Being a Young Master

"So... what should we do?" I asked Pakura once we settled in.

Unlike Kumogakure and Iwagakure, we were in her native village, and it was undoubtedly better to listen to someone who knew the customs of the place best. I could go and just talk about buying gold as if it were nothing, but that risked Rasa personally trying to secure this deal for use as political leverage.

"We need to arrange a meeting with Elder Ebizo," Pakura seemed to have a well-defined plan in mind. "Elder Chiyo might uncover my disguise, and she has always had a more aggressive approach towards foreigners than her brother, who is more 'fair' and diplomatic."

"Couldn't Ebizo uncover you too?"

"There's much less chance of that. If you take the initiative and catch his attention, I don't think anything will happen," Pakura assured. "But I think it's better for me to tell you about his personality and habits before you try to negotiate with him. I doubt he'll try to extract information with ambiguous questions; we can use that interest to our advantage. I also have some ideas to make him raise his guard."

"Shouldn't we try to lower it?" I asked, a little puzzled.

I had heard methods for catching enemies off guard, so seeking the opposite effect didn't seem too logical to me.

"No, if he lowers his guard, it means he won't take us seriously," Pakura corrected as the voice of experience. "Only by making him tense can we ensure he won't easily resort to tricks."

Well, that... did it really make much sense?

Every day you learn something new.

"So, how are we going to get Ebizo's attention?"

Pakura used a mischievous smile like a girl planning a big prank.

... The next morning...

Pakura's method was unconventional but effective.

Now we were sitting with Elder Ebizo on the other side of the table, attentively listening to the terms of my gold request, each with a cup of tea in front of us.

And what was necessary to end up like this?

In simple terms, once we entered the reception to be attended to, I just had to act like the young master of the Peng clan.

And it worked wonderfully!

The attitude I displayed was annoying and irritating enough that Rasa had no interest in meeting with me, while Elder Chiyo simply wouldn't have the patience to deal with someone so childish and volatile, subject to whimsical mood changes. But the "accidentally mentioned" gold deal is something the village DESPERATELY needs, so with resignation, they will send the next person in charge who would be able to mold someone like clay in their hands, Elder Ebizo.

It's worth noting that when Ebizo saw how my idiotic personality disappeared once we were alone, he was able to understand that it was all an act and felt bewildered.

Bewildered but alert.

Although it was amusing when I mentioned that I fancied some hibiscus tea, and I saw him start to sweat in secret while serving us a bit with stiff movements and tears welling up in his eyes, trying to figure out how I knew he had a very select reserve of this type of tea. I even looked towards the cupboard where he hid the tea package from others; otherwise, he might have played ignorant.

Not even his sister knew about his secret stash!

This was naturally known to Pakura, who before her "unfortunate death on a village mission" was the one discreetly buying these things for him as a favor for helping her with some annoying matters related to political maneuvers that Rasa used to suppress her at times.

Although, in the end, it seems it wasn't enough.

So now Ebizo KNOWS that we wanted to meet him. He also KNOWS that for a village nobody heard about, we have quite precise information. He KNOWS that despite all the strange circumstances, the deal seems legitimate, and above all, he KNOWS that treating me as a minor character could have a significant impact on his village.

The sum of all factors acted as Pakura expected, and the only reason I didn't showcase my abilities was because there was a big difference between making the other party raise their guard and scaring them to the point of soiling their pants.

A funny fact? Turns out Pakura devised a method to discreetly warn me about some trap questions from Ebizo. This method involves taking advantage of being seated next to me, putting her hand on my thigh, and pinching me every time I needed to pay attention to the answer.

It's just that when she moved her hand the first time, she didn't exactly pinch the thigh...

Even now, I still don't know if she did it on purpose.

Is she becoming more impatient or bolder?

"We are very grateful for your gold order," Ebizo commented once we signed the commercial contract. "I hope you are satisfied enough to return for more in the future, and our villages can maintain a harmonious relationship."

Well, he's so satisfied that I can almost see him containing the urge to skip away with joy.

Could it be that in Pakura's absence, Rasa further ruined the village's economy?

I think Pakura is having the same thought as me because she has a distracted look right now. But why is she opening and closing her hand as if measuring something? Oh, right.

She snapped out of her dazed state only when we left, and I shook her shoulders.

"Huh?" Pakura looked at me, and her face suddenly turned very red. "I'm sorry; it was an accident..." she apologized with a mosquito-like voice.

Hmm, I really doubt it. I think it was more of an idea to tease me that occurred to her in the moment and turned out unexpectedly for her. But I think it's better if I subtly change the subject.

"Do you still want to go see her?" I asked, referring to her apprentice Maki. If she can truly convince her that I defected, I'm not against her joining us.

It took Pakura a moment to understand what I was talking about, but she nodded with a determined look while still having some color in her ears.

"Yes, I need to know how she's doing. It's just that maybe I'll have to wait a couple of days to meet her. After making this deal, the village will pay more attention to us, and I'll have to wait for them to relax a bit before using a clone to sneak out. You... are you leaving?" she asked, visibly uneasy.

"No, I can wait until you finish this matter," I told her without thinking too much.

After all, Ameyuri gave Pakura this "grace period" as an opportunity. If I were to leave now, it would be equivalent to taking the initiative to cut off the possibility of Pakura acting.

Even with the progress of these days, she needs to take the step soon, or upon her return, Ameyuri may be displeased by her cowardice and no longer consider her suitable as a future "sister" to be with. At this point, there's nothing I can do.