enough to leave bruises or harm you, but he makes sure that it’s impossible to ignore.

when he finishes he sits down at his desk without another word, and you take that as your signal to go to the corner across from him.

you bend down and make your way across the tatami flooring on your knees. ayato always says it’s because pets who disappoint him deserve to be below him. each move has the rope strung between your legs rubbing harshly against your clit. the sensation has your shifting your hips to both avoid it and trying to stimulate yourself further.

you kneel upright in the corner with your hands behind your head. the dull ache in your knees grows steadily as your arms begin to burn. you sneak a glance at ayato, watching the way his hands move gracefully over the papers before him.

when you feel you mind drifting, something cold and wet slides between your folds. you were no stranger to the way he manipulated water into long appendages and the way he he would have them glide along your skin, teasingly light and fleeting. you can see the corners of his lips curl up briefly before he schools them into neutral indifference again.

you know he’s watching you squirm out of the corner of his eye, enjoying the way he has you in the palm of his hand. one of the watery appendages plays with a nipple, twirling and pulling at the hardened bud. another dips between your legs, the tip of it breaching your heat and causing you to jolt at the cool temperature.

you shift your weight at the intrusion and when ayato sees you wince, he sets aside his work and walks over to you. gentle hands reach out to help you up. he makes quick work of untying the rope that was previously pressing against your skin, fingers brushing against the imprints left behind. when he knows that you’re okay, he presses a gentle kiss to the corner of your eyes.

“are you good to continue?”

you nod your head emphatically, wanting to make him proud. “yes, sir.”

“go sit on the desk with your legs spread.”

the wood is cool against your heated skin and you’re grateful for the reprieve he has given your poor knees after kneeling for so long. ayato always has a keen eye when it comes to sensing your limits.

the head of the kamisato clan approached you, each of his steps resounding in the otherwise quiet room. “you’re dripping all over my desk,” he sneers at you. “though i guess I shouldn’t expect much of a dumb little slut like you.”

gloved fingers tweak your nipples as you arch your back, leaning into his touch. your mouth parts in a breathy moan and the noise doesn’t go unnoticed. ayato pinches the buds harshly before pulling away from you entirely.

“are you enjoying this, pet? you like the way i touch you like nothing but a toy to entertain me?”

“yes! i love it sir.”

he says nothing, only standing back and watching the way your achingly empty count clenches in anticipation, begging to be filled. he can’t wait to fuck his cum into you over and over again, making sure that you fulfill your duty of giving him an heir.

“please,” you whine under his scrutinizing gaze. “want you to touch me.”

a swift hand slaps your cheek. you cry out at the stinging pain left in its wake, cradling the afflicted side of your face as you look up at your lord with tears in your eyes.

“pets who are good for nothing except taking cock speak only when spoken to.” a hand slides down to the heat between your legs, dragging through your folds and collecting your slick on his gloves. “since you want to use your mouth so badly, why don’t you clean up your mess, hm?”

he thrusts his fingers into your mouth and the heady taste of your arousal mixes with the bitterness of his leather gloves. you tongue at his fingers, doing your best to clean up the mess that you’ve left on his desk. his unoccupied hand moves down to your pussy, inserting two fingers without warning. the sensation has you moaning around his fingers but he doesn’t let up. if anything, he doubles his efforts as he seeks out the sensitive spot within your walls. your hips buck against him when his thumb reaches up to tease your clit.

“fuck, what would people think if they saw you now?”

ayato quickly rids himself of his clothing before pulling you to the edge of the desk with him situated between your legs. you feel the head of his cock slip into your heat, and you can’t help but moan. he removes his fingers from your mouth and wraps them around your throat, applying pressure in just the right places to make your head a bit foggy.

“i don’t want to hear a single sound out of you. is that understood?”

he does wait for an answer before he bottoms out, your walls stretching to accommodate his size. he’s long and thick and fills you in a way that has your head spinning and your breath coming out in pants. one of your hands reaches up to wrap around the hand gripping your throat as you look up at him.

a particularly hard thrust causes you to cry out and ayato stops as soon as he hears you.

“since you don’t seem able to listen, maybe i should just use you to get myself off and leave your little pussy here, clenching around nothing.”

he resumes his movements and fucks his length into you like you’re nothing more than a fleshlight for him to empty his load in. you try to move your hips against his own but he changes his rhythm each time you do, denying you the pleasure you so desperately want. ayato also makes sure to avoid that one spot inside of you, making it very clear that your pleasure is inconsequential to him.

he releases your throat and places a hand on your abdomen. “you see this?”

you look down and watch the way his cock moves in and out of you, squirming when he presses down.

“i’m gonna fill your tight little cunt again and again until you give me an heir.”

you notice the way his breaths come out heavier and his hips stutter more frequently, tell tale signs that he’s reaching his end. your hands reach up to wrap around his neck and you press your lips against the sensitive spot in his neck.

ayato let’s out a deep groan as you feel his release. white hot cum coats your insides, and it feels like it just keeps coming and coming.

he makes sure that none of it slips out as he picks you up and carries you to the adjacent bedroom, laying you down on the futon. his hands brush away tears that you hadn’t noticed, and you cling to him as he smiles at you lovingly.

“you did so well for me darling, i’m very proud of you.”

you preen at his praise, finding comfort in the way his hand cups your cheek.

“i’m sorry, ayato. i didn’t mean to disappoint you.”

“i know, i know. you took your punishment so well.”

“wanna cum, ayato,” you plead, moving your hips. his cock is still hard where it rests inside of you, keeping his seed from spilling out.

“are you sure you can handle it darling? we don’t need to.”

“please, want you to breed me. wanna be filled with your cum until it leaks out.”

his eyes darken at your words, and he grunts in acknowledgment before pushing your knees up until they’re practically next to your head.

the angle let’s him reach deeper, hitting your cervix with each thrust. you can’t help but moan his name as he fucks you. his cock hits a spot in you that has you seeing stars, and his hand reaches down to toy with your sensitive bud.

“a-ayato. fuck.” your moans get louder the closer you are to your peak.

“cum for me darling, cream on my cock.”

your vision goes white as wave after wave of pleasure overwhelms you. your ears ring in your pleasure induced daze, and you can vaguely make out ayato’s voice as he continues his assault on your pussy in search of his own end.

the prolonged stimulation has you shying away from the onslaught of pleasure, but strong hands hold you down.

ayato’s hips stutter once, twice, and you feel him cum in you once more.

“you take me so well, look at how full you are.”

true to his words, your stomach distends slightly with how much cum is in you. he’s careful to keep your hips angled when he pulls out to keep any of it from spilling, and hi presses a kiss to your inner thigh.

“you look so beautiful like this, i can’t wait to see you carrying my children.”

[suguru-getos]

hear me out 🤯😩 yandere ayato and his shumatsuban> they give him every keen detail of what you are doing, where you are going, who you are talking to. some details displease him a bit more than then others. for example: why were you talking to a guy from the kanjou commission! you literally have ayato kamisato by your side do you not? or does he have to explicitly tell you that he has the hots for you? how stupidly naive can you really be?

he is tired of all this, especially when he has another reason to step out of narukami island. so he’s quick to summon you, a little drink spiking doesn’t hurt anybody, right? oh how guilty you will feel when your body is reacting too much, jolting up when the slightest touches from ayato. you would never know it’s him, a man like him? filled with integrity, yashiro commissoner? he won’t surely do that right? no he won’t.

so when you’re on your knees, trying your best to leave and take control of the last shred of dignity you hold, he would be oh so kind about it. “no worries, i understand yn. i really do. my my- your body is heating up. maybe i should-“ his touches and caresses start from languidly removing your clothes to fucking you in a mating press, innate satisfaction in his eyes as he grunts with cooes of, “mine- you are all mine now, aren’t you? say it or i won’t let you achieve your high,”

he is going to be oh so diplomatic when the effect wears off. “do i look like someone who fucks people for fun?” he raises a brow. pulling you close, “i am the head of the kamisato clan, not just a mere nobody, and i heed by those words i said. and… i expect you to do the same,”

suddenly you are under his clutches and you don’t even know how it all unfolded. he is a genius afterall x

[idiotwhowritesgenshin]

Archons ! Finally someone who understand my grief. I made a huge mistake shipping my Traveler with Teppei.

For headcanons here are some, though I made this with Traveler in mind :

General HCs :

• Before joining the resistance, he was a civil servant and worked for the Kanjou Commission. He’s knowledgeable when it comes to logistics and territorial management, he was pretty much made for the job Kokomo initially gave him but he wanted to do more.

• Wouldn’t be surprised if his position within the Kanjou Commission was pretty high up.

• He owns house in Ritou, has a cute garden. Teppei hires a gardener to maintain it because he doesn’t have a green thumb.

Relationship HC :

• He has a thing for being called « Senpai », his brain would short-circuit if you called him senpai when training. 100% he would be stunned and be momentarily immobilized.

• Call him Senpai + act cute + a bit of skinship = Teppei would do anything you ask for. Make you some dango ? Sure. You want him to clean your room ? His on his way. You need some crystal marrow ? He’ll go get it.

• When Teppei gets in a playful mood and basically becomes a big puppy. He would « play fight » you, and if you play fight back he would be so happy. Just two dorks play fighting in their free time. Paimon is often the receiving end of this attention bc he sees her as a little sister.

• This guy dotes on Paimon, like an uncle would to his favorite niece. If he gifts you something to match him then you bet Paimon will have one in her size.

• When it comes to romantic relationship, he won’t mind if you don’t put a label your relationship with him. (Due to the fact that there’s a civil war) He will still treat you like you’re his S/O.

• Teppei would often tell you that when the war ends and when you bring your sibling back, you guys could settle down in his house and he would even return in his job as a civil servant.

• He is into PDA, but not at the military camp. However, he does steal kisses from you often when he thinks there’s nobody watching. (Gorou was often a witness to that)

• In private, he’s so touchy and gives you a lot of kisses. His favorite are forehead kisses ! Back hugs are his staple, he likes the feeling of you against him. He’s more than happy to include Paimon too.

NSFW HC :

• Despite his general eagerness in life, when it’s just you two he takes things slow. He might accidentally edge you sometimes.

• Prefers to give than to receive

I saw Teppei more as an older brother to the Traveler but valid tbh

This is so accurate to my thoughts tbh 😫 He's such a cinnamon roll I love him

He would love to be called senpai cause it's a way of acknowledging his hard work and jut makes him feel so giddy to have someone look up to him

He has such big puppy energy like he would love to have little play fights and he would love to spoil his s/o with what he's earned from his salary as a captain

Isnt he like one of the few NPCs or characters to just be nice to Paimon from the get-go lol? He even said she would get a uniform when she asked for one. He's too sweet cryinf

He wants to maintain that strong reliable captain image so he must sacrifice his love of PDA

[ac-liveblogs]

Inazuma, Act 3

It’s genuinely difficult for me to articulate how bad this chapter is but I’m gonna damn well do my best despite the headache this game has now given me. Onward!

I had a lot to cover, so I broke this into parts.

The Vision Hunt Decree

The first half of Act III is dedicated to your really brief stint as a member of the Resistance Army, functionally only serving to set up and solve the mystery about the Resistance’s mysterious sponsor and the Delusions that have been spread amongst their ranks (in very little time). The Big Twist ends up being that the Fatui are the ones behind the Vision Hunt Decree and have two of the three commissions in their pockets, purely for the purpose of driving up demand for Delusions in Inazuma for reasons that are not explained and don’t line up with any of their previous actions. 

The closest we have to foreshadowing for this is Ayaka mentioning that her attempts to oppose the Vision Hunt were shot down by the other two commissions, and the payoff for this is that we reveal the truth to Sara, who gets angry in her only significant scene in the entire game, then we pass it onto the Shogun, who does not care. The fact that the Tenryou Commission is lying to the Shogun by downplaying the people’s opposition to the decree is irrelevant, and the Fatui’s downfall - and Signora’s death - in this chapter are completely unrelated to it. In fact, that the Shogun doesn’t care that she was being used & lied to is also irrelevant, because none of the characters affected by this learn about it or get to react to it. 

So, what was the point? Why create a patsy to blame for the Vision Hunt and set up an entire subplot about the Shogun being manipulated only for it to be revealed that she doesn’t care about the human cost of that manipulation in the face of her Grand Plan anyway, and are no narrative consequences for her whatsoever? No faith lost in the Shogun, who gets to return to being the leader of Inazuma, no questions asked? Why not just cut out this entire plot point entirely and make the entire thing her own plan to begin with? It wastes less time that way. 

Anyway, we never even learnt why she needed that statue or why Electro Visions stopped being handed out, and Ayaka barely even played a part in addressing the Tenryou & Kanjou Commissions being corrupt (nor did she really have any reaction to it). This entire plot point was a waste of time that functionally didn’t accomplish anything either in the narrative or for the sake of characterisation. 

The Playable Characters

It was a waste of time giving Kokomi and especially Gorou unique models, because the emotional heart of this segment was your relationship with Teppei - a guy you kinda know from Act 2 that you probably didn’t pay much attention to because he’s an NPC. Your relationship with Teppei is so rushed that it’s hard to care about him, and the subplot about him getting sick and dying happened so quickly that it was hard to process. And he’s not even a playable character! 

Ayaka, Thoma, Sayu & Yoimiya’s great contributions to this chapter are being plot devices for the above Vision Hunt Mystery Solving Subplot, who voice no opinions of their own about the truth behind it and don’t get to care about it. Sara does get to care, but after she beats up her family & the palace guards for.... no reason... she is immediately knocked out and has nothing further to say about all this (conveniently also missing the Shogun admitting she doesn’t care about the truth, so we neatly sidestep any emotional drama that little revelation might cause.)

Despite her triumphant return at the end of Act II, Beidou immediately vanishes and is never seen again. Kazuha also disappears, but shows up to - not joking - stare open mouthed at the Shogun attacking the Traveller, have his friend’s Vision light up, block the strike that killed his friend, and then get knocked back and not seen again until he places his friend’s Vision at his grave without saying a single word. 

Kazuha's friend’s death is the initial event that framed the conflict in Inazuma for the players and is the closest Inazuma has to an emotional throughline, and the payoff it got was Kazuha wordlessly showing up to block an attack and vanish again. Kazuha doesn’t even get to learn about the eternity the Shogun was seeking that resulted in his friend’s death, nor does he get to fight her himself to try and understand why his friend died contented. This barely qualifies as the bare minimum. It was stupid of me to expect much, but I was hoping Kazuha might actually say something. 

Hell, the idea of people’s wishes being with the Traveller, who fought the Shogun on their behalf, isn’t brought up with Kazuha and his friend’s Vision either. I genuinely don’t know if I should interpret Kazuha blocking the Shogun’s strike as Kazuha inheriting his friend’s ambition, or Kazuha’s friend achieving his ambition through Kazuha. Or just Mihoyo wrapping up those loose ends as quickly as possible. Door number 3, probably.

Anyway, it really feels like the conclusion to the Vision Hunt Mystery was just an excuse to let everyone do something, except the writers didnt have anything interesting for anyone to do. So basically, our cast was stupidly huge for absolutely no payoff. The fact that these are characters we’re supposed to be endeared to enough to pay money for is a bad joke.  

The Fatui

Okay, firstly - you do not reveal that Scaramouche, a character we barely know, is a prototype Raiden Shogun puppet in an after-the-fact lore infodump. I feel like it should be pretty obvious that you don’t convey information about antagonists this way, especially in chapters where that should be relevant information. We are in Inazuma. We are fighting the Raiden Shogun, and Scaramouche is here. It is stupidly bad writing to decide not to use that. Like the stupid plot pretzel about the Fatui being behind the Vision Decree Hunt - if it’s not going to be relevant, don’t bother including it!

More to the point, Signora. The fact that she’s the Crimson Witch would have been lost on me if I didn’t happen to read Kyogre’s meta posts about Artifacts, which shows how relevant that information is. Our duel before the throne is a throwback to Kazuha’s Friend’s duel, but there is no thematic resonance here whatsoever. 

More to the point, I have no idea why she’s the boss we fight and not Scaramouche. Anyway, her death didn’t particularly feel like poetic irony or karmic justice; it was just sudden. That Signora’s death came because she lost a duel and not because of anything she actually did to harm either the Shogun or Inazuma is a bit... well, that ties into my later commentary about the Shogun, but it does make her death anticlimactic at best. It probably would’ve been more satisfying if we’d interacted with her at all in Inazuma before it happened (The hilarious black screen didn’t help matters).

I really don’t understand the Fatui’s goals with the Delusions, they faced no actual backlash for inciting a civil war and they got what they wanted in the end (a Gnosis), so it’s business as usual for that bunch of karma houdinis. It doesn���t even read like they’re particularly cunning or competent either - they’re just lucky. They’re so transparently evil, I can’t wait for Genshin to try and make us feel bad for the Tsaritsa later. 

The Raiden Shogun 

So, it seems to me the Archons are a bunch with rather nebulous morality - Venti abandons Mond on the reg, Zhongli seems to care more about contracts than the people involved and Ei cannot face reality to the point that she’s perfectly fine with letting her people suffer the consequences in her quest for stagnancy. That’s fine. This isn’t a “they’re bad people 😭” callout - Ei being so monumentally selfish isn’t a dealbreaker or anything. 

The issue is that her being so selfish has absolutely no consequences. In fact, it has no like... impact at all. The entire plot of Inazuma basically boils down to us helping Yae bully Ei into not being a NEET anymore so she can take responsibility for her damn country, but it ends there. The fact that she was duped into the Vision Hunt, that she didn’t care who paid the price for it, that she considers her own eternity more important than the people she rules... none of that matters. It’s fine. She gets to still be the Shogun and no-one learns this.

None of the humans that were fighting her get to comment on her selfishness. Kazuha never gets to talk to her. Sara never learns that the Shogun doesn’t give a shit that the Fatui have been taking chunks out of Inazuma behind her back, or that she isn’t the perfect ideal Archon that saved her life. As far as the humans are concerned, the Shogun just changed her mind, gave the Visions back, and now it’s all business as usual and Inazuma’s back to normal.

This is a problem. Like, besides that this whole story was about telling Ei her eternity was wrong and Inazuma just returned to the OG status quo, it also means that she's essentially off the hook and never held to account for her actions (or the fact she doesn’t seem to care about the people of Inazuma). She doesn’t even change her mind about eternity - she just decides to reconsider it! There wasn’t even a good reason for the Vision hunt in the end; we were never told why she went along with it or what her statue was for. 

I really don’t understand what the message Yae was trying to send - humans need Archons to guide them, but also they don’t need Archons at all, humans will always exceed your expectations but also they might just replace you? Can you like, pick an angle and stick to it? - and frankly it’s annoying that Ei didn’t even have a greater plan with the Vision Hunt or any great motivation despite her... being the Archon that had some Great Vision. I get the character arc that’s being told here, but for the scope of the plot that was used to tell it it’s rather underwhelming. (There’s also the fact that all of this was introduced and resolved in Act III, so it’s rushed as hell, but this entire Act is like that.)

It also really annoys me that the Traveller is so super and special that they’re the only one that can get through to Ei, they’re so unpredictable, they’re the opposite of her eternity... except I have no idea what that means. We just saved Thoma. It’s annoying how overhyped we are. 

Between this chapter being crammed full of irrelevant details, rushed plots that don’t really mean anything, pointless cameos, wasted characters and half-baked arcs... guys, this genuinely sucked. Mihoyo’s made the plots more complicated, but they don’t know how to write competently enough that it all meshes cohesively. I didn’t expect it to be good, but I thought it’d be better than this. 

Also again, if your main antagonist’s trauma is integral to understanding their actions? I implore you not to reveal it after the fact in a loredump.

Bonus Annoying Things:

When going to check out the ruins that are being used as a supply point on Kokomi's orders, why is it so weird that we're running into an Electro Lawachurl on an island? You seem to find them mostly on the coast in Inazuma. It feels like there should have been a unique boss here, but Genshin doesn't have any.

We wasted a large chunk of time in Act III killing mooks and bonding with a resistance unit that does not matter outside of a handful of scenes, and do not pay off in the long run. We also became Captain of this team, for no reason. The second there was discord in the team, we just ditched them and never saw them again, so that was a great use of our time!

Kokomi is beyond incompetent. The idea that she didn't vet any of the resources sent to them by an anonymous donor and lost control of her troops who started using Delusions is ridiculous. Also, the idea that the troops are using Delusions and refusing to give them up when some of them - Teppei included - seemed to age DECADES in a DAY is just...!

The cutscenes are really bad. When we infiltrate the Delusion factory, Scaramouche literally just appears at the very start of a cutscene with no fanfare. Beat the miniboss, boom, Scaramouche. Incidentally, The idea that the Fatui orchestrated the Vision Hunt decree to sell Delusions is really vague and weird. They gave away Delusions, and a "demand for Delusions" has never once been alluded to. Yae Miko shows up equally randomly, and all the tension in the scene literally pops because the next thing we know, Yae is setting us on her "save Ei!" plan.

What purpose does a Gnosis actually serve in relation to being an Archon? Ei gave hers away centuries ago, but Zhongli giving his up/Venti losing his were synonymous with them losing their titles as Archons. Also, if she doesn’t give away Visions, why did Electro Visions stop being handed out??

Is Ei's issue about trying to avoid Erosion like Azhdaha’s degredation, or just that she's like, super depressed? Because it sounds like the latter.

Why do we recognise a Delusion. We’ve never seen one before, and we’ve never really talked about them. Childe getting hurt in his chapter was attributed to his Foul Legacy, so why do we know that Delusions drain your life force?

I liked Yae’s little monologue about how she has multiple character traits to explain why she acted differently than the first time we met her. Like, wow....... more than one character trait? Wild....

It’s hard to articulate how angry the tutorial segment that Yae put us through to ~learn how to fight Raiden~ made me. This is either stupid padding, or Mihoyo thinks we’re so incompetent that we need a tutorial on basic boss pattern recognition. The former is annoying, but the latter is downright infuriating. She’s not that hard a boss! Genshin is not a hard game!

When we’re talking to Yae, Paimon says that Zhongli told us Ba’al was dead. He absolutely did not. Can Genshin like. Try to remember it’s own story? Like, just the basic stuff? 

 Ei doesn't want "eternity", she wants "stagnancy". Anyway, this whole thing about humans replacing gods or defying gods' expectations, or not needing gods, but actually wanting gods' guidance, is so strange that I don't even know what the message here is meant to be. Ei needs to care about people and listen to their wishes to be a better leader? Or she needs to step aside? Do they need a God or not?

WHY ARE NINJA SEARCHING FOR OUR SIBLING. WE KNOW THEY’RE WITH THE ABYSS. 

AND WHY IN GOD’S NAME

ARE WE GOING

TO FUCKING

SUMERU?!?!?!

[thatringboy]

Me to me: Nooo don’t make an Inazuman oc you already have two OCs from Liyue and Natlan who you said you’d revamp and besides, you’re probably going to lose interest in this one soon Also Me, getting way to invested in Inazuma lore: HEY EVERYONE COME MEET MY NEW OC HIIRAGI YORICHI, A HYDRO SWORD USER WHO’S AUTISTIC LIKE ME

Link to picrew used for profile

Buried Beauty

“My duty is first to the people of my homeland, then the Kanjou Commission. Make no mistake, Baal must be stopped, but not at the expense of the people.”

The firstborn son of the Hiiragi Clan who’s name means “first gift”. He grew up in Sumeru Academy, but has returned to Ritou to take up his father’s yoke over the Kanjou Commission

General Information

Name: Hiiragi Yorichi

Age: 28

Affiliation: Hiiragi Clan

Birthdate: January 17

Starsign: Capricorn

Constellation: Thesauros Sepultus

Weapon: Sword

Vision: Hydro

Voice Claims

CVA: Zhang Jie

JVA: Tasuku Hatanaka

EVA: Kyle Phillips

Voice Lines

Good Morning: Hmm? Oh, yes, greetings Traveler and Paimon. Sorry, I didn’t see you there… I’m not much of a morning person

Good Afternoon: Did I miss lunch again? Eh, oh well. Traveler, wanna run by Miss Ryouko’s to get some food?

Good Evening: If I don’t get back soon, Chisato will certainly send someone out to find me

Good Night: Can you get back on your own? I’m afraid that I must return to Ritou for the evening

When It Rains: Quickly! The rain will cover our tracks!

When It Snows: Huh? Wow it got cold fast! Better go find some shelter before I accidentally freeze us

When It’s Sunny: Be careful, our enemies can see clearly in broad daylight

Favorite Food: Mmm, I could go for some Mondstat Grilled Fish right about now… I had it once during their Ludi Harpastum Festival that my Senpai took me to one year and I’ve just fallen in love with the flavour!

Least Favorite Food: Is… is that cabbage? No no, there’s nothing wrong, just don’t expect me to eat any. Why? Well… I don’t like the texture at all! Eating it feels like slime going down my throat which closes up my airways and then that sensation makes my brain feel like someone shoved a wet blanket between my ears and wrapped it around my brain! Please… never make me eat cabbage…

About: Vision: My Vision? How did I get mine? Well, since you asked so nicely, it appeared to me in a dream during the end of the first year of the Sakoku Decree. I had cried myself to sleep because of the anguish I felt coming from those who had their Visions stolen - those who I had sworn to protect as a Clan Heir - and I cursed out Celestia for allowing this to happen. In my dream, I appeared before seven giant thrones all glowing with elemental magic. In the blue throne sat a woman who gave off so much power that I could not gaze upon her. Yet, her words always resonate in my heart: “Your loyalties may change, but never change your principles. Do no harm to others, but do not let harm fall upon you and those you love.” When I woke up, the Vision was tucked under my pillow!

About: Kanjou Commission: One day, it will be my duty to oversee the Kanjou Commission. Am I ready? Probably not. Do I have a choice? Also no. I just want to make everyone proud… but how can I do that when father has already deemed me an embarrassment to the Hiiragi Clan simply because of who I am?

About: Sumeru Academy: The Academy? I grew up there! Fourteen years I spent roaming the halls absorbing all of the knowledge I could! *Sigh*… maybe if the Travel Ban gets lifted, I’ll show you around my old stomping grounds!

About: Ritou: I’m friends with some of the guys at the Outlander’s Trade Association. What do you wish to see? Want to head by a jewelry shop? Get some food?

About: Interests: Wanna know a secret? Deep down, I’m an alchemist at heart! Anything alchemy related, I’m sure I can be of use! It’s my special interest! Did you know that the luminescent spines of a firefly can—wait wait no I’m sorry. Father says that people get bored of my ramblings, my apologies for wasting your time…

About: Swords: You may have noticed that my sword technique is different from the samurai of Inazuma. That is because I learned how to use my blade at the Academy. I forged this blade myself when I turned twenty. Would you like to hold it?

About Ayaka: Miss Kamisato? I’ve met her once and she seems nice, but I still feel uneasy around her. But maybe that’s just me

About Raiden Shogun: You want to know why I refer to the Shogun as “Baal”? Well, that’s because I didn’t grow up in a place that calls her the “Raiden Shogun”. I’m used to my peers referring to her as “Baal” and I’ve yet to drop the habit. Also, I don’t have much respect for her, but don’t tell anyone that

About Ayato: Never met him, but his description gives me the creeps! Never appears in public, leaving his little sister to do all the work? The nerve of that guy! O-oh… that sounds like me? Ehe-he… oops

About Yoimiya: Oh Miss Naganohara! She makes the best fireworks! She and I are actually a lot alike. What, you don’t see it? I guess that comes from me spending a lifetime hiding my inner enthusiasm while she never quite grew up. We should go to the next firework festival to see her, I’m sure she’d love that! But… from a distance please. The popping noises from the fireworks hurt my ears

About Kaeya: The Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, huh? I’m curious to see how the pieces fall into place… what was that? Oh, it’s nothing… just gossip from some old colleagues

About Diluc: Diluc? Who’s that? Owner of the Dawn Winery? The Ragnvindr Clan? Nope, doesn’t ring a bell. The Darknight Hero? Of course! Why didn’t you just say that?! Yeah I know who you’re talking about now! What? He’s got a Vision too? I guess that guy’s just full of surprises

About Childe: So, that weasel is actually a Fatui Harbinger? Why am I not surprised... O-oh when did I meet him? After I graduated from the Academy. Did I sound too surprised about his identity? Sorry, when I knew him, he used a different name

About Albedo: Ah… the son of Rhinedottir. His master actually attended one of my lectures when I was younger in secret. I think they were using an alias during that time but I spoke to them in private. It was interesting to learn different things about ancient alchemy techniques from another land. I think Albedo is currently an alchemist in Mondstat, right? I’ll visit him when the Travel Ban is lifted to exchange notes

About Klee: Klee, daughter of Alice? Eh, I haven’t heard good things. I’m not a big fan of explosions... but that doesn’t mean that she’s a bad kid! I’m sure if I met her, we’d be friends

About Lisa: Minci-Senpai! We worked together a lot at the Acadmia! Why did I call her senpai when I’m older than her? Well, because she’s the Grandmage!!! Everyone knows how smart and powerful Minci-Senpai is! Once, she tasked me with finding ways to preserve pure Electro organisms. So, I coated the inside of a jar with Hydro Slime condensate so that her Electro roses can continuously be charged by the Hydro energy… Sorry, I’m getting carried away

About Mona: What, do you think that all Hydro users who practice magic know each other? Well, I do know Miss Megistus, but you can’t assume that! I met her and her master once during a lecture on fortune telling with the use of elemental abilities. Now that I have a Vision of my own, I will see if I can implement their techniques into my own practice

About Sara: To be perfectly honest, I’ve never met her. We may be the heirs to our Clans and our respective Commissions, but I’ve never had a conversation with her. Naturally, as a Vision holder and she as the spearhead of the Tenryou Commission, I am her enemy. However, as the heir to the Hiiragi Clan, I must keep up formalities. Besides, my dear sister Chisato is being courted by another member of the Kujou clan, Kujou Kamaji, and I don’t want to do anything to ruin that. You won’t turn me and my Vision in to her, right?

About Cyno: Ah, Master Cyno, one of the smartest members of the Academy. I owe a lot of my development to him. I don’t think I would have finished my Thesis paper on the eighth nation without his guidance

About: Names: You know, my name means “first treasure”, but despite such an endearing name, my father has yet to reveal my face to the public and claim me as his heir. He was also the one to send me away when I was a boy to Sumeru because I was not like other children. Was I meant to be gift to my family? To the other nations? Was I an unwanted gift? … Oh, sorry about that. I don’t usually get dark like that! Tell me, Traveller, what does your name mean?

About: Politics: Ugh… Sakoku Decree this, honor the Commissions that, I don’t understand any of it. If I’m ever left in charge, I’m sure that I could handle the bureaucratic side, but the people side? I get overwhelmed when talking to people I’m not comfortable with. I shut down mentally, fumble over my words and eventually I end up having a panic attack and Chisato has to pull me from the room. My father thought that I would have grown out of those outbursts when I got older, but I’ve only found a way to mask my behaviors. But you’re different, you haven’t looked at me like a child nor spoken less of me simply because I’m different, why is that?

About: Family: My mother passed away while I was gone, my father Shinsuke is the head of the Kanjou Commission and my younger sister Chisato is his main assistant. When my father gets upset, Chisato is always the one who has my back and in turn, I’ve begun escorting her secretly to Kondo Village to meet with her secret lover, Kujou Kamaji. I guess that’s what siblings do for each other, we protect each other from everything because no matter what we go through, no matter what arguments we have, we always will have each other. Ah, Traveler! I didn’t say anything to make you upset, did I?

About: Khaenri’ah: … You ask a lot of questions, don’t you? What do you think I know about that cursed place? Yeah, I wrote my Thesis paper on Khaenri’ah, but that was a while ago and I’ve learned my lesson. Now, the only connections I have to that place are hearsay from lecturers, rumors at the Academy and the plucked plume of a proud peacock.

About: Time Gap: Huh? Oh yeah, I went to Sumeru when I was seven and studied there for fourteen years. Uh… what did I do for the missing five years of my life before returning to Ritou? Ehe-he… I don’t think I’m allowed to say everything, but I can tell you this: that’s the time that I met a disgraced Knight, a bloodthirsty child and learned how to wield a sword. I was able to travel with them while writing my Thesis paper. Ah… how time flies when working with like minded people

This is the most thought I’ve ever put into an OC, I hope you like him!

[kyogre-blue]

OK, I’ve faffed around in every possible way (including collecting all but the fishing Toki Alley Tales), so now it’s time for the Labyrinth event. 

We are asked by Katheryne to take a commission for helping Xinyan do her paperwork. 

This is very stupid already! We didn’t even do our own paperwork. We just did played messenger pigeon to Romeo and Juliet. 

So while Xinyan was describing this, I thought she got scammed with a fake music festival. Because this is dumb. I can’t believe this was a legit thing. 

Inazuma is still under Sakoku! People can’t leave! You go in, you’re stuck. That’s it. This has been going on for a year. What kind of lunatic group would hold a music festival there?? 

I do appreciate that they explain that she would have been given a permit by the organizers, and she’s specifically having an issue because Beidou brought her here early. But the premise of a music festival in Sakoku country?? It’s SO stupid. 

Count 1 for “Xinyan should not have been in this event.”

(Small note: Paimon overreacts wildly to every second thing Xinyan says. Keep in mind we canonically met Xinyan ONCE in passing, when we came with Xiangling to talk to Beidou. We had to get a namecard for her in Moonchase because we literally don’t know her before that. We’re not friends. We’re not even acquaintances. We’re strangers who happen to share a couple acquintances.) 

Xinyan’s permit is held up because the Tenryou Commission is busy with something else. (I’m glad they’ve manage to deal with the wild corruption in the Kanjou Commission, which had led to insane price gouging for those.) We could have gotten involved in this, the actual plot, in any number of ways. 

We’re also... absurdly chummy with Sara. Keep in mind, we can also easily list the times we’ve seen her: 

1) when we had to rescue a guy her subordinates tortured and she let us go without a fight because the writers really wanted us to know that she’s only kind of evil, but not ALL evil, you know,

2) in battle against the Sangonomiya forces, where she said we’d have a duel (as in, one on one), sent like five guys against us in three waves, and then decided fuck it, we’ll have a full scale battle anyway, honor is for when you’re winning, not when you have to pay the price or anything,

3) twice when she came to talk to Yae, where we stood by and didn’t do anything since we’re just a useful attack dog, agency is for far better characters,

4) when we followed her to confront her adopted father,

4.5) when she was knocked out off screen after running off to see the Shogun,

5) when she was doing peace talks with Kokomi. 

We didn’t even talk to her in all those cases, so you can literally count on one hand the number of conversations we’ve had. We’re not buddies in any sense of the word. 

Just noting that Domains are an in-universe concept. 

????

You have an interim commissioner? That NPC guy who got beat up by Ei in her quest. There’s also your brother, over at the encampment? How is you not being there going to leave the whole commission without oversight? Seriously, there’s a commissioner... 

Anyway, this domain is the Mystic Onmyou Chamber, created through onmyoudou and filled with monsters created via paper talismans. This is also how shikigami work. 

I... legitimately can’t tell if this is an actual ability (like elemental sight or something), or if Xinyan is bullshiting some kind of “listen with your heart” deal. 

The multiple cuts between all the other characters cringing as Xinyan plays imply bullshit. There were no visual effects either, so it’s probably not an actual magic thing. The scenes in general are all rather clumsily directed... as is generally the case for Genshin, lol. 

(I suppose you could take the thing Shiki Taishou and Childe say later, about how people obsessed with one discipline can achieve incredible feats, as indication that Xinyan’s music obsession gives her a special power? But since the writing is extremely basic and will repeat even the most straightforward plot aspects at least twice to make sure you understand, I’m generally unwilling to make inferences.) 

This test also relies on the subject telling Xinyan what her music made them feel. So they can just, you know, lie. She really wouldn’t know, since every person interprets music differently. 

Shiki Taishou can absorb energy inside the domain. It’s probably what is powering him. 

...They pronounce Tartaglia wrong. 

Childe is just... going to fess up? About releasing Osial? I’m not sure that’s publicly confirmed though, so I wonder what he was actually going to say. 

I’m always just really puzzled that Genshin insists on setting up weird political maneuvering subplots and then refuses to actually explain how they’re resolved or any fallout from them. If you guys don’t actually care about the politics, then don’t include it??

In the grand tradition, guess whether he’s just saying he’s sorry to play along, or if he’s also referring to his real action that caused us problems and apologizing with plausible deniability. 

She’s a “Liyue girl” (no change to the proper noun), but he’s a Mondstadter. “Mondstadter.” 

Teucer mention. But also, the look on Shiki Taishou’s face, haha. 

We don’t really know anything about Tonia, so I wonder in what way Xinyan reminds him of her. Presumably, they don’t look alike. Since Teucer looks so much like Childe, Tonia probably does too. Is Tonia very straightforward?  Is it just that they’re kinda the same age?

(lol, Xinyan calls Shiki Taishou an it, but Childe uses “they.”) 

Monster remnants...

I don’t really understand the domain mechanics tbh, but it’s not hard. 

From the Wiki: Kamuna Harunosuke trained at Narukami together with Hibiki and Mikoshi Nagamasa. They later because known as the Yougou Three. He was the person who petrified Ioroi into a statue after Ioroi stole one the Saiguu’s ward keys and also met Kazari right after she came into existence. 

Harunosuke was from the Kamuna Clan (the founder?), which developed the Kamuna arts utilized in modern times by the Kairagi. The arts include paper seals that can coat weapons with elemental energy, even when the users have no Visions.

In his grief after the Kitsune Saiguu’s death in the Cataclysm, he went to Liyue to study the ways of the adepti. 

He probably liked Grilled Fish, given how that comes up several times. 

So it seems like he might have developed onmyoudou as a whole by combining the Saiguu’s teachings with the adeptal arts? 

Childe: *definitely not thinking about Dottore or anything*

Childe: *definitely not projecting or voicing his personal traumas that he’s apparently in denial about*

But then we get booted out. 

Xinyan calls Childe this twice already, so I guess he really is a redhead. I think he’s more of an Orange tho. 

Xinyan projecting her... insecurities about people not liking rock and roll music without giving it a chance is... uh. I don’t think these two things parallel. A competent writing team would put, you know, a character that can actually act as a parallel or a foil to Shiki Taishou instead of shoehorning in a connection. (Xinyan isn’t really suited for this event, count 2.) 

I forgot to screenshot, but it seems that Traveler and Paimon DON’T trust Shiki Taishou and decide to go behind Xinyan’s back to tell him about the Tenryou Commission wanting to mount an attack on the Domain. 

Hm.

Ah yes. We brag about defeating him, but he’s definitely the strongest on our team (of only three people). 

Since... since when? 

This sounds way more like an Inazuma trait, since it’s similar to the discussions about eternity. It’s got no connection to Liyue’s contracts. (XInyan doesn’t fit this event, count 2.5.) 

Alternatively, she just has no idea what she’s talking about. Maintaining a tranquil mind isn’t about repressing, and if that’s what you’re doing, you’ve failed step one. 

And then we just kinda wash our hands of all this and leave Childe to sort himself out in the transforming labyrinth full of monsters and traps. 

Well, whatever. 

[blackghost137]

Ayato's story quest wasnt boring, i really enjoyed him roasting the kanjou commission guy