Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

But soon, a complex mix of smugness and guilt welled up inside him. He felt absurd about being watched, smug about receiving countless envious and jealous glances, and guilty because he knew he and Frilian weren't in that kind of relationship now.

However, seeing the envious looks in the eyes of those otaku, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction, even though this satisfaction was built on a beach where his secret could be exposed at any moment.

Frillie seemed oblivious to the stares around her, or perhaps simply didn't care. Her attention was drawn to the brightly lit claw machines outside an arcade by the roadside. They were filled with all sorts of fluffy plush toys, from common pandas and rabbits to chibi characters from popular anime.

"Want that?" Lu Mingfei followed her gaze and pointed to a blue seal plush toy that looked particularly soft and had a starry sky pattern.

Frillie didn't say she wanted it, but she didn't look away either.

Lu Mingfei immediately perked up, took out a few coins. "Watch me!" he said, rolling up his sleeves, inserting the coins and manipulating the joystick.

However, his ideal was far from reality. He tried five times in a row, but either his claws failed to hold on properly or he cunningly let go in mid-air, causing the doll to fall back to its original position.

"Uh, there's definitely something wrong with this machine!" Lu Mingfei said, a little embarrassed.

Frillie watched quietly, then reached out and gently pressed her hand against the glass cover above the coin slot, a faint, almost invisible stream of magical light flashing from her fingertip.

"Try again."

Lu Mingfei tossed in another coin, still somewhat skeptical. This time, as he controlled the claw to drop it, the mechanical claw seemed exceptionally stable. It precisely gripped the Starry Sky Seal's head, then steadily lifted it, moved it to the delivery port, and released it cleanly.

"It's a success!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed in delight as he took out the doll and handed it to Frilian. Frilian took it, stroked the seal's soft fur, and gently squeezed the doll's paws.

Next, they tried several different machines. Under the suspected magical influence of Frilian's secret assistance, Lu Mingfei was highly suspicious, but without evidence, he was almost always right. Before long, he was carrying several large and small spoils, which drew envious exclamations from several high school students who had been searching for a long time without any luck.

Leaving the arcade, they passed a summer festival-themed stall offering goldfish scooping. The paper nets were fragile, and the goldfish were slippery, making it a challenging game. Lu Mingfei wanted to try his luck, but Frilian paid first and picked up a paper net.

She squatted by the pond, her wrist incredibly steady. The paper net slid into the water swiftly and gently, at tricky angles, scooping up lively goldfish one by one at the perfect moment and placing them into the small basin beside her, yet the net showed almost no signs of tearing. Her movements were fluid and graceful, not like playing a game, but like conducting a fishing operation.

The owner, a middle-aged man, was initially all smiles, but as more and more goldfish filled the basin, his smile gradually froze, and his face began to turn green. This wasn't someone coming to play anymore; this was someone coming to cause trouble! At this rate, he was probably going to scoop out almost half of his goldfish!

Chapter 383 The Witch's Divination

Seeing the boss's almost tearful expression, and then looking at the densely packed goldfish in the basin, Lu Mingfei quickly tugged at Frilian's sleeve: "That's enough, Frilian, if you keep catching them, the boss will go bankrupt."

Frillie then stopped, looked at the goldfish in the bowl, and then at the boss.

Lu Mingfei understood and said to the shopkeeper, "Well, we can't take all of them with us. We'll keep the two smallest ones as souvenirs and return the rest to you, okay?" He pointed to the largest and prettiest ones in the basin, "We don't want these."

The boss, feeling like he'd been granted a pardon, nodded repeatedly and practically snatched the basin of water, leaving only two small, red and white goldfish in a transparent plastic bag, which he handed to Frillie. He also gave her two small fish-shaped keychains as a thank you gift.

Feeling a bit tired from walking around, Lu Mingfei spotted a small shop by the roadside with a sign that read "Mysterious Witch Fortune Telling." The shop window displayed crystal balls, tarot cards, and dried flowers, giving it a mysterious look.

"How about we give it a try? Just to experience the local culture?" Lu Mingfei suggested, mainly because he himself was a little curious.

Frillie nodded indifferently.

The shop was dimly lit, and the scent of incense was somewhat cloying. A witch dressed in a deep purple dress and wearing an extravagant headdress greeted them and invited them to sit at a small round table covered with a velvet tablecloth, in front of which sat a huge crystal ball.

The witch closed her eyes solemnly, hovered her hands above the crystal ball, and muttered incantations. After a while, she opened her eyes and stared at the crystal ball.

"Oh~ I see it, the ripples of the water, the deep blue. The connection between the two of you is related to deep water, what a wonderful combination. Seemingly ordinary, yet hiding unknown brilliance and potential, the other is like tranquil moonlight, arriving from the long passage of time, mysterious and powerful. Together, you can balance each other and overcome the difficulties and obstacles ahead. Hmm, you are a good match."

Lu Mingfei's lips twitched slightly as he listened, especially the last sentence, "they are a perfect match," which made his ears burn. He quickly took out 500 yen and placed it on the table, then pulled Frillie up, saying, "Thank you, we understand."

Stepping out of the store and bathed in the bright Akihabara sunlight once again, Lu Mingfei finally breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "What is this? It feels like anyone can do this job, as long as they talk nonsense and use vague vocabulary."

He glanced at Frillie stealthily and found that she remained as indifferent as ever, showing no reaction to the divination, and he wondered if she had even heard the word "perfect match".

Unlike Lu Mingfei and Frilian's leisurely stroll, Chu Zihang's shopping itinerary was as precise as a military operation. He held his phone, the screen displaying three clear targets: Kansai iron teapot (Susie), specific wagashi (Susie), and rare shoujo manga (Xia Mi). Time was limited; he needed to be efficient.

The first stop was Gyokurodo, a highly-regarded traditional teaware shop near Nihonbashi. The shop had an antique charm, and inside, the aroma of aged wood and tea filled the air. Chu Zihang pushed open the door, his gaze quickly locking onto the various iron kettles on the display shelves. His Japanese was limited to the most basic vocabulary; the specialized terminology for iron kettles was beyond his grasp.

A middle-aged female shop assistant, dressed in a kimono and possessing a gentle demeanor, approached and greeted him with a smile in Japanese. Chu Zihang paused for a second, then said in English, "Iron kettle, Kansai style, handmade." At the same time, he turned his phone screen towards the shop assistant, displaying several reference pictures sent by Susie.

The saleswoman understood the keywords and the pictures, but her English wasn't good enough for detailed communication. She gestured, trying to explain the differences between the various teapot shapes and their craftsmanship. Chu Zihang frowned slightly, and the communication reached a brief impasse.

From a corner of the shop came a voice speaking Chinese with a northern accent: "Is this customer looking for an iron kettle? Let me translate for you."

A young man who looked like an international student walked over, smiled at Chu Zihang, and said in Chinese, "Hello, I work here. Do you need any help?" He had a name tag pinned to his chest with his Chinese name "Li Hao" on it.

Chu Zihang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Thank you. I need a high-quality Kansai handmade iron kettle, suitable for daily boiling of water. The kettle body should not be too fancy, and the craftsmanship should be solid."

Li Hao immediately translated for the female shop assistant, and then relayed in detail to Chu Zihang the different teapot shapes, materials (pig iron, sand iron), craft characteristics (the differences between Nanbu ironware and Kyoto iron bottles), and the styles of several artisans' works.

Chu Zihang listened very attentively, occasionally asking one or two key questions: "Is the spout of this teapot pouring water smoothly? How well does the lid seal? What precautions should be taken for long-term use and maintenance?"

With Li Hao's assistance, Chu Zihang finally selected a sand-iron kettle with a simple, antique design, fine texture, and a body engraved with minimalist pine patterns. It was expensive, but he paid for it by card without even blinking.

While helping with the packaging, Li Hao asked curiously, "Dude, you're so young, you're into tea ceremony? This teapot isn't cheap."

Chu Zihang carefully took the packaged teapot box and replied briefly, "It's a gift. She likes to study these things."

But Li Hao understood, and smiled knowingly, without asking any further questions.

The second stop was the wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop, Tsuruya. This time they were even luckier; a girl who looked like a Chinese exchange student was right behind the counter. Chu Zihang showed her the list of pictures Susie had sent, and the girl smiled after a glance: "It's Hagi no Tsuki, Hane, and Monaka! These are very famous in our shop, and many Chinese tourists like to buy them. How many do you want?"

"Two of each, packaged separately, thank you," Chu Zihang said succinctly. The girl quickly packed the items into boxes, placed them in elegant paper bags printed with the shop's logo, and even explained the storage methods and optimal consumption time in Chinese. Chu Zihang nodded his thanks, paid, and left; the whole process took less than ten minutes.

The third stop was Genmudo, a hidden secondhand manga bookstore in Akihabara. The store was piled high with books, and the lighting was somewhat dim. The owner was an elderly gentleman with thick glasses and gray hair, who was organizing the books behind the counter.

Chu Zihang walked over and directly showed Xia Mi's long list, which included many rare book titles, on his phone. He asked in English mixed with a few Japanese book titles, "Do you have these?"

The old man adjusted his glasses, examined the screen carefully, frowned, and muttered a few words in Japanese; he needed to recall some of the book titles. He gestured for Chu Zihang to wait a moment, then began searching on the computer before turning and rummaging through the more crowded warehouse at the back.

While waiting, a Chinese guy browsing for books in the store came over, glanced at the list on Chu Zihang's phone, and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Bro, your list is pretty hardcore! 'Star Prism' has been out of print for ages, and I remember only the first edition of 'Moonlight Miracle' had a bonus. Did you find these for your girlfriend too?"

Chu Zihang glanced at him, not denying that he was helping someone find them, but asked, "Do you know where else you might be able to find these missing books?"

The boy kindly said, "I'll ask the shop owner for you."

He spoke good Japanese and took the initiative to help Chu Zihang communicate with the old man. With the efforts of the old man and this man, they managed to find 80% of the comics on the list from the depths of the warehouse and various scraps, with only two books completely missing.

"I guess I'll have to try my luck at more professional auction websites or secondhand stores, and even then, they might not have them," the boy said regretfully.

Chapter 384 The Wealthy Caesar

Looking at the several large bags of comics that were quite heavy, Chu Zihang thanked the boy and the old man sincerely, paid for them, and bought a few more sturdy bookstore-specific cloth bags to carefully pack and tie up the comics for easy carrying.

He walked out of the Dream Hall carrying a teapot, fruit, and a heavy bag of comics, less than two hours after he set off. All his goals had been achieved with remarkable efficiency, thanks in no small part to the assistance of several enthusiastic Chinese compatriots.

Chu Zihang checked the time, then turned to the next rendezvous point with a blank expression, wondering if he still had time to go back to Genji Heavy Industries to review the operation manual.

Unlike Chu Zihang's clear goals and Lu Mingfei's leisurely stroll, Caesar's shopping was more of a combination of inspection and bulk purchasing. He didn't have a specific list, only a vague idea of ​​distributing benefits to the student council, and the principle of buying whatever looked good.

Caesar entered the flagship store of GAME MAX, the largest and most comprehensive video game chain store in Akihabara. The store was bustling with people, and the colorful game posters, dazzling lights, and sound effects from the demo area created a noisy sea.

Caesar, dressed in a well-tailored casual suit, with dazzling blond hair, a handsome face, and an outstanding height, stood out like a crane among chickens as soon as he entered the room, attracting a lot of attention, especially from young women.

He walked straight to the display area for the latest game consoles, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of PS5, Xbox Series X, and the latest Switch OLED models and their accompanying popular games. A middle-aged man in a store uniform, who looked like the store manager, immediately jogged over to greet him respectfully in Japanese; he could tell this customer was no ordinary person.

Caesar's Japanese was limited to basic social interactions and commands, so he switched directly to fluent English, speaking at a steady pace: "The latest PlayStation. Also, here on display are Final Fantasy VII, Dragon's Dogma 1, and Rise of Ronin—yes, those are the top ten games on the popularity charts, one copy of each."

He casually pointed to the best-selling display shelf next to him.

The store manager, trying his best to understand while bowing and scraping, immediately instructed the staff to prepare. However, he quickly realized the communication might not be precise enough, especially regarding quantities. Just as he was anxiously looking for a translator, a clear female voice came from beside him, speaking in slightly nervous but quite good English: "Sir, are you looking for these items? Would you like me to translate?"

Caesar turned his head and saw two Japanese girls standing not far away, walking together. One of them, with short hair and stylish clothes, was blushing and looking at him with bright eyes, holding a cell phone in her hand. It was she who had just spoken. Her companion covered her mouth and chuckled, giving her a nudge.

"Yes, thank you for your trouble," Caesar nodded politely to her, his expression calm.

The girl immediately stepped forward excitedly and fluently translated Caesar's request to the store manager, adding many details such as confirming the controller color and whether the game should be a limited edition. With her assistance, the store manager quickly understood that this was a big order.

"Also," Caesar and the other store managers noted down, and continued speaking in English, with the girl immediately translating, "I need fifty sets of the same console and game combo you just mentioned, with the same configuration."

"Fifty, fifty sets?!" The store manager and the girl helping with the translation exclaimed simultaneously, drawing shocked glances from the surrounding staff and customers who could vaguely hear the exclamation. Buying fifty sets of the latest top-of-the-line gaming consoles and popular games in one go—that's practically wholesaler-level purchasing!

“Yes, fifty sets,” Caesar confirmed, his tone as flat as if he were asking for fifty bottles of mineral water. “Pack them up, I need to arrange shipping.”

He gestured to a man in a black suit who was following him closely not far behind; he was either an attendant or a bodyguard. The man immediately stepped forward and discussed the specific logistics and payment matters with the store manager.

Taking advantage of the break, the short-haired girl who had volunteered to help translate took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and handed her phone to Caesar. The screen displayed a Line friend request QR code.

Her cheeks flushed, but she boldly looked directly at Caesar and said in somewhat stuttering but clearly articulated English, "Mr. Caesar? I'm Yuko, a student at Waseda University. It's a pleasure to help you today! Could we exchange contact information? If you need any help in Tokyo in the future, or if you'd like to learn more about fun places to visit, I'm happy to assist you."

Her intentions were clear, and several young boys around her were already casting envious and sour glances. Caesar's blond hair and handsome appearance, coupled with his astonishing spending power, held a fatal attraction for the naive girls.

Caesar glanced at the phone handed to him, then at the girl's expectant face, and gave her an impeccable, gentle yet distinctly distant smile.

He didn't scan the QR code. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Yuko. However, I already have a girlfriend. She's a very beautiful and lovely person."

Yuko's blush faded slightly, and a hint of obvious disappointment flashed across her face, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger curiosity and resentment.

She put her phone away, but didn't give up. Instead, she straightened her back and said to herself and Caesar's back in a low but firm voice in Japanese, "So what if he has a girlfriend? Someone as outstanding as him has to fight for opportunities! I won't give up!" As she watched Caesar's tall figure walk towards the counter to pay, a flame of fighting spirit ignited in her eyes.

The process at the high-end porcelain shop, Korando, in Ginza was much the same. With the help of a Chinese-speaking shop assistant, Caesar selected 50 sets of Arita ware tea utensils and tableware, featuring a simple and modern style suitable for young people, along with some exquisite ceramic ornaments.

Both orders were large and caused a small sensation. Both female customers and shop assistants passing by tried to strike up conversations with him, but Caesar politely and clearly declined them all, citing that he already had a girlfriend. However, the natural tone he used when mentioning his girlfriend, as if he were talking about something wonderful, made the naive girls even more eager to chat.

Caesar swiped his card for two huge orders without batting an eye. The delivery truck he had called was already waiting outside the store. For Caesar, this was just routine shopping, the student council president's duty, and part of the Gattuso family's lifestyle.

As for the admiration, amazement, and secret resolve he garnered along the way, they were merely insignificant and doomed interludes in this shopping spree. His thoughts had already largely flown back to Kassel College, to the beautiful and lovely person who might be reading in the library or awkwardly practicing her dance.

The remaining small portion fell into the deep, cold abyss of tomorrow.

Chapter 385 Ancient Sword

As night deepened, twilight slowly painted Tokyo's skyline. The neon lights lining the long streets received a silent command, lighting up one after another from east to west, creating a dazzling sea of ​​light. The city, clean and fast-paced by day, quietly transformed in the night, shedding its sporty freshness and becoming a seductive, alluring woman amidst the glitz and glamour.

The rooftop terrace of the Shinshin-ji Temple at Genji Heavy Industries has taken on a different look. Heavy tatami mats cover most of the terrace, and a long table in the center, crafted from precious wood, is hosting an exquisite Japanese feast.

A massive, 200-kilogram deep-sea bluefin tuna lay across the center of the long table. Its body shimmered like silk, reflecting the deep blue and silvery-gray hues unique to deep-sea creatures under specially angled spotlights.

Dressed in a pristine white chef's uniform, the head chef, with a solemn expression as if performing a ritual, wielded a gleaming, gleaming honyō-knife, his wrist moving steadily. With a swift stroke, the fish's belly split open, revealing the flesh inside—a marbled texture, its fat distributed like snowflakes—its enticing color and sheen captivating all eyes.

Surrounding this colossal King Fish are a variety of meticulously plated dishes, each a work of art: teriyaki pufferfish, with its alluring caramel sheen and subtly sweet, bold aroma, exudes a captivating charm. The charcoal-grilled capelin is small and plump, its roe bursting in the mouth with the sweetness of the ocean. The botan shrimp sashimi is crystal clear, its flesh sweet and springy. And then there's the blue lobster sashimi, flown in from France, its flesh displaying a unique jewel-like blue hue—a truly luxurious offering.

In a crystal-clear sake pot, the rich and fragrant top-grade sake is chilled, its aroma mingling with the delicious scent of food, filling the cool night breeze of Kōjin-ji Temple.

Tonight, the family's head chef is personally preparing the sashimi. This elderly gentleman once served the Imperial Family and his exquisite sashimi skills have repeatedly impressed envoys from various countries at important state banquets. His disciples are found in the Japanese kitchens of major hotels throughout Tokyo.

To entertain the distinguished guests of the headquarters, he specially came out of retirement, taking the imagery of life as brilliant as summer flowers from Tagore's "Stray Birds," and presented the most magnificent, most beautiful, and most pursuit of the ultimate moment in Japanese cuisine on this table without reservation.

The thickness and angle of each slice of sashimi, the touch of sauce, and even the color matching between the tableware and the food all embody profound skill and a poetic pursuit.

However, to Genji, who was sitting upright at one side of the long table, the dazzling dishes in front of him, which resembled summer flowers, seemed rather like a flirtatious gesture meant for the blind.

Across the table were four headquarters specialists. Lu Mingfei showed little interest in the food, focusing instead on showing Frillie, who was quietly enjoying her meal, the starry seal plush toy he'd picked up, describing the owner's green face when they were scooping up goldfish. Caesar and Chu Zihang were discussing in hushed tones how to allocate and transport the 50 game consoles and porcelain, as well as the student council's internal competition format for the games. Although Chu Zihang was more silent, his attention was clearly not entirely on the food either.

They were completely absorbed in the daytime shopping and leisurely strolls and their plans for the aftermath, showing no interest in appreciating the chef's painstaking efforts in creating the artistic conception of "life is like summer flowers," or in the possible stories and craftsmanship behind each dish.

As Yuan Zhisheng listened to the trivial discussions about games, dolls, and the transportation of porcelain, he felt out of place with the solemn and magnificent feast before him. He felt frustrated and a sense of powerlessness, like talking to a brick wall, arose in his heart.