"What should we do? Even if I wanted to take responsibility, you probably wouldn't think much of me. You already thought I was a pervert before, so why don't we just treat this as a misunderstanding..."
Before Yoru Machi could finish speaking, Cui pulled a large bag of gold coins from her storage space.
"I want you to be my... hus... husband."
As she said those words, Cui's voice trembled violently and came out in halting fragments from sheer embarrassment.
Yoru Machi: (_;)
After clearly hearing what Cui had said and understanding its meaning, Yoru Machi stared at the Elf Maiden before him with a shocked expression.
He had imagined many ways the girl might punish him, but this was something he never would have thought of, no matter how hard he racked his brain.
How the hell was this punishment? This was obviously a reward!
To be fair, Cui's looks were absolutely flawless. Even in this New World, where the average appearance level was ridiculously high, Yoru Machi had yet to meet a girl more beautiful than Cui.
And now this stunning elf girl was practically offering herself to him. Was this really not some adult anime world? Why was this plot so absurd?
If he agreed, would they soon achieve racial fusion and head straight into the paid content?
After all, an episode was only a little over twenty minutes long. Cutting off the opening and ending, there would not even be twenty minutes left. Yoru Machi had great confidence in his abilities, and he felt that twenty minutes was nowhere near enough to finish the battle.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying this because I like you. It's because... those old ladies nearby saw us like that earlier.
They probably thought we were husband and wife too, so this is purely to keep up appearances in front of them... Yes, that's right. That's how it is, so don't get any strange ideas.
I'm an elf prin... a pure girl. How could I possibly like a pervert like you?"
Seeing Yoru Machi fall silent as his imagination ran wild, the Elf Maiden hurriedly tried to explain herself, her face red.
As a straight-as-steel man, Yoru Machi immediately believed her explanation. With a look of understanding, he said, "I see. So the earlier misunderstanding might negatively affect your reputation?
That's true. If they weren't husband and wife, then doing something like that would definitely make the woman seem shameless.
The Elf Race values its reputation greatly, so this is understandable..."
Hearing Yoru Machi patch up her explanation so perfectly and make it all sound reasonable, Cui could only look speechless.
She had never dated before, but she knew that ordinary human men should not react like this when a beautiful elf girl threw herself at them.
A beautiful elf girl wanted to become your wife! Shouldn't you be trying to make it a done deal? What was with that clear-headed expression?
"Miss Cui, please rest assured. Although it was a misunderstanding, I bear part of the responsibility, so from now on, I'll properly play the role of your husband.
As for payment, forget it. It's true that I like money, but I still have basic professional ethics.
Until Miss Cui wants to move away, or feels there's no need to maintain this relationship anymore, I'll cooperate with you wholeheartedly."
Looking at the large bag of gold coins before Cui, Yoru Machi estimated that it contained at least a hundred gold coins. This only further confirmed that she was a wealthy woman.
However, despite the intense reluctance in his heart, Yoru Machi ultimately refused the reward.
She had already given him quite an eyeful. He had received so many benefits already; taking her money now would really be going too far.
Besides, if he took this money too, wouldn't that make him into that kind of person...
In short, he liked money, but he could not lose even his basic integrity.
"Hmph, suit yourself. Since you agreed to my request, we have to present ourselves as husband and wife when we're outside.
And since you already have such a young and beautiful wife, you're not allowed to provoke other women either."
When she saw Yoru Machi refuse her payment, the corners of Cui's lips unconsciously curled upward. She then added a few more rules.
"Wait, weren't we only pretending to be husband and wife for those old ladies living nearby? Why do we have to pretend outside too? Other people don't know about what happened just now.
And the rule about not flirting... about not associating with other women is way too much! How am I supposed to get a girlfriend like that? I was thinking that since I'd come to another world, I should at least marry a beautiful girl from this New World!"
Naturally, Yoru Machi raised his hand in protest at Cui's added conditions. The only reason he had agreed so readily before was because he thought their role-playing was limited to this house.
After all, he was an adventurer, while Cui had to travel everywhere in search of Ancient Relics. Neither of them was home very often, and they might not return even once in ten days or half a month. The chances of them running into each other were even lower.
That was why Yoru Machi had had no objections to playing husband and wife.
But now, it seemed that Cui's little role-playing game was clearly not as simple as he had imagined!
"Hmph, since you agreed to it earlier, I get to decide the rules.
Besides, those old ladies were obviously gossipmongers. Can you guarantee they won't tell others about what they saw?
And if we're husband and wife, it would be strange for us to act separately all the time, wouldn't it? People aren't stupid. If we acted like that, wouldn't they quickly notice something was wrong?
As an adventurer, you just want to make money, right? I'm not interested in money at all. My goal is simply to collect Ancient Relics lost throughout the world, so our goals don't conflict.
If we form a party and act together, I can help you complete adventurer commissions. As for the rewards, I won't take a single coin.
In return, if we find information about Ancient Relics, you have to help me as best you can. I won't make you work for free, either. I can pay you a certain reward."
Yoru Machi was ultimately persuaded by Cui, because the conditions she offered were simply too generous.
Yoru Machi did not object to working in a party, and Cui was indeed quite capable. Why would he refuse a free fighter?
On the other hand, if they came across information about Ancient Relics, he could actually earn some extra money by helping her out. Where else could he find such a good deal?
The only downside, as far as Yoru Machi was concerned, was that even while working together, he still had to uphold their previous agreement and play the role of Cui's husband. And he could not casually flirt with girls either, because Cui said the Elf Race practiced monogamy!
Before you continue