"Hey, bro, be careful! This woman may look tiny, but she's like a monster in human flesh—cute on the outside but scary on the inside. You never know what's running through her mind..." Yoshito whispered to Felix, his voice low and urgent.

"What are you chatting about over there, Yoshito?" Chiharu asked, her expression shadowed as she held a folding fan to her face.

"Oh... uh... it's nothing, Guild Master," Yoshito replied, hastily removing his hand from Felix's mouth and extending his hands outwards. A bead of sweat appeared on his temple.

"Hmmmmmm." Chiharu stared at Yoshito intently.

"Hahaha," Yoshito laughed nervously.

"Hmmmm." She continued to glare at him.

"Hahaahah..."

Chiharu closed her eyes and the folding fan. "Take him away."

[Slide]

Doors behind Yoshito opened as two towering figures emerged, their faces hidden by the ceiling.

[Whap]

"NO... NOOOOO!" Yoshito screamed as they grabbed each of his arms and dragged him away.

"Bro, watch out! She may look like a fairy, but she's got bite! One wrong move and you'll be..."

[Slide]

Yoshito attempted to warn Felix again about something but couldn’t finish his words for the second time.

"What was that about?" Felix whispered to himself, now fully aware that he was getting into some weird stuff. He wondered if he should have asked Haruto about the letters instead.

Suddenly, he noticed a soft light green glow behind him and turned around to see what it was.

"Why are you releasing your Zor beast?" Felix asked, his tone even despite his inner concern about potential harm to innocent people in the building.

"Don’t worry, this is just part of your job. And I must admit, you’re the prettiest one they’ve sent. Hmm! Now, I really hope you’re the samurai who’ll make this mission a success; otherwise, it’ll be quite the bother for me," Chiharu said cheerfully yet with an undertone of seriousness.

"But don’t worry; you are perfect for this role."

[Zzzzzz-Fwoosh]

Chiharu casually sipped her tea while her creature appeared.

It was a small, white hedgehog-like creature with woolly fur on its back and a pink rose with two leaves under it on one side of its head. Its legs were short and its underside plump. Its small round eyes were magenta like Chiharu's.

"Kyaa!" it called out.

The creature approached Felix, Felix looked intensely into the creature's eyes, mirroring its gaze for a few moments.

[Pounce-Bite]

In a flash, the creature leaped and sank its tiny teeth into Felix's hand.

[Thud]

Felix immediately fell to the ground.

"By the way, its name is Shi-Shi. When he bites, he releases a sleep drug into the body. Well, he doesn’t even need to bite; he can just release that drug and various other poisons into the air."

"Are you still awake?" Chiharu asked playfully.

"Don’t ever call me a child again..."

Those were the last words Felix heard before losing consciousness.

"Kurono... you won't see that guy again, so stop daydreaming about him," a voice came from just outside the door.

[Slide]

The door opened and two young women entered.

"Oh my goodness, Hazuki! I just know I'll see my darling again! We're meant to be together forever and ever!" Kurono gushed, her eyes sparkling with excitement and love.

Suddenly, her gaze dropped to the floor, and she let out an adorable squeal. "Eeeep! Could it be? Is that my beloved right there?" Kurono's eyes grew wide and heart-shaped as she spotted Felix lying on the ground before her.

"I think your madness has infected me, Kurono... or... I am also in l-lov... No! That can't be true," Hazuki stated flatly, averting her gaze from Felix on the floor. Her cheeks held the faintest tinge of pink.

"What are my ninja girls up to?" Chiharu asked.

"M'lady, why is this man on the floor?" Hazuki inquired, her tone neutral despite her curiosity.

"Oh... he's the new samurai sent here to assist us with the mission," Chiharu explained.

"So, he's our new bait, huh" Hazuki said.

"This is amazing! I will play the role! I get to be with my sweetheart!" Kurono exclaimed joyfully, her hair antenna bouncing up and down in pure delight.

"Sorry... Kurono, it's my turn," Hazuki said coolly, releasing her hair from its ponytail.

"This is the first time... you have shown interest... in the mission...," Chiharu said, munching on a candy.

"That's not true, m'lady. From what I estimate, I have played my role perfectly. I couldn't say the same about the samurais I was working with, or about Kurono," Hazuki retorted.

"Aww, but I worked super hard too!" Kurono pouted cutely, her cheeks puffing out.

"Well, it doesn't matter, ladies," Chiharu said, getting up from her seat and moving towards the lower floor.

"Why, m'lady? Do you personally intend to go on the mission?" Kurono asked with a very concerned face.

"Although it wouldn't be a bad idea, no, I am not the one," Chiharu replied, doing a little cute jump to land on the lower tatami floor.

After a few hours, Felix felt a strange sensation. It wasn't pleasant, yet it was somewhat comforting. A gentle but insistent tapping and pulling on his cheek slowly drew him back to consciousness. The feeling was weird to him, a mix of discomfort and familiarity.

"Rise and shine, 'husband,'" a melodic feminine voice chimed above Felix as he blinked open his eyes. He found himself sprawled across the uneven stones of a bustling alleyway, wearing a simple blue nagagi.

[Rustle]

The woman tried shaking Felix violently, but his eyes remained clouded.

"This guy won't budge," she muttered. "Who did the castle send us? He's weird, or maybe just new to Midono. He must not have heard about Chiharu and what she's capable of, or he would have run away like the others."

"But his Zor aura, it's even denser and higher than mine and Chiharu's combined."

"Something about him isn't righ—"

Yoshito's chain of thoughts was broken as Felix rose to a sitting position, wiping his eyes like a little kid and looking around to get his bearings. Then his gaze fell on the woman standing in front of him.

The young woman looked hauntingly familiar—except for one glaring anomaly.

"Yoshito?" Felix blinked, taking in the elaborate kimono, the perfectly styled wig, and expertly applied makeup. "What in the world are you doing, dressed as a woman?”

The transformation was so complete that if Felix hadn't known Yoshito previously, he would have been completely fooled.

"Hey! Who told you that you could use my given name?" Yoshito shouted. Then, his voice softening as he paused to think, he put his finger on his chin. "Oh, right. Maybe I never told you."

"Ehem. My name is Yoshito Takeda. I am the head adventurer of the Adventurers Guild, the strongest adventurer in Midono, and the most beautiful too."

"Does being a head adventurer also mean being the head maid? I understand now why he's wearing fluffy clothes as a man," Felix whispered to himself. However, Yoshito overheard him, and the comment shattered him from the inside. It was as if an arrow had struck him in the face.

Yoshito composed himself as he remembered what he had to do. His face set in a peculiar mix of confidence and frustration, he fanned himself with a lacquered folding fan.

Felix continued to whisper to himself, "If I used his surname, it would be like I'm saying 'take the.' That's funny."

Yoshito could still hear him loud and clear even though Felix was whispering. "Fine, you can use my given name. I was the one who told you that we are partners."

"And you're sharp, I'll give you that," he added, clearly impressed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this before. You saw right through me, eh?" He also tried to change Felix's train of thought.

"So what is this about… and where is that little girl, the one that drugged me?" Felix asked.

"You really don't know who she is, huh?" Yoshito said.

"Well... I'll tell you about her later. Right now, you just need to know that we're on the mission you came for," Yoshito explained, adjusting his wig nervously. "Chiharu decided I would play the wife's role this time after I... well, let's just say I accidentally irritated her earlier."

The wig, a meticulously styled black hairpiece, sat just slightly off-center, adding to the comedic undertone of Yoshito's situation.

Felix wasn't sure what mission he was talking about as he had only come to send some letters. "But I—"

"Shhhhh," Yoshito hushed Felix, "There's our target. And I know you must have at least heard rumors about Chiharu, or the 'Cute Brute' as some call her. I tell you, they are indeed true. If Chiharu hears we've failed, she's going to make us dress as women in fluffy kimonos all year."

Yoshito leaned closer, "Remember, we're posing as a married couple to infiltrate a secret auction of the Cactus." His elaborate kimono rustled with the movement, a testament to Chiharu's meticulous preparation.

Felix narrowed his eyes at Yoshito. "You sound alarmingly okay with all this.” He looked down to up at Yoshito's Kimono.

"I’m not,” Yoshito deadpanned, before straightening and linking an arm through Felix’s, pulling him closer. "You know what to do," he muttered. "We need to appear casual, and if someone asks you if you're in love, say yes, with a smile."

"Wait,” Felix said, trying to wriggle free.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I only came here to send letters to Ryota and the others. What does this ‘mission’ have to do with me?” He thought with blank expression, confusion written all over his face.

As they got deeper into the market, Yoshito said, "I'm going to a stall like a normal wife would. You stay on guard. This area is full of delinquents for a reason; they call this the Hai-iro market."

"Don't lose focus! And act like a normal person. Don't raise suspicion, and please don't run away with any other woman, okay? Or I'll divorce you." He shot Felix an exaggerated wink before abandoning him in the middle of the bustling Hai-iro Market.

"Divorce me? What is a divorce?" Felix whispered.

After Yoshito disappeared into the crowd, Felix stood alone in the middle of the bustling market near a crooked tree, streams of people bustled past.

Moving through the crowd came two men: a short man sporting buck teeth and a Motodori hairstyle with his eyes closed, and a tall man with very short black hair and yellow eyes. They were wearing matching black jinbeis.

When they came into a bit of open space only a few meters away from Felix, the short buck-toothed man's gaze fell on Felix, who was wearing a simple blue nagagi.

"Hey, Number 2, look at him. He's trying to find someone desperately. Maybe he's the guy. Let's go verify," said the buck-toothed minion.

"Yes, verify,” the tall one repeated like a dutiful echo.

They approached Felix slowly, went a bit ahead of where Felix was standing, and looked back to see him closely. Then they took a few steps back, the pair sauntered closer, circling Felix like wolves sizing up their prey. then positioning themselves just ahead of Felix.

"Ahem, are you in love?" The buck-toothed man said, looking away but with his body facing Felix.

"Are you talking to me?" Felix asked, looking down at the short man.

"Are you in love?" the buck-toothed man asked again.

Felix then remembered what Yoshito had told him about being asked about love. "Yes, I am," Felix said with a smile, closing his eyes.

The short man looked at the taller one and nodded with his head.

Then the taller man, who was called Number 2, reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped package.

Suddenly, they heard loud shouts nearby. "Please don't push, I am an honorary samurai!"

"Stand aside! Honorary Samurai coming through!” two figures adorned with far-too-elegant armor barreled through the masses.

When the two minions saw the samurai, they panicked. "Give it to him!" shouted Number 1.

In an instant, Number 2 lifted Felix's hand and gave him the package, while Number 1 snatched the money bag hanging near Felix's waist. "We'll take the payment. Thank you for your service!" Number 1 shouted as he ran.

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

Felix blinked twice and found himself holding the package. "What just happened?" he muttered, staring dumbly at the object in his hands.

The minions didn't know that Felix wasn't the person who was supposed to buy their package. Felix was already in a weird situation because of the misunderstanding at the guild. The mission that the guild had assigned to him wasn't his job; he had just wanted to send letters to Ryota and the others back in the village.

He opened the package cautiously. Inside was an assortment of what appeared to be dried herbs. "What is this? Is this part of the mission?" Felix wondered.

As Felix stood there feeling lost, a sultry voice cut through the market's din. A woman approached him, her kimono a deep crimson adorned with golden chrysanthemums, clinging to her curves and accentuating her hourglass figure. Long, silky blonde hair cascaded down her back, framing a heart-shaped face with almond eyes and full, painted lips.

"Hey handsome," she purred, her voice like honey as she sidled up to Felix. "Are you all by yourself? Do you mind a little company?"

The woman's fingers trailed along Felix's arm, her touch light and teasing. She leaned in close, her perfume a heady mix of jasmine and sandalwood.

"I couldn't help but notice you standing here all alone," she murmured, her breath warm against his ear. "A man like you shouldn't be without companionship."

As alluring as this woman was, she paled in comparison to Miku. Where this seductress was soft curves and coy glances, Miku was a vision of fierce beauty. Her long black hair flowed like midnight silk, framing a face of ethereal loveliness.

Miku's obsidian eyes held depths of wisdom and strength, a stark contrast to her tan skin that seemed to glow with an inner light. Her body, honed by years of combat, was a perfect blend of grace and power, with curves that put the other woman's to shame.

Felix, oblivious to the woman's advances and Miku's superior beauty, simply blinked in confusion. "Company?" he asked. "I don't understand. Are you lost too?"

Suddenly, someone pulled Felix to the side, linking their arm with his. "Oh, there you are. I can't take my eyes off you for a second, darling," It was Yoshito. "Come with me. We have to go somewhere," he said smoothly, yet he clenched Felix's arm tightly, clearly annoyed.

"Who was that... woman... you were talking to, dear?" Yoshito asked, his veins starting to pop out and his eyes narrowing in frustration.

"She was just asking for directions. She was lost," Felix explained honestly.

Yoshito's tone softened, and a smile replaced his anger. "If it was only that, then it's fine. You'll live," he whispered.

Suddenly, Yoshito's gaze fell on Felix's waist. "Wait, where's the pouch that was on your waist?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"Someone took it," Felix explained flatly. "They gave me this instead," he added, gesturing to the package in his hands.

"What do you mean someone came and took the pouch?" Yoshito exclaimed, grabbing the pouch from Felix's hand and slowly opening it.