About That Time I Fell in Love with Myself

No! Absolutely cannot let this guy find it, or else my lifelong reputation will be ruined...

Click—

At that moment, a crisp sound of some mechanism activating suddenly echoed through the hall.

The expression on the King of Secret Source’s face froze instantly.

"What was that sound just now?" Elina widened her eyes, immediately gripping her staff with heightened alertness.

The other girls quickly gathered together, looking around in both caution and astonishment.

Lynn’s lips curled into a smirk.

[It’s nothing…]

[I just accidentally discovered a strange Secret Source mechanism somewhere, so I activated it.]

[Hehe—King of Secret Source, I didn’t expect you to hide something so deep! If I hadn’t investigated carefully, I wouldn’t have found this mechanism!]

And in the next moment.

Under Nanako’s stunned gaze.

Click, click, click—

Not far from the hall, a part of the marble wall suddenly protruded and then slowly split open, revealing a long downward passageway.

“There’s a path below?!” Elina and the others were utterly bewildered.

Lynn pondered, “Although I don’t know what’s going on… should we go down and take a look?”

In an instant.

The King of Secret Source’s body blocked the entrance to the passageway, his eyes wide and arms spread out as he shouted:

“Wait!!”

The girls were dumbfounded.

Lynn’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “What’s wrong, Mr. Rein?”

The King of Secret Source was drenched in sweat. “I think this place is really strange. Why would this hidden door suddenly open just as we arrived? There must be something fishy here, maybe even a trap!”

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

But Lynn shook his head, smiling mysteriously. “I don’t think so. Since we’ve made it this far, it means the curse here is almost gone. Though I don’t know the reason, there might be something valuable down there, don’t you think?”

The King of Secret Source grew anxious. “How… how could there be anything valuable down there?!”

Lynn raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Rein, why are you sweating so much? Do you know something we don’t?”

The King of Secret Source choked on his words.

Looking at this infuriating guy, he really wanted to punch him right then and there!

He gritted his teeth and said, “No… it’s just a gut feeling. This is my first time here too…”

Lynn chuckled. “Then what’s the problem? Don’t worry, Mr. Rein, I understand your caution, but we’re all powerful mages. Nothing bad will happen!”

The King of Secret Source felt like he was about to crack.

No!

If there’s really something valuable, it’s fine if this guy takes it. It’s not like I haven’t been tricked by him before, but… but…

The things here are different!

Lynn (ノ￣▽￣) said, “Alright! Alright, Mr. Rein, don’t worry. Just stay behind us and follow along. If we do find something, we’ll definitely share it with you!”

Then Lynn pushed past him and confidently strode down the passageway.

Nanako followed closely, jogging up to the King of Secret Source and patting his shoulder reassuringly:

“Don’t worry, Nanako won’t let my disciple hog everything. You can count on it!”

Pitter-patter—

Nanako hugged her sturdy staff and jogged down after Lynn.

Elina gave the King of Secret Source an encouraging look, blinking as she said, “Mr. Rein, don’t be afraid. Just stay behind us, and we’ll definitely protect you!”

Pitter-patter—

Elina also eagerly followed.

The other girls, one after another, offered words of comfort to the King of Secret Source before heading down as well.

“It’s over for me!”

The King of Secret Source wailed.

……

Soon.

The group passed through the hidden door and reached the end of the passageway.

At the end was a small magical teleportation portal.

With a series of flashes, they found themselves transported to a large chamber.

And it seemed like they weren’t underground in the ruins anymore, but somewhere else entirely.

“Where is this…?”

They looked around in confusion.

The glittering treasure vault they had imagined didn’t appear.

Instead, what greeted them were rows upon rows of neatly arranged bookshelves, filled with all kinds of ancient books.

Lynn was also puzzled.

He walked up to one of the shelves and picked up a scroll, reading the title aloud.

“Autobiography: Some Insights from Two Hundred Years of Crossdressing.”

Lynn’s eyes widened instantly.

He quickly grabbed another scroll.

“Thesis: On Whether Falling in Love with My Crossdressing Self Counts as Love.”

Lynn was stunned.

He frantically picked up a few more books.

“Thesis: On the Feasibility of Self-Splitting.”

“Thesis: The Slight Annoyances of Playing Dual Roles After Successful Splitting.”

“Photo Collection: Passionate Moments Between Me and Little Source.”

As Lynn read the titles on these thick books, his eyes grew wider and wider.

Holy cow! Holy cow! Holy cow!

I think I’ve stumbled upon some incredible secrets here!

Lynn quickly flipped open one of the books, his eyes scanning the contents as he read aloud:

“I’ve realized that I’ve truly fallen in love with her. I’ve never seen eyes as captivating as hers. Even though I know she’s just me, whenever she looks at me, I feel my heart melting. I really want to hold her in my arms, cherish her, and protect her…”

“I’ve decided to name her Little Source~ Of course, she can also call me Little Secret~ Because I am her, and she is me. We are equal and inseparable. Ah—she’s my Angel, the scar etched into my heart. In her presence, I feel like I’m melting~”

“Of course, I must also thank that jerk. If I hadn’t lost a bet with him and been forced to crossdress, I would never have discovered this new world. He made me realize that the only true love is with oneself, and only another version of myself can truly enter this ancient heart of mine~”

“I’m willing to take a room full of photos with her!!”

Lynn looked up in a daze, staring at the countless books in the room, the one in his hand falling to the ground with a thud.

Nanako, curious, walked over.

“Is there something special in there?”

Then she reached out.

She picked up the photo collection from the shelf and curiously flipped it open.

“Eep—”

Nanako instantly covered her mouth, hiccuping, her eyes wide and her cheeks burning red all the way to her neck.

Her ahoge even shot straight up.

So… so scandalous…

Why are there such naughty books here?!

She flipped another page.

“Eep, eep—”

Nanako’s eyes widened, her body trembling slightly.

So impressive, they can even do… such difficult poses…

Puffs of steam rose from Nanako’s head as she blushed, her eyes glued to the book in her hands.

With every page she turned, another puff of steam emerged, making her look like a little steam engine.

Elina and the other girls, seeing this, grew even more curious.

What kind of interesting book is that?

Why does Nanako seem so… different now?

Filled with curiosity, they each picked up a photo collection from the shelves.

They opened them and took a look.

“Eek—”

“Eep—”

“Wow—”

“So… so risqué… Why are there so many naughty books here…?”

“Wow—so impressive, such difficult poses!”

“But why do the main characters look a bit like Mr. Rein?”

The girls’ faces turned red as they excitedly whispered among themselves.

Meanwhile, by the stairs.

The King of Secret Source’s legs gave out, and he trembled as he tried to crawl upward.

His clothes were soaked with cold sweat, dripping onto the floor.