An exchange occurred between Miki and Fiona, while the latter found her own way of consuming the confection they would all enjoy. Kou made use of this time by digging into his own plate of fried dough, having nothing in particular to comment or address. The others seemed to be enjoying, Fiona seemed to have found a satisfactory eating method for herself... all was fine. Soon enough though, he was being addressed by Miki. With only a few remaining bites of fried dough, and the confection being forced between his teeth at the moment, he looked up as if he'd been captured by some prosecution. "Huh? Yeah, I'm good..." he said, taking a pause before the next bite was taken.
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Miki's words to Kou had been heard, but when she glanced over in his direction she noted that he looked like someone caught doing something naughty. She couldn't help but chuckle while averting her own gaze, "Sou ka... as you were then~" she mused. In the meantime, Fiona went back to her own plate and began eating again. She'd be done soon and Miki would as well, though at an admittedly slower pace. Once she was done, and assuming Kou was she'd look to Fiona prodding her next activity of choice. "Alright then Fiona... what else do you want to do... the day is yours," she offered the lass as the little girl with her wings stood practically dancing as she placed her used shells and utensils into a nearby bin.
"Umm..." Fiona turned on her heels looking around for the next big activity to grab her attention. Whatever it was, they'd do, and such time would pass well into the afternoon. Games played, raffles won, toys and prizes galore, and even more fair food consumed. Until the bird girl wore herself out and would be seen atop Miki's pillow, cuddled up with a large fish-like stuffed animal, face covered in sugar with a lollipop in her hand. "Best day ever... Ontari," she mumbled as she floated along, referring to the pair by the Atlantean honorific for parents, as she drifted off to sleep. Miki upon hearing this had her eyes widen as she understood the word for what it was... It was at least confirmation of how the lass thought of the pair of adventurers who'd hatched her. "Hm, she wore herself out. Well, at least it seems like she had fun," said Miki to Kou as the little bird girl fell asleep completely.Comment
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Finishing up with the fried dough, Kou made an effort to clean his face off before moving on alongside the others. The festivities continued for the trio, many things done, many things seen, etc. Eventually though, all things were destined to reach an end. This day and its events were no exception to this rule of the universe, but that was for the best. Kou had things to do, and little time to do them. There was still the next day, which he would dedicate to Hikari. As such, while they made their way back to the palace, Kou resolved himself to part from Miki and Fiona while the latter experienced exhaustion. "Hai. I'm gonna... run off. It was fun, but... yeah. I'll meet up later," he said prior to his departure.
And so, he'd go back to the room he claimed for his tinkering. There would be another night of sleeplessness on Kou's part, but he would hopefully make a great deal of progress as a result. Only one day of actual commitment remained, at the very least.Comment
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By the time they reached the palace, Kou seemed rather apt to disappear again. There were probably several logical explanations for this, even so Miki was a bit uneasy. "Hai, catch you later..." she managed waving the lad off. In the meantime she took, Fiona to their shared room and tucked her into bed. Fiona twisted and cuddled with her little shark Miki managed to get wrapped up in her own thoughts once again. She couldn't help but notice Kou's slight detachment, maybe that wasn't the right word. He seemed a bit bored, or tired maybe? Perhaps it was nothing, and he was busy trying to do stuff for his sister now that Fiona was taken care of. 'I mean, maybe he wasn't really into it. But he seemed to be for Fiona... is it me?' she questioned herself as she paced the floor of her room with extreme angst. 'It has to be me. I did too much... maybe I wanted too much?' the girl's thoughts were ablaze and definitely wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Luckily enough the next day didn't require her attention and as such she didn't really appear that day. And the siblings day which followed it was also something which didn't need her direct attention. No, she'd spend a day freaking out, and withdrawing appearing only for a bit of food.
The day after the Lantern Lighting ceremony, Hikari was sleeping pretty hard in the morning. She'd been spending a lot of time, helping out Diva and at this point she was just a bit tired. That being said she was looking forward to spending the day with her brother. If she managed to get herself together in time. 'Ugh, maybe just a few more minutes. He's an early riser but... he'll let me sleep a bit more, probably,' the lass mused to herself.Comment
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That night, into and all the way through the day of Lantern Lighting, Kou continued working diligently on his project. The hours began blending together very quickly, and he never even bothered keeping track of them. For the longest time, all he knew was that sphere, and the Mana and craftsmanship he poured into it meticulously without rest. He wouldn't rest. He couldn't rest, less he fail the project entirely. The only moments of reprieve he could allow himself were...
Oh! Sibling Day! Before he knew it, the day was upon him. A day and a half seemed to have passed since he last left this room. He barely retained consciousness, and his Mana was beginning to fluctuate due to the repeated focusing of it through a small channeling device used for his craft. At long last, he stumbled his way out of the room. A decent amount of progress had been made, but now... he was late. Very late. By his approximation, he should have met with Hikari during her normal waking hours, roughly three or four hours prior to the current time. This wasn't going to end well, he thought. 'Chikusho... Get it together, dumbass! At least keep track of time when you have other shit to do...' the lad thought as he moved groggily through the palace, looking almost like a drunkard.Comment
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A few more minutes turned into a couple of hours or perhaps a few more. Whatever the case, the lass woke and dressed herself and headed out of her own room. 'Whew, I overslept. Maybe he also did. Who am I kidding he's probably waiting somewhere for...' there was a gentle pause as she looked up the hall and noticed her brother stumbling about like a drunken man. That was unusual. 'Ah, maybe it didn't matter...' she thought with a chuckle. "Oi, Nii-san! You look like you might have drank a bit too much of the seaweed spirit. But... I don't remember seeing you last night," she said walking straight up to him and wrapping her arms around him. "Are you actually up for this?" she asked of the lad prodding gently. She had no idea what he'd been up to, but she was cool to just spend a bit of time with him, if he was a bit too worn out from whatever he'd been up to.Comment
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And there she was, the very girl Kou sought an audience with. During the time in which they encroached upon one another, she didn't seem very miffed about his tardiness. Perhaps she had slept in... again. In fact, she even drew close enough to hug him, which he accepted and reciprocated with slightly limp arms of his own. "Iie, I'm fine. I didn't drink anything last night, I just... didn't sleep much," he claimed. Though it would have been more accurate to say that he hadn't slept at all this week thus far, he decided to leave it at that. He'd given his word to spend time with his dear sister during this day's event, and he intended to have it go off with as few complications and unnecessary information shares as possible. "Anyway, yeah, good to go. There's a carnival on; have you gone out to it yet?"Comment
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"Hoh, I wonder why?" she questioned rhetorically. She was hugged back with limp arms, what could have caused this fatigue? What could the lad have been up to, that he managed not to get any sleep last night? This question was especially pressing considering that he hadn't been participating in any other activities. As for the carnival taking place outside she could only shrug as she dived her attention between her own thoughts and the apparent activity at hand. "Uh, no. I haven't been out. I've been hanging out with Diva," she said about her activities for the last few days. "Regardless, I like carnivals and whatnot, so let's go~" she said happily. "Though, how do they do that here? We're underwater, how do they know about carnivals?" she questioned as she began walking off towards the center of the town making a few assumptions about what where this little gathering would be taking place.Comment
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"Lots of reasons," was all Kou cared to say regarding his lack of sleep. Hikari didn't need to know about his plans. Besides, if she did become privy to them, he'd never hear the end of it. There was a slight chance she'd even barge in on the project to ensure he made the right moves in his efforts, and he couldn't be having that. It seemed she was content to move on from the topic regardless, much to his general pleasure. "You two really hit it off, huh? What did you make him for Valentine's Day?" he teased while finally releasing his already-waning hold on the lass.
"It's good you haven't gone out yet, since... I don't have much by way of activity ideas. As far as how they get here is concerned, if I had to take a guess... I'd say it's influence from our world, or maybe even the other way around? Maybe what we know about carnivals comes from here originally. Atlantis wasn't always sunken, as well. There's a rumor in the game's lore that it used to be a floating kingdom," he said, thinking the idea itself to be something outlandish. Of course, it wouldn't be too surprising in this world, but... surely they would have known about something like that by now. Either way, Kou would carry on by leading the way out toward the carnival.Comment
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His answer of 'lots of reasons' was a bit too vague for Hikari's tastes. Her ears twitched ever so slightly as her brow raised. "Uh-huh..." she mused. She wouldn't pry too much. She'd made a conscious decision to leave the older teens alone, as such she'd keep her thoughts to herself, for now at least. Or rather that is what she would have thought, if he hadn't decided to jokingly tease her about her budding friendship with Diva. Still she'd answer his question, with a casual shrug. "Well, we did his reading lesson. And I gave him a nice non-binding soft chocolate... gentle touch," she said with a large smile which soon got a tiny hint of deviousness. "Not that I expect you to understand the nuances of being a girl on Valentine's Day~" she said brushing the lad off completely. Moving right along, her brother apparently hypothesized that out worlder influence got them a carnival in this world. Or maybe this world got them carnivals. Either way, it seemed like a decent bit of fun. "A floating island, huh? Wonder why it sank?" she asked that seemed pretty crazy, perhaps she'd even find out why one day. She'd follow along with her brother regardless, until they happened upon this carnival. Though she didn't act like a complete child, she managed to be obviously excited, her tail was bristling and her ears twitched as she began picking up the noises she recognized as people and fun.Comment
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"Non-binding, huh? Riiight~" Kou replied whilst rolling his eyes playfully, a grin plastered on his face. "Should I be prepared to grill him? You know, make sure everything's alright, do my brotherly duty and find out if I should be fending him off or not?" It seemed he had waited years for this moment, and in fact, he had. It was finally his turn to be in this position against his sister, and he couldn't have been more elated to have the chance. No, it was more than that. Beyond vengeance for the years of his sibling's teasing nature, he was generally and genuinely satisfied. He couldn't have missed this day. Times he'd long since thought lost to an aborted future were upon him, and as Kou, as Akashi, as Yugi in all forms, he would milk them for every last drop of what they had to offer.
"No telling, really. Finding out why it sank might require finding out where it actually was in the beginning. Rumors in game lore usually wind up being true, so... it was probably actually a floating island, as weird as that sounds. Whatever magical source made it float probably gave out, and they couldn't keep it at the surface of the ocean either." At some point, Kou would have an interest in discovering the mysteries of Atlantis. That was the goal of many, after all. So much lore across so many forms of media addressed Atlantis as a concept, and it was always steeped in wonders. For now, though... he would enjoy this time. "Anyway, what catches your eye? Food? Rides? Ideally not in that order. Trust me, it's a bad idea to start off with carnival food," he said, even though his own stomach demanded sustenance after not consuming a bite since Parent/Child Day.Comment
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This lad's sarcasm wasn't missed by Hikari. In fact, one could almost call such a use of words familiar to her, or rather native to her. Instead of being upset about this she had a bit of a chortle. Her brother, teasingly threatening to do his duties as a brother and scope out the potential suitor was beyond hilarious to her. "Uh, no. I think you're good. Can't really trust your eye on something like that... as you know, you seem to be blind~" she said in an off-handed manner. "Besides, you're like a thousand years off from knowing those things about people over me. You're really good at puzzles and the big pictures. Leave the nuances to professionals," she chimed, knowing that she was indeed much better suited to match-making or breaking than her brother would ever be. Still, this moment was quite enjoyable to her, she'd quite missed her chats with her big brother in her time since coming to this world. She'd be sure to enjoy him as much as possible. Besides all of that, he was quite an info-dump of things which made it into game lore, which she wouldn't know because she'd only gotten to play the beta herself before ending up here. Given this, his insight was still worth hanging on to, especially about what he thought may have happened to the Kingdom of Atlantis. "Sugoi. If it just fell out of the sky, it must have been on a downward spiral. Might be worth looking into, there's no telling what kinda good stuff they could have hidden here if they technically started off in a more advanced part of the world," she said seemingly excited by the prospect and enjoying the banter.
Speaking of enjoying things, the look of this carnival was absolutely amazing. There were rides, food, games... literally everything one could potentially want to participate in. She looked up at all of the rides and grinned widely. "Uh, rides... actually... those... those right there!" she said pointing happily at what looked like bumper cars but were instead small magically controlled little boats that other teens were either racing around a set track or.... running into each other in the middle of a large pit. This looked like fun, and perhaps... she'd gotten a bit better at controlling vehicles. "Oooh, I'm getting excited come on!" she said as she immediately hopped in line and after confirming she met height and magical requirements was assigned one of these little boats which she strapped herself into.Comment
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Kou scoffed in the wake of Hikari's rebuttal. "Please," he said. If he set out to do so, people and puzzles were one and the same. His lack of commitment to the former not withstanding, such was the case regardless. "Don't even try underestimating me like that. You're about as much of a professional as an infant at university." Even though he'd manage to pull the focus away from tiredness for himself, Kou couldn't resist the yawn which escaped him after his retort. Meanwhile, Hikari expressed some amount of interest in the lore of Atlantis. Kou thought it would have been interesting if they had been able to play Age of Eternity together, knowing now that she had such interests. That wasn't something he intended to bring up, though. Those times were long gone.
What wasn't gone, was the enjoyment to be had at this event! Speaking of, Hikari had a ride in mind for her first activity of choice. It seemed to be an interesting one, which Kou thought he would enjoy quite thoroughly as well. "Really, that? You know I'll destroy you, right?" he asked while being checked for entry as well, making his move thereafter to take an adjacent boat for the ride. "It's no bike, but... whatever."Comment
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It was quite funny to her that her brother managed to scoff at her rebuttal. He seemed to be laboring under the impression that he could and would figure out people the same way he did puzzles if he set out to do so. How mistaken could he be? Even if she would willingly excuse him as not being interested in such activities, his lack of self application would always leave him a step behind. "You can say that, but there is subtlety to being an infant in things. You really wouldn't understand~" she said with a musing smile. Hikari wouldn't deny being a novice at most things, but there was a certain advantage given to those who were new at something, the ability to question things and get straightforward answers, and it couldn't be denied. She'd fully taken advantage of her time being a child again in this world. And it had given her a bit of joy she wouldn't be able to explain for quite a while. Even in dealing with her brother, being a proper kid again had quite a few benefits and gave plenty of insights. That being said she wasn't ready to give up all that information yet. What she would take note of, was the yawn her brother let off, even while they were on their way to the sort of activity they would both enjoy.
Oh the activity... boat racing was about to be a great deal of fun. In fact, it started off with a bit of trash talk from her brother even as he settled into the contraption. "Bet." Just that one word, hanging in the air as the challenge to the lad. This was far different from the simple kinds of games they normally played. And she had a pretty good feel for using magic now, as such she was fairly confident she could easily control this little boat. As soon as her brother was also settled, a pair of lights on either side of the track would begin counting down. Red. Yellow. Green. As soon as it was green her magic flowed forwards, propelling her at great speeds through the first straightaway as she prepared to immediately drop her magical boost and drift through the curve, hugging close to the inner wall.Comment
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"You'd be surprised," he countered. He knew all about being a virtual infant in the world of adults, from being a parent figure to the very lass he spoke with, to... other things related to the parents who weren't around during those same times. If only she knew the things he'd dealt with in her absence. Dark thoughts aside, he situated himself in the boat to prepare for the race.
Once let loose, Kou applied his Mana to the boosters as well, tearing out of the entrance with maximum acceleration. Upon reaching the first curve in the race, he let off the booster as well, driving on the outer edge of the turn. He didn't slow nearly as much though, resulting in more of a slide toward the outer wall. However, before reaching the wall, he initiated a second boost to rocket himself forward along the next straightaway. "Good luck catching up~" he called out as he zipped by.Comment
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