Chapter 9

Countermeasures

One month and two weeks after the Stormterror Crisis

The sun was high in the sky as Aether and Paimon walked under the arch of the Kamisato Estate. Immediately, they were greeted by Thoma and Will, who were standing guard outside of the doors leading inside the headquarters.

"Aether, Paimon. Good to see you both again. Were you successful?" Will asked, shaking Aether's hand. The blonde sighed.

"Not successful enough. We both underestimated how damaging having your Vision seized was… Can we enter? We want to talk with Ayaka," he replied. Both Will and Thoma nodded.

"After you," Thoma said. He and Will slid the doors open and walked inside after Aether and Paimon.

"Oh Ayaka! Guess who fulfilled all of your wishes!" Paimon called out with her high pitched voice. When Ayaka didn't respond, Paimon looked around, perplexed. "Eh, Ayaka? Are you here?"

Paimon turned to look at Aether as he walked up next to her when Thoma paused him with a tap on the shoulder. Will stood next to Thoma, with his arms crossed on his chest. Both Yashiro members had small grins on their faces, and Will motioned with his head to look in front of them. On cue, Ayaka walked out from behind the screen, her fan held in one hand in front of her mouth. She flicked it closed, revealing a wide smile as she and her two guests finally met face to face.

Ayaka bowed her head, and Aether returned the favor as best he could. Will had to admit, for someone who'd been in Inazuma and been exposed to its cultures and traditions, for less than a week, it wasn't a half bad imitation. He and Thoma both walked around to stand next to the Shirasagi Himegimi.

"Aether, Paimon... It is a pleasure to finally meet you both face-to-face," Ayaka said, giggling for a moment. "I have heard all about how you helped out three friends. My sincerest thanks to you."

Aether sighed and shook his head. "Actually, we couldn't really help at all…" he replied in a disappointed tone.

Paimon nodded and crossed her arms. "Yeah... short of getting them their Visions back, it seems like there's no way to really help them…" the floating pixie added, before tilting her head to the side. "Um, Ayaka, how come this time you get to come out and meet us in person?"

Ayaka giggled. "Because now that you have done the three things I asked of you, I consider you to be my friends. As you will observe, I dispense with the screen for Thoma and Will, also." Both of them nodded in affirmation to Aether and Paimon.

Paimon's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a second, but aren't Thoma and Will your, um... servants? Paimon's happy to help and all, but Paimon sure as heck did not sign up to be a servant!"

The room went silent, but soon after, Thoma, Ayaka, and Will doubled over with laughter. "Oh Paimon," Ayaka said, wiping a tear away from her eye. "You are most entertaining. Thoma and Will are, first and foremost, my friends, and were so long before either ever became my attendants or bodyguards."

Paimon let out a long breath as they took a few deep breaths to stop laughing so hard. "Oh, okay then... Ayaka, you seem pretty different out in the open compared to how you are behind the screen. Mmm... Alrighty, we can be friends." Aether nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," he added. Ayaka smiled in appreciation.

"Thank you both kindly," she replied, giggling.

"Back to the matter at hand…" Will interjected politely. "You have now witnessed the pain of those deprived of their Visions... What are your feelings on what you have seen?"

Aether sighed. "It seems to be a fate worse than death. I hope they can one day be free from their torment," he said. It was clear that not being able to help the people Ayaka had asked him to see frustrated the traveler greatly.

Ayaka nodded. "Perhaps, in the eyes of a deity such as the Almighty Shogun, the lives of those who inhabit the world are inconsequential…" she said, turning her head to look at a tapestry hanging from the wall. "Thunder's roar, lightning's flash, the wind's assault, and the rain's descent... all these things take place with no regard for the feelings of the common people. But I believe that surely you understand what they must endure."

The blonde traveler nodded. "I have, and what I saw… it sickens me that an Archon could knowingly subject their nation to such a thing…" he trailed off, looking down. "Ayaka, Thoma, and Will… I will help you fight the Vision Hunt Decree."

"You- You will?" Ayaka exclaimed, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yes. I will," Aether replied. "But you must keep the promise you made to me."

Ayaka giggled again. "Naturally," she agreed, bowing to Aether.

Thoma clapped his hands. "Alright, bravo, milady. You were right all along."

Ayaka laughed. "See... I told you he wouldn't reject them. I'd placed my trust in the right person after all," She said, grinning at Thoma, who sighed.

"Guess dinner is on me then after all."

Everyone laughed at that. "I guess it is," she replied. "Now then, given that the remainder of our discussion pertains to matters of more... confidential nature... perhaps we could move to the Komore Teahouse? We ought not to involve other members of the Yashiro Commission."


Ayaka, Thoma, and Will led Aether and Paimon up to the entrance of Komore Teahouse. As they passed the entrance, the woman standing outside bowed to Ayaka, who nodded with a smile. They entered the building, and Thoma couldn't resist walking over and rubbing Taroumaru behind his ears.

"Well, here we are again!" Paimon said cheerfully as she floated inside the teahouse. Will didn't know what it was, but somehow, the small, gravity defying child had a charm about her, an attitude that could make anyone smile, no matter how dreary the mood seemed to be.

Ayaka led the group around a corner and into an open room, and Thoma nodded. "Please, go on without me. I'll keep watch out here," he said, and Will laughed under his breath. While Thoma was anything but a slouch, anyone who knew him well knew that, when he had a chance, he could never help himself but play with the animals in Inazuma City, particularly Taroumaru.

Paimon shrugged. "So, what's the deal with this place, anyway? What makes it your favorite meeting spot?" she asked Ayaka, who nodded.

"The land you are currently standing on is land that was given to the Yashiro Commission by the Shogun. As such, the Kamisato Clan has the exclusive right to plan, build, and repair any property on this land. We can even go so far as to allow or deny access," Ayaka explained. "Such privileges exist due to the Yashiro Commission's role in managing ceremonial affairs. Oftentimes, it is not appropriate to discuss details in front of bystanders."

"Oooh," Paimon replied. "Paimon gets it now. You've got to keep a bit of mystery, right?"

Ayaka nodded. "Once the number of ceremonial affairs conducted in the city began to decline, our forebears built a teahouse here. Only members of the Yashiro Commission are permitted to come and go as they please."

Aether nodded back in agreement. "Makes sense," he said, and Paimon flew in a loop, very excited.

"Yeah, it's a perfect place for a secret base!"

Will chuckled. "Indeed. What better place to hide, plot, and scheme, than right under your opponent's nose?"

Ayaka smiled. "In any case, we can talk freely here. I presume, Aether, you have a few questions that you wish to ask us?" She asked, and Aether nodded. The three sat down at a small table, while Paimon flew around the room, curiously examining the ornate lamps, drums, and ceremonial katanas that were on the stage.

"So… What kind of god is the Raiden Shogun?" he asked.

"The Almighty Shogun…" Ayaka replied, resting her arms on the table. "I have seen her on but only a few occasions, most of them formal ceremonies… She inspires awe, commands respect, and exudes a sense of absolute authority. But as I recall, there was something else about her that struck me even more deeply…"

Will leaned forward. Even being in the closest position one could ever reach to being the second in charge of a commission, as her older brother Ayato was the Yashiro Commissioner, Ayaka had rarely seen the Shogun herself, and Will had never seen the Electro Archon at all. "It was her almost complete lack of any emotion. In that sense, she appeared to me to be less of a ruler and more of... well, an executive official, I suppose. Focused exclusively on her single goal of implementing Eternity, acting accordingly without feeling."

Aether nodded and then tilted his head as he thought about other things he lacked answers to. "What about the Vision Hunt Decree? You said you're fighting it. Is the Yashiro Commission really the only group in all of Inazuma that opposes it?"

Will shook his head. "No. There are others, but none of us have much support. The issue is, for the vast majority of people, the Vision Hunt Decree is something that has no impact on them whatsoever," he answered. "After all, it is but a tiny minority of people who receive Visions. Moreover, it is not unknown for Visions to spark jealousy in others. Because of this, the attitude of most people towards the Vision Hunt Decree is usually one of either indifference or even pleasure."

Paimon stopped flying around one of the big drums. "Ugh! How can they be like that...? Hmph, Paimon's getting mad…" she said, a frown on her face.

"Nevertheless, in addition to us, there is also the resistance on Watatsumi Island," Ayaka told them, and Paimon looked over from where she was next to the swords in interest.

"Resistance? You mean, like, an army fighting against the decree?"

Will nodded. "Yes, many who have lost or fear losing their Visions have rallied together under Sangonomiya on Watatsumi Island to form a resistance group."

Ayaka placed her chin on her hand. "To say a little more about Sangonomiya... Historically, there has always been some conflict between them and the Shogunate of Narukami Island due to their different belief systems," she said, pondering what she knew about the resistance. "It is enough to make me wonder sometimes, whether there may be some other agenda behind their resistance movement, beyond merely fighting the Vision Hunt Decree…"

"What about you? Do you have any plan for how you're going to oppose the Vision Hunt Decree?" Aether asked the Kamisato daughter.

She shook her head. "To be honest... we do not."

Paimon gasped. "Wh- What?! How do you not have a plan to take on the decree?!"

"Please, do not forget that challenging the Vision Hunt Decree is tantamount to challenging a deity. Coming to terms with that alone is already a difficult step to take," Ayaka replied, a small hint of disappointment in her tone.

Paimon held her arms out to her sides. "So... So, what're we gonna do? Could we maybe just… Paimon doesn't know… ask the Shogun nicely?"

Will smiled at her naivety. "If only it was that easy. The truth is, we've tried that on multiple occasions. But each time a proposal to repeal the decree arrives at Tenshukaku, it is promptly vetoed by both the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission, and subsequently scrapped…"

"For the moment, all we can do is to try and reduce the harm that is being caused by this decree. One way we're already doing this, for example, is by providing Vision bearers with counterfeit Visions for them as a contingency measure, an idea that Will actually came up with," Ayaka said, and then the two members of the Yashiro Commission laughed as Paimon's jaw dropped.

"You're telling Paimon that there are people out there who can make fake Visions!?"

Will nodded. "Indeed. Don't underestimate the talents of the craftspeople in Hanamizaka. To the naked eye, their counterfeits are indistinguishable from the genuine article. Well, as long as the counterfeits aren't carefully examined. There are some aspects about real Visions that nothing we know of can replicate, like the initial pain that comes from your Vision being taken," he said, shrugging. "Fortunately, at least that issue can be worked around simply by a bit of over-acting."

Aether huffed, impressed. "Huh, counterfeit Visions eh? I kind of want one," he mused.

Ayaka shook her head. "I would offer one to you, but I can't. Unfortunately, Master Masakatsu, who was providing us with counterfeit Visions, has recently been arrested by the Tenryou Commission."

"Oh darn! So they found out about it? Ugh…"

"That's what we're assuming, at least until we come across sufficient evidence that says otherwise," Will replied. "We knew it was not a long-term solution and that it was only a matter of time before it would be exposed... But we cannot simply abandon Master Masakatsu. Besides, me and a friend of mine in Hanamizaka literally just rescued him from a group of Ronin!"

Aether nodded. "He has saved many others. It is only right that he should be saved, too."

"Exactly, I feel the same way," Ayaka agreed. "But given mine and Thoma's identities as part of the Yashiro Commission, breaking him out of prison would risk dragging down the reputation of the entire Kamisato Clan should we be caught. That would only serve to cast suspicion on any future activity we might seek to attempt."

"That's right. And even though there's a good chance I wouldn't be recognized as a member of the Yashiro Commission, because I've only been an official member for a few days now, I still don't think I could pull off a one man raid on the Tenryou police station," Will admitted.

"So you're offloading that job to me, huh?" Aether asked, and Will and Ayaka both shook their heads.

Ayaka giggled. "By no means do we intend to place the burden of such a task on your shoulders alone. Will has already asked that he join you for the raid, and there is another whom you should seek out. When you are ready, go to Hanamizaka, and look for a fireworks shop run by the Naganohara family. There, you will find someone who can help you."

Aether nodded, and then he and Will walked out of the Teahouse. "All right, Aether, why don't you head to Hanamizaka and look for the Naganohara fireworks shop? My friend and I already did some snooping around the Police station, but I want to do some last minute preparations, just to be safe. Here, let me mark the meeting place on your map," Will suggested, using a small, handheld writing device to circle a tree on Aether's map. "Don't worry, you'll know her when you see her. But if, on the extremely small chance that you don't notice her, she knows to look for you anyway."


Will silently approached the police station as the sun dipped below the horizon. "Perfect, it's a cloudy night, and there hasn't been too much out of the ordinary in the city as far as the Tenryou Commission knows. The guards should be pretty sleepy tonight," he thought to himself, scaling up a large tree with purple leaves. He reached a sturdy branch and stabbed a small Tanto dagger into the bark. He then held his ear up to it, cupping his hands around the hilt as he spied on the guards from a tree branch. One of them yawned into his hand, and then the other one did the same shortly after.

After what seemed like a whole day of waiting, Will finally felt the faint vibrating of the dagger, a quiet, rhythmic tempo like footsteps. He looked down and saw Yoimiya and Aether staying out of sight of the guards behind the tree, and he stealthily climbed down the back of the tree. The pair jumped as they hadn't realized that Will was already waiting for them.

"All right, we're all here. Yoimiya, have you had a chance to go over the plan with Aether?" Will asked, and Yoimiya nodded.

"Yep. Did you see anything from up there?" She replied.

"Yeah, the guards are starting to doze off. Well, at least the ones outside are. We should be able to sneak past them and get to the secret passageway without much trouble."

Yoimiya grinned. "Good. Don't worry Master Masakatsu, we're on our way!" she quietly exclaimed, nocking an arrow on her bow. Will materialized his swords on his back, and Aether did the same with his blade, called the Prototype Rancour. Will darted out into the open and then hid in the shadows cast by the wooden walls of the station. After a moment, he waved Yoimiya and Aether over to him, signaling with his hand that the coast was clear.

Barely a few seconds after they made it over to where Will was hiding, however, one of the guards stirred slightly, and Will held up a fist. The trio held their breath, not daring to even twitch as Will peered through a crack in the wall. Eventually, the guard drifted off back to sleep. "We're good, follow me," Will whispered, leading them around the back of the building.

They snuck around the outside of the wall until they arrived at a disorganized pile of crates. "I'll check it out, wait here for my signal," said Will. He climbed up the boxes, stepping on the corners of each crate so that his weight didn't make them creak. Pulling himself up over the top of the wall, he landed on the cobblestone, hitting the ground on both his hands and feet. He darted over to the corner and peeked around. No one had noticed them.

Will returned to the wall and tapped on it three times, and then once more. As if on cue, Yoimiya and Aether climbed over the wall, landing in the same manner as Will. He drew his tanto and pried open a small cover in the back of the station's wall. "Through here," he whispered, leading Aether and Yoimiya into the station.

"How big is this place?" Aether muttered while they crawled through the dark, using the faint light from their Visions as small lamps.

"It might not look big from the street, but if you go around this mountain on the beachside, you can see small pieces of the frame, and metal cell bars hidden deep underground," Will replied, his voice echoing through the vent. As they turned around another corner, Will saw bright lines of light. "All right, we're almost there. See those lines ahead of us?"

"Mm hm," Aether, Paimon, and Yoimiya all responded.

"Once we're through that grate, we'll be inside one of the older hallways. I doubt we'll find many guards, but stay on your toes anyway," he explained. He pushed the grate off of the wall, and they crawled out of the cramped tunnel and out into the musty interior of the station.

"Uh... Now that we're inside, this place is a whole lot creepier than Paimon imagined… Eh-he…" Paimon admitted while Will turned to Yoimiya.

"All right. Let's split up here. Yoimiya, why don't you lead Aether and Paimon to where we think Masakatsu is, and I'll go set up your 'present'?" Will asked. Yoimiya nodded, but Paimon shook her head with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you sure we should split up? What if one of us gets caught?" she asked, but Will shook his head.

"Don't worry. I know a guy who once snuck out of Snezhnaya without being seen at all. If he can do that, I can manage to stay out of sight in this mess of hallways," he reassured her.

"All right then, just be careful not to get caught!" Paimon replied, before suddenly turning around as Will climbed up into the rafters. "Wait, Snezhnaya?!" she exclaimed, but Will was already out of sight.

Will snuck through the compound, staying out of sight of any guards he came across until he came to the main room. "All right, this is where Yoimiya said to set up her little surprise. But I'm going to have to deal with those guards first…" he thought to himself as he saw Yoimiya and Aether taking a longer route around the perimeter of the room. A pair of spear wielding Shogunate Infantry spotted them and charged the duo, only to be swiftly taken out by an arrow from Yoimiya and a ring of Electro energy from Aether. But the damage had been done, and the Tenryou Commission knew now that there were intruders in their prison.

While Yoimiya and Aether turned around a corner to find the three keys needed to open the door, Will grabbed onto a metal bar and swung himself onto the center platform, landing behind the infantry captain and swiftly eliminating him. The captain staggered forward and fell to the ground as two of his Ashigaru spun around, only to gasp as identical blades pierced their guts.

Will pulled his swords out of their bodies and sidestepped out of the way of a katana, countering the attack with his own Odachi slash. The Yoriki Samurai parried the strike and sent Will's Odachi flying out of his hands before slashing at him again. This time, Will blocked the strike with his Katana, only to catch the samurai off guard as he slid to the side and punched the Yoriki under his arm, where his chest plate split. In a single move, he rotated around his foe and plunged the katana into his back, while simultaneously using a gust of Anemo power to pull the Odachi into the Yoriki's chest.

With the Samurai defeated, Will got to work, setting up numerous fireworks all around the platform, from tiny sparklers and firecrackers to large firework rockets, keeping them hidden in shadows, under floorboards, and even angled towards the platform from the walls. His task finished, he used a burst of Anemo power to launch himself up towards the ceiling and out of sight. Now all he had to do was stay unseen until Yoimiya and Aether got inside the main prison block.

It wasn't long before they did. Thanks to his earlier defeat of the Tenryou guards, the platform was empty by the time they arrived, and many of the guards inside the cell blocks had been called outside to deal with the intruders. The few that were still inside were quickly dealt with by Yoimiya and Aether.

"Hey, where did Will go anyway? Shouldn't we have seen him again by now?" Paimon wondered as they rounded another corner and proceeded deeper into the depths of the station.

As if on cue, Will dropped down behind them without making a noise. "What are you talking about Paimon? I'm right here?" he joked, earning him a shocked glance from the floating pixie, who folded her arms. They ran around another corner and skidded to a stop.

"Shh... quick, hide! Look over there… Is that Master Masakatsu?" Paimon said as they peeked around a wall. Will nodded.

"Yeah, that's him alright," he replied as they stared at a group of guards who were standing over Masakatsu's body. He narrowed his eyes in disgust as one of them kicked him in the side.

"...Did you really think that little trick of yours could fool us?" one of them taunted Masakatsu.

"Hehe... locking you up was just the beginning. You're gonna tell us the names of everyone you gave one of those fake Visions to," the other added, kicking the prone craftsman in the side.

Yoimiya gasped as Masakatsu groaned in pain. "Oh no... Those Tenryou Commission brutes are torturing him!" she exclaimed quietly, and Paimon looked at them with a worried expression.

"We've got to help him now before it's too late!" she said, but Aether shook his head.

"We can't, they outnumber us. We need to ensure we have a means of escape. Until we do, we can only grit our teeth…" he said. Much to Will's frustration, he had to agree. Even with their combined skill, there was no guarantee that the guards wouldn't just kill Masakatsu as soon as they attacked.

Yoimiya looked away. "Ugh... I can't bear to watch. If anything happens to Master Masakatsu, our whole plan will have been for nothing…" she said. Suddenly, they heard a new voice, one that commanded authority and respect.

"You there! What are you doing?!"

The two guards taunting Masakatsu gasped, looking up to see their superior entering the room. They and all of the other guards standing on the perimeter of the room all kneeled.

"N-Nothing! W—We were just teaching him a little lesson... That's all," one of the guards nervously explained. Paimon stared at the newcomer.

"Yoimiya? Will? Who's that?" she asked.

"That's Kujou Sara, adopted daughter of the Kujou Clan of the Tenryou Commission. She's also a general in the Shogun's Army. What's she doing here...?" Yoimiya replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Kujou Sara? I think Kazuha mentioned her before… Isn't she also enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree?" Aether asked, and Will nodded.

"She is…"

The Shogunate general stepped forward. "Make way, let me have a look at him," She ordered, kneeling down and examining the injuries on Masakatsu's body. Her eyes narrowed in anger, and a frown formed on her face as she stood up and faced the two guards who had been assaulting Masakatsu. "I'm sure you're well aware that torture is strictly against military regulations."

The first guard gulped and hastily nodded. "Y- Yes, ma'am!" he exclaimed nervously.

Kujou Sara folded her arms. "If you are unashamed of such disgraceful action, then you are also unworthy of the Tenryou Commission itself! Do I make myself clear!?"

The guards shrank back in fear. "Y- Yes, ma'am. I- It won't happen again!" they exclaimed, and Kujou Sara nodded.

"See to it that you remain true to that promise," she warned, leading them away from Masakatsu, and Paimon shuddered.

"Whew, Paimon sure wouldn't want to get on her bad side…" the pixie said, but Yoimiya gasped in realization.

"Wait, this is it! They're not watching Master Masakatsu! Now's our-" she said as she took a step, only to be cut off by the creaking of the wooden floorboards underneath her. "Chance…" she added, her face pale.

And they weren't the only ones that heard the noise either. "Who is that?" Kujou Sara called out, looking in their direction. She turned to the guards. "Quick, go and investigate."

Paimon looked from the guards back to her friends, and then back to the guards again. "The- They're coming! Quick, hide!" she exclaimed as they pressed against the wall.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" Yoimiya apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to…"

"We're in trouble now. They'll find us for sure if we don't do something," Aether pointed out, drawing his sword. But Will shook his head, a calm expression on his face.

"Don't worry, I've got us covered. Yoimiya? Time for that little present of yours."

Her eyes brightened, and she grinned. With a snap of her fingers, her Pyro Vision glowed, and suddenly the whole compound shook with a massive explosion.

The guards looked around, bewildered. "What the- Was that an explosion!?" one of them wondered.

The other shrugged. "I- It sounded like... fireworks?" he added, and they looked at the hallway the noise came from. The very same hallway where Will, Aether, Yoimiya, and Paimon were now hiding.

"Quick, let's hurry!" replied the first guard. All of the samurai in the room ran towards the hallway. Will knew they had to think of something, and fast.

"That's it!" he muttered, and he looked at his friends. "Get ready to grab the ceiling and don't say a word," he said. With a burst of Anemo power, he launched himself, Yoimiya, and Aether upward, and all three of them wrapped their arms around separate wooden beams. Paimon meanwhile, simply vanished into thin air. Barely two seconds later, and the entire platoon of guards rushed underneath them, completely unaware.

"Whew, the fireworks were enough to distract them!" Paimon said as they dropped back down. "Maybe more than enough, hehe…" Will shook his head at that.

"Huh… that didn't sound like all of them… I could've sworn I linked up all thirty rockets, as well as all of the other thirty party favors… but that didn't sound anywhere close to that many fireworks…" he mused. Moments later, he got an answer, as there was a string of explosions that caused all the guards to scream in surprise.

"Ah, there they are. I must've hooked up some of the elemental links incorrectly."

Paimon peeked back around the corner and saw nobody in the room. "Look, the coast is clear. Now's our chance!"

All four of them rushed towards Master Masakatsu, who had pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Urgh… Yoimiya? Will? Is that you?" he groaned, pressing a hand against one of his wounds.

"Master Masakatsu!" Yoimiya exclaimed. "Sorry we took so long... Ugh... those awful guards! They really did a number on you!"

But to their relief, Masakatsu chuckled. "Eh, I went through worse. Remember when you two saved me from those Ronin?"

Will shook his head, mentally rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I remember. With all due respect Master, you really need to work on… y'know, not getting captured so much?"

Masakatsu nodded with a small grin. "I'll see what I can do."

"C'mon, we've got no time to lose! They could be back any minute!" Paimon said, frantically looking around. In doing so, she realized that the room was not as empty as she had thought. Standing off to the side was Kujou Sara. "O- oh… ehehe… well, this is only slightly awkward for Paimon…"

Aether looked up. "You were over there watching us this whole time, weren't you?" he asked. Kujou Sara nodded.

"Yes. Master Masakatsu is in serious condition, be sure he gets immediate medical attention. Leave, before I let my judgment get the better of me," Kujou Sara requested as she walked past them. But when she reached the door that she entered the room through, she paused. "Just remember… Once he's recovered, it won't be long until I bring him right back."

Yoimiya looked at the Tenryou General with a very confused expression. "Uh, well... Ahem, you can bet we'll do all we can to keep that from happening."

Aether nodded. "Thank you…"

"Don't worry, General. I promise we won't make capturing Master Masakatsu again as easy as it was this time," Will swore, a competitive grin on his face.

"Hm... leave this place," was all she replied before leaving the room and closing the doors behind her.


Will, Aether, Paimon, and Yoimiya stood in front of Ayaka and Thoma inside the Komore Teahouse. It was the morning after they'd sprung Masakatsu from prison, and they made sure he was safely hidden away in the Yashiro Commission's headquarters, and so far, the Tenryou commission had made no calls for any of their arrests. Still, Will knew it was only a matter of time.

"I see, so Kujou Sara stayed her hand. It would appear she still has some honor to her," Thoma mused. "M'lady, do you think we should try establishing contact with her? Perhaps we could coax out some information."

But Ayaka shook her head. "Not right now. Don't forget, Kujou Sara is also carrying out the Vision Hunt Decree. She obeys the orders of the Raiden Shogun without question," she reminded the housekeeper. "In her eyes, Master Masakatsu is of no threat to the decree. This is why she was so willing to allow his escape. If our true motives were ever divulged, she would act against us without a second thought."

Thoma sighed and then nodded. "Good point. But regardless, Master Masakatsu's release is quite the blessing. We are now one step closer to victory... and we couldn't have done it without Yoimiya, Will, Paimon, and Aether," he said, before chuckling as he looked at the blonde haired traveler. "If I had any doubts about your ability to help us before, I definitely don't anymore." He held out his hand towards Aether.

"Thanks for the compliment," Aether replied, shaking Thoma's hand, and Paimon grinned ear to ear.

"Hee-hee, don't mention it," remarked the little pixie.

Ayaka grinned. "Indeed, things may have turned out very differently this time without the help of Aether. But if we wish to mount any sizable resistance against the Vision Hunt Decree... there is still much to be done."

Will shook his head. "Hey now m'lady, no need to rush. Things seem to have taken a turn for the better, at least. Not only have we rescued Master Masakatsu, but our list of allies also appears to be growing as well." Thoma nodded as he said this.

"That's right Will. And that reminds me... The Tenryou Commission seems to be making preparations for some kind of celebration... They're calling it a 'ceremony' of sorts. Not only that, but the number of samurai out enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree seems to be waning. The days ahead may be more peaceful than usual."

Yoimiya narrowed her eyes in thought. "A ceremony, you say? Why would such a task be left to the Tenryou Commission? I thought ceremonial affairs was the Yashiro Commission's thing."

Thoma shrugged. "Who knows, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with us. Anyway, with the Tenryou Commission busy with preparations, we should have a little more breathing room than usual."

"Well, being in a constant state of alert will only tire us further, perhaps a period of rest is in order," Ayaka agreed. "Thoma, what would you suggest?"

The housekeeper grinned. "Well, I'd say a celebratory feast is in order. I say we have an evening of hot pot together!" He proposed, and Will tilted his head.

"Hot pot?"

Thoma nodded. "It's a game I heard of recently while I was at the market. I'm sure you'll find it quite amusing!"

Yoimiya raised an eyebrow. "How does it work?" she asked, intrigued, but also excited.

"Simply put, every person prepares an ingredient to add to the hot pot. Once the meal begins, we add all the ingredients together. Then we take it in turns to close our eyes, pick an ingredient out of the pot, taste it, and guess whose ingredient it was," Thoma explained. "Anyone who guesses correctly can go again, and whoever finishes the meal with the most points is declared the winner. Tradition even has it that the winner receives blessings from the God of Hot Pot. Don't you think it sounds like fun? Hehe, I've been wanting to give it a try... In fact, I've already got my ingredients prepared!"

Paimon grinned. "Wow, you really want to play this, don't you? Well, it involves eating lots of food, so count Paimon in!"

One by one, Aether, Ayaka, Yoimiya, and Will all agreed to participate in the game, and they eventually teamed up into three teams of two. Aether and Paimon were on team one, Ayaka and Yoimiya were team two, which left Will and Thoma as team three.

"All right then. You sound like you already have a plan Thoma," Will said as the three teams split off into separate corners to decide what kinds of ingredients they'd add.

Thoma grinned. "I was thinking we'd go with some unusual ingredients, something that'd catch the others off guard. What do you think of throwing in some salt-crusted herring, unripe Lavender Melon, and flash-boiled dango?" he suggested, and Will couldn't help but laugh.

"It'll definitely keep them on their toes. Sure, why the heck not?" he agreed, and they went to the back of Taroumaru's kitchen to get the ingredients. "Why do I feel like this is going to turn into one of those 'what could possibly go wrong' moments?" he joked as they walked back into the room where they were eating dinner.

After they got back, everyone took turns throwing their ingredients into a large cauldron while the other teams closed their eyes, and then one by one, they each ate a spoonful of the "soup", which now looked to Will like it was bordering on a health hazard.

On the first round, Will ended up eating a diluted mist flower corolla, and was shivering until his next turn. Unfortunately for him, the very next thing he ended up eating was a Jueyun Chili, one of the most polar opposite things he could imagine. Fortunately, Ayaka had thought ahead and brought some fresh milk, something that Will used against her.

"Ayaka, did you and Yoimiya add the chilis?" he asked after drinking a whole cup of milk, and the two girls gasped.

"How did you know?" Yoimiya exclaimed, and Will merely gestured to the milk.

"Why else would you have brought that? Thanks, by the way," he pointed out, and Ayaka conceded that she had indeed added the chilis. "Woohoo! One point for team three!" Will cheered, and then took another bite from the pot.

Before long, Thoma ended up becoming the token sufferer of the game, consistently eating some of the most odd ingredients, and Ayaka keep subtly giving herself away without even realizing how she was doing it. Somehow, Paimon and Aether managed to repeatedly draw the more normal ingredients, like crab legs and lightly salted shrimp.

At the end of the game, Will and Thoma were the clear winners of the game, not that either felt like winners. "Whew… Yoimiya, are you sure you didn't put any fireworks or firework powdered food in there? I feel like I've got explosions going off in my stomach!" Thoma asked, and Yoimiya shook her head, grinning at her friend.

"Sorry Thoma, but you and Will have got only yourselves to blame. All those strange things you ate were ingredients your team added," Ayaka pointed out. Will and Thoma both sighed in reluctant agreement before their eyes widened again.

"Ooh, and on that bombshell… I think it's time for me to head out. I need to lie down for a while…" Thoma remarked, and Will nodded in agreement.

"Urgh, yeah, I'm in the same boat. We'll see you guys later!" he added, and the pair left the teahouse and headed back to the Kamisato estate, laughing as they went. Their plan had worked, and the others had fallen for their bluff. Neither of them ever felt any discomfort in their stomachs. In fact, they were feeling quite full and satisfied.


A/N: Soooo... ehehe, do you ever have that moment right before you're about to upload a chapter, where you suddenly realize "Oh crap, I forgot to upload the chapter that took place before the last chapter I uploaded?"

Yeah, because that just happened. I uploaded Will's act one Story chapter, Fidellum Aegis act one, earlier today, and I was about to upload chapter 10, when I looked back and realized "Wait a minute... I'm about to upload chapter 10. Fidellum Aegis is an interlude chapter, and so it doesn't have a chapter number... WHERE THE HECK IS CHAPTER NINE?!"

So, I'm fixing that problem now. Hopefully none of you are too confused, and if you are... Sorry!