“Hey Helgi, try out these jam pastries, they're delicious!”

Yuri called out to her friend who was walking slightly behind her.

“Yuri, did you forget, I'm not a fan of sweet things”

“...Unless it's you” He added casually.

“Oh shut up.” He received a punch to his stomach with her hand which still held the jam pastry, splattering red jam all over his stomach as if her punch had punched a hole through him.

“Go try that sweet talk on real women, if you're so up for it, I'm sure they would just swoon, before also punching you in the face”

“Hmm? Unless I remember correctly, it was me who always got the attention of the ladies at the poker table, and billiard table, and the festivals..and the-”

Yuri interrupted him, knowing he would only go on for ages unless stopped.

“Yes yes, only because I never had much interest in that kind of stuff, if I wanted to I would have been more popular than you, easily.”

Her words carried a slight jealousy, which Helgi was all too aware of.

“Oh, I'm sure, then want to have a contest now? Who can first get a lady to like them?”

“What? You can't be serious, you think that's going to be easy with how I look right now?”

She wanted to sigh at him.

“Oh? Are you giving up already? I thought you said you could be way more popular than me if you just wanted to? Surely for the great you, the small handicap of gender shouldn't matter if you're as great as you say you are, hm?”

He teased her relentlessly, pushing all the right buttons.

“Grrr, fine! You're on! I will get a lady way better than yours, and you will see! You will see!! Meet me here at sunset!”

“Alright, Yuri, don't be late, looking forward to seeing your date~”

Stomping off determinedly, Yuri was off with her nose in the air.

“Alright..now let's see..I need to find someone that can make Yuri jealous..but not too jealous..”

Looking over the crowd around him, Helgi scanned through the women around him, looking for someone who might fit his expectations of someone willing to help him.

He had enough experience with women that he could tell such characteristics merely from seeing a woman's face.

This was the reason why he had grown so tired of them, for most of the women who flocked around him, he could easily read their true shallow personalities and hidden intentions.

Then he saw someone whose face looked more than perfect. Her face oozed of her true personality, a truly open person.

Sitting at a small stand and elegantly eating a small sandwich with incredible curiosity, the woman looked extremely pleased whenever she took a bite.

The woman looked like someone out of a fantasy story. She looked like a princess from the old movies Helgi used to watch as a child.

Her hair was white like snow, and bright as the sun, as if it was giving off all the light it absorbed from the bright sun.

She wore an elegant but slightly short dress made from some manner of white furred animal.

“You know, a sandwich like that goes well with some sweet drinks, try this”

Helgi had already approached her, snatching a fruity drink from a nearby stand without anyone noticing.

“Oh..? Is that so? How interesting..thank you”

She gratefully accepted the drink offered to her and took a bite of her sandwich before taking a small sip.

Her eyes glittered slightly in delight.

“See? Changes the taste entirely right?”

He smiled at her. He had guessed correctly, this woman seemed to be fairly ignorant and the way she held herself in such an elegant manner, combined with her out of place expensive looking dress. Made him suspect her of being some sort of sheltered rich lady that had snuck out.

She continued eating her sandwich happily and sipping her drink, after a while she remembered there was someone beside her.

“Oh, sorry, it was just so delicious..thank you for the drink!”

Smiling appreciatively, her eyes portrayed true gratefulness, something unexpected of someone who was potentially a spoiled rich woman.

In fact, her smile was so genuine and her elegant beauty and features all combined so that it made Helgi feel slightly taken aback.

The same feeling of being taken aback when one is exposed to an object of great beauty. To make Helgi, who was so indifferent towards women, feel like that, meant that her charms were first class, without a hint of pretentiousness or fakery.

(I bet Yuri only feels like this when presented with a rare artefact..)

He laughed in his mind.

“You're very welcome, I just thought that it would be a waste not to feel the true power of the common sandwich”

“Mhm, It is indeed very powerful...I need to make sure to ask the seller about the ingredients to this..”

Muttering to herself, Helgi saw his chance.

“Oh I can easily tell you the ingredients in that, I can even help you find them on the market for a relatively cheap price, they are after all, simple ingredients”

Anyone with any common sense knew how to make a sandwich. It was simply bread with whatever you saw fit between the bread.

But luckily this woman seemed to not recognise any of the ingredients, not even the bread. It made Helgi wonder what sort of sheltered life she truly led in order to not even know the things a child knows.

“You would?”

“For a small price.” He added.

“Ah, is this what they call a trade? I've heard of those. People who can't make something, trade something they can make for the thing they can't make.”

She nodded in understanding.

“Well...kind of.”

(This girl..how old is her definition of trade. The way she said it, it doesn't seem she knows the concept of money..? how did she even buy that sandwich then...hm maybe the sellergave it for free..she is beautiful after all.)

“What I want, isn't a thing though, it's a favour.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Oh, what kind of favour?”

“Well you see. My friend and I made a bet, and who ever brings the most beautiful woman as their date, will win. So I was wondering if you could pretend to be my date for today?”

He chose her because she seemed kind. He didn't have time to play around with a girl for real, and in fact he didn't want to. This was the easiest and most efficient way to get a good date. Not to mention he could tell her what to do this way.

“A...date..? What is that..? I think I heard someone yelling it over there, about selling some? “

“Ah..right.” (She has no common knowledge.)

“A date is someone who you are romantically interested in, and going on a date means doing something with them in order to gain each others affection.”

“Ohhh, I see. A mating ritual. To find a good mate. Hmm...sorry. But I am not looking for a mate right now..”

She denied him outright.

(Hm..this is the first time a woman has denied me so openly and plainly. She might be interesting after all. But for now..)

“No no, not a real mate. Just a pretend, to trick my friend.”

“Ohh..I see. To display your dominance..alright sure”

She agreed happily, her common sense was lacking in many areas, but he figured that would be an advantage for when she met Yuri.

Women are always envious of women who are more air headed than them, Helgi noticed this pattern a lot, since men always preferred the air headed women.

–

“Ugh..why...whenever I ask someone if they would like to go on a date with me...all the women just pat my head or chuckle...what am I doing wrong!?”

Yuri yelled out in frustration.

“Probably because this body is young and female..”

Sighing, she thought back to one of the responses a woman gave her when Yuri asked her out.

“Oh you're pretty cute. Why are you going after older women, I'm sure there are plenty of boys who would be interested in someone as cute as you. Maybe you even already have a boyfriend? Trying to make him jealous maybe?”

“Ugh..stupid woman..why would I be interested in guys. And of course I don't have a boyfriend!”

An image of Hikaru passed through her mind for a moment.

“Hm? Why did I think of Hikaru..? Hmm..”

She thought hard for a minute.

“Ohh, he's always talking casually to people, so he could probably manage to convince some girl to pretend to be my date! Of course, I just need to go fetch him from the bath house!”

Running off to the bath house, she found that it had already closed for the day.

When she asked the owner about Hikaru, he said he might have seen him leaving a while ago and that he seemed kind of in a daze.

“Ugh, where is Hikaru when you need him!”

She was out of time. She needed to go back and meet Helgi to show off their dates.

“Sigh. He wins this time I guess..but only because the people of this world are so backwards. Yes that must be it.”

Yuri nodded to herself and walked off while sulking.

“Hey Yuri, you seem to be alone huh?”

Hearing Helgi's voice behind her, she didn't want to turn around, because she knew he was wearing an incredibly smug smile right now.

“Yes...shut up about it already. I couldn't find anyone. Only because the women around here are so against my unfavourable appearance..”

“I thought you could do it even with that handicap, hm?”

She could almost feel Helgi smiling behind her.

“Well I couldn't okay. So shut up already.”

She sulked.

“Alright alright. But where you failed, I succeeded, do you want to see the fine young lady who was so interested in me that she approached me herself before I even started searching?”

“Yeah yeah. Be all smug about it. Well who is it-”

Turning around, Yuri laid her eyes on the woman beside Helgi.

She wasn't sure, but she was fairly certain she recognised her. This was however not a good feeling that you get from meeting a long lost friend or acquaintance. This was a bad feeling. Like recognising the mugger that stabbed you.

(Stabbed me?)

The woman at Helgi's side was probably one of the most beautiful Yuri had even seen. Her features were gentle, her mannerisms soft and relaxed.

Her hair was a beautiful white, not silver, but closer to the whiteness of snow.

“Oh, yes, Helgi here has been so fascinating, he's been telling all these things, especially about you”

Pressing herself against Helgi, the woman shifted her body towards him while holding onto his arm. Her chest rubbing against Helgi's arm.

“...I'm sure he has. All good things I hope.”

Turning away slightly with discomfort, Yuri could never get used to when Helgi was openly flirting with a girl. In fact Yuri always had that trouble with any flirting in general, which always earned her some teasing from Helgi.

“Oh yes..I found out lots of good things..”

Her gaze shifted towards Yuri.

“So the little girl's name was Yuri.....” She said meaningfully.

“Hey, I'm not a little girl! Hang on..”

(The hooded woman had somehow appeared behind Yuri, and was holding a small familiar dagger to his throat, a small gust of wind still swaying Yuri's hair.

“Hoo...” She mused “So this little girl is actually someone you care for that much?” She smiled.

“You...Let Yuri go... This is between you and me...” Hikaru growled at her, causing Yuri to flinch slightly.)

A recent memory played in Yuri's head.

“You! You're that dog woman! Hikaru's sister!”

Finally remembering, and exclaiming in shock, she pointed a finger at the woman.

“...I'm not a dog. Dumb girl. I'm so glad I finally get to meet you again. I have some favours to repay you.”

Letting go of the confused Helgi, the woman took a single step toward Yuri. Her expression changed from her gentle one and she assumed a cruel calm demeanour.

“...You're talking about that trap I set up for you?”

Yuri realised with cold sweat running down her back.

“Yes. But personal grudges aside. I need your dagger. So give it, and I will rip your head off instead of slowly removing your fingers.”

Taking another step toward Yuri. Yuri noticed her Human appearance flickered slightly. She still looked the same but her hands which looked so soft and carefully taken care off, shifted to a rough and clawed appearance.

Yuri saw it, the killing intent. She wasn't going to wait for Yuri to answer. Her muscles were already contracting and preparing to jump forward. Her muscles which looked so non-existant before appeared all over her body as she flexed them.

It would take less than a moment for her to reach Yuri and swipe her head off in one clean blow. And there was nothing Yuri could do to stop it. Her reaction time was far inferior.

Somehow that motion that seemed like it couldn't be stopped. Where the destruction following would come whether you ran, hid or tried to fight back. A movement so filled with the intent to kill that it could easily stop a human's heartbeat.

That unstoppable motion of her. It just stopped.

Her muscles tensed, and Yuri noted an uncomfortable shiver go up the woman's spine.

Looking away from her grotesque clawed hands. Yuri saw what had made her stop.

Despite having such a heavy killing aura, and a twisted look in her eyes.

(...She is still a woman huh.)

Helgi's hand was resting on her chest. No, resting would be a gentle term. It was squeezing at her chest , continuously, as if he was choosing fruit at a fruit stall.

“What...are you...DOING!?”

She roared with enough force to blow Helgi away from her.

“Sorry sorry. I just wanted to see if they changed along with your hands.”

He gave such an insane reasoning for his actions.

“You...Will...DIE!”

Her face was red, and she was holding one of her clawed hands over her chest.

“Well, that wouldn't be the first time a woman said that to me”

Helgi smiled mischievously and glanced at Yuri.

(He's giving me a chance..!)

Without Yuri even managing to finish that thought. Hikaru's enraged sister flew at Helgi, faster than her or Helgi's eyes could perceive.

Her clawed hand swiped, and created a deep scratch in the building ahead of them, despite it being several meters away.

She had appeared right in front of Helgi. She was sure his body would be split into two. And from the looks of it, it was.

The only thing remaining of Helgi, was his lower body.

“Hmph. How fitting.”

But before she could raise her hand and destroy that as well.

His lower body moved. Looking at it curiously. She found that there was no wound.

His upper body was just bent behind him.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise as Helgi twisted his body up again, after having done an Olympic level limbo, and cracked the bones in his back while stretching.

“Impressive. But that doesn't excuse what you did..!”

Raising her hand slower this time, she prepared to slash at him once again.

She knew he couldn't avoid her attack this time, so she wanted him to see it.

“He wasn't doing that to impress you. He did that to buy me some time!”

She heard Yuri's voice from behind her.

“Now taste this!”

BOOOM

A loud explosion echoed right where she stood. With Helgi barely managing to jump back in order to avoid it.