Chapter 26: Yae Miko
Tn: This chapter is re-written at 5 / 20 / 2025
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For Yae Miko, the pursuit of fun and amusement was a daily principle.
As someone deeply fascinated by human nature, there were only two things she loved more than the word "interesting"—and those were fried tofu and light novels.
Whether it was a shrine maiden from Watatsumi Island with clashing faiths, a military general from an opposing faction, or even the Fatui, an organization known across Teyvat for its reputation and schemes—none of that mattered.
If something—or someone—piqued her curiosity, they would earn her full attention.
Just like that time she disguised herself as an ordinary girl and teased Sayu with Tricolor Dango, she often preferred mingling with common folk, experiencing the simple, silly moments of daily Inazuman life, over solemn duties at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
That was fun.
She first took notice of Bai Luo the moment he stepped foot on Inazuman soil.
That strange feeling Bai Luo had at the docks—the sensation that the nearby fox statue was watching him? That wasn't just paranoia.
It was Yae Miko, observing him through her fox magic, watching him from afar.
At first, she only intended to gather intelligence.
But then, something caught her attention.
It wasn't that Bai Luo had any kind of special charm. It's not like one glance from him could win her heart—a fox's charm still reigns supreme, after all.
No, what intrigued her was the look in his eyes as he gazed upon Inazuma.
The fiery red maple trees of Ritou were a sight even the most well-traveled bards of Teyvat spoke of in awe. Any first-time visitor would be stunned by their beauty.
But Bai Luo?
His eyes didn't show awe—they showed nostalgia.
As if he wasn't seeing this place for the first time, but returning to a place long forgotten.
According to all her intelligence, Bai Luo was born in Liyue, somehow ended up in Snezhnaya, and rose to become a Fatui Harbinger. There was no known connection between him and Inazuma.
Yae Miko had spent decades in Inazuma. She was certain: there had never been a man like Bai Luo in any record or legend.
Even Watatsumi Island, which had hidden its fair share of secrets, held no trace of him.
So then… why did he look at Inazuma with such familiarity?
And how could he navigate Ritou—with such ease and knowledge—despite having no guide?
He even seemed to know things that most native Inazumans had never heard of.
"What an interesting man…"
She popped another piece of fried tofu into her mouth and turned her gaze back to the manuscript spread open beside her.
The sloppy, crooked handwriting was almost charming in its own way. It was hard to believe that this was written by a high-ranking Fatui Harbinger.
Clearly, he wasn't very fluent in Inazuman script—the text was littered with misspellings and grammatical errors.
But none of that stopped her from reading.
If judged from a literary perspective? It was a total mess.
Typos, awkward phrasing, borderline inappropriate jokes—it was rough in every way.
But from the light novel perspective?
It was a masterpiece.
The story was so unique, so bold, that it covered up every flaw with ease.
In fact, this kind of raw, unfiltered style was the essence of what made light novels so addicting.
Yae Miko was absolutely certain: if this book was published by Yae Publishing House, it would become one of the hottest titles in all of Inazuma.
It might even surpass the current bestseller, "A Legend of Sword."
And yet…
She popped another piece of tofu into her mouth, chewing slowly, her fox-like eyes narrowing as she stared at the manuscript.
Despite its whimsical and absurd storyline, some of its details were unsettlingly accurate.
For instance—how did he know the exact layout of Tenshukaku, the Shogun's palace, despite never having stepped foot inside?
One could chalk that up to Fatui intel, perhaps.
But there were other things… far more suspicious.
Like the Plane of Euthymia—a secret that not even high officials knew about.
[The space was dim and drenched in crimson.]
[Broken torii gates lay half-buried beneath rolling sands, and the endless desolate landscape stretched on with no visible end in sight.]
This was the strange world described within the novel.
While it didn't perfectly match the "Plane of Euthymia" ruled by the Shogun's mind, the similarities were uncanny. The author had captured its essence almost exactly.
Even The Shogun—the hollow double left behind by Ei to deceive the public—had been written into the manuscript in stunning detail.
All signs pointed to one thing:
The Fatui Harbinger who wrote this knew far too much.
"Did he leak this himself?"
The Balladeer.
Within the Fatui, he was the only other person who might've known the Raiden Shogun's secrets. That made him a prime suspect.
And yet... Yae Miko wasn't convinced.
"That man wouldn't spill state secrets. It's not in his nature."
"He'd rather rot in silence than give someone else the satisfaction of knowing."
No. This didn't feel like his doing.
Setting her now-empty plate aside, Yae Miko shifted her gaze to the strange object pinning down the manuscript's pages.
A small, ornate token that shimmered faintly with violet light.
She'd casually used it as a paperweight—but it was anything but ordinary.
This beautiful, lavender-glowing object was no mere trinket.
It was a Gnosis—the divine heart wielded by the Seven Archons themselves.
And it just so happened to be Bai Luo's objective in coming to Inazuma.
"So this is what he's really after…"
She picked it up and twirled it between her fingers, an amused smirk on her lips.
No one would ever suspect that something so simple-looking held the power of the divine.
Whatever the case, it seemed like it was time to pay Bai Luo a visit.
Who knows what secrets she might coax out of him?
And luckily for her, she had the perfect excuse.
"As the owner of Yae Publishing House, isn't it only natural to meet with the author of our next big hit?"
But before she could take any real steps, the manuscript still needed some polishing.
At the very least—it needed to be readable.
Under her orders, the editors at Yae Publishing House worked through the night, cleaning up the "masterpiece" with utmost care.
They made sure not to change the author's intent, simply smoothing awkward phrasing and correcting the many, many typos.
But... there were still a few phrases they had no idea how to deal with.
"114514"?
"Aba Aba"?
"Return of Grandpa Youth"?
"Social death"?
None of the editors could make sense of them.
After a brief debate, they decided to leave them in.
Maybe, just maybe, they held some kind of hidden meaning to the author.
After dozens of rounds of review and editing, and with all errors cleaned up, the book was finally ready.
Its title?
"My Electro Archon Can't Be This Cute."
And just like that, it hit the presses.
The editors at Yae Publishing weren't amateurs. If something caught Yae Miko's eye, they knew it had potential.
They could tell this novel was about to be a phenomenon.
On the day of its release, they went all out.
They tore down the banners promoting the current best-seller, "Pretty Please, Kitsune Guuji?," and replaced them with hastily-printed posters for the new book.
In bold, gleaming letters, they added a powerful endorsement:
"Personally Recommended by Yae Miko Herself."
If the quirky title didn't grab people's attention, that line surely would.
After all, everyone in Inazuma knew how discerning Yae Miko was when it came to light novels.
To date, only two novels had ever earned her public praise:
"A Legend of Sword"
"Pretty Please, Kitsune Guuji?"
Those two weren't just bestsellers—they were genre-defining legends.
So the implication was clear.
Could this new novel actually challenge the throne?
Could "My Electro Archon Can't Be This Cute" become the next big thing?
The answer came quickly.
Bai Luo's book exploded.