Chapter 7: Yoohoo Art

Chapter 7: Yoohoo Art

Night had fallen.

On the already quiet streets of Ritou, not a single soul could be seen.

Inside a modest temporary residence, Bai Luo sat by the window, sipping tea and gazing silently toward Inazuma City in the distance.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sensei, are you really not going to meet with the Kujou or Hiiragi Clans?”

The speaker was Ah Qi, his most trusted Pyro Agent and loyal subordinate.

As Bai Luo's aide, he naturally stood quietly at his side.

“Even if I go, it’ll just be a bunch of flattering pleasantries. Not interested.”

Bai Luo replied calmly, setting his cup down.

He had dealt with that sort of thing plenty in the past—before he became a Harbinger.

Back then, he didn’t have the power to refuse. But now?

Now he was one of the Fatui’s Twelve Harbingers.

Second only to the Tsaritsa herself.

If he wanted to be a little willful—well, that was his prerogative.

“You’re not wrong,” Ah Qi nodded with a hint of admiration.

“After all, you are Her Majesty the Tsaritsa’s personally appointed envoy. Technically, the ones who should receive you aren’t mere representatives of the Tri-Commission… but the Shogun herself.”

“PFT—!”

Before she could finish, Bai Luo spat out his tea in surprise.

“Ah Qi.”

“Yes, Sensei!”

“...Good point. But don’t say that again.”

“???”

Even if his current mission was to obtain the Electro Archon’s Gnosis, the last thing Bai Luo wanted was to deal with Raiden Shogun directly.

For one, the Gnosis was no longer on the Shogun.

For another… he didn’t want to get smited into ash by that terrifying goddess.

Sigh~ Liyue was so much nicer.

Just as Ah Qi was about to brief him on tomorrow’s schedule, Bai Luo suddenly raised a hand.

A simple gesture—but between them, even a subtle motion conveyed clear meaning.

“After going all the way from Snezhnaya to here… I’m feeling a little tired. Whatever it is, save it for tomorrow. I’m turning in for the night.”

“Understood.”

Ah Qi bowed respectfully and left the room, closing the door behind him.

With a long yawn, Bai Luo set down his teacup and made his way toward the bed, casually unfastening the ornate coat of his distinctly Snezhnayan uniform.

As the final button came undone, he grabbed the jacket by the collar—and with a sharp motion, flung it into the air.

Swish—!

Hidden beneath the fluttering coat, a custom throwing knife shot forward like a bolt of lightning, embedding itself deep into the ceiling beam above.

Click-clack—

A hidden mechanism at his waist activated, and steel wires yanked him upward, flipping his body effortlessly onto the beam.

But what awaited him there… was unexpected.

Nestled perfectly in shadow was a small object steeped in Inazuman aesthetics—

A daruma doll.

It had been expertly hidden. If Bai Luo weren’t an expert in infiltration himself, he would’ve never noticed it.

For a brief second, he and the daruma locked eyes.

And then—it moved.

“Yoohoo Art: Mujina Flurry!”

The daruma suddenly emitted a glow of green light, and with a surge of wind, the entire room erupted in a chaotic burst of airflow.

In that instant, a tiny figure leapt out from the daruma, somersaulting off the ground before darting straight out through the open window.

Standing guard outside, Ah Qi could only stare in disbelief.

“Do these ninja people… never use doors?”

“Ah Qi!”

“Check the room for traces. I’ll handle the pursuit.”

“Understood!”

As Ah Qi moved to examine the room, Bai Luo leapt out the window in one fluid motion, dashing after the fleeing figure under the moonlight.

“Yoohoo Art: Fuuin Dash!”

The tiny shadow ahead glanced back—and the moment she saw Bai Luo in pursuit, her tail nearly stood on end in panic.

She knew all too well how dangerous Bai Luo was.

So, without hesitation, she sprang into the air, formed a hand sign, and then—

Hugged her legs, curling into a perfect ball.

The moment she hit the ground, she began spinning like a wheel, riding the night wind and rolling forward at incredible speed.

Like some kind of living ninja tumbleweed.

It didn’t take long for the little figure to put a considerable distance between herself and Bai Luo.

‘Just a bit further... once I make it into those woods up ahead, I’ll be safe.’

That forest—her forest—was practically a second home.

Inside its familiar depths, even someone like Bai Luo wouldn’t be able to catch her.

But to Bai Luo, something about her escape route was... odd.

Not what you’d expect from a trained ninja.

True, her Elemental Skill was absurdly fast—but it also left behind an obvious trail.

Especially the flattened grass—so clear that even a complete novice could follow it.

And Bai Luo was far from a novice.

Even in spots where the ground remained undisturbed, faint traces of elemental energy lingered in the air—bright and easy to detect to trained eyes.

So even though he’d lost visual contact, he followed the clues with ease, arriving shortly at the edge of the forest.

By day, the woods might’ve looked mundane.

But by night?

They were downright eerie.

The wind rustled through the trees, and if one listened closely, it almost sounded like whispers—as if countless unseen voices were murmuring in the shadows.

With a flick of his wrist, Bai Luo pulled the hidden dagger back into his hand.

He was on full alert as he stepped into the darkness.

“Caw—!”

The moment his foot crossed the forest’s threshold, a flurry of birds burst from the trees in a noisy panic.

Their harsh cries cut through the silence, disappearing into the night sky.

"Tch... crows. Nasty little things."

He kept his guard up, eyes scanning the ground.

But he had to admit, once she entered the forest, the little ninja’s stealth improved dramatically.

Especially after the crows stirred things up—the ground revealed nothing useful.

Instead, vague human-shaped shadows flickered now and then through the underbrush, creating the illusion of figures lurking everywhere… and yet, no one visible at all.

Above him, the moonlight had been completely blocked by the thick canopy.

Not a single ray reached the forest floor.

And yet, Bai Luo could still see.

That’s because the woods were dotted with glowing blue flowers—their petals emitting a soft, eerie luminescence that lit up the surroundings.

But rather than bringing comfort, this glow made everything feel even more unsettling.

Ghostly. Haunted.

Strange moss-covered statues with unnatural forms loomed among the trees.

Even a seasoned Inazuman might think twice before lingering in a place like this.

And it was here—of all places—that Bai Luo encountered someone.

At first, he wasn’t even sure she was human.

“Who are you?”

She asked in a low, firm voice, her brows slightly furrowed.

She held a bamboo basket in one hand, and though her tone wasn’t hostile, it carried the weight of someone used to issuing orders.

Her short-cropped hair and sharp posture gave her a distinctly military air—and the uniform she wore wasn’t standard.

It was the refined variant worn by high-ranking soldiers of the Shogunate.

But what truly stood out... was the red, bird-like mask upon her head.

If Bai Luo hadn’t known better, he would’ve assumed she was part of the Fatui too.

But no—he knew exactly who this was.

Or more accurately... what.

She wasn’t human.

She was a tengu—a youkai of legend.

And not just any tengu.

She was Kujou Sara, General of the Shogunate's army.

“I’m just chasing a thief,” Bai Luo answered smoothly, his voice calm.

“They broke into my residence. I followed them here.”

At the same time, he subtly tucked his dagger back into his sleeve.