Genshin Impact: The Daily Life of Inazuma's Youkai

"Damn it, he's really researching!" Yae Miko fumed, yanking out a few tail hairs—a rare tantrum for the fox who cherished her tail's upkeep.

"I didn't do anything," Raiden Ei said, a touch guilty, though her acting hid it well. No one noticed.

"Yurei's useless," Yae Miko muttered, mourning her messy tail, already planning extra grooming.

"Hand over the goods!" Torachiyo, thrilled to see Yae Miko lose, urged her to surrender the bet's trinkets. Yae Miko grudgingly passed them to Torachiyo, who handed them to Ei.

"Hmm?" Ei let out a soft sound as she took them.

"What's wrong?" Torachiyo asked, worried she'd bumped Ei.

"Nothing, just a thought about clone techniques," Ei said.

Makoto suddenly stretched Ei's face. "Stop spacing out, or I'll get mad!"

"Sorry, won't happen again," Ei said meekly, surprising Makoto. Is this my science-obsessed Ei?

"Something's fishy," Yae Miko and Makoto exchanged glances.

…

What startled Ei was Reisen Riou. While absorbing her transmitted math knowledge, he'd somehow fused it with clone techniques, creating a new temporary clone skill. Based on Ei's fleeting Bubble Shadow clone art, he named it the Bubble Shadow Retention Technique, integrable with his Streaming Light Archery for escapes.

When used together, over ten shadow clones appeared. Lacking soul fragments—unlike standard clones sustained by spiritual essence—they relied on mathematical logic, making them rigid. This was their strength: no soul loss. Even Ei, a demon god, avoided combat clones due to soul fragment risks if destroyed, unlike Makoto's recyclable administrative clones.

The Bubble Shadow Retention Technique was a prototype, its ingenuity notable despite Reisen Riou's limited math and elemental control. For Ei, math and elemental mastery were trivial, sparking her surprise.

Unaware, Reisen Riou refined the technique, struggling with its rigid logic and his weak elemental control. Undeterred, Teyvat's great inventor got creative.

He used Geo and Electro elements to craft temporary computers within clones, boosting their processing power. Though short-lived, it suited the fleeting clones perfectly.

"Time to test it," he said.

He positioned Amemuki Uji and Yuyame Tarou south and north of the signal transmitter. Standing atop it, Reisen Riou activated the Bubble Shadow Retention Technique. Shadows streaked as light in all directions, then returned, expressionless, before his enforcers.

One clone spoke, "Can you spot any differences?"

"My lord, our shallow insight can't tell," Amemuki and Yuyame bowed.

Another clone stepped forward. "Guess you really can't." With a wave, the others dissolved like bubbles.

"Think carefully—any differences?" Reisen Riou urged. "Speak freely; I need feedback to improve."

Amemuki pondered. "I might be wrong, but one light stream seemed brighter."

"Interesting," Reisen Riou noted, glancing at the daytime sky. "We'll retry tonight. Tell your families, Amemuki."

Amemuki, from Hanami Board, agreed. Yuyame, from a rural family, stayed put. He'd lived in Shogunate barracks before, but with Yurei here, both enforcers returned to their old quarters. Yuyame, hating the barracks, lingered.

Reisen Riou let Yuyame roam and headed to his tiny fief's kitchen. The courtyard, dominated by the transmitter, left a parlor, bedroom, guest room, and kitchen—nothing else. He planned udon but lacked miso. With fresh soy sauce and meat, he settled for jajangmyeon and sliced meat.

Sipping sake, he studied math, his brain steaming. He finished the noodles but had plenty of meat left, eating until sunset.

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