That statement wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't entirely true either, most of the facts she had neatly strung together. Given that the setting of his world turned out to be cultivators, what he said was still in the safe gray zone.
Even if Yue or Hajime had the ability to detect lies, they would not be able to conclude for sure.
"So, my power doesn't come from the process of being summoned to this world," El continued as she glanced around, then pretended to be confused. "By the way, what's the name of this world... and where are we now?"
"Tortus. And we're in one of the Great Labyrinths, the Orcus Labyrinth," Hajime replied in a casual tone.
"Yes, Tortus... the Labyrinth of Orcus," Yue repeated in a calm voice, as if absorbing the reality she had lived in for so long.
Hajime seemed to start analyzing, his brows furrowed slightly. "Then... your powers revolve around physique and smell? You mentioned body scent earlier."
"Not entirely wrong," El replied with a faint smile. "Some of my abilities do come from the body, but some of them... I keep. Just as a precaution. No problem, right? Keeping a little trump card."
Hajime smiled too, understanding El's meaning. "You're right... everyone has a little secret."
But his expression turned curious again. "But if I may know... how did you come to this world?"
El closed his eyes for a moment, bowed his head slightly, then took a deep breath as if trying to string words together.
"That's still a question mark for me too," he said in a calm tone. "I was just relaxing in my room... enjoying anime as usual. Then, without any sign... I was in this place."
He looked up slowly, staring at the shadows of the fire dancing on the ceiling of the cave.
"From all the anime I've watched, this place... the atmosphere, the room... it feels too familiar. That's why I immediately suspected that this was some kind of labyrinth. It turns out my guess was right."
On the other hand, Hajime opened his eyes a little wider, his expression changing from serious to surprised. "Seriously?"
"You were watching an anime before you were transported?" said Hajime still finding it hard to believe that fact.
El nodded slowly, smiling slightly. "Yes. I just entered the climax episode, actually. The title of the anime: Arifureta Shokugyō de Sekai Saikyō. It's a recommendation circulating on the internet."
"It's said to be a good anime, but the MC has too much Harem over power, it's a bit very disappointing. The NPCs can't develop at all, it's quite a pity too."
Hajime rubbed his face, then chuckled softly. "Damn, that's... too relatable. I used to stay up late to watch or play games too."
"Come to think of it, it's ironic too. Both otaku, but eventually thrown into a world full of death."
After saying that, his expression changed slowly. Hajime's eyes narrowed, his lips pressed tightly together, then he replayed El's words in his mind.
"Wait... if your world is already full of strong people and supernatural powers... then you've been used to this kind of power since the beginning?"
El just smiled faintly without arguing, letting Hajime process his own conclusion.
Hajime let out a long breath and muttered, "...so I'm the newbie among the pros, huh. No wonder you're so strong."
"If you want to be strong, I can help you train," El said in a calm yet sincere tone, offering without pressure.
Hajime raised his eyebrows, then chuckled dryly. "Training, huh? I would have said 'I'm just a Synergist... my stat is also the lowest. I don't have any fighting skills...'. But now..."
He stared at his palms for a moment, remembering the sense of helplessness that had once struck him at the bottom of that abyss. "...if it can make me stronger, I don't mind."
Then, with a hint of his trademark smirk, Hajime added: "But don't expect me to obey easily. I'm not the obedient type of Disciple."
El replied with a friendly smile, but her tone of voice carried a challenge, "And don't expect the training to be easy. So, be prepared... my Disciple."
From the beginning, Yue was silent, interested in the word 'anime' but not understanding what 'anime' the two were talking about, Yue felt a little ignored, her expression frowned slowly, subtly, barely noticeable.
Without saying anything, Yue stood up and stepped closer to Hajime, sitting by his side as if to emphasize her presence.
Yue looked at the man closely, Hajime's eyes blinked in confusion. "Hajime... what is anime? You guys were talking about something I don't understand."
Hajime, who had been looking serious, suddenly let out a small chuckle. He scratched the back of his neck, a little awkwardly.
"Ah... sorry, Yue. So it's like this..."
He sat cross-legged, staring at the fireplace for a while before turning back to Yue.
"Anime is... a kind of illustrated story show from our home world. It's usually animated, and there are many genres. There's action, adventure, love, even tragedy."
He smiled slightly, then continued in a lighter tone.
"To put it simply, it's like a stage play... but with moving images and sound. Sometimes it's even more emotional than reality."
El replied, crossing his arms, "And sometimes, the content can teach us how to survive... even if it's just for entertainment."
Yue paused, then gave a small nod, though still looking a little confused. "Then... I want to see it too, with you guys."
Linking her gaze to El, the vampire girl continued, "And about the training... I want to come too. Don't ignore me."
El looked at Yue for a moment, then nodded slowly. With a light swing of her hand, he called out a piece of clothing from Sky Pearl Poison, a black and white Hanfu, neatly folded and clean.
Hajime and Yue were slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of the garment. However, before they could ask, El had already thrust the Hanfu towards Yue.
"Wear this. Consider it a gift from me," El said kindly. "Your current outfit doesn't seem suitable for training. That fur robe must be troublesome."
However, Yue didn't immediately welcome it. She looked at El with a cold, flat expression: not angry, but cautious. Hajime also looked at El, not much different, as if both of them were weighing El's identity.
"Adrian... You... Don't tell me, you have a fetish for wearing women's clothes?" said Hajime, staring with an incredulous expression. "Crossdress so... "
"Adrian's a pervert," Yue replied flatly, her tone unchanged, without any excess emotion.
"Hahaha." El laughed out loud, making no effort to hide the amused expression on his face, leaving Yue and Hajime even more confused.
"Geez... I don't have any weird fetishes like that," El said with a chuckle. "I just had a female acquaintance whose hobby was telling me to buy a lot of clothes."
For a moment, El's gaze wandered, remembering someone, Yuri. "And she also casually left all those clothes with me, even though most of them were never worn."
"Although yes... there were a few that he wore too." El smiled a little, then shook his head softly, pushing the memories out of his mind.
El sighed softly, then swung his right hand in the air, ignoring his previous accusation. "Never mind, just wear it. If the size isn't right, I can adjust it later."
Yue was still looking at her with a flat and cold expression. Without replying a word, as usual because she was not the talkative type, she finally took the clothes. She stood up slowly, then glanced at Hajime.
Catching that, Hajime sighed and placed his palms on the ground.
Immediately, his transmutation magic activated. The ground around Yue lifted up, forming four simple walls like a minimalist changing room in a clothing store.
While Yue began to change behind the walls, Hajime did not take his eyes off El.
His eyes traced slowly from toe to hair: long jet-black hair with some hair makeup.
A loose, two-layered yukata, lined with a foliage-patterned haori, and beyond that... a gracefully flowing two-tailed wolf fur coat.
Wordlessly, Hajime's expression remained flat. But there was clearly one big question that kept spinning in his head, 'What kind of person is this El.'
Hajime looked at El more carefully. In his mind, an absurd thought came to mind. If Adrian had a higher voice, with that kind of appearance...
Adrian could easily disguise himself as a beautiful woman and was certainly more beautiful than a royal princess.
And that was precisely the beginning of his uneasiness.
With a flat expression and a serious tone, Hajime finally said, "Adrian... are you sure... you don't have a weird fetish like crossdressing?"
El just smiled slightly, calm and not offended in the slightest. "Even though I look like this... don't worry. I'm still a normal man who likes women."
Hajime let out a long breath, trying to calm his thoughts that were running wild. "Alright... alright... I'll try to believe it."
"Thank you." El replied in a friendly and calm tone, as if ending the topic elegantly.
"Hajime, I've finished changing..." Yue's voice came from behind the dirt wall. "This outfit is... tricky to wear. I'm not sure if this is right. Please take down the wall."
"Alright," Hajime replied, then returned to touching his palms to the ground.