Franky stands in front of Anya and Loid, dressed in a long dress with heels, no wig, makeup on his face.

"Yeah, no" Loid says with a disappointed sigh.

"What?" Franky asks angrily.

"Anya cannot accept this mama" Anya says as she points to Franky.

"You're just not going to cut it for the mother role, Franky" Loid says as he folds his arms.

"You're literally a spy" Franky whispers as he uses a mirror to block his mouth from Anya's view, "couldn't you have done my disguise better?".

"There's only so much you can do with your height and physique" Loid says as he walks to the sofa.

"I can't believe I volunteered for this!" Franky says as he puts the mirror down on the table.

"Have a peanut" Anya says as she passes Franky a peanut.

Operation Strix. In order to stop a key figure in Ostania, Desmond, from trying to start a war, I was given this top secret mission as a member of WISE. We were able to pass the written entrance exam to get into Eden College, but who knew the interview process' next stage demanded the attendance of both parents?

Loid says as he sits down on the sofa.

"Very well" Loid says as he sits up straight, "I guess I'll have to explore my options".

--- at the city hall ---

"Did you hear? A thief might have entered out office" a woman with blonde hair says as she and some of her work colleagues enter the break room, "apparently, they only searched the draws with information regarding the girls. Like, what? What kind of creep does that?".

"Honestly, the section chief is way creepier" the girl with red hair says as she makes herself a cup of coffee, "he's always ogling me".

"That's because you're always wearing those short skirts" the woman with black hair says as she smokes a cigarette.

"Well, my boyfriend likes it when I wear them" the girl with red hair says with a smile, "you've got a nice figure yourself, Sharon, so show it off some more".

"You don't bother anymore once you've had a kid" the woman with black hair says as she looks at the girl.

"So, hey, what do you think about this, Yor-senpai? Isn't it creepy?" the woman with blonde hair asks as she looks over at Yor who's making coffee.

"Sorry?" Yor asks as she looks at the woman.

"Is that the section chief's coffee? Let's put some boogers in it" the girl says as she looks at Yor.

"Huh? Do boogers somehow make it taste better?" Yor asks curiously.

"You know, Yor, I've got to say, you're rather unique" the blonde haired woman says as she looks at Yor.

"I know, right?" the girl says as she looks at the blonde haired woman, "she's so out there I bet men keep their distance".

"Come on, now, Millie" Sharon says as she looks at Millie.

"You've got a nice face and boy, Yor" the blonde haired woman says as she tries her best to be kind to Yor, "you'd be a knock out if you just dressed up".

"Uh huh. I'll give you details about some of my favourite cosmetics" Millie says excitedly.

"I'm honestly content as long as I get to keep this job" Yor says as she goes back to making the coffee.

"But aren't you like, twenty seven?" the woman asks as she tilts her head, "you need to be careful. there seems to be a lot of spies around lately, you know? So people are apparently getting reported over the tiniest things. The other day, a single woman in her late twenties got reported by her neighbours for being suspicious".

"Wait, what? That's hilarious!" Millie says, completely entertained, "you know everything, Camilla!".

"True, it's unheard of to be single at that age. Very suspicious" Sharon says as she takes a drag of her cigarette.

"Oh, I see. Thank you for the warning" Yor says as she bows to the three of them.

"Oh yeah. I'm having a party at my place this weekend" Camilla says as she looks at Yor, "you should totally come, Yor. Make sure you bring your partner with you".

"Isn't that asking a bit too much?" Millie asks as she, Camilla and Sharon all leave the room.

"Maybe the creeper who snuck into this place with go with her" Camilla says as the door to the room shuts.

--- that night at Yor's house ---

Yor: Hello, Briar Residence.
????: Hey, Sis! How have you been?
Yor: Oh, Yuri!
Yuri: How is work going?
Yor: Don't worry. I'm still employed.
Yuri: I'm worried about you. You're kind of unusual, you know?
Yor: How rude! I'm completely normal.
Yuri: Isn't it about time you got married? Is there anyone you're interested in? The thing is, there's a chance that I might get promoted. It means I'll probably be even busier running around more than normal. But I can't leave you alone like this, so I'm not sure if I should take it. The whole reason I got this far is because of you, and I'm truly grateful. That's why I just want you to be happy.
Yor: I know. Thank you, Yuri.
Yuri: If you want, I can introduce you to someone.
Yor: Huh? No, that's okay. Oh, yes. I'm actually going to a party this weekend. With my partner, of course.
Yuri: Huh? You have a boyfriend?
Yor: I do, actually. So don't worry.
Yuri: That's great. So this party, it'll be with your co workers, right?
Yor: Yep. Camilla's throwing it.
Yuri: Ah! Then I'll have to ask Dominic about the guy later.
Yor: Huh?
Yuri: I mean, I know how gullible you are. I'll have to chase him away if he's a loser.
Yor: Huh? Um.
Yuri: I'll hold off on this promotion until I know he's a good guy.
Yor: Oh, you don't need to do that-
Yuri: I look forward to meeting him. Goodnight.

Yuri hangs up the call as Yor puts her phone on the stand, letting out a deep sigh.

What should I do? I need to find someone by the day of the party. If he finds out I'm lying, he'll realise I'm lying and think I'm a pathological liar, and he'll lose even more trust in me. I need to find someone for the sake of my little brother's promotion.

Yor says as her phone starts to ring again.

Yor: Yuri, you've got the wrong idea! I was just joking earlier-
???: Oh, dear. Did you buddy-buddy siblings actually have a quarrel?
Yor: Oh, Shopkeeper? I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was you.
???: Good evening. I have a client for you, Thorn Princess. The Royal Hotel. Room 1307.

--- that evening at The Royal Hotel ---

The doors to the elevator open as the four men guarding the door to the hotel room turn and see Yor standing there dressed in a black dress, her hair pinned back.

"Apologies, my lady. This whole floor has been reserved" one of the men say as they adjust their tie.

"Did anyone call for this chick?" another man asks as he looks at the two men standing right beside the door.

"Who knows?" one of the men say with a slight chuckle.

"But I've heard that a traitorous scumbag has been staying here" Yor says as she takes out two gold thin kunai.

"What in the world?" a short man with brown hair says as two of the men are thrown through the doors of the hotel room, breaking them down.

"It's an ambush! A lone woman-" one of the men say as they run into the room, only for Yor to throw one of her kunai at the man, hitting him in the back as he falls to the ground.

"Excuse me" Yor says as she walks in, taking the kunai from the man's back, "Vice Minister Brennan from the auditing department, I presume? I'm terribly sorry if I interrupted something, but may I have the honour of taking your life?".

Code Name: Thorn Princess. An assassin. She was taught the skills of her trade at a young age, and has done any dirty work her employer requested ever since.

--- a few minutes later ---

"It's not coming off" Yor says as she does her best to clean the blood from her hands when she spots a rip in her dress, "huh? Oh, no! What will I do? This is the only nice dress I own. Now I can't go to the party".

Anyone you're interested in?

Yor remembers Yuri's words.

It's unheard of to be single at that age.

Yor remembers Sharon's words.

Make sure you bring your partner with you.

Yor remembers Camilla's words.

"But it's hopeless" Yor says as she looks down, "when it comes to homemaking, the only thing I am any good at is cleaning".

--- the next day ---

"Scruffy Head!" Anya says happily as Franky walks into the apartment.

"I copied all the files of unmarried women from the city hall" Franky says to Loid as he places a huge pile of paper onto the coffee table.

"Great, thanks" Loid says as he sits down on the sofa.

"You need one who won't care that you're divorced with a kid, is refined enough for a prestigious school, and is willing to get married with forty eight hours?" Franky asks as he folds his arms, "if a goddess like that exists, I'd sure love to meet her. Meanwhile, I'm not picky at all, yet I can't even get a date".

"How unfortunate" Loid says calmly.

"Don't pity me, asshole!" Franky yells as he slams his hands down on the coffee table.

"Is having a kid bad? Am I in the way?" Anya asks as she walks over to Loid.

"You're not in the way at all" Loid says as he ruffles her hair, "don't worry. How about you go watch some TV?".

"Okay" Anya says with a nod as she runs off.

"Actually, why don't you just use a female agent from your work?" Franky asks as he sits down.

"A lot of them got caught in the recent spy hunts, so I couldn't find a good match" Loid says as he takes the first piece of paper from the pile.

"Selling people out is really in right now" Franky says as he leans back.

"We don't have enough agents, so I got another mission on top of this" Loid says as he continues to look through the different women, "eliminating a certain smuggling ring".

"They're working you to the bone!" Franky says as he looks at Loid, "let's just get this over with. The quickest option would be women in bad circumstances who'd cooperate with you. Finding dirt on them might help, too. If they don't have any, we can always make some up".

"I'd like to avoid anything risky" Loid says as he looks over two profiles.

"Oh, please. She's plenty risky" Franky says as he points to Anya, "she definitely doesn't look any princess from a rich family".

"You've got a point" Loid says as he looks at Anya, "I need to at least do something about her appearance".

--- that afternoon ---

"Now, young lady" a woman working at the store says as she comes to Anya, "I'm going to take your measurements so come with me".

"I'm being sold off somewhere!" Anya says as the woman takes Anya's hand.

"You won't be if you behave" Loid says as he looks at Anya, "honestly, where does she learn to talk like that?".

The seamstress is married. The proprietress was listed among the single women, but she's been arrested one over political activities, so she's too dangerous. Finding the right person might take longer than expected.

Loid says as he looks around the shop at all the people working there.

"Excuse me" Yor says as she walks in from behind Loid, taking him by surprise.

"Oh, I haven't see you in a while, Yor" one of the women say as they walk over to the counter.

"Hello. I was hoping I could get my dress fixed up" Yor says as she puts her bag on the counter, "could I get it done as quickly as possible?".

"But of course! You're one of our regulars" the woman says happily.

She managed to slip behind me so easily. Who is she? Yor... Yor... There we go. Yor Briar. Twenty seven years old. She has no record of being married or divorced. Both of her parents are deceased and she has one brother who's much younger than her. They're both civil servants whose records are pretty clean. Did I just let my guard down? I'm far to relaxed lately.

Loid says as he looks at her at a side glance.

"Excuse me" Yor says as she looks at Loid, "you've been staring at me for a while now. May I help you?".

"Erm, no, um, I'm sorry" Loid says as he turns to her, "I was just admiring how pretty you are!".

"Does that mean you have a favourable opinion on my appearance?" Yor asks hopefully.

"Erm, well... yes" Loid says taken aback.

You've got a nice face and body, Yor. You'd be a knockout if you just dressed up more.

Yor remembers Camilla's words.

"Um-" Yor says as she leans towards Loid.

"Papa, I know how long I am now" Anya says as she runs over, "who's that?".

"Oh, another customer from the shop" Loid says as he looks at Anya.

He has a child. I almost pursued someone's husband. I've hard that women have been killed by other women for trying to steal their husbands. I mean, if it happened to me, I'd just kill them back. No, I mustn't. If I think like this, someone will eventually figure out that I'm an assassin. I must learn to be more normal.

Yor says as Anya reads her mind.

An assassin? A spy and an assassin! So exciting!

Anya says as she runs back slightly.

The little girl was starving for the entertainment.

Hmm, I was considering her as a candidate for my wife, but never mind.

Loid says as he looks at Yor.

I was considering to ask him to act as my boyfriend at the party.

Yor says as she looks away.

"Ah, I am oh so lonely because I do not have a mama" Anya says as she rocks herself side to side, "I long for a mama".

"What brought this on?" Loid asks as he looks at Anya.

"Are you not with your wife?" Yor asks as she looks at Loid.

"Oh, um, I actually lost my wife two years ago" Loid says as he looks at Yor, "I'm raising her on my own now".

So I won't be killed for asking him to the party!

Yor says happily.

--- outside the store ---

"Pretend to be your boyfriend?" Loid asks confused.

"Yes. I fibbed to my younger brother about having a boyfriend" Yor says as she looks down, "if it's not too much to ask, I was hoping you'd accompany me to this party. Um, I promise I don't have any ulterior motives! Of course, I'll thank you properly, too. I just want to put my brother's mind at ease".

"Very well" Loid says with a small smile, "I accept".

"Really?" Yor asks shocked.

"But I would like something in return" Loid says as he looks at her, "so you see, I'd like for you to play the role of my daughter's mother during the interview at her new school. We need both parents attending but like I mentioned, her Mother passed away two years ago. With the future being so uncertain right now, my only wish is for my daughter to get into a good school. This was also the wish of my late wife".

Papa is a liar.

Anya says as she looks at Loid.

What a wonderful person.

Yor says as she looks at Loid.

"It would only be one time. Would you be up for it?" Loid asks as he tilts his head.

I'll have her accept something simple at first, but I'll get her to agree to the marriage in the end.

Loid says confidently.

"Alright. If you think I'm fit for the role" Yor says with a nod.

"Thank you. Then let us reconvene at Saturday's party" Loid says with a smile.

"Yes" Yor says happily.

--- that evening at the superstore ---

"I got a sitter for your on Saturday, so make sure you behave" Loid says as he pushes the cart.

"Stop up on them peanuts!" Anya says as she points to the peanuts on the shelf.

"Yeah, yeah" Loid says as he takes some from the shelf.

Loid and Anya finish their shopping as they make it to the till.

"Ten pent is your change, ribbit" the shopkeeper says as he passes Loid his change, "thanks, ribbit".

"Ribbit?" Anya says as she looks at the man.

A T, no, an F cipher.

Loid says as he puts the change in his pocket.

--- at the apartment ---

It must be the details of the extra mission. Retrieving art pieces that were stolen from the West and eliminating this smuggling ring. I'm to carry out this mission on Saturday at 1800 hours when the target meets the buyer. Saturday?

Loid says as he studies the tiny piece of paper stuck to the back of one of the coins.

--- that Saturday ---

"And so, we're going to take care of this quickly so I can make it to the party" Loid says to Franky as the two of them crouch down on the roof a large warehouse at the location of the smuggling ring, "you're helping me".

"Wait a minute!" Franky says as he looks at Loid, "my skills stop at being an informant. My fighting skills are shit! Not to mention, you pretty much cabbed your tab-".

"We're talking 78 art pieces valued at a total three million dalc" Loid says as he looks through the binoculars, "I'm almost certain no one would notice if one or two happen to go missing".

"Leave it to me" Franky says as he points to himself, "I just so happened to have invented some new spy gear just for days like this".

He's so useful.

Loid says as he rolls his eyes.

--- outside the train station ---

"Loid is awfully late" Yor says as she looks at her watch, "I hope he wasn't in some terrible accident".

--- at the location Loid was given ---

There is a large explosion from inside one of the warehouses as Loid and Franky run out.

"You didn't tell me there'd be an army of them!" Franky says as he unlocks the van, putting the goods in the back.

"Two, four, six, thirty eight of them" Loid says as he hides behind a wall, "I can't afford to waste even ten seconds on each one!" he says as he takes most of them down, "reinforcements? There's no end to them".

"I got them all in. Get in!" Franky says as he looks at Loid.

The two of them get in as they set off.

"Whoo! Let's see. Which one's gonna accidently go missing?" Franky asks as he opens a case full to the brim of jewels and jewellery.

"I'm helping myself to this one" Loid says as he takes a diamond ring from the box.

"Hey, that's a diamond! No fair taking the expensive looking one!" Franky says as he looks at Loid.

"I'll use it as a part of this whole charade" Loid says proudly.

"Shut up! Give that back!" Franky says as he tries to grab for it.

Suddenly, a car smashes into them as they crash.

--- at Camilla's party ---

"You're late, Yor" Camilla says as she opens the door.

"I do apologise. Here's a gift" Yor says as she passes Camilla a bag.

"Oh? I thought you were coming with your boyfriend" Camilla says as she takes the bag.

"Unfortunately, he had something come up" Yor says as she shuts the door.

"Oh, what a shame! I was so eager to meet him" Camilla says as she rolls her eyes, "what a lame excuse".

"How pathetic" Millie says as she, Camilla and Sharon gather together.

"I knew she was lying about having a guy" Camilla says with a smirk.

"Should we report the liar?" Millie asks as Yor sits down.

"We should!" Camilla says happily, "I'm positive she's a spy who's been sent in to lower our country's birth rate".

"Seriously? That's so petty" Sharon says as she looks at Camilla, "she's just unpopular with the guys. Just leave her be".

"It's too bad your boyfriend couldn't come. I was excited to meet him" a man says as he approaches Yor.

"Dominic" Yor says as she stands up.

"Yuri's always so worried about you" Dominic says as he stands in front of Yor.

"Um, could you possibly just tell my brother that I came to the party with a kind gentleman?" Yor asks as she looks down.

"Yeah, not happening" Camilla says as she links arms with Dominic, "just how desperate are you to impress people, Yor? It just makes you look even more pathetic".

"Jeez, knock it off, Camilla" Dominic says as he looks at Camilla.

"I'll be sure to let your brother know you came here alone" Camilla says as she pulls Dominic away.

What could she possibly gain by doing that? This is honestly becoming tiresome. If all the adults here just happen to perish, my brother would never find out.

Yor says as she twiddles her thumbs.

"I'm so sorry. Have fun!" Dominic says as he grabs Camilla, "come on, Camilla. Help me bake this gratin!".

This must be what normal looks like. I'm sure that's how my brother wants me to end up.

Yor says as she looks around.

"Seriously? She's still here" Camilla says as she walks over to Millie and Sharon.

"She's tougher than she looks" Sharon says with a slight chuckle, "I'm honestly shocked she had the nerve to show up on her own".

I see. I'm too out of league here.

Yor says as she grabs her coat.

"I do beg your pardon" Yor says as she stands up, "I will have to take my-".

"I'm terribly sorry for arriving late" Loid says as he bursts into the room, blood on his face and clothes, "I'm Yor's husband, Loid Forger".

"Um, I just needed a boyfriend, not a husband" Yor says quietly.

"Shit!" Loid says stunned.

I mixed up my mission with hers.

Loid says as he walks into the room.

"Um, Mr Forger, was it? You're bleeding" Dominic says as he walks over.

"Oh, pardon me" Loid says as he looks at Dominic, "one of my patients had a violent episode" he says as Yor offers him her handkerchief, "it happens all the time to a psychiatrist. Have you been enjoying yourself, Yor?".

"You're joking, right? You're married, Yor?" Camilla asks as she comes over, "why didn't you tell us?".

"Um, I-" Yor says as she looks at Camilla.

"It's embarrassing to say so, but this is my second marriage and I already have a child, so it may have been hard to bring up. It's my fault" Loid says with a smile.

Don't give me that shit. There's absolutely no way that Yor has a husband that handsome and hot! I'll embarrass her in front of everyone.

Camilla says as she goes to the table and grabs the tray of gratin.

"Yor, I just got his piping hot gratin out of the oven" Camilla says as she walks over to Yor, pretending to trip as she throws it towards Yor, "oops! I seem to have tripped".

Yor kicks the tray upwards as she catches it with her foot, balancing it on her foot.

"I admire your dedication to not wasting food, but it is a bit unsanitary to catch it with your feet" Loid says as he takes the tray from Yor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry" Yor says as she puts her foot down, "it looks delicious though!".

"Did you know, Mr Ranger?" Camilla says as she gets up from the ground.

"It's Forger" Loid says as he looks at Camilla.

"Yor here was apparently doing some questionable work before working at the city hall" Camilla says as she stands in front of Loid and Yor, "what did you do again? Men would call you to their hotel rooms so you could give them so called massages. Oh, you little whore".

"That was-" Yor says as she looks down, "um, please don't get the wrong idea, Loid. I-".

"How wonderful" Loid says as he puts his hand on Yor's lower back, "Yor lost her parents at a very young age. She did all she could to care for her younger brother, even if it meant sacrificing herself. Be it for someone else or for a specific reason, having to endure such a merciless job requires an incredible amount of dedication. And that's something to be very proud of. Let's go home, Yor".

"Erm, yes... thank you for the lovely party everyone" Yor says as she bows to everyone.

--- in the car ---

"I'm sorry I said I was your husband" Loid says as he sets off driving.

"Oh, it's alright" Yor says as she looks down.

"I'm not sure what to tell your brother if he hears of this" Loid says worriedly.

"Um, Loid, I have a suggestion" Yor says as she looks at Loid.

All of a sudden, a car full of the people Loid and Franky were fighting earlier slams into the van.

"What?" Loid says as he looks out of the window, realising what's going on, "hang on, Yor!".

"Who are those people?" Yor asks as Loid manages to get away from the people for now.

"It appears some of my patients still haven't recovered" Loid says as he does his best to make something up, "they must be having another psychotic episode".

"Being a doctor must be very taxing" Yor says as she looks down.

She bought that?

Loid asks in shock.

"In the meantime, we're making a break for it" Loid says as he carries on down the road.

Loid and Yor soon abandon the van as the other men find them. They all look around when Loid runs out from an alleyway, hitting two of them over the head with a plank of wood he found.

"Yor, this way, hurry!" Loid says as he pulls a metal pipe from the side of a building.

"Um, are you sure it's okay for you to hit your patients like that?" Yor asks as she follows after Loid.

"Um, well... the concussive recovery method is the latest in modern medical practice" Loid says as he continues to make stuff up.

Loid hears footsteps from behind him as he turns around.

"Look out, Yor!" Loid yells as he throws the pipe at the person chasing them, knocking them out.

Another person jumps down from the stairs above them as Yor kicks them, sending them flying into the wall behind them.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry that an amateur like me helped with the recovery!" Yor says worriedly, "I happened to learn self defence when I was younger. I still continue to practice it to this day".

"Thank you, Yor!" Loid says happily, "that was quite impressive. Did you see how far he went?".

"I'm sorry. I guess I did send him flying" Yor says as she helps Loid up.

"There he is!" another person says from down the alleyway as he shoots at the two of them, both of them running up the stairs.

They meet two people at the top as both of them take one down each, continuing to run.

"Um, Loid, this might not be the best time to ask, but do you want to get married?" Yor asks suddenly.

Loid freezes up as he falls to the ground, completely shocked by the suddenness of Yor's words.

"I'm sorry?" Loid asks confused.

"Erm, well, it would extend our agreement... I mean... apparently, I'm viewed as suspicious just for being single" Yor says as she looks down, "it'd be nice camouflage. Um, so, if it's alright with you, maybe we could just stay together, and not just for the interview but for both our sakes".

"Then let's stop by the city hall on the way back to fill out the papers" Loid says as he stands up.

"Huh? Right now?" Yor asks in shock.

"They do say there's no time like the present" Loid says as he looks at Yor.

"You bastards! We have them cornered!" a man yells as he and three others point their guns at Loid and Yor, both of them running to hide behind something as Loid manages to grab a grenade.

"Yor" Loid says as he pulls the pin on the grenade, throwing it towards the four men, "even in sickness, or in sadness, no matter what hardships awaits us" he says as he slides the ring onto Yor's finger, "let us be there for one another".

Until my mission do us part.

Loid says as he looks at Yor.

Until my killing do us part.

Yor says as she looks at Loid.