Chapter 289: A Win-Win
"Compensation?"
Franklin nodded seriously.
"That's right—compensation. I can agree to any single condition, but now that the two of you want to accomplish everything, you'll have to give something up.
After all, I'm not some saint who only does good deeds.
Even when you ask a god for help, you have to offer incense money, and once the matter is resolved, you still have to fulfill your vows.
And besides, I'm only a false god—or more precisely, just a human—so of course this needs to be a transaction."
Yamai Yuzuru gently nodded.
"Agreement: What Franklin says makes sense."
After a brief moment of thought, Yamai Kaguya also nodded lightly.
"I concur with what my other half said. False god, what compensation do you want?"
Feeling their gazes on him, Franklin smiled.
"It's simple to say, but when you think about it carefully, it's a bit shameless. I want you to try courting me.
Make me fall for one of you. Once that's accomplished, I'll fulfill your wish."
As soon as Franklin finished speaking, both of them took a step back. After carefully sizing him up,
Yuzuru reluctantly nodded.
"Evaluation: It is indeed a shameless request, but not an excessive one.
On closer thought, it's merely wanting to date one of us—completely in line with a normal man's psychology."
Kaguya nodded in agreement, the strange expression on her face easing slightly.
"Testing whether my or Yuzuru's charm is superior and capable of capturing your heart? A fine challenge. This time, I will surely surpass Yuzuru."
The moment those words left her mouth, the previously calm atmosphere stirred again.
Yuzuru expressionlessly glanced Kaguya up and down, her gaze utterly placid.
"Evaluation: Yuzuru is cuter. To be honest, Kaguya's looks are only above average."
"What are you saying, hey—well, whatever. Your evaluation is meaningless. What matters is the false god's evaluation."
As the two of them looked over, Franklin waved his hand casually.
"I don't really feel anything toward either of you right now, which is why this is a challenge.
Both of you are top-tier in terms of appearance, so what's being tested is your everyday behavior.
Do your best to win me over. Once you succeed, I'll immediately honor my promise.
Before that, though, we should head to our destination."
As Franklin finished speaking, all three of them instantly teleported onto the plane.
Seeing the three suddenly appear, Kotori nodded in satisfaction. But after sensing that the two of them no longer had any spiritual power, she looked back at the laptop in front of her as if to confirm it.
Murasame Reine still looked as unconcerned as ever.
Kurumi Tokisaki's expression shifted slightly. After sensing the condition of their bodies, she looked at Franklin with a puzzled gaze.
At this moment, Tohka had already rushed over and hugged Franklin's arm. After rubbing against him lightly, she looked up at him eagerly.
Meeting her gaze, Franklin immediately understood what she wanted. With a light snap of his fingers, two candied apples appeared in his hands.
After handing them to Tohka, she paid no attention at all to the two girls Franklin had brought along and returned to her seat to savor them slowly,
Occasionally glancing up to observe everyone's movements.
"Yo, Lin, you're pretty impressive. Only ten minutes away and you've already taken down two people. Is it raw charm, or did you use some kind of brainwashing technique?"
Though it sounded like a joke, those who already had suspicions showed slight changes in their expressions.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Franklin helplessly rubbed his forehead—his image was completely ruined by a single sentence.
Nearby, Kurumi nodded knowingly, while Kotori, Nia Honjo, and the Yamai sisters all looked at Franklin with subtly strange expressions.
"Yoshino… you shouldn't say that about Lin. He's never used that kind of method…"
Hearing Yoshino defend him, Franklin felt a sudden warmth in his heart.
After glaring at the mischievous Yoshinon, Franklin explained,
"Don't overthink it. I only temporarily sealed their spiritual power. Their affection toward me is basically nonexistent…"
As he spoke, Franklin walked over to Kotori and displayed the two girls' affection levels toward him on the laptop for everyone to see.
"They've only just reached the level of acquaintances. Don't think too much into it."
Yuzuru and Kaguya carefully looked at the computer. On it was a real-time projection of their current appearances.
"What is that? Why is it constantly filming us?"
"Curiosity: Franklin needs to provide a serious explanation."
Seeing the suspicious looks the two of them directed at him, Franklin lightly coughed and decided not to hide anything.
"You both know that you're Spirits, right?"
After seeing them nod, Franklin continued.
"I have a special ability that can absorb and store a Spirit's power.
That kind of sealing is different from the one you're under now. With the current seal, you can't lift it yourselves—only I can.
Spirit sealing, on the other hand, simply stores your power inside my body temporarily. When you need it, you can take it back.
Affection is the key requirement for activating that ability.
And if we want to complete the transfer of the Yamai name while ensuring both of you survive, Spirit sealing is absolutely necessary.
Only by temporarily obtaining your powers can the inheritor of the Yamai name be presented more fully and perfectly."
After hearing Franklin's explanation, the two girls exchanged a glance. There was a subtle change in the way they looked at him.
On the laptop, it was clearly visible that their affection toward Franklin had risen slightly.
"Praise: Thank you for thinking so much for our sake, Franklin. Now that we think about it,
the compensation from before was simply to raise affection to the level required for Spirit sealing. We misunderstood you."
"My other half is right. Lin, you're a good person—you're always thinking of us. We should give it our all as well."
Watching their affection rise by another small segment, Franklin was momentarily stunned. He scratched his head with a strange expression.
Looking at how serious the two of them were, he felt something was off. Shaking his head lightly and suppressing the odd feeling for now,
Franklin looked at them seriously.
"Don't think too much. Honestly, I'm really just thinking about myself."
Kaguya nodded earnestly.
"Yes, we believe you, false god. You're just attracted to our looks and want to date one of us."
"Same feeling: Franklin is merely asking us for normal compensation. We're very willing."
Watching the two of them stray further and further down the wrong path, Franklin rubbed his forehead in speechless frustration and stopped explaining.
After arranging for the two of them to sit separately beside Reine, Franklin returned to Tohka's side.
To prevent any further complications, Franklin fully expanded his domain, instantly enveloping everything within a six-hundred-kilometer radius.
With a light snap of his fingers, the plane appeared directly on the designated runway and slowly came to a stop.
After influencing the memories of all the staff, everyone disembarked the plane in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the airport personnel.