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

Yingman wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys, brushing past many people, not knowing where she was going.

She just wanted to see the world that the Pillar of State had guarded for a hundred years.

Let's see how he lives.

Ironically, she had never seen this pure land before, which meant she had never visited the Pillar Kingdom.

It has been a hundred years since she came to the human world, and Inazuma is no longer the same as before.

If he were here, where would he take me?

Shadow doesn't know.

As she walked, she passed by the Zhuguo Mansion. The mansion remained quiet. Qingye Shaluo had mobilized all the servants in the mansion, and now only a huge pine tree remained in the empty, magnificent residence, its branches spreading across half of the courtyard.

Ying still remembers this tree; it was planted by her and Zhuguo a long time ago, and she never expected it to grow so big.

She glanced at the mansion and felt a tightness in her chest. She turned around and continued walking forward.

As they walked, they left Inazuma Castle.

Narukami Shrine stands on the opposite bank of Mount Kagemura, with the magnificent cherry blossoms filling the sky as you descend the steps.

There is a small village called Konta Village. Yellow-painted signs line both sides of the street, and colorful fish and dragon flags are also hung. When the sea breeze blows, the flags flutter and the fish and dragons seem to be swimming in the wind. The village is always very quiet, and red maple trees are planted at the entrance of the village.

At the deepest alleyway where the red maples grow, there is an abandoned little shop.

The yellow wooden plaque reads:

'Qing Ye Tofu'

Of course, it is now also known as "Pillar Country Tofu". It was here that Kiyono Raimei opened his shop when he was a teenager.

To commemorate this event, the locals preserved the shop, keeping its furnishings exactly as they were 500 years ago.

The shop is not big, only about five tatami mats in size, with just enough room for a few tables. It has an open kitchen where customers order at the counter and the chef prepares the food.

"He used to make tofu there. It was delicious, and he had a lot of customers. Even the shrine maidens from the temple frequented the place."

"In the summer, when there are too many people, he will set up an open-air stall and give away a few bottles of sake. Everyone will drink while enjoying the summer breeze, and it will be very lively."

The shadow remained silent.

Yae no Miko squatted on the steps of the tofu shop, resting her chin on her hand. "You've never eaten at his shop, have you? Back then you were still in the castle tower."

She stood up, patted the old lantern placed at the shop entrance, and announced:

Now, I can eat whatever I want.

That's it, the Kiyono Tofu Shop is closing down forever.

“I’ve never eaten it…” Ying said softly.

"So, have you found him?"

The divine child asked, "You went to sea just now."

"No."

Shadow Path.

“I told you, he’s the kind of person who can hide and no one can find him.” The Divine Child spoke as if he had expected this.

"...I'm the only one who didn't see him."

Shadow Path.

"What?" the divine child asked.

“You all said goodbye to him properly and saw him one last time, but I didn’t. I don’t even know what he looked like.”

As Ying spoke, though she tried her best to maintain a calm tone, there was still a slight tremor in her voice.

"It's just me."

After she finished speaking, she didn't want to watch anymore. What was the point of watching any more?

This only adds to the loneliness.

Shadow was about to return to the castle tower. She turned and walked towards Inazuma Castle. Before she had taken more than a few steps, she suddenly heard sparse sounds behind her, as well as the sound of fire being lit.

Yae no Miko rolled up her sleeves, revealing two smooth forearms. She used a flint to light the old lantern placed at the entrance and hung it under the signboard. Warm light once again descended upon this small shop that had been abandoned for hundreds of years.

Ying looked at her.

"The Kiyono Tofu Shop will never close," she announced.

The divine child, hands on hips and head held high, seemed to say with a smug air:

"I, Lord Tsukasa, am very skillful. I've eaten so much, can't I learn how to make tofu? Besides, with this tofu shop closed, Narukami Shrine has lost many tourists over the years, which won't do."

"Son of God...?"

"He promised, he would come back, he swore to me."

The prince looked up at the faded, old plaque, his eyes slightly red.

"So I'll wait for him here. When he comes back, I'll make him taste my 'fox tofu'. Whether it's a few years or a hundred years, I'll wait for him."

Miss Fox clapped her hands, and Osmanthus stepped into the dusty shop, announcing without turning her head, "Qingye Tofu Shop is open today!"

"May you have good fortune upon opening the door!"

Her back trembled slightly.

-

Shadow finally returned to the castle tower.

It was completely dark by then.

The empty castle tower was no different from any other day, still deathly silent and calm. Ivy climbed all over the ancient walls, and a dark and corrosive smell seeped in through the cold bricks. Having lived here for a hundred years, Kage had never had such a strange feeling. He found the tower to be terribly monotonous.

She found herself with nothing left to do.

For the past hundred years, she has done nothing but sit idly in the Pure Land of One Heart, and a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye, but now she cannot even hold on for a moment.

Yesterday, she was able to focus her mind on the dolls and devote herself to her work, always managing to avoid thinking about those messy things, like Kiyono Raimei. Sometimes, complete concentration is the best form of numbing.

Now that the doll's work has stopped, she stands alone in the empty hall, and that strange feeling begins to creep over her.

"Shadow, you are still conflicted. You have begun to doubt eternity."

The general said softly, "You can't think like that."

Ying couldn't understand what the general was trying to say; perhaps she really did have a problem.

The afterglow of the setting sun gathered around the tombs in the mountains. Shadow pushed open the palace door, passed through the torii gate, stepped over the pavilion, walked through the flower field full of hydrangeas, and wandered aimlessly until he somehow came to a side room.

"General." The dismissed servants returned to the castle tower. When they saw the esteemed Lord Narukami from afar, they all lowered their heads, wondering why the general had come to this kitchen.

"You may all leave now."

Shadow Path.

So they withdrew. This side room was quite large, similar to the 'kitchen' of the castle tower, with all kinds of ingredients, fully prepared, and the pool was filled with freshly caught seafood: squid, sardines, various crabs... There were also steamers. Five hundred years ago, it was here that Kiyono Raimei first made milk dumplings for her.

Ying gently shook her head.

These damned mortals.

The ghost lingers.

Even though I don't consciously think about him, he's everywhere.

She needed to calm down, she needed to quiet her mind. Ying thought of Yae again. The fox said she wanted to open a tofu shop, but Ying didn't quite understand her thoughts.

But for some reason, she felt a little envious.

Grilled sardines.

Maybe I can give it a try; it doesn't sound too difficult.

She was late making the doll, so maybe she can make this instead.

After a while.

Ying stared at the charred sardines, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite.

...

In the cold, dim attic, she said:

"It tastes awful."

"It tastes awful..." she sighed softly.

Ying leaned against the wall, her head bowed.

This was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

There's nothing she can do.

What kind of 'deity' is she...?

She couldn't save Kiyono Raimei's life, she didn't have time to make the doll, she couldn't find him on the vast sea... She didn't even know how to cook his favorite dish, and she couldn't even shed a single tear for Kiyono Raimei.

She forgot how to cry.

"Useless, so useless..." she murmured softly.

Everyone had seen him, except himself.

Just then, the voices of visitors could be heard outside the castle tower.

It's Miss Kamisato, Ayaka Kamisato breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty Narukami, the Pillar of the State has a letter... which he entrusted me to deliver to you."

Volume 1: Chapter 32 The Unbreakable Zero-Three Seconds

This letter has been written for some time now.

It was given to Kiyono by Shinzato Ayaka when she visited Kiyono at the Pillar State's residence last time.