Lin Luo had transformed into a panda at great cost, only to discover that Fuyuhana Yuzuki possessed an "answer" - the archetype of tsundere. He considered it a favorable trade-off; after all, when a woman behaved tsundere toward you, it meant she already held your attention in high regard. Take Yuzuki herself for example - brash yet affectionate... Wait, had she ever even shown the "re" part? Well, while her current demeanor only manifested the "tsun," that didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't develop into a full-fledged tsundere if Lin Luo could complete his pursuit. And what did he know about pursuing tsunderes? As simple as drinking water once you understood their preferences.

Speaking of which, what were Yuzuki's actual preferences?

Lin Luo pondered this question and realized the difficulty lay in how little he knew about Fuyuhana Yuzuki beyond her habit of admiring flowers alone. She was a proud big demon who maintained distance from others - never cracking jokes, rarely engaging socially - yet he still lacked crucial elements for pursuit... Oh wait! He also knew she had few friends.

Among the known information, Yuzuki's circle included Shinku and Metallia, with perhaps another connection to Lili through her masochistic tendencies. At most, maybe even Evangeline. But these women were unlikely sources of insight: Shinku's marriage fantasies were delusional, Metallia was just a child, and while Evangeline was scheming, understanding Fuyuhana Yuzuki would require something far more profound than their combined knowledge.

In fact, Lin Luo didn't expect much from them. He figured pursuing these women was even less promising than seeking out Sakuya... After all, wasn't there an old saying? Friends don't know you best - enemies do. And were Sakuya and Fuyuhana Yuzuki not technically enemies?

As he lost himself in thoughts stretching across the M8 nebula, Yuzuki's home came into view.

Where exactly was Yuzuki's house located... and how to get there? That remained a secret, for a woman with secrets makes a good woman. Consider: Madame Hina's bust size secret, the Lady's undergarment preference mystery, whether Reimu is truly a boy or girl, Kaguya's daily frequency of... well. And of course Sakuya's age - as the Buddha would say: "Nay speak."

Anyway, though somewhat unexpected, Yuzuki's dwelling proved entirely consistent with her personality - in four simple words: A Kingdom of Flowers.

The house wasn't massive by any means; it wouldn't make Reimu proud either. But ivy climbed its walls and sunflowers towered around the structure, some exceeding roof height through Fuyuhana's abilities - never wilting, like daisies frozen mid-bloom.

Inside, though Lin Luo only observed the first floor, he could guess the second level wasn't much different: sparse furnishings at best, with half of them dedicated to flowers. This simplicity reflected Yuzuki's monotonous lifestyle, yet perhaps this very simplicity was why she achieved near-undefeatable status in Gensokyo. Consider Sakuya and Reimu - one always sleeping, the other perpetually absent-minded, neither seeking excitement or stimulation.

Contrast that with the Lady - richest woman in Gensokyo but rendered useless by excessive indulgence.

Enough said about that.

Under Yuzuki's guidance, Lin Luo arrived at her "flower house." After some casual discussion about her simple life, he suddenly noticed two unfamiliar figures upstairs and asked: "Why are those two here?"

Lin Luo realized his mistake - though small, the house could indeed accommodate several people. Evangeline and Lili were currently sharing a room there. He didn't need to see them directly; their familiar presence was unmistakable.

Evangeline's presence made sense given her two-year rivalry with Yuzuki. But Lili joining this new "fan club" surprised him... Triangle relationships could be dangerous.

Yuzuki, however, had no such thoughts in mind. She calmly explained: "We fought a battle in Thirteenth Heaven earlier, and everyone was exhausted. So we're resting here while reflecting on our victory through sleep. Please don't disturb them."

"Ah," Lin Luo nodded as if understanding something obvious, though he actually grasped little. But since it wasn't important, he chose to let it slide.

"Would you like something to drink?" Yuzuki invited him to sit and asked casually.

Lin Luo settled down and replied just as casually: "Milk."

"What?"

Realizing his mistake too late, Lin Luo quickly corrected himself: "Just a coffee would do."

Yuzuki frowned. Though she had no idea what "milk" was, her instincts told her it wasn't something good. She grabbed a pitcher from the cabinet and poured it into a cup with a thud onto the table in front of Lin Luo, snapping: "Drink flower dew!"

Had Yuzuki been more up-to-date on internet culture, she might have poisoned him outright instead of just offering flower water.

Lin Luo took a sip and immediately realized this wasn't the same "flower water" he used to soothe mosquito bites. It was genuine condensation collected from blossoms - simple but with an unusual purity that refreshed his spirit.

"Mouthwatering... has your flavor," Lin Luo complimented.

Yuz - who had already poured herself a cup and was about to drink it - suddenly froze at those words.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Seeing her hesitate, Lin Luo asked curiously.

"If this water tasted like me, would you drink it?" Yuzuki rolled her eyes.

Lin Luo blinked before realizing the implication. If this flower dew truly had his scent in it (which was essentially no different from drinking one's own bathwater), he wouldn't touch it either - and clearly Yuzuki felt similarly about... well, bathwater.

Quickly amending himself: "This water is great... has my flavor."

Yuzuki immediately set down her cup: "Fine then. I'll just throw away all the flower dew at home later."

"...," Lin Luo was speechless.

He had assumed Yuzuki merely hid her tsundere traits, but clearly she also concealed a sharp tongue. If not for this unexpected visit, he never would have discovered these... domestic attributes in her... For that matter, where had she learned to be so sarcastic? She was nearly as skilled as himself at it.

Noticing she truly wouldn't drink any more, Lin Luo decided against consuming the flower dew alone. When a suitable topic eluded him, however, he found another use for it: "By the way, how do you collect this water? If I'm not mistaken, isn't it morning dew from freshly opened blossoms?"

Yuzuki nodded indifferently, offering no more enthusiasm than necessary: "You're right. But it wasn't me who collected it."

"Then who?"

"Flower fairies."

"There are flower fairies?"

Hearing such a ridiculous question, Yuzuki glared at him with an exasperated tone mixed with irritation: "If there's lake and ice fairies, why not flower ones? Are you looking down on flowers?!"

Silenced by this sudden verbal barrage, Lin Luo felt today's Yuzuki had swallowed dynamite - her words carried explosive potential. But rationalizing it as typical tsundere behavior (she hadn't yet reached the "dere" stage), he decided a little more tolerance was warranted.

In his mind, she might have meant: "Aniki, flowers are actually very powerful! Very, very powerful! Don't look down on me~"

With this mental reassurance, Lin Luo sighed and smiled: "Of course I don't look down... just as you know my IQ has dropped significantly today."

"Why would your IQ drop? Ate brain-rot tablets?" Yuzuki asked sarcastically.

Lin Luo had already mentally prepared himself for automatic tsundere translations. Even when mocked like this, he simply laughed and said: "No brain-rot tablets - I just met you."

He wasn't lying; his IQ had indeed plummeted after seeing her today. But to Yuzuki's ears, these words sounded remarkably similar to those two-year-old confession, causing her cheeks to flush slightly before she turned away with a cold snort.

Though this "snort" lacked both chill and authority, it carried a note of girlishness - nine parts tsun remained, but that one part of dere represented progress. Lin Luo considered his mental translation successful.

However, Yuzuki's momentary softness was fleeting. She soon regained composure: "I keep over a thousand flower fairies at home. The dew collection relies entirely on them."

"Over a thousand?!" Even Lin Luo couldn't suppress his shock. He instinctively glanced around - not just no flower fairies, but even a single fly was missing.

"Don't tell me your fairies can invisibly vanish or are just air friends," Lin Luo couldn't help but tease.

"Of course they don't vanish, and they're certainly not air... They're right next to you."

"I'm sorry, my eyes aren't that bad. But where exactly are these flower fairies?" Lin Luo shrugged, asking Yuzuki as he surveyed the empty room.

Yuzuki explained: "They're shy - seeing you would scare them. It's better if you don't meet them, or else they might not work properly at night."

Flower fairies being timid? This was ridiculous!

Lin Luo found this hard to believe. Though in other worlds such fairy behaviors might be plausible, Gensokyo fairies were never shy. Take Kuroneko - the "I'm strongest" ice fairy who feared nothing. Even weak March Fairies, known for their prank-loving nature and ability to bully Reimu herself, would have no fear of strangers!

Seeing Lin Luo's disbelief, Yuzuki stopped teasing: "Look at the flowers behind you - if you look closely, you'll see them."

Lin Luo instinctively turned around. A row of narcissus flowers stood there in full bloom with intoxicating fragrance... but these were merely ordinary flowers... Wait! Something wasn't right.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Luo suddenly noticed something strange within the blossoms: tiny figures no bigger than a thumbnail - perhaps just slightly larger than bees. Without Yuzuki's warning, he would have mistaken them for bees themselves. But with her guidance, it was clear they weren't insects at all... but rather...

Yes! Tiny girls! Small but beautiful in features that translated to human-sized perfection when scaled up.

These were the flower fairies!

Observing this miniature beauty, Lin Luo felt genuine shock and instinctively looked back at Fuyuhana Yuzuki. She nodded faintly with a subtle smile playing on her lips.

Lin Luo then re-examined the flowers, discovering each blossom housed one of these tiny beauties. Given the countless blossoms inside and outside this house, it was indeed possible to have over a thousand flower fairies.

A "flower house treasure" of sorts?

Lin Luo couldn't help but question himself. Thinking his own collection of treasures impressive until seeing Yuzuki's... he now felt pathetically underwhelming!

Possibly because Lin Luo stared too intently, the flower fairies inside narcissus - who had been taking afternoon naps - suddenly woke up and rubbed their eyes with matchstick-sized hands.

The adorable movement instantly charmed him. He instinctively extended a hand to catch one of these tiny beauties for closer inspection on his palm.

But as Yuzuki said, the flower fairies were indeed timid creatures. When they saw his massive hand blocking out the sky, they reacted like seeing the apocalypse itself - doing exactly what ostriches would do: flipping over and burying their heads in the blossoms, shivering with fear.

"...," Lin Luo sweated profusely.

Seeing how terrified these flower fairies were, Lin Luo gave up trying to catch any. He even abandoned his sudden desire to "borrow" a few for cultivation - these little things were too shy for him to handle. Only Fuyuhana Yuzuki could approach them easily with her floral affinity.

As for himself... he would have no chance at cultivating these treasures.

Yuzuki noticed his disappointed expression and probably guessed what was on his mind: "Give it up. Every being has its own way of living. These fairies differ from ordinary ones - born from flowers, sustained by flowers. Without understanding floral communication, you simply can't raise them."

"I already gave up," Lin Luo shrugged offhandedly. But hearing Yuzuki's cryptic tone, he couldn't help but ask: "Then what about your own way of living?"

"My way of living?" Yuzuki suddenly hesitated, as if struck by a realization. Her normally indifferent expression darkened - not with anger, but rather with an inexplicable sadness.

Even Lin Luo felt his mood sink under her abrupt emotional shift.

This question had changed the atmosphere into uncomfortable silence until some time passed and Yuzuki's expression returned to normal: "I want to tell you a story. Would you like to hear it?"

"I'm all ears."

Yuzuki nodded, closed her eyes as if recalling memories, then after a moment opened them and cleared her throat before beginning: "A long, long time ago - that was the era when demons were widely known, an age of prodigious talent where throwing a rock into any mountain might hit tomorrow's great demon..."

Though Yuzuki began with an overused opening line, Lin Luo felt no impatience. He remained attentive and listened intently.

"In that era, there lived an ordinary demon - lacking powerful ancestors or connections, possessing no extraordinary talents either. So common she could disappear into any demon crowd without being noticed... so weak even as a peer, they called her 'herb-eater.' In fact, she wasn't even good enough for that label - just a single lonely blade of grass.

"But despite this, she never complained or resented her fate. Even when constantly belittled and bullied, she never felt the world was unfair because in those days survival was purely about strength. So she endured everything... but..."

"She would never bow down!"

"This is my principle: if heaven refuses to give me, I will take it myself! No talent? Fine. No connections? Doesn't matter. At least there's still me - and the effort to improve. If even one gives up on oneself, what future remains?

"That way, in that cruel world, this ordinary demon carefully avoided enemies while training day and night. Improving physical strength, refining demonic power, mastering control... Naturally, without elder guidance, progress was arduous. What others learned in a day took her at least three days to master, sometimes even longer.

"But it didn't matter - if one day failed, she would try ten; if ten days weren't enough, then a hundred. And if that still wasn't sufficient... more time! She worked harder than anyone else, never abandoning herself regardless of the world giving up on her!

"Training while challenging others, she shamelessly absorbed useful knowledge. Even with wounds covering her body or narrowly escaping death multiple times, she persisted step by step - climbing upward in that environment surrounded by countless powerful beings.

"Loneliness... Pain... Cold...

"They constantly eroded her resolve, and the rapid progress of her peers constantly undermined her confidence. But she never considered quitting once. She firmly believed: with effort, even I can achieve greatness! And then on a certain day, while fleeing for survival, she encountered another demon of similar age..."