Chapter Text
It was just after dawn that Yae Miko decided to take a stroll through the forest to get some peace and quiet so she could think. She had recently agreed to take some responsibility in the organization of an Art and Talent festival proposed by the Yashiro Commission aimed at bringing in musicians, dancers, poets, and artists from all over Teyvat, which is now only possible due to the repeal of the Sakoku Decree. Miko wasn’t intimidated by her responsibility, as she merely agreed to help search for and evaluate talent for the few spots available for Inazuman artists, but she needed some time away from the hustle and bustle of the publishing house and the Grand Narukami Shrine. Luckily for her, there were a few paths in the forest that only she knew about, so getting some space to think was never very difficult for her.
“Now, let me see”, Miko thought to herself, “Who should we put on stage for the show?”
The Shirisagi Himegimi, Ayaka, was the first person who came to Miko’s mind. She was a member of the leading family of the Yashiro commission, so she could represent the Shogunate, she was a skilled dancer and sword fighter who knew many of the dances and sword katas that were culturally important to Inazuma, and she would undoubtedly accept if approached by Miko with the offer, despite her shyness. While an excellent candidate, she was only one person, and one act to represent all of Inazuma was not enough.
Next, the Naganohara girl came to mind. Yoimiya was talented, passionate, and a friendly and bubbly young woman, and with her informal title of “Queen of the Summer Festival” she was an important cultural icon in her own right, at least to the locals of Inazuma. A small and specially crafted fireworks show would certainly be suitable given the event was meant to show Inazuma’s artistic culture. With Ayaka and Yoimiya, that was two potential spots filled
After some more thought as she walked through the forest, she thought of the Grand Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi. Kokomi knew dances of religious significance to the gods that Watatsumi Island worshiped, and now that the war was over and correspondence between herself and Kokomi was starting up again, she could always at least suggest it. Saving a spot or two for Watatsumi island would be a good show of friendship between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate, and maybe Kokomi would know of another talent on Watatsumi Island she could recommend. That was, hopefully, three.
After these three, Miko was starting to have trouble thinking of more individuals she could approach. “Hmmm, maybe General Gorou?” Miko thought to herself. Gorou was the brain behind Miss Hina after all as well as a capable wordsmith, maybe he could write a poem or two and read them on stage. Miko could ask, but she knew better than to get her hopes up. Gorou would never willingly agree to take part in an event if he knew she was involved, and the person who could make him was Kokomi, but she was far too nice to make him go on stage if he felt uncomfortable.
“Ooooo, maybe that Oni, Itto?” Miko thought, while giggling to herself. Itto was famous, or infamous depending on your perspective, for painting crude caricatures of several high up shogunate officials, though mostly of Kujou Sara, and posting them all over the various islands. While it would be entertaining to have him draw caricatures on stage of prominent Inazuman officials, she thought she should at least consider a few other serious acts before turning to comedy.
“Let’s see… a sword fighter and dancer, a fireworks artist, and another dancer… no musicians or poets…” Miko thought to herself. “Maybe a singer? Who do I know who is a singer...”
After continuing her stroll for a few minutes, she realized she couldn’t think of a single prominent musician that had the right wow-factor and cultural significance she was looking for.
While it wasn’t meant to be a competition, she did want to find matches for the famous idols of the other nations, Barbara Pegg of Mondstadt, Yunjin of Liyue, and Nilou of Sumeru, to name a few.
Yae Miko could always get a shrine maiden chorus together and sing some Hymns with them, but she wanted a proper musical idol that she just couldn’t think of a person with the raw singing talent to fit that role. She was about to abandon the idea entirely and just settle for the shrine maiden chorus when she suddenly began to hear the voice of a young woman singing deeper into the forest.
Life blooms like a flower
Far away or by the road,
Waiting for the one
To find the way back home.
Rain falls a thousand times
No footprints of come-and-go,
You who once went by
Where will you belong?
“Who is that?” Miko thought to herself as she listened to the sound of a voice that sounded nothing less than angelic.
I feel your sigh and breath
In the last blow of wind,
Not yet for the story on the last page
It's not the end.
Yae Miko stood perfectly still as she listened to the voice trying to determine its exact location. After listening for a few seconds, she slowly and quietly walked in the only direction that seemed reasonable for the voice to be coming from.
Life blooms like a flower
Far away or by the road,
Waiting for the one
To find the way back home.
Time flows across the world
There is always a longer way to go,
'Til I reach your arms
A madder there for you.
“Almost there” Miko thought to herself as she approached the sound of the voice. With each line, she was becoming more and more impressed by the emotion the singer was expressing in her voice. In all her centuries of life, she had never heard someone sing like this.
Up against the stream
Waterways will join as one,
Tracing to the source
No more strayed or lost.
Miko had reached the source of the voice, and now realized the voice was also coming from above her. Miko scanned the trees above, before finally catching a glimpse of the young woman sitting on a branch, obscured by the leaves of the trees. She would have to find a clearing in the leaves before being able to properly see who it was.
You will see petals fly
When lament become carol,
Could you please hear my voice
That hungers for a duo?
Miko finally found a clearing as she stealthily moved below the woman singing in the tree, just as the song was reaching an emotional rising point. She was finally able to get a good look at the woman who had her eyes shut and was now holding her hands to her chest as she was preparing to crescendo the next lines of the song, but when Miko got a good look at who it was she couldn’t believe her eyes and she thought “No… No way… That angelic singing is coming from…
Kujou Sara?! ”
Life blooms like a flower
Far away or by the road,
Waiting for the one
To find the way back home.
Time flows across the world
There is always a longer way to go,
Till I reach your arms
A madder there for you.
Miko was dumbfounded. She would never have believed that someone as blunt and stone faced and with such a serious demeanor could be singing with so much emotion that it was about to move her to tears. Yae Miko’s disbelief was filling her thoughts. “This is unbelievable… this is… this is…
This is perfect”. Miko had found her idol.
Life blooms like a flower
Far away or by the road,
Waiting for the one
To find the way back home
Time flows across the world
There is always a longer way to go,
Till I reach your arms
A madder there for you.
Kujou Sara took a deep breath as the last lines of the song hung in the air, and opened her eyes.
“You never told me you could sing.” Yae Miko said, her voice pointed above her and at Sara, startling Sara so much she fell off of the branch she was perched upon. At the last moment, Sara managed to catch herself by wrapping her arms around and over the top of the tree branch, causing herself to be hanging from it.
“Who’s there? If you tell anyone what you saw and heard I’ll-” Sara said, as she gained enough hold on the branch to stop herself from falling and held her head up to look around for the source of the voice.
“Yoohoo, over here.” Interrupted Yae Miko, in a sing-songy voice. Sara looked over to the source of the voice, and her eyes filled with dread when she saw the person who caught her was Yae Miko, who was now playfully waving at her.
“ Oh no… not her… anyone but her ” Sara thought to herself. Not only was her secret found out, it was found out by the worst person imaginable.
“Hello Madame Kujou,” Yae Miko said, playfully smirking at Sara. “If I were you, I’d be prepared to be summoned to Tenshukaku. The Shogunate has a special job that needs to be done, and I just realized that you’re the perfect person to do it.”