At Komore Teahouse, the owner wasn't yet the blade-wielding, clone-making ninja dog. Just an ordinary Endgame Squad member.
That night, Reisen Riou visited. The owner ushered him in and withdrew.
"I envy you, Shrine Guardian," said Kamisato, the Yashiro Commission head, nearing fifty. "Decades pass, and time leaves no mark on you. I feel my strength fading—writing reports exhausts me now."
A Tenryou Commission head wouldn't lament so, but the Yashiro, managing faith and youkai alongside the Grand Narukami Shrine, saw ageless youkai friends while he aged. It stirred feelings.
Though his elemental power seemed fiercer, Reisen Riou's system rated his Life Level down from LV47 at his prime—near tier-break—to LV45 now. Aging, not injury, caused the drop. Without severe wounds, tier-breakers didn't regress, but Visions didn't extend lifespan. Kamisato's level would keep falling until stabilizing at LV40.
"You still look youthful, Lord Commissioner," Reisen Riou said.
"Hah, old and creaky. Humans can't match youkai. My grip weakens on my blade," Kamisato chuckled.
After pleasantries, they got to business.
"I've been conscripted as the Fifth Scribe, overseeing the Fifth Scribe's Office. Any advice, Lord Commissioner?"
"A youkai as scribe? That's new. So the Fifth Office was for you," Kamisato mused, stroking his chin.
"Problem?"
"No, just感慨. Youkai rarely excel at paperwork, but you? A perfect fit. You're the one who chatted up Sumeru's sages," Kamisato said.
"I'll brief you on the Yashiro Commission. Besides your new office, each Tri-Commission holds sway over one of the other four scribe offices. The last is a cautious neutral."
Reisen Riou nodded. "The Second Scribe's Office is Yashiro's, handling major civil disputes and festival applications, plus standard paperwork."
"Correct. The Second Scribe is my cousin, Kamisato Iwao."
"I'll seek Lord Iwao's guidance," Reisen Riou said, aligning with the Second Scribe without overcommitting.
Kamisato nodded, approving his tact. "Paperwork's no issue for you. Build ties, but some scribes won't like a youkai. Just do your job well."
"Thank you, Lord Commissioner. It's late, so I'll take my leave," Reisen Riou said.
Leaving Komore Teahouse, he pondered youkai-Tri-Commission relations—complex indeed.
Inazuma's youkai were its original inhabitants; humans arrived with Narukami. Youkai were rare, woven into daily life yet misunderstood. Most Inazumans feared these "others"—long-lived, powerful Oni, swift Tengu, illusionist kitsune, and prankster tanuki. Elemental mastery, rare for humans, was their innate gift.
This fear spanned all classes. The Kanjou Commission's Tong family notoriously disliked youkai, their supernatural weakness offset by trade savvy and Teyvat connections. The Yashiro Commission was neutral, its heads often friendly with youkai but employing none, viewing them as Inazuma's equals. Youkai, like the Great Youkai Gohyaku in Chinju Forest, reciprocated, teaching tanuki arts to the Endgame Squad.
The Tenryou Commission's stance was trickiest. Security enforcers despised prankster tanuki, illusionist kitsune, and rowdy Oni. Frontline troops valued youkai—tanuki scouts, kitsune mages, Oni brawlers, Tengu archers. Others varied, based on past roles.
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