Chapter VII: Act XXII

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The Evidence
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Sara could be seen walking up to Yae Miko with a stern look on her face. "Lady Guuji. Here I am, as promised. Rest assured I came here alone and told no one about this trip," she states.

Yae Miko smiled in amusement. "I knew you would keep your promise, after all... I'm sure you've barely been able to take your mind off it these past few days – have you managed to sleep at all?" She asked.

Sara's eyes widened. "I–I... You're quite mistaken. I would never doubt the leaders of my clan. So. Where is your proof?" She retorted.

"Here," Aether said as he, Paimon, (F/n), and (Y/n) came walking up to them.

Yae Miko's eyes glimmered. "Ah, how wonderful. Everyone's keeping their promises today," she states in amusement.

Paimon dramatically placed her hands on her hips. "You wouldn't believe what we had to go through to get our hands on this stuff," she huffed out.

"Hand them to Sara. She can examine them for herself," Yae Miko piped in.

Aether handed over a signed slip to Sara.

"What is this?" Sara asked while reading the words that were on the evidence that she was given. "...I see this document bears the official seal of the head of the Kujou Clan. And it doesn't look like a forgery... I don't understand... not a single word about the resistance, Sangonomiya, or the situation on the front line..." She trailed off.

Sara placed two fingers onto the bridge of her nose. "What about the soldiers who gave their lives on the front line, or the hardship endured by the people? Do they deserve no mention!? Utter disregard for human life. Why would they want to hide it?" She asked in disbelief.

"Because of the Vision Hunt Decree," (Y/n) and (F/n) said in sync.

Yae Miko nodded her head in agreement. "For the sake of the Vision Hunt Decree, of course. Don't you think the Shogun might reconsider her policy if all of the things you just mentioned appeared in this report?" She added in.

Disbelief and distrust swam in Sara's eyes, listening to the words of truth that were being told to her.

"So the Tenryou Commission... they are deliberately deceiving the Shogun?" Sara whispered under her breath.

"Yes. Now... who else do you think might be benefiting from the Vision Hunt Decree?" Yae Miko questioned, urging Sara to think about her answer.

Aether was about to say something as he was bringing out a letter, but the said item was snatched from his hands.

Amusement danced in his eyes when he realized that (F/n) was thinking that they would be sneaky at taking the letter from him.

(F/n)'s tail swayed, ignoring the amused stare they were being given. "We also have a confidential letter here for you!" They exclaimed.

"This is a letter from the Tenryou Commission to the Fatui. The head of the Kujou Clan kept this a secret from the Shogun, too." Paimon explained the importance of the letter that was being handed over to Sara.

Sara clenched both of her hands to her sides, clutching the letter hard enough to cause it to crinkle up.

"Well? The things you wanted to see, but also wished not to see, are here before you. Surely... you aren't planning to turn a blind eye to them?" Yae Miko sneakily asked, a small sly smile sketching upon her lips, knowing that she had gotten the young female clutched into her grasp.

Sara relaxed her hands and stared ahead, ignoring the worried stares she received from the group in front of her. "So everything I've ever held on to... it's all... How could they... Argh! This betrayal is unforgivable... Takayuki, you've got some explaining to do!" She exclaimed before running off to confront Takayuki.

Paimon and the others looked in the direction of where Sara ran off to.

"Kujou Sara seems pretty angry, huh? Looks like our Tenryou rebellion is successfully underway," Paimon states.

"The Shogun's Army is without a leader for now," Aether points out.

(F/n) nodded their head in agreement. "Yep! Sounds like it," they agreed.

"Yup, yup, let's catch up with her!" Paimon quickly agreed.

Before the group could even head off, Yae Miko decided to speak up.

"Hold on, you three. There's something else we need to discuss. Last time Traveler entered the Plane of Euthymia, it was in front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God, correct?" Yae Miko asked.

"Correct," Aether answered, nodding his head.

Yae Miko smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest

"You must find a way to recreate the circumstances of that day. If you can get the Raiden Shogun to "open her heart" to go once more before the Statue of the Omnipresent God, you will have the opportunity you need..." Yae Miko explained.

Aether smiled softly. "I will do my best," he replied.

Yae Miko then handed over an object to the group. "Take this with you as a farewell gift," she states.

"What is it?" Paimon asked.

"The omamori from the Grand Narukami Shrine are very potent indeed. I thought I'd put one aside for you," Yae Miko answered.

"I will treasure it," Aether thanked.

Yae Miko laughed softly. "Hehe, if you find either of yourselves at your wits' end, take it out and see what happens. Maybe your prayers will be answered, and all your problems will disappear in the blink of an eye. Or, if you ever think about me during your journey, take it out, won't you? Who knows, maybe I'll just end up appearing right in front of you," she retorted.

"Cut it out, Fox Lady. This isn't the time or place to be poking fun at the Traveler," Paimon scolded.

Yae Miko laughed again. "Hehehe... I'm sorry. Well then... time for you all to face my hopeless fool of a friend. I'm counting on you," she replied.

Aether, Paimon, and (Y/n) nodded their heads in gratitude before heading off.

Yae Miko gazed at the feline before her, watching the sneaky teenager.

(F/n) felt the stare upon them, and gazed at the yokai for a few seconds, before smiling at the female.

"Hehe," they giggled before heading off.

Yae Miko rolled her eyes in amusement. "What a sneaky little feline with the personality of a cat spirit they are," she laughed.

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