Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

This is unprecedented.

It caused quite a stir in the city.

Rumors circulated that he, a mere mortal, had withstood Narukami's unthinkable slash, making him a rising star in Inazuma.

The women of Inazuma were all discussing the origins of the young attendant.

But the Fox Palace had no interest in this.

A mortal's life is but a fleeting moment, a truth she had long ago grasped. To become entangled with fleeting things would only add to one's loneliness.

Therefore, she did not intend to become the boy's friend, nor did she have any intention of getting to know him.

Lord Zhaigong was more interested in today's gathering.

Every early summer, they would gather under the cherry blossom tree—it was an unspoken agreement.

Playing karuta and drinking games, along with plum wine and snacks, is a fun way to while away the long summer days amidst the tall trees, green leaves, and the hoarse chirping of cicadas. For Fox Palace, this is an interesting experience.

Moreover, she enjoys drinking.

What outsiders don't know is that this silver-haired, golden-eyed, elegant and refined lady dressed in a pure white shrine maiden's robe is actually a heavy drinker who loves alcohol more than anything.

She carried sake and entered Narukami Taisha Shrine.

In those beautiful days, Inazuma was not yet tainted by so-called filth, and the sacred cherry trees bloomed brilliantly, with clusters of bright red cherry blossoms spreading and blooming like fire, filling the sky above the sacred cherry shrine.

It's afternoon now, but the cherry blossoms have brought an early sunset. The gentle cherry blossom sunset is piled up on the mountaintop of Yingxiang Mountain, with rich and romantic colors.

Fox Palace blinked suddenly, feeling two dark shadows dart past him.

The two shadows chased each other.

It moved as fast as the wind, no, as fast as thunder, leaving behind a series of afterimages in the air.

The fox's bright golden eyes narrowed, and it finally made out one of them:

With black hair and golden eyes, feathers as black as night spread out around him. The wind swept through the gaps in the feathers, being dragged into white streams at an extremely fast speed. The person lowered his body slightly, trailing the wind, and ran at a speed close to teleportation.

That's a Great Tengu.

Lily bulbs in a steamer.

But the other figure racing against him was someone Fox Palace did not recognize.

He was a very young samurai.

He stepped on the osmanthus tree, onto the steps covered with fallen white cherry blossoms. The hem of his plain white kimono fluttered in the air, its edges adorned with patterns of snakes and wine. He breathed out rhythmically, and with the rise and fall of his chest, one could almost hear a faint rumble of thunder in the boy's breathing.

He was indeed as fast as lightning.

This was the first time that Fox Palace had ever seen a mortal who could race against the Great Tengu.

Lily loves to compete with others, especially in speed.

The white cherry blossoms covering the steps were stirred up and scattered in the air, creating a shower of cherry blossoms. Silver lightning and pure white cherry blossoms intertwined. The boy moved between the lightning and the white cherry blossoms, accelerating again, and his shadow could no longer be seen.

In a flash, they went from the mountaintop to the foot of Mount Kagemura, then turned back, climbed the mountain path again, and finally rushed towards the Narukami Shrine at the summit.

The moment the lightning bolt carrying the white cherry blossoms passed over the Fox Palace again, the Fox Palace tilted its head and saw the boy's face clearly.

Summer sunlight filtered through the cherry blossoms, dappling the boy's profile. Apart from those few dappled rays, only the swaying shadows of the cherry blossoms obscured his face.

He seemed to sense Fox Palace's gaze, and at that moment turned his head to meet Fox Palace's eyes, revealing a friendly smile.

"Hello." The young man spoke softly, his thin lips moving slightly, his manner of speaking like that of a seasoned samurai. "My name is Kiyono Raimei."

Kiyono Raimei... Fox Palace vaguely remembered this name.

She remembered; the mortal attendant Ying had recently recruited was named 'Kiyono Raimu'.

"Hello. Our place is called Fox Abode Palace."

Fox Palace twitched its fox ears and mouthed, "Go for it."

—This was their first meeting.

...

Despite the encouragement from Fox Palace, the boy named Kiyono Raimei ultimately lost.

They were half a body length behind.

Great Tengu is, after all, Great Tengu, the current patriarch of the Shadow Tengu clan, while Kiyono Raimei is just a boy.

That Tengu seemed to be in a very good mood, and he patted Kiyono Raimei on the shoulder with great pleasure.

Lily is really happy.

The joy of meeting a worthy opponent.

Few people could put this much pressure on him, and besides, Kiyono was just a young boy who would eventually surpass him in time. As for the possibility of being surpassed, Tsubaki Yuri was neither worried nor afraid; he only felt a burning and intense joy.

"What's your name?" he asked happily. "Ah, my name is Lily."

"My name is Kiyono Raimei. I am the Shadow's bodyguard."

Kiyono took a deep breath, quickly regulated his breathing, and replied with a smile.

"What do you mean, 'I'?" Ti Baihe laughed freely, took out a gourd of wine from her waist, and put it in Qingye's mouth. "Here, have a sip to quench your thirst."

“I…” Qingye paused, then changed his words and shook his head, “I don’t drink.”

Back then, Kiyono Raimei was a model student who neither smoked nor drank.

"Hooho."

As they were still talking, a haughty and aloof voice suddenly came from behind them.

"We want to drink."

She was a girl from the demon race.

Her long, pale purple hair fell to her ankles, and her face was as clear and white as snow. But from her smooth, fair neck down, her skin gradually changed color. Her feet and soft hands were the color of red cherry blossoms, and she had a pair of pale pink demon horns.

She took the gourd of wine from Qingye's hand, raised her snow-white neck, and let the clear, cool wine pour down from the gourd, some overflowing from the corners of her mouth and flowing down her graceful neck, covered by sunlight.

"Our name is Mikoto Chiyo."

The demon girl put down her sake jug, raised her head, and smiled as she looked at Kiyono Raimei. "You can also call me Chiyo."

"Hello, my name is Kiyono Raimei." Kiyono Raimei nodded to her.

"We've heard you're the strongest samurai in the Imperial Tournament," said Mikoto Chiyo, tilting her head with her long, dyed hair falling to one side, "and you even withstood Kage's attack?"

"That's it."

"That's wonderful." Chiyo smiled gently, revealing half of her small, white canine tooth. "I am also a samurai."

Kiyono Raimei noticed that the noble girl was carrying a slender katana.

"May I have a chance to spar with you sometime in the future?" She was a martial arts fanatic. Under the dappled sunlight and amidst the vibrant cherry blossoms, the noble young woman earnestly said, "I want to watch your sword dance."

“Of course,” Kiyono Raimei said with a smile. “That would be even better.”

Because he's also a martial arts fanatic.

Shadow's friends are truly interesting people. Whether they are demons or tengu, they are much more interesting than the rumors suggest. One likes running, and the other is a martial arts fanatic. He really likes these pure guys.

Fox Palace watched helplessly as his two friends surrounded the mortal, the three of them looking quite pleased with each other.

It's impossible for us to become a couple.

These idiots.

"Oh, right." Kiyono Raimei suddenly stepped out from beside the two, the boy's gaze fixed on the shrine maiden, and he asked earnestly, "May I ask what your name is?"

It's a fox.

He stared at the fluffy white tail behind Miss Fox Palace.

There's also a greedy little fox in my own home.

"...Fox Palace." Fox Palace tilted its head, answering lazily and somewhat perfunctorily.

We need to find a way to avoid this overly familiar guy.

She blinked her fox-like eyes, then suddenly seemed to remember something. Holding the wine gourd with her fair little finger, she said indifferently, "This Lady of the Palace doesn't like running or fighting. I like drinking. I hate guys who never drink."

“I won’t be friends with you,” she said slyly. “Because you don’t drink.”

On that day, amidst the tall trees, green leaves, and the hoarse chirping of cicadas, and the swaying cherry blossoms casting ripples of shadow, it was the day the three of them met.

What Fox Palace didn't know at the time was that Kiyono Raimei would become an alcoholic from then on.

What Fox Monk was unaware of at that time was that decades later, the boy had become a general of the State, and every early summer when the cicadas chirped, he would prepare a whole pot of plum wine and get drunk alone under the most magnificent cherry blossom tree at Narukami Shrine.

"I have learned to drink, but where are my friends?" he murmured softly in his slightly tipsy state.

-

It brought back memories of the past...

Hana Sanri blinked and gently shook her head.

But she is not Fox Palace; she is merely a memory, a memory destined to die. When the Divine Cherry Blossom Purification is completed, she will dissipate along with the filth on Qing Nuoyan's body.

She understands this.

The summers of the past, like these scattered white cherry blossoms, have all drifted away. The scattered petals can never meet again, and the departed friends can never be reunited—that is why it is said that fate cannot be formed, lest it only increase loneliness.

But everyone is foolish and dull-witted; knowing they are lonely, they still insist on forming connections.

I'm thinking about the past again.

Lately, I've been reminiscing a lot about the past.

Perhaps it was because it was early summer. She watched intently as Qingnuoyan busied himself. The scattered afternoon sunlight shone obliquely through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the boy as he tiptoed, carefully picking blooming white cherry blossoms.

Each petal was carefully picked.

Cherry blossom wine, plum wine, and the like... the methods for making them should be similar to those for making osmanthus wine.

Fresh petals are collected, with fragrant double-petaled cherry blossoms being the best. The cherry blossoms, with their stems still attached, are rinsed, drained, and then placed in a container. Sugar and white wine are added, and the container is sealed for preservation and fermentation. The cherry blossoms are then transferred to a jar.

The sealing period varies from person to person, ranging from one to two months.

"What about your side?" Qing Nuoyan suddenly asked. "How much did you collect?"