A cross-dressing anime, starting with Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.

Lynn's gaze passed through the door and landed on Toudou Touka, who remained silent in the living room.

"You know this kind of place?"

Toudou Touka immediately stood up straight, waiting patiently.

She walked quickly to the door and bowed her head respectfully.

"Reporting to Master, there is an abandoned 'shrine' in the mountains on the western outskirts of Kyoto. According to records, it was once a place where ancient onmyoji (yin-yang masters) worshipped the gods. Because of its remote location and the legend that it is haunted by evil spirits, it has been deserted for many years."

“Very good, that’s the place.” Lynn made the decision. “Get ready, we’ll set off at dawn.”

"Yes."

Dongtang Daohua accepted the order and turned to prepare the vehicles and necessary supplies for the field.

Only Lynn and Frilian remained in the room.

As Lynn looked at the elf in front of him, who was carrying materials and preparing to sit back down to read, a thought suddenly popped into his head.

Why don't I try to build a relationship with Frilian? Then, when I go back, Frilian will be willing!

"You've worked so hard for so long, are you hungry?" Lynn suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of gentleness.

Frillie paused in her embrace, tilting her head and thinking seriously for a few seconds.

"It seems... there is a little bit."

"Wait."

Lynn turned and went into the kitchen.

Stella was startled by the sudden commotion. She looked up and saw Lynn walk into the kitchen she had only used on the first day. Then, she heard a series of clanging sounds coming from inside.

What is he doing?

Before long, an indescribable, rich aroma wafted out of the kitchen.

That wasn't the aroma of ordinary food; the smell seemed to possess a magical power that could directly awaken the deepest desire in a person's heart.

Stella's stomach gave a whine.

Lynn came out of the kitchen carrying a white porcelain plate.

On the plate were several pieces of sweet and sour pork, fried to a golden brown and crispy, with glistening honey glaze flowing over them, and garnished with a few brightly colored berries that looked like rubies.

"Try it."

Lynn handed the plate to Frilian.

Frilian sniffed lightly, and a rare glimmer of light appeared in her perpetually sleepy eyes.

She put down what she was holding, picked up the fork Lynn handed her, and carefully cut off a small piece.

The moment the steak entered her mouth, Frilian's eyes widened slightly.

The tender meat melts instantly on the tongue, and the rich meat juices, mixed with slightly sweet honey, explode with flavor.

Those few seemingly decorative berries release a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors the moment you chew them, perfectly neutralizing the greasiness of the pork chop and pushing the entire taste experience to a whole new level.

good to eat.

This is the only word that Freya can think of from her meager vocabulary.

She had lived for over a thousand years, ate the sacred spring fruit of the elves, and tasted the lava-roasted meat of the dwarves, but no food could bring her such pure and ultimate enjoyment.

She ate slowly but attentively, her small mouth constantly moving, like a hamster that had discovered a treasure.

She quickly devoured the entire plate of pork chops.

Lynn watched from the sidelines with a confident smile on her face.

To win a woman's heart, you must first win her stomach. This ancient proverb holds true in any world.

After finishing the last bite, Frilian looked up, her emerald green eyes filled with an unprecedented, pure sense of satisfaction.

She looked at Lynn and spoke very seriously and solemnly.

"You are a good person."

201. Corny Pickup Lines

Upon hearing Frilian's words, Lynn's smile froze for a moment.

Good...good person?

A "friend zone" card?

Thank you for your hospitality.

After Freya finished speaking, she wiped her mouth, then picked up the heavy magic book and the two materials again, sat back down at her desk, and continued to bury herself in her studies.

As for the dish that was enough to drive any gourmet crazy, it was just an ordinary meal for her.

Lynn stood there, watching her focused back, feeling as if his carefully prepared cannonball had hit a cotton ball.

The emotional connection hasn't even been established yet! And it's already over?

All of this was observed by Stella from afar.

She watched as the elf finished eating and then calmly went back to reading.

Then she looked at Lynn's unusually surprised face.

A strange emotion suddenly welled up in Stella's heart.

She actually... wanted to laugh a little.

...

The mountain roads in the western suburbs are rugged and difficult to travel.

Toudou Touka drove a modified off-road vehicle smoothly through the dense forest.

In the rearview mirror, she could see the elf girl in the back seat, engrossed in reading a magic book.

And the man sitting in the passenger seat, eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

About an hour later, the car stopped in front of a torii gate that had been eroded by time and was now just a silhouette.

"Master, we've arrived."

Toudou Touka extinguished the fire.

Lynn opened her eyes, pushed open the door, and got out of the car.

The air was filled with the damp scent of grass and trees, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible aroma similar to sandalwood.

All around was silent, except for the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

As Todoka said, the earth's energy here is unusually active, so much so that even Lynn, who has no magic, can feel a chilling sensation throughout his body.

Lynn suddenly thought of the story of tomb raiding.

If tomb raiders saw this place, they would probably think it was a suitable burial site.

Frillie got out of the car and looked around. "It's a nice place~".

"This is a perfect place to hold a ceremony."

Carrying the materials, she took small steps and walked straight into the depths of the shrine.

Lynn followed behind, while Stella and Toudou Touka trailed far behind.

After passing through the collapsed path and around the moss-covered stone lanterns, they arrived at a relatively open space.

This appears to be the site of the main shrine, with only a few decaying pillars and a half-collapsed altar remaining.

Frilian placed what she was holding on the altar, and then took out a whole bunch of strange and unusual items from her suitcase.

There was starlight-emitting powder, liquid sealed in a crystal bottle, and a scroll made of an unknown animal hide.

She placed the Soul Steel Blunt Blade flat in the center of the altar.

Then, she activated the now pitch-black soul-capturing device and, using a special technique, guided the imprisoned resentment energy, slowly injecting it into the Soul Steel Dull Blade.

hum-

The dull, dark blade emitted a faint hum the moment it came into contact with the energy of resentment. Blood-red, vein-like lines appeared on the blade.

An aura of violence, resentment, and malice emanated from the blade.

“Soul steel is the best soul conductor. It will absorb this obsession and become the ‘key’ to awakening.” Frilly explained as she operated the device. Her movements were skilled and precise, like a scientist conducting a precise experiment.

Next, she began to use the stardust to draw an incredibly complex three-dimensional magic circle around the altar.

Her fingers traced silver trails in the air, and countless mysterious runes appeared out of thin air, then imprinted on the ground and in the air according to a certain pattern.

The entire process was filled with a mysterious and solemn beauty.

Lynn watched from the side without interrupting. He knew this was not the time for jokes.

But waiting is boring.

His gaze swept around the surroundings.

The shrine is built halfway up the mountain, offering excellent views. From this vantage point, you can overlook the entire night view of Kyoto.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the city below the mountain had transformed into a dazzling sea of ​​stars, shining brightly alongside the stars in the sky.

The evening breeze was cool, and the moonlight was like water.

The atmosphere was just right.

Lynn walked up to Frilian and, in a brief moment while she was focused on drawing the magic circle, slowly spoke in what he considered to be his most magnetic voice.

“Look at the myriad lights below the mountain. Each one represents a story, a life. They burn and go out, just like life, short but brilliant.”

He paused, turned his head, and looked at Frilian's profile, which was shrouded in moonlight and resembled a doll.

"But even all of them combined are not as bright as the starlight in your eyes."

A set of standard, even somewhat cheesy, corny pickup lines.

however……

Frilian stopped what she was doing.

She turned her head, her emerald green eyes looking at Lynn with confusion.

She didn't blush, wasn't shy, and didn't even show the slightest emotional fluctuation.

She simply tilted her head and analyzed very seriously: "Your chanting just now, with its 'smug and fabricated' techniques, was an attempt to influence my mental fluctuations through the resonance of language."

"However, your vocal technique is incorrect. There is a lack of connection between at least three magic frequencies between syllable transitions, resulting in a very unstable chanting structure."

She extended a slender, white finger and touched her eye.

"Therefore, it cannot affect me in any way. Moreover, the metaphor of 'starlight' is inappropriate. The brightness of my eyes comes from the magic's natural affinity for the element of light, which is different from that of stars."

Lynn: "..."

He felt that his brain had crashed for a moment.

He had a series of backup plans prepared, such as "If I were that light, I would hope to shine only for you."

All the notions of "My world was black and white until I met you in color" were choked off by this hardcore academic analysis.

That day, we were so bored we deleted everything.

202. This process may be a little painful.

"Is this a new spell?" Frilian asked curiously. "What's the effect? ​​Hypnosis? Or psychotherapy?"

“…It’s a sleeping spell,” Lynn squeezed out from between his teeth, “It makes people sleep better.”

“Oh.” Frilian nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. “It sounds like a very useful spell. However, your proficiency is too low; you need to practice more.”

After saying that, she turned around and continued to draw her complex magic circle, muttering incantations as she analyzed it.

"Using 'light' to symbolize life and 'starlight' to symbolize the eyes—this approach of constructing spell logic through conceptual substitution is quite interesting. If it could be reconstructed using Higher Elven languages, perhaps a new type of illusion magic could be developed..."

Lynn stood there, facing the mountain wind, feeling a little disheveled.

For the first time, he began to seriously doubt his own seemingly invincible "charm".

Meanwhile, Stella, hiding behind the dilapidated torii gate, saw everything clearly.