Chapter 26: Miss Ming!?

"Do you intend to order me around to do your bidding?"

The voice emerging from the Yaksha Shikigami was laced with thorns.

"Isn't that what you intended to do all along?" Xiaohu countered. "Otherwise, why would you have damaged the orb acquired by the Craftsmanship Institute? You had this in mind from the start."

Kuzuhana let out a cold snort.

"And another thing—out of the three enemies, why did you let one go? Don't tell me it was an accident; that woman surviving and escaping was you going easy on her, wasn't it?"

"She belongs to the Ziyue Party."

"What?"

Kuzuhana’s voice held a rare note of surprise. Xiaohu, not wanting to say more, sheathed the demon blade Yin-Die and turned to leave the battlefield.

...

"This... is this really for me?"

Hyakusuke had been summoned by the Second Young Lady to the Japanese-style room where she usually spent her time, only to be told there was a "gift" for him. Could it be a prank?

However, upon opening the box, he saw a piece of hand armor resembling a gauntlet—though it lacked the typical plating. Parts of its material appeared to be made from the bones of a beast, or perhaps a yokai. Furthermore, a black bead that looked like a pearl was embedded on the back of the palm.

"It is a cursed tool."

Her sweet voice spoke nonchalantly. "Consider it a gift for your promotion. Besides, your performance has been acceptable; as your master, if I am not clear with rewards and punishments, I will inevitably have people whispering behind my back."

"This cursed tool was crafted from a fragment of the orb you brought back... Those good-for-nothings at the Craftsmanship Institute couldn't decipher the orb's operational principles and even broke it. I, however, was able to make the broken orb function once more."

The Second Young Lady was focused intently on painting her nails. She used crushed balsam and henna, mixed with alum to create a natural pigment, carefully adorning the nails of her ten slender fingers. In the Edo period, the safflower dyeing technique imported from China to Japan was used for nail tinting. Ancient poems described the fingers as "slender jade shoots dyed in red," referring to the alluring, vibrant crimson nails.

The young girl's fingers were delicate and soft, like spring scallions. Such hands, tipped with vermillion, were stunning the moment they were revealed. Naturally, a woman with such hands was bound to be enchanting enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

"Hehe."

She noticed his gaze fixed on her mask and covered her mouth with a light laugh.

"What? Don't tell me you've fallen for me?" Kuzuhana teased. "Kukuku... excessive beauty is truly a sin. Servant, I shall permit you to admire my beauty to your heart's content. You may lift your head openly; after all, you are my retainer..."

"Please, do not make such jokes."

Hyakusuke replied flatly, "May I make bold to ask, what function does this cursed tool have?"

"Have you heard of the Curse-Reflecting Barrier?" Kuzuhana’s tone grew slightly displeased, as if reproaching his lack of insight.

"The orb’s function is to amplify spiritual power. By absorbing your spiritual energy and physical stamina, it generates a Curse-Reflecting Barrier... However, do not be too happy yet; the internal mechanism of this orb is complex. In my view, with your meager spiritual power, you can only manifest a barrier the size of a fist while wearing it on your hand."

She explained, "This gauntlet is designed for that purpose. You can wear it on your left hand and use the Curse-Reflecting Barrier to block some simple offensive spells. Of course, do not rely on it too much; it cannot stop large-scale arts."

Kuzuhana claimed that the Curse-Reflecting Barrier was, by all accounts, a divine technique. The bead on the gauntlet could generate a miniature barrier, and even a miniature one, if used cleverly, could play a significant role in combat.

"After all, you have become a Chunin; if your strength does not improve, it would be a poor reflection on me."

"I am truly, deeply grateful." Hyakusuke bowed to her immediately. Well, this was indeed an incredibly precious life-saving tool, so he would offer her his sincere thanks for once.

"Is 'thank you' all it's worth?" The Second Young Lady looked displeased. "I went to great lengths to acquire this orb for you. Won't you show some actual action to express your gratitude to your master?"

Hyakusuke did not know what had angered her, but he knew that rather than playing dumb, it was better to admit defeat honestly.

"May I ask for your instructions?"

"Come, help me paint my nails."

She shifted, lifting her slender, beautiful legs and extending a jade foot toward him. From his perspective, a fair knee was revealed through the gap in her kimono, and the deeper parts were vaguely visible yet obscured. Well... it could be said he was in a state of Schrödinger's cat.

Hyakusuke quickly averted his gaze. His status was what it was; he could not afford to have any improper thoughts at a time like this... Furthermore, whether he saw it or not, it was a form of torture for him.

"Don't just stand there... you blockhead." The Second Young Lady spoke in a tone bordering on coquettish, yet her actions were full of provocative allure.

However, to Hyakusuke, this was nothing short of a summons to torture.

"Or is it... that you cannot even manage such a small task?" The tone was exactly like "Are you confident you can dress me in my kimono?"

Heh, he would not misunderstand; this was merely this woman's method of tormenting him. Yet, Hyakusuke had no possibility of escape. He could only steel himself and, with an expressionless face, do as the Second Young Lady ordered.

...

Becoming a Chunin and obtaining new equipment sounded like a good thing. However, as the old saying goes, 'misfortune and fortune have no gate'—if one truly thought the path ahead was smooth sailing, one would never know which deep pit one might fall into.

"This will be your first mission as a Chunin."

Sako Ryusei found him directly to inform him of the new mission he had to complete once his leave ended.

"We took into account that your right hand hasn't fully healed, which is why we’ve assigned you a relatively easy task. Hyakusuke, this is your first mission as a Chunin; make sure you don't make any mistakes."

"Please rest assured." Hyakusuke bowed respectfully. "I will do my utmost to act and will not bring shame to the clan."

"It is enough to have such thoughts; there is no need to voice them." Sako Ryusei, that handsome man, smiled and gently waved the folding fan in his hand.

"The difficulty of this mission is not high; it is to escort someone and bring them back safely." He added, "Since there are several ladies among them, you must be extra attentive."

"May I ask, who is the noble person?" Hyakusuke asked.

"You know of the Tsukigara clan, don't you?" Sako Ryusei explained. "They are a prestigious family from Mutsu in the north, currently under the protection of the Kurohime Mountain family. That young master, the fiancé of the eldest princess, is going to Kyoto for recuperation due to an injury... However, he has several ladies in his entourage who wish to visit the Gankō-ji Temple to pay their respects, and they require a guard."

"Ladies?" Hyakusuke frowned slightly, an ominous premonition stirring in his heart.

"The lady's given name seems to be 'Lady Mei'." Sako Ryusei said with meaningful gravity, "Since this is an escort mission, you will be given appropriate personnel... Remember not to be rude in front of the Tsukigara family."

"Understood."

As Hyakusuke bowed, he kept muttering to himself, "Lady Mei?" "Who is Lady Mei?" "Is there such a character in the game?"

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind—

"No... it can't be, right? Could it really be him?"

For a split second, Hyakusuke had the urge to hold his head in his hands, curl up, and groan in frustration. The Tsukigara family had almost no direct blood relatives other than the eldest son, and there was no character like "Lady Mei" in the original work—the only person he could think of now was that gender-bent protagonist: Tsukigara Yomei.