You certainly know that Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, is a master spy. Her best skill? Twisting a target's emotions, baiting crucial information from the most trivial remarks. The proof? In Avengers 1, even Loki, the God of Mischief from Asgard, she managed to completely trick. All the more so for Kurohane, this rookie agent who had just "transmigrated."
Kurohane must have approached her with hidden motives, it couldn't be as simple as he claimed. But, Natasha could also clearly sense that Kurohane wasn't entirely lying. He was indeed a HYDRA agent, and he truly loathed that identity. He wanted to overthrow HYDRA and the crumbling S.H.I.E.L.D., so he needed help.
Natasha suddenly realized. This kid Kurohane can open portals with his hands! So he must find mundane matters boring, and wants to pursue the true meaning of magic!? Like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings!
Kurohane caught the strange glint in Natasha's eyes, but he chose not to bring it up. Someone like Natasha, who had seen so many dark sides of the world, surely wouldn't only think of 'good' things!
"So, what's the headcount for our anti-Hydra organization now?" Kurohane asked, trying to break the tension.
"Just you and me," she replied casually.
"I quit!" Natasha suddenly slammed her beer bottle onto the coffee table, then swiftly grabbed Kurohane's collar. Her eyes sharpened. "You're not setting me up, are you? It's just the two of us against such a mysterious and powerful organization. If you really want to die, why don't I just give you a bullet directly?!"
Kurohane tilted his head back, trying to keep his face distanced from Natasha. But the strong scent of perfume immediately assaulted his senses, hitting his brain and momentarily disorienting him. He almost forgot what he was about to say!
"So we need more help," Kurohane tried to focus, "like your good friend Clint. Even if he doesn't have superpowers, I think he's a good person too!" He noticed that the further he retreated, the closer Natasha advanced. Although there was a coffee table between them, Natasha was almost climbing over it, bringing her nose so close it nearly touched Kurohane's.
Damn it, if I don't keep my distance from women, this temptress might just shatter my 'Dao heart'!, Kurohane thought to himself.
He extended his left hand, gripping Natasha's hand that was clutching his collar, then gently lifted Natasha. Like carrying a startled kitten, under Natasha's disbelieving gaze, he placed her back on the opposite sofa and returned to his seat.
"Kurohane, aren't you a sorcerer?" Natasha asked, confused. "Why do you have such great physical combat abilities?" She realized that Kurohane only wanted to get rid of her, not intending harm. Otherwise, she would have long ago coiled her legs like a python, delivering a deadly scissor kick!
"Hmm, if you really want to count, I only learned magic yesterday," Kurohane explained. "You can't call me a sorcerer just because I know a few magic tricks. Actually, my main profession is a secret agent. Just like now, on the surface, I appear to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but I'm actually a HYDRA secret agent." He paused, then continued with a faint smile, "However, my third layer of identity is actually a disguised HYDRA... freedom fighter!" After a moment's thought, Kurohane finally clarified his identity!
But Natasha clearly didn't believe him, Kurohane's self-positioning was too lavish and sophisticated, making him seem incompatible with her and highly unrealistic!
"So what's our current mission?" Natasha cleared her mind, completely unaffected by the recent moment of being lifted and put down. It was time to discuss the mission. "Find the list of HYDRA personnel in S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I'll continue to go undercover in S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, and you just keep doing what you're supposed to do," Kurohane explained the plan. "Don't do anything that will startle the snake, like today, we just had a simple date. If you want to recruit Clint, I have no objection, but I don't want you to tell anyone about HYDRA except Clint." Kurohane smiled, then put down his beer bottle and raised his hand, wanting to open a portal in the air for Natasha. He paused, realizing he didn't know where to send Natasha.
"Where are you going now?"
"Shopping, just you and me," Natasha winked at Kurohane, then stood up from the sofa. She bent down in front of Kurohane, fully exposing her graceful curves, almost making Kurohane drool. Being single since birth was truly like this, full of vigor!
"You said this was like a normal date, so the two of us should go shopping. Tomorrow night is the Stark Expo, and as a shareholder of Stark Industries, you have to attend. It seems you don't have suitable clothes, you need a professional to help you choose!"
"Also, I was just fired by Mr. Stark, does Director Kuro need a personal assistant?"
"How much salary do you need?" Kurohane was tempted. After all, he wasn't short on money now, Tony had given him shares. He wasn't short on money to support a personal assistant or something, it sounded quite delightful!
Natasha thought for a moment, then mentioned the remuneration she expected, "A dress that's enough to steal the spotlight, what do you say?"
"Deal!" Kurohane, whose smaller head was controlling his larger one, had no idea how expensive that decision would be!
The next evening, Kurohane and Natasha appeared at the Stark Expo.
Natasha wore a long black gown—more accurately, a dress made of a single piece of fabric—paired with a pair of nine-centimeter black high heels. She smiled and held hands with Kurohane.
Kurohane wore a suit with no brand labels whatsoever, paired with a neat hairstyle and shiny leather shoes. His face was sour, as if someone had spent millions of dollars!
Yes, Natasha was indeed a top agent; her aesthetic taste might have been ordinary, but she was clearly an expert at spending money! Their outfits from head to toe had completely drained Kurohane's bank account! Not only the dividends from the shares Tony gave him, but even the salary he had saved for several years had vanished!
"Director Kuro~~~ You should be happier," Natasha grinned, imitating a tone she'd picked up from somewhere, and instantly "transferred" Kurohane from the Marvel set to a short drama about a dominant CEO who was clueless! "After all, these clothes were bought with your own money!"
"Natasha, I'm starting to regret it," Kurohane complained. "Can the clothes I'm wearing be returned after I wear them?"
"No, we didn't get a receipt when we paid!"
Kurohane could only sigh in resignation. Indeed, the most painful thing in the world was: someone was still alive, but their money was gone!
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