How to Deal with Bullies Mission. (D-rank mission.)

mission details:

Yamamoto stood, dressed in kimono and holding a distinctly Asian style parasol, outside of a wealthy looking estate a short distance away from Kumogakure. Normally such an elaborate outfit, its back decorated with a rendition of the Great Wave off Kanagawa, would have been replaced with something far more functional for a mission but today was different. Meeting the rich and influential upper class of the village always called for one to take greater care with their appearance.

Accordingly, Yamamoto had given additional care to her hair. Where normally, she would simply let it flow freely down past her waist today she had tied it up into a hair bun, combed it and even worn a butterfly hairpin in it. Such fashionable and high-end clothing were rarely on Yamamoto’s list of priorities but luckily enough, her mother had left behind a decent selection. Now she just had to wait for her mission partner, whoever they were.

“Yokai Mitsuki-san...hmmm…” With her free hand, Yamamoto looked over the mission scroll in her hand and attached image. It was rather abnormal to be assigned a mission teammate but perhaps the administration running the missions simply wanted to foster relations between recent academy graduates? Oh well. In truth, the swordsman was not too concerned. Perhaps it would be fun, perhaps it would not. There was only one way to find out.

“Oh, are you Yokai-san?” She looked up from the scroll, letting it roll up on itself, before stuffing it away inside the folds of her garb, eyes coming to rest upon the diminutive and rather cute form of the girl before her. The Oni’s soft smile was met by an equally soft, albeit forced but not ingenuine, smile of the swordsman's own.

“Oh, I see. My apologies Mitsuki-san. I am Yamamoto.” She bowed her head, bending it slightly as she lowered and folded up her parasol before turning towards the outer gate of the elaborate estate behind her. It was not a huge estate and, in fact, was rather close in scale to Yamamoto’s own home. One main building, which Yamamoto estimated to contain three bedrooms in addition to a dining room, bathroom and kitchen. However, this was based on the similarity in size to her own residence more than anything else.

She raised a clenched fist up to the door and knocked firmly, knuckles rapping against the wooden material of its frame. She waited, a silent cloak coming to rest until it was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps, the fumbling of a locking pin and the sliding sound of the door opening. Standing there was a middle-aged man, face decorated with stubble and a noticeable scowl.

“Hello sir? We are the Kunoichi you requested to assist with your son?” She bowed her head slightly, showing respectful subservience to her current employer, or at least she wanted him to think that he was her employer. Technically she was simply the equivalent of a contractor, working for this man and his family for the purpose of a single mission but it did not hurt to establish a respectful relationship with him.

“Then come in. My son is waiting for you in the garden.” He would lead the two Kunoichi through the house and into the well landscaped garden, sealed in by walls and decorated with a grand amount of brightly coloured flowers or at least, what was left of them. With winter coming in most of the flowers were starting to lose their petals and ceasing production of new ones to preserve energy until the sun returned.